Narrative and Audience Theories

Hypodermic needle audience theory

This theory suggests that media is like a needle imputing certain ideas, attitudes and beliefs into our brains. However media affects people in different sort of ways by advertisement, newspapers, television and films. On the other side this theory still has some use for example watching violent crime can resulting you being violent. Jamie Bulgar killers, copycat crimes, the “power rangers” fighting in play grounds are some example of evidence to this theory.

A hypodermic theory would be used in news broadcasts because they aim to put certain ideas of something into audiences mind. For example if the news wanted to create a good image of something they would use this theory.

Uses and gratifications theory

Based on this theory people have different reasons for using media and we choose what we want to watch. There is an expectation to get something from using media.

1. Surveillance-using media to get information about the current social world
2. personal identity-using media to look for role models and explore our identity
3. Personal relation-using media to compensate for the lack of community spirit in our lives
4. diversion-using media to escape our own daily routines and realities

Tudorovs narrative theory

Theory which tells us that all stories have five stages they go through
Stage 1 equilibrium –everything is balanced
Stage 2 Disequilibrium-something disrupts the balance
Stage 3 Recognition of disruption-the imbalance is recognized
Stage 4 Attempt to repair disruption-trying to figure how to get back to equilibrium
Stage 5 A return of restoration of new equilibrium,everything is back to normal

This would be used in an action/adventure film genre.

Propp’s character theory 

According to this theory, characters have a narrative function;they provide a structure for the text
The typical characters he found were
The Hero – a character that seeks something.
 The Villain – who opposes or actively blocks the hero’s quest.
 The Donor – who provides an object with magical properties.
 The Dispatcher – who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message.
 The False Hero – who disrupts the hero’s success by making false claims.
 The Helper – who aids the hero.
 The Princess – acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villain’s plots.
 Her Father – who acts to reward the hero for his effort

This theory would apply to folk tales and fairy tales such as Cinderella which loads are adapted into films.

Levi-Strauss Narrative theory 

Levi-Strauss argued that all narratives could be reduced down to binary opposites.

EXAMPLES
supernatural vs humans
life vs death
Weak vs. strong
East vs. west
Good vs. evil
This would apply to war films where you have two oppositions and historic films.This is shown in twilight and harry potter.

Roland Barthes' Narrative theory

Barthes argues that every narrative is interlaced with multiple codes.

Narrative Codes

Part of Barthes' theory was a series of 5 narrative codes, key to interpreting media narratives. He claimed that all media texts displayed at least one of these 5 narrative codes. He described each code as follows:

Hermeneutic/Enigma Code

- a mystery or hook to be solved for or by the audience.It is the way tension is built up and the audience is left questioning what happens next


                                                      Proairetic/Action Code

- action and suspense used traditionally for escapism to entertain the audience and immerse them in the text.

Semantic Code
This code points to any element in a text that suggests a particular often additional meaning by way of connotation which the story suggests

Symbolic Code
- this code is about the eponymous symbols which can be found in media texts. Symbolic codes are called

Referential Code
- this code deals with references within a media text to an external body of knowledge, such as historic, scientific or cultural references. This would be used in comedy films to reference something else as the audience would relate andfine it funny.