Theoretical Research

Theoretical Research

Auteur Theory-

Auteur is the French word for author. This term is used to describe film directors or producers/writers who are considered to have a distinctive recognizable style. For example they could repeatedly return to the same subject matter, address a particular theme or employ a recurring aesthetic. By doing this it can help the audience recognize the style of film and who could have ben into the production of the film. For example in action films the director Michael Bay commonly has an extreme use of special effects in his film and from this the audience can determine the film if they see these special effects.

Genre Theory-

The study of a genre examines the structural elements that combine in story telling and finds patterns in collections of stories. These genres then follow a similar pattern and have very similar conventions, for example the action genre is known for its use of physical stunts, explosions and weaponry.



Audience Theories-

Hypodermic Needle Model-

The hypodermic needle model is an theory about mass communications. The theory sais that the media has direct influence over audiences by 'injecting' their minds with information.  According to this theory the audiences are powerless to resist this information from injecting them. The theory was popular during the 1940s and 1950s.

Two Step Flow-

The two-step flow model says that most people form their opinions under the influence of the opinion leaders, who are influenced by the mass media. So according to this model, ideas flow from mass media to opinion leaders, and from them to a wider population.

Uses and Gratifications-

Uses and gratifications theory is trying to understand why and how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs.

The 5 goals-

-be informed or educated

-identify with characters of the situation in the media environment
-simple entertainment
-enhance social interaction
-escape from the stresses of daily life

Narrative Theories-

Propp-
Vladimir Propp developed a character theory for studying media texts and productions, which shows that there are 8 character types-
-The hero (protagonist who saves the day)
-The villain (struggles against the hero)
-The donor (prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object)
-The (magical) helper (helps the hero in the quest)
-The princess (person the hero marries, often sought for during the narrative)
-The false hero (perceived as good character in beginning but emerges as evil)
-The dispatcher (character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off)

Todorov-
Todorov's theory was that most plots follow the same pattern-
-Equilibrium (Happy start- every thing is normal and peaceful)
-Disruption (Something disrupts this happy atmosphere and a problem arises)
-Realisation (Everyone within the story realises the problem)
-Attempt to repair (Character try their best to resolve the problem to stop chaos)
-Resolution (Problem has been sorted and everything returns to normal)