Proppian character types
Villain
Often a murder and of a similar age and level of intellect as the hero.
E.g. Castor Troy in Faceoff
Dispatcher
May be someone in a higher position of power than that of the hero, or in the case of Faceoff, there may be no need for a dispatcher as the hero has their own motives.
Helper
Anyone who’s giving of information leads to the capture of the villain e.g. a mole.
Princess/prize
The capture/killing of the criminal
Father
May fulfil the same role as the dispatcher in the case of thrillers
Donor
May play the same role as the helper
Hero
Often a middle aged, intelligent detective
E.g. Detective Mills in Se7en
False hero
Could possibly be a rival detective working on the same case as the hero or one who fails to achieve equal status.
E.g. Detective Mills in Se7en
Claude Levi Strauss’s binary oppositions
Good Vs evil
Successful career Vs failing career
Knowledge Vs ignorance
Criminal Vs police
Hero Vs villain
Todorov’s narrative theory
Faceoff
Equilibrium-Sean Archer is happy in the company of his son.
Disruption-Castor Troy murders his son.
Resolution-Castor Troy dies and Detective Archer’s quality of life is improved.
I am Legend
Equilibrium-The lives of Robert Neville’s family and the rest of New York City’s lives are going as they usually do.
Disruption-A virus mutates the residents who were not evacuated.
Resolution-He develops an antidote, gives it to a fellow survivor who escapes, and blows himself and the mutants up.
Thriller opening titles
Psycho
The film starts with the iconic image of the production company’s-Paramount Pictures-logo, which is a common convention of all films, not just thrillers. The name of the director-Alfred Hitchcock-is also shown, being introduced by white bars and then leaving by the same means. This means that the titles are pieced together, just as the plot of the film is, and also suggest that viewers may have to ‘read between the lines’.
The names of the main characters are then shown in the same sans serif font, as well as the screen writer director of photography and the names of all the individuals who played a key role in the making of the film. However, many more roles are mentioned than are typically included in modern films; they are normally left for the ending credits. The name of the composer of the music that sets the tone of the film is also mentioned, as well as once again the name of the director.
