Propp’s character theory
Propp’s said that people are complicated and that they are
hard to understand. Propp’s said that this meant that you can never accurately represent
someone in a media product.
Instead of accurately representing someone the media will represent
them as stereotypes. Representing people as stereotypes makes people easier to
understand. Propp’s believes that most media stereotypes are linked with
people/ types from fairytales.
The stereotypes include;
·
The
hero- a person who does good and the audience likes. The hero often overcomes/
fights something.
·
The
villain- a person who is selfish and trying to gain power. The villain is often
a danger to the audience.
·
The
helper- the helper is someone who comes and makes things better. The helper
offers people positive support.
·
The
donor- the donor is someone who is older and wiser and offers advice to help
and improve people/ situations.
·
The
princess- the princess is a helpless, innocent woman; often referred to as a ‘damsel
in distress’.
These stereotypes have their benefits as it is easy for the audience to recognise these characters and understand them. It is also an easier way to represent certain characters.
As I want my film to engage and appeal to my audience quickly I will use the following character types; in my film, I am using a princess stereotype. The princess is the girl who is suffering from physical abuse. In the first scene of the video we see an extreme close up of ‘the princess’. As the camera zooms out we see an older male behind her who is shouting angrily behind her. When he is about to hit her I plan to change the scene to a person who is head of the charity. This person will be represented as the 'helper', as they will be talking about how they have helped people overcome abused, neglect and exploitation with the help of The Invisible Children.
These stereotypes have their benefits as it is easy for the audience to recognise these characters and understand them. It is also an easier way to represent certain characters.
As I want my film to engage and appeal to my audience quickly I will use the following character types; in my film, I am using a princess stereotype. The princess is the girl who is suffering from physical abuse. In the first scene of the video we see an extreme close up of ‘the princess’. As the camera zooms out we see an older male behind her who is shouting angrily behind her. When he is about to hit her I plan to change the scene to a person who is head of the charity. This person will be represented as the 'helper', as they will be talking about how they have helped people overcome abused, neglect and exploitation with the help of The Invisible Children.
