Roles, Oppositions, Equilibrium & Gratification - Toy Story

Whilst focusing on these four major topics, I related them to toy story throughout:

• Propp's Character Roles 
• Levi-Strauss' Binary Oppositions 
• Todorov's Equilibrium Theory
• Uses and gratification theory

When analysing Propp's character roles in toy story i found that the main character throughout the series and the hero generally seems to be woody, the cowboy. Furthermore, the dispatcher is buzz and is the character who seems to send people onto their jobs throughout the film. Also in Propp's character roles he says that every film will have a father figure, who appears to be Andy in this film saga, looking after the toys even though he doesn't know they are alive. The princess of the film is Jesse, especially during the second film of toy story as well as the chicken man being the villain during the same film. This adds effect to the film and can therefore allow the director to go into different storylines throughout the film aswell, this is known as a multi-stranded film and vice-versa would be known as single-stranded. 

                Propps's Character Roles suggest that there should be eight different character roles during a film. These eight are; Hero, Villain, Donor (who assists the hero), the dispatcher (who sends the other characters away to do things), False Hero, Helper, Princess & a father figure. 

Furthermore, Levi-Strauss' Binary Oppostions means that there are two complete opposites in the film. This is to create added contrast and interest in it. An example of this in toy story would be Andy who looks after the toys, compared to Sid in Toy Story 1 who is punishing all the toys. Another way of looking at this is Good vs Evil. Moreover, another opposite would be the passive movement of the toys and the active movement, as they are acting as almost two different characters when humans aren't and are around. 

In addition, another one of the major topics I studied was Todorov's Equilibrium theory. This suggests that there are five major stages; The stage of equilibrium and balance, the disruption of equilibrium, the recognition of the disruption, attempting to repair it (restore order) and where the new equilibrium is created. This is particularly relatable in Toy Story 3 in which towards the end of the film the toys come together as one to resolve their problem and end up being stronger than they ever had after going through all the previous stages during the film whilst being weaker than they were at the beginning. 

Furthermore, Uses & Gratification theory is why we consume different forms of text. For example, the main reason we watch news and information would be to gain insight into current affairs. This is relatable for other things, such as documentaries to gain knowledge etc. Therefore, the main reason we watch films would be for a form of escapsion or to connect more with society. 

Other useful things such as Narrative Structure play a part in how the storyline is put together. A non-linear narrative structure means that the shots aren't put in chronological order and includes things such as flashbacks as it doesn't follow the normal pattern. On the other hand, a linear narrative structure is where the the storyline is in chronological order and follows the typical pattern of: Expostion - Conflict - Resolution.

In addition, the 180 degree rule takes place when filming, this means that you must stay on the same side of characters when they are speaking. This makes sure that the audience doesn't get disorientated and confused with the different camera shots. As well as that, there are two types of camera production, inlcluding single camera production which involves using one camera it all however, it means you have to re-film many times for each angle even though it does give the director more control over shots and the scenes don't have to be filmed in sequence. On the contrary, there is multi-camera production in which there is two or more cameras used for production which makes it quicker to film. 

In conclusion, when making a film such as Toy Story many things have to be taken into account when planning the storyline and filming. This includes important things such as effective use of binary opposites for example.