Narrative Analysis

Todorov's theory suggests that over the discourse of any given film, the narrative will follow a 5 stage pattern. I will analyse and compare the narrative of the film 'Redbull Perspective' with Todorov's narrative theory.


Redbull Perspective:





1: Equilibrium:
 Conventionally, the audience will be introduced to the narrative when it is at a stage of equilibrium; at this stage the text, its settings and characters will often connote tones of satisfaction and balance. In the instance of 'Red Bull Perspective' the audience are introduced to the narrative by shots of various skateboarders, paired with a voiceover of professional skateboarders explaining their enthusiasm for the activity. This introductory scene appears to follow Todorov's narrative equilibrium theory as the subject of the short documentary, skateboarding, is represented by the director in a manner which emphasises its positive aspects.

2: Disruption:
 In this stage of Todorov's theory, a confrontational issue is usually introduced to the film. In the case of this film, the vertical park bench serves as a representation of the hardships encountered when skateboarding. This information is indirectly conveyed to the audience through shots of the professional skateboarders bailing, which are the first unsuccessful attempts shown by the director within the discourse of the piece. These clips disrupt the overall positive tone of the films narrative prior to this scene, following the conventions of Todorov's Theory.

3: Recognition:
This stage involves characters within the diegesis of the film becoming aware of the disruption to the narrative. This stage is signified by the director of 'Red Bull Perspective' through an interview with pro skater Ryan Desenzo on the topic of the disruption (the vertical park bench) where he states "it made it a lot more difficult to get over, it was crazy with the short run up with the bungee". He recognises the difficulties faced in accomplishing his frontside 180 over the bench, which suggests that the director has followed the conventions of Todorov's theory.

4: Attempt to restore order:
According to Todorov's narrative theory, the recognition of a disruption to the equilibrium of the narrative will be followed by an attempt to remedy it. In this instance, the skaters restore order by landing various tricks of great difficulty over the bench, such as Sheckler's backside 180 kickflip, which is the last trick from the spot in Arizona shown to the audience by the director.

5: New equilibrium:
The final stage of Todorov's theory suggests that after an attempt to restore order by the films characters, a new equilibrium will be reached. However, it should be noted that this 'new' equilibrium features a different tone to the previous as the disruption has permanently effected the dynamics of the discourse. In the case of this documentary, Sheckler's backside 180 kickflip over the bench signifies the restoration of order and a return to a new equilibrium, which manifests in the following scene in the warehouse, which has been edited in a montage style showing only successful attempts and disregarding the 'true' chronological order of which the events took place. This represents an equilibrium through the positive connotations of the imagery and soundtrack. This equilibrium however, is unique compared to the introductory equilibrium, achieved through a less nostalgic tone present due to the lack of voice over narratives as seen in the initial example.

Whilst this new equilibrium is reached halfway through the film, another disruption occurs whilst the characters are skating the bank, where the film then appears to follow this structure once again, eventually concluding on a new equilibrium.