BLOG NO.3: Genre theories and 'Dune' analysis

Here are a list of theories that we’ve learned and covered in class

Barthes's theory

Barthes's theory is about semiotics, where it is know as social criticism for calling attention to the formal structures of signification and meaning-making in culture. It can be used to reveal the random (Arbitrary) or the constructed nature (deliberate planned) of the meanings we uses in our everyday life. For Barthes, he thinks that media are decoded by the audience where they recognize literal or physical content of media imagery. On the other hand, he thinks that refers to the deeper understanding prompted by media imagery creating symbolic and emotional effects on the audience.

ROLAND BARTHES

There are five codes that he has created, which are:

1. semantic code-through the way of connotation where an element in the story have suggested particular meanings

2. Symbolic code-organising semantic meanings into boarder and deeper sets of meaning

3. Cultural code-looks at the cultural, moral, and ideology aspect of the audience

4. Hermeneutic code-construct moments of mystery to hook and intrigue the audience

5. Proairetic code-how tension is built through action to make the audience guess and think

A denotative example of Barthes's theory would be a picture showing a men sitting on a chair.

MEN SITTING ON CHAIR

But, there can be connotative effects of this picture brought to the audience, like: the men is leaning back-wards as his legs are stretching out, suggesting that he is feeling comfortable and relax. Also, his hands are on the back of his head, which tells us he feels relief with no pressure at all.

Barthes's theory of semiotics doesn't apply when media products produce meaning through narrative features in which connotation are less significant, and when media articulate oppositions than in the effect of any single moment

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Strauss's theory

Strauss's theory about media narratives is binary oppositions, which everything is described in binary opposites, and narratives are structured in pairs.

LEVI STRAUSS

These oppositions are used to explain and categorise the world around us including thematic oppositions driven by genre, where it can be also applied in stylistic oppositions like mise en scene, camera, and editing etc in media. In order for films and medias to succeed, media products construct ideologies by positioning audiences to favor one side of an opposition just as we'd understand the good when it's opposed to the evil.

Here are some examples of Strauss's structuralism within stories consisting of differences, contradictions, conflicts, or opposites:

Friend ship	Betrayal
Masculinity	Femininity
Allies	Enemies
Law	Justice
Chaos	Order

Ironman Thanos

He is the protagonist (hero) in 'The Avengers' movie who does good things, everywhere and every-time.

He is the antagonists in 'The Avengers' movie, where everything he does is false and bad

Strauss's theory doesn't apply when the audience doesn't decode the product in the way that media makers intend, and it is structured to ethnicity in terms of different races' and genders categories.

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Todorov's theory

Todorov believes in narrative patterns including-equilibrium, disequilibrium, and the new equilibrium. He suggests that media is constructed through this sequence and transition rather than a single movement or effect, and when the story gets to the new stage of equilibrium, the character or the plot changes significantly.

TODOROV

Also, Todorov thinks that narrative construct ideals and symbolic meanings for the audience through its patterns, and its transformation produces further ideals or positive behavior for the audience.

In Todorov's theory, he brought in Vladimir Propp's ideology of character archetypes which applies of mainstream medias, and here is a good example:

Matrix series character archetypes:

The hero: Neo

The villain: Smith

The donor: Morpheus

The helper: Trinity

The princess: Trinity

The princess' father

The dispatcher: Oracle

The false hero:/

Todorov's theory doesn't apply when story structures are continuously changing and that it presents oppositions rather than the way the oppositions are transformed or synthesized.

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Steve Neale's genre theory

Steve Neale's genre theory is all about that genres are subject of constant change, It can offer specific types of pleasures to the audience, and as genres are determined by a lot of factors, the audience can enjoy it's subversion, repetition, and hybridization like romantic-horror, science fiction-thriller, and action-comedy etc.

STEVE NEALE

In the industry of media, marketing, promotion, and advertisement can fix the genre of a media. In order to create a narrative image for media, genre labelling is also widely practiced.

However, as ideologies are presented through genre specific character or stereotypes representations, there could be potential affections on the audience. Also, as genres are mature enough that film-makers know what appeals the audiences, there are now fewer experimental forms and innovative narrative formulas.

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'DUNE' Analysis

DUNE (2021)

What different theories have the the film opening of 'DUNE' been used?

Strauss's theory of binary opposition In the opening, what happens in Paul (protagonist)'s dream has been presented right at the beginning with the epic scene of soldiers fighting, spaceships marching, and the reveal of the antagonists. And directly after this, the edit cuts to when Paul wakes up from his dream, and a calm and day-to-day scene of him eating breakfast in 'reality' is presented. This is an example usage of Strauss's theory of binary opposition, where dreamland which has a sense of foreshadowing and alert has been compared and contrasted to realism.

Barthes's theory of Hermeneutic codes

This applies in the opening when the lead of the antagonists walks out from the high platform, with close-up shot showing his strength and ambition, and over-the-shoulder shot showing that he is above all the mechs while suggesting his influence and power. This scene creates tension and mystery, and as it is part of Paul's dream, it makes the audience guess about what is this character's actual identity.

Barthes's theory of Semantic codes

There is one which applies not only in the opening but also all the way through 'Dune', and this usage of semantic code is the movie's main theme of color-brown and ash. This particular type of grading, which counts as part of the edit, gives the audience a decant and broken feeling, while the desaturated color adds character to the desert and mood to the stunningly detailed, formalist presented frames throughout the film.

How have structural and narrative choices effected the film opening?

'Dune's film opening, which is what happens in Paul's dream acts as the prelude of the story. There is no talks and conversation between characters in this scene, so a narrative voice is used to introduce the story's overall setting and plot to the audience while epic shots of the deserted planet and war scene acting to foreshadow have been shown.

How has studying narrative theory and structure added to your understanding for your own opening?

After studying the above concepts, it has introduced me to ideas like the usage of Strauss's theory of binary opposition between characters (Protagonist/Antagonist), and including Barthes' semantic/hermeneutic codes in my own film opening to create a thrilling affect for the audience.