Narrative Equilibrium – Tzvetan Todorov

Todays, Blog is on the Media Theory Equilibrium/Todorov:

While researching on how to make film I came across the media theories. One of the theories was by Todorov and this was the theory of Equilibrium.

What is Equilibrium?

Narrative equilibrium is theory based off of the three-act structure. These include basic roles: The hero, villain, princess and the princess's father, donor, helper, dispatcher, and the false hero.

1. A state of balance or equilibrium is establish.
2. This balance gets disturbed or broken in the rising action.
3. The new balance, equilibrium, or new equilibrium will be created to create a sense of normalization

Example

Mission Imposible: Rogue Nation

Attempt at identifying Semiotics in film: Proppian characters, equilibrium, disruption, new equilibrium, in media res, multiperspective narratives.

• Proppian characters:
• The hero: Ethen the man who takes initiative in getting the package.
• The helper hero: Luther and Benji who is in the ghillie suit who hacked the airplane.
• The villain: The people flying and protecting the airplane.
• The dispatcher: The man in the headquarters who is directing the retrieval prosses.
• The princess archetype: The package that is needed to be secured.
• Equilibrium: An airway next to an empty grassy field no other context yet.
• Disruption: The airplane starting to fly away. Along with that, the hacking of said plain was taking to long.
• New Equilibrium: The heroes hack into the plain and gets the package out.
• In media res: The start of presenting the clear operation at play. The opposition of the plane crew that is halting and staling the MI5 pursuits.
• Multi-perspective narratives: There are 5 perspectives in this scene. The opposing view of the crew. Luther in the Internet tower. Benji in the grass field watching the computer screen and the plane from a distance. Then you have the coordinator who is in the dark and just has the voice of others to tell him what happening, he also is the maker of the mission. To encapsulate all of this Ethan the protagonist is in the clear about everything and wait to strike and get the package.

Application of the theory:

The Equilibrium is set with the introduction of the mission, with the balanced after the chaos. The disturbance happened when the plane controlled by the villains started to get away. However, the new equilibrium is set when he starts to fly out of the plane.