Vladimir Propp

Vladimir Propp developed a character theory for studying media, which suggests that there were 7 different characters in the 100 tales he analysed, which could be applied to other media:

1. The villain (struggles against the hero)
2. The donor (prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object)
3. The (magical) helper (helps the hero in the quest)
4. The princess (person the hero marries, often sought for during the narrative)
5. Her father (usually dies during or before the film/book)
6. The dispatcher (character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off)
7. The hero or victim/seeker hero, reacts to the donor, weds the princess

Looking at Vladimir's theory made me realise that this is likely to be true, but can be difficult when applying to Teen comedy because films under my genre often go against the grain and challenge obvious decisions when making a story.
In my next post I will analyse how teen comedy trailers mark up when using Propp's theory.