Читать книгу How to write screenplays using Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp approach. PRACTICAL GUIDE - Maxim Bukhteev - Страница 4

To figure out how Propp’s discoveries can be used in screenwriting, it is necessary to understand what exactly he had discovered. How does his approach differ from methods of other researchers, who studied the same topic?

The basis in the Propp approach are functions. When the scholar started analyzing fairy tales, he found out that with all the diversity of magic stories, it is precisely the functions that are repeated. Meaning, that some actions and situations are found again and again, regardless of characters, conditions and an environment. For example, in terms of the fairytale structure, it does not matter who fights whom and when. The main thing is the battle itself. And it makes no difference if the prince is fighting a witch or if the peasant is fighting a dragon. Important things are the place and the result of this battle in the overall dramatic structure.

This structure works as a unified system, and its basis is separate elements and the logical connection among them. Every story has its own set and combination of these elements, which provides diversity and originality of plots. These elements are functions.

This discovery allowed Russian scholar to systematize fairy tales, identify patterns of their structure, as well as to outline a creative method of making new stories.

Propp writes: “A fairy tale attributes easily the same actions to people, items and animals… Fairy tales have one special feature: composite parts of one story can be transferred to the other one without any changes… Let’s take a theme ‘a Serpent kidnaps the king’s daughter.’ This theme decomposes into 4 elements, each of which can vary separately. The Serpent can be replaced by Koshei, a whirlwind, a demon, a falcon, a warlock. The kidnaping can be substituted with vampirism or with any actions that lead to disappearance in the fairy tale. The daughter can be replaced by a sister, a fiancée, a wife, a mother. The king can be replaced by a king’s son, a peasant, a priest”.

Here is this very degree of freedom, which Campbell mythological structures lack!

Further it will be more interesting.

And for now, for starters, let’s figure out what kind of functions can be there in fairy tales.

(Note: I will give the basic wording, names and designations of functions strictly according to Propp. I give examples of functions from the collection which the scientist worked with (Alexander Nikolaevich Afanasyev, “Folk Russian Tales”), as well as from world-renowned fairy tales and movies.)

absentation

– One of the family members leaves the house (definition – the absentation)

An absentation can be different. Propp identifies three types of it in fairy tales. A temporary absentation, like parents leaving, their death or children absentation. In a fairy tale parents might go to a fair or to work, and children go to the forest for mushrooms.

It is important to notice, that family may be conditional. The main thing is that the group member, who provides safety and stability, leaves. Let’s say, in the Russian tale “The cat, the rooster and the fox”, the old man and the cat leave, and the rooster stays to guard the house.

As you understand there are many more options like this in movies.

One of the brightest examples of the temporary “absentation” is Home Alone, 1990. The whole family departs, leaving the character by himself. Also, the absentation in the form of “death” is pretty interesting. In Russian “Sivko-Burko” tale the father of three brothers, in dying, asks them to sleep on his grave alternatively.

In a movie it can serve as a starting point for the beginning of a story in a variety of genres, including thrillers and horrors. This method is used, for example, in Lemony Snicket’s a Series of Unfortunate Events, 2004 and Grave of the Fireflies, 1988.

Although, not only parents leave in movies. The point of the function is to trouble the balance and to give a push to the story, preparing the ground for some misfortune. That is, it is the person, who was keeping the balance, is to leave. Let’s say, in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001, it is Bilbo Baggins, who was keeping the ring for a long time, but was forced to leave, having passed the valuable item on to Frodo.

That is, normally “absentation” in a movie is the most common and simple way for the character to start the journey and get into some adventures. After all, the only thing required for it is for one character to leave the house.

interdiction

– The character is addressed with an interdiction (definition – the interdiction)

There are simple interdictions, such as “not to open the door”, “not to go to the forest”, “not to take something”. The interdiction can be strengthened with some physical obstacle, as for example, locking up, or, on the contrary, it can exist in a softer form of a request not to do something or an advice not to go somewhere. There is also an addressing form of interdiction, in the form of the order, which the character must follow strictly.

For example, Vasilisa the Wise from the “The Sea King and Vasilisa the Wise” fairy tale forbids her husband to kiss his sister, since in this case he will forget his wife. And in “Firebird and Vasilisa the Princess” the hero’s horse advises its master not to show the magic feather to the king, suspecting that the king will desire to get the whole Firebird.

Propp notices that in fairy tales the “interdiction” function is the major turning point, after which the situation changes in the most serious way. That’s why a fairy tale gives a space for description of the situation before and after violation of the interdiction. It is done for the contrast to be more striking and the dramatic circumstances of characters to look more dangerous.

Authors do the same in movies. It is one of all gangster movies favorite functions. In those the mob boss gives his henchmen the order for some mission, which they fail to complete. Most frequently, it is a handover or a transportation of dirty money. These functions are in movies Le Transporteur, 2002, Pulp Fiction, 1994, Lola rennt, 1998.

But, of course, the interdiction exists not only in such a strict form. In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001, Frodo isn’t allowed to put the ring on, but he does it repeatedly. That is, in this case violation of the interdiction is not a turning point, but the situation development, namely, worsening of character condition.

violation of the interdiction

– The interdiction is being violated (definition – violation of the interdiction)

It’s clear, that if there is an interdiction, it will definitely be violated, otherwise there will be no story. Violation forms correspond to interdiction forms. If someone forbids the character to do something, that is exactly what the character will do. In Russian fairy tale “A Potter”, the demon promises to work for the character with one condition, that he will not control the process. But the potter cannot overcome his curiosity and spies, which certainly leads to troubles.

So, usually “interdiction” – “violation” are the pair functions. But sometimes the violation can exist separately.

One of the most common cases is being late (for a flight, a party, a meeting, etc.).

Propp notices, that usually at this stage the antagonist appears, the enemy (“a pest” according to Propp). He is the one who convinces the character to violate the interdiction, as the Serpent does to Eve. His role is to disrupt the balance, to cause a misfortune, to harm. As soon as Frodo puts the ring on, enemies find it out immediately and begin to hunt the character. Besides, right in this moment the item itself shows its hostile properties, trying to subdue the owner.

reconnaissance

– The Antagonist is trying to conduct reconnaissance (definition – the reconnaissance).

This is a very interesting and up-to-date function, since it temporary passes the plot initiative on to “bad guys”, which is specifically appreciated in screenplays, as it allows to reveal negative characters.

Here “the pest” has the widest field for actions. He can impersonate someone else, to use other characters for his own purposes, to make up some clever trick.

Propp highlights following types of a fairytale “reconnaissance”:

1.“The pest” finds out the location of children and values.

2.The addressing form, when the victim itself asks the pest.

For example, “Where is your death?”

3. Reconnaissance through the third party.

In the “Vasilisa The Priest’s Daughter” fairy tale, the king found out that the heroine is a girl disguised as a man. Further, the king makes up a clever plan how to expose her. In the “Ghoul” tale an evil creature in the form of a handsome young man comes to the celebration and romances the heroine. And for example, in the movie Die Hard 2, 1990, terrorists install their equipment in advance, which was noticed by the hero. In the mystical thriller Constantine, 2005, demons also prepare carefully before they take an action. In the Terminator 2: Judgment Day, 1991, T-1000 impersonates the policeman to find the character.

The reconnaissance function is one of the main ones in the fantastic action movie Total Recall, 1990. To spy on the hero, the whole false life is constructed there with several characters, including his wife.

delivery

– The Antagonist gets information about his victim (definition – the delivery)

At the first stage, the bad guys plan has to work. If they fail right away, what’s the point in the further story?

The delivery, surely, also corresponds to the reconnaissance form. The character gets a straight answer to the asked question. For example, the magic mirror answers directly to the Evil Queen, that Snow White is alive, and Red Riding Hood tells the wolf about her Grandma herself. Accordingly, it’s a pair function. There is also a pair for other cases.

However, the “reconnaissance” function can also exist independently, if it is just a careless act, which the enemy took advantage of. For example, it is the case with the wolf, who eavesdrops on how the mother-goat instructs her seven goatlings. And in the Russian fairy tale “What am I!”, the greedy priest spies on how his guest counts his money.

The character of the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001, by putting the ring on, involuntarily gives the enemy information about his location. Exactly the same trick is used in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl, 2003, where pirates found out about a medallion as soon as it hit the water. And in the war drama Black Hawk Down, 2001, enemies learn about the beginning of operation through their scouts, located near the heroes’ base. In the thriller Life of the Others (Das Leben der Anderen, 2006), the secret agent gets necessary information about a hero thorough a wiretapping.

trickery

– The Antagonist is trying to fool his victim to harm it (definition – the trickery).

It can be a deception or manipulation as in “Cinderella” story, when the heroine is buried with meaningless work just not to let her go to the ball.

An enemy can also use some magic tool or to set some traps. He often takes on someone else’s appearance during these times. One of the most famous examples is Snow White poisoning by the Evil Queen, who pretended to be a harmless old lady. And in the Russian fairy tale “Bandits”, bandits pretend to be reach wooers to take a revenge on the heroine for foiling their previous plan. In “Ghoul” tale an evil creature in the form of a handsome young man convinces the heroine to take a walk with him after the feast.

It is important to remember, that before implementation of the trickery, an enemy had already got all necessary information, and he begins to act. In the drama Black Hawk Down, 2001, enemies know about the operation and ambush special forces. In the fantastic horror movie, The Thing, 1982, an alien monster at first studies creatures he met, and then he turns into a dog to trick and kill polar explorers.

complicity

– The victim succumbs to deception and with this involuntarily aids the enemy (definition – the complicity).

In fairy tales the character always succumbs to persuasions and trusts antagonist. The evil magic and traps also work flawlessly every time. Meaning, Snow White eats the poisoned apple, Cinderella gets to work. In the Russian tale “Trial of Cows”, a silly man trusts a priest and gives his only cow to the liar, believing that the whole herd will return to him.

In movie examples from above, special forces get ambushed and polar explorers bring the dog to their station.

Propp notices, that there always is a situation, when the hero kind of facilitates his enemy’s work: for example, he falls asleep in an inappropriate time or leaves his things unattended. In the Russian fairy tale “The Widow and the Demon”, an inconsolable widow summons a demon, who pretends to be her revived husband. And in the movie Lola rennt, 1998, the hero himself leaves the bag of money in the subway. In the black comedy Pulp Fiction, 1994, the main character’s girlfriend leaves hero’s watch in the apartment, making him to go back and get ambushed.

The special form of deception is a contract with a catch. Like, fairytale Aladdin agrees to come down in the dungeon, not suspecting that the evil sorcerer wants to abandon him there. And in the movie The Big Lebowski, 1998, the character is asked to hand over the ransom for the hostage, although there was no any kidnapping. Also, in the fantastic action movie Predator, 1987, the hero’s squad goes for a mission without knowing its real purpose. There is also the classic example of this kind of function in the thriller Devil’s Advocate, 1997. In this movie the main character gets a job without suspecting that his employer is the Devil himself.

The character is often forced to agree to that kind of deal, having found himself in the stalemate. Propp attributes this function to the separate category, similar to the “preliminary misfortune” function.

In spite of its anciency, this function works just fine in today’s movies. For example, in the comedy Police Academy, 1984, the main character is offered to go to the police academy as the alternative to going to jail. He agrees willingly, thinking that he will be kicked out soon for his tricks. He doesn’t know it is impossible.

villainy

– The Antagonist causes one of the family members harm or damage (definition – the villainy).

It is the major function, that is, the turning point and the key event in the screenplay first act. It precisely creates the plot movement of both fairy tale and a movie.

Many other functions can be neglected, but not this one. This one is obligatory for every fairy tale.

An absentation, a violation of an interdiction, a delivery and a trickery prepare this function, make it possible or just facilitate it. That is why the first seven functions can be considered as the preparatory part of a fairy tale.

Enemies can harm in a variety of ways.

– Kidnapping a bride, children, a wife.

– Kidnapping some magic substance.

– Stealing or spoiling crops or supplies.

– Stealing a light, the Moon or a warmth.

– Any other type of stealing.

Propp remarks, that all forms of stealing are very much alike and could’ve been united, however he describes separately the most common cases for the convenience.

– Bodily injury.

The interesting thing here is that in fairy tales (from the mythology point of view) it is a form of a stealing. Fairytale enemies can easily kidnap hero’s heart and hide it in some secret place. The victim has to find what was stolen and to return it to its place.

– A sudden disappearance.

In this case, unlike in kidnapping, an enemy doesn’t take anything for himself. Let’s say, there’s no antagonist in the comedy The Hangover, 2009. Characters make a “lacking” by themselves, forgetting where they have left the groom.

– An enemy demands and takes the victim away.

As a rule, it is a consequence of a deceptive contract.

– An Antagonist himself banishes someone from the house.

In the tale “The Three Little Pigs”, the wolf just destroys heroes’ houses. One more common theme is when a stepmother gets rid of her husband’s children, like for example, in the tale “Hensel and Gretel”.

– The villain can order the third party to banish someone from the house.

For example, to throw into the sea or leave in some deserted place.

11.The enemy bewitches the victim.

Propp specifically notices, that the antagonist often harms in several ways at the same time. For example, as in the tale of the sleeping princess. The princess, having pricked her finger, gets bewitched and falls asleep, which is one of the disappearance forms. The bewitchment form is rarely found by itself. The magic is usually used for some concrete purposes, not for the process itself. The same goes for some other forms, which Propp calls accompanying.

– The Antagonist makes a substitution.