famous, having created the basis for the modern text theory. Experienced screenwriters know how to put plane scientific facts to good practical use.
I use their approach, just like Christopher Vogler did with Campbell theories, and I will try to create a comprehensive instruction for screenwriters.
I hope it will help authors, and Propp will come to having his own George Lukas.
Functions
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