Vladamir Propp suggested that characters took on the role of narrative 'spheres of action'. Propp came up with seven different character types to support his theory:
Hero - This is referred to as the protagonist. They are the characters who would want to solve the disruption and create the new equilibrium (relating back to Todorov's theory). There are two sub types of hero to consider - The victim hero, and the seeker hero. The hero is usually in the epitome of the action, as well as the villain.
Villain - This is the cause of the disruption, and is usually the enemy of the hero (exceptions occur in ransom type movies, where they look to blackmail the hero, such as Taking of Pelham 123).
Donor - This is a character which doesn't consistently help the hero along their journey, but provides a bit of information or a tool which can help the hero solve the disruption. This is not to be confused with the 'helper'.
Helper - This is the 'sidekick' of the hero. They aren't as influential as the hero, but they do help in resolving the disruption and making the hero's job a bit easier.
Princess - This is the victim of the disruption, and the character that the hero will be looking to save. For example, in Taking of Pelham 123, the victims are the passengers on the train who are being threatened by the villain. So that they don't die in the hands of the protagonist, the hero's task is to save the 'princess' (passengers), to avoid any harm being done.
Dispatcher - This is the character that assigns the task to the hero. They may also be have the features of other characters, such as the hero, donor, or princess.
False Hero - This a character which is introduced in rare occurrences. They are represented as a helper, but turns out to be helping the villain and finds out 'inside' information from the hero and their colleagues.
I have reviewed some trailers in reference to this theory, to understand how it is used in horror trailers, and apply the concept to my group's trailer.
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