Narrative in the media

Narrative in the media is not the plot; it is the story being to from a particular point of veiw. The narrative can change depending on who the narrator is and the context within the story.

There are many types of narrative which are used depending on the purpose of the media. Snapshot narratives are used in adverts to allow a small relationship to be made in order for the product to be sold to the audience. Serial narratives are used in tv shows and allow the audeince to be given enough information to satisfy them but enough information is hidden so that they continue to watch the next episode. A continuous narrative is used in film and allows the audience's curiosity to be resolved through the events of the film.

Many narrative follow the usual structure of: establishing a problem; elaboration of a problem and the resolution of a problem. The way a problem is resolved relies upon the genre or form of narrative whether that be the punishing or death of the wrong-doer, obtaining the desired object or person or even solving a mystery.

The characters may produce the plot or functions of the plot these could be heroes, villans or donors. The narrator tells the story either implictly or explicitly which establishes an authority. This is an important part of narration because depending on the point of view, the story is told in a differant way.

Sometimes in Tv and film a character is not the narrator but the camera is. The selection of images and shots is ordered in a specific way to tell a story and therefore gives the audience a particular point of view. These shots may denote one thing but imply another depending on the audience's role in decoding the messages.

An implied viewer is often established which means that the viewer of a particular show/ film is more likely to be one type of audience rather than another which excludes the others when implications are made.

Narrative codes have differant effects which create tension, setting or engage attention. Genre allows certain elements of a narrative to take place for example character and plot. The narrative form describes how a narrative is put togetherfor instance, the order of events or treatment of a narrative.