Genre conventions - Characters

Characters

The characters of a film have always been one of the most important factors. If these characters are not believable the film becomes unpopular to watch as everything seems fake. Many films have the same type of characters within them and this is one of the main movie theory's. This theory is called Propps character theory. Where in the 1920s Vladimir Propp, a Russian film critic, found the same 7 types of characters in every film and even in ancient folklore.

Propp character types

1. The Hero- A character that seeks something or is on a quest, the hero is usually the person who saves the day.
2. The Villain-  A character who opposes the hero and actively blocks the hero's quest
3. The Doner- A character provides an object which can aid the hero
4. The Dispatcher- A character who sends the hero on his quest
5. The False Hero- A character who disrupts the hero's success by making false claims
6. The Helper- A character who aids the hero  
7. The Princess- A character who is the reward for the hero and the object of the villains plots
8. The Princess's father- A character who acts to reward the hero for his effort

These character types can be applied to most films however as the films come more into the 'new age' the character types are changing and what was once classed as minority character's in films for example women and people of ethnic backgrounds are becoming the mains and a normality in mainstream film.


The difference to my film's genre: 
The characters usually differ depending on the subgenre of the thriller. In a typical thriller the characters are: 
(Dir. David Leitch, 2017)

The Hero 
Lorraine Broughton - an agent sent on a mission.

The villain 
David Percival - a double agent out to get Lorraine.





We can see that this story line has the typical protagonist/antagonist narrative.

In a subgenre such as psychological, the character types can merge and differ from the typical characters. For example: 

The hero (protagonist): ↘

                                        These characters in most psychological thrillers are the same person, this is                                           so that a fatal flaw with in the protagonist is shown. 

The villain (antagonist):↗

The False Hero: This is often a person somebody of power who has good intentions although is portrayed as bad through the view point of the protagonist. 

As thrillers are predominantly based on one person, most don't involve the seven character types, nevertheless you will find that in most films, they are in the form of family, friends or just people who are wound into the plot some how. Although, not intended to match with Propp's character types in most cases they do. 

 

Character types in Thrillers: Black Swan (Dir. Darren Aronofsky, 2010)

                                                                                   
The Hero 

Nina Sayers is presented as the hero in this film, this is because the film follows her P.O.V so the audience feels drawn to him. 

Sayers is brave, inspiring and has a purpose, these are the qualities which pose her as the hero.

The Villain

I believe that Nina is also the villain as she is her own downfall. By mental illness and inability to give up her position in the dance academy it slowly drives her to insanity. 

The False Hero

Odile is the false hero as she poses herself as helpful to the company and wanting the best for them. She turns into the false hero by becoming the villain in Nina's eyes - by trying to take her top spot.





In this storyline the main character causes her own downfall, meaning that she's playing the role of both antagonist and protagonist.