Theory's;

Vladimir Propp developed a character theory for studying media texts and productions, which indicates that there were 7 broad character types in the 100 tales he analysed, which could be applied to other media:

1. The villain (struggles against the hero)
2. The donor (prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object)
3. The (magical) helper (helps the hero in the quest)
4. The princess (person the hero marries, often sought for during the narrative)
5. The false hero (perceived as good character in beginning but emerges as evil)
6. The dispatcher (character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off)
7. The hero or victim/seeker hero, reacts to the donor, weds the princess

Tzvetan Todorov suggested there were 5 stages to a narrative:

1. Equilibrium – A happy start
2. A disruption of this equilibrium by an event – A problem occurs
3. A realisation that a disruption has happened
4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption – the problem is solved
5. A restoration of the eqilibrium – A happy ending.

I believe that both of these theorists are correct, each theory may not suit every single genre but they do show clearly which ones they fit in to. I think that Propp's theory fits in to the fairytale/action and adventure genre really well as from the experience i have had from watching films within that genre they near enough always use each one of the characters that he stated but it will also fit in to other genres with similar character roles to. 

Todorov's theory fits in to a wider range of genre as it is more about the set narrative of a film rather than the characters within it which completely vary depending on the film genre and type. His theory is less pacific to a genre which is why many can apply to it, some films may mix up the order of this theory but it can be clearly seen in blockbuster films such as James Bond which is the main film i think of reading Todorov's theory as it sticks to each 5 ideas.

I think my planned short film has aspects of each of these theory's such as using 'the false hero' and 'the princess' from Propp's theory as my two main characters. I have used a typical 'princess' character as the main women role in my short film as i think it works well with my narrative and creates a connection with the audience as they feel sorry for her when she is victimised from the 'false hero'.

The reason i chose to have a 'false hero' is so that there is a huge twist within the plot to make the short film more interesting mid way through the running of it. The audience will think that the man is a hero helping the young women but as he starts to act oddly they will question his character and realise he was putting on an act all along.