Whiplash Trailer Narrative Analysis

WHIPLASH TRAILER NARRATIVE ANALYSIS:




The trailer of the drama film "Whiplash" shows to us the different stages of narrative, that was invented by the  media theorist Tzvetan Todorov. The 5 stages of narrative are Exposition, Development, Complication, Climax and Resolution.

Exposition:
The exposition is where the characters and settings are introduced to the audience. Also the state of equilibrium is shown, which means that everything is seen as normal, with nothing unusual occurring. This is shown in the trailer for this film with the protagonist of the movie being introduced, with him narrating his background and what he is doing. The background music in this scene is very subtle and light.

Development:
Following the stage of Exposition, the trailer goes into the next narrative stage, which is the development stage. This means that something will happen which disrupts the equilibrium in the film. In Whiplash, we see this when the teacher throws an object across the room at the protagonist of the movie. This changes the atmosphere and is intensified with a change in sound and lighting, with the mood becoming darker.

Complication:
The next stage of narrative in Todorov's media theory is the Complication. In this stage, the development is extended and intensified, which means that something critically bad happens in the storyline to the movie. In the film Whiplash's case, this occurs when we see the teacher in the movie abusing the student by shouting at him and consistently beating him. The use of the Complication narrative stage is to grip the audience with tension, as all is going wrong for the protagonist of the film.

Climax:
The penultimate narrative stage of Todorov's theory is the climax. Here, you see the dramatic moment in which the plot hits the decisive point of the trailer or movie in which the change will occur. We see this in the trailer of Whiplash when the protagonist's father finds about the way the teacher had been treating his son. This hints to the audience that we will see the change at this moment in the storyline.

Resolution:
The resolution stage of Todorov's media theory is the final narrative part. It means that the equilibrium that was in the exposition stage will be restored. Due to it being a trailer, we aren't shown whether or not this stage occurs, which is an enigma for the audience.