Vladimir Propp - Narrative Structure

Vladimir Propp researched the narrative structure of films, and came up with a theory that most blockbuster films follow.

He said that there were a total of 31 functions within a film. These include things such as; absentation, which is the initial tension of something or someone not been where they should be, or the struggle, where the hero a villain face one another.

He also came to the conclusion that there are 8 types of character roles in each film. Sometimes one character can take up more than one role. The roles are as follows;

The Villain - This character is the antagonist of the film, and will be in struggles with the Hero.
The Dispatcher - The character who tells the Hero where or where not to go.
The Helper - There can be more than one Helper, these help the Hero on his/her quest.
The Princess - The one the Hero attempts to save throughout the film.
The Father - Gives the task to the Hero, and identifies the false hero.
The Donor - Gives the hero something to help them with their quest.
The Hero - Reacts to the Dispatcher and Father's information and saves the Princess.
False Hero - Takes credit away from the real Hero, attempts to steal the Princess.

Not every film sticks to these rules entirely, but it is generally correct, as it covers every possible outcome, and every possible character role.