Lesson notes:
Todorov: every narrative starts with an equilibrium; state of normality. Followed by a disruption and then a new equilibrium is formed that is most of the time different to the one at the beginning.

Vladimir prop: eight key character roles with 31 character functions (mainly based on 19th century fairy tales but can also be applied to modern day media texts).
The villain - the 'bad guy' tries to stop the hero.
The donor - provides something to help the hero on his quest.
The helper - helps the hero
The princess - The girl that everyone is fighting for, gives the task and identifies false hero
The father - overlooks whats happening
The dispatcher - sends the hero on his task
The hero - main character
The false hero - tries to take credit for the hero's actions.

Vladimir's theory applied to Transformers
The Villain - Megatron
The Donor - Optimus Prime
The Helper - bumblebee
The Princess - Mikaela Banes
The Father - Mr Witwicky
The Dispatcher - Optimus Prime
The Hero - Sam Witwicky
The False Hero - Agent Simmonds