Thursday 15 th September

Narrative Structure in FilmHow films tell stories

LO: To identify key narrative techniques

Narrative form – structure through which movies tell stories Every film tells us a story – this is a narrative film. Narratives are everywhere: they appear throughout media and society -> they are

common in fiction film but appear in all basic kinds of film A narrative is a strong of events occurring in space and time – they don’t unfold

randomly, they are an ordered series of events connected by things that happen: cause and effect (e.g. CAUSE: someone on Shutter Island goes missing; EFFECT: Teddy has to go to the island or CAUSE: action – robbing a bank; EFFECT: Police investigation, Mob upset, Batman informed etc.)

The logic of cause and effect ties together character traits, goals, obstacles and actions.

Key Events – Beauty and the Beast1. Belle’s father gets captured by the Beast (ACT 1)2. Belle goes to the castle to save her father (ACT 2)3. The Beast keeps Belle captive in the castle (RISING ACTION)4. Belle meets the enchanted objects5. The Beast falls in love with Belle6. Belle misses her father, the Beast lets her go (STAKES GET HIGHER)7. Belle gets attacked & Beast saves her8. Belle leaves the castle, then goes back to warn Beast of Gaston coming to kill him

(ACT 3)9. Gaston & others go to the castle to kill the Beast (CRISIS)10. Gaston is killed by the Beast, the Beast becomes the Prince (FALLING ACTION)11. Belle and Prince get frisky, spell is broken (RESOLUTION)

The Three Act Structure ACT 1 – Setup (Beginning) - introductionACT 2 – Confrontation (Middle) – rising action, stakes get higherACT 3 – Resolution (End) – crisis, falling action (often a happy ending)

- tension increases the further you go through the film

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Narrative StructureSet Up/Exposition – meet characters, establish setting, set the tone (establish the normal

of the film word)Rising Action – central conflict introduced, tension between protagonist & antagonist

begins, many things happen & stakes get higherClimax – turning point, marks a change, for better or worseFalling Action – major action has happened: this is the aftermath, this is the sorting of the

major conflict’s resolution (starting to wind down)Dénouement/Resolution – creation of the new normal: the conflict is resolved

Tzvetan TodorovTheory of Equilibrium and Disequilibrium These are the expected stages of a narrative.

1. State of equilibrium (all is as it’s supposed to be)2. A disruption of that order by an event3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption5. A return or restoration of a NEW equilibrium

Todorov argues that narrative involves a transformation. The characters or the situations are transformed through the process of the disruption.

- often, Thriller films start at the disequilibrium, and we have flashbacks to the equilibrium because we get quite bored of that pattern

How Narrative UnfoldsTypically a narrative begins with one situation (exposition).A series of changes occurs according to a pattern of cause and effect.Finally a new situation arises – through character choice and conflict – that restores equilibrium to the world of the story and brings around the end of the narrative.The new story equilibrium almost always results in character change.

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