2. What is it? Narrative Structure is the coherence/ organisations given to a series of facts. It is the way events are structured or told; and the way the story is related.
3. 5 Stages – 1st Stage Equilibrium The introduction of the film, you will see the main character(s) in their settings and going about their ‘everyday lives’. The world will be fine/ normal. E.g. “What Happens in Vegas” – Joy and Jack Fuller go about their lives. Joy’s introduced with her fiancé, who doesn’t seem interested. Jack’s working at a furniture facility for his dad’s company.
4. 2nd Stage – Disruption of Events The lives of the main characters will, in some way, be disrupted. However the character(s) may not be aware of this but the audience will. E.G “What happens in Vegas”: Joy’s dumped by her fiancé whilst Jack’s fired at work. The characters go to Vegas in order to forget their troubles. The two characters meet, go out together, get drunk and mistakenly get married.
5. 3rd Stage – Recognition of Events The 3rd stage of the film will see the main character(s) realise what is going on – the disruption or problem. E.g. “What happens in Vegas” – Joy and Jack wake-up the following morning and instantly regret getting married. They argue but then win 3million pounds. Both of them want a divorce and equal right to the money.
6. Stage 4 – Attempt to Repair the Disruption This stage is usually the longest part of the film where they attempt to solve/fix the dilemma. Other problems develop in this stage as they try to fix the problem. E.g. “What happens in Vegas” – The Judge serves ‘6 months of hard marriage’ to fix their issues and have to attend therapy to judge their improvement. They both find in hard to get on and attempt to make the other’s life horrible.
7. Stage 5 – New Equilibrium The Ending; the problems are resolved though the character/s (or the world depending on the film) will never be the same again. E.g. “What happens in Vegas” – Joy and Jack Fuller realise they are in love, Jack asks her to marry him. The money changes their lives.
9. Structures Some films don’t follow the narrator structure (Equilibrium, Disruption of Events, Recognition of Disruption, Attempt to Repair Disruption and New Equilibrium); an example of this is Shutter Island. The film has ‘flash backs’, ‘flash forwards’ and has a ‘Non Linear Narrative’ which doesn’t follow a chronological order. Other structures will have ‘Open Narrative’ which means there is no ending; this could be a film that continues or soap operas.
10. Binary Oppositions Binary oppositions is where there is Good vs. Bad. In nearly every film there will be binary oppositions – a conflict between to characters. Good Vs. Evil
