Narrative Structure in film

1. Narrative Structure in Film
How Films Tell stories
LO: To identify key narrative technques

2. What is Narrative Form?What is Narrative Form?
 Narrative form is the
structure though which
movies tell stories.
 When we speak of ‘going
to the movies,’ we almost
always mean that we are
going to see a narrative
film – a film that tells a
story.

3. 3
 Narratives appear throughout media and
society – in novels, plays, comic books,
television shows and even commercials.
 Narratives are most common in fiction film,
but appear in all basic types of film
Narratives are EverywhereNarratives are Everywhere

4. 4
 A narrative is an account of a string of events
occurring in space and time.
 Narratives do not unfold randomly, but rather
as an ordered series of events connected by
the logic of cause and effect.
 This logic of cause and effect ties together
character traits, goals, obstacles and
actions.
Events Occur in Space and TimeEvents Occur in Space and Time

5. In Groups:
Think of a film you all know: write out all the
key events (around 10)

6. The Narrative Structure

7. The Narrative Structure
•Set Up/Exposition – meeting the characters, establishing the setting,
setting the tone – establishing the normal of the film world
•Rising Action – the central conflict is introduced and the tension
between the protagonist and the antagonist begins to mount, many
events will happen and the stakes get higher
•Climax – The climax is the turning point, which marks a change, for
the better or the worse, in the protagonist’s future.
•Falling Action – The major action has happened. This is the
aftermath . This is the sorting out of the major conflict’s resolution.
•Dénouement/Resolution – the creation of the new normal. The
conflict is resolved

8. The Narrative Structure

9. Your Turn
Draw a graph of the action in your chosen film and see if it follows the path

10. Tzvetan Todorov

11. 11
 Typically 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
about the end of the narrative.
 The new story equilibrium almost always results
in character change.
How Narrative UnfoldsHow Narrative Unfolds

12. 12
1. The Star Wars films begin with the protagonist (hero) Luke
Skywalker hiding from the Empire.
2. The Empire find and kill his family
3. Luke Skywalker realises that he must stand up to the Empire.
4. Story changes that result from conflict and character choice force him
into a climactic showdown with antagonist (villain) Darth Vader and
the Emperor.
5. Skywalker, Vader and the rebels triumphs and equilibrium is restored.
6. Though Luke loses his father, he changes by becoming wiser and
more humble, he is a very different man by the end
ExampleExample

13. CharacterCharacter
 Narrative films generally focus on human characters and
their struggles.
 Characters are typically responsible for cause and effect
in narrative.

14. Characters
 Think of some of your favourite films
 Who would you describe as ‘flat’ characters
 Who would you describe as ‘rounded’
characters
 So what do we mean by these words?
Film Flat Round

15. Characters
 Storytellers use different types of characters
to tell their stories
 Flat: minor characters who do not go through
any substantial change throughout the story or
have much substance to them (think
stereotypes)
 Round: More fully developed characters who
may experience a change during the story

16. Developing Characters
How do writers develop round, dynamic
characters?
Through conversations with other characters
Through group associations
Through direct description of that character
Through reactions to conflict

17. 17
Character TraitsCharacter Traits
Traits are attitudes, skills, habits, tastes,
psychological drives and any other qualities that
distinguish a character.
Traits in opening scenes are relevant to later
scenes; this is related to cause and effect.

18. 18
ExamplesExamples
In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke’s character
traits are introduced early on and pay off in later
scenes.
They include his knowledge of the Force, his
survival skills, his ability with a light saber, and
his impetuousness.

19. Character Traits
 Think of the rounded characters you came up
with before.
 What character traits did they have and how
did these traits ‘pay off’ later in the film.

20. Character: Goals and obstaclesCharacter: Goals and obstacles
 Goals might include locating treasure, choosing
a foster parent or looking for love.
 Characters encounter obstacles in pursuing
these goals – the collision of goals and obstacles
create conflict and thus drama.

21. Character: ChoicesCharacter: Choices
 Characters create cause and effect through
choices that lead to conflict and consequences.
 These patterns are designed so that the viewer
clearly sees and understands them.
 Characters posses traits, face conflicts, make
choices and undergo changes that enable or
hinder pursuit of a specific goal.

22. Characters – Goals, Choices,
Obstacle

23. Characters – Goals, Choices,
Obstacle
 What goals and obstacles did your characters
face?

24. Conflict – central to any narrativeConflict – central to any narrative
Relational Conflict - This is conflict between characters
over goals and how to achieve goals.
Inner Conflict - This is conflict within a character. It
could be concerned with their self esteem, insecurities or
uncertainties.
Societal – This is conflict between a person and a group.
This group could be a government, a gang, family, the
army, or a country for example.
Situational – This is conflict that develops as a result of
a situation. Disaster films use this style of conflict a lot.
Cosmic – This is conflict between the main character
and a supernatural force e.g. God or a universal Good vs
Evil idea.

25. ConflictConflict
Relational Conflict
Inner Conflict
Societal
Situational
Cosmic

26. Conflict
 Choose one character/ film you have been
working on and make a list of all the conflict
they have been involved in.

27. 27
Diegetic vs. Nondiegetic ElementsDiegetic vs. Nondiegetic Elements
 Diegetic elements are everything that exists in
the world that the film depicts – including
everything implied off-screen: settings, sounds,
characters, events.
 Nondiegetic elements are elements within the
film, but not within the film’s world, such as
credits, music or voice-over narration.
 Characters are unaware of these elements.
 A director can use nondiegetic elements to
suggest narrative

28. 28
“Filmmakers use non-diegetic elements for
several reasons: they may draw attention to
aspects of the narrative from a position outside
the story, they communicate with the audience
directly, and they engage viewers on an
emotional level.”
 Pramaggiore and Wallis,” Narrative Form”

29. 29
ExamplesExamples
 Examples of non-diegetic narrative elements
include:
 The voice-over in The Shawshank Redemption
 The opening “crawl” of text in Star Wars
 The opening credits of Seven