This document defines key concepts related to narrative structure in films. It discusses definitions of plot and story, and explores different narrative structures and theories of storytelling including: - Linear vs non-linear narratives - Three-act structure, Todorov's 5 stages, Campbell's hero's journey monomyth - Character archetypes defined by Propp - The use of themes, genres (romance, horror, comedy) and binary opposites in narratives. In summary, the document outlines various structural elements and literary theories that are commonly used to analyze the sequencing of events and development of characters in film narratives.

1. Narrative
Plot – The definition according to Bordwell and Thompson: ‘Everything visibly and audibly
present in the filmbefore us’ and the definition according to the dictionary: ‘the main
sequence of events of a play, novel, film, or similar work, devised and presented by the
writer as an interrelated sequence.’
Story – The definition according to Bordwell and Thompson: ‘The set of all events in a
narrative, both the ones explicitly presented and those the viewer infers’ and the definition
according to the dictionary: ‘an account of imaginary or real people and events told for
entertainment’
Key terms:
Linear – The order in which events are portrayed corresponds to the order in which they
occur
Non-linear – The order in which events are portrayed does not correspond to the order in
which things happened such as jumping around in time like flashbacks. Pulp fiction
Enigma – resembling an enigma or a puzzling occurrence, situation, statement or person etc
perplexing, mysterious
Ellipsis – a narrative device that omits a portion of the sequence of events allowing the
reader to fill in the narrative gaps
Exposition – is the act of describing or introducing the characters, settings and problems in
the story, usually though dialogue
Multi-stranded – instead of a single hero and a group of supporting characters, a narrative
with multiple strands can have two or more isolated groups of characters
Structure:
Structure is needed in storytelling because it is needed, from a writing perspective, so that
stories can hang together and make sense however from a readers perspective it is needed
so they can understand what they are reading and can feel emotions from it as a result.
According to Syd Field stories have a three act structure as follows: act one is setup this will
include the opening of the story, the inciting incident that drives the story and the first
major plot point. Act two is confrontation and will usually start with a ‘pinch’ this brings up
the central conflict and serves as a reminded overall, Midpoint which usually revolves
around a reversal of fortune or revelation that changes the direction of the story, the
second ‘pinch’ and the second plot point where act two ends and act three begins usually
manifested when the protagonist is ready to face the antagonist. Act three is resolution and
includes the climax either overcoming the problem or not and the resolution where all
issues of the story are resolved.
Todorov's 5 stages - This theory proposes that all narratives follow a chronological order
with on action following another. This means that it has a clear beginning, middle and end.

2. It also suggests that the characters change in some way through the course of the story will
have developed at the end of the story. The first of the five stages are equilibrium, this is
when everything in the narrative is normal and the characters are living what is a normal
lifestyle. The next stage is the disequilibrium, this is where the normality of the characters
world is disrupted by either the antagonist or a specific event that is taking place. The third
stage is the acknowledgement of the event that has just occurred. Where the characters
realise something is wrong. The fourth stage is finding a solution to the problem. This is
where they do something about what has just happened and try to stop it. Then the last
stage is the equilibrium again. Where the conflict has been solved and there is no longer a
disequilibrium. Some things may have changed from before but there is no longer a problem
and the characters go to live their normal life. An example of a film that uses this structure is
The Decent.
Joseph Cambells the hero's journey - The next theory is Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s
Journey created in 1949 . It describes the character venturing out to get what they need,
face problems and then triumph over the antagonist. In this theory there are twelve stages.
The first is the ordinary world. This takes place before the journey has begun, it is their
normal reality and their everyday life. The next stage is the call to adventure, this is
occurring the hero goes out of their normal everyday life and are usually confronted with a
problem that they can’t ignore. Next is the refusal of the call to adventure, normally when
the character decides that they don’t want to go on the journey this may be for many
reasons much as the protagonist believing they don’t have something they need or are
scared to undergo such a daunting task. Like Star Wars as Luke believes he doesn’t have
what it takes to go on the adventure. The fourth stage is where the character meets a
mentor, usually old and wise and will nearly always die before the story concludes as
motivation for the protagonist, they will train them in whatever they need to stop the
problem. The fifth stage is the crossing of the first threshold, this is where the hero is ready
to go on the quest and faces their first conflict. Next is the testing phase, this is where the
hero must adjust to the new reality thrust upon them and are forced to deal with many
different trials and obstacles that arise. The seventh stage is where the hero gets closer to
the goal of the filmand goes to the most dangerous part of the quest. Then there is the big
test in stage 8, the big ordeal. This is where the hero may ‘give up’ on the quest or lose all
hope due to the big test it they are facing. It is the point where the audience feel like the
hero might lose. The next stage is the reward. This is where the hero has beaten the big test
and has received his reward for what they have done. This might be anything from winning
money, finding the lost princess or saving the galaxy. The next stage is the road back for the
hero, the story isn’t over yet, but the hero desires to return to the real world but there are
still some problems to face. Stage eleven is where the true climax of the story takes place.
This is where the antagonist try one last time to beat the hero and is one last test for them.
This is where the death star is destroyed in Star Wars, after the princess has been saved,
they have one last mission to do. Lastly, the hero goes home and comes back a different
person that they were and have something to show for their mission.
Short filmstructure - The structure of a short film will mainly focus on the situation
presented, not story if there is one, due to the length that they are. They usually have a

3. character already in a situation like a dream and generally won’t have a beginning middle
and end relying more on a joke structure – setup and punchline. In a short film, the
character’s objective is known very early on in the film and the obstacles to getting that
objective must be found out almost straight away depending on the length. When short
films are created, they usually only explore one concept or idea. This is because there isn’t
enough time to focus on different morals or character motivations. Also, the short film
should only have one conflict that has to be solved. This is once again due to the time limit
of the film. The producer needs to have as much information as possible on the situation
because in a 2-3-minute film dialogue is not necessary however more lengthy short films
can get across more detail. Lastly, the short film must have a resolution or twist. Short films
usually end with something to make the audience start thinking and the film can end with
an open or closed ending.
Film opening sequence - In the opening sequence of a feature film, the narrator needs to
make sure that there is a lot of information about the setting of the film and the characters
in the film. It is extremely important that the film gives information about the character’s
past so that the audience gain an understanding of what the main character is like. In the
opening sequence, the audience must find out what the rest of the filmis going to be about.
This means it should be very fast paced so that the audience can take in as much
information as possible.
Characters in a narrative - Short films are usually character based and revolve around at
least one or two characters. Each narrative must have a protagonist. This is the main
character who which your story revolves around. Most stories have one protagonist, but it is
also possible to have more than one however, this may complicate the story. A
deuteragonist is the second in command to the protagonist, like a sidekick. These characters
have a large effect on the narrative and are always loyal. The next main character is the
antagonist. This person is who causes the protagonist all the problems. This creates the
conflict that then creates the whole story.
Vladamir propp - Vladimir Propp was a researcher who was interested in the relationship
between characters and narrative he believed that the plot of a story develops form the
actions of characters and how they function in a story, he goes onto say that there are eight-
character types in a narrative. The first is the hero or the protaganist, this is always the main
character of the narrative which the story revolves around. The next character type is the
helper, this is someone who supports the hero on the mission. The next character type is
the Villain, this is a vitally important character as they are the antagonist that is the enemy
of the hero and will usually mirror the hero in some way. They usually have bad morals
which highlights the goodness of the hero. Then there is the false hero. This is someone who
can sometimes be the main villain and at the beginning acts heroically but then turns into
the bad guy. This person tries to steal the spotlight of the hero. The donor is a person who
gives something special to the hero like a vital piece of advice, a magical weapon or secret
tool. This role can sometimes be combined with the helper. The next type is the dispatcher,
who is the person that sends the hero on the mission, this can be someone like the person’s
father or mother. The next role is the princess, who can take two different forms. One is the

4. actual quest, the fact that she has been taken by the villain as captive. The second is the
reward of the girl. For example, the hero can win the princess over by being heroic. Lastly, is
the princess’s father who can sometimes be the dispatcher. The father is always protective
of his daughter and is usually in competition with the hero for the princess’s affection.
Levi strauss - He was a French anthropologist in the 1900s, who provided a theory which
includes most narratives with opposing main characters. These help to thicken the plot and
therefore create the narrative. An example of binary opposites is a hero and a villain. Films
can use this theory to show the difference between good and bad and make it obvious
which is which. Films can also show things like the difference Real and imaginary Strauss
suggested that the binary opposites create balance and without them the world would be
unstable.
Themes of a narrative - There are many different types of themes that a narrative can have.
The theme refers to what ideas or issues are raised within the story. Most narratives contain
one theme such as coming of age, nostalgia or loneliness. The narrative is revealed to the
reader using different techniques depending on who or what the film is based around. For
example, if the filmis based around only one character then it shows that the character’s
interpretation is the only important one.
The first genre I will talk about is romance. Romance is typically associated with two people
falling in love however the sub-genre attached is usually what makes the difference such as
comedy the story will usually follow the problem their love brings or the act of getting
together. This genres themes normally involve how great love can be but also the problems
it brings. Romantic films usually have a happy ‘normal’ person meeting either someone
that’s just alike, their opposite or someone that will rely on them. Films such as the fault in
our stars and dear John present love as an everlasting thing that has the power to fix the
problems in your life and ill usually involve the character either realising they need
something else or love was the only thing they needed.
The second genre I will be talking about is horror. I think the main theme of most horror
films is fear of the unknown as this is played very well in films like the Decent as the
unknown nature of the monster makes the audience fear them more however once the
monster is revealed part of their mystery dies which makes the filmless scary this is also
seen in jaws keeping the shark largely hidden for most of the film not just because the shark
didn’t look very convincing but because not knowing what the shark was doing or where it
was made it scarier. Horror also has a lot of suspense however with the inclusion of
hundreds of jump scares in every horror movie the suspense isn’t necessary toward the
content of the filmbut rather the jump scare. When we are conditioned to believe there will
be a jump scare when the music soars and the scene is silent the jump will give the suspense
not what is being shown.

5. The last genre I will be talking about is comedy. Comedy can come in many shapes and sizes
which makes it hard to pin down a convention however films can be split into different
types of humour in the filmfor example David Brent Life On The Road is an example of a
cringe comedy and relies on the protagonist being socially awkward and not knowing what
to say which drives the story and more importantly (for this genre anyway) the comedy.
However, there are some that rely on crazy nonsensical scenarios and characters like Life of
Brian.