This document discusses different types of narrative structures that can be used in documentaries. It describes closed narratives which have a clear beginning, middle, and end with no loose ends. Open narratives end without a clear conclusion, leaving questions unanswered. Linear narratives show events in chronological order, while non-linear narratives have no set timeline. Single strand narratives focus on one character or plot, whereas multi-strand narratives show multiple perspectives. It also discusses theorists like Todorov, Propp, Levi-Strauss, and Barthes and the narrative patterns and codes they identified.

1. Narrative structures

2. What is narrative?
Narrative is way in which the media text talks or connects to its
audience and influences a response to the text. They have a
definite beginning, middle and and end to a documentary.

3. Closed narrative
Where the documentary has a cler conclusion or ending and all the
questions that have been asked have been answered. There are no
lose ends.
They have a definite beginning, middle and and end to a
documentary.
I don’t think we will use this our doucmentary as it is only 5 minutes
long so there is not enough time to give a fully detailed
documentray on a certain subject.

4. Open narrative
Where the end of the documentary is ended without a clear
conclusion and there are still questions being asked. There is no
definite begininng, middle or end and the audience are left waiting
for me. An example would eb a soap opera where it always finishes
on a cliff hanger and picks up agin in the next episode.
We will use this one as the documentary is only 5 minutes long so
we can end it by saying “after the break….” to show that there is
more information to be shared

5. Linear narrative
Is when the doucmentray is shown in a chronilogical order of time.
(all the events are in the right order)
We could use ths in terms of showing proof or examples e.g. if we
show newspaper articles, show them in the order of them being
published. As we are doing a documentary thre is no real
chronological order of a persons opinion.

6. Non-linear
There is no chronilogical order shown in the documentary.
we will use this one as we are not doing a documentary about a
passed event, we asre doing it about present events so there is no
need for there to be a chronological order.

7. Single strand narrative
Is a story that is focussed on a single character or person. Can be on
set or one plot. There can be other characters involed but the mian
focus will be one charcter e.g. spiderman.
We will use this as we are only foucussing on one topic. If we look
at the bad and good sides of it the we will use multi strand.

8. Multi strand narrative
When a story is told from more than one persons point of view or 2
stories of 2 different people that interviene. It shows two different
narratives happening at the same time leaving the audience to foucs
on more thatn one character. E.g benfits street
We wont use this unless we are looking at two different side to our
chosen topic.

9. Circular narrative
Is where a documentary starts and finishe on the same point. This
can being quick closure to a documnetary and not leave loose ends.
We could use this if we were to do a closed ending but because we
are leaving it open then we don’t need to use the circular narartive.

10. TODOROV
He said that all plots or stories follow the same pattern of :
(in order start – end)
Equilibrium
Distruption
Realisation
Rstored order
Equilibrium again
This is shown throughout all documentaries and shows.

11. PROPP
He said that all characters have a narrative function: they nprovide
a structure for the text. E.g. hero, vilain, donor, dispatcher, false
hero, helper, princess, father- can all be found in movies and
documentaries

12. Levi Strauss
He argued that all narratives could be reduced down to the binary
opposites e.g:
Good vs bad
East vs west
“super size me” shows food being good and food being bad”

13. Roland Barthes
He argued that narrative is told through a series of codes that are
used to control the way in which information to give to the
audience
Enigma codes (teasing) and action codes (narrative that is produced
by an action).