Narrative Structure in Film

How Films Tell Stories

"A film is hundreds of moments photographed and joined together to create an illusion of something which did not take place.“

–Michael Winner

Two essential terms

Diegetic The world of the story, and everything that is

included in it. This includes the characters, their lives, the

clothes they wear, the music they play, the sounds of things dropping, the sunshine aove them.

Diegesis is defined as “the (fictional) world in which the situations and events narrated occur”

Two essential terms

Non-diegetic All material added to the story, usually done in

post-production Includes special effects, blue screen

backgrounds, soundtrack music, subtitles, voiceover/narration

This is the “magic of moviemaking”

Plot vs. Story

Plot – the series of events that provide conflict, the action, the spine of a film. There is a beginning, a middle, and an end. You can restate the plot by asking yourself: What happened? Everything that is on the screen in front of us, the

whole package of the movie Includes the story (characters, setting, action, dialog)

AND all nondiegetic material. Does NOT include inferred events which exist in the

diegesis, but aren’t actually shown to us. Plot is the WAY the story is told.

Plot vs. Story

Story - the emotional/philosophical content/main concept of a film. The story is inferred via the main actions/conflicts demonstrated in the plot. You can discover the story by asking: What was the filmmaker trying to tell me? The narrative, all of the events we see. Tells the world of the characters and includes all

events, explicitly presented and inferred. For example, a traumatic event which happened

during the childhood of a character (even if not shown) is part of the story.

Why should you care?

Because the way the story is told has a very strong effect of us. Ex. Non-chronological = confused Ex. Dark, high-pitched music = tense,

suspenseful We are being manipulated by the filmmaker. Often, we are made to feel the same way as

the main character, which gives us a very intense, authentic, and visceral experience

Narrative Tools in Film

Narrative Structure (linear v. non-linear) Music Camera Movement and camera angle Lighting Color Editing Costume & Set Design Special Effects Genre Conventions

Classical Narrative (Hollywood)

Temporal: organized chronologically. There’s a beginning, middle, and end, in that order (mostly)!

Follows classical pattern: exposition, development, complication, climax, resolution.

Spatial. Location is presented right away—we often see a detailed portrait of WHERE we are first. Emphasizes cause and effect.

Sets up a main protagonist(s) who is usually the causal agent (He wants to achieve something, which drives the narrative).

Relies on genre conventions Regulates narrative Relies on REALISM. There is usually a happy ending (when the main character gets

what s/he wants).

Non-Narrative Film

Time is NOT necessarily linear (a straight line of time events) and can seem disorienting. Contains beginning, middle and end, but not necessarily in that order.

Location may not be clear/emphasized Meaning may be derived more from association

(relating a series of images/events) than cause/effect Atypical protagonist – may be passive Focuses more on STORY than PLOT May defy rules of genre Tends to be more experimental, not so concerned

with REALISM.