What is
Narrative Structure?
Narrative structure is really about two things: the content of a story (i.e. what a story is about) and the form used to tell a story (i.e. how a story is told).
Two common ways to describe these two parts of narrative structure are: story and plot.
Narrative structure is really about two things: the content of a story (i.e. what a story is about) and the form used to tell a story (i.e. how a story is told).
Two common ways to describe these two parts of narrative structure are: story and plot.
Story refers to the raw materials of dramatic action as they might be described in chronological order in a film.
Plot refers to the form of storytelling, or the structure the story follows.
An example may be helpful.
If we
want to analyze narrative structure, we can use Who? What? and Where? questions
to look at the story or content of a movie. ‘How?’ questions are used to examine plot structure.
So, to describe the story in Star Wars, for example, we would need to answer
the following questions:
·
Where
is the story set?
·
What
event begins the story?
·
Who
are the main characters?
·
What
conflict(s) do they face?
·
What
happens to the characters as they face this conflict?
·
Who
wins the conflict?
·
What
rewards do they receive?
To
describe the plot structure of the movie, we would need to answer these
questions:
·
How
is the major conflict in the story set up?
·
How
are the main characters introduced?
·
How
is the story moved along so that the characters must inevitably face the film’s
central conflict?
·
How
is the dramatic confrontation set up as the film draws to its close?
·
How
does the film resolve most of the major conflicts set up at the outset?
From the
audiences’ perspective, story and plot refer to the different ways movies
construct meaning for spectators. Story is about trying to determine the key conflicts,
main characters, setting, and events in a movie. Plot is about determining the
stages at which key conflicts are set up and resolved. What’s interesting about
most of the movies made in Hollywood is that, while the stories may change, the
plot structure is virtually identical in most of the movies made by
Hollywood.
According to Bordwell and Thompson, the plot is what we explicitly see and hear while the story includes information that is inferred (suggested) to the viewer.
According to Bordwell and Thompson, the plot is what we explicitly see and hear while the story includes information that is inferred (suggested) to the viewer.
H O L
LYWOOD AND THE CLASSICAL NARRATIVE STRUCTURE
The most
common narrative structure in mainstream films is called the Classical
Narrative Structure.
The Classical Narrative Structure
The
Classical Narrative Structure is called this because it is the way most movies
are made in Hollywood. It’s not
classic because it is the oldest structure of storytelling or the best, but the most common. It is the storytelling
structure in Star Wars, Buster KeatonÕs The General (1926), The Matrix (Andy
and Larry Wachowski, 1999), and any number of other films we might think of. It’s
based on a three-act format that organizes the story in the following way.
Act
I The Setup
Here, we
are introduced to the main characters in the story, their goals, and the
obstacles they are likely to face to achieve their objectives. The main
conflict in the story is introduced, as well as the major antagonist (the
villain) who will stand in the way of the protagonist’s (the hero’s) objectives.
We can call
Act I in a movie the Hook. It sets up the story so that the film engages the
attention of the audience and suggests the story’s likely development. Act I
generally takes up about one quarter of a film’s total length.
Act II The Development
Here
plot complications are added to the story. An increasing sense of urgency is
created when the main characters encounter obstacles that stand in the way of
their journey. The second act generally occupies the middle two-quarters of the
film and it often includes a false resolution to the main conflict set up in
Act I. Once the false resolution has been encountered, the action in the movie
generally points inevitably toward a necessary climax.
Throughout
Act II, Cause-Effect Relationships propel the main characters along. Cause-effect
rela- tionships involve actions that force a reaction on the part of some
character, leading to a new action and reaction, and so on.
Act III The Resolution
In the final segment of the film, the results of the story’s main conflict come to dramatic con- frontation. This is called the Climax. It is the point where key struggles are waged and an eventual victor is determined. In Hollywood films, needless to say, the eventual victor is usually our hero.
In the final segment of the film, the results of the story’s main conflict come to dramatic con- frontation. This is called the Climax. It is the point where key struggles are waged and an eventual victor is determined. In Hollywood films, needless to say, the eventual victor is usually our hero.
Following
the climax, Closure is introduced into the story, which simply means that all
the major conflicts, issues, or ideas in the story are resolved. The so-called
Hollywood ending is the most popular kind of closure in the classical narrative
structure. Films with this kind of conclusion usually close with a sense that
the protagonists in the film live happily ever after.
