Narrative: General

Narrative Structure

On a very basic level, all films have the same narrative pattern. Stories move through the following stages: exposition, development, complication, climax, resolution.

Exposition

The exposition part of a film’s narrative introduces the setting and the characters to the viewer.

Exposition sequences usually present the viewer with a situation which is calm, safe or at least predictable for the characters involved. You will need to identify not only the information which is given in your exposition sequence, but how it is presented to the viewer. Your film might present a setting which appears tranquil. It might create a positive mood through mise--en-scene. It may show characters involved in the day to day workings of the normal life. The equilibrium ( safe, calm, predictable situation ) of your exposition scene, can be created through dialogue, setting, mise-en-scene and sound elements.

Development

This is the stage of a film where the storyline is developed and we are introduced to more characters.

Consider how and why new characters are being presented to the audience and what the impact is of new information given in this section. If a character is introduced conflicting with the main character in some way ( through an argument, for example ), then this character may present a disruptive force within the remainder of the film. If problematic information is given in this section regarding the main protagonist within your film, then one of the functions of the narrative elements within your sequence might be to introduce a ‘flaw’ in your central character which will have an impact on later actions and events.

Complication

During this stage of the film’s narrative, we are presented with a complicating event which will affect the lives of the main characters.

Identify how your central character responds to the complication, the role of any disruptive characters within the complication and the response the viewer might have to the complicating elements. You could discuss how the complicating factor is shown, whether it is within a parallel scene showing the planning of the disruptive character or introduced to the audience via a point of view shot, which lets us experience the complication as if we were the main character. Don’t forget that camerawork and editing, along with mise-en-scene and sound contribute to our understanding of narrative events.

Climax

This is the point within a film where dramatic tension is at its height and we uncover the mystery of the story or have our questions about the film’s story answered.

Identify the means by which the answers to the film’s narrative questions are given. Does the protagonist have a revelatory conversation with another character ? Is this a character who has previously been position within the film as trustworthy ? Are the answers given within an action sequence, where the protagonist eventually kills the character who has provided the threat and complication within the story ? Narrative ‘answers’ do not have to come in the form of information, they may be events which halt the complicating factors within a film.

Resolution

The end of a film usually holds its resolution; the sequence where stability is re-established and a form of calm has been restored.

Sequences from the resolution part of a film provide a new situation of calm for both the characters and the audience. They present situations where the chaos and drama which existed thoughout much of the film are gone and what is left is not the same situation which existed at the beginning of a film, but a new situation and a new type of calm. Your sequence may use mise-en-scene to present this calm. You might find that the colours and setting in which you find your characters at the end of the film, are those you associate with safety and peace. You could discuss audience expectations of resolved endings. If viewers are given resolution, they are left with a sense of their expectations having been met.

Narrative Function

1. To organise groups of events into a pattern of cause and effect.

We see something happening and are then given information about the effect of what has happened. This allows the audience to see the consequences of action which occur in the film’s story and feel that their expectations of the film’s narrative have been met. If we were not shown the effect of a crime or a character’s actions, then we might feel cheated of information. The viewer might be shown the consequences of an event through a close-up of a character’s reactions, for example, or through a conversation between two characters.

2. To organise time and space.

Within a three hour film, years of story may have been compressed. Part of the function of narrative is to make this compression of time invisible to the viewer. If the narrative omitted significant events within a compressed time structure, then the viewer would question the sense of the film and the artificiality of ‘film time’ would become more noticeable. Look out for any points within the sequence you have chosen where there are leaps of time. Why does your film allow this time to be jumped over ? Why do we not need to see what happened in the time period which has been lost ? The ‘squashing’ of time to fit a 2-3 hour period requires the audience to take a leap of faith and trust that the film is giving them all of the information they need. Within the type of film you chose for the macro study, you will probably not find any complex time structures, but you might find time compression which you will need to discuss. You may also identify a flashback or flashforward element within your sequence. These are also narrative strategies which organise time. Try to identify the function of the flashback or flashforward. What information is given within it and what impact does this have on characters and audience ?