Narrative Theory and Structure

Narrative is the way a film organizes events into a story, and how a film tells its story is as meaningful as what the story contains. Understanding narrative theory gives analysts a vocabulary for the shape of a film, the order of its information, and the perspective from which we experience it.

Story and plot

Theorists distinguish the story, the full chronological chain of events, from the plot, the selected and ordered events as the film actually presents them. A film may withhold information, begin in the middle, or rearrange time, and the gap between story and plot is where suspense, surprise, and mystery live. Analyzing this gap reveals how a film manages what the audience knows and when, which is central to its emotional design.

Classic structure and its patterns

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