Story and plot
The story is every event in time order, even the ones we do not see. The plot is what the film shows and in which order. A film may start at the end, jump back (flashback) or skip years.
Why change the order? To create mystery, surprise, or to make us care before we know the reason.
The three-act structure
- Act 1, setup: we meet the hero and the world, and something starts the problem (the inciting event).
- Act 2, confrontation: the hero tries, fails, and the problem grows. It is the longest part.
- Act 3, resolution: the climax (the peak of tension) and then the end where things settle.
Todorov's equilibrium
Tzvetan Todorov described a story as five stages: (1) equilibrium (a calm world), (2) disruption (something breaks the calm), (3) recognition (characters see the problem), (4) repair (they try to fix it), (5) new equilibrium (calm again, but changed).
Other useful ideas: binary opposites (good vs evil, old vs new) and character roles such as hero, villain, helper and the goal (Propp's idea).
Genre
A genre is a group of films with shared patterns, called conventions: typical characters, places, props, music and story steps. Examples: romance, comedy, horror, action, western, science fiction, musical.
- Repetition and difference: audiences like the familiar pattern with a small surprise.
- Hybrid genres: mixing, such as a romantic comedy or a musical thriller.
- Genres change over time as society and technology change.
Ideology in film
Ideology means the set of beliefs and values behind a film, often not stated openly. Look at who is the hero, who is the villain, who is missing, and what is rewarded at the end.
- Which families, jobs or places are shown as normal?
- What is shown as success: money, duty, love, courage?
- Whose point of view do we share?
Films can support common beliefs or question them. Always give evidence from a scene.
The screenplay
A screenplay (also called a literary script) writes the film in words that the whole team can use. Its stages are: idea, synopsis (short summary), step outline (one line per scene in order), treatment (the story told in prose), first draft with scenes, and then rewrites.
- A scene happens in one place and time. It starts with a heading such as "INT. KITCHEN - MORNING".
- A sequence is a group of scenes that make one bigger part of the story.
- Screenplays show only what can be seen or heard: action and dialogue. Thoughts must become pictures or speech.
How to analyse a film's narrative
Ask five questions: What is the story, and what is the plot order? Which act or stage is this scene in? Who has which role? What genre patterns are used or broken? What values does the ending reward?
Try it
In the 3D, run the three-act arc, then Todorov. Then think of a film you know and say which scene is the disruption and which is the climax. At home, write a seven-line step outline for a story about a lost school bag.
Key formulas and definitions
- Story = events in time order; plot = order shown
- Three acts: setup โ confrontation โ resolution
- Todorov: equilibrium โ disruption โ recognition โ repair โ new equilibrium
- Roles: hero, villain, helper, goal
- Screenplay steps: idea โ synopsis โ step outline โ treatment โ draft
- Scene = one place and time; sequence = group of scenes
Worked examples
1. A film opens with an old woman telling a story, then shows the story from the start. What is the plot device?
A frame story with a flashback. The plot starts in the present, then shows past events. The story (time order) starts earlier.
2. In a film a village has plenty of water, then a drought starts, people see the cause, build a well and the village prospers. Label Todorov's stages.
Equilibrium: plenty of water. Disruption: drought. Recognition: they see the cause. Repair: they build a well. New equilibrium: the village prospers, with a new lesson learned.
3. Write the step outline of a short story: a child loses a school bag.
1. Child leaves home with the bag. 2. Bag is missing at school. 3. Child tells the teacher. 4. Friends help to search. 5. The bag is found on the bus. 6. Child thanks everyone.
Common mistakes
- Mixing story and plot. Story is time order; plot is what is shown.
- Saying every film has exactly three acts of equal length. They are usually uneven.
- Calling genre only a topic. It is a pattern of conventions.
- Treating ideology as an opinion with no evidence. Always point to a scene.