Narrative Structure

Narrative structure is about two things: the content of a story and the form used to
tell the story. 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. Plot refers to how the story is told — the form of storytelling, or
the structure, that the story follows.
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” and “when” questions are
used to examine plot structure.
Conventionally, both story and plot are described in terms of how a character’s life is
disrupted by an event or change in his/her situation; this causes a series of conflicts
that the character(s) must face, including the major conflict that is eventually resolved
at the end of the film. “Conflict” in this model can take many forms, be it emotional,
interpersonal, or even between the character and his/her physical environment.

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