Narrative structure concepts used in film analysis, including three-act structure, plot versus story, and diegesis.
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- What is three-act structure?
- A narrative framework dividing a story into setup (exposition and inciting incident), confrontation (rising action and climax), and resolution (denouement).
- What is an inciting incident?
- The event that disrupts the protagonist's ordinary world and sets the main story in motion.
- What is rising action?
- The series of events developing conflict and building tension toward the climax, increasing stakes throughout.
- What is the climax?
- The highest point of tension or most significant moment where the central conflict reaches its peak and is confronted.
- What is falling action?
- Events following the climax that show consequences and lead toward the story's conclusion.
- What is denouement or resolution?
- The final part of a narrative where remaining conflicts are resolved and the story concludes.
- What is in medias res?
- Beginning a story in the middle of action rather than at the start, with prior events revealed later through exposition.
- What is exposition?
- Information revealed early in a film to establish setting, characters, and backstory necessary for understanding the narrative.
- What is non-linear narrative?
- A story structure that does not follow chronological order, using flashbacks, multiple timelines, or scrambled sequences.
- What is a turning point?
- A major plot event that significantly changes the story's direction or stakes, often marking divisions between acts.
- How do plot and story differ in film?
- Story is the chronological sequence of all events; plot is how those events are selected, arranged, and presented to viewers.
- What is diegesis?
- The narrative world of the film, including all events, characters, settings, and objects that exist within the story's internal logic.
- What is nondiegetic or extradiegetic?
- Narrative elements existing outside the story world, such as a musical score or voiceover commentary not heard by characters.
- How does diegetic voiceover differ from nondiegetic voiceover?
- Diegetic voiceover is heard by other characters in the scene; nondiegetic voiceover is heard only by the audience, like a narrator's commentary.
- What is a flashback or analepsis?
- A scene interrupting the present narrative to show events that occurred earlier in time.
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