Narrative structure

Single strand narrative– one main storyline, ,ay have smaller storylines but ultimately they’re all linked to the main one. The most common type.

Parallel narrative– where two completely separate storylines running at the same time. Not very common.

Multi-string narrative– always used in soaps, where several storylines are told at once.

Linear narrative- A story told in chronological order, very common, gives a sense of natural order.

Non-linear narrative– where flashbacks are used to tell a story. Not very common but sometimes used in film.

Todorov’s theory

Todorov’s theory is the most common narrative structure, its used in books, films and TV programmes. It consists of three stages. First is the equilibrium- this is where the scene is set and the problem is established. The second stage is the disequilibrium- this is where the problem occurs and the quest to resolve the problem begins. The third and final stage is the resolution- in this stage the cause of the problem is dealt with and the new equilibrium is reached.

The narrative structure of The Truman Show

The truman follows Todorov’s theory with he initial equilibrium then the disequilibrium and finally the resolution. In The Truman Show, Truman Burbank (the main character and main focus of the film) Starts of living his life happily but then about 20 minutes into the film things start going wrong, a stage light falls from the sky and his radio accidentally tunes into the production radio frequency but he docent really suspect anything. This stage of the film is the equilibrium. The second stage of the film (the disequilibrium) starts when he he son the bridge with his friend and he’s explaining to him how he thinks he’s part of something and how he wants to go to Fiji. The final stage of the film is the resolution and it starts when the producers are watching truman sleeping in the basement at night but realise he has run away. This stage and the film ends with truman finding out everything and him leaving the building his entire life been set in.

The importance of narrative structure

The narrative structure is finally formed in the editing and post production stage as this is where the rushes and the storyline are stitched together. The narrative structure is important in planing and production because you want to make sure the final cut will make sense and the audience will be able to follow it, or if you don’t want it to make complete sense then you’ll have to plan it out in a way which works.

 

My comercial video is a singe stand narrative but dosen’t follow Todorov’s theory completely. It starts of with an equilibrium with the establishing of the scene but there isn’t the disequilibrium as its a promotional video so it breaks Todorov’s theory.