After research about this topic i found that when looking at narrative structure its essential you understand that it assist in the way the story is told and shown, not the actual story itself. This was the best summary i found of exactly what a narrative structure is:
"The narrative structure help defines the story. It needs to be structured to help the viewer understand the message contained within, giving the film meaning throughout."
Evidently, every film needs this structure as the fil would have no meaning which therefore disadvantages the viewer from understanding the story.
A writer named 'Tzvetan Todorov' has a rule of five conventional stages in he thinks is used as a template when writing the narrative. These 5 stages are:
"Stage 1- A state of equilibrium is defined.
Stage 2- Disruption to the equilibrium by some action or crisis.
Stage 3- The Character(s) recognition that there has been a disruption, setting goals to resolve problem.
Stage 4- The Character(s) attempt to repair the disruption, obstacles need to be overcome to restore order.
Stage 5- Reinstatment to the equilibrium. Situation is resolved, a conclusion is announced.
He believed there is far more clarity in your film if you stick to these conventional stages. However this stage do not have to be used chronologically. For example you often see the conclusion being announced (stage 5) at the top of the film.
Propp
Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp born on April 17th 1895 was a Russian formalist scholar. Propp extended the Russian Formalist approach to the study of narrative structure. In the Formalist approach, sentence structures in narrative had been broken down into analysable elements, or "morphemes". Propp used this method by analogy to analyse folk tales.
When analysing 100 different films he came up with 7 main character types which are:
1. The villain — struggles against the hero.
2. The donor — prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.
3. The (magical) helper — helps the hero in the quest.
4. The princess and her father — gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero, marries the hero, often sought for during the narrative. Propp noted that functionally, the princess and the father cannot be clearly distinguished.
5. The dispatcher — character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off.
6. The hero or victim/seeker hero — reacts to the donor, weds the princess.
7. [False hero] — takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess.
Hopefully this research on Todorov and Propp will help me make a well structured conventional film.
