Structures
A Look at Plot, Story and Narrative
When we look at the structure of the story we need to think about three things - the plot, the story and the narrative.
Plot: These are the elements, which recur from story to story – in many ways these are the same as the genre conventions that you looked at earlier. These elements are the stuff from which the story will be made.
Story: This is where the elements of the plot are structured into a sequence.
Narrative: The way in which the story is actually told - the actual way in which it is filmed – the type of shots used, the use of music, the way that the film is edited together. If the story outline were written up as a novel then the narrative would be expressed in a different way through the choice of words and descriptions.
So here you have the story of 'The Kite Runner' in its basic form.
We now need to look at how this is translated into a developed narrative and how this narrative expresses the themes of the film.
STRUCTURE TASK
On the chart below, type in all of the key moments of the film that fit into each structure element (or story section). Then say how each section of the narrative reveals something about the characters. Finally, what themes are shown in each of the story sections?
Once you have completed the chart try to trace through the narrative in the various developments that take place both of characters and also themes.
- Looking at your chart, can you see any relationships between the themes and certain of the characters?
- Can you see the ways in which certain of the narrative events are linked, the ways in which one action causes another action to happen?
- How does this relate to the ways in which a certain character is shown to us?
What you are doing here is looking at the way in which Khaled Hosseini has structured the basic story and how the filmmakers have taken the novel and translated it into a filmed narrative.
Interpretations