Narrative Structure

Structure of narrative

• Narrative is also much more than just a series of cause- effect events.
• The overall narrative structure of a film comprises, in the vast majority of cases, a beginning, middle and end.
• More technically (After Tzvetan Todorov)

Narrative structure applied to a specific film

13 going on 30 (Dir. Gary Winick, USA, 2004)

1. The state of equilibrium

Jennifer Garner is 13 and its her birthday, she has her best friend called Mathew but wants to hang out with a group of her school which are the “cool” girls. She gets angry as the girls cheated her and wants to turn 30 and be pretty.

2. Disruption to that equilibrium

Jennifer Garner wakes up and she was 30, and living the life she wanted when she was 13. But she realises that it wasn’t what she really liked and wants to go back to her old life.

3. Successful restoration of the equilibrium

Goes to Mathews house were there was the powder that had made her wish when she was 13 true. And asks again to be 13 and lives her life as normal.