Narrative

What drives narrative?

• Cause and effect
• One event causes another to happen
• E.g. Psycho (1960)
• Marion and Sam have little money; Tom (the wealthy man) hands over a lot of money; Marion is given the money by the boss; the motive is establish by the rest of the film.
• In psycho, initial events occur more less independently to the main characters
• Marion is quickly killed off- and the film continues without her. Her boyfriend never reappears meaningfully

Cause- effect logic + needs of the characters

• The cause effect logic all relates directly to Thornhill
• In other words, narrative development also has to de seen in relation to the characters themselves, who motivate the cause effect logic
• The forward momentum of North by northwest is driven by the needs and wishes of Thornhill

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, a middle, and an end.
• More technically
• A state of equilibrium
• Disruption to that equilibrium
• Successful restoration of the equilibrium

The liminal period

• The middle part of a film is generally more dramatic
• It is sometimes refers as the liminal period
• This is when narrative transgresses normal social events, before the equilibrium is restored.

A satisfying film is guaranteed if the main character ends up with more than began.