Dramatic Construction in Film/MacKendrick Highlights

Dramatic Construction

& Telling the Story from On Filmmaking

by Alexander Mackendrick

Drama = tension

What does the

audience know &

what does the

character know?

Willing suspension of disbelief

Elements of

dramatic structure

Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.The Pixar story formula according to Director and Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats

QUESTIONS TO ASK: Elements Of Narrative

Who is the movie’s protagonist? What factors and needs motivate or complicate their actions? Can you characterize each of them according to their depth (round characters versus flat) and motivation?

What is the narration of the movie? Does it use a narrator of any kind?

What are the differences among omniscient, restricted, and unrestricted narration?

Is any major plot event presented on-screen more than once? If so, why do you think the filmmaker has chosen to use repetition of the event?

How do the setting and the scope of the narrative complement the other elements?

Carefully reconstruct the narrative structure of the movie. What is the inciting incident? What goal does the protagonist pursue? How does the protagonist’s need influence that pursuit? What obstacles does the protagonist encounter, and how does she engage them?

Keep track of nondiegetic elements that seem essential to the movie’s plot (voice-overs, for example). Do they seem natural and appropriate to the film, or do they appear to be "tacked on" to make up for a shortcoming in the movie’s narrative?

Are the plot events presented in chronological order? What is the significance of the order of plot events?

Keep track of the major and minor events in the movie’s plot. Are any of the minor events unnecessary to the movie overall? If these events were removed from the movie, would it be a better movie? Why?

Are you given all the information about the underlying story that you need in these scenes to understand what has happened in the elapsed story time?

Do any scenes use real time or a stretch relationship between story duration and screen duration? If so, what is the significance of these scenes to the overall narrative?

Is any major plot event presented on-screen more than once? If so, why do you think the filmmaker has chosen to use repetition of the event?

How do the setting and the scope of the narrative complement the other elements?