An Introduction to Film

point of Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope(1977;
director/screenwriter: George Lucas), Luke Sky-
walker’s fellow fighter pilots have been decimated
and the Death Star is within range of the rebel
stronghold, so Luke uses the Force to drop a pro-
ton torpedo into the evil Empire’s exposed orifice.
At the climax of Black Swan, Nina realizes she’s
been stabbed (by herself—it’s complicated), but
she dances onto the stage and gives the perform-
ance of her career.
Once the goal is either gained or lost, it’s time for
the resolution—the third act of falling action, in
which the narrative wraps up loose ends and moves
toward a conclusion. For some protagonists, the
struggle continues well into this final act. After being
trapped for 127 hours and amputating his own arm,
Aron must still strike out in search of help. In True
Grit, the recoil from the rifle that dispatches Chaney
propels Mattie into a snake pit. She has to endure
being bitten on the arm by rattlesnakes and carted
across the prairie to a distant doctor. But sooner or
later, virtually every story resolves the conflict and
allows the audience a chance to celebrate and/or

contemplate the final score before the credits roll.

We see footage showing the real-life Aron Ralston

(yes, it’s a true story) as an active hiker with a wife

and child. Luke, in blissful ignorance of his family

history, enjoys a kiss from the princess. Surrounded

by her adoring director and fellow dancers, the

black swan declares her perfection. An elderly (and

one-armed) Mattie pays homage to the crusty U.S.

marshal whose true grit saved her life. Rocky hugs

his girlfriend. The Dude abides—and bowls.

The Screenwriter

The screenwriter is responsible for coming up

with this story, either from scratch or by adapting

another source, such as a novel, play, memoir, or

news story. He or she (or they) builds the narrative

structure and devises every character, action, line

of dialogue, and setting. And all this must be man-

aged with the fewest words possible. Screenplay

format is precisely prescribed—right down to page

margins and font style and size—so that each

136 CHAPTER 4 ELEMENTS OF NARRATIVE

FIGURE 4.1 Narrative structure schematic.

Act 1: Setup Act 2: Conflict and Obstacles Act 3: Resolution

Inciting Incident Crisis Climax

Rising Action and Stakes

Narrative structure is typically characterized by a three-act structure. The first act establishes character, setting, and

tone, then introduces a goal with an inciting incident. The second act is structured around the protagonist’s pursuit of

the goal and the conflict and obstacles that must be confronted before the goal is either gained or lost at the peak of

the rising action and stakes. The narrative then falls as the third act resolves the conflict, wraps up ongoing storylines,

and gives the viewer a chance to either celebrate or mourn the dramatic result. Diagrams like this are helpful in

visualizing a standard structure, but we should keep in mind that the shape any story takes is as flexible as the

filmmakers want it to be.