engaged with planning, capturing, selecting, and
arranging footage tend to create sequences that grow
logically in some way. The linear nature of motion
pictures lends itself to structures that develop
according to some form of progression, even if the
resultant meaning is mostly impressionistic. Thus,
nearly every movie, regardless of the label by which it
is categorized, employs at least a loose interpretation
of narrative.
Types of Movies
Films can be sorted according to a variety of sys-
tems. The film industry catalogs films according to
how they are distributed (theatrical, television,
straight to DVD, streaming, etc.); or how they are
financed (by established studios or independent
producers); or by their MPAA rating. Film festivals
frequently separate entries according to running
time. Film-studies curricula often group films by
subject matter, the nation of origin, or the era or
organized aesthetic movement that produced them.
The whole idea of breaking down an art form as
multifaceted as motion pictures into strict classifi-
cations can be problematic. Although most movies
fall squarely into a single category, many others
defy exact classification by any standard. This is
because cinematic expression exists along a con-
tinuum; no rule book enforcing set criteria exists.
Throughout the history of the medium, innovative
filmmakers have blurred boundaries and defied
classification. Since this textbook is interested pri-
marily in understanding motion-picture form, the
categories of films that we will discuss below—
narrative, documentary, and experimental—are
focused on the filmmaker’s intent and the final
product’s relationship with the viewer.
Narrative Movies
As we learned earlier, the primary relationship of a
narrative film to its audience is that of a storyteller.
Narrative films are so pervasive, so ingrained in
our culture, that prior to reading this book, you
may have never stopped to consider the designa-
tion narrative film. After all, to most of us, a narra-
tive movie is just a movie. We apply a label only to
documentary or experimental films—movies that
deviate from that “norm.”
What distinguishes narrative films from these
other kinds of movies, both of which also tell stories
or utilize other formal aspects of narrative, is that
narrative films are directed toward fiction. Even
those narrative movies that purport to tell a true
story, such as David Fincher’s The Social Network
(2010), adjust the stories they convey so as to better
serve those principles of narrative structure that
filmmakers use to engage and entertain audiences.
Events are added or removed or rearranged; char-
acters are composited: actors (who are usually
more attractive than the actual participants they
play) add elements of their own persona to the role.
Audiences may be attracted to movies marketed as
“based on a true story” perhaps because of the per-
ception of immediacy or relevance that such a label
imparts. But the truth is that very few “true stories”
can deliver the narrative clarity and effect that
audiences have come to expect from narrative films.
No matter what the source, typical narrative
films are based on screenplays in which nearly
every behavior and spoken line are predetermined.
The characters are played by actors delivering dia-
logue and executing action in a manner that not
only strives for verisimilitude, but also facilitates
the technical demands of the motion-picture pro-
duction process. These demands include coordinat-
ing their activity with lighting design and camera
movement, and performing scenes out of logical
chronological sequence. This action typically takes
place in artificial worlds created on studio sound-
stages or in locations modified to suit the story and
technical demands of production. The primary pur-
pose of most narrative films is entertainment, a
stance motivated by commercial intent.
Many narrative films can be broken down still
further into categories known as genres. We’ll
explore that subject later in the chapter.Documentary Movies
We might say that narrative film and documentary
film differ primarily in terms of allegiance. Narra-
tive film begins with a commitment to dramatic70 CHAPTER 3 TYPES OF MOVIES