1. Linear – Progressing from one stage to another in a single series of steps; sequential.
2. Chronological – In order of which they have occurred.
3. Sequential – Forming or following in a logical order or sequence.
4. Circular structure – The story ends where the film begins.
5. Time based – Over a period of time.
6. Narrative arc – A path that a story follows.
7. Freytag’s Pyramid – A paradigm of dramatic structure outlining the seven key steps in successful storytelling: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and denouement.
8. Exposition – A comprehensive description or explanation to get across an idea.
9. Inciting Incident – The event that sets the main character or characters on the journey that will occupy them throughout the narrative.
10. Rising Action – This action starts right after the period of exposition and ends at the climax.
11. Climax – Where a final action needs to be taken to resolve the problem/issue/conflict.
12. Falling Action – Is what happens near the end of a story after the climax and resolution of the major conflict.
13. Resolution – The ending of the story. Occurs after the climax.
14. Denouement –  Is an aspect of narrative that gives context and resolution to a major theme, relationship or event in a story.
15. Beginning / Middle / End – Different stages of a story.
16. Equilibrium – One (First) of the stages in the theory of narrative structure of Todorov’s theory. It is explained about the condition that happens with a character. Is the beginning of the film, and the characters life is normal.
17. Disruption – This is the second stage of Todorov’s theory, where a characters life is about to change / have interference.
18. New equilibrium – The final stage of Todorov’s theory where a characters life goes back to normal. Is the ending of the film.
19. Peripeteia – The turning point in a drama after which the plot moves steadily to its denouement. A shift of good to bad in a characters life.
20. Anagnorisis – A moment of recognition or revelation in a story, where the characters life switches to a reversal of fortune.
21. Catharsis – The release and relief of strong or repressed emotions and often leads to a resolution.
22. The 3 Unities: Action, Time, Place – Action (a play / film should have one unified plot), Time (all the action should occur within one day), Place (a play / film should be limited to a single locale / location)
23. Flashback / flash forward – A interruption of a character remembering past tragic events.
24. Foreshadowing – An indication or hint of what is to come.
25. Ellipsis – A jump or purposely missing out events to advance the story.
26. Pathos – The persuasive technique that appeals to an audience through emotions and to gain an emotional effect from the film. The quality of pity and sadness.
27. Empathy – The ability to sense other people’s emotions and to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling.
28. Diegetic – Things that emanates from the story world of the film.
29. Non-Diegetic – Things that occur outside the story’s line / world.
30. Slow Motion – An effect either performed or edited to look as if a character / thing or object is slowed down. As well, so that the audience can take in certain info or focus on certain aspects of the film.
31. In Media Re – Starting in mid-action
32. Metanarratives –  Drawing attention to the process of storytelling.
33. Quest Narratives – A character is on a mission / determined to completed an objective.

Synopsis with statement of intent : Film Idea – The Informal Messenger – 1916

A young British soldier based in London, takes on a task to deliver a critical message to a Lieutenant Commander of Platoon 7 in Leicestershire. Not realising an ambush was about to take place.

My film will include a main character as the young British soldier, also known as the hero, as well as a victim who will be duped with the solider. Giving my ‘hero’ two roles within my film. This being a mid ranged Netflix film, consisting of a large amount of action and blood, leading to an age rating of 16+. I intend to create a poster with a male standing side on and looking away, in a position of restfulness and shock. Behind the picture, the background will be created as a desolate battleground, with ruined infrastructure. My other idea for my poster is having a male character, point a gun towards the camera, forcing the camera to look down the barrel and be positioned in the centre of the photo. I hope to put lighting directly on the gun to put emphasis onto the weapon. Either picture I choose will be placed at the bottom of the A4 print and will be centred correctly. Above this, I will have white text for the name of my move – “The Informal Messenger” with a quote below “There is only one way this war ends” or “Time is the enemy”.

My film is very similar and is based around the film 1917. My film is different to 1917 by the location it is being based in as well as the difference in genders between my film (1916) and 1917. On top of that it is between different years.

Todorov’s Theory :

• Equilibrium – One (First) of the stages in the theory of narrative structure of Todorov’s theory. It is explained about the condition that happens with a character. Is the beginning of the film, and the characters life is normal.
• Disruption – This is the second stage of Todorov’s theory, where a characters life is about to change / have interference.
• New equilibrium – The final stage of Todorov’s theory where a characters life goes back to normal. Is the ending of the film.

• Todorov recognises the stories are constructed and that stories are always linear – pg 32
• Todorov’s theory can be manipulated into multiple equilibrium / disruption sequence, meaning that media companies try to produce a roller coaster effect to give the audience calmness and excitement.

Vladimir Propp :

• He believed that stories were constructed with 8 different stock characters such as the:

1. Hero – 2 significant types of hero (seeker-hero) who relies more heavily on the donor to perform their quest and (the victim-hero who needs to overcome a weakness to complete their quest.
2. Helper – A typically magical entity that comes to help the hero in their quest.
3. Princess – The hero deserves her throughout the story and is seen as a prize for the hero.
4. Villain – An evil character that creates struggles for the hero.
5. Victim – A character who is in the middle of a quest / a fight between the hero and villain. Is caught in the cross fire.
6. Dispatcher – Sends the hero on his or her quest at the start of the story.
7. Father – The person who typically doesn’t allow the hero to marry the princess / daughter as he needs to show his worth by completing a quest or saving the princess if she is in danger.
8. False Hero – A figure who takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess.

• Propp was a soviet folklorist and scholar who analysed the basic structural elements of Russian folk tales to identify their simplest irreducible structural units.
• The different stock characters can be divided into categories such as:

1. PREPARATION
2. COMPLICATION
3. TRANSFERENCE
4. STRUGGLE
5. RETURN
6. RECOGNITION

•  ‘These are not separate characters, since one character can occupy a number of roles or ‘spheres of action’ as Propp calls them.
• The stock characters are called this because they have a function.
• Propp published a book in 1929 called ‘Morphology of the Folktale’.
• He also suggests that stores do not necessarily require all character types as well as organising narrative structures into a combination of 31 defined plot moments, that he called ‘narratemes’, also referred to the starting points of a story.