Narrative structure

The difference between Narrative and story is that a Narrative is not just an unresolved story but a system of stories, some resolved and some not.

In narratives you have the three act structure which is;

Act 1: Set up

Act 2: Confrontation

Act 3: Resolution






In Hollywood they still tend to follow the 3 act structure but are then divided up into 6 individual sections of narrative development.

1. Exposition 
2. Conflicts defined and developed 
3. Potential success and failures 
4. Apparent disasters 
5. Rapid turn of events 
6. Climax ad conclusion

Linear and non-linear story structure are quite different
from each other, linear story structure act like a straight
line in the sense of the film starting at the beginning of
film and ending at the end of the story. Make more sense
when you know what non-linear structure is which is
when their are different parts of the start shown at different
times, for example Pulp fiction start with the ending when you meet two characters that are about the rob the restaurant then it switches to two other characters are collecting a case from someone which you then learn that, that scene happened in the morning of the restaurant robbery. So that is basically what non linear is, is when you don't have to follow the natural event in the same order that they happen.


These are typical diagrams of a typical linear Hollywood narrative structure.