Here is an example of a narrative structure represented in a visual format. The plot begins at an equilibrium or exposition which is then disrupted by a conflict. This conflict creates rising action which eventually leads to a climax. The climax is evaluated through the falling action and is resolved at the end. This may be used to show the breakdown of the structure and present it in an easier way to understand.
STORYLINES
What are they?
Storylines are plots of novels, films, plays or other narrative forms
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What is their purpose?
A storyline helps to map out the course of the film. When writing storylines many things need to be considered. These include: the characters (main protagonist and antagonist), conflicts, setting, resolutions to conflicts, genre etc. It is very important all these basis' are covered as it helps the director to envision what the film will look like, who to cast and makes the whole process easier and quicker.
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A synopsis should be written and presented in your pitch so the producers can understand the whole general idea of the story and decide whether to invest in it or not. A synopsis should outline the film and present the main storyline of the film, introducing characters, disruptions and resolutions. It, in a sense, provides the detail of the film without giving away too much information. A good synopsis should be engaging and exciting and present a clear genre to the producers.
SYNOPSIS FOR MY FICTIONALISED STORYLINE 'ADDICTED'​
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16-year-old Isabella Quinn has recently finished a year sentence in ‘Creekside Juvenile Detention Centre’ in Boston, Massachusetts for a crime she had no control in committing. Brought up in a life of violence and chaos, with a rampant drunk father who sold drugs to pay for his family and a drug addict mother who found solace in cocaine and meth, it wasn’t long before Isabella fell off the rails and landed in a juvenile detention centre. She got involved in an adolescent drug operation with her boyfriend Leon that resulted in the deaths of five innocent people.
During her two years in prison, her father had been murdered by a rival drug lord and her mother had overdosed on cocaine and passed away a few days later. Coming out of Juvie, Isabella has nothing. No family, no home and no hope. On probation, she is sent to live at a group home for ‘troubled teens’ where she is initially tormented. Only when someone stands up for her, Rafe Arizona who has a huge amount of respect in the home, do people leave her alone.
Over the first few weeks at the home Bella gets to know everyone, their experiences why they ended up in Juvie and their stories. Rafe fascinated Bella the most. After being incarcerated for a maximum sentence of 2 years for the murder of ‘Carlos Santiago’ after he threatened to, as he puts in bluntly, ‘skin his father alive’, Rafe came to this foster home as Carlos’ thugs killed his father anyway. Bella and Rafe grow closer, spending more time together and listening to each other’s problems. They don’t have a relationship of attraction or of liking someone, but rather a brother-sister bond that neither of them ever had.
About three months into arriving at the home, Isabella goes off the rails again. She gets in touch with her ex Leon and sneaks out and meets up with him. She is drawn back into Leon’s trap and nearly overdoses. Little does Bella know that Rafe had seen her sneak off and followed her. He finds her, passed out outside a dark alleyway and brings her home. Rafe suggests rehab but Bella refuses, claiming she isn’t addicted to drugs but to Leon. She admits she doesn’t want to be associated with him so Rafe takes and hides her phone, so he can’t contact her; she doesn’t hear from him again.
A month after Bella’s slip, potential foster parents come to visit the home. With only four residents left in the home they decide to foster two. After a day of conversation, coffee and cake, the couple, Marie and Will, decide to foster Isabella and Rafe together. They move to their house in Pittsfield and enrol in school. Their life is backwards and complex, but they have found people who care for them.
