Explicit Dramaturgy
The skeleton, not necessarily 'visible', acts as the secret of storytelling.
Identified through 'slow thinking', things we don't notice straight away. It needs to be further inspected, and viewed multiple times to appreciate and understand.
'Open' and 'Closed' forms
Closed form: this pattern of storytelling is more conventional in films of western regions/European etc.
Prelude / Overture / Upbeat - i.e. before the title-sequence
Optional but very helpful
Alternative - open form / modern & postmodern
Inversion: Switching parts around, i.e. the classic "You're probably wondering how I got here".
Background story/subplot/'frame story': Story within a story, two levels of narration.
Act 1 - First Scene
Genre, where, when, who, perspective
Conflict
Protagonist-versus-antagonist=confrontation
Incident: the conflict is replaced by an incident to start the action
Act 3
'Retarding moment': an event that leads to the deceptive hope of the hero's (still conceivable) salvation.
Showdown/resolution of the conflict
Ending a story, closure/cliffhanger
Open Form
Vanishing point/'point of convergence' = essential meaning
Individual and public/collective level of narration
Heroic anti-heroes, centre figure and central self (for example the protagonist of Hiroshima Mon Amour by Alain Resnais)
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