Findings of Research - Storyline

From my research findings, I have discovered that most drama films usually use Todorov's narrative stages. There are five stages in in the narrative stages. They are;

Stage 1: A state of equilibrium (as it should be).

Stage 2: A disruption of that order by an event.

Stage 3: A recognition that the disorder has occurred.

Stage 4: An attempt to repair the damage of disruption.

Stage 5: A return to or a restoration of equilibrium.


Film examples:
- Taken
- Rendition
- Titanic
- Schindler's List


My five minute film, Betrayed, follows Todorov's narrative stages. For example;

Stage 1: Ashton and Jay are walking together as friends like they always have been.

Stage 2: Ashton and Jay are supposedly kidnapped by two unknown people.

Stage 3: Ashton realises that Jay has double-crossed him and Jay wants revenge on      Ashton for his sister Lily's death.

Stage 4: Ashton tries to reason with Jay and explain that it was Jay's fault why Lily died as he made her depressed. Ashton tells Jay that he tried to help Lily.

Stage 5: Either Jay or Ashton gets shot at the end. We don't know whether Jay killed himself or shot Ashton. It is left as a cliff hanger ending.


From my audience research, I have discovered that the majority of people who answered my questions about typical storylines for drama films and settings, etc, all replied with similar ideas such as cliff hanger endings, a bad event, normal everyday places, naturalism and lonely settings.

Everyone who I asked to see if they would watch my film all came back with a positive response and said that they find the plot intriguing and saying how they like to be left in suspense.

This research has helped me to asses my storyline and make sure that it meets all of the conventions for a typical drama film which it in fact does. It finishes with a cliff hanger ending after the bad event occurs half way through. The setting for my storyline is in a forest and a disused warehouse which are both lonely places. Finally, the storyline for my film has a sense of naturalism which means that what I have written about could possibly happen in real life.