Movie Terms and Concepts
Use the vocabulary of filmmakingStructural Components
Narrative
A sequence of incidents or activities that is not structured enough to be a story.
Plot
The course the character plots through a story’s narrative. The plot is structure given to the narrative to give it meaning by turning it into story. In Casablanca a jaded WWII casino owner in Nazi-occupied Morocco sees his former lover arrive (life-changing event), accompanied by her husband whose heroism forces the hero to choose between his cynicism, his feeling for his ex-lover, and his once-strong feelings of patriotism (conflicts).
Act
The largest unit of structure in a movie. An act is a series of sequences that ends in a climactic scene that causes a major reversal in the story. Most movies have a three-act structure (get the character up in a tree, throw apples at him, get him down from the tree):
Act I establishes the world as it was before the story began and introduces the characters. It includes the Inciting Incident , which sets up the dramatic conflict of the story. In Casablanca, the inciting incident is the delivery to Rick of 2 letters of transit by Ugarte. At the beginning of the Act his goal is to stay neutral. At the end of the Act, he is drinking alone the bar facing new and worse problems.
Act II develops the complications as the protagonist meets obstacles while trying to resolve the dramatic conflict established in Act I. This act contains the reversals, or plot points, that force the protagonist to make decisions. It ends with the Mid-Act Conflict, which forces the protagonist into the final confrontation in Act III.
Act III contains the final climax of the film. The dramatic conflict posed in Act I is resolved.
Dramatic Components
Inciting Incident
The first reversal of the film. The event which sets the story in motion, intruding upon the protagonist. Rick is a detached, cynical loner who cares about no one but himself until Ilsa arrives.
Protagonist
The main character of the story. The hero or heroine. The protagonist must desire something. This desire is the motor that drives the plot. If a character just gives up when trouble occurs, there is no story.
Antagonist
The opponent of the protagonist. The character that stands between the protagonist and his or her goal.
Objective
The goal of a character in a scene or in the story.
Obstacle
Whatever stands in the way of a character’s objective.
Conflict
The tension that results when the objective meets the obstacle.
Reversals
Also called plot points, reversals are moments when the character’s fortunes change. The first reversal of a film is the Inciting Incident.
Exposition
The communication of information or facts that the audience needs to understand the plot. Where is Casablanca? Why are all these vagabonds and refugees gathering there?
Subtext
The underlying intention of a character. The real motive. I tell you you did a fine job. On the surface I seem friendly, but the subtext is that I’m really just trying to get rid of you as quickly as possible.
Mood
The emotional effect created by all the elements used to set a scene: light, sound, scenery, costume, etc.
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