Dan Binns focused our attention on the importance of narrative in this weeks lecotrial. “Everything is story, story is everything” was the phrase that interested me most. The idea that narrative and plot will be that main subject to any film, tv show, art piece or any form of media. However it got me thinking about what narrative really is, and is it evident in every film or piece of media? After seeing the film ‘Boyhood’ i was struck by how relatable and reflective it was. Hearing a lot of good reviews, there were equally as many poor ones. Many of these poor reviews I heard from friends and such was that nothing happen, there was no story. But what is the story or narrative? What constitutes or makes up a narrative? Dan helped explain this for us in terms of how we as media practitioners can think about narrative, or construct our own narrative.

Narrative can be divided into three components in order to deliver a compelling story or plot. The first is character development, we need to know and understand a characters objectives, traits and ways of responding. The next is the plot itself, what alters or changes in relation to the character or their environment. The third is the resolution, how does the character achieve or manage something in response to the plot change. These three elements, although quite obvious can often be unapparent and produce a week story line or narrative.

It is arguable that the narrative is the most important part of any film. Many films could even question if narrative is present or not. Either way its hard to dispute that narrative is key to many of the best films and tv programs in history. Dan was very clear in explaining this and helping us further our learning when it comes to the narrative. I’d like to explore creative and story writing further as its always been of interest to me.