Narrative in Film

Narrative is usually accepted as possessing two components; the story presented and the process of telling a particular story. The narrative discourse is evident in strategies of presentation, especially the position of the camera, which offers a view of the action and emphaises the depth and perspective, but also allows the view to see the faces and movements of the number of people involved. Once we move beyond seeing film and television programmes as transparent representations of the world we need to consider some of the ways in which media texts mediate the world to us. One of the most important of these is through the codes and conventions of narrative. Such narratives may be extended and developed, as in film dramas or documentary programmes where the whole 'story' is told.
Why is narrative important to us?
Stories are very important in helping us make sense of our lives and the world around us. Bordwell and Thompson point out the ways in which we are surrounded by the story form;
1. As children we listen is fairy tales and myths. Reading materials as we progress become short stories, novels, history and biographies.
2. Religion is often presented through a collection of stories/moral tales e.g. the Bible/the Koran.