Robert Mckee

NARRATIVE- Telling or recapping a story
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE- The way we progress through a story
                                    Linear structure- A straight line (all chronological)
                                    Non-linear structure- Mixed up (starts with the end)

Robert Mckee
            Expanded on Todorovs theory.
            Stated there were five stages of a narrative structure

Ø  Inciting incident

Ø  Progressive complications

Ø  Crisis

Ø  Climax

Ø  Resolution

Sound bridge- When sound from the next scene is merged into the end of the last scene

Parts of story line

-Reaching Climax
-Crisis is that Dicky is becoming bored.
-End of climax

§  There’s the first sign of complication as Tom finds out that Dicky is cheating on his girlfriend.

§  Tom is making himself close friends with Dicky and Marge.

§  One of Toms talents is to mimic people, he does this to mimic Dickys father and tells Dicky exactly what it was that his father had said to him (coming to Italy to bring him back by paying him).

§  Tom plans to go home but there’s a complication as he drops all his vinyl’s revealing he likes jazz music (maybe on purpose through the research done on Dicky).

§  Jazz club scene, shows how they become close friends as Tom has found a link between them.

§  As they’re becoming closer Dicky offers Tom a room and they come up with a plan together to string Dickys father along to get money from him etc.

§  Tom has a talent for lying and spots all good quality possessions which is shown when he picks up on a ring Dicky is wearing, this impresses Marge as she bought it.

§  There is no tension yet, everyone’s getting on well.

§  The boys show intimacy as Tom is singing the same song to Dicky as the song that Dicky and Marge met over.

§  The intimacy is followed on into the bathroom scene as Dicky is laid in the bath whilst playing chess with Tom and talking about there childhood when Tom asks to get in the bath with Dicky.

§  In Rome there is some division because Tom wants to go sightseeing where as Dicky is more fussed over where they go for lunch.

§  The first time there’s tension is when the new introduced character Freddie and Dicky go off leaving Tom to do his own thing.

§  Dicky changes straight away when Freddie is around.

§  Dicky shows a lot of emotion and anger when the girl he was having an affair with drowns herself whilst pregnant.

§  As Tom has become very attached to Dicky, Dicky announces it’s time to stop playing games with his father and for Tom to go back home.

§  Dicky figures Tom out when he realises that Ripley never went to Princeton and he doesn’t actually like jazz, this also creates tension.

§  Dicky upsets Tom as he tells him that he’s glad he is going home because he is a bit of a leech and become very boring.

§  Tom then insults him back and hits him around the face with a paddle causing a lot of bleeding then breaking out into a huge fight on a small motor boat in the middle of the sea.

Progressive complications:

1.      There’s the first sign of complication as Tom finds out that Dicky is cheating on his girlfriend.

2.      Tom plans to go home but there’s a complication as he drops all his vinyl’s revealing he likes jazz music (maybe on purpose through the research done on Dicky).

3.      In Rome there is some division because Tom wants to go sightseeing where as Dicky is more fussed over where they go for lunch.

4.      The first time there’s tension is when the new introduced character Freddie and Dicky go off leaving Tom to do his own thing.

5.      Dicky shows a lot of emotion and anger when the girl he was having an affair with drowns herself whilst pregnant.

6.      Dicky figures Tom out when he realises that Ripley never went to Princeton and he doesn’t actually like jazz, this also creates tension.