GENERATOR

Production: Building
the Concept

Education Resources

CONTENTS
BUILDING THE CONCEPT .................................................................... 3
Building the narrative through story elements...................................................................3
Plot and narrative structure................................................................................................3
Opening and closing sequences ......................................................................................... 4
Character development ......................................................................................................5
Setting ............................................................................................................................... 6
Cause and effect ................................................................................................................. 7
Point of view ....................................................................................................................... 7
Building the narrative through production elements ........................................................ 8
Anti-narrative challenging the conventions of cause-and-effect storytelling ................ 8

FREE FOR EDUCATIONAL USE

Education Resources > GENERATOR: Building the Concept

HTTP://GENERATOR.ACMI.NET.AU/RESOURCES/BUILDING-CONCEPT

BUILDING THE CONCEPT

As a film progresses through the stages of pre-production, the shape that your final work
will take on becomes clearer as your vision develops and evolves. There is a series of steps
that can help to strengthen the visual components of your production ideas, moving you
closer towards seeing your vision become a reality.
An engaging production is often attributed to a well-developed narrative and the ability to
effectively use a range of production techniques in a stylistic manner. Prior to writing a
treatment or script, it is helpful to explore the narrative possibilities of your chosen form.
You might also consider where particular production elements can support your narrative
ideas or provide opportunities to experiment with and develop a sense of personal style in
the production. This will ensure that the result is visually rich and coveys complex ideas,
evoking a much deeper and more meaningful response in your target audience.

BUILDING THE NARRATIVE THROUGH STORY ELEMENTS

A basic understanding of storytelling principles helps to structure the narrative of your
story. Consider the importance of storytelling in our everyday lives and how different forms
rely on similar storytelling conventions to engage us. The following story elements are
common to all visual narrative forms:

Opening and closing sequences

Conflicts or cause and effect
Setting
Characters
Plot
Structuring of time
Point of view

The close relationship between storytelling conventions and the audiences expectations of
particular genres can influence the filmmakers narrative decisions. As you begin to plan the
narrative of your film, consider:
What is the audiences expectation of this genre?
Why might a filmmaker deliberately choose to manipulate or challenge traditional
storytelling conventions?
These questions may prompt you to think about the intended response of the audience to
your story and where opportunities may exist for you to experiment with the conventions of
storytelling.

PLOT AND NARRATIVE STRUCTURE

While constructing well-developed characters is fundamental to the storytelling process,
the central storyline or plot that drives the on-screen events of the story is equally
important. Most traditional, mainstream narratives are based on a three-act linear
approach to storytelling, commonly known as the classical Hollywood narrative style a
style that has dominated mainstream cinema and television for decades.

FREE FOR EDUCATIONAL USE

Education Resources > GENERATOR: Building the Concept

As a starting point, detail your plot ideas by outlining the characters in the story and the
order of the on-screen events that will shape the narrative. Using cards or post-it notes,
write each narrative event on a separate card and arrange the cards side by side in a linear
progression, from beginning to end. Once you have done this, break the events into three
separate acts beginning, middle and end. Consider the following:
Act 1 Orientation

How is the audience introduced to the characters and their

situation? What events will create a disturbance and draw the
audience into the world of the narrative?

Act 2 Complication

What complications will the characters face? What steps will they
take towards achieving their goals and resolving their problems?

Act 3 Resolution

How will all the loose ends be tied up? What will the outcome of
each conflict be?

Although the three-act linear approach is commonly used, consider how audience
expectations and our own natural experiences influence the way on-screen narratives are
structured. Production ideas can be extended and strengthened when filmmakers begin to
experiment with sub-plots and the order in which they unfold on-screen. Contemporary
filmmakers often challenge the narrative expectations of their audiences by altering or
scrambling the narrative in a non-linear way. The use of flashbacks, circular progression or
even multiple tandem narratives can jolt the expectations of the audience.
To spark the development of innovative ideas, consider how contemporary filmmaking
makes use of alternative narrative approaches to engage and challenge audiences. Think
of some examples.
How could narrative disorder in your work result in stronger audience engagement and
provide greater opportunity for artistic expression?

OPENING AND CLOSING SEQUENCES

The opening sequence is intrinsic to the storytelling process in any linear, narrative-based
visual form. Conventionally the opening sequence introduces the audience to a world where
on-screen normality is disrupted by an abrupt or unexpected action. Characters are
established and narrative possibilities are suggested as the cause-and-effect cycle draws
the audience into the narrative journey that lies ahead. The opening sequence also
establishes the underlying themes that will be explored in the production.
To support the planning process, watch and deconstruct the opening sequence of a
selection of films or episodes from television series. Observe and note down:
How are the major characters introduced?
How is time and place established?
What are the conflicts that initiate the range of narrative possibilities in the story?
There are various time limitations and constraints that filmmakers face when producing a
short or feature-length narrative film. You will need to ensure that your opening sequence
effectively captures the audiences attention and that it is maintained throughout, until the
closing credits. Make sure you can answer the following questions:
How will the major characters and location of your story be established?

FREE FOR EDUCATIONAL USE

Education Resources > GENERATOR: Building the Concept

 What disruptions will trigger the cause-and-effect cycle?

What narrative possibilities will be suggested to the audience?
What is the intended response of the audience? What will they see, hear and feel?
Equally important to the construction of any visual narrative is the closing sequence. The
primary purpose of the closing sequence is to tie up all loose ends for the audience. All
central problems and questions should be resolved, signalling the conclusion of the
emotional journey for the characters and the audience. It is important to construct a closing
sequence that effectively draws the story to a conclusion. When structuring the closing
sequence, consider:
How will all the major conflicts be resolved?
How will the central characters develop? Will they change, and if so, how?
Keep in mind the expectations of your intended audience, and remember that unanswered
questions or a lack of narrative closure may result in a dissatisfied audience member. At the
same time, consider where opportunities exist in your production to challenge traditional
narrative frameworks.
What alternative resolutions exist?
How might audiences respond to a resolution that presents them with an open, bleak or
pessimistic outcome? This may lead you to think about contemporary or postmodern
approaches to filmmaking in which filmmakers present dark, dystopic views of the
future.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
The audiences willingness and ability to immerse themselves in the world of an on-screen
narrative is a direct result of the filmmakers ability to construct well-developed characters.
At this stage of pre-production planning, you may start to outline and refine the characters
that will drive your narrative. It is important to take into consideration the intended
audience response when constructing on-screen characters.
To support the development of engaging characters, reflect on some film or television
characters you find inspiring, intriguing or even disturbing.
Why are these characters memorable and why do they evoke such a strong reaction?
Your answer may include a combination of elements, such as the characters physical
features or the values and attitudes they reveal to the audience.
Identify the major and minor characters that will drive your narrative, and construct a series
of character profiles that outline:
the names of individual characters (and the significance of their names);
age and appearance (including physical features, clothing preferences, skin tone, body
shape and size);
speech, dialogue and tone of voice;
actions and body language;
occupations and living arrangements;
strengths, beliefs and weaknesses; and

FREE FOR EDUCATIONAL USE

Education Resources > GENERATOR: Building the Concept

 relationships with the other characters (including conflicts that may potentially arise
when these characters interact).
Once you have constructed your character types, write a one-paragraph description of each.
This description should enable the reader to draw the character mentally. Think about how
common stereotypes or caricatures might be useful when constructing minor characters,
particularly when a specific audience reaction is desired. This activity will support preproduction planning, a part of which is a written treatment that should contain detailed
character descriptions.
On-screen characters often possess values deemed important by society and may be a
representation or reflection of society at large. The audience members ability to suspend
their disbelief and become engaged in the story on-screen is enhanced when their own
attitudes are reflected in the values of the fictional or real-life characters they are watching.
It is essential that filmmakers construct characters whose words and actions reflect their
beliefs and values. Consider extending your character profiles to include the following
information:
What is important to each of these characters? What do they believe in? What are their
values? How will these be reflected in their actions and words?
What themes arise from the values of the characters?
Having explored your characters in-depth, consider their internal qualities when developing
your narrative ideas. The value systems of your characters are important and at least as
revealing as their physical features. The journey of each character through the story will
strengthen or alter the relationships between characters and with the target audience.
Consider the following questions:
What do you want your audience to understand about the central characters when they
are introduced?
What additional narrative devices might deepen the audiences connection to each
character? Could flashbacks or flash-forwards or even voiceover narration strengthen the
characters development?
How might additional or minor characters provoke conflict?
How do the characters develop during the story? What are their motivations? Will this
alter or shift the audiences response to the story?
Once you can visualise your characters, what begins to emerge is a strong sense of location
and the exciting events or situations that arise when the characters interact with each other
and their environment.

SETTING
All visual storytelling forms are reliant on setting as the location where the action occurs.
Realism is imperative in order for the audience members to be able to suspend their
disbelief. Strategic decisions must be made when selecting the setting for a narrative. The
filmmaker must convince the audience that the events unfolding on-screen and the
locations in which these actions take place are real. The setting has the power to
authenticate a story for the audience.

FREE FOR EDUCATIONAL USE

Education Resources > GENERATOR: Building the Concept

Prior to selecting the locations in which your narrative will unfold, watch some key scenes
from films or televisions shows where the setting is established effectively. Following this,
outline and explore the key setting and other locations of your narrative, considering these
questions:

What locations will be established in your narrative?

Do the genre and the narrative influence the setting?
How does the setting shape the narrative of your story?
How does setting reinforce the on-screen action of your story?
How do the characters in your story respond to their surroundings?

Explore some ways to evoke different moods or feelings in your audience through the
setting.
How might setting be used to construct an emotional atmosphere that contributes or
relates to the story?
How might this result in stronger audience engagement?

CAUSE AND EFFECT

Cause-and-effect storytelling is integral to the progression of a narrative and the audiences
engagement with the on-screen events. It is often a series of unexpected events that
progresses the narrative and triggers an effect that will ultimately draw the narrative to a
final resolution. Generally the characters are the agents of cause and effect as they are the
ones who respond and react to the events in the story. As you begin to build and develop
the cause-and-effect structure of your story, answer the following questions:

What will be the on-screen events that will initiate the cause-and-effect cycle?
What will motivate characters to respond? How will they respond?
How could society be a major cause of conflicts?
What other forces might initiate the cause-and-effect cycle (such as a natural disaster or
environmental issue)?

Start to map your ideas visually, highlighting the characters that cause the action to happen
and the logical progression of events that are a direct result of the action.

POINT OF VIEW
Whose story is it? This is a question all filmmakers should ask themselves when planning
and constructing their narrative ideas. Although the narrative form functions as audience
entertainment, it is critical to approach narrative planning with a point of view in mind. In
most narratives, point of view is established through the major protagonist, and the
audience is positioned to adopt the characters perspective by the way in which they
experience the on-screen events.
With your narrative in mind, explore the relationship between characterisation, point of
view and audience positioning by considering the following:
From whose point of view will the story be told?
How might other characters provide alternative viewpoints?

FREE FOR EDUCATIONAL USE

Education Resources > GENERATOR: Building the Concept

 How might the possibility of interconnected or parallel narratives provide greater

opportunities for your audience to respond to different viewpoints?
In addition to this, consider how particular production elements might assist narrative
planning and enhance the audiences ability to engage with the viewpoints presented in
your work. Voiceover narration, flashbacks or even point-of-view shots can provide the
audience with a more complex understanding of the works meaning and ideas.
Narratives can express the point of view of the filmmaker about a complex idea or
prominent social issue.
How might your point of view influence the planning and structuring of your narrative?

BUILDING THE NARRATIVE THROUGH PRODUCTION ELEMENTS

The components of storytelling are all important and rarely work in isolation from each
other. Extend your production ideas by considering how stylistic production techniques can
work together to construct realism and enhance the emotional atmosphere of your work.
The elements of mise en scne, including lighting, setting and staging, can provide greater
opportunities to communicate narrative ideas in a visual yet stylistic manner. Your ability as
director to creatively manipulate and control the production elements used can result in a
realistic, visually rich film.

ANTI-NARRATIVE CHALLENGING THE CONVENTIONS OF CAUSE-AND-EFFECT

STORYTELLING
To strengthen your understanding of post-modern, avant-garde or anti-classical approaches
to filmmaking, research the history of narrative film forms. A number of filmmakers have
taken a more experimental approach to their work, departing significantly from the
conventional or traditional approaches adopted by mainstream filmmakers. Experimental
styles or approaches intentionally work in opposition to dominant or mainstream cinema
conventions, and often such filmmakers operate independently from mainstream
production studios.
A closer study of the following independent production modes, iconic film movements and
different periods in filmmaking may inspire some creative production ideas and extend the
possibilities of the medium you have chosen to work with:

Soviet montage cinema

German expressionism
Italian neo-realism
New Hollywood and independent filmmaking
French new wave
Film noir
French impressionism and surrealism

Often characterised by the absence of a traditional linear narrative, experimental films rely
on stylistic techniques that position the audience to respond to the ideas presented on a
deeper, more reflective level. Without the limitations of traditional or prescribed narrative
conventions, there are endless opportunities for filmmakers to experiment with images and
sounds to produce groundbreaking works of art.

FREE FOR EDUCATIONAL USE

Education Resources > GENERATOR: Building the Concept