What are the main rules of good story telling?

In media studies it is always important to distinguish between a story and a narrative. A story is a sequence of events which result as the overall plot, in contrast to a narrative which is the way the reader presents events presented to the audience.
What makes a good story? As an audience the main way for a successful story to be told is that it has to connect with the audience. The method to do this is that it has to follow certain conventions.

The first convention is called the set up/ equilibrium. This is the introduction to the film where as an audience we can establish certain relationships. For example in Red Riding Hood the set up is presented as a girl called red riding hood that has a good relationship with her grandmother. Secondly, she lives with her parents in a cottage which is located at the edge of the forest, added to this; there is a hungry wolf lurking about in the forest. Straight away from the set up we can also see that the wolf is an outsider as people are scared of him.

The second convention is called the ‘rising action’. This is where characters encounter certain obstacles that they face which turn the story in a new direction, this can also be called a plot point. Without plot points there would be no story, the events wouldn’t make sense and the development of the story and the character/characters wouldn’t be logical. For example, in Cinderella the first plot point is that her dad dies. This is a plot point because if her dad didn’t die then Cinderella wouldn’t have to live with her stepsisters, so therefore it turns the story in a different direction which is treated badly for.

The ‘rising action’ is also similar to the ‘disruption’ in the story or the ‘confrontation’ or the ‘dis- equilibrium’. This is the middle part of the story where the main character generally encounters obstacles that keep them from achieving his or her dramatic end. This is again very essential to the story because without it there is no story, there would just be a set up.

The concluding stages of the story are called the resolution/ new equilibrium. This is where the story reaches a climax to where the set up has to have changed and the characters had to have developed in some form. Without the resolution the story wouldn’t have progressed, it wouldn’t be a story it would just be an idea. For example, in red riding hood the resolution is that things were changed by the killing of the wolf, which allowed the family to walk around safely without fear of being eaten. Also, red riding hood developed because she learnt not to talk to strangers anymore. If there was a part 2 of red riding hood the ‘resolution’ would be the start of the new story.

We have also learnt very important lessons when constructing ideas for our own story idea. We discovered how logical causality plays a part in a good story. This causes things to happen, but they have to have a link to each other to lead to a resolution.

Also, the story must;

·         generate interest,

·         create empathy towards characters

·         Must have surprise elements

·         Must create tension,

·         Must have an element of surprise normally at the end

For a story to be successful it must follow these steps. If these steps weren’t followed then it would just be a basic string of events that would just be meaningless to the audience .When making a story it is vital to connect with the audience otherwise if they don’t believe in your film, who will?
We also learnt how in a story goal orientated protagonist is also good as it shows how the relationship between a character for example may have an effect on the story. By doing this, it shows a character that doesn’t lack motivation in order to make the film more intriguing.