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Structure
We’ve all sat through documentaries that seemed pointless and meandering. Maybe they had great beginnings, but then they seemed to start again, and again, and again. The film seemed to be about one thing, but the rousing conclusion was about something altogether different. The story started in the present, and then quickly plunged into background and never resurfaced. Or the situation and characters were so weakly developed that we found ourselves caring little about the outcome. These are often problems of structure. Structure is the foundation on which story is built, whether that story is being told in person, in a book, or on screen. Already described as the film’s “train” (Chapter 2), it’s the narrative spine that determines ...
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