Single Camera Narratives

Structures

Linear

A linear narrative structure, is the more conventional structure, it is where the programme starts from the beginning and flows all the way to the end. A linear sequence is a chronological order, that will reset every episode and generally always end in the same way too.

At 0:26 we see a 2 shot of Will and Geoffrey at the front door of Wills new home as the camera further tracks both characters into the hallway. The shot denotes Will bursting through the door thinking that Geoffrey is Uncle Phil and gives him a hug. This shot is an example of a linear structure as the opening title sequence shows Wills backstory and ends with him at the front door of his Uncles house. To which the opening scene of the episode is a continuation of the title sequence as it too starts at the front door.

For the audience a linear structure is easy for them to follow, they don't have to think about the complexity of the programmes structure instead they can escape into the show and get away from their real life for a short period of time. Much like in the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, the audience didn't have to piece together what was going on because it was already played out for them. Furthermore, a linear structure is easier for the audience to anticipate what will happen next, we saw that Will got the wrong person, and can already expect that he will be corrected and introduced to Uncle Phil and the family in the next scene.

Non-linear

In contrast to a linear narrative, is a non-linear narrative, this is where the programme is more disjointed and will start any way they want to. A non-linear structure will not follow chronological order and as a result will not follow the causality pattern of events that a linear sequence would do.

An example of a non-linear structure would be How i met your mother, this can be seen at 0:03. The shot denotes a point of view shot looking at 2 teenage kids, this features at the start of the episode and involves Ted talking to his Kids in the present day, telling them a story. This opening scene to the episode creates the non-linear structure, because they start in the present day but go back to the past to tell the story of how ted met his wife and their mother. Whilst the story may be told in a linear structure because there is this voiceover which addresses the episode in the past tense and starts in the present day highlights the non-linear structure.

From an audience perspective by using a non-linear structure, it creates a more complex narrative, for what may otherwise be very simple if it was produced using a linear sequence. Much like in How i met your mother, which is a story that could be told from start to finish, but by starting it in the present nd creating every episode to be a story in the past is more exciting for the audience. The non-linear structure also allows for a narrative arc to be brought across the episodes, e.g. in how i met your mother, some episodes will finish half way through a story, and carry on into a new episode such as; Marshal trying to make it to his wedding with Lily.

Flashback

A flashback narrative structure, is when the TV show interjects a scene from a characters past that cuts from the present day. A flashback sequence will often show the audience events that they either have already scene and need to be reminded of or events that they never knew about the characters past.

One example of a flashback structure would be Blindspot, at 1:37 we see a low angle mid shot of the start of a flashback. The flashback is of an event that happened to Jane as she is recalling it to the NSA agent Nas, the shot denotes a CIA agent torturing Jane in a basement for information. Here a flashback is used to remind the audience of what has happened to Jane, as she is being interviewed the audience know she is telling the truth because the flashback makes us relive what happened.

One advantage of a flashback structure would be to add a sense of depth to the scene, and makes it more 'fuller.' Whilst this scene in Blindspot could be produced without flashbacks it would become more boring for the audience to watch because there is so much that could be done with a long conversation between two characters. But the flashbacks allow the audience to become more engaged as they can relive and feel the pain that Jane went through. Another advantage of flashbacks is the context that it provides, as Jane is talking the flashbacks just remind the audience of what happened, as the events that she talks about happened a long time ago.

Realist

A realist narrative structure, is simply where the world that the characters of the TV show live in obey and follow real world laws and rules, eg, gravity, physics etc. A realist narrative will live in the 'real' world and only do what could be done by any normal person.

At 5:18 we see an example of a Realist narrative from Narcos. The shot denotes a shot-reverse-shot of Pablo and Graviria talking about Pablo handing himself in and going to prison at one of Pablos homes. The Realist structure is shown as they are simply standing in a field talking with the police on one side, and Pablos family and men on the other. Through this scene there are no continuity errors or anything that shouldn't be in the real world.

One advantage of a Realist narrative is that it makes the scene more believable, as this is a docudrama, there is no reason to add in anything that shouldn't be there. This programme is all about portraying what happened in Pablos life, so they need to be as accurate as possible. Another impact for the audience is that it creates a greater emotional impact for them, the audience can attach themselves more with the characters e.g. Pablo because everything is so real and believable. It makes it more real for us to watch and thus making us feel more invested in the characters and programme.

Anti-realist

In contrast to a Realist narrative structure is an Anti-realist structure, this is where the world created completely defies plausibility. It would often be used in horror films or TV programmes, as it will break and bend laws of physics, etc.

An Anti-realist structure can be seen through The Walking Dead, here at 0:39 in this particular scene, it denotes a long shot of multiple 'walkers' walking along the road towards Rick and his team. This scene particularly highlights the programmes anti-relaist structure as they portray zombies, which can not be scene or created in the real world. This further illustrates that their world will have other differences and indiscrepancies that don't happen in the real world of a realist structure.

One impact of an anti-realist structure is that it generally more exciting for the audience. They can watch a programme that has no relevance to real life and can just sit and watch this Tv show at the end of their day. The walking dead is a programme that the audience can watch and invest their time in, and see what will happen to Rick and the gang every episode. Furthermore, this structure creates an escapism for the audience, they can immerse themselves within the programme and create an emotional tie with the characters, whilst not worrying about other things in their life. The walking dead is a 45 minutes programme that doesn't relate to real life allowing the audience to have a favourite character and create a relation with a character without having to focus on facts or a complex structure.

Endings

Open 

An open ending is where the TV programme is left unfinished, this is where the scene has not yet ended but the episode has. An open ending leaves the programme on a cliffhanger meaning the following episode will most likely be a continuation and resolve the issue.

One example of an open ending would be Game of thrones, At 4:21 we see the final scene of the episode and season, which is of a mid shot tracking in to close-up focusing on Jon Snow as he is presumably 'dead' after being stabbed multiple times. Whilst the scene tried hard to be a closed ending, the audience knew that this was not the last time we would see Jon Snow and thus in the next season episodes 1 & 2 was all about bringing Jon back to life.

An open ending holds a great deal of suspense for the audience, they are left with a cliffhanger, asking many questions about what is going to happen. Many dd not believe Jon Snow was actually dead and left the whole Game of Thrones fan base asking questions it was only until episode 2 that we got to see Jon come back to life. However an open ending creates spoilers and leaks, many websites tried to claim that they knew Jon was not dead and tried to leak pictures of him on set whilst others tried to spread false rumours. This of course is a negative impact for the structure but it does almost create a craze for the audience because they just have to know.

Closed

A closed ending however is the complete opposite, the narrative ends and the problem has been resolved allowing for the following episode to start fresh. By using a closed ending the TV programme would generally use Todorovs structure, and have a clear episodic narrative, which is often used for sitcoms or docudramas.

A closed ending can be seen with Bobs burgers, this animated sitcom uses a closed ending and can be seen at 20:35. The shot denotes a mid shot of the whole family and captain on the boat, as the boat they are toeing goes up in flames containing all of the families personal belongings. At 20:51 the episode ends with a 2 shot of one boat exploding and the other driving away and out of the shot. This is the last shot of the episode and highlights how the issue of the episode has been resolved ready for another one in the next episode.

An impact of a closed structure would be that it is ultimately a more satisfying ending for the audience, they don't have to keep wondering and worrying about what will happen in the next episode because there is no narrative arc. Instead the audience can watch an episode of Bobs burgers, escape and laugh and end the episode feeling entertained ready for a new adventure in the coming episode. Lastly as a closed ending would typically be used with a linear structure, they further create an expectation by the audience. We now know how each episode will end and how the structure of the episodes are which means we can sit back and relax watching the episodes with out any major surprises.