ABSTRACT
Directors are storytellers. What is a story and how can one be described? Erroneous approaches. A functional approach. Conflict and obstacles in story. Sacrifice as an element of story. The difference between story and plot. Plot as the causality of events, story as the delineation. Plot as related to non-linear narratives. Plot as conspiracy. Story as the essence underlying the narrative: the characters’ wants, needs, motivation; the characters’ emotional and cognitive journey. Plot the mechanism that drives the story forward. Abbas Kiarostami on the audience’s life experiences and engagement with a film. Plot and story engage the audience in contrasting ways. Mirroring of emotions in characters and audience. Plot of In the Mood for Love. Story of In the Mood for Love. Plot of Wasp. Story of Wasp. The director should know both story and plot. Each member of the creative team should tell the director the story. Reasons behind telling the wrong story. Fault in director, team member, or screenplay. Reasons for a director being drawn to a story. “A plot should be clear. A story should engage. A mystery should have no answer.”
