ABSTRACT
Picture makers must understand story structure or they may never be able to correctly use visual structure. This chapter explains the basic concepts that are foundational to the key relationship between story and visual structures. Filmmakers are better prepared to create and control the visual structure when they understand the basic parts of the story they want to tell. A story has three basic parts: the beginning or exposition, the middle or conflict, and the end or resolution. The structure of any story can be diagrammed on a graph. Drawing graphs can help directors plan the visual structure for an entire production, a sequence, one scene, or even just a single shot. The terms exposition, conflict, climax, and resolution are traditionally applied to the story structure, but these same terms can be applied to the visual structure. The visual exposition defines how space, line, shape, tone, color, movement, and rhythm will be used to support the story.
