How Stories Work: Film Analysis & Dramaturgy

The Protagonist: Who Drives the Story?

• The function of the protagonist in dramaturgy
• The protagonist in mainstream and art-house cinema
• Goal, motivation, and need
• Character arc

Practice: Identify the protagonist, their goal, motivation, and dramatic function in a selected film.

Case study: Analyze a film from the perspective of its protagonist.

Conflict as the Foundation of a Scene and a Film

• What is dramatic conflict?
• External and internal conflict
• Major types of conflict
• Conflict within a scene
• Conflict and reality in fiction and documentary film

Practice: Analyze the conflict in a single scene and identify its external and internal levels.

Case study: Analyze a film through its system of conflicts.

Three-Act Screenwriting Structure

• What is dramatic structure?
• Act I — exposition and setup
• First Turning Point
• Act II — confrontation
• Midpoint
• Act III — resolution

Practice: Break down a well-known film according to its structure and identify its major dramatic turning points.

Case study: Compare the structures of two films and discuss where the classical model works — and where a director deliberately breaks away from it.

Framing, Editing, and Visual Dramaturgy

• Wide shot, medium shot, close-up
• What changes when the shot size changes?
• Camera as storytelling
• Editing and rhythm
• How editing creates meaning
• The Kuleshov Effect

Practice: Watch 5–7 short film excerpts and discuss one central question: Why this shot? Why did the director choose this particular shot size, angle, duration, and connection to the next shot?

Case study: Visual and editing analysis of selected scenes.

Editorial Analysis

• An idea
• A logline
• A synopsis
• A scene
• A short-film script
• Protagonist
• Conflict
• Structure
• Stakes
• Character motivation
• Scene dynamics
• Dramatic potential
• What works
• What doesn't work
• What could be developed

Practice: Collective editorial breakdown of several participant projects.

From Idea to Project

• Logline
• Concept
• Synopsis
• Character and story
• Audience
• How to present a film project
• What is the story?
• Who is the protagonist?
• What is the conflict?
• What makes the idea interesting?
• What is missing?
• What could be developed?
• What should the next step be?

Practice: Each participant presents their idea or project. 5-Minute Pitch + Feedback.

Case study: Final Outcome: By the end of the course, each participant will have: 1 developed film idea + logline + synopsis + a clear direction for further development.