For GCSE English and Media Studies
“We’re part of a story, part of a tale
We’re all on this journey
No one’s to stay
Wherever it’s going, what is the way?“
‘NEVER-ENDING STORY’ (written by RENÉ MERKELBACH, OSCAR HOLLEMAN & SHARON DEN ADEL and performed by WITHIN TEMPTATION)
“A storyteller’s game, lips that intoxicate
The core of all life is a limitless chest of talesI am the voice of Never-Never Land
The innocence, the dreams of every man
I am the empty crib of Peter Pan
A silent Kite against the blue, blue sky,
Every chimney, every moonlit sight
I am the story that will read you real
Every memory that you hold dear”
‘STORYTIME’ (Written by ERNO VUORINEN, JUKKA NEVALAINEN, MARKO HIETALA, TUOMAS HOLOPAINEN and performed by NIGHTWISH)
A genre is a particular type/style of literature, painting,
music, film, or other art form. (definition adapted from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/class.)
Although most stories/narratives ‘borrow’ from more than one genre, knowing about genres and generic conventions/tropes can help you to better understand and interpret a narrative and to create your own stories. For me, this knowledge helps to provide a general ‘road map’ to the story in question, and enables you to compare and contrast it with other, more familiar narratives.
Modern readers are frequently more conversant with onscreen narratives, such as films and TV shows. These use a variety of methods, including camera shots, different types of lighting, soundtracks and sound effects, to tell the story and create the right atmosphere or mood for each scene. Conversely, a text or spoken narrative mostly relies on the power of words to achieve this.
Some of the resources included on this page incorporate onscreen texts because, for me, familiarity with how stories are told through one medium (such as a movie) can aid an understanding of (and help you to analyse) the techniques used in other types of text (such as a written or spoken story) to deliver a narrative.
Disclaimer:
I do not own the rights to the movies I used in this video. The rights to ‘Stephen King’s IT‘ (1990) are owned by Warner Bros. Television, and the rights to ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street‘ are owned by New Line Cinema, Media Home Entertainment, Smart Egg Pictures & The Elm Street Venture.
Disclaimer:
(Again) I do not own the rights to the movies I used in this video. The movie rights are as detailed below:
- ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone‘ (2001): Warner Bros Pictures, Heyday Films & 1492 Pictures;
- ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix‘ (2007): Warner Bros Pictures & Heyday Films;
- ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them‘ (2016): Warner Bros Pictures & Heyday Films;
- ‘Labyrinth‘ (1986): Henson Associates Inc. & Tri-Star Pictures;
- ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe‘ (2005): Walt Disney Picture & Walden Media;
- ‘The Lord of the Rings‘ (2001): New Line Cinema & Wing Nut Film;
- ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End‘ (2007): Walt Disney Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer & Buena Vista Pictures
- ‘The Never-Ending Story‘ (1984): Neue Constantin Film, Bavaria Film, Producers Sale Organisation & Warner Bros;
- ‘Stardust‘ (2007): Marv Studios, Ingenious Film Partners & Paramount Pictures.
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