McKee's 'classic Narrative Structure'

Robert McKee's 'classic narrative structure' examines the narrative structure of most scripts of films that are given to him and examines it to pin-point the whole layout and foundations of the movie. They are split into:

Exposition/protagonist: The main character of the movie.

Our protagonist is called Tate and is an average depressed teenager, 16 years old. He is depressed because of horrible family life that has made him isolated from people of society, except from his girlfriend who he only loves.  He lives in Central London, Stockwell and in an apartment, which shows that he is from working class background.

Agent of change: Something that occurs to have a knock on effect that leads to a conflict/complications.

Tate has a girlfriend, Bethany, who one day confesses to him of being pregnant, which leads him to being thrown in a fury. To make matters worse, the baby is not even Tate's and just storms out of Bethany's sight and wonders round the streets of a dark and dangerous London.

Conflict/complications: Something that heavily involves the protagonist in a negative way and must be overcome.

Tate wishes to find the culprit by narrowing down the suspects who he believes got his girlfriend pregnant and believes that it is someone who he absolutely hates. He wants to threaten him to a corner, with a gun he finds at the start of the movie, where he will confess his action that has driven him to a crazy state.

Elaboration: This is the agent of change, conflict/complications and even the main story plot explained in further detail.

He goes through various methods of deducing who could have impregnated his girlfriend, such as analysing who out of her current friends and links could be a suspect, stalking her house and actions. As he believes he has found out who it is, he gets him to a dark basement, away from anyone that could interrupt the situation and talks to him in a aggressive and patronising manner.

Climax/Resolution: This is near the end of the complications where they will be resolved and the climax of the movie will occur.

He points the gun at the culprit's head and repeatedly asks: "DID YOU DO IT!?" The culprit is frightened to death cries and confesses that he did cheat with Bethany. Tate finally knows who impregnated his girlfriend and just can't seem to kill him; he knows that killing won't solve anything that is happening in his life. He doesn't see the end point of killing and just breaks down crying while the culprit runs away in fear and confusion - his life has just been spared by Tate.

Coda: This is the end of the movie, where the equilibrium of the movie is restored back to normal.

Goes home and on the way decides that he doesn't want to kill anyone, which prompts him to dismantle the gun and throw it away in the ocean. As he heads home he thinks about his life without anyone who he truly loves now and goes into further depression, so there is no real coda.