3 Act Narrative Structure

Act 1: Set Up/Beginning

The setup involves

introduction of the characters,
their story world, and some
kind of ‘’inciting incident,”
typically a moment that
kickstarts the story.
It’s usually the first 20-30
minutes of a film.
 The middle of your story should raise the stakes, you want
Act 2:
the audience to keep watching. This is the main chunk of
Confrontation
the story and often leads us to the worst possible thing that
/Middle
can happen to the character.
 Act 3: Resolution/End

The end should bring

some kind of catharsis or
resolution, (regardless if
the ending is happy or
sad). It’s a sigh, either of
relief or despair.
Rising Action and
Building Tension
Rising action is a key strategy for
maintaining audience engagement
and creating character development.
It could be a problem or conflict,
points of interest or the building of
suspense. The sequence of events
lead to the climax of the story.
Rising action is the journey the
characters must take which helps to
drive the plot forward.
It is primarily created through script,
plot, music and character.
 On the board as a class, create a map of the
moments of tension in the film.
Let’s draw a graph that represents the rise in
tension throughout the film and the key
Activity 1: Tension Map
moments that create those effects.
How do these correlate to the three acts of
the film?
Escalating
Tension

Narrative Progression
 Activity 2: Timeline

1. Using an A3 piece of poster paper, create a timeline of the events of Jojo

Rabbit.

2. Draw a line in the centre of the page with a ruler.

3. Break it down into three sections for Act 1, Act 2 and Act 3 of the film.

4. Using arrows upwards and downwards, include as many moments from the
film as possible. Think carefully about what comes in each act.

5. Add photos to the most important moments of the story.

Character Analysis
 Characters
Characters are the ones that cause the events to happen in a narrative. It is their
emotions, motivations, needs or wants that move the story forward. There are
usually two major characters that can feature in a story: the protagonist and the
antagonist.

The protagonist is usually the ‘hero’ whose quest the audience follows. The
story is often told from their perspective. Narrative tension is provided by the
antagonist – the character that is usually portrayed as a ‘villain’ who stops or
attempts to prevent the protagonist from reaching their goals.
 Johannes ‘Jojo’
Betzler
Age: 10 years old
Occupation: Hitler Youth
Actor: Roman Griffin Davis

Jojo Betzler is the films protagonist. He is 10 years old

and a Nazi fanatic with an imaginary friend, a silly and
outlandish caricature of Adolf Hitler. Jojo has a
mother, Rosie and his dad is away at war. His sister
died a few years ago. He is seen to be kind, brave and
loyal all traits which he develops over the course of the
film. Jojo needs to learn what is reality and what is
false especially after his mother dies. When he meets
Elsa his world is turned upside down and he slowly
comes to realise the lies he has been fed through Nazi
propaganda.
 Rosie Betzler
Age: unknown
Occupation: Rebel against the Nazi’s
Actor: Scarlett Johansson

Rosie is a passionate, brave and kind mother to Jojo and

Inge who has passed. She has taken on Elsa at the risk
of everything out of kindness and compassion. She is
silly and joyful and provides a foil to Jojo’s fanaticism
(a foil is a character who contrasts with another). Rosie
works as a secret activist and rebel. She’s seen leaving
anti-Nazi pamphlets on doorsteps. She is eventually
caught and hung, Jojo finds her body hanging with
other Rebels left in public to set an example. This is a
major plot point in Jojo’s character development and his
eventual hatred of the Nazi Party.
 Elsa
Age: 17 years old
Occupation: Hiding and surviving
Actor: Thomasin McKenzie
Elsa was forced into hiding during the war after her
parents were taken away to a concentration camp
and she escaped. She was given refuge by Rosie,
Jojo’s mother. She is strong, powerful and
determined which she shows by immediately
overpowering Jojo when they meet. When the
Gestapo appear at the house she poses as Inge,
Jojo’s sister. She was in love with Nathan her
fiancée, but it is revealed that he has died a year
earlier. Jojo falls in love with Elsa but she loves
him as a brother by the end of the film.
 Captain
Klenzendorf
Age: 40?
Occupation: Captain of Hitler Youth Camp
Actor: Sam Rockwell
Captain Klenzendorf is shown to be a skilled shooter
and has been forced to retire from battle after receiving
an injury to his eye. He is always seen with Freddie
Finkel and it is implied they have a relationship. He
acts as a father figure to Jojo throughout the film,
particularly at the end when he saves Jojo and
sacrifices himself. He doesn’t seem to like his job and
is eventually demoted. He is seen to be wearing a
paperclip on his belt which could also imply he against
the Nazi war efforts. This is reinforced when he helps
Elsa with her papers and when he sincerely
compliments Rosie to Jojo.
 Adolf
Hitler
Age: Imaginary
Occupation: Jojo’s imaginary friend
Actor: Taika Waititi
The primary antagonist of the film is Jojo’s
imaginary friend Hitler. He is seen to slowly
devolve in mental state as Jojo loses his fanatical
obsession with the Nazi’s and as his control of
Germany dwindles. He is a humorous and
satirical take on the dictator to mock the historical
figure. He is played by a Jewish man in the film
to further contribute to this absurdist portrayal.
He is always seen with Jojo and encourages his
fanatical behaviours and bravery within Jojo.
 Activity 3: Iceberg Characters
Character iceberg is used to explore
characteristics of people or characters in fiction.
The section above the water are things that can be
observed e.g. colour of hair, how they dress, and
below the water line are things that cannot be
seen e.g. behaviours, beliefs etc.

1. Draw three icebergs on a piece of paper and

label them with Rosie, Elsa and Jojo.

2. At the top of the iceberg above the water,

identify the traits that can be observed and are
immediately obvious.

3. At the bottom, identify the deeper and more

hidden traits such as emotions, beliefs,
thoughts and feelings.
Storyboards

Watch this short video on the purpose

and function of a storyboard.
 Activity 4: Storyboard A Scene
1. Using an A3 piece of paper from the cupboard in the media room (keeping it tidy!!), draw out 12 boxes on

the page using a ruler. It must be neat and tidy.

2. Choose a scene from Jojo Rabbit to draw as a storyboard. Think carefully about the camera angles/shots you

see and try to recreate it as closely as possible.

3. NO STICK FIGURES!! Make sure you draw solid people. You can also include colour, there are textas and

coloured pencils in the media cupboard (or ask one of the art teachers really nicely for some).

4. Write a sentence explanation under each box to explain what is happening in the shot.
Codes
Conventions