Once upon a time, long ago in a land without television or PlayStation, English teachers taught children that good stories contained a beginning, middle and end. Children read books for pleasure and examiners lived happily ever after. Nowadays, many young people are more likely to watch a film than read a book, which is not helpful when you are trying to teach fiction. At least I didn’t think so, until I discovered film theory.

Bored and frustrated by my students’ unimaginative attempts at fiction, I began to use films as stimulus for writing. Many films use complex narrative structures that are familiar to young people. I realised the traditional “beginning, middle and end” format was outdated and it underestimated students’ ability. No wonder their work was unimaginative.

It all began with A-level media studies. I started teaching the course with some reluctance; there was so much reading to do, new theories to learn and so many films to watch! But I can honestly say it transformed my English teaching. I was full of new ideas and the students were full of enthusiasm.

I encouraged students at all levels to challenge their views on traditional narrative structures. Could they think of any films with just beginnings, middles and ends? No, they said, identifying twists and turns of plot in their favourite films. We watched films together, plotting the narratives out on paper, using pictures and symbols, then displayed them around the room. Their exploration allowed them to identify a range of sophisticated techniques: flashbacks, dual narratives, multiple narratives and non-linear narratives.

Next, I introduced them to narrative theories of the Bulgarian linguist Tzvetan Todorov, the Russian critic and folklorist Vladimir Propp and the anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss and asked them to explore films, looking out for the theories we had discussed. Despite the theories’ complexity, the students showed maturity and understanding. For example, Todorov argues that every story starts with a state of balance; this is interrupted by an event, causing loss of balance, then the characters realise there is something wrong and then try to put it right.

Students recognised this theory at work in a number of films, including Star Wars and The Matrix and considered how they could use this to make their own stories more exciting.

Propp concentrates on the functions of characters in texts, identifying “heros”, “villains”, “false heros”, “princesses” and “fathers”. Students were able to identify these “stock” characters in their favourite films and use this to plan convincing sets of characters in their own stories.

Levi-Strauss argues that all narratives are built on pairs or opposites, such as lightdark, goodevil, humansanimals and calmchaos. The opening scene of Jurassic Park was a great example, and knowledge of this theory helped students to create atmosphere in their stories.

The Truman Show starring Jim Carrey is a fantastic resource and was instrumental in improving the writing of a group of bright but uninspired Year 10s. All his life Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) has unknowingly been the star of a 24-hour live TV soap - everyone else around him is an actor, everything around him is a set, only he is real. Truman begins to suspect that something strange is going on and tries to set himself free.

In addition to having an unconventional narrative structure, the film raises many questions about privacy and surveillance which students were keen to discuss in the light of the TV show Big Brother.

Our first viewing of the film explored the film language: camera work, lighting, costume, props and scenery. Students were encouraged to consider the importance of detail and made many astute observations. A second viewing focused on the narrative structure.

Afterwards, students explored narrative theories in small groups: did the film have a conventional structure? Who or what was the hero of the film? What about the villain? Could they find any pairs or opposites in the film?

The feedback was encouraging. When the groups reported back, their observations were intelligent, thoughtful and, most of all, expressed with real interest. But would I see an improvement in their writing? I sent them off to do their planning. “What kind of headings do you want?” they asked.

“Anything, except ‘beginning, middle and end’”, I told them.

The students were encouraged to work within one of the narrative stories, but free to plan in the way they wished. The results were astonishing. One student imitated the “story within a story” approach of The Truman Show, another chose to write a clever dual narrative, some made use of flashbacks and others experimented with non-linear narratives. Their stories were written with verve and enthusiasm, with great attention to detail.

Their teacher was able to award lots of A grades. And they all lived happily ever after.

* Useful reading: Teach Yourself Media Studies by Brenda Downes and Steve Miller (Hodder and Stoughton, pound;7.99) Janet Murray formerly taught English in Kent. She is now a freelance writer

10 GREAT FILMS FOR TEACHING NARRATIVE

Jurassic Park (PG)

The Truman Show (12)

Edward Scissorhands (PG)

Star Wars (PG)

Notting Hill (12)

Toy Story (U)

The Lion King (U)

Batman Forever (PG)

The Wizard Of Oz (U)

Sliding Doors (15)