How Films Tell Stories presents a concise introduction to the often complex study of narrative theory. In part one, Aspects of Story, major theories of plot structure, character, and fictional worlds are applied to cinema. Part two, Aspects of Discourse, discusses how the story is communicated, examining techniques of cinematic narration such as time manipulation, perspective, editing, and sound. Each chapter concludes with questions encouraging students to produce their own analysis of the narrative strategies of films.