Narrative Structure and Decoupage Patterns in the Final Sequence of Classical Cinema

  • Ehssan Zamani Sepehr University of Isfahan
Keywords: classic cinema, narrative, ending sequence, closed ending, bracketing

Abstract

The ending sequences in classic films possess a distinct design. The narrative pattern for these films utilizes a closed ending in the resolution of these works, answering all the questions raised in the viewers' minds and unraveling the chain of cause and effect formed throughout the film. The narrative of classic films, in most cases, is accompanied by a happy ending, which results in creating a sense of satisfaction in the film's audience. The découpage structure of the final sequence of classic films also has its own specific conventions. Classic cinema directors, in this sequence, while approaching the end of the story, are thinking of taking the audience out of the film's world. Filmmakers advance the découpage of the final sequence according to a pattern that, before the end of the film, by giving a kind of foreshadowing of the end and creating a sense of reaching the final moment, allows viewers to prepare themselves for exiting the world of the story and leaving the cinema hall a few moments before the end of the film. For this purpose, directors use the bracketing structure and ending codes. The bracketing of the film by returning to the découpage structure of the film's opening sequence and the ending codes by creating a sense of leaving the story can create the ability to predict the moment of the end in the viewer.

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Author Biography

Ehssan Zamani, Sepehr University of Isfahan

Master of Arts in Сinema Studies, Independent Researcher  

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Published
2025-07-23
How to Cite
Zamani E. (2025). Narrative Structure and Decoupage Patterns in the Final Sequence of Classical Cinema. Communications. Media. Design, 10(2), 135-159. https://doi.org/10.17323/cmd.2025.26839
Section
Scientific Articles