Arts Studies and Criticism

The beat is a kind of behavioral communication in the action or reaction. The dramatic action and the reaction with dramatic conflict together construct a narrative beat, and the dramatic conflict is the basis for establishing the narrative beat. The narrative of movie scenes should revolve around the same drama task. The establishment of narrative beats within the scene makes the drama conflict of events progressive and escalating. The narrative beat is a strategy to grasp the narrative rhythm, a method to create suspense, and a way to lay out the structure of the story.