STORY-LAYERING/PLOT/GENRE

Lecture III

Goals and Needs

In every story, the central character has a conscious goal. The goal, as defined here is whatever you central character strives for in life. Of course, the opposition usually comes in the form of a a person who either has the same goal or who, in some other way, opposes your central character’s goal.

Beneath it all lies an unconscious or conscious need. The Crisis often brings the need into full consciousness.

Usually, the need is blocked by a character flaw. This flaw serves as the inner opposition to the inner need. The character flaw must be obvious to the viewer.

Where does the flaw come from? Usually from the character’s past.

Something happened before the story began that deeply hurt the character.

Thus Backstory haunts the character. The ultimate question through out the course of the story must be: Do we see the character overcome their flaw at the end? Or are they doomed to fail? Epic Failures…

Two Stories in One

Screenplays often tell two main stories: The Outside Action Story is driven by the goal. It

is sometimes referred to as the narrative spinal canal.

The Inside/Emotional Story or relationship story usually derives from a relationship and is driven by the need. It is referred to as the heart chamber of the story or the central nervous system of the story.

Both stories are symbiotic and separate. Refer to the handout that I gave you detailing

the division of the OA Story and IE Story.

Relationships

We often view films in terms of individual characters, but the relationship those characters are vital to the construction of the narrative. This is what we call the beating of the electrical beating of the hear.

Tip-Keep in mind this idea of ‘heart’ and relationships as you work through your IE storyline. Don’t think about what your character wants only, but create the wants and need of other characters as well.

A relationship can have an arc, just like a character can.

Plot is…..

The structure of action and emotion. Here are some examples of how to structure a plot:

The Character Wins- the character strives and wins. The Character Loses- the character loses, but sometime

gains a moral victory The Character Sows The Seeds of Their Own

Destruction- the character makes decisions that leads to their eventual downfall.

The Character Grows- The character by nature is about to do the wrong thing, but makes the right moral choice in the end.

The Character Grows Up- Mostly a coming-of-age tale in which they main character(s) mature and grow throughout the course of the narrative.

Plot…..

The Character Learns what is takes to be happy and abandons a previous life.

The Character Fails to Learn what needed to be learned to overcome their flaw and goal.

The Character Declines to the point where they not only failed in overcoming their flaw, but became all the worse in the process.

Genre

Love Stories Thrillers Action Adventure Travel Adventures Noir Horror Comedy Sci-Fi Fish Out of Water Tales- Not Literal Mythical Tales Drama Silent Abstract Art

Assignment

Take your narratives, from Monday and develop a ten-page first draft of your script by Friday. I want you to parallel this with your storyboard project in 6th.