Embedded Files
“People may or may not say what they mean... but they always say something designed to get what they want.”
David MametLearning to act is understanding two parts:
HOW to perform and WHAT to perform.
We're going to understand WHAT we're performing by dissecting structure, action and text.
Script Structure
Script Structure
The 19th century western novel was only the tip of the iceberg: in 1949 Joseph Campbell published The Hero with a Thousand Faces which not only connected story structure on a human rather than civilization level, but outlined that story in a super-structure which governs all mythologies.
"The journey's stages may be avoided, repeated or shifted depending on the individual needs of the story" (RAW Spirituality).
Ordinary World: stasis, introduce hero and safe world.
Call to Adventure: an event which kicks off the journey; disrupts comfort
Refusal of the Call: the hero reconsiders, may suffer
Meeting the Mentor: the hero gets help from the mentor archetype
Crossing the Threshold: meeting and vanquishing the threshold guardian
Tests, Allies, Enemies: a series of events that test the hero's new powers
Approach to the Inner Most Cave: final preparation before the final leap
Ordeal, Death and Rebirth: Dangerous physical test, deep inner crisis
Reward, Seizing the Sword: hero is transformed into new state
The Road Back: the journey home, hero may have to choose between personal objective or higher cause
Resurrection: the climax in which the hero must have final and most dangerous encounter with death. Hero will succeed, emerge reborn.
Return with Elixir: return home a changed person; new life, fresh hope
Character Archetype Roles within The Hero's Journey. Now that we understand the archetypes as well as the stories they undergo, the 12 character archetypes are assigned roles within the story. REMEMBER: these are concepts, not people. This allows the understanding that The Shadow - the antagonist - can take on many forms. In this example, what do all the characters working against the protagonist have in common? This concept is the actual antagonist.
The Hero: easily relatable to your audience, the hero undergoes journey/change
The Shadow: "The embodiment of the very thing lacking in themselves" (Yorke). The counter-goal; their ambitions directly conflict with the hero's
The Mentor: equip the hero through knowledge, skills and encouragement
The Ally: co-traveler, conversationalists, complement hero in characteristics
The Herald: calls the need for change in the hero's life
The Shapeshifter: blurs the line between ally/enemy
The Threshold Guardians: Tests the hero's new strengths/abilities
The Trickster: fun and humor to the story
“Mythologies are in fact the public dreams that move and shape societies, and conversely one’s own dreams are the little myths of the private gods, antigods, and guardian powers that are moving and shaping oneself: revelations of the actual fears, desires, aims, and values by which one’s life is subliminally ordered.”
Joseph Campbell“Mythologies are in fact the public dreams that move and shape societies, and conversely one’s own dreams are the little myths of the private gods, antigods, and guardian powers that are moving and shaping oneself: revelations of the actual fears, desires, aims, and values by which one’s life is subliminally ordered.”
The Hero's Journey contains cycles that speak to our human condition. Photo credit Will Schoder, Every Story is the Same
"All stories follow this pattern of decent and return... of diving and emerging."
Will Schoder, Every Story is the Same"All stories follow this pattern of decent and return... of diving and emerging."
Two, Three, and Five Act Theatrical Structure
Two, Three, and Five Act Theatrical Structure
Aristotle's Dramatic Arc- an example of Joseph Campbell's Monomyth- is specific arrangement, or series, of events. It is "a linear arrangement of related incidents, episodes, or events leading to a dramatic resolution" (Field). The original intent was to produce a narrative experience for an audience to induce catharsis and change. In order to release (or purge), Aristotle believed plays need specific events to progress forward in time (we've since evolved our artform to alter the specifics, but the underlying structure - hand in hand with the monomyth - remains rooted:
Gustav Freytag's interpretation of Aristotle's Dramatic Arc
Gustav Freytag re-imagined Aristotle's Dramatic Arc as described in Poetics into a 5-Act structure during the height of the Romantic Era. Although simple, this description of western storytelling- this series of events- prevails.
Two Act structure: 1940s - now. Used with respect to contemporary theatre traditions (one intermission directly after the end of structural act three). A cliffhanger moment gives the audience something to discuss at intermission.
Two Act structure: 1940s - now. Used with respect to contemporary theatre traditions (one intermission directly after the end of structural act three). A cliffhanger moment gives the audience something to discuss at intermission.
Act 1: exposition, intro of conflict/trials (series of cause/effect trials) leading to the climax (JC's steps 1 - 8 ish)
Act 2: realization, resolution (JC's steps 8 - 12)
Three Act structure: 1860s - 1910s. Longer, denser, wordier, plays as literature.
Three Act structure: 1860s - 1910s. Longer, denser, wordier, plays as literature.
Act 1: Exposition, intro of conflict/trials (series of cause/effect trials). <within trials, playwrights explored philosophy through dialogue (dialectical: the art of investigating or discussing the truth of opinions)> (JC's steps 1 - 5)
Act 2: Continuation of cause/effect trials leading in to the climax, realization (JC's steps 6 - 9ish)
Act 3: Reflection and resolution. Denouement. (JC's steps 9 - 12)
Stasis: Balance, Happiness, Contentment, Satisfaction, Utopia...
Stasis: Balance, Happiness, Contentment, Satisfaction, Utopia...
Peter Brook's analysis would be 1 Analysis, 2 interest, 3 involvement, 4 recognition, 5 awakening of understanding
Five Act structure: 1600s - 1760s. Structure dominated the Romantic Era which later influenced Hollywood. Screenplay structures such as Field's 3 Act Paradigm Structure are derivatives.
Five Act structure: 1600s - 1760s. Structure dominated the Romantic Era which later influenced Hollywood. Screenplay structures such as Field's 3 Act Paradigm Structure are derivatives.
Act 1: Exposition. Introduce main character, location; the nature of the play’s world in its initial stasis or balance is acknowledged as status quo (Ball). Our protagonist is in a weaker state than at the end. (JC's step 1). There're two forms of exposition:
Information known to everyone onstage
Information known only by some or one of the characters
A good way to use exposition is to use the past to propel (not merely explain) present action
Act 2: Intrusion, intro of conflict, call to adventure. The intrusion destroys stasis/balance (thereby status quo) and from here on out, the play's actions are all moving forward to regain stasis. Need becomes conscious at top, embraced at the end. Includes trials, allies and enemies; the road back to stasis can get bumpy with wins and losses. This is a long act. (JC's steps 2 - 6ish). Examples include:
The appearance of the ghost in Hamlet
The plague in Thebes becomes unbearable to its citizens, they raise up and complain to Oedipus in Oedipus Rex
Lord Farquad's eviction (the paper) of Shrek from his swamp
Twists and Tension: To create dramatic tension, the audience needs to be put in a situation where they don’t know what’s coming next. Most plays/stories create a sense of mystery; be aware of it and don’t let the audience in too soon (Ball ch6). Seize control of audience interest, guide them to what is important, guide them to the solution of the mystery (puzzle)
Act 3: Last and largest of the trials. There's no tradition here in terms of win or loss;, although Hollywood tradition is redemptive (win). Intermission typically follows. "The development of conflict reaches its high point, the Hero stands at the crossroads, leading to victory or defeat, crashing or soaring" (Freytag). (JC's steps 7 - 8 ish)
The greater the desire the greater the audience interest and involvement
Act 4: Realization after win/loss of climax, trigger for catharsis (release). Contains rebirth of protagonist, emerges from ordeal and death. Rebirth is triumphant. (JC's steps 8 - 11). Connection made between personal objective and higher cause.
Act 5: Catharsis, resolution. Protagonist returns to stasis/status quo complete. "When the action no longer creates conflict, the play ends and stasis is reestablished" (Ball). Denouement. (JC's step 12)
The end of the play, stasis, is the beginning of another play; the beginning of the play, stasis, is the end of another play. (Ball). Like a wave form.
Intermission
Intermission
Man, I need a break! Modern theatre tradition gives the audience a 15 - 20 break after structural Act 3 (the climax). Leave them on a cliffhanger and give the audience something to think about while they freshen up. Sometimes there's no intermission (if play runtime is shorter than 70 mins, typically).
Sometimes there's multiple intermissions; like sequels and sagas in movies, a grouping of plays is called a cycle. There may be a traditional intermission after the climax as well as another after Act 5 (the ending).
Action (Character)
Action (Character)
Like players with a ball while playing catch, conflict keeps an action in motion throughout a play. There are four types of conflict and multiple examples - sometimes concurrently, sometimes on its own - can be found in one play.
Like players with a ball while playing catch, conflict keeps an action in motion throughout a play. There are four types of conflict and multiple examples - sometimes concurrently, sometimes on its own - can be found in one play.
Me vs. myself
Me vs. others
Me vs. society
Me vs. God/fate/natural forces
A Role is a set of unified given circumstances that exist in the world of the play;
A Role is a set of unified given circumstances that exist in the world of the play;
Character is the personification of habitual action. Characters are what they do, not a description of a person.
Character is the personification of habitual action. Characters are what they do, not a description of a person.
Action can be doing things like cleaning a room or folding laundry (more on this type later);
Action can also be defined by its end result: like breaking up with someone or asking for a raise. This creates a whole bunch of things an actor can try as he/she struggles to attain the goal.
Understanding Habitual Action
Understanding Habitual Action
Protagonist is the main action of the play;
Protagonist is the main action of the play;
Antagonist is the main opposing action of the play. It's not always a bad guy.
Antagonist is the main opposing action of the play. It's not always a bad guy.
All goals lead to the final one that ends the story: throughout the journey, the protagonist seeks - or struggles for - what it gets at the end. If it breaks up with a companion, quits its job, buys a junker car to get out of town, the entire character can be defined by its stuggle for independence. Think about the pursuit of habitual action like a hungry animal's pursuit of food: it ignores what isn't food, is displeased when food is kept from it, will fight relentlessly - life and death - for it.
It gets cooler: before the beginning of the 20th century - when subtext was formalized (which also changed how we build a character, changed what stories we tell and how we analyze action) - understanding a character's struggle gave insight to what it looks like, how it sounds, how it moves.
I love this graphic: the greyed inner circle is the habitual action that drives each character. In every scene the character is in - no matter who/what it interacts with, no matter what it looks at, thinks about, does - it is always doing to achieve that.
Electrons, Atoms, Molecules, Organisms
Electrons, Atoms, Molecules, Organisms
Events, like electrons (and protons and neutrons) within matter, make up a dramatic story. Dramatic story is a series of events which once kicked off, start a chain of logical (sometimes illogical) cause/effect progressing forward in time. “Action occurs when something happens [an event] that makes or permits something else to happen [an event]” in what's called sequential analysis. "A play is as exciting as a set of dominoes, one [event] falling into the next" (Ball):
An action- the atom- is two connected events (cause and effect), where the “effect” becomes the cause of the next action. This is sometimes called a beat.
Find the first event, then the second, then the connection between the two:
Action 1:
Event 1: I walk into your room shouting that the building is on fire
Event 2: You flee for your life
Action 2:
Event 1: You flee for your life
Event 2: I steal your stamp collection
Action 3:
Event 1: I steal your stamp collection
Event 2: I sell your stamp collection
A Scene - the molecule - is a sequential collection of actions. A building block of an act - like a minute to an hour - a scene is an instance of conflict between two actions, where its ending is determined by one action winning over another. "[The scene] is where something happens - where something specific happens.., the place in which you tell your story" (Field).
At times conflict is interrupted by other character's intrusion, as in a french scene (2 characters duking it out, 3rd enters, battle the 3rd, 3rd exits, continue the conflict between the original 2 characters)
An Act - the organism - is yet a larger collection of scenes.
The larger structure of the entire story provides a general map to where conflict will appear in a play/movie. Whether it's the Monomyth, theatrical 5-Act structure, Field's Paradigm, or Snyder's Beat Sheet - it's all the same, just different interpretations and vocabulary - what makes story work is conflict and struggle. Imagine a story without conflict: like a sporting event between the best and worst team, where the worst team doesn't even have a chance: without a struggle, we don't get "into" it, right?
Action on its own is not dramatic, but when it comes up against an opposing action conflict arises. Now it's dramatic. An actor should not only be aware of the actions they need to play but also aware of the opposing action.
Instead of football teams like the Colts vs. 49ers, scripts pit ACTION vs. OPPOSING ACTION.
So dramatic story - a play or movie - is a series of actions/reactions (cause/effect) progressing forward in time: achieving a goal in this scene leads the protagonist to the next struggle to achieve the next goal, and so on and so on:
What's it all for? What is achieved at the end of the dramatic story?
What's it all for? What is achieved at the end of the dramatic story?
Above: as the protagonist embarks on its cyclical journey, it changes from stasis - the way its always been - to change. Below: The connection between the Hero's Journey to the protagonist's action. Photo credits Will Schoder, Every Story is the Same
Emergence of a Method: Objective and Tactic
Emergence of a Method: Objective and Tactic
A lot of change happened at the beginning of the 20th century. In Russia the development of Realism by Constantin Stanislavski, Anton Chekhov et. al. signaled the boredom of the melodrama. In Austria Freud was developing psychoanalysis, taking an active interest in how the mind operates. Stakes, no less important than the life and death we experimented with in Melodrama, were smashed down like a neutron star: just as much material, but reduced to interpersonal conflict: instead of stories dominated by conflicts between me vs. God and/or society- now we see interpersonal example in me vs. self and me vs. others.
SUPER-OBJECTIVE
SUPER-OBJECTIVE
The 20th century's version of Habitual Action. Throughout the play, scene by scene (and really beat by beat), the super objective provides a larger structure to an actor's performance
The Super-Objective is thematic: it binds not just performance but design as well, providing a tone and influence for a director's mise-en-scene
It's possible that pursuit of super-objective creates an "unrealistic" performance, as Richard Brestoff points out in DeNiro's performance of Rupert Pupkin in Scorsese's The King of Comedy: "When actors pursue objectives without showing the moments between them, without registering the defeats and victories between actions, a quality of 'humanness' is lost. People usually show some feeling and vulnerability when they win or lose something of importance to them. Rupert does not."
OBJECTIVE, intention, goal, agenda
OBJECTIVE, intention, goal, agenda
As part of the 20th century's shift away from Melodrama, an actor's attention is refocused from their own performance to connection to partner.
This is what Alan Rickman in interview about Severus Snape said about Rowling's writing: in every movie Snape was easy to play because of his "Iron-Clad Agenda". Stanislavski and Chekhov went deep: instead of applying a habitual action to every scene, now each scene has an anecdotal - specified example - objective that relates to the super objective:
if the SO is "struggles for independence", then the objective could be "to isolate from [other character]". If it struggles for independence, then how does the current interaction help that struggle?
Understand your adversary: "Dramatic conflict is the relationship between someone’s want and what hinders that want" (Ball ch5). If it's a good play, what does the best friend want from you and how can you, while pursuing your goal, exacerbate the conflict?
TACTIC
TACTIC
Although a generality, heightened action focuses the actor's attention on self: using technique to make empathy efficient, the actor must plan, direct and rehearse to "perfection". Now that we're acknowledging partner and obstacle, we must shift tactics in real-time - keep it loose - to keep up with our partner. It's this mechanism that makes realistic acting feel "real."
What a character wants (superobjective, objective) motivates talking as well as action. You want companionship, and your current scene is with a love interest, the first thing you may do- the first tactic- is smile. Wait, see what they do, then respond with another tactic.
A Beat is considered by some practitioners to be a shift in tactic. [beat] appears in modern playtexts and a lot of the time it fits, but keep in mind that [brackets] in a playtext typically describes the choices of the originating actor, not necessarily the playwright. Actors lazily treat [beat] like a pause/fleeting silence.
How do Objective and Tactic connect fit into the Screenplay structure?
How do Objective and Tactic connect fit into the Screenplay structure?
Dramatic story is fractal, meaning a scene fits the same dramatic structure as the larger structure just on a smaller scale. An actor will find exposition at the beginning of the scene; then a line that kicks off a struggle; then an ultimatum; and finally a resolution.
Syd Field says "the purpose of the scene is twofold: either it moves the story forward, or it reveals information about the character". The conflict between protagonist and antagonist will reveal a series of attempts/actions/tactics to win from either side;
the type of tactics + given circumstances = character.
What are given circumstances?
"I'm so glad you're here." <sarcasm>
"I'm so glad you're here." <sarcasm>
A challenge for early 20th century performers/directors was subtext: before Realism and its rejection of Romantic storyline as well as performance characterized by outward expression, characters expressed exactly how they felt. If Romeo was sad, it'd tell you.
Subtext made us not trust characters: now like real people (because that's what we prefer) they lie, they subvert, they use sarcasm. In order to understand the action, a new technique was necessary. Stanislavski's Method of Physical Action not only gave actors new technique to further empathize with their roles, but also furthered Aristotle's understanding of character.
You are what you do: this whole method - tactics defined by objective guided by the superobjective to win against an obstacle - is now character.
OBSTACLE (redefinition of antagonist)
OBSTACLE (redefinition of antagonist)
"Dramatic conflict is the relationship between someone’s want and what hinders that want" (Ball ch5): an obstacle is any resistance encountered while in pursuit of objective. Precisely what I say depends upon what I want and what the obstacle is.
In order to be dramatic, a need must be identified, struggled for, kept from, and fought for to win.
Yours as well as your scene partner's understanding of how your character serves as an obstacle for others makes for better acting.
An obstacle is not a negation: "I want that" vs. "I don't want you to want that." Many practitioners frown on negative wants. Instead, objectives are antithetical - mutually incompatible: "I want companionship" vs. "I want independence"
“We must remember the basic principle of our school of acting: the subconscious through the conscious."
Constantin Staniskavski “We must remember the basic principle of our school of acting: the subconscious through the conscious."
all roles throughout the play/movie will do something to/with the protagonist. Does the protagonist appear in every scene? No, but you'll find that every event in the play/movie - even if it's a set-up for a future event - will eventually make its way back to the protagonist.
the protagonist isn't folding laundry
For the protagonist on the journey,
For everyone else,
Plays and screenplays have conflict embedded in them. When the action of a play starts- lights up or action- we get a picture of stasis / balance. The Way Things Are. Then an event- like a hammer to a bell- rings that stasis, sending stasis / balance into chaos, until the action of the play re-achieves stasis.
Everything was great in the Shire (stasis / balance) until Frodo discovered the ring (the hammer that rang the bell). In order to get back to stasis, the Fellowship undergoes a great journey.
Everything was great on Tatooine (stasis / balance) until R2D2 and C3PO (the hammers that rang the bell) wandered into Luke's life. In order to defeat the empire and bring <check this out> balance to the force, Luke must...
The action of the play - every story is an example of a struggle to re-achieve stasis - follows a cause/effect chain that leads to a resolution. At some point, the last action occurs that returns balance to the play.
The action of a play is bundled in a package called character.
Read everything the author wrote to understand author’s/playwright’s style of communication. Other plays, other subjects?
OTHER PLAYWRIGHT TIDBITS
Forward: A forward is anything that arouses an audience’s interest in things yet to come (Ball ch9)
Use spectacle as a way to ensure the audience gets the information; they always pay attention to spectacle. “Things theatrical are all things that illicit strong audience response” (Ball ch7)
The deeper you go into story structure- from full play to act to scene to beat to line of dialogue to word, the same structure exists.
Syd Field's breakdown of character
RESOURCES
RESOURCES
Hulk Screenwriting 101.pdfA link to FILM CRIT HULK's blog post, "Screenwriting 101". I think OP is writing a book; there's a second part, unreleased.
A link to FILM CRIT HULK's blog post, "Screenwriting 101". I think OP is writing a book; there's a second part, unreleased.
TRASH??
that, when experienced in entirety, expresses the playwright’s opinion/intent of an action (through line). Plays are packaged by plot: beginning, middle end
Protagonist attempts a continuous action in one place: “to convince others of his correctness when all others don’t believe him”. Single length of time w/o a break.
Human maturity is nothing more than getting better at getting what you want: babies yowl for a bottle; adults ask “Pour me a drink?”
“Inspired acting, design and direction depend on technical mastery, so does intelligent and imaginative script reading.”
“Inspired acting, design and direction depend on technical mastery, so does intelligent and imaginative script reading.”
David Ball, Backwards and Forwards
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