Before The Outline
04/06/11 10:23
For development purposes we define:
Story: the journey (transformation) of a human being.
This should not be confused with
Plot: the external events that bring about that journey.
These two things are absolutely not the same, but they do work hand-in-hand with each other. The story can be seen as the core value of the film you are writing. It does not change. It is one of two criteria by which all notes and ideas can be judged. (the dramatic question being the other, we’ll get to that in a bit) The plot, however, is flexible. It can change, and adapt, just as long it is helping to better tell the story. If an idea comes that is more exciting and interesting and actually helps or improves the details of a person’s journey then by all means, add that note! But if an exciting and interesting plot twist is discussed that ultimately does not improve the journey of our hero then that exciting and interesting plot twist is best saved for another movie. (When an addition is decided on that essentially changes either the story or the dramatic question the entire script must be re-structured to account for it. That better be some note to justify such a thing!)
There are stories where the hero does not change. The hero is steadfast in his conviction. While they do not change, their journey changes those around them. While not exactly rare, these stories are less common, but the important feature to focus on here is that there is still change.
Which element between story and plot takes priority over the other depends on the type of movie you’re writing. The bigger the emphasis on plot then usually the more overtly commercial (and marketable) the film. There is no right or wrong ratio just as long as you are aware and in command of what you are presenting to an audience, its potential market because of it, and then maintain the appropriate budget on the page.
The Story should not be confused with arc. The “arc” is another development buzzword to describe something tagged onto a pre-existing plot. The story is too important for that. The plot serves the story and the entire structure is built around it. The story should never serve the plot. If you are trying to throw a half-assed “story” onto a plot then you are must likely adding a layer of insincerity and cynicism the audience can smell a mile away. And they won’t respond to it. They won’t buy it for a second. If you’re lucky, they may not actually be hostile to it, but they won’t have an emotional reaction to it either. And if they don’t have an emotional reaction to it, what’s the point other than to tack something onto a script you thought you were “supposed to” tack on? This is why I stay away from using the term “arc”. It minimizes the importance of story.
There is another vital term:
The Dramatic Question: A question, asked in the form of dramatic conflict, that the audience waits to have answered.
Dramatic writing is filled with dozens of dramatic questions throughout each piece. Moment to moment, scene to scene, act to act. But it helps a script a great deal to have a singular dramatic question. Much like the ratio of story/plot through the film, the more subtle and character focused the dramatic question the less overtly commercial the film. Dramatic questions that are plot focused, rather than story focused, are usually more easily marketable and thus more commercial. Once this dramatic question is answered the movie is over as the audience has no reason to stick around. For example, the dramatic question in Die Hard is: will John McClane rescue his wife from the terrorist (plot focused)? Raiders of the Los Ark is will Indiana Jones prevent the Nazis from possessing the Ark (plot focused)? In American Beauty will Lester redeem his life and find happiness before he dies (character focused)?
Much like Story, once the Dramatic Question is decided upon it does not change. To change it means to re-structure the entire script. It is also the other standard by which all incoming clutter is judged. Any note that distracts from or dilutes the Dramatic Question must be avoided! Plot changes. It can be altered and adjusted. The Dramatic Question does not.
This concept is a continuation of Harold Clurman’s discussion of the spine of the piece in On Directing but adapted to help with story momentum rather than a unified theme. The anticipation created by the dramatic question is the key factor in engaging an audience’s interest. Ask the dramatic question too late and the audience will respond with “it took awhile to get started...”, ask it too early and becomes just plot rather than story and people miss the emotional investment required to enjoy it.
It is going to be very difficult to outline a film without knowing the dramatic question. Because the dramatic question is so closely linked to one of them, you will also need a good understanding of either your story or your plot as well. It’s best to have all three, but most projects don’t start out like that. The good news is that everything is linked. And once you have the answers to a few things other pieces will fall into place as you start outlining the script.
Story: the journey (transformation) of a human being.
This should not be confused with
Plot: the external events that bring about that journey.
These two things are absolutely not the same, but they do work hand-in-hand with each other. The story can be seen as the core value of the film you are writing. It does not change. It is one of two criteria by which all notes and ideas can be judged. (the dramatic question being the other, we’ll get to that in a bit) The plot, however, is flexible. It can change, and adapt, just as long it is helping to better tell the story. If an idea comes that is more exciting and interesting and actually helps or improves the details of a person’s journey then by all means, add that note! But if an exciting and interesting plot twist is discussed that ultimately does not improve the journey of our hero then that exciting and interesting plot twist is best saved for another movie. (When an addition is decided on that essentially changes either the story or the dramatic question the entire script must be re-structured to account for it. That better be some note to justify such a thing!)
There are stories where the hero does not change. The hero is steadfast in his conviction. While they do not change, their journey changes those around them. While not exactly rare, these stories are less common, but the important feature to focus on here is that there is still change.
Which element between story and plot takes priority over the other depends on the type of movie you’re writing. The bigger the emphasis on plot then usually the more overtly commercial (and marketable) the film. There is no right or wrong ratio just as long as you are aware and in command of what you are presenting to an audience, its potential market because of it, and then maintain the appropriate budget on the page.
The Story should not be confused with arc. The “arc” is another development buzzword to describe something tagged onto a pre-existing plot. The story is too important for that. The plot serves the story and the entire structure is built around it. The story should never serve the plot. If you are trying to throw a half-assed “story” onto a plot then you are must likely adding a layer of insincerity and cynicism the audience can smell a mile away. And they won’t respond to it. They won’t buy it for a second. If you’re lucky, they may not actually be hostile to it, but they won’t have an emotional reaction to it either. And if they don’t have an emotional reaction to it, what’s the point other than to tack something onto a script you thought you were “supposed to” tack on? This is why I stay away from using the term “arc”. It minimizes the importance of story.
There is another vital term:
The Dramatic Question: A question, asked in the form of dramatic conflict, that the audience waits to have answered.
Dramatic writing is filled with dozens of dramatic questions throughout each piece. Moment to moment, scene to scene, act to act. But it helps a script a great deal to have a singular dramatic question. Much like the ratio of story/plot through the film, the more subtle and character focused the dramatic question the less overtly commercial the film. Dramatic questions that are plot focused, rather than story focused, are usually more easily marketable and thus more commercial. Once this dramatic question is answered the movie is over as the audience has no reason to stick around. For example, the dramatic question in Die Hard is: will John McClane rescue his wife from the terrorist (plot focused)? Raiders of the Los Ark is will Indiana Jones prevent the Nazis from possessing the Ark (plot focused)? In American Beauty will Lester redeem his life and find happiness before he dies (character focused)?
Much like Story, once the Dramatic Question is decided upon it does not change. To change it means to re-structure the entire script. It is also the other standard by which all incoming clutter is judged. Any note that distracts from or dilutes the Dramatic Question must be avoided! Plot changes. It can be altered and adjusted. The Dramatic Question does not.
This concept is a continuation of Harold Clurman’s discussion of the spine of the piece in On Directing but adapted to help with story momentum rather than a unified theme. The anticipation created by the dramatic question is the key factor in engaging an audience’s interest. Ask the dramatic question too late and the audience will respond with “it took awhile to get started...”, ask it too early and becomes just plot rather than story and people miss the emotional investment required to enjoy it.
It is going to be very difficult to outline a film without knowing the dramatic question. Because the dramatic question is so closely linked to one of them, you will also need a good understanding of either your story or your plot as well. It’s best to have all three, but most projects don’t start out like that. The good news is that everything is linked. And once you have the answers to a few things other pieces will fall into place as you start outlining the script.