The Story Department | Screenwriting News, Tips and Articles

Structure: Michael Clayton

By Karel Segers on March 25, 2008 / Structure Analysis / 5 Comments

Tags: act one, act three, act two, call to adventure, character, climax, michael clayton, midpoint, ordeal, ordinary world, pov, protagonist, resolution, scene, script, sequence, sequences, story, story structure, subplot, The Inciting Incident, tony gilroy, turning point

A structural overview of Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy, 2007) in 8 Sequences. When I watched the film during its theatrical release, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Because of the relatively low budget (an estimated USD$25m) for its production values, Tony Gilroy was able to make some brave non-commercial

Conscious vs. Unconscious Desire

By Karel Segers on March 24, 2008 / Premium Content / 1 Comment

Tags: act two, character, conflict, conscious desire, die hard, john truby, mckee, michael hauge, mid-point, NSC, protagonist, reversal, robert mckee, script, story, turning point, unconscious

Question: When McKee talks about the conscious desire being a contradiction of the unconscious desire, would you relate this to the mid act 2 reversal / change in approach? Or would this be true from the very start of the story, script or life of the protagonist?

Structure: Assault on Precinct 13

By Karel Segers on March 11, 2008 / Structure Analysis / Leave a comment

Tags: act one, act three, act two, admin, antagonist, assault on precinct 13, climax, drama, dramatic irony, hero, john carpenter, protagonist, resolution, reversal, story, The Inciting Incident, turning point, UNK

This is the first in a series of structural overviews of popular films. Identifying the main story turns in a film is a great way to get a solid understanding of how film story works. So I invite you to view these films, break them down in

Killing My Darlings

By Karel Segers on March 7, 2008 / News / Leave a comment

Tags: act one, act structure, act two, blade runner, character, dialogue, direction, faust, first draft, linda aronson, michael hauge, michael mann, mystery man on film, NSC, obstacle, Oscars, protagonist, ratatouille, scene, screenplay, screenwriter, screenwriters, script, script editor, story, the unknown screenwriter, UNK, workshop

This blog started when a certain analysis of Michael Mann’s THE INSIDER sparked my frustration. Discussing BLADE RUNNER in a story workshop recently, I felt I was close to doing the exact same thing. To this date I don’t fully agree with her INSIDER analysis but Linda

Glossary

By Karel Segers on January 26, 2008 / Premium Content / Leave a comment

Tags: 3-act structure, act one, act structure, act three, act two, beginning, catalyst, character, character arc, climax, crisis, disturbance, drama, format, mckee, mid-point, normal life, ordeal, ordinary world, Point of View, pov, protagonist, ratatouille, resolution, reversal, scene, screenplay, screenwriter, sequence, story, syd field, The Inciting Incident, turning point

The following is a basic list of terms I believe you should have an understanding of. To be a professional, it is crucial you can communicate with others to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your work. It is not enough to know and understand Syd Field’s

Structuring the Facts

By Karel Segers on August 21, 2006 / News / Leave a comment

Tags: 3-act structure, act one, act structure, act three, act two, drama, empathy, movies, protagonist, reversal, roger ebert, screen drama, screenwriter, script, story, subplot

Turning real events into a working screen drama is a hell of a challenge. Whether it be a historical movie, biography or docu-drama, the smart screenwriter remains true to the spirit of the subject rather than an accurate report of the events. Plus: the principals of drama