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Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting Robert Mckee November 25, 1997 |
Remember Peter and the Wolf? I loved Sergei Prokofiev’s use of Bassoon; the enjoyment probably came from my ability to identify that unique sound.
Most people can appreciate arts without any training. But a little education goes a long way. My guitar education made Eric Clapton appreciated so much better. Whiskey has always been one of my favorite art forms. I have been enjoying them at a completely different level after a wise Scottish guy taught me the subtleties. For the same reason, I appreciate architecture much more than paintings. My many friends in architecture gave me the proper education on the craft: form, function, structure, etc.
Robert McKee’s book explains the craft of movies, particularly Hollywood ones. This book demystifies and makes you understand movies. I now think, not feel again, about movies after watching them. I also watch old movies in a completely different way. This book changed me.
Hollywood movies are done in acts, typically three; each act in scenes. A movies generally has a plot and several sub-plots. The plot usually involves a protagonist (the hero or main character) making a series of decisions that drive the progression of the movies. These decisions are progressively more difficult, since there are always something, the antagonists, against the protagonist in getting what he was pursuing. This tension between the protagonist and antagonists crescendos to the final crisis that leads to the climax. Most viewers can predict the climax long before its arrival, but it should be as satisfying. There are exceptions, but the majority of Hollywood movies follow this structure. Screenwriters should refrain from changing the structure, just like poets do not change the rules of metering. The form is how geniuses show their brilliancy.
A couple of years ago, I wrote a short story (SciFi). I wrote, edit, rewrote, sat on it, slept on it, re-edited, re-wrote again. It was not good. And I have exhausted everything I got. It was depressing to create the proof of my lack of writing talents.
No! I did not have the craft. I am definitely not a natural novelist, but says who I cannot become a good one? History shows that all fine arts require “deliberate practices.” Robert McKee’s book is the practice instructions for story tellers. And now I may start practicing.
Yes, for this story, I am my own antagonist.