The deep satisfaction of classic storytelling
Call it the hero's journey, the three-act structure - the classic way of storytelling as brought forth by the Greek sticks with us through the millenia ... because it works.
Writer Ingrid Sundberg
put the image on the right together - it basically encompasses all - and gives welcome clarity as it brings together the different ways to describe specific plot points. I try not to give structure any thought - after 20 years of screenwriting it happens naturally.
But I'm writing this post because I've just watched "The Way" , the film Emilio Estevez made with his dad Martin Sheen in the lead. The film has a hefty 82% on the Tomatometer and I understand why - it's a poignant tale with carefully crafted characters. Hard to feel cheated at the end of this film, hard to not be moved ... and yet I found myself wondering why I wasn't more satisfied with my movie viewing experience.
It was because of structure. The movie went from the inciting incident to the point of no return quite classically ... and then it just hiked, together with its protagonists, through the movie. Along the famed Camino de Santiago there were minor tests/hurdles - but essentially there were no real temptations, there was no massive obstacle, there was no rock-bottom hole for Martin Sheen to crawl back out of (well actually there was but it was just done for him).
The whole story was simply about a man learning to accept his son's choices - and discovering himself along the way. You knew it would eventually happen and it did. No surprises. But it was well-acted and moving ... just not nearly as satisfying as it could have been - and that was because we, all of us, have this classic storytelling structure in our DNA, it's part of us and when it's not there, we feel that something's missing.
Call it traditional, call it old-fashioned, the classic structure resonates more strongly than anything else. In the end, though, it's choice - and I love that. Emilio Estevez has been around the Hollywood blocks more than a few times - he knew exactly what he was doing. So play, mix it up, forgo certain elements, try new things, different things, wild things - choose your own way ... but do so knowing that you pay a price. It will be the difference between a good film and a potentially great film.
Writer Ingrid Sundberg
put the image on the right together - it basically encompasses all - and gives welcome clarity as it brings together the different ways to describe specific plot points. I try not to give structure any thought - after 20 years of screenwriting it happens naturally.But I'm writing this post because I've just watched "The Way" , the film Emilio Estevez made with his dad Martin Sheen in the lead. The film has a hefty 82% on the Tomatometer and I understand why - it's a poignant tale with carefully crafted characters. Hard to feel cheated at the end of this film, hard to not be moved ... and yet I found myself wondering why I wasn't more satisfied with my movie viewing experience.
It was because of structure. The movie went from the inciting incident to the point of no return quite classically ... and then it just hiked, together with its protagonists, through the movie. Along the famed Camino de Santiago there were minor tests/hurdles - but essentially there were no real temptations, there was no massive obstacle, there was no rock-bottom hole for Martin Sheen to crawl back out of (well actually there was but it was just done for him).
The whole story was simply about a man learning to accept his son's choices - and discovering himself along the way. You knew it would eventually happen and it did. No surprises. But it was well-acted and moving ... just not nearly as satisfying as it could have been - and that was because we, all of us, have this classic storytelling structure in our DNA, it's part of us and when it's not there, we feel that something's missing.
Call it traditional, call it old-fashioned, the classic structure resonates more strongly than anything else. In the end, though, it's choice - and I love that. Emilio Estevez has been around the Hollywood blocks more than a few times - he knew exactly what he was doing. So play, mix it up, forgo certain elements, try new things, different things, wild things - choose your own way ... but do so knowing that you pay a price. It will be the difference between a good film and a potentially great film.
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