Key questions according to Robert McKee
As I've always said, there's great value in procrasting (screenwriting principle #2)! Just spent quality time not writing and instead rummaging around the office. Came across the McKee workshop material from the early nineties, red cover, metal brads, the smell of New York still lingering.
A lot of that way-way-back-when weekend has stayed with me. It couldn't have been more intense (
even wrote about it here
). Structure, structure, structure! Here are McKee's key questions. There's no great mystery to them and if you're even a bit into screenwriting, they'll resonate as common sense. Still, we're human beings and we occasionally like to fool ourselves into shortcuts. So read these questions and if you have the most powerful answers to all of them, your script most likely rocks!What event starts my story so that the crisis and climax must occur?What is the relationship between the inciting incident and the crisis/climax of this story?Does the inciting incident and the way in which it occurs make the crisis/climax eventually necessary?The inciting incident occurs and creates branching probablity. Given this, do you feel the ending you've designed absolutely must occur?What event starts the story so that the protagonist must go into action? Even if the action is saying "I'm not going into action", the protagonist must react to that inciting incident. Even if it is to deny action.What does my protagonist want that comes out of this inciting incident? What drives the protagonist? What goal must the protagonist accomplish? What has he/she failed to accomplish?What position does the character meet? What are the sources of antagonism? From what levels of reality? Always try to create three dimensional stories in which conflict is coming from ALL THREE LEVELS OF REALITY.Is the opposition equal to if not greater than the protagonist? The protagonist cannot be up against forces which he can easily handle and overwhelm. Do these forces really test him/her as a human being? Do these forces become so powerful and cumulative in their power that they are severely testing the deepest human qualities in this person?As we move toward the ending, do we become more deeply involved? Have we grown to identify with and/or like the protagonist?As we near the ending, do we feel an exhilaration/acceleration of action and reaction?Does the action in the crisis/climax fully express my root idea WITHOUT the aid of dialogue?Every movie is about one idea. How does each scene in the film bring out an aspect of that one idea, positively or negatively.What is the worst possible thing that could happen to my character? How could that turn out to be the best possible thing? Or vice versa.Got all the right answers? Good for you! Chances are, however, that you haven't answered all of them to the fullest potential. And so, back to the script!
A lot of that way-way-back-when weekend has stayed with me. It couldn't have been more intense (
even wrote about it here
). Structure, structure, structure! Here are McKee's key questions. There's no great mystery to them and if you're even a bit into screenwriting, they'll resonate as common sense. Still, we're human beings and we occasionally like to fool ourselves into shortcuts. So read these questions and if you have the most powerful answers to all of them, your script most likely rocks!What event starts my story so that the crisis and climax must occur?What is the relationship between the inciting incident and the crisis/climax of this story?Does the inciting incident and the way in which it occurs make the crisis/climax eventually necessary?The inciting incident occurs and creates branching probablity. Given this, do you feel the ending you've designed absolutely must occur?What event starts the story so that the protagonist must go into action? Even if the action is saying "I'm not going into action", the protagonist must react to that inciting incident. Even if it is to deny action.What does my protagonist want that comes out of this inciting incident? What drives the protagonist? What goal must the protagonist accomplish? What has he/she failed to accomplish?What position does the character meet? What are the sources of antagonism? From what levels of reality? Always try to create three dimensional stories in which conflict is coming from ALL THREE LEVELS OF REALITY.Is the opposition equal to if not greater than the protagonist? The protagonist cannot be up against forces which he can easily handle and overwhelm. Do these forces really test him/her as a human being? Do these forces become so powerful and cumulative in their power that they are severely testing the deepest human qualities in this person?As we move toward the ending, do we become more deeply involved? Have we grown to identify with and/or like the protagonist?As we near the ending, do we feel an exhilaration/acceleration of action and reaction?Does the action in the crisis/climax fully express my root idea WITHOUT the aid of dialogue?Every movie is about one idea. How does each scene in the film bring out an aspect of that one idea, positively or negatively.What is the worst possible thing that could happen to my character? How could that turn out to be the best possible thing? Or vice versa.Got all the right answers? Good for you! Chances are, however, that you haven't answered all of them to the fullest potential. And so, back to the script! 
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