Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting

by Robert McKee

Examples: 1. A characterization trait. In common: cut from a bratty child to a childish adult. In opposition: cut from awkward protagonist to elegant antagonist. 2. An action. In common: From the foreplay of lovemaking to savoring the afterglow. In opposition: From chatter to cold silence. 3. An object. In common: From greenhouse interior to woodland exterior. In opposition: From the Congo to Antarctica. 4. A word. In common: A phrase repeated from scene to scene. In opposition: From compliment to curse. 5. A quality of light. In common: From shadows at dawn to shade at sunset. In opposition: From blue to red. 6. A sound. In common: From waves lapping a shore to the rise and fall of a sleeper’s breath. In opposition: From silk caressing skin to the grinding of gears. 7. An idea. In common: From a child’s birth to an overture. In opposition: From a painter’s empty canvas to an old man dying.