hallo! would you consider making a video or two on blue eye samurai? I really love the analysis you did for arcane and I'm having trouble other videos like it for blue eye samurai
I appreciate so much the lil scenes you created with the plushies! made the whole video much more interesting to watch and I found myself looking forward to their next appearance. Not to mention this was an amazing analysis as always, and incredibly useful for those of us who enjoy writing! Thank you for this video, I'll watch again soon for sure! -- Like, come on that shot with Caitlyn's mouthless plushie with a taped mouth got me laughing my socks off
I think I remember Alex Hirsh talking about "breaking an episode" in the Gravity Falls commentary tracks. He seemed to describe it as separating the episode up into acts between commercial breaks. There's a set up, commercial, act two that ends on a cliffhanger going into the climax, commercial, then the climax and resolution. The definitions are similar. Both have to do with pacing out the tension in an episode, but Alex Hirsh's definition explains why it's called "breaking" and not "building".
Also sounds Not Dissimilar to chunking. An organisational exercise for timetabling your day by time slots and dedicatung XYZ amount of time per activity/task
1. Give your characters impossible decisions. 2. Find complexity in the character relationship to change. 3. What is the line your character won't cross?. 4. Use empathy to prevent character flaws and mistakes from alienating your audience. 5. Build compelling characters by giving them a chip on their shoulder or something to prove. 6. Ask questions about your character's life. 7. Start with a strong emotion or a defined relationship, then find the interesting story that leads us there. 8. Ask "how does it feel to be this character?". 9. Ask question about your character's mundane daily life. 10. Find media that your character's undefinable qualities and use that to guide you. 11. Do things your characters do. How does it make you feel? What do you think about?. 12. Adopt a mindset of letting your character write their own stories. 13. Find the nuance. 14. Find the lows that honor the highs. Find the other side of your character. 15. Use all your tools. 16. If you story feels soulless fix it by bringing character elements to the forefront every step of the way. 17. Create a chain of events where it's only character choice that drives the story forward. 18. Separate character arcs from the world arc. 19. Track the build up of tension throughout your story. 20. Figure out the bones of your story first, then work your way outwards. 21. Find tone that will breathe life into your story. 22. Ask "How does this scene develop the character", "How does this scene further the plot", and "How does this scene teach the audience something new about the world". Answer at least 2. 23. Use your opening as an opportunity to frame your whole story. 24. Make things so close to working out... before they fail. 25. Use perfect decision making to set up an optimistic plot line, and sue human imperfection to lay groundwork for your inevitable realistic plot line. 26. Cultivate a "messy mind". 27. Use small picture goals to move big picture goals. 28. If your story is a mess, get rid of extra stuff. 29. Figure out how much space you're working with. 30. Find an organizing principle. 31. Prioritize finishing a draft (to understand what you need to cut / reorganize). 32. Figure out what type of story you want to write and what type of story you don't want to write. 33. Trust your audience. 34. Sometimes the only way to solve a problem is trial and error. 35. Know better than your audience. 36. Write the story you would fall in love with. 37. There's no golden formula, do learn from others, but ultimately find your own way. 38. Be ready and willing to ask for help when your story needs it. 39. Find people who are really good at what you want to be good at and make friends with them. 40. When you are reaching out for help, prioritize people who get it. 41. Find people who think the work is important. 42. Be driven by a sense of obligation. 43. Don't be afraid go (good) stress, it can be a powerful motivator. 44. When you feel overwhelmed, repair your ego first, then power through. 45. Prioritize feeling free and open when it's time to create. 46. Recharge your batteries by reconnecting to the creative vision you originally fell in love with. 47. Being good at getting stuff done is a separate skill from thing creative; treat it as such. 48. Learn as fast as you can. 49. Always be looking for opportunity in what seems like an obstacle. 50. Get better at writing voice by using league champions and voice lines as a method. 51. Forget everything. Write what you think is cool. Write a story you would love.
One of my favorite quotes when it comes to encouragement is "the lightbulb was invented by candlelight", in order to be great, you have to work with what you have first
00:25 📚 Arcane's writers started as beginners but made smart decisions to create a high-level narrative, proving it's possible to excel without prior experience. 01:08 🤔 Craft impossible decisions for characters; it fuels complex, character-driven storytelling seen in Arcane. 02:33 🌟 Characters' hopes, fears, and impossible decisions shape compelling narratives, crucial for emotional and meaningful storytelling. 04:25 🔄 Characters' relationships with change are key; resistance, denial, or ignorance of change can offer rich conflicts. 06:33 🤝 Empathy helps prevent character flaws from alienating audiences; relatable mistakes or actions retain audience connection. 08:56 🎭 Create characters with a chip on their shoulder or something to prove; these motives drive actions and conflict in the story. 10:18 🤔 Explore characters' lives, childhood goals, and motivations; ask intriguing questions to build depth and drive the story. 12:53 🎵 Emotional backgrounds and individual character themes infuse authenticity; start with strong emotions or relationships to drive compelling narratives. 14:58 🎨 Consider character's day-to-day life for vivid scenes; small details about a character's routine or behavior enrich storytelling. 17:04 🛠 Experience what your characters do; engaging in their activities provides authentic insights and can reshape your understanding of the character. 18:01 📝 Allow characters to surprise you; let them drive the story and actions, adding depth and unpredictability to their development. 18:45 🎭 Understanding characters' nuances involves exploring their past, relationships, and struggles to make them feel authentic. 19:40 📝 Beginnings of characters often stem from their extremes; developing the other side of their persona helps create more human stories. 21:05 🌟 Balancing extremes in character personalities, like Jinx's wildness and quiet, thoughtful sides, requires authentic transitions between these states. 22:14 🛠 Using various character creation methods (over 20-30) helps in developing comprehensive character arcs and plot elements. 23:24 🧭 Avoiding a plot-heavy narrative involves integrating character conflicts and needs into the story to breathe life into it. 27:17 🔄 Creating moments of full autonomy for characters drives the story forward with their choices, not just overcoming obstacles. 28:00 🌐 Character arcs integrated with the world plot, driven by character choices, elevate the stakes and consequences, giving the story weight. 30:21 📝 "Breaking an episode" involves structuring the story around key elements, focusing on assembling the story rather than linear progression. 32:46 🎭 Tone plays a significant role in story identity; Arcane found its tone by connecting with the emotional aspects of its setting, beats, and character traits. 35:09 📋 A successful scene criteria checklist: Develop character, further plot, teach something new about the world, providing actionable guidance for writers. 35:49 🎬 Openings should frame the entire story, guiding audience focus even if surprises await, to avoid aimlessness and engage the audience from the start. 36:45 📝 Craft an unexpected plot by outlining a coherent, expected storyline while hiding a more meaningful arc that leads somewhere unexpected. 37:55 🖋 Use imperfect decisions to create a realistic plotline alongside an optimistic one; showcase human imperfections for depth. 38:36 🧩 Managing complex storylines involves structuring arcs and themes; separate character and plot arcs for clarity. 39:44 🧠 Embrace messiness in storytelling as part of the process; prepare a mindset comfortable with dealing with chaotic elements. 42:08 🚦 Manage story beats like a traffic cop, ensuring eachcharacter arc aligns with broader story goals. 43:17 📏 Control the pacing and content of each episode by determining the number of story beats and scenes, reducing unnecessary elements. 45:22 📽 Focus episodes on specific characters or themes to simplify complex storytelling structures; this creates a clearer narrative. 46:49 🎯 Understand the quality and essence of the story you want to craft; know what type of story you don't want to write as well. 47:15 🧭 Develop a relationship between your story and audience expectations; guide decisions based on the desired audience experience. 50:05 🤝 Trust your audience's ability to handle complexity but ensure your story quality justifies the level of messiness. 51:04 🕵♂ Untangle messiness with trial and error; not every problem has a secret formula, sometimes it's about trying every possible solution. 52:45 🤔 Take calculated risks in storytelling even if they deviate from audience expectations; trust your instincts on what's best for the story. 53:40 🛠 Start by crafting a story you'd want to see; commit to following your own creative vision rather than bending too much to external expectations. 54:34 📚 Writing advice often focuses on effective delivery to audiences but can't dictate what you love in a story. 55:15 💡 Your personal taste is the guiding light for storytelling; write what you love rather than trying to fit someone else's standard. 56:40 📝 No universal golden formula exists for writing; discover your own process while learning from various advice and determining what works uniquely for you. 57:37 🔍 Don't mold your story to fit rules or advice; focus on what helps your narrative, disregarding what doesn't align with your vision. 58:19 🤝 Be open to seeking help when your skill level doesn't match the vision for your story; humility and willingness to ask for assistance are crucial. 59:16 🌟 Surround yourself with people skilled in what you aim to achieve; seek mentors, friends, or groups that align with your writing aspirations. 01:00:53 🤝 Prioritize collaborators or mentors who understand your vision rather than merely those well-versed in writing rules or techniques. 01:02:47 🌍 See your creative endeavor as a duty beyond personal fulfillment; be driven by a sense of obligation to the audience or a greater purpose. 01:04:36 🌟 If your story lacks a sense of obligation or importance to you, find something that does; being driven by a duty will sustain your commitment. 01:06:44 🔄 Distinguish between good stress that motivates and bad stress that erodes control; maintain a balance to prevent overwhelming pressure. 01:08:02 🤲 Address your sense of dignity and self-care before diving back into creative work; repairing your ego is vital to making good creative decisions. 01:10:38 🌟 Reconnect with the initial creative vision to regain confidence and energize your commitment; find inspiration to combat overwhelming obstacles. 01:12:03 🛠 Getting things done in creative projects involves diverse skills beyond just ideation or writing; it requires understanding the various crafts involved, planning, managing finances, and fostering good work habits. 01:13:25 📚 To materialize creative dreams like 'Arcane,' understanding the processes beyond writing is crucial; learning about different crafts, project planning, hiring, and finances is as important as writing itself. 01:14:34 🔍 Embrace mistakes as opportunities to learn rather than glorifying failure; fast learning involves identifying mistakes, being decisive, and swiftly adapting to new skills. 01:15:57 🌟 Obstacles in storytelling can be reframed as opportunities; recognizing challenges like shortening attention spans can inspire narrative innovation and complexity. 01:17:38 🎭 Improve writing by exploring diverse character voices; practicing writing lines for different characters helps in dialogue exploration and enhances voice diversity in storytelling. 01:19:17 📝 At the core of creating impactful stories lies the simplicity of writing what you find cool and love; prioritize crafting stories you are passionate about rather than conforming to expected norms or statements.
1:08 One small important caveat here. They didn't teleport to the top of the mountain, they scaled it, painfully over the course of a couple years. They backslid at times, and had many points where they wanted to give up because they never thought they'd reach the summit, but nevertheless, they kept climbing until they reached the top. It's really amazing dedication, mad respect to those guys for the achievement!
Thank you! I was freaking baffled when i heard "they went straight to blackbelt"... It took goddamn 7 years with it being essentially axed for a while - that is exactly the mountain everyone sees as a beginner Oh and hiring some talented writer to help out certainly solved the issue of it being greenlit - that whole reason leadership okay-ed it y'know... (according to the "5 how it was made episodes")
1. I’ve started saying that I wish more writers got interviewed for their shows, not just the actors. A show my whole family likes is X Files, and while some of those episodes are super creative, I don’t know why they were written the way they were. 2. I’ve started using bits and pieces of how Arcane is written to help with my own writing, and I think it’s been working. I’ve been getting better, and that’s such an amazing feeling.
YES. I've always wondered why the whole team wasn't always interviewed. I umderstand the creators and productors are priotized, obviously, but sometimes the whole picture is needed. I want to know how the work environment felt like from different perspectives, I want to know other people's experiences working as a creative team, I want to know other people's opinions on the whole process from their points of view It doesn't need to be all the 2000 individuals that worked on the thing, just some others than the main people
Just a note on the first bit - it isn’t just Christian and Alex who worked on the script for Arcane. They had an original script that they completed scrapped so they brought in experts to help them rewrite…
I love that Amanda expressed how intuitively she wanted Caitlyn or Vi to think of one another in a scene. A lot of this video shows how much of writing is assembling and breaking down ideas but don't forget to follow your intuition to see if it takes you to something more interesting or even finds the solution to one of your narrative problems.
Just five minutes in, and I think I’ve taken something incredibly valuable from this video. The characters all follow the same template. They’re all based on the same ideas of “impossible choice” They’re all built with the same format of an initial goal, a developed goal, and the development of that goal. And that’s what makes them so great! The chemistry and conflict between characters is all there because they’re all fighting over the same ideas. They all care about the same things: family, love, power, the people of their cities. If they weren’t built like that, the conflict just wouldn’t be there. You need your characters to agree on what’s important for there to be effective conflict and communication. The template doesn’t restrict the creativity of the writers and the unique aspects of the characters. It gives the writers a baseline, giving them more time to work on expressing the characters through how they interact with the core functions that make them a part of this story. Effectively using these formats is probably the smartest thing you can do, in any work you do. You don’t need to use the same format for your story, and sometimes it might even make sense to use different formats for different characters in the same story, but it really just struck me how ingenious of a method it is at bringing characters together over shared conflicts and just improving the character, themes, and plot in one fell swoop. I’m gonna keep watching now, might reply to myself if I have more to say, hopefully I didn’t catch on too quickly. (Not sure if I’ll consciously remember all this, but you’ve certainly planted the idea deep in my head. Truly invaluable, thank you so much)
Very interetsting take! But could you give examples of " initial goal, a developed goal, and the development of that goal" of some characters? Im not sure I udnerstood this one.
@@Sorine9 well, initially Silco wants to control Zaun, but he develops an emotional connection to Jinx, and that attachment becomes something of a goal. Different characters will go about these goals differently, and that’s where their unique parts can come to shine. For example, Silco doesn’t even realize that he’s starting to care for Jinx, whereas other characters are more aware of how they’re changing. The biggest thing I realized is that these formats don’t actually restrict your creativity. They focus it into characters that can actually play important roles in the story, which allows their development and the development of the plot and themes to become one and the same thing. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the show, and like I said I’m not really a writer, so hopefully it’s enough for me to leave it there.
I'm not a big commenter, but I just wanted to say your writing advice videos (and this one especially) have totally changed my mindset about writing and just how inextricably linked it is with the way I live my life, if that makes sense. To me, writing has for the longest time been this great aspiration that I have, a skill that has seemed incredibly daunting and difficult to master, something that I could never find the time for alongside my responsibilities. But you've made something click in my brain: I don't need to put my life on hold for writing, writing can be something that will help with me navigate who I am as a person and how I move through life and in turn, the skills and experiences that I've acquired in other areas can help me with my writing. Creative pursuits are never just these cold, hard skills to be mastered but they're always tied to our humanity and that's what makes them so magical.
Very well said. I have had a similar experience with this channel. The way he thinks about writing and storytelling finally made it click for me that I can use the way I already think and solve problems to tell good stories. Before, writing always felt like this abstractly artsy thing that some people had a talent for and some didn't.
This has got to be more useful and easier to understand advice than half of all books about writing out there (and I am not even halfway thorugh the video). Thank you for putting this together!!
100%, seeing the advice, some of which ive seen before and considered generic advice that didnt do enough for me, followed up by an explanation or clip of exactly where and how that was done in the show makes it so much more accessible. I now know what to look for and what to add to my own writing because i know what it is going to look like
openings are incredibly important. powder and vi's relationship is the focal point of the whole story. i cant imagine being as hooked as i was with any other characters or with any other scene. i cannot express how precious arcane's opening is to me. it's one of the reasons i kept watching the show, because the girls and their relationship meant so much to me from the very beginning.
My favorite book of all time is East of Eden, and his daily process was that he wrote the initial draft by hand in a bound journal a friend gave him, and he'd start the day by journaling his thoughts on the back sides of the pages, then he'd write the book on the front sides, and the journals were eventually published. It's a FASCINATING read for steinbeck fans!
Not me here again a dry sponge ready to take in ALLLLLL the writing tips for my DnD campaign. Thank you so very much Schnee for being a fantastic dissector of Arcane, Spiderverse, and many other works of art. Your perspective and how you take things apart and re-assemble them so masterfully is always welcome. You inspire me to be a better writer.
Pro tip: Burning Wheel's system of Beliefs are extremely good at structuring this kind of character growth in-game. Or, for a more brief overview, Hot Circle is a lite hack that also does it very well.
This was absolutely AMAZING! As a writer, this kind of stuff is pure gold. Thanks for this insanely thorough breakdown. I love Arcane so much and am soaking up every bit of wisdom I can from the writing team.
This video has been increadibly useful for me for getting out of the rut i've been in. I've been working on a novel for the past seven years (crazy, I know) and the process has been very touch and go. It was always hard to commit to the project, other interests would come up and hold my attention. I have always felt the obligation to tell my story, so that really resonated with me, but in the process of writing I often found my own story uninteresting or overly daunting to write. The advice of focus on writing the story you want to fall in love with is so simple and sweet, it perfectly incapsulates what is important. My novel is at about 160,000 words... I already know the multitude of ways that I want to change it, I just need to buckle down and get to it. Last words I need to get off my chest; I need to rewatch this as its obviously a lot of advice but following your channel for the past two years has been helpful. As you mentioned, sometimes things get really messy with so much advice and infomation floating around and I rarely ever took notes, I've just tried to put the lessons into practice with my writing. Sometimes it makes me think you and the writers whose work you analyse are geniuses, but that line of thinking obviously does nothing to get me to focus on self improvement. Anyway, thank you again. I'm hoping 2024 is the year I become a published author.
I’m in the same boat as you! I wish you the best of lucking finishing it! I’m slowly coming out of my writing rut and getting back to working on my story. It’s exhausting but also rewarding.
53:11 Also, if the risky solution is what makes you, the author, excited by your story, then you know “better” because that’s how you are uniquely telling the story. Take the risk because that’s how *you* want to tell it.
Just wanna say I rediscovered your channel a few months ago and it has taught me SO MUCH about fiction analysis and how I can apply certain techniques in my own writing. I know Thanksgiving has just past but I am so grateful for all the effort and love you put into these videos and I'm always excited for a new release.
56:17 This is something I understood a while ago about worldbuilding. When I was looking up guides/advice something would come up a fair amount of times - "don't make too many changes (to the real world), just one or two differences are enough to make a world feel different; otherwise you'll just end up confusing your audience". And that just didn't sit well with me, because there were many concepts I was interested in exploring with my world, and they didn't feel overwhelming/confusing at all, even as I explained them to my sis to test that theory. That's when I realized that, in fact, you can break literally any rule (when it comes to creative media), as long as you have good **execution**, it won't matter. If you execute and present the story well, it just works, no matter the rules you broke (or followed). If I can present my world as the background of a story, present some concepts gradually and organically, and let the audience figure out others on their own, while staying consistent, I can have a world as different as I want it to, and it won't be confusing. I'm not targeting people who just want to turn their brains off, but those like me who want to immerse themselves in an exciting world and feel strong emotions. You could take a good story and execute it badly, it'll end up mediocre at best. Or you could give the same outline to different directors and you'll end up with two fairly different movies. The execution part is so important, it's what makes or break an experience. Following advice and theory is good and saves a lot of time, but as soon as you feel "limited" by one, or that an element just feels right even if theoretically it shouldn't, I say that's when you go experiment and forge your own path ahead.
This rejuvenated my will to work on a writing project i've been working on for several months, but have ig put it on hold (school stuff). I was working on an epic revolution story set in an Indian cyberpunk world, but on top of not having a lot of time to work on it, I also didn't have a lot of concrete advice to use on it. I had no clue how to outline it, and some aspects of several characters were kinda confusing, almost hypocritical (i wanted my villain to be arrogant in the face of my MC, but also paranoid bc of him) and the advice in this video really helped me plan a way out of that. thanks. you are singlehandedly the best writing channel i think i've ever come across.
I’m currently 3 years into writing my first ever full narrative and the fact that they wrote such an incredible story with no prior experience is super inspiring.
I'm gonna be honest, I've been stuck in a state of no motivation to write for a while. but watching these videos has given me so much motivation and excitement again, and showed me why I fell in love with writing in the first place, and I want to thank you for that. The way you broke down every step and put it all together is really amazing, and I now can use it to make my writing better than it was before
I'm not interested in writing or storytelling but I found your channel and the qulity of your videos + my love for arcane got me watching every single one! Cheers!
Dude, this is what I needed. I am in awe of your analysis videos and Arcane. Also, the Spiderverse videos, too. I want to be the best writer I can be. This is like a buffet of writing tips I can't wait to indulge in. Thank you!!!
I love your 1min analysis series, and here's a bit of symbolism regarding Arcane I'd like to hear your thoughts on: at the end of ep 2 and ep 9, Vi and Jinx are both sitting on a chair resigned to the fate they willingly chose, then they stand up to face their enemy, Piltover. The difference is, Vi is trying to end the conflict by turning herself in, and is stopped by Vander. Jinx starts a war, and anyone who can stop her is either rendered immobile or dead. I think it's an interesting detail. Happy 2nd anniversary!
I just thought that if Jinx didn’t get so traumatized and had such bad luck she would have probably been as fun loving as lol Jinx. And Vi would be her sassy self and wouldn’t have so much responsibility weighing her down. I can’t just imagine their dynamic 😭
i dream of the day where arcane-tier writing is just considered industry standard and not some once-in-a-century rarity. because when you hear these principles distilled to its basic components, it's really writing 101 in any self-respecting lit course. there is actually nothing truly revolutionary or never before seen in the way the writers worked... they simply were meticulously following as many basic principles as possible while having a clear sense of what they want. if anything could be considered truly out of the norm with arcane, it's probably the ridiculously long lead time they had in production. of course, they had a talented team of extremely committed artists in every department as well, but if they were only given 6 months and one-tenth the budget (like the AHEM anime industry in japan) there is no way they could've been THIS meticulous with every little detail and put out such a labour of love. if industry execs really wanna learn anything here, it's figuring out how to know you have a team worth investing time and money into. and i don't think that kind of risk-taking can be distilled down into any simple formula.
RE: number 39 and planning magic...I remember during the Sundance interview when Christian said it, and I got goose bumps. As you note, it applies to so much of life beyond writing. I'm glad you used it here.
Thank you Schnee! This video has hit a sweet spot with me, especially after hearing advice over and over again that didn’t feel right. Whether they would feel like a plug and chug formula or a vague decrieptions of what to do (“Be more character driven”), this video actually helped me understand so many things nagging me about writing! (ALSO PROTECT THE JINX, CAITLYN AND VI PLUSHIES AT ALL COSTS!!!!)
There's also a way to reverse the “everything is going right” plot reversal with everything is going wrong while subtly building small details that can build a positive outcome reversal. A good example is something you've already covered in the Battle of Helm’s Deep…
Already halfway through is more useful than 2 years of study. Genuinely appreciate your work in putting this together and will be sure to come back to it here and there as a reminder for my script. Thank you.
The wait........has been hell........I can't wait for season 2. (Edit: at the same time, it's really nice getting a video from you about Arcane again =D
Schnee!! PLEASE make Andor content. It's right up your alley and an incredibly show if you haven't seen it. The writing, plot, drama, its all on the same level as arcane. I really want to see your analysis of it
No wayyyyy, it's finally out!!!!! Ever since you mentioned your idea for this in your video about the AMA, I've been hoping that I'd see it appear on your channel. And after a year of waiting, that day has finally come! Thank you for how much effort you put into your videos, it makes each of them a joy to watch! And with that, I'll dive into this one. Thanks again!!!! Edit: happy channel anniversary!
abt the “loneliness vs. enemy” thing w powder and silco, powder/jinx had no idea that silco was responsible for what happened to vander and the rest of them. she didn’t find out until ep 8 or 9 when she gets shimmered up and is hiding behind vander’s statue when she hears silco’s speech to it
How did you even come to this conclusion? She knew it very well bc she was literally there when all of it happened. And mentioned Silco monologuing about his relationship with Vander many times before.
@@KaterynaM_UAyeah, she was watching through the cannery's window. She saw silco on the other side commanding people to fight vi, at least. And even if she didn't see him, she isn't stupid. She would have figured it out quickly after being taken in by Silco, if she didn't figure it out instantly when she saw him.
She knew he took Vander, but since she technically did kill her family, she probably felt like she couldn’t blame him for that. However, Jinx didn’t like that Silco treated her situation as if it was the same as his and Vander’s.
I finally got through this entire video after having it saved for later and downloaded to watch, and it’s only a couple months before season two😅Thank you so much for this massive video, it really was a treat to go through and listen to your take on what to take away and it’s beyond appreciated, so thank you!😊
This video is amazing. I've been writing for years, and listen to a whole lot of online writing classes and podcasts to refine my skills. But from now on if anyone ever asks me for advice on how to make a good story, I'm going to show them this video.
I believe these writers were able to do such a good job because they asked the right questions. Writing at the end of the day is structuring a plot around questions and the answers lie withing the audience's mind. That's what good writing is in my opinion.
I feel like I'll probably come back to this video every now and then when I'm feeling lost with my writing. This has been a big help as always so thank you! By the way, I love how in part 40, you use Jayce and Victor in the context of "getting it", you could not have chosen a more perfect parallel.
I've basically been taking notes on every single point in this video and every single one of them has been helpful and has augmented my own writing style and my own writing rules I've been building over the last ten years of learning. So much good knowledge in here damn
Time passes so quickly, 2nd anniversary already. :D Btw I just wnted to tell that Arcane as a media pushed me to work on my own stories and to finally try out to write a book. First draft of it was complete in september this year but work is stiil in progress. And content like in this helps not only just in advising but giving a direction and choice to follow it or not. Mindsets of people are different and just listening to others process of thinking or work helped a lot through these years. Thanks for the analysis.
I can really honestly recommend the Behind the Scenes docu-series Riot published about how Arcane was made. It is absolutely incredible to see all the talent and hard work that stands behind this masterpiece
Another great video, it’s been such a pleasure to have you to dissect all the lovely details of Arcane over the past two years! Looking forward to many more ❤
Man I wish this sort of content was something my friends were into. I am not a writer but love the technical stuff. I play TtRPGs and story telling with character agency is the BASE of the genre of game. But DMs often forgo this for problem solution problem solution due to the lack of skill we have as writers as we are mostly gamers first. Also role playing a character is hard than it looks ! So we’ll done for Christian and Amanda for being able to embrace themselves
Thank you! Thank you! Thank youu! For all of your videos. I am not a writer but I am a creative, and I feel that your take aways from this video especially but also your analysis in general is more than "how to be a writer" its "how to be a creator" overall. I am currently interning for VFX in games while trying to balance in my need for designing and creating games overall. Your videos help me a lot in keeping my eyes on what matters. I often derail, getting into my own head and get blatant panic attacks over the feeling of being overwhelmed of all I wish to accomplish, your videos always leave me with a feeling of "this is possible" and gives me back the fight to create and the focus needed to not break in the process. So thank you for sharing the love and insights on the shows we love! Keep on going it matters!
i really appreciate your commentary and analysis videos, schee! they've really changed the way that i've looked at writing and made me think about things that i've just never considered. it's funny because your channel is the only thing i've ever taken notes for HAHA your videos really motivate me to improve my writing and implement a lot of these different ideas/tips. so i just wanted to say thank you!!!
this is everything to me (especially the last few points). Thank you for dedicating yourself to making this whopping 1.5hr video. As someone who identifies as the farest thing from a writer, maybe I can write a story true to myself someday.
As someone also trying to write a story, I'm in the opposite situation where I am writing a lot (passed a 100k word benchmark) but haven't done much to put myself out there. So much to do and too much freedom to go anywhere and do anything, really starts to become overwhelming.
I agree that I'd love to see the original script before the "intervention" happened. One of the things I've been learning though still figuring out how to apply consistently is that tension and conflict isn't just about the big parts of the plot. Even in a few lines of seemingly insignificant dialogue, or some minor activity, there's a full-fledged (if limited in scope) BMOC happening there. We need to be introduced to the stakes of the interaction. We need to see how the protagonist of the moment approaches the situation. There's always going to be an obstacle, some difference of opinion, or difference in understanding forming an obstacle - because humans are messy and real human interaction is almost never smooth. Then there will be a climax and resolution of some sort, to the interaction. And if that conflict isn't there, it's going to be flat, but if it is important enough to have that dialogue or activity or whatever, it should have a BMOC. And if it is something that's really important, then that BMOC should be developed more deeply. Also, conflict isn't necessarily person vs person. All those other forms of conflict (person vs nature, person vs self, person vs society, etc) aren't just useful to build stories around but to build the smaller conflicts that make up the bits and pieces of the story. If the character is starting a fire, it doesn't need to be a full on Jack London story but there can still be a bit of person vs nature conflict in there.
Bro, I don't know what it is about your Arcane fuelled writing videos, they are just pure art juice. I've dedicated most of my time to visual arts (illustration) but it still just helps somehow. It brings out everything I love about storytelling and fiction and why I believe it's one of the most important aspects of humanity as a whole. Not like a 'you're the grand master' way, just you're a fellow student and that's all we need. Just much love dude.
Of course the next part of the video put into words what I was trying to say. Your videos feel like that creative space (the example you used was pixar) where people are encouraged to play around and be free. Not 'what's the most optimal next step - do EXACTLY this to be better' but 'what would blow me away, what would I love'
Pro: your longform videos are sometimes legit university level classes. Con: sometimes I need to schedule your videos so I have time to watch the whole thing and take notes. Appreciate the effort! I'll probably take some time to rewatch the series after this video.
I'm not very good at writing comments, but I wanted to thank you for making these videos. I always loved writing but never really knew where to start. Your videos are wonderful, and help me write my stories so much!!
i'll be coming back for the rest of my life. Thank you so much for sharing these valuable lessons in writing. I have felt unconfindent when it comes to my writing so your videos are always helpful with creating a foundation with how I want to write. It nice to know that Im not the only one with a "messy mind" and that there's ways to create stutucre for me by slowly building new ways to create. Im not used to creating and meeting new people on purpose even though I am an artist and writer with the goal of being a show runner 😂 but ill slowly get better at that over time Again, thank you so much for making this video cause ill be rewatching this a ton in future🍉❤
I can't believe i missed this before. Your explanation and breakdown is a Masterclass built upon genius explaining a dream. Coming back over and over again.
I enjoy the commentary on their lack of social commentary. Whenever we see female (or minority) leads, people immediately try to dissect the motives of it. It is genuinely possible to be extremely invested in and excited about a story that isn't about yourself. I've always had the mindset regarding people complaining about female/minority leads, and also people complaining about male/majority leads, is that if you need the character to be a certain thing or look a certain way to connect to them, that's on you, as a viewer. It's the writers job to make something they're passionate about, it's on the audience to accept or deny the product of that passion.
Thank you so much for putting this together! I haven’t taken notes like that since high school. You do amazing work and we appreciate the effort you put out to help all of us improve.
Returned to this video after a huge break, and God does it make me sob! I’m currently building a product that I’m hoping to turn into a business, and do these lessons sound just right to tear me up!
I just found out Machiavelli said basically the same exact thing as Ambessa in this show, particularly her talk of foxes and wolves. Machiavelli said "One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves. Those that wish to be only lions do not understand this." I love that this show's writing is so good that even Machiavelli took ideas from it.
Great video. I've been following you for two years, and your work (and Arcane, obv.) have helped prod me to be a more productive and less derivative writer. Thanks for everything!
This is awesome, thank you so much! As a sidenote, I see that some people have recommended you watch Blue Eye Samurai, and I just want to second that! It's the first show I've watched that's really blown me away since Arcane, and I bet you'd really like all of the complex themes that the writers explore. That's all! You have a good one 😄
Interesting to hear that Arcane writers were heavily influenced by the character themes. Reminds me of how Cowboy Bebop was so great because it was based on great music too. Then the point of letting characters write themselves, that's how J Michael Straczynski writes amazing characters every time too. No wonder I loved Arcane so much!
I was an ahole and didn't respect writers, I was like science is hard and writing is just writing words. For whatever reason, I started developing a love for writing as I started noticing different kind of writing from poems to stories to screenplays. I now understand how difficult it is to craft something so good that it affects people, there is a formula that you can follow or you can use that formula as base to build upon. I would enjoy writing a lot more if I wasn't constantly aware of the grammatical errors I am making and didn't have a shaky attention span.
![[#2024MAMA] G-DRAGON - 무제(Untitled, 2014)+POWER+HOME SWEET HOME+뱅뱅뱅+FANTASTIC BABY | Mnet 241123 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ox29z5Nf1Uk/mqdefault.jpg)
Shoutout to stichofperfection on etsy for the plushies! :D
www.etsy.com/shop/Stichofperfection
Your videos and analysis is great. I would like you to do some from blue eye samurai too
hallo! would you consider making a video or two on blue eye samurai? I really love the analysis you did for arcane and I'm having trouble other videos like it for blue eye samurai
I came here also to recommend blue Eye samurai, I find the vengance, trauma and rejection similar but different to what jinx went through
I appreciate so much the lil scenes you created with the plushies! made the whole video much more interesting to watch and I found myself looking forward to their next appearance. Not to mention this was an amazing analysis as always, and incredibly useful for those of us who enjoy writing! Thank you for this video, I'll watch again soon for sure! -- Like, come on that shot with Caitlyn's mouthless plushie with a taped mouth got me laughing my socks off
I think I remember Alex Hirsh talking about "breaking an episode" in the Gravity Falls commentary tracks. He seemed to describe it as separating the episode up into acts between commercial breaks. There's a set up, commercial, act two that ends on a cliffhanger going into the climax, commercial, then the climax and resolution. The definitions are similar. Both have to do with pacing out the tension in an episode, but Alex Hirsh's definition explains why it's called "breaking" and not "building".
Breaking Bad had the same thing. Break into acts around TV breaks, with each act ending on a reason to continue the episode.
Also sounds Not Dissimilar to chunking. An organisational exercise for timetabling your day by time slots and dedicatung XYZ amount of time per activity/task
@@top-notanalysis4942 ???? Not similar at all.
@@YourBlackLocal I said Not Dissimilar. As in, yes, they are similar
@@top-notanalysis4942 And i said they aren't.
1. Give your characters impossible decisions.
2. Find complexity in the character relationship to change.
3. What is the line your character won't cross?.
4. Use empathy to prevent character flaws and mistakes from alienating your audience.
5. Build compelling characters by giving them a chip on their shoulder or something to prove.
6. Ask questions about your character's life.
7. Start with a strong emotion or a defined relationship, then find the interesting story that leads us there.
8. Ask "how does it feel to be this character?".
9. Ask question about your character's mundane daily life.
10. Find media that your character's undefinable qualities and use that to guide you.
11. Do things your characters do. How does it make you feel? What do you think about?.
12. Adopt a mindset of letting your character write their own stories.
13. Find the nuance.
14. Find the lows that honor the highs. Find the other side of your character.
15. Use all your tools.
16. If you story feels soulless fix it by bringing character elements to the forefront every step of the way.
17. Create a chain of events where it's only character choice that drives the story forward.
18. Separate character arcs from the world arc.
19. Track the build up of tension throughout your story.
20. Figure out the bones of your story first, then work your way outwards.
21. Find tone that will breathe life into your story.
22. Ask "How does this scene develop the character", "How does this scene further the plot", and "How does this scene teach the audience something new about the world". Answer at least 2.
23. Use your opening as an opportunity to frame your whole story.
24. Make things so close to working out... before they fail.
25. Use perfect decision making to set up an optimistic plot line, and sue human imperfection to lay groundwork for your inevitable realistic plot line.
26. Cultivate a "messy mind".
27. Use small picture goals to move big picture goals.
28. If your story is a mess, get rid of extra stuff.
29. Figure out how much space you're working with.
30. Find an organizing principle.
31. Prioritize finishing a draft (to understand what you need to cut / reorganize).
32. Figure out what type of story you want to write and what type of story you don't want to write.
33. Trust your audience.
34. Sometimes the only way to solve a problem is trial and error.
35. Know better than your audience.
36. Write the story you would fall in love with.
37. There's no golden formula, do learn from others, but ultimately find your own way.
38. Be ready and willing to ask for help when your story needs it.
39. Find people who are really good at what you want to be good at and make friends with them.
40. When you are reaching out for help, prioritize people who get it.
41. Find people who think the work is important.
42. Be driven by a sense of obligation.
43. Don't be afraid go (good) stress, it can be a powerful motivator.
44. When you feel overwhelmed, repair your ego first, then power through.
45. Prioritize feeling free and open when it's time to create.
46. Recharge your batteries by reconnecting to the creative vision you originally fell in love with.
47. Being good at getting stuff done is a separate skill from thing creative; treat it as such.
48. Learn as fast as you can.
49. Always be looking for opportunity in what seems like an obstacle.
50. Get better at writing voice by using league champions and voice lines as a method.
51. Forget everything. Write what you think is cool. Write a story you would love.
I love everyone putting their notes in the comments
I was by the 5th then I jumped to 51.. lol
Still I will take the notes, tnks❤
Thaks so much, this is a verry hopefull comment
❤️
thank you.
One of my favorite quotes when it comes to encouragement is "the lightbulb was invented by candlelight", in order to be great, you have to work with what you have first
00:25 📚 Arcane's writers started as beginners but made smart decisions to create a high-level narrative, proving it's possible to excel without prior experience.
01:08 🤔 Craft impossible decisions for characters; it fuels complex, character-driven storytelling seen in Arcane.
02:33 🌟 Characters' hopes, fears, and impossible decisions shape compelling narratives, crucial for emotional and meaningful storytelling.
04:25 🔄 Characters' relationships with change are key; resistance, denial, or ignorance of change can offer rich conflicts.
06:33 🤝 Empathy helps prevent character flaws from alienating audiences; relatable mistakes or actions retain audience connection.
08:56 🎭 Create characters with a chip on their shoulder or something to prove; these motives drive actions and conflict in the story.
10:18 🤔 Explore characters' lives, childhood goals, and motivations; ask intriguing questions to build depth and drive the story.
12:53 🎵 Emotional backgrounds and individual character themes infuse authenticity; start with strong emotions or relationships to drive compelling narratives.
14:58 🎨 Consider character's day-to-day life for vivid scenes; small details about a character's routine or behavior enrich storytelling.
17:04 🛠 Experience what your characters do; engaging in their activities provides authentic insights and can reshape your understanding of the character.
18:01 📝 Allow characters to surprise you; let them drive the story and actions, adding depth and unpredictability to their development.
18:45 🎭 Understanding characters' nuances involves exploring their past, relationships, and struggles to make them feel authentic.
19:40 📝 Beginnings of characters often stem from their extremes; developing the other side of their persona helps create more human stories.
21:05 🌟 Balancing extremes in character personalities, like Jinx's wildness and quiet, thoughtful sides, requires authentic transitions between these states.
22:14 🛠 Using various character creation methods (over 20-30) helps in developing comprehensive character arcs and plot elements.
23:24 🧭 Avoiding a plot-heavy narrative involves integrating character conflicts and needs into the story to breathe life into it.
27:17 🔄 Creating moments of full autonomy for characters drives the story forward with their choices, not just overcoming obstacles.
28:00 🌐 Character arcs integrated with the world plot, driven by character choices, elevate the stakes and consequences, giving the story weight.
30:21 📝 "Breaking an episode" involves structuring the story around key elements, focusing on assembling the story rather than linear progression.
32:46 🎭 Tone plays a significant role in story identity; Arcane found its tone by connecting with the emotional aspects of its setting, beats, and character traits.
35:09 📋 A successful scene criteria checklist: Develop character, further plot, teach something new about the world, providing actionable guidance for writers.
35:49 🎬 Openings should frame the entire story, guiding audience focus even if surprises await, to avoid aimlessness and engage the audience from the start.
36:45 📝 Craft an unexpected plot by outlining a coherent, expected storyline while hiding a more meaningful arc that leads somewhere unexpected.
37:55 🖋 Use imperfect decisions to create a realistic plotline alongside an optimistic one; showcase human imperfections for depth.
38:36 🧩 Managing complex storylines involves structuring arcs and themes; separate character and plot arcs for clarity.
39:44 🧠 Embrace messiness in storytelling as part of the process; prepare a mindset comfortable with dealing with chaotic elements.
42:08 🚦 Manage story beats like a traffic cop, ensuring eachcharacter arc aligns with broader story goals.
43:17 📏 Control the pacing and content of each episode by determining the number of story beats and scenes, reducing unnecessary elements.
45:22 📽 Focus episodes on specific characters or themes to simplify complex storytelling structures; this creates a clearer narrative.
46:49 🎯 Understand the quality and essence of the story you want to craft; know what type of story you don't want to write as well.
47:15 🧭 Develop a relationship between your story and audience expectations; guide decisions based on the desired audience experience.
50:05 🤝 Trust your audience's ability to handle complexity but ensure your story quality justifies the level of messiness.
51:04 🕵♂ Untangle messiness with trial and error; not every problem has a secret formula, sometimes it's about trying every possible solution.
52:45 🤔 Take calculated risks in storytelling even if they deviate from audience expectations; trust your instincts on what's best for the story.
53:40 🛠 Start by crafting a story you'd want to see; commit to following your own creative vision rather than bending too much to external expectations.
54:34 📚 Writing advice often focuses on effective delivery to audiences but can't dictate what you love in a story.
55:15 💡 Your personal taste is the guiding light for storytelling; write what you love rather than trying to fit someone else's standard.
56:40 📝 No universal golden formula exists for writing; discover your own process while learning from various advice and determining what works uniquely for you.
57:37 🔍 Don't mold your story to fit rules or advice; focus on what helps your narrative, disregarding what doesn't align with your vision.
58:19 🤝 Be open to seeking help when your skill level doesn't match the vision for your story; humility and willingness to ask for assistance are crucial.
59:16 🌟 Surround yourself with people skilled in what you aim to achieve; seek mentors, friends, or groups that align with your writing aspirations.
01:00:53 🤝 Prioritize collaborators or mentors who understand your vision rather than merely those well-versed in writing rules or techniques.
01:02:47 🌍 See your creative endeavor as a duty beyond personal fulfillment; be driven by a sense of obligation to the audience or a greater purpose.
01:04:36 🌟 If your story lacks a sense of obligation or importance to you, find something that does; being driven by a duty will sustain your commitment.
01:06:44 🔄 Distinguish between good stress that motivates and bad stress that erodes control; maintain a balance to prevent overwhelming pressure.
01:08:02 🤲 Address your sense of dignity and self-care before diving back into creative work; repairing your ego is vital to making good creative decisions.
01:10:38 🌟 Reconnect with the initial creative vision to regain confidence and energize your commitment; find inspiration to combat overwhelming obstacles.
01:12:03 🛠 Getting things done in creative projects involves diverse skills beyond just ideation or writing; it requires understanding the various crafts involved, planning, managing finances, and fostering good work habits.
01:13:25 📚 To materialize creative dreams like 'Arcane,' understanding the processes beyond writing is crucial; learning about different crafts, project planning, hiring, and finances is as important as writing itself.
01:14:34 🔍 Embrace mistakes as opportunities to learn rather than glorifying failure; fast learning involves identifying mistakes, being decisive, and swiftly adapting to new skills.
01:15:57 🌟 Obstacles in storytelling can be reframed as opportunities; recognizing challenges like shortening attention spans can inspire narrative innovation and complexity.
01:17:38 🎭 Improve writing by exploring diverse character voices; practicing writing lines for different characters helps in dialogue exploration and enhances voice diversity in storytelling.
01:19:17 📝 At the core of creating impactful stories lies the simplicity of writing what you find cool and love; prioritize crafting stories you are passionate about rather than conforming to expected norms or statements.
wow...
you mean the world to me
Schnee needs to pin this. Having a summary after a thorough watching is necessary.
The hero we need not the one we deserved
Thank you SparkNotes you are wonderful. If anyone tries to tell you that you aren't wonderful remember you at least did this.
1:08 One small important caveat here. They didn't teleport to the top of the mountain, they scaled it, painfully over the course of a couple years. They backslid at times, and had many points where they wanted to give up because they never thought they'd reach the summit, but nevertheless, they kept climbing until they reached the top. It's really amazing dedication, mad respect to those guys for the achievement!
Thank you! I was freaking baffled when i heard "they went straight to blackbelt"... It took goddamn 7 years with it being essentially axed for a while - that is exactly the mountain everyone sees as a beginner
Oh and hiring some talented writer to help out certainly solved the issue of it being greenlit - that whole reason leadership okay-ed it y'know... (according to the "5 how it was made
episodes")
That intro is the exact amount of production value I want from this channel.
1. I’ve started saying that I wish more writers got interviewed for their shows, not just the actors. A show my whole family likes is X Files, and while some of those episodes are super creative, I don’t know why they were written the way they were.
2. I’ve started using bits and pieces of how Arcane is written to help with my own writing, and I think it’s been working. I’ve been getting better, and that’s such an amazing feeling.
YES. I've always wondered why the whole team wasn't always interviewed. I umderstand the creators and productors are priotized, obviously, but sometimes the whole picture is needed. I want to know how the work environment felt like from different perspectives, I want to know other people's experiences working as a creative team, I want to know other people's opinions on the whole process from their points of view
It doesn't need to be all the 2000 individuals that worked on the thing, just some others than the main people
Just a note on the first bit - it isn’t just Christian and Alex who worked on the script for Arcane. They had an original script that they completed scrapped so they brought in experts to help them rewrite…
I love that Amanda expressed how intuitively she wanted Caitlyn or Vi to think of one another in a scene. A lot of this video shows how much of writing is assembling and breaking down ideas but don't forget to follow your intuition to see if it takes you to something more interesting or even finds the solution to one of your narrative problems.
Just five minutes in, and I think I’ve taken something incredibly valuable from this video.
The characters all follow the same template. They’re all based on the same ideas of “impossible choice”
They’re all built with the same format of an initial goal, a developed goal, and the development of that goal.
And that’s what makes them so great! The chemistry and conflict between characters is all there because they’re all fighting over the same ideas. They all care about the same things: family, love, power, the people of their cities.
If they weren’t built like that, the conflict just wouldn’t be there. You need your characters to agree on what’s important for there to be effective conflict and communication.
The template doesn’t restrict the creativity of the writers and the unique aspects of the characters. It gives the writers a baseline, giving them more time to work on expressing the characters through how they interact with the core functions that make them a part of this story.
Effectively using these formats is probably the smartest thing you can do, in any work you do.
You don’t need to use the same format for your story, and sometimes it might even make sense to use different formats for different characters in the same story, but it really just struck me how ingenious of a method it is at bringing characters together over shared conflicts and just improving the character, themes, and plot in one fell swoop.
I’m gonna keep watching now, might reply to myself if I have more to say, hopefully I didn’t catch on too quickly.
(Not sure if I’ll consciously remember all this, but you’ve certainly planted the idea deep in my head. Truly invaluable, thank you so much)
Very interetsting take! But could you give examples of " initial goal, a developed goal, and the development of that goal" of some characters? Im not sure I udnerstood this one.
@@Sorine9 well, initially Silco wants to control Zaun, but he develops an emotional connection to Jinx, and that attachment becomes something of a goal.
Different characters will go about these goals differently, and that’s where their unique parts can come to shine. For example, Silco doesn’t even realize that he’s starting to care for Jinx, whereas other characters are more aware of how they’re changing.
The biggest thing I realized is that these formats don’t actually restrict your creativity. They focus it into characters that can actually play important roles in the story, which allows their development and the development of the plot and themes to become one and the same thing.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the show, and like I said I’m not really a writer, so hopefully it’s enough for me to leave it there.
I'm not a big commenter, but I just wanted to say your writing advice videos (and this one especially) have totally changed my mindset about writing and just how inextricably linked it is with the way I live my life, if that makes sense. To me, writing has for the longest time been this great aspiration that I have, a skill that has seemed incredibly daunting and difficult to master, something that I could never find the time for alongside my responsibilities. But you've made something click in my brain: I don't need to put my life on hold for writing, writing can be something that will help with me navigate who I am as a person and how I move through life and in turn, the skills and experiences that I've acquired in other areas can help me with my writing. Creative pursuits are never just these cold, hard skills to be mastered but they're always tied to our humanity and that's what makes them so magical.
Very well said. I have had a similar experience with this channel. The way he thinks about writing and storytelling finally made it click for me that I can use the way I already think and solve problems to tell good stories. Before, writing always felt like this abstractly artsy thing that some people had a talent for and some didn't.
This has got to be more useful and easier to understand advice than half of all books about writing out there (and I am not even halfway thorugh the video). Thank you for putting this together!!
i appreciate it! thanks a lot!!
Agreed. I’m writing a story and a D&D campaign. I’ll be using much of this advice.
100%, seeing the advice, some of which ive seen before and considered generic advice that didnt do enough for me, followed up by an explanation or clip of exactly where and how that was done in the show makes it so much more accessible. I now know what to look for and what to add to my own writing because i know what it is going to look like
openings are incredibly important. powder and vi's relationship is the focal point of the whole story. i cant imagine being as hooked as i was with any other characters or with any other scene. i cannot express how precious arcane's opening is to me. it's one of the reasons i kept watching the show, because the girls and their relationship meant so much to me from the very beginning.
Lovely! Thank you. I wish writers journal more when they are in the process... Retrospectives tend to romanticize
My favorite book of all time is East of Eden, and his daily process was that he wrote the initial draft by hand in a bound journal a friend gave him, and he'd start the day by journaling his thoughts on the back sides of the pages, then he'd write the book on the front sides, and the journals were eventually published. It's a FASCINATING read for steinbeck fans!
Not me here again a dry sponge ready to take in ALLLLLL the writing tips for my DnD campaign. Thank you so very much Schnee for being a fantastic dissector of Arcane, Spiderverse, and many other works of art. Your perspective and how you take things apart and re-assemble them so masterfully is always welcome. You inspire me to be a better writer.
Pro tip: Burning Wheel's system of Beliefs are extremely good at structuring this kind of character growth in-game.
Or, for a more brief overview, Hot Circle is a lite hack that also does it very well.
It's been over two years and I still think about this masterpiece. I hope they can nail the consistency of season 1 and apply it to future seasons.
This was absolutely AMAZING! As a writer, this kind of stuff is pure gold. Thanks for this insanely thorough breakdown. I love Arcane so much and am soaking up every bit of wisdom I can from the writing team.
This video has been increadibly useful for me for getting out of the rut i've been in. I've been working on a novel for the past seven years (crazy, I know) and the process has been very touch and go. It was always hard to commit to the project, other interests would come up and hold my attention. I have always felt the obligation to tell my story, so that really resonated with me, but in the process of writing I often found my own story uninteresting or overly daunting to write. The advice of focus on writing the story you want to fall in love with is so simple and sweet, it perfectly incapsulates what is important. My novel is at about 160,000 words... I already know the multitude of ways that I want to change it, I just need to buckle down and get to it.
Last words I need to get off my chest; I need to rewatch this as its obviously a lot of advice but following your channel for the past two years has been helpful. As you mentioned, sometimes things get really messy with so much advice and infomation floating around and I rarely ever took notes, I've just tried to put the lessons into practice with my writing. Sometimes it makes me think you and the writers whose work you analyse are geniuses, but that line of thinking obviously does nothing to get me to focus on self improvement.
Anyway, thank you again. I'm hoping 2024 is the year I become a published author.
I’m in the same boat as you! I wish you the best of lucking finishing it! I’m slowly coming out of my writing rut and getting back to working on my story. It’s exhausting but also rewarding.
53:11 Also, if the risky solution is what makes you, the author, excited by your story, then you know “better” because that’s how you are uniquely telling the story. Take the risk because that’s how *you* want to tell it.
Schnee has taught me more about writing than my BA at university ever did.
Thank you Professor Schnee!
Just wanna say I rediscovered your channel a few months ago and it has taught me SO MUCH about fiction analysis and how I can apply certain techniques in my own writing. I know Thanksgiving has just past but I am so grateful for all the effort and love you put into these videos and I'm always excited for a new release.
56:17 This is something I understood a while ago about worldbuilding. When I was looking up guides/advice something would come up a fair amount of times - "don't make too many changes (to the real world), just one or two differences are enough to make a world feel different; otherwise you'll just end up confusing your audience". And that just didn't sit well with me, because there were many concepts I was interested in exploring with my world, and they didn't feel overwhelming/confusing at all, even as I explained them to my sis to test that theory.
That's when I realized that, in fact, you can break literally any rule (when it comes to creative media), as long as you have good **execution**, it won't matter. If you execute and present the story well, it just works, no matter the rules you broke (or followed). If I can present my world as the background of a story, present some concepts gradually and organically, and let the audience figure out others on their own, while staying consistent, I can have a world as different as I want it to, and it won't be confusing. I'm not targeting people who just want to turn their brains off, but those like me who want to immerse themselves in an exciting world and feel strong emotions.
You could take a good story and execute it badly, it'll end up mediocre at best. Or you could give the same outline to different directors and you'll end up with two fairly different movies. The execution part is so important, it's what makes or break an experience. Following advice and theory is good and saves a lot of time, but as soon as you feel "limited" by one, or that an element just feels right even if theoretically it shouldn't, I say that's when you go experiment and forge your own path ahead.
2 years already holy cow
And it will be almost 3 years to the day for the next season. Kinda poetic
This rejuvenated my will to work on a writing project i've been working on for several months, but have ig put it on hold (school stuff). I was working on an epic revolution story set in an Indian cyberpunk world, but on top of not having a lot of time to work on it, I also didn't have a lot of concrete advice to use on it. I had no clue how to outline it, and some aspects of several characters were kinda confusing, almost hypocritical (i wanted my villain to be arrogant in the face of my MC, but also paranoid bc of him) and the advice in this video really helped me plan a way out of that. thanks. you are singlehandedly the best writing channel i think i've ever come across.
Wow that sounds interesting. I would love to read it if you want to put it out there!
5 minutes in, I know I'll be rewatching this one
💜
I’m currently 3 years into writing my first ever full narrative and the fact that they wrote such an incredible story with no prior experience is super inspiring.
2 years already!! it's crazy! I'm still rewatch it time to time! Only one more years to go for Season 2
I'm gonna be honest, I've been stuck in a state of no motivation to write for a while. but watching these videos has given me so much motivation and excitement again, and showed me why I fell in love with writing in the first place, and I want to thank you for that. The way you broke down every step and put it all together is really amazing, and I now can use it to make my writing better than it was before
I'm not interested in writing or storytelling but I found your channel and the qulity of your videos + my love for arcane got me watching every single one! Cheers!
Amazing analysis! Thank you for the awesome insights. We need more stories like this!
Let’s goooo the legend has returned!
Dude, this is what I needed. I am in awe of your analysis videos and Arcane. Also, the Spiderverse videos, too. I want to be the best writer I can be. This is like a buffet of writing tips I can't wait to indulge in. Thank you!!!
I love your 1min analysis series, and here's a bit of symbolism regarding Arcane I'd like to hear your thoughts on: at the end of ep 2 and ep 9, Vi and Jinx are both sitting on a chair resigned to the fate they willingly chose, then they stand up to face their enemy, Piltover. The difference is, Vi is trying to end the conflict by turning herself in, and is stopped by Vander. Jinx starts a war, and anyone who can stop her is either rendered immobile or dead. I think it's an interesting detail.
Happy 2nd anniversary!
This advice collection is so good that you can implement them in ANY creative field, expanding to just real everyday life.
I just thought that if Jinx didn’t get so traumatized and had such bad luck she would have probably been as fun loving as lol Jinx. And Vi would be her sassy self and wouldn’t have so much responsibility weighing her down. I can’t just imagine their dynamic 😭
i dream of the day where arcane-tier writing is just considered industry standard and not some once-in-a-century rarity.
because when you hear these principles distilled to its basic components, it's really writing 101 in any self-respecting lit course. there is actually nothing truly revolutionary or never before seen in the way the writers worked... they simply were meticulously following as many basic principles as possible while having a clear sense of what they want.
if anything could be considered truly out of the norm with arcane, it's probably the ridiculously long lead time they had in production. of course, they had a talented team of extremely committed artists in every department as well, but if they were only given 6 months and one-tenth the budget (like the AHEM anime industry in japan) there is no way they could've been THIS meticulous with every little detail and put out such a labour of love.
if industry execs really wanna learn anything here, it's figuring out how to know you have a team worth investing time and money into. and i don't think that kind of risk-taking can be distilled down into any simple formula.
RE: number 39 and planning magic...I remember during the Sundance interview when Christian said it, and I got goose bumps. As you note, it applies to so much of life beyond writing. I'm glad you used it here.
Thank you Schnee! This video has hit a sweet spot with me, especially after hearing advice over and over again that didn’t feel right. Whether they would feel like a plug and chug formula or a vague decrieptions of what to do (“Be more character driven”), this video actually helped me understand so many things nagging me about writing!
(ALSO PROTECT THE JINX, CAITLYN AND VI PLUSHIES AT ALL COSTS!!!!)
There's also a way to reverse the “everything is going right” plot reversal with everything is going wrong while subtly building small details that can build a positive outcome reversal. A good example is something you've already covered in the Battle of Helm’s Deep…
Already halfway through is more useful than 2 years of study.
Genuinely appreciate your work in putting this together and will be sure to come back to it here and there as a reminder for my script.
Thank you.
We should all feel blessed to be getting lessons from the writing gods themselves.🙏
The wait........has been hell........I can't wait for season 2. (Edit: at the same time, it's really nice getting a video from you about Arcane again =D
Schnee!! PLEASE make Andor content. It's right up your alley and an incredibly show if you haven't seen it. The writing, plot, drama, its all on the same level as arcane. I really want to see your analysis of it
No wayyyyy, it's finally out!!!!! Ever since you mentioned your idea for this in your video about the AMA, I've been hoping that I'd see it appear on your channel. And after a year of waiting, that day has finally come! Thank you for how much effort you put into your videos, it makes each of them a joy to watch! And with that, I'll dive into this one. Thanks again!!!!
Edit: happy channel anniversary!
abt the “loneliness vs. enemy” thing w powder and silco, powder/jinx had no idea that silco was responsible for what happened to vander and the rest of them. she didn’t find out until ep 8 or 9 when she gets shimmered up and is hiding behind vander’s statue when she hears silco’s speech to it
How did you even come to this conclusion? She knew it very well bc she was literally there when all of it happened. And mentioned Silco monologuing about his relationship with Vander many times before.
@@KaterynaM_UAyeah, she was watching through the cannery's window. She saw silco on the other side commanding people to fight vi, at least. And even if she didn't see him, she isn't stupid. She would have figured it out quickly after being taken in by Silco, if she didn't figure it out instantly when she saw him.
She knew he took Vander, but since she technically did kill her family, she probably felt like she couldn’t blame him for that. However, Jinx didn’t like that Silco treated her situation as if it was the same as his and Vander’s.
this video alone is going to help through years to come. thanks schnee for another amazing video.
i'll be rewatching a few times to better organize and process myself. Thank you for making this in depth look
I’m fleshing out a webtoon. This is exactly what I needed - wow. Amazing.
I finally got through this entire video after having it saved for later and downloaded to watch, and it’s only a couple months before season two😅Thank you so much for this massive video, it really was a treat to go through and listen to your take on what to take away and it’s beyond appreciated, so thank you!😊
This video is amazing. I've been writing for years, and listen to a whole lot of online writing classes and podcasts to refine my skills. But from now on if anyone ever asks me for advice on how to make a good story, I'm going to show them this video.
I would love this content in a podcast format
I believe these writers were able to do such a good job because they asked the right questions. Writing at the end of the day is structuring a plot around questions and the answers lie withing the audience's mind. That's what good writing is in my opinion.
I feel like I'll probably come back to this video every now and then when I'm feeling lost with my writing. This has been a big help as always so thank you!
By the way, I love how in part 40, you use Jayce and Victor in the context of "getting it", you could not have chosen a more perfect parallel.
Holy shit, you and Local are talking? You two are like my main writing mentors right now!
I've basically been taking notes on every single point in this video and every single one of them has been helpful and has augmented my own writing style and my own writing rules I've been building over the last ten years of learning. So much good knowledge in here damn
My favorite show in the world after just one season
Love watching through these videos they help me so much with writing .So thank you and keep doing these videos!
Time passes so quickly, 2nd anniversary already. :D
Btw I just wnted to tell that Arcane as a media pushed me to work on my own stories and to finally try out to write a book. First draft of it was complete in september this year but work is stiil in progress. And content like in this helps not only just in advising but giving a direction and choice to follow it or not. Mindsets of people are different and just listening to others process of thinking or work helped a lot through these years.
Thanks for the analysis.
I can really honestly recommend the Behind the Scenes docu-series Riot published about how Arcane was made. It is absolutely incredible to see all the talent and hard work that stands behind this masterpiece
Another great video, it’s been such a pleasure to have you to dissect all the lovely details of Arcane over the past two years! Looking forward to many more ❤
YESSSS Another schnee video on a sunday night 😌
An hour and twenty minutes of QUOTES + schnee commentary = Yes. Hell yes. Let’s gooooooo!
can't wait for season 2
Don't know too much about writing, but that intro was crisp, that's all I'm gonna say.
thank you so much for this amazing work. It is helpful and more importantly it is a spark to start practicing🙏
This is incredibly helpful and well structured writing advice! Thanks to everyone for all your insight and hard work! ❤️
Man I wish this sort of content was something my friends were into. I am not a writer but love the technical stuff. I play TtRPGs and story telling with character agency is the BASE of the genre of game. But DMs often forgo this for problem solution problem solution due to the lack of skill we have as writers as we are mostly gamers first. Also role playing a character is hard than it looks ! So we’ll done for Christian and Amanda for being able to embrace themselves
Your channel is a goldmine. Thanks as always
We'll be waiting for your review on season 2 Schnee!!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank youu! For all of your videos.
I am not a writer but I am a creative, and I feel that your take aways from this video especially but also your analysis in general is more than "how to be a writer" its "how to be a creator" overall.
I am currently interning for VFX in games while trying to balance in my need for designing and creating games overall. Your videos help me a lot in keeping my eyes on what matters. I often derail, getting into my own head and get blatant panic attacks over the feeling of being overwhelmed of all I wish to accomplish, your videos always leave me with a feeling of "this is possible" and gives me back the fight to create and the focus needed to not break in the process.
So thank you for sharing the love and insights on the shows we love! Keep on going it matters!
Everything you say is so well phrased, thank you for putting all the effort into these videos.
i really appreciate your commentary and analysis videos, schee! they've really changed the way that i've looked at writing and made me think about things that i've just never considered. it's funny because your channel is the only thing i've ever taken notes for HAHA your videos really motivate me to improve my writing and implement a lot of these different ideas/tips. so i just wanted to say thank you!!!
I was shooketh at the anouncement that you're doing a colab with Local, Let's Go! Two of my favorite analysts in the same video is gonna be lit!
this is everything to me (especially the last few points). Thank you for dedicating yourself to making this whopping 1.5hr video. As someone who identifies as the farest thing from a writer, maybe I can write a story true to myself someday.
As someone also trying to write a story, I'm in the opposite situation where I am writing a lot (passed a 100k word benchmark) but haven't done much to put myself out there.
So much to do and too much freedom to go anywhere and do anything, really starts to become overwhelming.
Unrelated, but you absolutely NEED to analyse blue eye samurai. We'd all love to see your take on it
I agree that I'd love to see the original script before the "intervention" happened.
One of the things I've been learning though still figuring out how to apply consistently is that tension and conflict isn't just about the big parts of the plot. Even in a few lines of seemingly insignificant dialogue, or some minor activity, there's a full-fledged (if limited in scope) BMOC happening there. We need to be introduced to the stakes of the interaction. We need to see how the protagonist of the moment approaches the situation. There's always going to be an obstacle, some difference of opinion, or difference in understanding forming an obstacle - because humans are messy and real human interaction is almost never smooth. Then there will be a climax and resolution of some sort, to the interaction. And if that conflict isn't there, it's going to be flat, but if it is important enough to have that dialogue or activity or whatever, it should have a BMOC. And if it is something that's really important, then that BMOC should be developed more deeply.
Also, conflict isn't necessarily person vs person. All those other forms of conflict (person vs nature, person vs self, person vs society, etc) aren't just useful to build stories around but to build the smaller conflicts that make up the bits and pieces of the story. If the character is starting a fire, it doesn't need to be a full on Jack London story but there can still be a bit of person vs nature conflict in there.
What is bmoc?
Whenever Schnee posts the sky is clearer, the bird sing louder and life is just better 😌
Bro, I don't know what it is about your Arcane fuelled writing videos, they are just pure art juice. I've dedicated most of my time to visual arts (illustration) but it still just helps somehow. It brings out everything I love about storytelling and fiction and why I believe it's one of the most important aspects of humanity as a whole. Not like a 'you're the grand master' way, just you're a fellow student and that's all we need. Just much love dude.
Of course the next part of the video put into words what I was trying to say. Your videos feel like that creative space (the example you used was pixar) where people are encouraged to play around and be free. Not 'what's the most optimal next step - do EXACTLY this to be better' but 'what would blow me away, what would I love'
the first 7 seconds already have me in tears. I love and hate this show
Pro: your longform videos are sometimes legit university level classes.
Con: sometimes I need to schedule your videos so I have time to watch the whole thing and take notes.
Appreciate the effort! I'll probably take some time to rewatch the series after this video.
This is gold! Thank you for making this.
I'm not very good at writing comments, but I wanted to thank you for making these videos. I always loved writing but never really knew where to start. Your videos are wonderful, and help me write my stories so much!!
This was all amazing, very excited for Ghibli videos!
i'll be coming back for the rest of my life. Thank you so much for sharing these valuable lessons in writing. I have felt unconfindent when it comes to my writing so your videos are always helpful with creating a foundation with how I want to write. It nice to know that Im not the only one with a "messy mind" and that there's ways to create stutucre for me by slowly building new ways to create. Im not used to creating and meeting new people on purpose even though I am an artist and writer with the goal of being a show runner 😂 but ill slowly get better at that over time
Again, thank you so much for making this video cause ill be rewatching this a ton in future🍉❤
I can't believe i missed this before. Your explanation and breakdown is a Masterclass built upon genius explaining a dream. Coming back over and over again.
I enjoy the commentary on their lack of social commentary. Whenever we see female (or minority) leads, people immediately try to dissect the motives of it.
It is genuinely possible to be extremely invested in and excited about a story that isn't about yourself.
I've always had the mindset regarding people complaining about female/minority leads, and also people complaining about male/majority leads, is that if you need the character to be a certain thing or look a certain way to connect to them, that's on you, as a viewer. It's the writers job to make something they're passionate about, it's on the audience to accept or deny the product of that passion.
seeing vi and cait on on a little date halfway through this video has been awesome
Thank you so much for putting this together! I haven’t taken notes like that since high school. You do amazing work and we appreciate the effort you put out to help all of us improve.
Another 1hour+ video on Arcane... You bet I watching it.
Returned to this video after a huge break, and God does it make me sob! I’m currently building a product that I’m hoping to turn into a business, and do these lessons sound just right to tear me up!
I just found out Machiavelli said basically the same exact thing as Ambessa in this show, particularly her talk of foxes and wolves. Machiavelli said "One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves. Those that wish to be only lions do not understand this." I love that this show's writing is so good that even Machiavelli took ideas from it.
Can’t wait to see Local on the channel. Both of you guys have refreshing options on writing :)
I was worried something had happened with no videos for a month. Worth the wait!
schnee will be the biggest league youtuber in november 2024.Wonder why :)))
Great video. I've been following you for two years, and your work (and Arcane, obv.) have helped prod me to be a more productive and less derivative writer. Thanks for everything!
This is awesome, thank you so much!
As a sidenote, I see that some people have recommended you watch Blue Eye Samurai, and I just want to second that! It's the first show I've watched that's really blown me away since Arcane, and I bet you'd really like all of the complex themes that the writers explore. That's all! You have a good one 😄
Interesting to hear that Arcane writers were heavily influenced by the character themes. Reminds me of how Cowboy Bebop was so great because it was based on great music too. Then the point of letting characters write themselves, that's how J Michael Straczynski writes amazing characters every time too. No wonder I loved Arcane so much!
I was an ahole and didn't respect writers, I was like science is hard and writing is just writing words. For whatever reason, I started developing a love for writing as I started noticing different kind of writing from poems to stories to screenplays. I now understand how difficult it is to craft something so good that it affects people, there is a formula that you can follow or you can use that formula as base to build upon.
I would enjoy writing a lot more if I wasn't constantly aware of the grammatical errors I am making and didn't have a shaky attention span.