It is setup as a dark comedy from the get go. Does not follow a 3-act structure though. Like a lot of Korean movies, it is made of 4-5 little stories hidden around 1 big story.
It didn't sets up the genre directly in act one but the social hierarchy and the exact opposite lifestyles of the two families are show in act one itself, I think it is the setup for the movie.
I think parasite actually does follow that rule in a way because even though it goes about it by a different method, he still achieves the ultimate goal of getting the audience in the right headspace to enjoy the second half
I honestly love how simplified and direct your teaching is. No pretentious details, no layers of complexity, no technobabble. You hit bullet points and make your reasons known. It's incredibly refreshing. Thank you.
about establishing the genre of the story, I feel like Bong Joon-ho's film Parasite didn't follow that trend but that's what made the film such a ride in the first place
Interesting example! I really enjoyed Parasite. I think you’re somewhat right. I think Parasite builds in a way where each crazy twist is still enough in the world to feel believable all the way through. So yea Parasite is a good example of an exception or of using the second act to slowly show genre rather than the first.
Celina Mae Medina Same thing with Oldboy or Three billboards outside Ebbing Missouri. If you don’t know the genre, there is no security for the audience. It makes you feel unsafe. That’s a good thing, it’s exiting!
On the other hand, I was very disappointed by Get Out. The conclusion was so simple, satirical and lazy. I lost all tension and interest. It was like the writers lost all their interest for their characters in the final scenes. It wasn’t even a real horror flick. The opening scene was very misleading in my opinion.
@@mitchcapps6021 It's about a man who flee from his country and now lives somewhere else. He was a wanted man but now he lives under the radar. Many years later he meets someone he likes to hang out with. Because he's lonely he decides to invite him over at his house. The guy he invites turns out to be a bounty hunter that was searching for him all this time.
its true the advice is so righteous!! don't start a story without following these steps. we are pitching our stories before writing helps a little th-cam.com/video/hPJEwGccDXk/w-d-xo.html
6:25 As a watcher of movies myself. I like being confused, it gets me waiting and eager to find a reveal or explanation of what I was once confused about. If its in my face and thrown at me, I don't care, i'm not waiting for anything cause I already know everything. Now I'm no screenwriter. I'm just a person who loves movies and this is my opinion. EDIT: This is why something like Twin Peaks is so powerful. EDIT AGAIN: Lmao I think I just realized David Lynch breaks all his rules and advice!
7:38 It's important to note that the Matrix's prologue, with Trinity sets up a vast number of questions, so the exposition dump feels like a reward for waiting.
I'm hoping to be a novelist in the future, and though I'm not a screenwriter (or at least I hope to try getting into it at some point), I'm finding your videos about character and story-line to be very informative. Keep posting, please.
6:48 There's an even more important reason for The Matrix not to give any exposition at the beginning of the movie: the point of view. The audience can't be ahead of the main character. We know there's something going on, but we don't know what exactly it is. Great video!
the advice is so righteous!! don't start a story without following these steps. we are pitching our stories before writing helps a little th-cam.com/video/hPJEwGccDXk/w-d-xo.html
Great point made on 7:40 - a super highlight on how to handle exposition - something soooooooooo many writer-gurus never give solutions to. They just say 'don't give long expositions' but have zero examples or solutions. Thanks for giving us this!
No joke, when you were talking about conflict and the inciting incident, I was like "Oh like Zodiac!" And then I see it as an example....lets just say I almost fell off my chair
the advice is so righteous!! don't start a story without following these steps. we are pitching our stories before writing helps a little th-cam.com/video/hPJEwGccDXk/w-d-xo.html
I have! They are currently not public to read. I’m trying to sell the good stuff and I won’t let anyone read the terrible ones (of which there are many. Part of getting better!)
@@TylerMowery You can learn by reading both good and bad scripts. When you copyright them, you should put them out. (If you're comfortable with it of course.) Or at least a scene or two. It be so helpful!
@@zla3031 Yes I know. I've read many of them. I always wanna read scripts from various sources though. Specially from individuals who offer online courses.
Please make a video about sudden genre shifting in screenplay. Now i am writing a screenplay which is a romantic drama in first half and it changes thriller after mid point. I need some ideas and references on it.
6:33 "It's better to exposition dump than to leave your audience confused; because if the audience is confused then they will have no reason to care or engage in the story that they are watching". Could not agree more on that point.
Personally I tend to enjoy stories that deliberately include mistake number two and kinda keep you guessing about the genre for awhile. When done right of course
im writing an action/adventure/drama/horror. its a challenge to blend the feeling of whats to come, without revealing the hook. pre/present/post apocalyptic scenario. (no zombies) fast paced over 7 books. one long arch. rise and fall tempo. multiple characters. it starts with lots of questions. very dark in the end. psychological mind twister. i cant find one single piece of research that covers long game stories. (think GOT size) any suggestions?
the advice is so righteous!! don't start a story without following these steps. we are pitching our stories before writing helps a little th-cam.com/video/hPJEwGccDXk/w-d-xo.html
There are some great films with genre changes, such as Kill List, or Angel Heart, etc. This is the kind of script I'm currently trying to write, which starts out as a romance type mystery drama, then in the third act, becomes straight up horror. It's difficult to do, though. I was trying to go from straight rom com to mystery drama, to horror, but the lighthearted comedic tone was too hard to work into the first act without being too much of a tonal shift when things start getting serious.
I see, what you did there, right? You explain this because of the comments about your video about the Joker, but without mentioning the film... Interresting idea... 😏
Since I got into filmmaking partly because Star Wars, I call the initial scene which introduces our antagonist the Darth Vader Scene. Like you said in 'get out' they placed the tone in the first scene to set-up the fate of the rest of the story, same with Darth Vader choking out the rebel commander and throwing him against the wall like a rag doll, we knew we were in for trouble with that raspy breathing dark armored dude.
The third problem (of excessive exposition in a story) is a problem I have with Nolan's Interstellar and inception and why I never rated them as one of his best works.
As far as I know, One thing I learned a friend told me was, you should always start with the Outlining of the script, Is this true, or is there a way to work around it?
What about the film dusk till dawn. That changes the story in the middle. The tone changes completely. No set up for it? Yet it’s a Fan favorite film from Roger Rodriguez. Is there something I’m missing?
I disagree with you on Get out. It was a thrilling story right up until the big reveal + the action splatter sequence, which saw the main character transforming from a real human being into an unstoppable killing machine. It took me right out of the movie
No, it didn't turn him into an unstoppable killing machine. He was just a guy trying to get out of the house. The others just stood in his way. And he understood enough about them to beat them.
@@TomEyeTheSFMguy I find it hard to believe that an average Joe, even though gone through a traumatizing experience, suddenly finds a killer instinct to skewer an old man with antlers and not even blink
The wants of a character can get changed? And maybe what started to looks like a want, became a need, and the big want appears somewhere to start the first plot? Sorry for my English. Hope u know what I'm talking about. Edit: I'm a member of the group, and I just wanna thank u for your efforts
Hey, man. This is a great video, as the most (if not any) content here on this channel. But with the topic of this video it is important to see not only good examples, but bad examples as well. You say expositional dumps is bad, don't do that, and then you say expositional dump in The Matrix is great. How should I process that? Find some bad examples to the good ones you already have. It's just a comment from a random guy at TH-cam you can pay no attention to, but in the learning process it will be really helpful. P.S. Thank you for videos, they are really great.
The way star wars started always made me chuckle. "Long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Bla bla bla bla bla bla. A whole Novel's worth of text. However. The movie was great nonetheless. So. I forgive them for that. And it actually helped to make me understand it a bit.
One of my film ideas has the issue of having a large family. So it’s kind of hard coming up with a conflict for a few characters without leaving some characters behind. So what should I do?
As in a greek play, begin with 3 characters having main conflict (this can vary - one character can be switched to an opposing force of many characters). As you lay out the basic conflict (we are talking about before the first draft is even made), you can begin adding side characters, but they must be related to a throughline theme of the story or be an extension of the heroes journey. A good way to learn such things, is to look how the greats did it. Martin Scorsese's 'Goodfellas' is made like a tale of a dysfuncional family. We've got our lead character - Henry. Jimmy, Tommy and Paulie embody the dangers of the mob. Karen is like his attatchment to the real world. Conflict ensues. 'How can henry balance out his personal life and the life of mob?' Side characters are like Morris, Sonny etc. It's important to stay focused on a singular conflict, though.
@@RajeshBhavnani But all these things that I and Rajesh said are purely technical. The best stories come out from an experience. It can be allegorical with it's themes, like 'Raging Bull' being Martin Scorsese's tale about toxic masculinity and destructive behavior. The boxing story is just a front. Aside from the 3 act structure and Robert McKEE's rules you've got to have some meat on the bone.
i’m just gonna say that there’s this one romance drama (it’s okay not to be okay) i watched that was more... difficult to tell right away it was romance? it starts with this two minute video about the overall fairytale like premise of the story and how the childhood impacted their adulthood, but if this wasn’t in the beginning you’d probably think it was a mystery. the girl ends up reading to children in a mental hospital because she writes children’s books; however, there is a man who is in this mental hospital with his daughter. he then tries to murder his child behind the stage. the girl has flashbacks of her past and proceeds to stab him with a knife. however, the main guy steps in and he gets stabbed with a knife instead, choosing to protect the man. by far the darkest and most unique meet cute i’ve ever seen. i really think the set up of this drama is genius because it is symbolic of the girl’s own relationship with her father, who we meet later. this impacts the theme of how family is simultaneously a blessing and a curse, a burden and a help, and something that you can never turn away from you, which makes healing from it ultimately hard (p.s. also the “meet cute” is literally the girl accidentally stabbing the guy in the hand before they stare at each other for a solid five seconds and then you can tell it’s a romance but with a giant symbolic piece [the knife] demonstrating how subtly toxic the relationship turns out to be and how they react when dealing with their past)
I feel like the biggest one is that the story has no meaning, there's no heart to the screenplay. That's what the story is truly about. You can have Shrek and Donkey going on an adventure to save the princess, but what the story is really about is Shrek accepting himself as he is and not buying into what everyone else thinks of him, a "big stupid ogre", and this allows him to also fall in love. Also, wants are super important but there are things a character wants and then it's important to know what the character needs. Shrek wanted his swamp and privacy back, but what he needed was self-acceptance and realizing he didn't need to be alone. He wasn't really happy. That also makes payoffs for the characters much sweeter because you can give them what they want, and ultimately they can see it really isn't what they wanted after all.
Another note about exposition is the “Pope in the pool,” rule. If you’re giving exposition while something interesting is happening visually, you trick the audience into caring about said exposition more than they normally would. If you have characters giving exposition while the pope is swimming in a pool, your audience is engaged visually while taking in the otherwise boring exposition.
1) The story has no conflict before the inciting incident 2) The story doesn't set up the genre 3) The story has unnecessary or overly long dumps of expository information 4) The character (or characters) have no clear want or reason for wanting it
Hey Tyler very cool video ... I'm a screenwriter myself currently working on a project. Don't get this the wrong way but I really like talking about movies and I want to point some things out that may help you or me or both. Firstly, the Matrix opening is filled with exposition, both visually and verbally. We are acquainted with the main character and with a very subtle and quick conversation learn she's interested in the ONE, which is major to the film. Then with visual and verbal storytelling see that she's sort of a superwoman, able to easily overpower several police officers. But this superwoman is afraid of the agents. How come? Even the running on the roof is filled with exposition and visual subtext. First of all, it is separated into two parts. The two jumps. Again the Wachowskis point out the same thing. She's different than the rest, but so are the agents. With the first jump, one doesn't make it. The second jump is kinda on the nose in that regard, but for the action part of the film, it's awesome and again it tells us the same thing. She's different but the agents are probably even more powerful. Also, I always keep in mind that even the best sometimes make mistakes. When I recall Get out, I remember the genius of it, but for me, the film starts like you said, from the moment he enters the house, so the intro clearly didn't work for me, despite setting up the genre. If for example, the beginning was an intro to the girl, instead of the boy, grieving her dead boyfriend or a dead relationship cause a boy left her and she befriends the main character through such a deceit, then the story is bound together better in my opinion and the shock about who she is, becomes even more powerful. Why? Because as the story says, she goes from one guy to the next, so that's the whole story in 3 minutes during the intro and you don't even realize what you saw. Even for Sicario, which is awesome, having the Emily Blunt character be morally correct creates great conflict in comparison with Alejandro and Matt but it doesn't mean that's the only way to do it. You could have a morally slightly flexible Kate shocked by the methods of the other two. I think that could be even more powerful.
Yes there''s definitely exposition in the beginning of the matrix subtly. What I'm talking about is exposition dumps. Large explanations of a world or a situation. Like Star Wars does with the yellow text in the beginning of each movie. Yes, all stories have problems or things that could be done better. My hope is to simplify and help writers identify mistakes rather than nitpick smaller elements that won't be as helpful to those who are trying to write.
I think there are many flaws in the man-made rules. It holds true in every field, even in science. But, here I want to have your attention in screenwriting. Mistake#2 Exception: 'PSYCHO' begins with thriller genre, but halfway through, the film switches itself to mystery/horror genre. Mistake#1 Exception: You talked about conflict. But if you look at 'TOKYO STORY'... throughout the film you will find there's no internal and external conflict within the screenplay. Despite of it, the fim doesn't bore us.
A lot of horror movies... maybe Panic Room... some of the Marvel films don’t have much meaning and are still fun... A good way to think of it is a “roller coaster movie” where it’s a fun ride but then you get off and you’re done. It doesn’t leave you with anything meaningful.
Was Kate the main character in Sicario? She rarely did anything to move the plot forward. I watched this movie because you mentioned it a lot in your other videos. Could someone kindly explain who Kate was as a character?
Would you be able to direct me to films that maybe have a slightly unusual structure? And I don't mean by that non-linear or whatnot, I just mean a film that would have an unusually long first act/set up and where the incident doesn't happen until a good 45 or 50 minutes or so for example? Or a film where the main character's arc finishes shortly after the midpoint, and we follow another character for the rest of the film or something along those lines? If that makes any sense..
_The Lion King_ has a first act that is slightly longer than should be expected in a beat sheet, so the midpoint falls around 60% of the way through the movie.
At first I was like "This fucking guy! This fucking guy is a 20 something that doesn't know shit"...*watches videos* "....Nevermind! He's fantastic" ...Being 30 has me jaded, don't listen to an old AARP member lol keep up the videos! They're really informative!
Quinten Tarantino broke some of those rules that is how he changed the film industry so I think it is good to push yourself outside of the limits of these rules, movies are all the same now, be nice if someone figures out a new formula and changes shit up.
I will use my first feature film Pro-Black Sheep ( th-cam.com/video/uuvePDCboeI/w-d-xo.html) as an example: Mistake #1: There was certainly plenty of conflict before the inciting incident. It was in every scene prior, starting with the first. Mistake #2: It was a political dramedy and it was established early. The politics in the first and fourth scenes, the dramedy in the second scene and thirdish. Mistake #3: I don't believe it had the long dumps of exposition. Maybe someone else would disagree. Mistake #4: My protagonist had a want. How clear it was? That is a matter of opinion. Mistake #5: It had meaning too. In fact, I was just discussing this with someone who just saw it for the first time today. The central moral problem asks, "should someone stay true to themselves even if it is unpopular to be that way in their community?" Of course, that correlates with the theme, which I unwittingly established. I was a super novice at the time, 12 years ago. I look forward to your next video on this series.
People mentioning the Parasite example here in the comment section: notice that we speak about the rules/standards here. Rules can be bent but its a very difficult thing to do. It's like this guy would describe the world of taxation and say "always pay your taxes on time". Now, is there a way to avoid taxation, yes there are, but very complicated and risky to execute. And so there is a way of not setting the genre, but it is a very difficult and risky thing to do, you may end up with a masterpiece like Parasite but you may also end up with a bunch of trash.
I'm writing my first feature film now, so this is very helpful. I have written stories and two short film scripts but never a full film and I need the opinion of someone experienced. Is there a platform where I can get constructive feedback on my work? Thanks in advance.
Ur right that certain films in the MCU lack meaning but films like Avengers Infinity War r filled with references to overpopulation and power and gods through Thanos’ character and actions in the film and his desire/want to save the universe by destroying half of all life.
Rafael Santos, from Portugal Quantos anos é que tu tens?... Quantos scripts já escreveste? Quantos scripts de profissionais já leste? Quantos já leste de amadores? Usar scripts da Pixar é óptimo. Grande escola. Mas escrever para a Pixar implica anos, anos, de dedicação a uma história. Só os melhores lá chegam. I've been writing for over 10 years, it's still uncertain today when it comes to storytelling, it's an art of uncertainty. A great story for some, it's a stupidity for others. How many times have you failed to be on You Tube teaching anything?
One of the most important things missin from corporate entertainment (since it is run by zevites and witches) is the resortin of the protagonist to God for the solution, rather than to try to tackle it by virtue of his own personal resources. Follow the examples in the Books of Kings and Chronicles, whenever God is sought for approval or disapproval of any intended action, and the gatherins of the protagonists' group in worshipful surrender to God, rather than presentin it as hollow form only.
Get Practical Tools to Write Your Great Screenplay: www.practicalscreenwriting.com
“Mistake #2 in Act One: The Story doesn’t set up the genre.”
Parasite: “Hold my birthday cake.”
It is setup as a dark comedy from the get go. Does not follow a 3-act structure though. Like a lot of Korean movies, it is made of 4-5 little stories hidden around 1 big story.
It didn't sets up the genre directly in act one but the social hierarchy and the exact opposite lifestyles of the two families are show in act one itself, I think it is the setup for the movie.
I think parasite actually does follow that rule in a way because even though it goes about it by a different method, he still achieves the ultimate goal of getting the audience in the right headspace to enjoy the second half
@callmecatalyst which third family are you talking about?
There is no better feeling than watching these videos and knowing you are doing everything right
I know right lol
Yes.
3 years later. did you finish your project? and if so where can it be viewed?
Did you also include the spark of madness in your screenplay?
I honestly love how simplified and direct your teaching is. No pretentious details, no layers of complexity, no technobabble. You hit bullet points and make your reasons known. It's incredibly refreshing. Thank you.
Writing is hard..
Anything worth doing is
Tyler Mowery Is watching your videos hard
You said it.
Many original directors write freely. They didn't even know these rules.
regentleboy True but it’s so much fun💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞
about establishing the genre of the story, I feel like Bong Joon-ho's film Parasite didn't follow that trend but that's what made the film such a ride in the first place
Interesting example! I really enjoyed Parasite. I think you’re somewhat right. I think Parasite builds in a way where each crazy twist is still enough in the world to feel believable all the way through. So yea Parasite is a good example of an exception or of using the second act to slowly show genre rather than the first.
Bong is a master of mixing genres, he has his own genre.
Same with from dusk till dawn
Celina Mae Medina Same thing with Oldboy or Three billboards outside Ebbing Missouri. If you don’t know the genre, there is no security for the audience. It makes you feel unsafe. That’s a good thing, it’s exiting!
On the other hand, I was very disappointed by Get Out. The conclusion was so simple, satirical and lazy. I lost all tension and interest. It was like the writers lost all their interest for their characters in the final scenes. It wasn’t even a real horror flick. The opening scene was very misleading in my opinion.
I was in the middle of writing. Took a break. And saw this in my feed. I just subscribed. Keep this series going. Thank you!
What are you working on?
@@mitchcapps6021 It's about a man who flee from his country and now lives somewhere else. He was a wanted man but now he lives under the radar. Many years later he meets someone he likes to hang out with. Because he's lonely he decides to invite him over at his house. The guy he invites turns out to be a bounty hunter that was searching for him all this time.
@@mitchcapps6021 I don't know. It sounds silly or stupid. But then again all my ideas sound silly on paper so I just decided to do it.
@@kioumaarstaeed No way! Follow that thing. You can do it!
@@mitchcapps6021 Thanks! I will. Are you working on anything?
Your videos are the constant cure for my writer's block, every time I watch one I suddenly have the inspiration needed to write more. Thanks!
its true the advice is so righteous!! don't start a story without following these steps. we are pitching our stories before writing helps a little th-cam.com/video/hPJEwGccDXk/w-d-xo.html
I finished a whole script and just now I've realized how shitty it is.
I don't wish this on my worst enemies.
DB choobie Don't worry, that happens to everyone. Make it better.
@@wes6571 yeah thanks.
DB choobie It always seems bad when you finish it but it’s the edits that make it good.
At least you finished it
@@TonyMacroni633 exactly, I have plenty of seemingly great ideas. But pretty much nothing to show for it because I never finish anything.
6:25
As a watcher of movies myself. I like being confused, it gets me waiting and eager to find a reveal or explanation of what I was once confused about. If its in my face and thrown at me, I don't care, i'm not waiting for anything cause I already know everything.
Now I'm no screenwriter. I'm just a person who loves movies and this is my opinion.
EDIT: This is why something like Twin Peaks is so powerful.
EDIT AGAIN: Lmao I think I just realized David Lynch breaks all his rules and advice!
7:38 It's important to note that the Matrix's prologue, with Trinity sets up a vast number of questions, so the exposition dump feels like a reward for waiting.
And set it on the right track you did. Thank you!
Was wondering why the beginning felt stale.
I'm hoping to be a novelist in the future, and though I'm not a screenwriter (or at least I hope to try getting into it at some point), I'm finding your videos about character and story-line to be very informative. Keep posting, please.
This and FilmCourage are my favorite channels on story. Great work brother!
6:48 There's an even more important reason for The Matrix not to give any exposition at the beginning of the movie: the point of view. The audience can't be ahead of the main character. We know there's something going on, but we don't know what exactly it is.
Great video!
You basically just giving us treasure. Thanks!
the advice is so righteous!! don't start a story without following these steps. we are pitching our stories before writing helps a little th-cam.com/video/hPJEwGccDXk/w-d-xo.html
Great point made on 7:40 - a super highlight on how to handle exposition - something soooooooooo many writer-gurus never give solutions to. They just say 'don't give long expositions' but have zero examples or solutions. Thanks for giving us this!
No joke, when you were talking about conflict and the inciting incident, I was like "Oh like Zodiac!" And then I see it as an example....lets just say I almost fell off my chair
Great video! Looking forward to your Act Two video, it's with what I struggle the most myself
What specifically do you feel like you struggle with? I may be able to address certain points in the next video
Tyler Mowery more than anything I struggle with keeping the story interesting throughout the second act. Balancing out subplot as well
Same. My inability to get through the second act is part of why a lot of my scripts are unfinished.
The only channel that I turn notifications on for. Every video is crammed full of valuable advice
Awesome to hear! Thank you!
love your videos man. They add so much value to my writing process.
Glad to hear it!
the advice is so righteous!! don't start a story without following these steps. we are pitching our stories before writing helps a little th-cam.com/video/hPJEwGccDXk/w-d-xo.html
I got a 10 minute ad and watched the whole thing you’re welcome 😉
Wow
Thankyou for teaching this, Love from India♥️
Have you written any screenplay's? I'd love to read them if you have them up... Your content is awesome.
I have! They are currently not public to read. I’m trying to sell the good stuff and I won’t let anyone read the terrible ones (of which there are many. Part of getting better!)
@@TylerMowery You can learn by reading both good and bad scripts. When you copyright them, you should put them out. (If you're comfortable with it of course.) Or at least a scene or two. It be so helpful!
@@bradebronson8835 there are endless screenplay pdfs by established writers/ produced films to be found online
@@zla3031 Yes I know. I've read many of them. I always wanna read scripts from various sources though. Specially from individuals who offer online courses.
Screenplays, not screenplay's. I have no idea why people use apostrophe for simple plural nouns these days. Why????
He is so young, yet so knowledgeable! Been following the videos!
Please make a video about sudden genre shifting in screenplay. Now i am writing a screenplay which is a romantic drama in first half and it changes thriller after mid point. I need some ideas and references on it.
Thank you. I was wondering about adding this one scene to the beginning of my screenplay but you just made it much clearer on what I should do.
If i were to give you one tip about writing a good story, it’s this. EVERYTHING has to make sense!
I want to apply for a University for scene writing. That, and I working of a novel. And your channel is helping me a lot. ❤
These videos are so incredibly helpful and informative! Amazing work!
6:33 "It's better to exposition dump than to leave your audience confused; because if the audience is confused then they will have no reason to care or engage in the story that they are watching". Could not agree more on that point.
Never underestimate your audience
Personally I tend to enjoy stories that deliberately include mistake number two and kinda keep you guessing about the genre for awhile. When done right of course
Thank you for this, can't wait for your video on the next act (I just can't seem to work midpoints)!
I’ll definitely be talking about midpoints in the next video!
Tyler Mowery great! Looking forward to it :)
im writing an action/adventure/drama/horror. its a challenge to blend the feeling of whats to come, without revealing the hook. pre/present/post apocalyptic scenario. (no zombies) fast paced over 7 books. one long arch. rise and fall tempo. multiple characters. it starts with lots of questions. very dark in the end. psychological mind twister. i cant find one single piece of research that covers long game stories. (think GOT size) any suggestions?
This is so helpful thanks Tyler :)
Glad to hear it!
the advice is so righteous!! don't start a story without following these steps. we are pitching our stories before writing helps a little th-cam.com/video/hPJEwGccDXk/w-d-xo.html
You are the best teacher for me Do you have any films you have done? id like to watch
The thumbnail looks like me when I start writing.
Man, this is so well-written, very quotable! 👍
There are some great films with genre changes, such as Kill List, or Angel Heart, etc. This is the kind of script I'm currently trying to write, which starts out as a romance type mystery drama, then in the third act, becomes straight up horror. It's difficult to do, though. I was trying to go from straight rom com to mystery drama, to horror, but the lighthearted comedic tone was too hard to work into the first act without being too much of a tonal shift when things start getting serious.
Watch from dusk till dawn
@@sampaccmusic Yeah, I've seen that a few times.
Tonal shifts can be very hard to pull off. Chungking Express is a pretty intense shift and may be worth watching to study
Watch Audition too. It starts as a pretty fun romcom with weird undertones and then completely flips
Make it a dark comedy.
EXCELLENT VIDEO!!!!
I see, what you did there, right? You explain this because of the comments about your video about the Joker, but without mentioning the film... Interresting idea... 😏
Not what happened
Joker*
Since I got into filmmaking partly because Star Wars, I call the initial scene which introduces our antagonist the Darth Vader Scene. Like you said in 'get out' they placed the tone in the first scene to set-up the fate of the rest of the story, same with Darth Vader choking out the rebel commander and throwing him against the wall like a rag doll, we knew we were in for trouble with that raspy breathing dark armored dude.
The third problem (of excessive exposition in a story) is a problem I have with Nolan's Interstellar and inception and why I never rated them as one of his best works.
Scorpio risin. Surprisinly this is useful thank you.
As far as I know, One thing I learned a friend told me was, you should always start with the Outlining of the script, Is this true, or is there a way to work around it?
I feel like film is calling me
thank you!
Great video!!
ur soo young and already know so much..I wish we were best frnds...
Thanks
Great work, thank you, Tyler! :) (Y)
What about the film dusk till dawn. That changes the story in the middle. The tone changes completely. No set up for it? Yet it’s a Fan favorite film from Roger Rodriguez. Is there something I’m missing?
I disagree with you on Get out. It was a thrilling story right up until the big reveal + the action splatter sequence, which saw the main character transforming from a real human being into an unstoppable killing machine. It took me right out of the movie
No, it didn't turn him into an unstoppable killing machine. He was just a guy trying to get out of the house. The others just stood in his way. And he understood enough about them to beat them.
@@TomEyeTheSFMguy I find it hard to believe that an average Joe, even though gone through a traumatizing experience, suddenly finds a killer instinct to skewer an old man with antlers and not even blink
@@Squall17x well if you find that hard to believe, then whatever, man. Especially after the shit he's been through.
The wants of a character can get changed?
And maybe what started to looks like a want, became a need, and the big want appears somewhere to start the first plot?
Sorry for my English. Hope u know what I'm talking about.
Edit: I'm a member of the group, and I just wanna thank u for your efforts
Hey, man. This is a great video, as the most (if not any) content here on this channel. But with the topic of this video it is important to see not only good examples, but bad examples as well. You say expositional dumps is bad, don't do that, and then you say expositional dump in The Matrix is great. How should I process that? Find some bad examples to the good ones you already have.
It's just a comment from a random guy at TH-cam you can pay no attention to, but in the learning process it will be really helpful.
P.S. Thank you for videos, they are really great.
The way star wars started always made me chuckle. "Long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Bla bla bla bla bla bla. A whole Novel's worth of text.
However. The movie was great nonetheless. So. I forgive them for that. And it actually helped to make me understand it a bit.
One of my film ideas has the issue of having a large family. So it’s kind of hard coming up with a conflict for a few characters without leaving some characters behind. So what should I do?
As in a greek play, begin with 3 characters having main conflict (this can vary - one character can be switched to an opposing force of many characters). As you lay out the basic conflict (we are talking about before the first draft is even made), you can begin adding side characters, but they must be related to a throughline theme of the story or be an extension of the heroes journey.
A good way to learn such things, is to look how the greats did it. Martin Scorsese's 'Goodfellas' is made like a tale of a dysfuncional family. We've got our lead character - Henry. Jimmy, Tommy and Paulie embody the dangers of the mob. Karen is like his attatchment to the real world. Conflict ensues. 'How can henry balance out his personal life and the life of mob?' Side characters are like Morris, Sonny etc. It's important to stay focused on a singular conflict, though.
@@RajeshBhavnani But all these things that I and Rajesh said are purely technical. The best stories come out from an experience. It can be allegorical with it's themes, like 'Raging Bull' being Martin Scorsese's tale about toxic masculinity and destructive behavior. The boxing story is just a front. Aside from the 3 act structure and Robert McKEE's rules you've got to have some meat on the bone.
@@RajeshBhavnani Of course!
I am well full aware I should be writing right now instead of scrolling on youtube.
8:03 mark: wants and need
Pheminist propagaboppa at outset of this videograph..
"Fool's Gold" has also very good exposition scene aboard the ship, or do you think otherwise?
i’m just gonna say that there’s this one romance drama (it’s okay not to be okay) i watched that was more... difficult to tell right away it was romance? it starts with this two minute video about the overall fairytale like premise of the story and how the childhood impacted their adulthood, but if this wasn’t in the beginning you’d probably think it was a mystery. the girl ends up reading to children in a mental hospital because she writes children’s books; however, there is a man who is in this mental hospital with his daughter. he then tries to murder his child behind the stage. the girl has flashbacks of her past and proceeds to stab him with a knife. however, the main guy steps in and he gets stabbed with a knife instead, choosing to protect the man. by far the darkest and most unique meet cute i’ve ever seen. i really think the set up of this drama is genius because it is symbolic of the girl’s own relationship with her father, who we meet later. this impacts the theme of how family is simultaneously a blessing and a curse, a burden and a help, and something that you can never turn away from you, which makes healing from it ultimately hard (p.s. also the “meet cute” is literally the girl accidentally stabbing the guy in the hand before they stare at each other for a solid five seconds and then you can tell it’s a romance but with a giant symbolic piece [the knife] demonstrating how subtly toxic the relationship turns out to be and how they react when dealing with their past)
11.21
I feel like the biggest one is that the story has no meaning, there's no heart to the screenplay. That's what the story is truly about. You can have Shrek and Donkey going on an adventure to save the princess, but what the story is really about is Shrek accepting himself as he is and not buying into what everyone else thinks of him, a "big stupid ogre", and this allows him to also fall in love. Also, wants are super important but there are things a character wants and then it's important to know what the character needs. Shrek wanted his swamp and privacy back, but what he needed was self-acceptance and realizing he didn't need to be alone. He wasn't really happy. That also makes payoffs for the characters much sweeter because you can give them what they want, and ultimately they can see it really isn't what they wanted after all.
very usefull
which screenplays have you written?
Another note about exposition is the “Pope in the pool,” rule. If you’re giving exposition while something interesting is happening visually, you trick the audience into caring about said exposition more than they normally would.
If you have characters giving exposition while the pope is swimming in a pool, your audience is engaged visually while taking in the otherwise boring exposition.
Well your audience isn't going to be invested in the story as much and in turn it may become forgetable
1) The story has no conflict before the inciting incident
2) The story doesn't set up the genre
3) The story has unnecessary or overly long dumps of expository information
4) The character (or characters) have no clear want or reason for wanting it
Ooff... Man this video made me realize I have every single one these problems in my story. Some better than others, though..
Hey Tyler very cool video ... I'm a screenwriter myself currently working on a project. Don't get this the wrong way but I really like talking about movies and I want to point some things out that may help you or me or both. Firstly, the Matrix opening is filled with exposition, both visually and verbally. We are acquainted with the main character and with a very subtle and quick conversation learn she's interested in the ONE, which is major to the film. Then with visual and verbal storytelling see that she's sort of a superwoman, able to easily overpower several police officers. But this superwoman is afraid of the agents. How come? Even the running on the roof is filled with exposition and visual subtext. First of all, it is separated into two parts. The two jumps. Again the Wachowskis point out the same thing. She's different than the rest, but so are the agents. With the first jump, one doesn't make it. The second jump is kinda on the nose in that regard, but for the action part of the film, it's awesome and again it tells us the same thing. She's different but the agents are probably even more powerful.
Also, I always keep in mind that even the best sometimes make mistakes. When I recall Get out, I remember the genius of it, but for me, the film starts like you said, from the moment he enters the house, so the intro clearly didn't work for me, despite setting up the genre. If for example, the beginning was an intro to the girl, instead of the boy, grieving her dead boyfriend or a dead relationship cause a boy left her and she befriends the main character through such a deceit, then the story is bound together better in my opinion and the shock about who she is, becomes even more powerful. Why? Because as the story says, she goes from one guy to the next, so that's the whole story in 3 minutes during the intro and you don't even realize what you saw.
Even for Sicario, which is awesome, having the Emily Blunt character be morally correct creates great conflict in comparison with Alejandro and Matt but it doesn't mean that's the only way to do it. You could have a morally slightly flexible Kate shocked by the methods of the other two. I think that could be even more powerful.
Yes there''s definitely exposition in the beginning of the matrix subtly. What I'm talking about is exposition dumps. Large explanations of a world or a situation. Like Star Wars does with the yellow text in the beginning of each movie.
Yes, all stories have problems or things that could be done better. My hope is to simplify and help writers identify mistakes rather than nitpick smaller elements that won't be as helpful to those who are trying to write.
@@TylerMowery Ok then ... Thought you meant exposition in general.
I think there are many flaws in the man-made rules. It holds true in every field, even in science. But, here I want to have your attention in screenwriting.
Mistake#2
Exception: 'PSYCHO' begins with thriller genre, but halfway through, the film switches itself to mystery/horror genre.
Mistake#1
Exception: You talked about conflict. But if you look at 'TOKYO STORY'... throughout the film you will find there's no internal and external conflict within the screenplay. Despite of it, the fim doesn't bore us.
Okay but what if my character doesn't want anything before until the story itself gives her a need?
Can you give us a few examples of entertaining movies without meaning or significant meaning?
A lot of horror movies... maybe Panic Room... some of the Marvel films don’t have much meaning and are still fun... A good way to think of it is a “roller coaster movie” where it’s a fun ride but then you get off and you’re done. It doesn’t leave you with anything meaningful.
@@TylerMowery Thanks! I really appreciate your videos and your reply! I guess Jumanji - The Next Level falls into this category？
Was Kate the main character in Sicario? She rarely did anything to move the plot forward. I watched this movie because you mentioned it a lot in your other videos. Could someone kindly explain who Kate was as a character?
The protagonist. She's the character we mainly follow throughout the story.
Can someone explain me what exactly is 'point of no return'??
Please make more videos
Hey Tyler, does short films also need to follow these guidelines? Nice Video tho.
Generally, yes.
Hey Tyler. Do you think the catalyst must happen on page 12?
Usually something has to happen around or before the fifteenth page.
Would you be able to direct me to films that maybe have a slightly unusual structure? And I don't mean by that non-linear or whatnot, I just mean a film that would have an unusually long first act/set up and where the incident doesn't happen until a good 45 or 50 minutes or so for example? Or a film where the main character's arc finishes shortly after the midpoint, and we follow another character for the rest of the film or something along those lines? If that makes any sense..
_The Lion King_ has a first act that is slightly longer than should be expected in a beat sheet, so the midpoint falls around 60% of the way through the movie.
what if everything about the story is conflict and the inciting incident is non conflicting yet brief
I can't help but burst out on "characters want"
what about series?
I am struggling with my direction for ending of my short film..
Problem gets solved. Main characters get a 180* arc.
Can this be applied to a novel?
I believe this can be applied to any kind of media
❤❤❤❤❤
At first I was like "This fucking guy! This fucking guy is a 20 something that doesn't know shit"...*watches videos* "....Nevermind! He's fantastic" ...Being 30 has me jaded, don't listen to an old AARP member lol keep up the videos! They're really informative!
Quinten Tarantino broke some of those rules that is how he changed the film industry so I think it is good to push yourself outside of the limits of these rules, movies are all the same now, be nice if someone figures out a new formula and changes shit up.
I will use my first feature film Pro-Black Sheep ( th-cam.com/video/uuvePDCboeI/w-d-xo.html) as an example:
Mistake #1: There was certainly plenty of conflict before the inciting incident. It was in every scene prior, starting with the first.
Mistake #2: It was a political dramedy and it was established early. The politics in the first and fourth scenes, the dramedy in the second scene and thirdish.
Mistake #3: I don't believe it had the long dumps of exposition. Maybe someone else would disagree.
Mistake #4: My protagonist had a want. How clear it was? That is a matter of opinion.
Mistake #5: It had meaning too. In fact, I was just discussing this with someone who just saw it for the first time today. The central moral problem asks, "should someone stay true to themselves even if it is unpopular to be that way in their community?" Of course, that correlates with the theme, which I unwittingly established. I was a super novice at the time, 12 years ago.
I look forward to your next video on this series.
People mentioning the Parasite example here in the comment section:
notice that we speak about the rules/standards here. Rules can be bent but its a very difficult thing to do.
It's like this guy would describe the world of taxation and say "always pay your taxes on time".
Now, is there a way to avoid taxation, yes there are, but very complicated and risky to execute.
And so there is a way of not setting the genre, but it is a very difficult and risky thing to do, you may end up with a masterpiece like Parasite but you may also end up with a bunch of trash.
YOU'RE SO PRETTY! Oh my gosh!
I'm writing my first feature film now, so this is very helpful. I have written stories and two short film scripts but never a full film and I need the opinion of someone experienced. Is there a platform where I can get constructive feedback on my work?
Thanks in advance.
809th
Mistake number 5... so basically the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe
Kjetil Aasen Really? Just on top of my head I can already tell you The Winter Soldier is about loyalty and friendship.
What?
Ur right that certain films in the MCU lack meaning
but films like Avengers Infinity War r filled with references to overpopulation and power and gods through Thanos’ character and actions in the film and his desire/want to save the universe by destroying half of all life.
Rafael Santos, from Portugal
Quantos anos é que tu tens?... Quantos scripts já escreveste? Quantos scripts de profissionais já leste? Quantos já leste de amadores? Usar scripts da Pixar é óptimo. Grande escola. Mas escrever para a Pixar implica anos, anos, de dedicação a uma história. Só os melhores lá chegam.
I've been writing for over 10 years, it's still uncertain today when it comes to storytelling, it's an art of uncertainty. A great story for some, it's a stupidity for others.
How many times have you failed to be on You Tube teaching anything?
So Star Wars Ep. 8
great video! shirts a bit small tho :p
yellow book, red book, blue book.
I'm getting kinda tired of hearing "Kate wants to take down the cartel" in these videos
Maybe u have gone past the point where these videos are useful to you...
@@PeterSodhi Maybe
Wow Tyler dind't know you were so young
I’m 22!
One of the most important things missin from corporate entertainment (since it is run by zevites and witches) is the resortin of the protagonist to God for the solution, rather than to try to tackle it by virtue of his own personal resources. Follow the examples in the Books of Kings and Chronicles, whenever God is sought for approval or disapproval of any intended action, and the gatherins of the protagonists' group in worshipful surrender to God, rather than presentin it as hollow form only.
Steve Quizodlibumpbumpbump what the fuck
Accidentally setting off a bomb is not a conflict?