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

427 Pages·1997·17.37 MB·English

by  Robert Mckee

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STORY

STORY

Substance, Structure, Style,
and the Principles of Screenwriting

ROBERT MCKEE

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CONTENTS

Accoowldgmenss: § ix
Soles on the Text jai

THe WRUER AND IIL AST OF SIG3Y
Intradnesion 3
‘The Slory P-sblem
THE ELEMENTS GF STORY
The Skuclure Spetteue 32
Structure anc Seling #6

| Sleuclure ane Genre 7 30

Stmenue me Character j 105
Srrcaunearé Veanmg j 2)
TI PRNG 2 FS OF STO DESIGN
‘The Substance oF Say 1 135

3. The Inciis “meident 18.

fel Design } 208
Seeue Jesign 233
Scene Auiysis fase
Composition | 288
Crisis. Cenar, Hasohnton {391

TIP WRITER AT WORK
‘The Principle of Aucagonism } 317
Espesition 334

Drobleens ané Sohutions ¢ 348
Character $394

The Test 388

AWeier’s Methal ¢ 4:0

Fade Out 48

Suggested Readings } 4a
islmnography 7 435
Taslex ! 457
WRITER
AND THE
ART OF
STORY

Stories ane pnt fr Bg.
INTRODUCTION

Story is about principles, not rules.

Aral saps. “Yo mut do it hs wep: principle says, “This a0mts

and has thrcagh a remembered tie” Uwe dfererar if cm
il. Youn viork need be miadeled after the “well mace” pi
aber. TLapust 2e well sede wil Ube priuciples Bal shape our ar
Anaious, iuuxporivaced waiters ubey cales. Rebellious, unschooked
series nea ses. Asis raster te for,

Sto‘y is about etesnal, universal forms, not formulas

All notions af paradigms and foslpeoof story eels fox cous
cial success ate nonsease Despite tends remakes, aul euch
swe suey Ube lala y of Tulysued Ca. we fin astnding variey
of sory desig, bul cx patotyae, DIE BARD 2 na more cal of
THollyeuwd Uuan are PARENTHOOD, POSTCARDS FROM TH:
TDGE, THE LION K.NG. THIS IS SPINAL. IAP, REVERSAL OF
FORTUNE, DANGEROUS LIAISONS, GROUNDHOG DAY,
LEAVING AS VEGAS, or thousceds ol wher excullee tke in
dlszeus of gees ad subyences Zon lar usagi

Story urges the creatian of woes that wil excite audiences ua,
the six continanisaré Tee in revival eu ckvnkes, No une aed ye
nother recipe beak on how to reheat Hollswuod Lelio. We
need a rediscovery of the undeviying ones of our all, be guisiys
inciples that Whsrate talnnt, Ne mater hore a film is made
Hollywood, Paris. Hong Kong —o #'s of archerypal quality. i ig:
pete a dlobal and perpelnal cai eextion of pleasure tant exeres it
[roca vivant Wo cinerna, ysueration ty goreration,
Story is about archetypes, not stereotynes

he archetypal stoty utarlhs x wuivsally burran expat

then wraps ilcell inside a unique, enlure-specife expression, &
slereutpical story vewerses this pattern: It suffers a poverty ef both
eootent and form. Ie confines ital 19 4 nan, cullurespecific
sogcrionce and dvesses instale. noaspexili. wueralties

Far example, Spanish custom once diclaes, thal davglateae
must be mastied off in ocdes (rou uldest tw youngest, Inside
Spanisa culluee, & lili about the ainetsenth-cuntury family of &
sicr petriaceh. a pawerless mnther. an unmamtageable oldest
daughter, and a long-saffering soungest danghter may move those
who remember this practice, but outside Spanish culture audi
ences are unlike to empathize, The wiles, leatiog als stay's
limited appeal sews to the Guia: selling, ubavacters, and
eltons chal have pleased audience:
‘world is eve less interested i Use

(On the other hand, cis reprensive eastern could becorne wate

dial for 0 worldwide access Fe artist cru trol tp Tn sees
and serach [or an ercberype. An archetypal story creates semngs
and charecleis sp rare thal our eyes feast ont every deta, while its
telling iluniuales conics go true to huavankind tha i Journeys
Tro cular ty cule,

tm Laura Beyuivel's LIKE WATER TOR CHOCOLATE, mother
and daughter dash over the demands of dependency ves inde
pendence, permcnence versas change, calf sermus ochers—con
fats every family laws, Yet Esquivel’s obserwator of home and
society, of selauonshap and behavior is so cich i ever before-veen,
deal, wesc craton izesstibly to these characters ane fascinated by
carealin weve never known, aur evuld izing

Stereolyoital sluries slay al hurte, ateselypal stoies eave
‘Woody Allen, “he cinema's master storytellers give us the cone:

From Charlie Chaplin to Tngmar Rergwman, fem Satpait R

cidged enccuntrs ve crave, Fist, the duwery of word ws di rot
‘mon. No maticr how intimate or epic, cuntempurary ox historical
omerete or fantasiaed, the world of an exaizunt artist always sche
Inteopuerion os

tas as somewhat exolic oF strange. Uke im saplorer parting forest
eaves.»
ave where the ardinary becornesextzanedinary

Second, nce inside this aliew wold, wr find aursclees. Deep
within thes: characters and their canllicts we disceser our omen
humanity, We go to tae movies to exter a new, fascinating world,
lw iababit vicariously another hmmam being whi at fest seeens 50
unlike ns nl yet at et Lise us, wo live 9 etiona vali that
‘Mhuminates eur day eechty, We dy aol wish lo esespe fe 20°10
find 1, to nse aur n-inds in es, experisueital ways, to Mex ou
emotions, ws enjoy, to lear, to wld deplh lo ou days, Story was
seritten to Foster Sms of archetypal power and beauty that will ive
the wrk this dix" plearurr

stop vnde-cyed into an untouched soeiey, a e:ebérue

‘Story fs about thoroughness. not shortcuts.

From inspiation to last draft you raay need 2s smuch hee to
seuite 9 se-eenplag 38 te write ¢ novel. Sercem and prone sriters
create the samme density of world, character and story, hut hecause
sureenplay pages have ao much shite on them, we'e often eais:
fead into thinsing thal a sceeenplay is quicker and easier than a
ruovel, Dut while scriboaniaes Gl pages a fast ae they can te,
‘Bla writers cut une ent ugumn, ruthless mi theie deste to express
the absolute maxinnim in the Fewest possible words. Pascal once
swiote a lang, drawn-out fete le @ friend, then apologized in the
postscipl thal be did't have lime lu write a shost ons. Like
astal, streenvriters Warn tha: ecomonay is hey, that beesity takes
time, that excellence sataus persoverance,

Story is about the realities not the mysteries of writing.

“There's beee no conspizacy 10 keep sectel the nalts uf our a
Tn the twennythree cencuies since Arstolle wrote The Foss, dhe
‘secrete of sory have bees a public 9s lhe brary dows the sree.
Nattung ie the er& of smryte ng is abstmse. tn fact. a: Art
gauce tilling tary Jor the sereer. Tooke deceprively easy. Rut
6 4 poeent mexer

‘moving user and closer to he center, tiny seeue by scene: to
amake the stosy work. the mak becomes inceeasinyly difFcut. as we
sealize that um the screen these’ no olace ty hide,

Ha sercer iter fils mo mave as sth the puta of = dram
tiend scone, ke crac. like a nuvent in athorial voice, oF lhe ply
‘wright in sollogus, hide belend hus wards. He cannot s:noolh &
coating of explanatory ar emotve languaye over cracks it. Joe
bluschy motisation, ar calerleas emotion cn sizuply ells wnat 23
think or how to fel

“The camera is “he dread Xcay machiae uf all Hinge fds. ft
magnifies Ue many times ever, sha: sips naked every sesk oF
phony story ten, antl in confusion and frasration we're tempted
la quit. Yet given determination and study, she puzele sis
Scrneneciting i fill of senders but ne vuselvable mysteries,

Story is about mastering the art, not second-guessing
‘the marketplace.

No one can teach what sal eel, what enn't, what wil be a
sirash oF a lzeea, heros no one knows, Hollycod's bombs are
race wid the sume cunumertial cileation a ity bis, wbereas
dludish dranaas Gut cead Hike a checibst of everythong moneyed
‘wisdom says you must acver da—ORDINARY PEOPI#, THE
ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, TRAINSPOTTING- quietly congue:
Ue cocuestic saul ioesastional box offe, Nulbing ia wae at, is
tguacenteel, That's why so many syoniae over “breaking i
‘exhing i," and *cleative inerlerence.®

The honest bipcty ancier za all theae feats is thor ya get
fan agent, sell your work, and ser it roaliznd faithfully on screen
when yon wits with sipascirg quali... and nat amt yw
Iknneke out a knack Flas: sunnmer's it, youl jr the ranks oF
lesear talenns whe cach year flaod Kal ynod with thanrands of
Ciché-riddea storer. ther than agonizing over the odds. pt your
cenungios inte uhleving eellence, you sow a ueiBianl onal
screenplay lo avenls they'll ight forthe ight lo represent you, The
agent you hive wii incite a bitding war arcorg story-starved pro-
ducers, and the winter will py

‘What's mance, ance in produttion, you finished seewerplay will
eet ith supe singly litle Falerference. No one eam promise shat
unfortunate conjuuetions of personalires won't spot good work,
boat be curtain that nllyrand's bet acting ana divectng talents are
acriely aware that their caveers depend ou working, wikia quality
‘ring. Yer because of Hollywood's eavenous appesite for story.
script ae often picked before tyre sige forcing caanges am the
set Secure sriters don’ sell iret dra, They patiently rewrite anil
he suipl is as direclorrealy, ax actorready as possible, Unfin-

you an empnerasing amount of

Jehed wors initea tapering. whle polished, manure wil sedl ile
intel

Story is about respect, not disdain, for the audience,

‘Whien late people rine bully i's generally for one of two
reasons: Either theyre Minded by an idea they feel compelled 10
prove or lheyne driven by an emotion ahey ranst express, Wan tal:
ented peuple vate well, sts generally for this teaeon: They're
moved 3 des're to touch ihe audience

Night after nighi, through yes of perfrmning and directing,
T've stoud in ace of te audinnee of iy capacity for response. AS if
by magic, snaser fill ana. faces become vulnerable, receptive
lyyvers do cot defend their emotions, rather they open le dhe
storyteller in wayt oven their lovers never knew. welcoming,
laughter, teas tenor, rage. comnpassion, passion, love. aate—the
zontal oRen exbansts them,

‘The audience ie nat anly amazingly seusilive, Vu wy it setts
Jato 2 dagzened theatre it collective 1Q jurnps twenly-ive points.
‘When yom yo © dhe mavics. don't you often fel youre muse itl
Tigeat than what you'ze suxching? ‘That yom know whal chaaacters
are going to do before they do ie Wher you sce the ending cvaning
long before it arrives? The aulieace is not emly srnzt. ie smarter
than most films, and thal Cal won't dtange when you move bp the
ther side af the screen. Is alla willee ean du, aig every hit of
8 ¢ RopER- woree

all he's erased. Lo Keep ahead of the sharp perceptions of a
focuved aire

Neil can be reade: to werk without un understanding of the
reactions and anticipotions of the audience. Yon “mist shape your
soy ina was Wal both expresses your vision and saliies the audi
euce’s desires, The aulivuce is a Gieve wy delertining of story
design as any ote element, For withost it, the creative act ie

pointless.
Stary is about originality, not duplication.

Orivinality is de conlluence of content and foe disiacl.ve
choices of subject plus a uniyue stping of the telling. Content
Isctrmg, characters, dess) nd form (selection and arrangement af
events} voquive. mapre, and ymutvally influence ons another. With
content in ane hand and a mastery af farm in tke other, 3 writer
sculpts story. AS yom cework a ston/s subrance, the telling
shapes itself As you play witha story's shape, its inelicensal and
‘erucllonal pitt evs.

[A stony i moe only wat vou have ta say Lat how you suy ls IE
amtent i clich, the telling wil be eich, Butf your asim is deep
sad cviginal, your story design sill be unique. Conversely, ifthe
telling is conventional and predictable, itil demand stxeotypucal
oles la acl out wellsvorn behaviors. Bat if the story design is mo:
‘ative, then selings,clasacers, and ideas must he equally fresh t
ul, We shape te telling 0 A the substance, rework the sub
stouce lo support Lie desir.

Newer, oweves, mistake cecratvcity fov or ginal. Daforemce
lr the sake of ference is as empty a9 atevichly fellowing come
mvc impesalives. Afr verking far ranths, perkaps years. to
gather [aers, memories. and immaginadin into a creasury af story
tmotrial no serous writer would cage hia vision imide « orurnla,
‘or ivilize it into avant-garde [ragnertalions, The “wellmade’
ovemula mnay chole i slurs voive, Dil “a iow” qu kines wll
tive iL a speech impecimeat Tust as childeen break things for fur
‘or Bue lactrums ta force atent.on on thernselves, tao nary fil