Story arcs:
A great story can change someone’s life. We need the story. Stories that inspire us to empathize are our spiritual carriers, and they make us feel the joys and sorrows of human beings. All kinds of stories, their plots are regular, and the rule is that story arcs.
The basic story arc:
Exposition: Introduction of setting, characters, problems.
Rising action: Characters struggling with problems.
Climax: Tense moment of crisis.
Falling action: Movement toward an ending.
Resolution: Final outcome (Return the story to stability). Even though we come back to the place we start, all things are different.
Shapes of Stories by Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential writers of all time. In the video, he offered to draw the stories as computer shapes. He used GI as the x-axis, BE as the y-axis. GI means good fortune and ill-fortune. BG means beginning and electricity. Moreover, from the graph (below), all shapes of curves go through the plus and minus quadrants which means the stories are all of ups and downs.
The hero’s journey by Joseph Campbell.
He concludes the characteristics of an effective story and those characteristics are consistent regardless of religion, race, time, or ancestry.
Story Circle of Dan Harmonon
He said: Because our society, each human mind within it and all of life itself has a rhythm, and when you play in that rhythm, it resonates.
The contents of the upper part and the lower part of the circle form a loop and balance.
Changing crossing from one of the semicircles to another is the major source of drama in the story. From top to bottom, usually means that the protagonist fights some external force. The line from right to left is defining the inner struggle of the hero once the hero crosses this dividing line. For example:
Example case study:
I choose the short film See Through: The interesting point of this short film is that it is opposite to the mood expressed in the story circle, but its’ story curve is still beautiful.
Breakdown the story arc (what are the 8 stages)
One, you: Establish a protagon.
The two politicians had a friendly conversation on the negotiating table where the tablecloth was a map.
Two, need: Something ain’t quite right, we find out something is off balance.
The two politicians quarrelled over territorial issues and started a war as a result.
Three, go crossing the threshold:
The story switches to two soldiers fighting fiercely to kill each other. During the fight, they fell from the plane onto an isolated island in the sea.
Four, search: Adopt to it.
In order to survive, these two soldiers collaborate. They help each other with cutting hair, fishing together and sharing coconut water.
Five, find: Get what they wanted.
During a chess game, they spotted a ship coming in the distance. They thought they were rescued and were very excited.
Six, take: Meet your maker, this is the hardest part. It’s when you realize something is really important to the point where it’s more important.
When they shouted for help, a cannonball struck and flew past the soldier’s scalp. Immediately after that, hundreds of ships fired guns and fought with each other.
Seven, return: They return
The screen again turns to two politicians armed with heavy soldiers, and the war turned the world upside down.
Eight, change: Master of both worlds, you are in charge of their situation again, but has now become a situation changer. Life will never be the same.
Finally, the camera cuts to two soldiers on an isolated island, calmly playing chess amid heavy gunfire, expressing a silent resistance to war.
Characters:
some terminologies and definitions:
To distinguish between dynamic and static characters, depending on whether this character makes an important change. Static characters can be used in school bullies and evil villains who didn’t learn the errors of their ways. Round characters are often well developed lifelike characters with realistic emotions, conflicting feelings and multiple traits. Flat characters typically lack emotional depth, we may know some of their traits, but we probably don’t understand why they are the way they are.
First, hero: The hero is simply the person who goes through death and resurrection and changes their ordinary world. They change the world.
Second, mentor: Their job is to provide motivation, they give insight.
Third, threshold guardian: Sometimes the mentor is also the threshold guardian. Their job is to guard that special world. They’re not like the main bad guy. Their job is to guard that special world. Nobody gets in there unless they let them.
Fourth, Herald: The herald announces changes. They tell the audience and the hero that significant changes about to happen. It doesn’t even have to be a person, it could be an event, it could be a shadow overwhelming Los Angeles. That means something is coming.
Fifth, shapeshifter: The shapeshifter’s mask misleads the Hero by hiding a character’s intentions and loyalties. The shapeshifter’s alliances and loyalty are uncertain, and the sincerity of his claims is often questionable. This keeps the hero off guard. They keep the hero on guard, they mislead the hero, they hide their intentions.
Sixth, shadow: The shadow is the opposite. It can represent our darkest desires, our untapped resources, or even rejected qualities. He frequently sees himself as a hero, and the story’s hero as his villain.
Seventh, trickster: A character who in many ways is kind of funny. But you don’t have to really have a funny guy in your story, necessarily. Their function is to show us the absurdity of the situation. The important is that they show us, they show the audience how things are getting out of control, and this is really important.
Eighth, allies or the sidekicks: Their main job is to fill in the gaps, or the hero is deficient. The allies are basically supporting the hero, allowing them to complete this journey.