McKee, Robert. Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting. Regan Books, 1997
Progressive Complications
- Complications increase conflict, forcing characters to face greater antagonistic forces.
- Points of no return eliminate lesser actions and escalate the protagonist’s efforts.
Building Progressions
- Actions by the protagonist should demand greater willpower and capacity.
- Maintain forward momentum to the story’s climax without retreating to lesser actions.
The Law of Conflict
- Conflict is essential for advancing the story.
- Conflict, like sound in music, engages the audience and makes time pass unnoticed.
- Reflects life’s perpetual struggles, emphasizing the constant presence of conflict.
Complication Versus Complexity
- Complication: Conflict on a single level (inner, personal, or extra-personal).
- Complexity: Conflict on multiple levels simultaneously.
Act Design
- Stories are structured in acts, each culminating in a major reversal or climax.
- Three-Act Structure: Most feature films follow this, building to significant turning points.
- Variations include more than three acts, common in action genres, which can reduce impact if overused.
Subplots and Multiple Plots
- Subplots: Can contradict, resonate with, or complicate the central plot.
- Multiplot Films: Weave multiple storylines around a central idea.
Design Variations
- Inciting incidents can occur at various points, affecting the narrative rhythm.
- False Endings: Create a sense of completion before the true climax in some genres.
Act Rhythm
- Alternating positive and negative outcomes prevent repetitiveness.
- Ultimate and penultimate climaxes should have contrasting emotional charges.
Adaptation Challenges
- Visual correlatives for mental states are needed to adapt inner conflict from novels to screen.
- Balancing pace with character empathy may require unconventional narrative choices.
Conflict in Life and Story
- Conflict is a metaphor for life’s struggles, depicting both external and internal battles.
- Writers must decide how to orchestrate this struggle across different levels of life.
Complexity in Storytelling
- Stories should strive for complexity, incorporating inner, personal, and extra-personal conflicts.
- Avoid large casts and numerous locations to focus on rich, complex storytelling.
Climactic Structure
- Feature films need three acts at a minimum for a full narrative experience.
- Adding subplots or acts can solve the problem of long second acts in storytelling.
Subplot Functions
- Subplots may contradict or resonate with the main plot’s controlling idea.
- They can also complicate the central plot, adding dimension and maintaining audience interest.
Integration of Subplots
- Properly integrated subplots enhance the central plot.
- Misleading subplots can confuse the audience and weaken the narrative.
Creating Emotional Unity
- Every story element should relate to others, ensuring aesthetic unity.
- Disconnected elements lead to audience confusion and disengagement.
Empathy and Pacing
- Establish empathy for the protagonist before revealing their flaws or difficult choices.
- Pacing should be adjusted to maintain engagement without sacrificing character depth.
Progressive Complications
- Definition: Progressive complications increase conflict as characters face greater antagonistic forces, creating events that pass points of no return.
- Points of No Return: Each major action by the protagonist must escalate in difficulty and consequence, eliminating the possibility of retreat to lesser actions.
- Building Progressions: The protagonist’s actions should progressively demand greater willpower and capacity, maintaining a forward momentum to the climax.
The Law of Conflict
- Fundamental Principle: Conflict is essential for advancing the story. Without conflict, the narrative stagnates.
- Temporal Nature of Story: Like music relies on sound, stories rely on conflict to engage the audience and make time pass unnoticed.
- Conflict in Life and Story: Conflict is a metaphor for life’s perpetual struggles. Stories should reflect the constant presence of conflict in various forms.
Complication Versus Complexity
- Complication: Involves conflict on a single level (inner, personal, or extra-personal).
- Complexity: Involves conflict on multiple levels simultaneously, enriching the narrative.
Act Design
- Structure: Stories are structured in acts, each building to a major reversal or climax.
- Three-Act Structure: Most feature films follow a three-act structure, with each act building to a significant turning point.
- Variations: Stories can have more than three acts, especially in action genres, but this can introduce challenges like clichés and reduced impact of climaxes.
Subplots and Multiple Plots
- Subplots: These can contradict, resonate with, or complicate the central plot, adding depth and maintaining audience interest.
- Multiplot Films: These weave multiple storylines around a central idea, creating a rich, multifaceted narrative.
Design Variations
- Inciting Incident Placement: The inciting incident can occur at various points, influencing the rhythm and structure of the narrative.
- False Endings: Used in some genres to create a sense of completion before the true climax.
Act Rhythm
- Alternation of Value-Charges: The dynamics of the story depend on alternating positive and negative outcomes, preventing repetitiveness and maintaining engagement.
- Emotional Charges: The ultimate and penultimate climaxes should have contrasting emotional charges to maximize impact.
Adaptation Challenges
- Inner Conflict: Adapting inner conflict from novels to screen requires visual correlatives for mental states.
- Empathy and Pacing: Balancing pace with character empathy can involve unconventional narrative choices.
This comprehensive approach to act design and narrative structure emphasizes the importance of escalating conflict, maintaining forward momentum, and balancing various elements to create a compelling and engaging story.