Robert McKee Story Seminar Notes (Part III

DAY III: THE PRINCIPLES OF STORY DESIGN (Continued)

Note: For a full outline of the daily agenda of McKees three-day seminar see:
http://mckeestory.com/outline.html
Turning points
Two ways of doing them:
action
revelation comes from back story
Flashback
Simply a way of doing exposition
should be dramatized
should be a story in itself
Narration (Voice Over)
Best used as counterpoint narration
-ie Woody Allen
if you can take out the narration and your story still makes sense,
then its justified
Coincidence
No need to avoid, just handle well
bring in early if possible
can be an inciting incident
Surprise
If used should be followed by insight, rather than being used as a cheap trick

Holding interest: Curiosity

Both emotional and intellectual
Curiosity generates three possible relationships:
1) Mystery: teases the audience by hiding factscharacters know more
than the audiences; often uses red herrings
2) Suspense characters and the audience share the same knowledge
3) Dramatic ironyaudience ahead of character; facts hidden from
characters
Holes in Story
Lose credibility
However, there are ways of covering a logical problem:
kick sand over it
hold it up so people can see it; character can actually comment on it
ie Terminator
relay on narrative drive to gloss over it
Text and Subtext
Text: sensory surface of a work
Subtext: inner life
inexpressible subconscious thoughts
If you write the scene about what the scene s about, youre in deep shit
a.k.a.writing on the nose
scene will die like a squashed dog
actors act subtext
Audiences go to movies for extended exposure to subtext

only momentarily available in real life

Can write passionate dialogue, but must also have subtext
subtext a universe of gliding monsters
All characters have desires
dramatic characters recognize this
comic character is marked by blind obsession
Character
Not human beings; instead, works of art
metaphors
Characterization is the sum total of observable parts
when well done creates an intriguing character, but this is not who the
character is
Choice under pressure reveals who a person is
Must understand a characters real desire
motivation should be understood as well, but audience may have a
different interpretation
If character is motivated do not mention it
Have a sense of things, but no need to mention
draws in audiences active participation
In character, dimension means contradiction
consistent and multiple contradictions make a dynamic and
multidimensional character
Different characters and contexts provoke different characteristics from a
character
Villains are deliberately flat, but not dull
No one thinks they are bad; only act towards the positive
Any dimensional characters will be returning
do not make throw-away characters more dimensional than needed

Writing characters for screen

Write with an awareness of actordont overwrite action, for example. Put the
ideal actor in your role
Love your characters
Finding characters: observe and note-take, but do not copy
ask yourself what you would do in your characters position. The honest
answer is always correct
Dialogue
dialogue is not conversation
less is more; must be purposeful and compressed
screen dialogue require immediate understanding
long speeches are anti-ethical to the screen
in real life no such thing as a monologue
all of life is dialogue
action and reaction
even if only one character talking, specify reaction
if you can avoid dialogue, then dont sue it
dialogue is the regretful second choice
used sparingly dialogue has real power
relief to the visual
Description
be specifc, rather than general ie spike rather than big nail
no generic verbs or nouns
no adverbs
use active verbs
remove is and are-- both are static
the screen is active, so use the most active verbs and concrete nouns possible

- use metaphor and simile sparingly---only it they can be realized literally

we see and we hear: get rid ofold-fashioned
pull out all camera direction
only use slugline if shot is absolutely necessary to telling the tale
if possible, make shots in screen description, and drop in
lines of white to break up longish descriptions

Poetic
expressive poetics of screenwriting
image system subliminal category of images that repeats
must be subliminal in order to have effect/impact
audiences instinctively attaches connotative meaning to any denotative image
writer can use both external and internal meaning of imagery
externalattached outside the film ( used by amateurs)
internalizedmeaning created inside the film (Pro)
Examples:
Alien image system =rape
Diabolique water= dread
After Hours art=weapon
image system does fall under the directors aegis, but writer can create it.
Creative Process
Step Outline
one or two sentence outline per scene (one sheet of paper per Act or 3x5 cards)
do for both plot and subplot
pour out ideas, but chuck most
find the story step by step
simultaneously collecting info/inspiration/imagining/research about characters
and world

 dont let people read the step outline; pitch the story instead
- pitch must hook, hold and pay off in 10 mins
Treatment
prose treatment of step-by-step
moment-by-moment telling of what happens
write it down!
no dialogue in treatment
Be thorough: take every scene and expand it moment by moment
Screenplay
dialogue finally appears
if treatment is done thoroughly, this will be a joy
this method will put emphasis on the story
also the most effective way
inside out method is tried, true and the best
Casablanca Analysis (Random Notes)
all life is ritualistic
ie airport scene when Strasser arrives
used to add subtext
subplots: at least three
1) Ugarte
2) Refugee
3) Bulgarian wife
logic is retroactive, so go back and fix if problems
can always set-up to make event logical
ritual of cocktail chat used to establish subtext of passion and longing

 value charge at the beginning of a scene cannot be the same at the end of a scene
happens consistently in Casabknca
Pulling Apart a Scene
use when scene not working or analyzing a movie
identify who runs the scene
ask what the character wants, their desire
look at the subtext, the real desire
what is the source of antagonism?
then look at the antagonists stated and unstated desire
which values exist?
pos or negative charge?
break into beats
action/reaction
when behaviour changes:
what is the character doing?
identify with specific, gerund phrase
break scene into beats
look at the value charge at the end of the scene
if unchanged then the scene doesnt work
reexamine the beats see where the value did change
Value progression in Casablanca
begins in the negation of the negation
begins in tyranny
Rick says he doesnt care--self hate
process of the film is to bring love back into his heart
Casablanca is a myth
myth mediates between the contradictions that make life unlivable
-ie life and death

 at climax, Rick choose both love and duty

the lyrics to Time Goes By provide controlling idea
love is permanent while world changes