Abstract
Inspired by Hollywood’s “whammo theory,” the writer expands Four Primary Plotline Points into Ten Major Plotline Points: Opening, Hook, Lock (Act One), Deconstruction Test, Transition, Reconstruction Test, All Is Lost (Act Two), Offensive, Final Struggle, and Denouement (Act Three). These delineate the backbone of the plotline and establish a foundation for the next stage in the process: scene-by-scene outline. The chapter breaks down the plotline for the Pixar movie Up into Ten Major Plotline Points.
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Notes
- 1.
See Chapter 15 for more on the Protagonist Character Treatment.
- 2.
See Chapter 16 for more on the Master Brainstorming List.
- 3.
See Chapter 17 for more on Four Plotline Points.
- 4.
See Chapter 18 for more on Four Themeline Movements.
- 5.
Art Linson, A Pound of Flesh: Perilous Tales of How to Produce Movies in Hollywood (Grove Press, 1998), p. 64.
- 6.
There is no set number of plotline points. For example, in a Go Into The Story interview with 2012 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting recipient Allan Durand, he responded to a question about how he structured the plot for his Nicholl-winning script: “The way I did it is every five to ten pages, I wanted a big fist to come out of the screenplay and punch the reader right in the gut.” Interview: Allan Durand, Scott Myers (editor), Go Into The Story, January 2013, https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/interview-allan-durand-2012-nicholl-winner-5377f9638f3d.
References
Linson, A (1998). A Pound of Flesh: Perilous Tales of How to Produce Movies in Hollywood; Grove Press.
Walsh, F & Boyens, P & Jackson, P (screenplay), Tolkien, J.R.R. (novel) (2003). The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; New Line Cinema.
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Myers, S. (2022). Breaking Story V Ten Major Plotline Points. In: The Protagonist's Journey. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79682-2_19
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