Abstract
The writer works with subplots (key character relationships), sequences (a set of scenes comprising a mini-story), and a character map (visualization of interrelationships) to further explore their story. Detailing each scene on individual index cards, the writer uses a practical incremental process to build a scene-by-scene outline or beat sheet. This approach is guided by the connection between the Protagonist’s experience in their physical journey and psychological journey, each impacting the other through a series of events and reactions. The resulting outline reflects the nature of the Protagonist’s metamorphosis. The chapter includes an Act Three excerpt of an outline for the Pixar movie Up.
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Notes
- 1.
Also: Note Cards.
- 2.
Creative Spark: Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith, Academy Originals, August 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKU8K_Npc-M.
- 3.
Creative Spark: David Seidler, Academy Originals, December 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z43xej7evbk.
- 4.
Ellie is the original Attractor. Her death creates a vacuum which Russell fills.
- 5.
The definitive book on the subject is written by Paul Joseph Gulino: Screenwriting: The Sequence Approach (Continuum Press, 2004).
- 6.
This practice may have vanished into the mists of time were it not for Czech-American screenwriter, filmmaker, and educator Frank Daniel. He rediscovered what he called the “sequenced approach” to film story and promoted it over the course of decades at a number of film schools including Columbia University, the University of Southern California, and the American Film Institute. As a result, this approach took root among Hollywood screenwriters and has continued to be popular to this day, even as it evolves at the hands of working writers.
- 7.
What type of scene is it?, Scott Myers, Go Into The Story, August 2019, https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/what-type-of-scene-is-it-f39ea907c302.
References
Black, D. L. (2014). Creative Spark: Academy Originals; Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
Gulino, P. J. (2004). Screenwriting: The Sequence Approach; Continuum Press.
McCullah, K. and Smith, K. (2014). Creative Spark: Academy Originals; Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
Peterson, B. and Docter, P. (screenplay), Docter, P., Peterson, B. and McCarthy, T. (story) (2008). Up; Walt Disney Pictures / Pixar Animation Studios.
Seidler, D. (2014). Creative Spark: Academy Originals; Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
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Myers, S. (2022). Breaking Story VI Scene-By-Scene Outline. In: The Protagonist's Journey. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79682-2_20
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