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Digg it UP - Screenwriting and Screenwriters - beyond Syd Field
"If You Are Going to be in Business, You Must Know How to Sell"In his book Automatic Wealth Michael Masterson states that in order to achieve Financial Independence you need to master a financially valuable skill.Selling is the number one skill you MUST learn if you are going to be in business, and this applies offline too. If you do not know how to sell, you and your business will struggle financially.Now, before you give me that stock answer "I don't kn
Other theorists, such as McKee in Story are not as structure orientated, but their input when debating structure, is also indicative to it’s importance. For example, McKee rightly states that the screenwriting process should involve a step-outline, treatment and then a words-on-paper first draft.
The thing that held us back was this idea that a template had to be broad, which made sense if that template had to explain many stories. But a conceptual leap is th
You feel quite fortunate to be the owner of some valuable asset when you venture out in the loan market to avail financial assistance. Numerous attractive and borrower-friendly loan products are available for those who are in a position to offer some worthy asset as the security against the loan money.Risk factor is involved in a lending transaction for the lender. If a borrower does not repay the loan money due to some reason, the lender faces loss. So, every lender s
Syd Field gave us the plot point - a clearer definition of what was previously known as the “twist” - as well as other concepts such as the “pinch” and midpoint. His work is still a valuable start point for screenwriters.
Syd Field’s midpoint analysis moved us towards four-act structure, which is well established in many cultures, whereas western culture still tends to dwell on three acts.
It seems as though Syd Field had some issues with the mid-point, one of them being that the inclusion of the mid point and consequently four act structure does not fit well with all stories – his attempt at preciseness resulted in a consequential lack of broadness and hence greater critical analysis as a template.
Hollywood has implicitly accepted four act structure – most movies now have a high point midway – usually a catastrophic event for the protagonist. Resistance to four-act structure is probably a result of our theatrical heritage.
But moving light years ahead in terms of structure is the Hero’s Journey.
Ironically, Campbell published Hero with a Thousand Faces before Syd Field published his work. Vogler wrote an easy to read update in 1992 (The Writer’s Journey). The Hero’s journey is a well established anthropological analysis of stories across cultures.
Depending on the interpretation, there were 17, 18 or 19 stages to the Hero’s Journey. But a modern, detailed analysis reveals at least 106.
There is some rejection of the Hero’s Journey as a universal template primarily because the archetypes (Mentor, Shape Shifter, Threshold Guardians etc) refer to the Quest, Fable, Fantastic et al genres. However, this is a misunderstanding as a metaphoric and symbolic interpretation leads to such classics as Midnight Cowboy and Get Carter, the original Michael Caine classic.
Ultimately, the Hero’s Journey is a much more sophisticated study of Story Structure than Syd Field’s analysis – and story structure is the most fundamental and critical of the skills that screenwriters need to possess.
Other theorists, such as McKee in Story are not as structure orientated, but their input when debating structure, is also indicative to it’s importance. For example, McKee rightly states that the screenwriting process should involve a step-outline, treatment and then a words-on-paper first draft.
The thing that held us back was this idea that a template had to be broad, which made sense if that template had to explain many stories. But a conceptual leap is th
Three seconds and 40 characters. That's all you usually have to work with when trying to get and hold the attention of someone reading email. And, with user behavior changing so much in response to overwhelming amounts of spam, the attention spans of email readers are getting shorter. Needless to say, it's vital to make the most of your introduction via the email subject line.Email marketing powerhouse DoubleClick.com conducts annual surveys with regard to user beha
Hollywood has implicitly accepted four act structure – most movies now have a high point midway – usually a catastrophic event for the protagonist. Resistance to four-act structure is probably a result of our theatrical heritage.
But moving light years ahead in terms of structure is the Hero’s Journey.
Ironically, Campbell published Hero with a Thousand Faces before Syd Field published his work. Vogler wrote an easy to read update in 1992 (The Writer’s Journey). The Hero’s journey is a well established anthropological analysis of stories across cultures.
Depending on the interpretation, there were 17, 18 or 19 stages to the Hero’s Journey. But a modern, detailed analysis reveals at least 106.
There is some rejection of the Hero’s Journey as a universal template primarily because the archetypes (Mentor, Shape Shifter, Threshold Guardians etc) refer to the Quest, Fable, Fantastic et al genres. However, this is a misunderstanding as a metaphoric and symbolic interpretation leads to such classics as Midnight Cowboy and Get Carter, the original Michael Caine classic.
Ultimately, the Hero’s Journey is a much more sophisticated study of Story Structure than Syd Field’s analysis – and story structure is the most fundamental and critical of the skills that screenwriters need to possess.
Other theorists, such as McKee in Story are not as structure orientated, but their input when debating structure, is also indicative to it’s importance. For example, McKee rightly states that the screenwriting process should involve a step-outline, treatment and then a words-on-paper first draft.
The thing that held us back was this idea that a template had to be broad, which made sense if that template had to explain many stories. But a conceptual leap is th
As the business world has become more competitive for the shrinking markets available to them, companies have shifted their focus from hiring the most educated or experienced graduate, to hiring those employees with personal pluses as well as the job skills.Right now, you may be in an entry-level job, gaining experience and hoping to work your way up. This is also the time (if you haven’t learned them while growing up), to develop your people skills as well. Because th
But moving light years ahead in terms of structure is the Hero’s Journey.
Ironically, Campbell published Hero with a Thousand Faces before Syd Field published his work. Vogler wrote an easy to read update in 1992 (The Writer’s Journey). The Hero’s journey is a well established anthropological analysis of stories across cultures.
Depending on the interpretation, there were 17, 18 or 19 stages to the Hero’s Journey. But a modern, detailed analysis reveals at least 106.
There is some rejection of the Hero’s Journey as a universal template primarily because the archetypes (Mentor, Shape Shifter, Threshold Guardians etc) refer to the Quest, Fable, Fantastic et al genres. However, this is a misunderstanding as a metaphoric and symbolic interpretation leads to such classics as Midnight Cowboy and Get Carter, the original Michael Caine classic.
Ultimately, the Hero’s Journey is a much more sophisticated study of Story Structure than Syd Field’s analysis – and story structure is the most fundamental and critical of the skills that screenwriters need to possess.
Other theorists, such as McKee in Story are not as structure orientated, but their input when debating structure, is also indicative to it’s importance. For example, McKee rightly states that the screenwriting process should involve a step-outline, treatment and then a words-on-paper first draft.
The thing that held us back was this idea that a template had to be broad, which made sense if that template had to explain many stories. But a conceptual leap is th
Outsourcing, outsourcing and more outsourcing, it seems that this has become the buzzword in business circles. So why does everyone want to outsource their business process. Well there surely must be huge benefits for so many businesses to be undergoing this process on such a large scale. Financial benefits of outsourcing is so huge and immense that all firms who want to unburden themselves from the heavy workload use outsourcing to meet the growing demand of their work.<
Ultimately, the Hero’s Journey is a much more sophisticated study of Story Structure than Syd Field’s analysis – and story structure is the most fundamental and critical of the skills that screenwriters need to possess.
Other theorists, such as McKee in Story are not as structure orientated, but their input when debating structure, is also indicative to it’s importance. For example, McKee rightly states that the screenwriting process should involve a step-outline, treatment and then a words-on-paper first draft.
The thing that held us back was this idea that a template had to be broad, which made sense if that template had to explain many stories. But a conceptual leap is th
Car insurance is something that we all need - if we drive a car. While having car insurance may not be an option, just how much we pay for it is. There are a number of things that can make those numbers add up, while other factors will tend to bring those numbers down. Here are some of those things.Factors About YouThis is probably the greatest factor about you that will set the rates. Car insurers tend to think that a male that is 25 or less is prone to
Other theorists, such as McKee in Story are not as structure orientated, but their input when debating structure, is also indicative to it’s importance. For example, McKee rightly states that the screenwriting process should involve a step-outline, treatment and then a words-on-paper first draft.
The thing that held us back was this idea that a template had to be broad, which made sense if that template had to explain many stories. But a conceptual leap is the understanding that detailed templates, which may not each explain large numbers of stories, when taken together, can be more useful tools.
Further, whereas Syd Field’s analysis left the screenwriter with yawning gaps - the need to fill 30 and 60 pages – detailed templates overcome this problem.
Whereas Syd Field had difficulty with four acts, we are now playing with story structures with potentially 150 acts. This is the natural result of analysing sequences as opposed to acts.
It is like comparing today’s scientific analyses to Middle Aged analyses using Fire, Water, Earth and Air.
In conclusion, it is time screenwriters moved beyond Syd Field.
A detailed Hero’s Journey analysis and related story structure templates can be found at http://www.managing-creativity.com/
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Kal Bishop, MBA
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