eeu STORY STORY Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting ROBERT MCKEE a = ReganRaoks sony, Copright © 1997 oy Rees Mile. All sights rere, Peat a De Unal Sale of Amen No pi ef Fi took rey eee epi 7 zsuuin whseverss short item pe-vaecon ecw che ee fee qu fee tala a cel see rin, For frat sen ere als Uda An, x0 Eat ed Smat N Fonk, 12033 Parerskinslbodks tay pacha fe sduatonl acne oe pe tiontl mar for veo. pat ele) Sgeal Mares Drporanm. are (Coline Bushee nr 1 Rast pe Ste, Ke York BY 003, ne pond [ivy of Gong Ce ag Puan Doe tee, Rae 940 ‘Stossel of resting Ince npg etlksuenn nde, TRAN 9 06 oys-285 tense pst aitaship 4 Motor peor pape Tova. Te 2K ySaN4S} 97 doa yd spas. gp gh gp on my GRRE wp SP ESSE ang CONTENTS Accoowldgmenss: § ix Soles on the Text jai THe WRUER AND IIL AST OF SIG3Y Intradnesion 3 ‘The Slory P-sblem THE ELEMENTS GF STORY The Skuclure Spetteue 32 Structure anc Seling #6 | Sleuclure ane Genre 7 30 Stmenue me Character j 105 Srrcaunearé Veanmg j 2) TI PRNG 2 FS OF STO DESIGN ‘The Substance oF Say 1 135 3. The Inciis “meident 18. fel Design } 208 Seeue Jesign 233 Scene Auiysis fase Composition | 288 Crisis. Cenar, Hasohnton {391 TIP WRITER AT WORK ‘The Principle of Aucagonism } 317 Espesition 334 Drobleens ané Sohutions ¢ 348 Character $394 The Test 388 AWeier’s Methal ¢ 4:0 Fade Out 48 Suggested Readings } 4a islmnography 7 435 Taslex ! 457 WRITER AND THE ART OF STORY Stories ane pnt fr Bg. INTRODUCTION Story is about principles, not rules. Aral saps. “Yo mut do it hs wep: principle says, “This a0mts and has thrcagh a remembered tie” Uwe dfererar if cm il. Youn viork need be miadeled after the “well mace” pi aber. TLapust 2e well sede wil Ube priuciples Bal shape our ar Anaious, iuuxporivaced waiters ubey cales. Rebellious, unschooked series nea ses. Asis raster te for, Sto‘y is about etesnal, universal forms, not formulas All notions af paradigms and foslpeoof story eels fox cous cial success ate nonsease Despite tends remakes, aul euch swe suey Ube lala y of Tulysued Ca. we fin astnding variey of sory desig, bul cx patotyae, DIE BARD 2 na more cal of THollyeuwd Uuan are PARENTHOOD, POSTCARDS FROM TH: TDGE, THE LION K.NG. THIS IS SPINAL. IAP, REVERSAL OF FORTUNE, DANGEROUS LIAISONS, GROUNDHOG DAY, LEAVING AS VEGAS, or thousceds ol wher excullee tke in dlszeus of gees ad subyences Zon lar usagi Story urges the creatian of woes that wil excite audiences ua, the six continanisaré Tee in revival eu ckvnkes, No une aed ye nother recipe beak on how to reheat Hollswuod Lelio. We need a rediscovery of the undeviying ones of our all, be guisiys inciples that Whsrate talnnt, Ne mater hore a film is made Hollywood, Paris. Hong Kong —o #'s of archerypal quality. i ig: pete a dlobal and perpelnal cai eextion of pleasure tant exeres it [roca vivant Wo cinerna, ysueration ty goreration, Story is about archetypes, not stereotynes he archetypal stoty utarlhs x wuivsally burran expat then wraps ilcell inside a unique, enlure-specife expression, & slereutpical story vewerses this pattern: It suffers a poverty ef both eootent and form. Ie confines ital 19 4 nan, cullurespecific sogcrionce and dvesses instale. noaspexili. wueralties Far example, Spanish custom once diclaes, thal davglateae must be mastied off in ocdes (rou uldest tw youngest, Inside Spanisa culluee, & lili about the ainetsenth-cuntury family of & sicr petriaceh. a pawerless mnther. an unmamtageable oldest daughter, and a long-saffering soungest danghter may move those who remember this practice, but outside Spanish culture audi ences are unlike to empathize, The wiles, leatiog als stay's limited appeal sews to the Guia: selling, ubavacters, and eltons chal have pleased audience: ‘world is eve less interested i Use (On the other hand, cis reprensive eastern could becorne wate dial for 0 worldwide access Fe artist cru trol tp Tn sees and serach [or an ercberype. An archetypal story creates semngs and charecleis sp rare thal our eyes feast ont every deta, while its telling iluniuales conics go true to huavankind tha i Journeys Tro cular ty cule, tm Laura Beyuivel's LIKE WATER TOR CHOCOLATE, mother and daughter dash over the demands of dependency ves inde pendence, permcnence versas change, calf sermus ochers—con fats every family laws, Yet Esquivel’s obserwator of home and society, of selauonshap and behavior is so cich i ever before-veen, deal, wesc craton izesstibly to these characters ane fascinated by carealin weve never known, aur evuld izing Stereolyoital sluries slay al hurte, ateselypal stoies eave ‘Woody Allen, “he cinema's master storytellers give us the cone: From Charlie Chaplin to Tngmar Rergwman, fem Satpait R cidged enccuntrs ve crave, Fist, the duwery of word ws di rot ‘mon. No maticr how intimate or epic, cuntempurary ox historical omerete or fantasiaed, the world of an exaizunt artist always sche Inteopuerion os tas as somewhat exolic oF strange. Uke im saplorer parting forest eaves.» ave where the ardinary becornesextzanedinary Second, nce inside this aliew wold, wr find aursclees. Deep within thes: characters and their canllicts we disceser our omen humanity, We go to tae movies to exter a new, fascinating world, lw iababit vicariously another hmmam being whi at fest seeens 50 unlike ns nl yet at et Lise us, wo live 9 etiona vali that ‘Mhuminates eur day eechty, We dy aol wish lo esespe fe 20°10 find 1, to nse aur n-inds in es, experisueital ways, to Mex ou emotions, ws enjoy, to lear, to wld deplh lo ou days, Story was seritten to Foster Sms of archetypal power and beauty that will ive the wrk this dix" plearurr stop vnde-cyed into an untouched soeiey, a e:ebérue ‘Story fs about thoroughness. not shortcuts. From inspiation to last draft you raay need 2s smuch hee to seuite 9 se-eenplag 38 te write ¢ novel. Sercem and prone sriters create the samme density of world, character and story, hut hecause sureenplay pages have ao much shite on them, we'e often eais: fead into thinsing thal a sceeenplay is quicker and easier than a ruovel, Dut while scriboaniaes Gl pages a fast ae they can te, ‘Bla writers cut une ent ugumn, ruthless mi theie deste to express the absolute maxinnim in the Fewest possible words. Pascal once swiote a lang, drawn-out fete le @ friend, then apologized in the postscipl thal be did't have lime lu write a shost ons. Like astal, streenvriters Warn tha: ecomonay is hey, that beesity takes time, that excellence sataus persoverance, Story is about the realities not the mysteries of writing. “There's beee no conspizacy 10 keep sectel the nalts uf our a Tn the twennythree cencuies since Arstolle wrote The Foss, dhe ‘secrete of sory have bees a public 9s lhe brary dows the sree. Nattung ie the er& of smryte ng is abstmse. tn fact. a: Art gauce tilling tary Jor the sereer. Tooke deceprively easy. Rut 6 4 poeent mexer ‘moving user and closer to he center, tiny seeue by scene: to amake the stosy work. the mak becomes inceeasinyly difFcut. as we sealize that um the screen these’ no olace ty hide, Ha sercer iter fils mo mave as sth the puta of = dram tiend scone, ke crac. like a nuvent in athorial voice, oF lhe ply ‘wright in sollogus, hide belend hus wards. He cannot s:noolh & coating of explanatory ar emotve languaye over cracks it. Joe bluschy motisation, ar calerleas emotion cn sizuply ells wnat 23 think or how to fel “The camera is “he dread Xcay machiae uf all Hinge fds. ft magnifies Ue many times ever, sha: sips naked every sesk oF phony story ten, antl in confusion and frasration we're tempted la quit. Yet given determination and study, she puzele sis Scrneneciting i fill of senders but ne vuselvable mysteries, Story is about mastering the art, not second-guessing ‘the marketplace. No one can teach what sal eel, what enn't, what wil be a sirash oF a lzeea, heros no one knows, Hollycod's bombs are race wid the sume cunumertial cileation a ity bis, wbereas dludish dranaas Gut cead Hike a checibst of everythong moneyed ‘wisdom says you must acver da—ORDINARY PEOPI#, THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, TRAINSPOTTING- quietly congue: Ue cocuestic saul ioesastional box offe, Nulbing ia wae at, is tguacenteel, That's why so many syoniae over “breaking i ‘exhing i," and *cleative inerlerence.® The honest bipcty ancier za all theae feats is thor ya get fan agent, sell your work, and ser it roaliznd faithfully on screen when yon wits with sipascirg quali... and nat amt yw Iknneke out a knack Flas: sunnmer's it, youl jr the ranks oF lesear talenns whe cach year flaod Kal ynod with thanrands of Ciché-riddea storer. ther than agonizing over the odds. pt your cenungios inte uhleving eellence, you sow a ueiBianl onal screenplay lo avenls they'll ight forthe ight lo represent you, The agent you hive wii incite a bitding war arcorg story-starved pro- ducers, and the winter will py ‘What's mance, ance in produttion, you finished seewerplay will eet ith supe singly litle Falerference. No one eam promise shat unfortunate conjuuetions of personalires won't spot good work, boat be curtain that nllyrand's bet acting ana divectng talents are acriely aware that their caveers depend ou working, wikia quality ‘ring. Yer because of Hollywood's eavenous appesite for story. script ae often picked before tyre sige forcing caanges am the set Secure sriters don’ sell iret dra, They patiently rewrite anil he suipl is as direclorrealy, ax actorready as possible, Unfin- you an empnerasing amount of Jehed wors initea tapering. whle polished, manure wil sedl ile intel Story is about respect, not disdain, for the audience, ‘Whien late people rine bully i's generally for one of two reasons: Either theyre Minded by an idea they feel compelled 10 prove or lheyne driven by an emotion ahey ranst express, Wan tal: ented peuple vate well, sts generally for this teaeon: They're moved 3 des're to touch ihe audience Night after nighi, through yes of perfrmning and directing, T've stoud in ace of te audinnee of iy capacity for response. AS if by magic, snaser fill ana. faces become vulnerable, receptive lyyvers do cot defend their emotions, rather they open le dhe storyteller in wayt oven their lovers never knew. welcoming, laughter, teas tenor, rage. comnpassion, passion, love. aate—the zontal oRen exbansts them, ‘The audience ie nat anly amazingly seusilive, Vu wy it setts Jato 2 dagzened theatre it collective 1Q jurnps twenly-ive points. ‘When yom yo © dhe mavics. don't you often fel youre muse itl Tigeat than what you'ze suxching? ‘That yom know whal chaaacters are going to do before they do ie Wher you sce the ending cvaning long before it arrives? The aulieace is not emly srnzt. ie smarter than most films, and thal Cal won't dtange when you move bp the ther side af the screen. Is alla willee ean du, aig every hit of 8 ¢ RopER- woree all he's erased. Lo Keep ahead of the sharp perceptions of a focuved aire Neil can be reade: to werk without un understanding of the reactions and anticipotions of the audience. Yon “mist shape your soy ina was Wal both expresses your vision and saliies the audi euce’s desires, The aulivuce is a Gieve wy delertining of story design as any ote element, For withost it, the creative act ie pointless. Stary is about originality, not duplication. Orivinality is de conlluence of content and foe disiacl.ve choices of subject plus a uniyue stping of the telling. Content Isctrmg, characters, dess) nd form (selection and arrangement af events} voquive. mapre, and ymutvally influence ons another. With content in ane hand and a mastery af farm in tke other, 3 writer sculpts story. AS yom cework a ston/s subrance, the telling shapes itself As you play witha story's shape, its inelicensal and ‘erucllonal pitt evs. [A stony i moe only wat vou have ta say Lat how you suy ls IE amtent i clich, the telling wil be eich, Butf your asim is deep sad cviginal, your story design sill be unique. Conversely, ifthe telling is conventional and predictable, itil demand stxeotypucal oles la acl out wellsvorn behaviors. Bat if the story design is mo: ‘ative, then selings,clasacers, and ideas must he equally fresh t ul, We shape te telling 0 A the substance, rework the sub stouce lo support Lie desir. Newer, oweves, mistake cecratvcity fov or ginal. Daforemce lr the sake of ference is as empty a9 atevichly fellowing come mvc impesalives. Afr verking far ranths, perkaps years. to gather [aers, memories. and immaginadin into a creasury af story tmotrial no serous writer would cage hia vision imide « orurnla, ‘or ivilize it into avant-garde [ragnertalions, The “wellmade’ ovemula mnay chole i slurs voive, Dil “a iow” qu kines wll tive iL a speech impecimeat Tust as childeen break things for fur ‘or Bue lactrums ta force atent.on on thernselves, tao nary fil