ITAP LECTURE 5

Story Development

Joseph Campbell's term 'monomyth', also referred to as 'the hero's journey' is a basic pattern found in many narratives around the world. In other words, the same sort of story comes up time and time again in different films. For example, in the recent film 'Avatar', when character 'Jake Sulley's' brother is killed in a robbery he decides to take his place in a mission on the distant world of 'Pandora'. When he is there he learns about the intentions of the greedy corporate to drive of the native's in order to mine for the precious material scattered throughout their rich woodland. In exchange fr the spinal surgery that will fix his legs, Jake starts to try and gain the rust of the natives using an Avatar identity. But as he starts to bond with them and falls in love with the alien 'Neytiri' he starts to try and fight against the Colonel's ruthless extermination tactics. This turns into an epic battle for the fate of Pandora. After many lives are lost the Avatar's eventually win their battle. A typical story of good triumphing over evil.

Three-Act Structure

The three-act structure consists of a beginning, middle, and an end. Usually in a 2 hour film this is structured by 30 mins : 60 mins : 30 mins. The first act is to establish who the characters are, their relationships, where they live etc. Earlier in the first act, an incident occurs that confronts the main character (the protagonist) which leads to a dramatic situation which is known as the turning point. The second act, also referred to as 'rising action', shows the protagonists attempt to resolve the problem only finding themselves in worsening situations. Part of the problem is that they do not yet have the skills to solve the situation. Therefore they must learn these skills and become aware of what they are capable of. They are usually aided by others as this cannot be achieved alone. Finally, the third act shows the resolution of the story and answers questions being asked throughout the film. One film that shows this layout is 'The Matrix'. It starts by showing how Neo is living his normal life but then things happen to him that start the story. He is then introduced to a new world, 'the real world', where a battle between the human's and machines is happening. He is brought into the world as the leader believes he is 'the one'. Finally he shows defeat against 'the agents', which are computer programmes designed to kill human beings, and it is then he becomes to realise that he is 'the one'.