the technique of screen and television by eugene vale

7/26/2019 The Technique of Screen and Television by Eugene Vale

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When To Start Your Story: When Should theInciting Incident Happen in a Screenplay?

Usually, movies start with a little getting to know you with the main character We learn what her issue

is, her personality !law, the thing on the inside o! her that is the main o"stacle to a more per!ect li!e It#s

the thing that esta"lishes the need !or change We also learn a"out the central character#s milieu: her

working li!e, her home li!e, her social li!e $enerally, there#s a pro"lem with it, "ut we don#t, nor does

the character, see the compelling need !or change until the inciting incident

The inciting incident is when the story starts The rest is prelude to the story So when should the story

start?

%gain, as in most screenwriting, there is no hard and !ast rule &ut there is a so!t and slow rule 'on#t

do it that way $et to the story as soon as reasona"ly possi"le (n the other hand, we want to care

a"out the protagonist, and, to do that, we need to know her "e!ore the shit hits the !an

So that leaves us with nothing !irm to shoot at )ost movies place their inciting incident at around

!i!teen minutes, give or take a !ew The tendency in screenwriting courses it to get to it "y page *+*-I disagree with that, though I tell my students anywhere !rom *.*/ is okay Why so much time?

&ecause we want to "e !ully invested in the character "e!ore we run her up a tree and start throwing

stones at her

Would we care a"out Solomon 0orthrup 12hiwetel 34io!or5 in Twelve Years a Slavei! we hadn#t seen

his li!e "e!ore his a"duction? Would we care a"out 'r 6yan Stone 1Sandra &ullock5 in Gravityi! we

hadn#t seen her 4oking around with the $eorge 2looney character "e!ore the disaster? Would we care

a"out what happened to 2ate &lanchett#s character in Blue Jasminei! we didn#t know her "e!ore "ad

things happened to her? (kay, "ad e7ample, "ecause I still didn#t care a"out her &ut you get the idea

Some time must "e taken to learn a"out our characters To either get to like them or "e !ascinated "y

them as we were with 6on Woodru!! 1)atthew )c2onaughey5 in Dallas Buyers Clubtakes time

%gain How much time? That#s up to you, "ut in my mind, the "etter we know the characters 8 liking

them or not 8 the more interested we will "e in their 4ourney

There are e7ceptions, o! course There always are The easiest one to cite is the 9ames &ond

!ranchise, where the !irst !ive to ten minutes really has nothing to do with the story, tells us nothing new

a"out the character, reveals no ma4or personality issues 1unless you consider killing !or a living a

personality issue5 The opening scenes o! a 9ames &ond movie are strictly to pull the audience into

that cray world where the only thing that counts is action ;aws, human li!e, sometimes even gravity,

are ignored in a villain#s pursuit o! &ond or in his pursuit o! a villain I#m sure you could cite other

e7amples, "ut let#s 4ust agree that there is no law in this, 4ust conventions


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So where does that leave you? $et to the story as soon as you can while still giving the audience time

to like or "e !ascinated "y your central character (kay, i! you must know, *.*/ pages in your

screenplay 0e7t time you watch a movie you like, time it You#ll see

2omments: -

I agree with this, "ut it depends on the conte7t The sooner the "etter is !ine &ut i! it#s care!ully

cra!ted, let#s say the !irst -+ minutes o!


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When I frst read this opening scene I was totallyriveted,ocused, eager to continue reading and see whathappened.

The more I read, the more I was hooked. I had been

attracted, engaged, and totally captured by the visualactiono the frst page.

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[WU URYY XV$Its the Screenplay Paradox: The best way to connect with

others is through the honest expression of our unique

experience of being human.

Burning incense while reading affirmations or writing them, lighting acandle, dancing to drum music, holding asmooth rock and listening to

Gregorian chantsall of these tactile, physical techniques reinforce

spiritual growth.

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Flashbacks

In a novel the action takes place inside thecharacters head, within the mindscape o dramaticaction.! play is di"erent. The action, or story line, occurs

onstage, underthe proscenium arch, and the audience becomes theourth wall,eavesdropping on the lives o the characters, what theythink andeel and say. They talk about their hopes and dreams,past and utureplans, discuss their needs and desires, ears and

con#icts. In this


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case, the action o the play occurs within the languageo dramaticaction$ it is spoken in words that describe eelings,actions, andemotions.! screenplay is di"erent. %ovies are di"erent. Film is avisualmedium that dramati&es a basic story line$ it deals inpictures, images,bits and pieces o flm' We see a clock ticking, a windowopening,a person in the distance leaning over a balcony,smoking$ in thebackground we hear a phone ringing, a baby crying, adog barkingas we see two people laughing as their car pulls awayrom the curb.()ust making pictures.( The nature o the screenplaydeals in pictures,and i we wanted to defne it, we could say that ascreenplay is*+ -/00123!4 a story told with pictures, in dialogue and description,and placedwithin the conte5t o dramatic structure.

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o Is the central con#ict o the story clearly defned6


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o !re the characters goal and need clear6o !re the stakes o the story big enough or acommercialmovie6o 7oes the story evoke an emotional response6o Will the audience cry, get angry, laugh, get scared,allin love, get e5cited, etc.6o What makes this story uni8ue, resh, and original6o Is your story too predictable6 9ave we seen thisbeore6o !re the acts o the story plausible6 :They dont havetobe possible, ;ust plausible.

the technique of screen and television by eugene vale

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