Comments on: The Most Powerful Two Hours You’ll Ever Spend as a Storyteller

By: Brandon Tackett

Brandon Tackett — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:44:35 +0000

Hey Larry,
Just want to say that I love your blog and in the past week since I found it, it has been very helpful. I love this exercise but I find my problem is I can’t seem to figure out how much information to include in my generic summation of the scenes.

By: Watching movies will help you write | Javen Blog

Watching movies will help you write | Javen Blog — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:17:50 +0000

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By: Top Ten Storyfix Posts of 2009

Top Ten Storyfix Posts of 2009 — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:42:46 +0000

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By: Larry

Larry — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:27:17 +0000

@Alan — thanks for commenting. Wanted to add that, in my view, actually choosing the movie is the easiest part of this exercise. Because nearly every story offers a template, as well as some form of demonstration of standard story architecture.

Two of my favorites are “Collateral” (a character-driven thriller, useful because it has a “false first plot plot, then a very soft real first point), and “The Island” (the one directed by Michael Bay, rather than the one starring Leo Decaprio). It’s sci-fi, but structurally perfect, and the plot points really jump out at you once you know what to look for.

Enjoy the process. Glad to have you here on Storyfix. L.

By: Alan Hutcheson

Alan Hutcheson — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:03:56 +0000

This is one of those cases of “Hey! I knew this, I just haven’t thought it through and done the blasted homework.” Thanks for making this clear and giving me a boot in the behind to actually do it.

Now comes what might be the toughest part of the assignment: choosing the right movie.

By: jennifer blanchard

jennifer blanchard — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:49:48 +0000

@Larry Yes, I’m definitely over-thinking it. I do that all the time! I’m going to re-watch the movie and then try it again. I look forward to you posting an entire movie sometime. Thanks again!

By: Larry

Larry — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:04:01 +0000

@Jennifer — sorry to hear you struggled. Maybe you’re over-thinking this. You don’t need to know the purpose of the scene to write down what happens within the scene in a generic sense. For example:

Hero meets girl, could be future love interest.

Hero meets new girlfriend’s ex, could be antagonist.

Plot Point: old boyfriend tries to kill new girlfriend.

See how generic that is? It could apply to any story.

Now, that said, one way to do this in context to the mission of a scene is to watch the movie again. Now that you know the ending, you know the context and mission of each scene in relation to where the story is going.

Hope this helps. I’ll consider doing it for a whole movie sometime soon, that’s a good idea. But don’t wait for that… keep at it, it’s a very powerful learning tool.

By: jennifer blanchard

jennifer blanchard — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:13:37 +0000

@Larry I tried this exercise this weekend….and failed. My main problem was not knowing the purpose of each scene. I was wondering if you’d be willing to give us a full example…of an entire movie and its scenes generic missions? This would be extremely helpful. And prolly not just to me. Think about it!

By: Larry

Larry — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:21:19 +0000

@ICY — I’d to borrow your comment and put it in bold neon headlines and billboards for anyone looking for an edge in their writing:

MOST PEOPLE WOULD FIND THAT THEY WRITE BETTER IF THEY PAY ATTENTION TO MOVIES.

By: Icy Sedgwick

Icy Sedgwick — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:36:13 +0000

I often feel like I have problems with structure but I definitely think this makes a lot of sense. More people could find that they write better if they pay attention to movies.