Plot Types Story and Structure and Genres Goal-Driven: focus is on the character’s goals and actions
Character-Driven: focus on character dynamics, a need, a key relationship. Types of Goal-Driven Stories
The Character Wins: character strives for a goal and wins. Ex: The Incredibles, Slumdog Millionaire, Shrek, Rocky, Die Hard, Silence of the Lambs, Napoleon Dynamite
The Character Loses: results in a moral victory of some kind despite the failure of a very sympathetic character. Ex: Titanic, Braveheart.
The Character Sows the Seeds of His Own Destruction: Karma-what goes around, comes around. Ex- Frankenstein. Types of Character-Driven Stories
The Character Grows By Doing the Right Thing: char. Is about to do the wrong thing but transforms into someone who overcomes their flaws. Ex: Casablanca (Rick helps the woman he loves escape with her husband).
The Character Grows Up: char. Comes of age while striving for one or more goals that he achieves or not. Ex: Good Will Hunting, Hook (Pan grows up), Peter Parker in Spiderman 2 (can also be char learns).
The Character Learns: char learns what he needs to be happy. Ex: It’s A Wonderful Life, The Sixth Sense (learns to communicate), Wizard of Oz. Character Driven Stories, Continued.
The Character Fails to Learn: the char fails to grow but the audience learns the lesson. Ex: Goodfellas, O Brother Where Art Thou.
The Character Declines: a moral of physical decline while striving to achieve a worthy goal. Ex: Citizen Kane (has everything but not what he truly cares about), The Godfather (becomes all he didn’t want to be). Genres- Each one has certain identifiable characteristics.
Love Stories: rom-com (romantic comedy) is a blend. Lovers meet (catalyst), are forced together (Big Event), fall in love (The Pinch), are separated (The Crisis), one or both will change in some way (The Showdown) and return. Usually a character grows by doing the right thing. • Action/Adventure: Usually opens with an action sequence followed by some exposition. The key is exciting action. Generally a Character Wins plot. Thrillers: focus is on suspense more than action. An ordinary man or woman gets involved in a situation that becomes life-threatening. The bad guys are desperately after some goal or object. The audience generally cares about the survival of the central character. The motivation is survival. Character is isolated and can’t trust anyone. Horror: The opposition is a monster or monster-like human. Relies on shock and surprise. Science Fiction: Set in another world or time. Alien/Aliens are also Sci-fi which gives rise to hybrids such as Back to the Future (fantasy family drama, sci-fi comedy). Traveling Angel: a character solves the problems of the people around him. That character doesn’t grow much because he’s “perfect” but others do and his job is done. Detective/Mystery: opens with murder or some crime. Some figures solves case. Often narration voice because of mental work. If they are a private detective they often operate on the fringes of law. Applies to police, too. Film Noir: “black film” genre and shooting style- shadows, cynical, realistic. Ordinary people in over their heads, no clearcut heroes and villains. Moral ambiguity. A struggle within the character. Fish-Out-Of-Water: lots of potential for conflict and fun. A character is abruptly taken out of their element. Western/Revisionist Western
Historical Epic
Screwball comedy
Action Romance
Social Problems
Etc etc etc