STORYTELLING

3 Tragic Beats (Aristotle) –– (1) Peripeteia: A sudden reversal of fortune (2) Anagnorisis: When a character makes a critical discovery (3) Catharsis The emotional relief in an audience Aristotles Poetics Explained on Youtube

Causality –– A good story will have plenty of twists and turns, but the plot needs to be arranged into a coherent structure that will make sense to the audience. One beat of the story should lead naturally and logically to the next plot point or else we will become confused and lose interest in the narrative. This cause-and-effect relationship between events is known as causality. Causality and Narrative Structure on Media Studies

Foil Character –– A term constructed from a jewelry trick; putting gems on foil to highlight the features. Accentuates the qualities of another character, typically the protagonist. This character exposes contrast. Examples: wisdom, ethical, emotional, or class. Sometimes they affect the character they are accentuating. What is a Foil Character? on Youtube

★ Layers of a Character –– Internal conflict (self), interpersonal conflict (other relationships), and extra personal conflict (inanimate force). Face you show the world, face you show close friends and family, and face you only show to yourself. Flat: One-dimensional and usually summed up by one distinct trait. Round: Multi-dimensional and complex, filled with very human contradictions. Dynamic: A character undergoes some form of change throughout a story. Static: A character remains mostly the same from beginning to end. Four Types of Characters and What is a Foil Character? on YouTube

Three Act Structure –– Act 01: setup Act 02: complications & obstacles Act 03: finds resolution Three Act Structure in Screenwriting on Arc Studio

Unity of Action –– According to Aristotle a play should contain only a single plot or story line (the audience can remain focused on the idea that it presents rather than being confused with multiple messages and subplots). Aristotles Poetics Explained on Youtube

McKinsey’s 3 Step Storyline Framework (SCQA or SCR)
Packing in a way that’s very persuasive.

  1. Situation - Introducing the topic and why you should care about it and why it’s important.

  2. Complication - Introducing a problem and why it’s such a terrible thing.

  3. Resolution - What is the solution?