Memo from the Story Department Sample

MEMO FROM THE STORY DEPT. SECRETS OF STRUCTURE AND CHARACTER

CHRISTOPHER VOGLER &

DAVID MCKENNA

Table of Contents t Acknowledgments Introductio Int roductionn (V (Vogler ogler)) My Time in the Story Deartment (McKenna) Who Are Those Guys? (Vogler) Cp C p  1. You Gotta Ha Have ve a Them hemee (Vogler) Cp Cp  2. The “W “Want” ant” List (McKenna) Cp 3. Wha hat’ t’ss the Big Deal? (Vogler) Cp 4. The Contract with the Audience (Vogler) Cp 5. Polar Oosites (McKenna) Cp C p  6. The Memo Tha hatt Star Started ted It All: A Practical he h ero wiTh wiTh a a T housand housand F aces Guide to T he (Vogler) Cp 7. The Hero’s Inner Journey (Vogler) Cp 8. Recir Recirocal ocal Action (McKenna) Cp 9. Out of Character: The Arc Archetyes hetyes and Other Oth er Ways to Loo Lookk at Character Character (V (Vogle ogler) r) Cp 10. Character: The Algebraic Equa Equation tion (and Other Unnatural Acts) (McKenna) Cp Cp  11. Theoh heohrastus, rastus, Wha hatt a Char Character! acter! (Vogler)

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x x  x 1 7 13 17 23 29 57 65 71 87 93

Cp 12. The Tools: Synosis and Logline (McKenna) Cp 13. Proing It U: Vladimir Pro’ Pro’ss Fairy Tale Aroach (Vogler) Cp 14. Pro on Character (Vogler) Cp 15. Environment Environmental al Facts: Over Overview view (McKenna) Cp Cp  16. Environ Environmental mental Facts 1: Da Date te (McKenna) Cp 17. Environment Environmental al Facts 2: Loca Location tion (McKenna) Cp 18. Environment Environmental al Facts 3: Social Environment (McKenna) Cp 19. Environment Environmental al Facts 4: Religious Environment (McKenna) Cp 20. Environment Environmental al Facts 5: Political Environment (McKenna) Cp 21. Environment Environmental al Facts : Economic Environment (McKenna) Cp 22. Environment Environmental al Facts: Conclusion (McKenna) Cp Cp  23. What I Lear Learned ned from Vaudevill audevillee (Vogler) Cp 24. Showmanshi (Vogler) Cp 25. Five-Y Five-Year ear Plan for Asiring Professional Screenwriters (McKenna) Cp 26. Wha hatt Studios Are Looking For in a Scrit (Vogler) Cp Cp  27. Fare Thee Well ell:: My Parting Shot (Vogler) About the Authors

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IntroductIon

Who Are Tho hose se Gu Guys? ys? VOGLER

beginning to get on my nerves. nerves. Who are those guys? B C: They’re beginning –   p Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid  W G

Early versions of Vogler Vogler (left) and McKenna trying to gure it all out at the La Purisima Pur isima Mission in Lompoc, California (photo by Joyce Garrison)

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Memo from the Story Department ~ Vogler & McKenna

I      M; D   p     N J. S                  W I             S. L         .. A   I    ,  ,    ,  ,    . I  I        . I   j   U  M ,  , j  U.S. A F. A    I    L A        p p,    p      K A F B  S A, Tx    . I       ,                  p p     p  Dial M for Murder . M        ,                D MK. MK     ,   ,           N J. B   ,           . H        ,   x     pp  . H    B B, ,   -. D   ,      I,   j       p   p. B I    , I  p    p     p,          “p ,”  ,     p     ,      ’ ’ . D           ,          . H  x     ’ ’     ’ ’ p.

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chater one

You Gotta Have A Theme VOGLER

W   p  ,     p          “W   ” T      p    ,      z          xp    . W    ,  N     M    S       pp   ,                . A  p Lj Dramatic tic Writing Writing,   E,      The Art of Drama  Macbeth  ambition,    . Y         “O   ...” x, ,  z           TV . T  ’  , , , p,  ,             . T’  ’ ’         ’ ’ ,         . W  “”  “p”   ,  ’    pp         - -                   . . A ’    p    p    ,          p         . O          : X    Y . 1


T ( G)    ,  pp   p. P ( L)    ,    pp. A p       pp pp , ,  ,         ,        p. I    Macbeth  ,  Sp’ p       ,  ,    . T p   p  p,   . M  ’    ,   ’  . T p        “R      .” I’            , “A           .” H     p,   “S , p  , ,      pp .” I,        ,  z               . I’            p           . I     p    ,   p      . T   p    ,          . I         . I      p       xp        pp. I     -  -     p , “D’ ,   ,”           -          p     . A  , ’    p, pp p     ’  ,  p p ,    p             p p   .

2

You Gotta G otta Have A Theme

T   p      p. I  p          p   , p  . I         p       p p   p. T         ,      . I     p     I               ,   I’   “I ’    ,” “Y’       ,”  “H       ” I     “”        ,             . I         -     ,      ’    . I    p,        xp        . I   p   “L         .” A,     ,  I’    xp      p   x          p. K    p          . I       ,  ’  ,           ,      p  ,  p  p,      . T     , , ,  pp,      z      p    . F        p p   ’    p. T           ,             p          . B   p           p,      

3


p  p      pp     p, p,     j          .

What can we say is the theme of T W , , with its lonely anti-hero who tries to make a go of a normal life but decides it’s his true nature to go out in a heroic blaze of glory? Some have said Redemption; maybe it’s Integrity: To To thine own self se lf be true. What do you think?

SOMETHING TO TO THINK ABOUT

W   -     W   - p I   ’    W   -          W   - p D  xp    , xp   p      

4

You Gotta G otta Have A Theme

NOTE FROM M cKENNA

S     -, I’         C’         . L C, I        p  . App  “”  p      p  p . W     I  /       ,    p  pp    p   - p. R  --   z  p     ’ . H p      ,            p . W       , I                  . . I    . W W              (  Anatomy of a Murder , Erin Brockovich  The Verdict ppp p)               p   p p  . W  p p   Erin Brockovich      ’        E   p, p  D erdict t . B M p        The Verdic        z            . M   I             z. H            p  ’  xp . B

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C    p x       p I  . I ,         p    ’      . B, B , P P T T O         p,   pp    . T p       p--p    :                p p      . W   ,   p   :                   . W    p      .

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

T“W”L McKENNA

“There are three rules to writing, and nobody knows what they are .”   — W. Somerset Maugham

Thisi This is sa aqu quot ote efr from omo one neo off t the het tw wen enti tiet eth hce cent ntur ury’ y’sbe s besst storytellers,andIuseittokeepmyselfhumbleasateacher.I don’tknowhowanyonecreatesart.It’samysterythatrequires inspiration,hardworkandsomethingindenablethatcan’tbe learnedbyfollowingrulesfromabook(Icanhearmypublisher groaning…). T hankfully, craftsmanship (if  not ar tistr y) can be taught.Ithashardrulesthatbecomemalleableunderanartist’stouch.So ist’ stouch.Soawiseartistgoesthrough“basictrainin awiseartistgoesthrough“basictraining” g”with with thoserulesbeforetoyingwiththem. How Ho wever, ,iits seeems mst to obe bet thhew waay yoft ofthe hew wor orlld dttha hattu unninitiatedwould-beartistsdi initiatedw ould-beartistsdiverightinwith verightinwithoutsubmitti outsubmittingto ngto this“basictraining”incraftsmanship. My drama school classmates and I were not part rtiicularlywisein larl ywiseinthematterof thematterof training. training.W Wewereactingstudent ewereactingstudents, s, filledwithpassionateimpulsesandskepticalabouttheneed forwisdom.Wewouldperformscenesforourteacher,filled withyouthfulbrioandgoodintentions.Mostofourwork wasprettycrappy. Having suered through our work, that teacher would begineachcritiquesessionwith begineach critiquesessionwithasimplequestion:“Whatdoes asimplequestion:“Whatdoes yourcharacterwant?”Dozensofsceneswouldbeperformed

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throughoutthesemester,andthequestionwasposedevery singletime. single time.W Withoutfail, ithoutfail,theresponsew theresponsewasalotof asalotof hemming andhawingfromusstudents. andhawingfromusstu dents.W Wewereprettyhilariousinour insistentignorance. It’’s It sa ale leggac acy yth that atc con onti tinu nues es. .I’ I’vve eta taug ught htm my ysh shar are eofa ofact ct-ingclassesandhaveseenhundredsofactingscenes.Asmy teachers teac hers didbefor didbefore e me,I almo almost stal alwa ways ysask: ask: “Whatdo yo you u wanthere?” want here?”AsI AsIandmyclas andmyclassmatesdiddecadesago smatesdiddecadesago,mystu,mystudentslookattheirshoesandmumblesomethingalongthe linesof“Idunno.” So, in the name of basic training in craftsmanship, I want youand I (m (most ostly ly you) to mak make e upa lis list tof of “w “want ants. s.” Since Sin ce we kno know w tha that t the que quest stion ion wil will l be ask asked ed eve very ry si sing ngle le time,wewilllooklike“A”studentsifweatleasthavesome sortofanswer. So, So ,w wha hat tdo do pe peop ople le“w “wan ant” t”? ?W We eca can nst start art wi with th th the eba basi sics cs:: food,clothing,shelter.Canw food,clothing,shelter .Canwemake emakeupastoryaboutthesebaupastoryaboutthesebasicdesires?Idon’tseewhynot.Isn’tthedesireforallthreethe issuethatdrivestheheroesofBlakeEdwards’Victor/Victoria? We can open things up from there. Alcoholics want booze;justaskNicholasCagefrom Leaving Las Vegas .Sinners .Sinners wantredemption.Almostallofusyearnforloveandrecognition. Braveheart’s WilliamWallacelaiditallonthelinefor WilliamWallacelaiditallonthelinefor freedomand,afteralltheseyears,MickJaggerstillcan’tget nosatisfaction. In case we’ve forgotten, Cyndi Lauper inform rmss us that girlsjustwanttohavefun. Inf In fac act, t,p pop ops son ongs gsa are rea av virt irtua ual lte text xtbo book oko off “w “wan ants ts..” Th The e kidsfrom Fame “wa “want ntto toliv live efor forev ever. er.” Areth Aretha awan wants tsR-E-S-P R-E-S-P-E-C-T,andin Some Like It Hot ,MarilynMonroewantsto“be ,MarilynMonroewantsto“be lovedbyyou,justyouandnobodyelsebutyou.”InMarilyn’s case,itlookslikeasweetyen.ButgiveittoGlennClosein Fatal Attraction,andthesimple“want”getsdownrightscary. Micha Mic hael elCor Corleo leone ne wan ants ts fa famil milyy,,an and dhe he’’s swil willi ling ngto to kil kill lto to secureit.That’shistragedy,right?Howmanyofusjustyearn

8

The “WanT” LisT

fora for amat mate eand and kids kids? ?Whatdrama Whatdramatic tic acti actionwoul onwould dwe we tak take eto to acquiresuchthings? It’spr sprob obab ably ly no not tpo poli lite te to sa say yso so,,bu but tmo most st of us ar are ewi will llin ing g tomakedamnedfoolsofourselvestofullloursexual“wants.” Andhowaboutthesupportingcharacte Andhowabo utthesupportingcharacterinMaryChase’ rinMaryChase’scomedy scomedy Harveywhojustwantstositunderatreewithsomebeeranda girlwhopatshishandsaying“there,there”?Itdoesn’tseemlike much,butitfeedsanentire“B”plot. Moneydr driivesm moostofus ofust tooso som mede degr greeeor oro otther,an and d JamesBondwouldn’thavemuchtodounlessanendlessstream ofbadguyswantedtodominatetheworld.Jameshimselfseems satisedwithabottomlesssupplyofexoticcigarettes,devastating femmefatalesandmartinisshaken,notstirred.Cometothink ofit,Iwantthosethings,too. Sport Sp orts ste team ams sw wan ant tto tow win inc cha hamp mpio ions nshi hips ps, ,an and dhu hund ndrred edss oflmsrecordwhattheysacricetoaccomplishit. Alm Al moste evvery ryB Brroadwaym mus usic icaalo op pensw wiitha ann“I “Iw waant” song. son g. It’ It’s s the ant anthem hem dec declari laring ng the her hero’ o’s s des desire ire tha that t will be shapedandtestedbytheensuingaction.Bellefrom Beauty and the Beast musicallyyearnsforalifeofadventureliketheonesin musicallyyearnsforalifeofadventureliketheonesin thebooksshereads.ElizaDool thebooksshe reads.ElizaDoolittlefro ittlefrom m My Fair Ladywantsa “loverly”roomsomewherewithoneenormouschair.Thesong “OmigodYouGuys”fromLegally Blonde tellsusthatElleWoods tellsusthatElleWoods wantstomarryWarner,andtherestofthestorychasesthat desire. Are Ar eth ther ere emo more re“w “wan ants ts”? ”?I I ha havve eto to th thin ink kso so..Ca Carree eer rad advvan ance ce-ment,honor,recognition,victory,home,worldpeace,friendship, serenity,solitude,knowledge,wisdom,insight,answers,communionwithGod.Thelistgoesonandon,andeveryitemonit couldbethefoundationforasolidstory. For oru ussa asss sttor oryt ytel elle lers rs, ,tthe he“w “wan antt”l lis ist tbe beco come messa ap pri rima mary ry devicetobecontinuallysharpenedandkeptnearathandinour craftsmantoolbox.Astorydoesn’tevengetstarteduntilsomebodywantssomethingandmovesinadirectiontogetit.Your writinghasanimmediateadvantageifyouhaveacharacter “want”atyourfingertips. 9


Jus ust tto to be he help lpfu ful, l, I Ias askked a agro group up ofm ofmy yre rece cent nt st stud uden ents ts tobuilda“want”listwithme.I’llattachitbelow.Butgetto workonyourownpersonallist,too.Onceyou’vegotit,putit inyourtoolboxandputittowork.

Love Money Pleasure Validation (Approval) Security Revenge Stability Power Victory Freedom Acceptance Fame Redemption Respect Adventure God Truth Justice America Amer icann Way Way Change Attention Peace Sex Happiness Family Immortality Communication Survival

Knowledge Wisdom Drugs Escape Good Story Talent Stability Certainty Home Normalcy Excitement Inspiration Fun Independence To Forget To Remember Legacy Progress Forgiveness Friendship Death Fashion/Beauty Control Identity Company/Companionship Solitude Adrenaline/Rush Rock ’n’ Roll (see Drugs, Sex)

10

The “WanT” LisT

NOTE FROM VOGLER

Isat Isa tin ino on non one eofDa ofDavi vid’ d’sCo s Colu lumb mbia iac cla lassse ses srrec ecen enttly yan and d joinedhimandhisstudentsincritiquingscreenplayscenesthey hadwritten.Overandoverwehadthesamequestion:What doesthischaract does thischaracterwant? erwant?Untilthatisdetermined,scriptsand Untilthatisdetermined,scriptsand scenesseemwishy-washy scenesseemwishy-w ashy,disorganized,andspineless. ,disorganized,andspineless. Iha I havve em my yoown wnv ver ersi sion ono off t the he Wan ant tLi List st, ,a ahi hier erar arcchy yof of thingsthatdriveusthroughlife.Wemaynotrealizeitbut weareallrunningourlivesaccordingtocertainprimedirectives,chosenfromastandardlistofwishesthatexistinevery persontosomedegree.Eachperson,andeachcharacterina story sto ry,, cons consciou ciousl sly y or mor more e ofte often n unco unconsci nsciousl ouslyy, has ch chose osen n fromthelistonedrivethatcommand fromthelistonedri vethatcommandshisbehavio shisbehaviorabo raboveall veall others.Otherdrivesarepresentindescendingorderofimportance,butonedriveusuallydominates.Forexample,above all,Imusthavemyway,Imustbeinconspicuousatallcosts,I mustalwayshavethelastword,Imustbeseenashavingalot ofmoney,Imustfeelsecureandincontrolatalltimes,Imust bedifferentfromeveryoneelse,etc. Stor St orie ies sse seem em to be in inte tere rest sted ed in th thes ese eccho hoic ices es, ,an and dof ofte tenn set se t out to fo forc rce e a pr prota otago goni nist st to co cons nscio ciousl usly y re re-as -asse sess ss tha that t habitual habi tual,uncons ,unconsciou cioushierar shierarch chyof yof dri drives ves.At .Attheendof theendof the story,someonewhoputthedriv story ,someonewhoputthedrivetowinabov etowinaboveallmaycome eallmaycome toeditthelist,bringinganotherdrivetotheforeliketheneed forloveorfriendship.Inmyownlife,myprimedirectivefor manyyearswas“Everyonemustlikeme,”whichmeantthatI mustneverdoan mustnev erdoanythingtoupsetan ythingtoupsetanyone,and yone,andmustpleaseothmustpleaseothersevenattheexpenseofharmingmyself.Thestoryofmy lifehasconspiredtoteachmealesson—thedesiretoplease othersisagoodqualityinitsproperplacebutit’salousyway torun yo yourentir urentirelife. elife. I’ I’ve ve learned tobe tobehapp happywithmyse ywithmyself lf andletotherpeoplelovemeorhatemeastheychoose.

11

Memo from the Story Department Sample

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