The Art Of Storytelling (Story Structure)

Exercise 1: Beats

Part A: Beats can show the most important moments in your story. They show WHAT is happening, not HOW. Choose a format (outline form, using index cards, sketchbook, etc.) to identify and describe the beats that are part of the structure in each of your three favorite films.

PICTURE :

Part B: Play the “Story Spine game” with a group of people. Go around in a circle and improve the development of a story. Start with “once upon a time” and have one person at a time spontaneously fill in the blank for each line.

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Part C: Develop a story spine for your own film idea. Try sharing your spine with someone and iterating a few times…

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The Art Of Storytelling (Character)

Exercise 5: Stakes

Part A: Return to the main characters from your three favorite films.

• What was one important choice they had to make where the stakes were high?

Alita : She had to let go of Hugo

Emmet : Fight Rex Dangervest

Greg : Get rid of Rowley

• What were the stakes?

Alita : She had to fight a bunch of robots

Emmet : He had to be saved by Lucy

Greg : He had to get rid of Rowley

• Can you identify them as internal external or philosophical?

Alita : philosophical

Emmet : philosophical

Greg : Internal

Part B: Think about a difficult choice you had to make in your own life. What was at stake?

Losing Money

Part C: Return to one of the obstacles your character might face from the previous exercise. Now think of the choice this obstacle forces them to make. Answer the following:

• What are the possible stakes of this choice?

Finding Horcruxes : High

• Can you come up with an internal, external or philosophical stake which applies to this choice?

Attack of Voldemort : philosophical

The Art Of Storytelling (Character)

Exercise 4: Character Arc

Part A: Identify the arc of the main character in your 3 favorite films.

• What do they want at the beginning?

Alita : Alita wants to be with Hugo

Emmet : Emmet wants to be with Lucy

Greg Heffley : Greg wants to be popular

• What did they realize they need by the end?

Alita : Alita needs to survive Nova

Emmet : Emmet Has to save his friends

Greg Heffley : Greg needs to brainstorm a plan to become popular

Part B: How have you changed as a result of overcoming an obstacle?

I have learnt that getting Robux needs money

Part C: Brainstorm ideas for how your character might change as a result of the obstacles you’ve identified in the previous exercise?

• What might they want at the beginning?

to become a Quidditch champion

• What might they realize they need at the end?

They need to stop Voldemort

The Art Of Storytelling (Character)

Exercise 3: Obstacles

Part A: Return to your three favorite films. Identify one obstacle the main character you selected faces in each.

Alita : Nova

Emmet : Rex Dangervest

Greg Heffley : Rodrick

Part B: Identify an obstacle that you’ve faced in your life. What was it preventing you from getting?

Working

Part C: Return to the character that you are developing. Brainstorm a few possible obstacles they might face.

Friendship

Work

Fear

The Art Of Storytelling (Khan Academy)

Exercise 2: Wants vs. Needs

Part A: Return to the main characters from your three favorite films. Identify a want and a need for each character.

Alita : Wants : To be With Hugo. Needs : Stay Alive

Emmet : Wants : To be With Lucy. Needs : Rescue His Friends

For example: In Monsters Inc. Sulley wants to be the best scarer but he needs to be a father figure.

Part B: Try to identify one of your own wants and needs.

Wants : Get Robux Need : Get Money

Part C: Return to your character idea from the previous exercise. Brainstorm answers to the following questions:

• What do they want most?

Become a Qudditch Champion

• Who do they want to become?

Become a Qudditch Champion

• What might they need in order to succeed?

Training