5 Parameters of Good Storyteling
It is pretty much evident that every story has a beginning, middle, and an end. But what is the beginning of story. When did the movie really starts? Not that every 2 or 3 hours good movies begin from the very moment of titles. If not the opening of a movie is beginning, then what is the real beginning!? That is our real quest today?
We often come across a situation while watching a movie, what is going on? Jeez! When will be the story really happens? In fact, we often feel, when will they stop talking or introducing themselves or stop doing some frolic activities and start doing some real action like Romeo and Juliet; Jack and Rose in Titanic; Tony in Iron Man; Arnold schwarzneggar in Predator. Some movies never end even after 3 hours as if the director or screenwriters are exploring never ending or ever expanding universe. Some movies we don’t even recognize the time when did they start and end, like a fart in the air, isn’t it? It’s not the duration of the movie that really bores the audiences, it’s the frolic activities of the characters that really does bore the audience — the real mundane activities like Rose’s fiancé in the movie Titanic, talking about the shitty business all the time while Jack make-love to her in the 18th century pom pom four wheeler.
Let’s put it in this way, a boy fell in love with a girl in the first year of their graduation. They have some really really wonderful moments. They love, they hate, they fight, they breakup, patch-up, make love, watch movies and study together and all and all for three long years as if they were going to unite in death like Romeo and Juliet. Finally farewell arrives and they part to join some job only to end up having another affair — after all, college romance is college romance lasts till the farewell. Oh…oh! One second, if you go on tell their loving spree tales, it’s going to never end. And if their story makes into movie of their three long fucking years cut short made into 3 hours, the audience will suicide right in front of the projector because their love story never really begins and of course never ends finding someone new all the time because their intelligence hijacked by hormones, no offence folks.
Let’s put it into another way. The boy meets girl and just connects like as if they were reincarnation of Romeo and Juliet not until she finds out the fact that he were never gonna return after summer vacation of their semester. She soon learns that her boy died in a freaky car accident and his body was never recovered like Paul Walker of Fast and Furious Movie fame. She lived so many sleepless nights and cried in memories all day long for two years. Her friend consoles her all these years and finally yields for him and accepts his proposal on farewell day. Life never stops playing with her feelings. Even before her first love begins, the boy presumably died in freaky car accident and she wept for two long years and a guy comes into her life to make her happy only to learn that she has got left a few weeks to live. This love story has got some potential to play than the previous routine loving spree guys. That’s what my point — a real story begins when it really ends in no time and an ordinary story ends like there was no beginning.
So are there any real parameters for a really good movie? I would definitely say yes. A good story begins when there is something vital at stake. Then the question is what are the parameters to measure the good stakes in a movie?
№1, Good stories will come into play when the conflict will lead upto crisis.
The conflict of the Titanic movie isn’t that it’s going to sink in a middle of nowhere. The conflict of the movie begins or the stakes are at high or the real movie begins when Rose chooses Jack over her wealthy fiancé. That’s when the real story begins. That’s where their love conflict turns into crisis escaping from wealthy fiancé.
№2, When at least one character reaches a turning point in a movie.
The real turning point of the movie Ironman is that when Tony’s life is in danger. The stakes are much higher when he has to live his rest of life with metal shrapnel not touching from his heart. That’s when the true character comes out and eventually becomes the super-hero Ironman.
№3, When a choice of a character will leads to conflict.
The stakes are much higher when Romeo sees Juliet for the first time. They fell in love instantly like hell bound. The feud between their faction families are not real stakes of Romeo and Juliet. Their unflinching love creates conflict that they even defy death and meets after life.
№4, When the character has good goal or strong desire to win or get something.
Like the Sarah Conors has pretty good goal to save her child John Connors from the Terminator that comes from future to kill John Connors if not, John will be the resistance leader and kills all the terminators from ruling the world — the skynet. Like the Panda in the movie Kung Fu Panda, desires to master the Kung fu and ultimately becomes the Dragon warrior to save the valley people from the great antagonist Tailung. That’s when the stakes are high when the character has strong goal or desires something.
№5, When an innocent character suffers from external or internal factors.
Like the mighty Arnold becomes prey to the mighty alien predator because no human power matches the alien creature; like the Harrison Ford becomes the innocent victim of his wife’s murder; like the Sylvester Stallone becomes the innocent victim of his deranged psyche in the Rambo because he is a Vietnam war burnout and alone living in mountains; like Matt Damon who plays an innocent CIA trained assassin, in search of who he really was, and the list goes on.
Bottom line — the real beginning of any movie is when the stakes are high. Characters create conflict; characters build stakes; characters suffer from strong internal and external factors. These are the parameters that make the good story into great and make an indelible impression on audience minds forever.
Ramu Maddy
Newlight Cinemas
