THE
PRINCIPLES
"Story is not a democracy. It is a tyranny of cause and effect."
THE HIERARCHY
MAGNITUDEStory is not a flat line; it is a nested hierarchy. Beats build Scenes. Scenes build Sequences. Sequences build Acts. Acts build Story. Each level must deliver a more powerful and irreversible change in value than the last.
THE GAP
Story is born in that place where the subjective and objective realms touch. The character takes an action expecting a certain result, but the world reacts differently.
The Equation
Expectation ≠ Result
This breach between expectation and result is The Gap. It forces the character to dig deeper, to take a greater risk, to change.
THE VALUE SHIFT
FIG 3.1 // SEISMOGRAPH
"A Beat is an exchange of behavior in action/reaction. Beat by Beat these changing behaviors shape the turning of a scene."
The Setup
The value-charged condition of the character's life at the beginning of the scene.
The Action
The character acts to get what they want. The world reacts unexpectedly.
The Turn
The value changes polarity. Positive to Negative, or Negative to Positive.
CHINATOWN
Film: Chinatown (1974) // The Ending
Expectation
Gittes plans to help Evelyn and her daughter escape to Mexico. He expects to arrest Noah Cross for his crimes.
The Gap
The police arrive, but they are corrupt. Cross is not arrested; he is protected. Evelyn pulls a gun, but the police shoot her dead.
Result
Cross takes the child and walks away free. Gittes is left helpless in the darkness.