THE FIFTH ESTATE: A Failure Analysis

THE FIFTH ESTATE (October 2013) DIR Bill Condon

Budget $28 US Gross $3.3 (No Worldwide BO Numbers)

A dramatic thriller based on real events that reveals the quest by super-hacker Julian Assange, to "expose the deceptions and corruptions of power that turned an Internet upstart into the 21st century's most fiercely debated organization" (producer's quote). The movie is based primarily on a book about the events by Daniel Berg, Julian Assange's compatriot who turned on Assange at the end.

For a movie produced by Dreamworks and distributed by Touchstone, there should have been a tighter grip on the well-known rules of successful story structure. This box office flop indicates that something was seriously wrong with the story, especially since it came from two powerhouses and the production values are very high and acting is very good. [Yes, I wish studios would follow the precepts in my book The Moral Premise. For a $20 and a five-hour investment they'd make millions if they followed the simple precepts learned through the ages.]

MORAL PREMISE

Here's the moral premise that the film espouses, followed by an explanation. I am not familiar enough with the real facts of the real story or with Wikileaks to extend this analysis to the real thing. This analysis is strictly about the movie, which embraces this moral premise statement:

Keeping any secrets leads to dystopian corruption and tyranny; but

Revealing all secrets leads to utopian justice and freedom.

 ANALYSIS

There are two obvious reasons why this movie failed, in spite of the stellar production values. No, there are a least three reasons. In order of significance (to this blog, at least), they are:

1. FALSE MORAL PREMISE

Again, here's the moral premise that the film espouses:

Keeping any secrets leads to dystopian corruption and tyranny; but

Revealing all secrets leads to utopian justice and freedom.

As explained in No. 2 below, THE FIFTH ESTATE has all the earmarks of a tragedy and yet the filmmakers try to make it out as redemptive, with Assange painted as a mad but noble hero. This never works, even when you have an A-List actor playing the lead: e.g. SEVEN POUNDS. Tragedies can have a true moral premise if the story is treated as a tragedy without an attempt at making wrong-headed behavior good. (Moral relativism lasts only so long before your face is covered in spittle.) 

The movie portrays Assange as a manipulative megalomanic, ["a psychopathological disorder characterized by delusional fantasies or power, relevance,  or omnipotence characterized by an inflated sense of self-esteem and overestimation of power (1)]. Assange's decisions and behavior are revealed as anti-social, untrustworthy, manically self-centered and manipulative. But the movie also elevates Assange as a noble and savior and suggests throughout and at the end that we should all emulate his courage. This is made clear in a final reflective dialogue scene between Daniel Berg and Guardian reporter Nick Davies. It's here that the two attempt to establish the moral ground upon which Assange and the movie are based. 

BERG: I guess everyone has secrets. Scars. Moments in time that shape them. Some we can get past. Some we can't. There was a moment when everything was possible. [Note the nod to utopian ideals, which begins this dialogue and ends with it.] We changed the world. He changed the world.   

DAVIES: But then he made it all about him.  

BERG: It always was. Only someone so obsessed with his own secrets could have come up with a way to reveal everyone else's.  

DAVIES: You know there was a time when British papers couldn't report on parliamentary debate. But then a few very brave men started printing pamphlets and leaking these debates. And, uh, well, I believe the men were hanged. But the public saw these pamphlets and demanded access and the modern fourth estate was born, from the passion and the vision of these few brave souls. 

BERG: Who were hanged.   

DAVIES: Who were hanged. And now we find ourselves in the same position. A new information revolution infinitely more powerful than the last, a fifth estate, seemingly hell-bent on destroying its predecessors. All the old models dying faster than the new can replace them.  Which is why we need more brave souls. You and Julian have charted a course through all this chaos, pointed at the truth. And yes, the tyrants of this world should beware. Knowing that now, we have the power to demand the information that one day soon will wash them all away [A final utopian nod]. 

Notice how the dialogue, which attempts to explain why Assange, although a manipulative liar, is a hero because his end purpose was justice. This reflects the utopian ideal, which conveniently avoids the ubiquitous presence of manipulative, dystopian evil. Yes, the utopian ideal that ignores evidence to the contrary has followers...clearly the filmmakers. But the general public is aware (at least subliminally) that ends never justify the means, and that secret information from news sources, especially when anonymous revealed in the raw, are easily misinterpreted, misapplied, misunderstood by the public... and can be easily used for evil purposes by opportunists. A good reporter with a trusted research staff solves these problems... or most of them.

The Natural Law of keeping secrets dictates that they must be kept unless there in injustice created by keeping it, and, then, only grave harm can be avoided only by divulging the truth. And further, to reveal a secret requires a grave and proportionate reason.

Each  member of the audience knows they (individually) have secrets that if revealed would destroy them and their loved ones, not so much because of wrong actions but because the debates that occur in their heads (or in parliament) would be misconstrued, and manipulated for wrong-headed or misplaced purposes. Privately in our heads, in our homes with family members, and honest debate should allow us to consider all alternatives before acting. The cables released by government officials, while some were uncomfortable, nonetheless reflect this debate in search of truth. The debate (even in its extreme propositions) should not be constructed as wrong, but as good. It's the outcome of the debate, the actions, that should be judged. But even then, witgout context, an accurate interpretation is difficult.  

The typical person in the audience knows that the ability of a person (as well as an institution) to keep secrets (the right of privacy), while it can be evil, can also be good. While some things done in secret are wrong, many things done in secret benefit the common good. Secrets, per se, are not evil. But that is the assumption Assange and the film make. This rings as false, and the audience turns away. 

2. PROTAGONIST CONFUSION. 

Although the filmmaker's protagonist (Assange) is passionate, active, and has a physical goal (good things for a protagonist to have), the goal (to reveal unredacted, secret government cables) is not universally accepted as a noble one. (Successful films are always about universal truths, not half-hidden or parochial truths.) Although Assange is imperfect (something all protagonist should be at the beginning of a story), he doubles down and embraces his imperfections even more, thus leaving us with a tragedy.  Tragedies rarely do good at the box office because people want stories and examples of true, sacrificial redemption. And while there is a scene wherein Assange whines about sacrificing his relationship with his son whom he hasn't seen in decades, Assange comes off more as a selfish brat who really doesn't care about his son. 

Berg's character, however, does change (a desirable aspect of a protagonist), and we are drawn to sympathize with Berg, and root for him to put limits on Assange and establish a just relationship with his girlfriend, Anker. But Berg is not a proactive or even passionate character searching for a goal we can root for.  He is mostly reactive to Assange, Davies, and Anker. Thus, both characters violate clear rules of acceptable protagonists, and the target audience rejects them both. 

3. LINEAR STORY and HOOK CONFUSION. 

The first half of the movie is difficult to follow. We're not sure what Assange wants, or what Daniel's motivations are for helping. I think the filmmakers became obsessed with the difficulty of making  a movie where something invisible (data) plays an important role. The result in a lot of fast cutting, and linear story gaps. Perhaps the filmmakers felt the audience could fill in these many gaps because of all the news coverage about the real events. But, early on, it was not clear how the traditional linear news business works, nor how Wikileaks differs. The film poorly explains these critical elements, and then spends a great deal of time revealing how sources remain anonymous. Thus, the audience is left with an anonymous story to track, rather than a linear, explicit one. This is not a moral premise issue, but it is a hook and log line issue. 

The hook behind Wikileaks, at least as first conceived, is that all sources would be anonymous and thus protected. The problem, as the film illustrates, is that there is no editing and no verification or context interpretation. Thus, the raw facts are not contaminated with false conclusions, equivocations and other linguistic fallacies that confuses the facts with truth. And this IS a moral issue. But the FIFTH ESTATE hook (the unusual way news is gathered and disseminated) is only understood if traditional news gathering and reporting is first understood. 

(1) Definition from Wikipedia.

Gerry Mooney's Modules

Gerry Mooney - http://thegravityposter.com/

If you have attended my workshops you'll recall my reference to Natural Law and how no human can escape it, and how successful story structure is the consequence of Natural Law. One of the illustrations I use is Gerry Mooney's popular GRAVITY POSTER; (purchase it at the link under the picture at right). As I explain, your characters, like real humans, can make any choice they want, but they have no choice over the consequence of their actions.

That inescapable cause (by us) and effect (from nature) relationship is why stories work and why humor works. The laws of nature transcend our physical realm and also pervade our psychological, spiritual, emotional, and moral worlds.

The productive juxtaposition of science, religion, politics, humor, and storytelling has perhaps never been so poignant than in a series of one-frame cartoons by Mooney, which appeared in Asimov's Science Magazine back in the 80s (that's the 1980's for the vampires reading this).  In each of his 51 creations, there is, like in all stories, a physical reality that metaphors the psychological reality -- which is what each module or story is REALLY about.

Below (left) is the first in the Mooney's Module series that links to the Modules, and a second image (right) to a wonderful story about a little boy and his teacher, Sister Mary Dracula that I recently purchased and "devoured".  CLICK ON EITHER IMAGE FOR THE SERIES, OR TO PURCHASE THE GRAPHIC NOVEL.

  

"Great Art From Bad People" by Nikita Mungarwadi

Patrick Fifelski (DP) & Nikita Mungarwadi (Dir) on location

Guest Essay, from Nikita Mungarwadi, writer and director whom I've had the pleasure of tutoring and working with over the past six years. Picture is of her on the set of her short film Bad Luck Bella that will premiere in Ann Arbor Dec 22, 2014.

GREAT ART FROM BAD PEOPLE

What is it about the arts that can manipulate human emotions, sending the witness into a sea of startling tears or a spiral of interminable laughter? What is it about art that inspires us, guides us, and acculturates us? Most hold true to the notion that the purpose of art is to better us and some experts claim art can “raise our moral levels”[1]. We respect the irony of art, the illusion meant to distract our attention from the real world, yet offers universal principles that can be applied to reality. We fasten ourselves so deep into art’s mirage we convince ourselves that the artists must embody and exude some kind of pure goodness. And yet contradictions are ever present. In an interview for the New York Times, Kanye West pronounced, “Great art comes from great artists.” But if we consider that Kanye West is the epitome of narcissism and controversy, it begs the question: Can great art come from bad people?

There’s no doubt that West’s brimming ego depletes his character. At the 2004 American Music Awards, West ranted to the press after country music singer Gretchen Wilson won the Best New Artist Award over him. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, West even dubbed himself a “creative genius.” In addition to his ego, Kanye West consistently finds himself in the center of controversy, from blatantly accusing President George W. Bush on public television of being a racist, to sporting a Confederate flag on his sleeve, to humiliating Taylor Swift at the Video Music Awards.  It was reasonable for President Barack Obama to declare Kanye West a “jackass.” But when we consider all the musician’s flaws, we cannot stray from the fact that West’s music manifests considerable talent worthy of merit. With 21 Grammy awards and five platinum solo studio albums, West is immersed in accomplishment, even if his character is far from it.

West has certainly not been the only artist to contradict his art with his character. If we take a look at the 19^th century German composer, Richard Wagner, we find his opera compositions to be notably rich in their textures, harmonies, and orchestration. His concept of Gesamtkunstwerk (“total work of art”)[2] revolutionized opera and continued to influence many art forms throughout the 20^th century. Apart from distinguishing himself as a powerful composer, Wagner didn’t shy from publicly expressing his obsessive anti-Semitic views. Hitler deeply admired Wagner’s work and exercised his music in Nazi propaganda – Wagner’s music eventually becoming a symbol of fascism.  

The obvious answer is, yes, bad people, or people we consider to have socially reprehensible qualities, are undoubtedly capable of creating critically acclaimed art. But can we separate the man from the music, the art from the artist, and still appreciate the art by itself? Daniel Bareboim, a Jewish conductor who admires Wagner’s music, argues that while Wagner was a raging anti-Semite, he did not compose a single note that was anti-Semitic.[3] It can be argued that the artist and the art are two separate entities, and should be evaluated individually. The artist can be condemned from an ethical viewpoint while the art can only be judged from an aesthetic angle. Sure, Orson Scott Card does not reveal his homophobia in Enders Game[4], and Dickens continued to write about healing families long after discarding his wife[5], but some art cannot truly be fully appreciated without examining the life of the creator. A notable example is Picasso, who fueled his creative output from his countless romantic relationships of which two killed themselves and another two went mad.[6]

The inquisition between great art and ethics becomes even puzzling when we consider that great art can simultaneously glorify moral injustice. D.W. Griffith’s film Birth of A Nation, is known to have revolutionized the commercial film industry with its innovative film techniques, while at the same time presenting the Ku Klux Klan as a heroic force.

Art’s purpose goes beyond mere entertainment or bettering the spectator. Art represents the human condition with all its complexities and contradictions. We make art to be human, we witness art to feel human, and we study art to understand humanity. Humans are complex characters, and great art is an extension of that complexity. Art can be analyzed exclusively from the artist, but cannot always be fully appreciated without acknowledging the artist. At the same time, great art does not always constitute morally apt ideals. Art is complex; Humans are complex. Art is ironic; Humans are ironic. Like both good and bad humans, both good and bad art is irreducibly complex, intricate, and embodies the contradictory creations of ingenuity.

---

[1] Williams, Stan. The Moral Premise. Studio City: Michael Wiese Productions, 2006. 19. Print.

[2] Barenboim, Daniel. "Wagner and The Jews." The New York Review of Books 60.11 (2013): 1+. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.

[3] Barenboim, Daniel. "Wagner and The Jews." The New York Review of Books 60.11 (2013): 1+. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.

[4] Lorge, Lauren. "The conundrum of good art created by bad people." The Collegian . Web. 30 Nov. 2013.

[5] Schulman, Sam. "Good Writers. Bad Men. Does It Matter?" In Character, A Journal of Everyday Virtues (2010). Web. 1 Dec. 2013.

[6] McGrath, Charles. "Good Art, Bad People." The New York Times June 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.

"The Story Diamond Won't Work For Me"

I have had the pleasure of working as a story consultant with celebrated historical romance writer TAMERA ALEXANDER over the past few years. She's mentioned in a couple earlier posts.

This week she's going over the galleys to her latest book, A BEAUTY SO RARE, which will come out in April, 2014 from Bethany House Publishers.  Tamera has a couple of book series she writing this decade, turns out about one a year, alternating between Bethany and Zondervan (Harper Collins), both Grand Rapids, MI publishers. ABSR is for Bethany and is book 2 of the Belmont mansion series. Zondervan gets the series about the Belle Meade plantation. Both estates are real places, with real historical people, in postbellum Nashville, which is where Tamera calls home.

In a couple of emails we exchanged over the last 24 hours, and then a telephone conversation, Tamera shared the following:

ABSR was, by far, the hardest book I’ve ever written...Thanks again for the brainstorming we did on the front end. One thing I learned this go round…do not work from the white board (story diamond) when trying to write. The left brain and right brain do not mix. Nearly drove me to drink. Which actually might have helped, come to think of it. : )... I was trying to follow the story diamond, filling it in, trying to figure out the Act 1, Act 2, Act 3 thing, and it did not work for me. Doesn’t mean the story diamond won’t ultimately work for me, but doing that while creating is a killer for me. Just can’t mix the two at all.

Now why would I post this criticism of something I promote—The Story Diamond, pictured at left in its recent permutation. Posts about which can be found HERE, and the actual working tool HERE?

Because Tamera's observation is instructive, and allows me to reinforce why we call writing aids like The Story Diamond an "aid" and not a "rule". Indeed, Chapter 4 of The Moral Premise, "Storytelling's Natural Law and Processes" attempts to explain how every successful writer, while they may end up at the same place, cannot use the same method. Just as every protagonist is different in terms of psychological makeup and action, so is every writer in how they must listen to their muse and get the work done.  I remind writers in my workshops that if they follow my "secrets" and suggested rules of successful writing literally, they will marginalize the story's natural dynamic, and output will be a dud. One of the reasons well-written stories connect with human beings so well is that they are all different—meaning both the stories and the humans. The Story Diamond is meant as an invisible guide, to give the writer an underlying structure, not a step-by-step rule.

FREE WILL PANTSING

Update to 13 Beat Story Structure Post

I have just revised a post that I often refer writers to study is titled Story Structure Basics - 13 Major Beats and is listed and linked at the topic of the Topics & Labels listing in the right column.

I've been meaning to do this for over a year and have grimaced each time I'm asked a question that was semantically confusing in the former post. (Not that any revision isn't also going to cause questions and a grimace.) I've also updated the diagram that goes along with the post which is here.

CLICK IMAGE to Enlarge

Teen Community of Filmmakers

Nikita (L) & sister Monica (R)

Over the past few years I've taught a Story Symposium for a group of teens, and later helped them produce a short movie. One of my students is Nikita Mungarwadi, of whom I've written before about. The picture at right I took at her older sister's high school graduation dinner. Nikita's on the left, in dresses they purchased on a recent trip to their parent's cities in Southern India.

She asked my opinion of several of her college application essays. The one below was priceless and thought it applied to stories of all kinds. It tells one.

The application prompt is followed by her essay:

PROMPT

Essay #1 (Required for all applicants. Approximately 250 words) Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it.

NIKITA'S ESSAY

We are a community of filmmaking teens.  A community of all Caucasians and one Indian.  A community of devout Catholics and one devout Hindu. I am the latter, yet I belong with the former. 

When I attended my first Story Symposium workshop freshman year, I was mildly surprised to find that I would be the brown sesame seed among the pot of white rice.  I was already accustomed to be the minority.  In school, I was one among the two Indians in my grade; in ballet I was the one Indian. 

I wasn’t expecting hostility, but I braced myself for the discreetness that was sure to exist.  Strangely… I got neither.  The rest of the teens completely ignored the fact that my external features were incompatible with theirs, and adopted me within their circle.

Soon, we became a cult, enthusiastically learning the craft of a perfect screenplay.  We contributed recommendations on others’ screenplay ideas while absorbing advice for our own. 

We all shared a mutual desire to become part of the channel through which we could manipulate human emotions, sending the audience into a sea of startling tears or a death of interminable laughter.  We realized that films were the illusion meant to distract people’s attention from the real world, yet offered universal principles that can be applied to reality.  The irony of filmmaking and the longing to be a part of it was what brought us together.

Even though our complexions clashed and our religious devotions disagreed, they considered me to be synonymous with themselves­­–a united community of teens indulged in fascination for the art of storytelling.

Antagonists, Settings, Protagonists, and Environments

Theory: In successful stories Antagonists are the product of their environment or setting, while Protagonists are the change-agents of their environment or setting. IOW: Antagonists are the out growth of their own status quo, while Protagonists challenge the status quo of others. Is that a rule that is always true of successful stories?

The Moral Premise on Twitter

@MoralPremise is my twitter handle. While in Dallas I picked up two books in the Omni Hotel Gift Shop. 101 Things To Learn in Art School (Kit White [Art]), and 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School (Matthew Frederick) [Arch].

Flipping through the pages I found inspiration in how art and architecture apply to story structure and what I do in my consulting. So, I've started a TWEET series that will only appear @MoralPremise.

If I remember or have enough characters I'll end each with either ART or ARCH and the page number. Thus ART5 refers to page 5 . Of course I've already used TILIAS5 for this, but I'll get in the groove tomorrow.

Great little books to add to your library.

What's a Story Producer?

You've all seen the credits at the end of a movie. In recent years they go on forever. Just by their length six-digits is likely added cost of prints and bandwidth each year. Next to the CGI department, with even their hundreds of names in movies without special effects, the next longest list belongs to producers. What the heck do they all do, you may wonder?

Let me make an important suggestion. We need a new kind of producer with one production-wide responsibility— the story.

A little background.

Most producers are nothing more than a coordinator who has a particular affinity to detail. Although due to their obsession with detail, especially those involving schedules and expenses, "nothing more" is a serious oxymoron. The proper idiom is more likely "everything plus more".  The industry's nod to this important personality disorder is to list the producer's name above the director's in the opening credits, e.g. a BRAIN GRAZER production of a RON HOWARD film. Of course they switch places at the end of the movie, where all the other producers share the spot light with Mr. Grazer.

Here is the list of Grazer and Howard's RUSH from IMBD. I'll leave the links in place.

Tobin Armbrust	....	executive producer
Andrew Eaton	....	producer
Eric Fellner	....	producer
Brian Grazer	....	producer
Jim Hajicosta	....	co-producer
Todd Hallowell	....	executive producer
Daniel Hetzer	....	co-producer
Ron Howard	....	producer
Jens Meurer	....	co-producer
Peter Morgan	....	producer
Kay Niessen	....	co-producer
Brian Oliver	....	producer
Anita Overland	....	co-producer
Gernot Schaffler	....	associate producer
Raj Brinder Singh	....	co-executive producer
Tyler Thompson	....	executive producer

My work on films over the last decade, which includes tracking their box office progress, suggests that if more attention was paid to the integrity of the story in all aspects of the filmmaking craft, movies would attract a larger audience.

I've written this before, but William Goldman was wrong when he wrote on page 39 of his famous book ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE (p.39) that "NOBODY (sic) KNOWS ANYTHING."  (emphasis is Goldman's).  The truth is Somebody does know something. Just drive through Beverly Hills. Either they know something or they're printing money faster than the U.S. mint. In fairness, however, Goldman isn't claiming that E.P.'s are stupid. His context is that before a picture is released the E.P.'s don't really know how well the movie will be accepted by the public.

I contend they CAN know...if they follow the story principal of The Moral Premise, and if they had a Story Producer that was trained in those principals, and whose sole responsibility was to watch over every aspect of development, production, post-production and marketing. Of course, there's the assumption that the E.P. Producer, and Director will need the Story Producer's advice.

Back to Goldman. He points to the holiday release schedule for 1981-82. Of the 17 films released, ONLY ONE film did well at the box office. (Again, recall that numbers reflect connection and audience resonance, all other things being equal.)  Here's the list, box office numbers in millions from http://www.the-numbers.com.

On Golden Pond	$119
Reds	$50
Taps	$36
Sharky's Machine	$33
Neighbors	$30
Modern Problems	$24
Ragtime	$17
Ghost Story	$16
Rollover	$10
Pennies from Heaven	$6
Whose Life is it Anyway?	$6
Heartbeeps	$6
Buddy Buddy	$5
Pick-up Summer	$0
Four Friends	$0
Clash of the Titans	$0
Man of Iron	$0

I admit, I have not analyzed any of these films for a true or consistently applied moral premise. But I have studied hundreds of movies since, and if the pattern holds, I would predict that ONLY GOLDEN POND possessed a true and consistent moral premise and that REDS had some inner truth going for it, but the presentation of the moral argument was not consistent. That's why a movie about two old people beat the rest of the pack.

STORY PRODUCER
Here's a description for a person on the project team that can substantially help connect stories with audiences.

The Story Producer is a co-producer who reports to the Producer and Director. The Story Producer has overall advisory responsibility for the consistent implementation of a true moral premise in all creative aspects of the project, including but not limited to the decisions and activities related to producing, writing, direction, photography, art direction, casting, scoring, effects and marketing. The Story Producer's work is based on the integration of a true and consistently applied Moral Premise as discussed in the book and blog of the same name. The Story Producer begins work during development with the writer and director to determine a true and resonating set of Story Fundamentals e.g. Hook, Log Line, Conflict of Values, Moral Premise, major plot beats for all main characters and sub-beats for minor characters including visual and aural motifs,  metaphors, script pacing, emotional roller-coast of beats, and dialogue.  The Story Producer reviews and gives notes on everything the writer generates including synopses, treatments, and final screenplay. During Production and Post-Production the Story Producer monitors all aspects of production for consistent execution of the moral premise in everything seen or heard by the potential or actual audience.

Hook Exercise Results

I've run this exercise before in my workshops, but rarely have I received the results that I did in Dallas at the T.D. Jakes Film Festival workshops on August 30, 2013. After several slides explaining the first Secret of Successful Stories, an Ironic Hook, I asked the participants to write down their ideas and pass them forward. Here, with some minor editing, is what came to me — grist for the story mill. I have no names, so if you turn one of these into a book or movie, be sure to give credit to the "T.D. Jakes IFFFF Moral Premise Workshop Participants"

Cancer 9-1-1
The Baby Teacher
Babies Raising Moms
Big Shoes, Little Feet
Sugar Ain't Sweet
A life insurance salesman is a serial killer
An Army Drill Sargent gets elected POTUS
Female POTUS appoints all male cabinet
Navy seal appointed commander at West Point
A bird is afraid of heights
A bear raises a boy in the wild
A Grandma becomes an astronaut
An alien becomes a civil war hero
A man takes over the world with an army of Shih Tzu
Due to climate upheaval Manhatten and Florida switch places
Skateboading park on the moon
Strong man fights army with large bone
A man can't fall
A man to lazy to cook sells his inheritance for a sandwich
The adventures of a quadriplegic world traveler
Black girl from Louisiana becomes 5-Star Chef in Italy
A beautiful white woman wakes up as a black woman the morning of wedding
A retired madam starts a church
A man wakes up from a coma as a woman
A man is unable to speak until he turns 30
A baby disarms a mad assailant.
A musical chair
A preacher is possessed by the devil
Boy with no hands plays the guitar
Preacher summoned to be a wartime spy
A dysfunctional family functions
Blind white racist falls for a black woman
Match.com pairs up a black racist with with white racist.

TDJE Film Festival Slide Sets

My slide sets from TD Jakes International Film Festival are now available here at four PDF files:
http://moralpremise.com/OneDayWorkshopOutline.php

Story Symposium Query

Are you interested in participating in a Story Symposium that I would lead once a month, for 9 months, on Saturdays for three hours? It would include all of my various workshop content plus interactive discussions, sharing, and story critique opportunities. This new version of the symposium would be available to distance participants via WebEx, or to live participants who would come to the meeting location in Novi, MI.

From May 2010 through May 2012 I taught and facilitated, along with Jan Swedorske, a Story Symposium class in story writing (screenplays and prose) at my home in Novi. Students would come at 2 PM, and we'd be done by 5 PM. Some months the times shifted due to my travel schedule. The sessions were a mix of lecture, interactive, discussion, story sharing and critique. I presented my workshop material on various story topics, and I coached participants (as a group and privately) in the development of their own stories. Although this started out as a on-going workshop for teens involved in a Catholic Home School organization, at times welcomed adults, parents, and non-Christians to the group. The original symposium ran for two years. Recently there have been requests to run it again.

I am considering rerunning the symposium, but in a version that would only run for only 9-10 sessions during the regular school year (Sept through May) AND be available for people outside the area to participate live or (if a session is missed) to access the session file for playback. The live session would meet once a month on a Saturday for 3 hours. The "live" location would be in Novi at my home where I have easy access to electronic media and Internet transmission. If there was wider interest for the in-person live sessions than I anticipate we would meet at a larger venue.

This time there would be a cost, but as of yet I have not figured out what it would be. Distance participants would need a good internet connection for the transmission of visuals and movie clips, that you would be required to watch ahead of time.

Participants would also be required to have a copy of The Moral Premise that we would use for reading assignments. There would be additional handouts, access to a password projected website for downloading additional material, writing assignments (nothing very long as I wont' have time to read everything), one or two field trips, and a guest speaker from time-to-time. As before my opening lectures would be richly illustrated with my workshop slides and clips.

If you are interested in this (feel free to forward this to others), please write me ASAP to stan@moralpremise.com and provide me with your contact information and level of interest. There is no age or faith restriction.

stan

New Bookmark Now Availalble

Over the years of my work on many a story I've refined my "check list" of important story structural criteria. In recent workshops I've wanted to coordinate the "secrets" presented in the workshop, with the Moral Premise Bookmark, at least the check list on the BACK of the bookmark. Finally did it.

So, now (on the back) there are not 10, or 21, but 18 "Secrets of Successful Story Structure." And we all know that this is somewhat arbitrary because as you dig into a few of those so-called secrets they get bigger in terms of how they are applied. For instance, some people say that the Protagonist must be likeable. I'd say we must identify with him or her, which means we have to like them enough to follow and be intently interested in their decisions and outcomes. This is covered under item 17, and if you break that down there are over 20 techniques to help the audience identify with any and all of your characters. You don't use all of them... but the more the better the identification.

So, for what it's worth....and I figure each is worth thousands of dollars if they are understood and applied... on the left they are for FREE. AND THE LINK. (scroll to the bottom)

Your comments and improvements are always welcome.

stan

Stan Williams to present at Rochester Writer's Conference

I was asked to present two, 75-minute workshops at the Rochester (Michigan) Writers' Conference, Oct 5, 2013, after their keynoter the year before. Here is a blurb about those talks and links to the related free workshop videos on-line.

Secrets of Successful Story Structure

Story Masters Class, Part 1 by Dr. Stan Williams
The 18 Secrets of Successful Story Structure: How successful stories of any genre connect can engage audiences while avoiding writer’s block for the author.

This workshop is based on Stan's work with novelists, producers and writers in Hollywood based on his book, The Moral Premise: Harnessing Virtue and Vice for Box Office Success. This workshop is a summary of his all day workshop and in part will cover the 2 spines present in all good stories, the 2 realms of natural law that characters can never escape, the 8 steps of story development, the 5 ingredients of a great hook and log lines, the 4 parts of the moral premise statement, the 13 basic beats of all stories, the 1 moment of grace, and 9 contributors of story thrust. Motion picture clips are used for examples. WORKSHOP

Who should attend: Narrative writers, novelists, producers, and directors of all story genres and media will find these sessions beneficial, if not foundational. This session will give you an introduction to the critical story concept of the moral premise and how it will speed along and improve the quality of your story telling through proper structure. In many ways the moral premise is a powerful muse; when used correctly it will inspire and focus your efforts, and powerfully connect you with your audience. Say “Good-bye” to writer’s block.

Current link: Lessons 2–9 at https://storycraft.stanwilliams.com 

Irony, Goals and Plots

Story Masters Class, Part 2 by Dr. Stan Williams
Irony, Goals and Plots: How to create and structure well-rounded, engaging characters, plots and subplots around a single motivational premise.

Is this well illustrated story workshop, you’ll learn the secrets of how characters transform, how goals are defined, how plots and subplots are created and how every character’s arc (regardless of their outer journey) are all related to a single internal moral premise that ties the story together around one core idea. You’ll also learn the critical important of irony and how it dramatizes every character’s storyline. We will reveal 3 paths to audience-character identification, the 3 poles of the Nicomachean Character value scale, 3 story-breaking (or beating) tools, and the 3 relationships of plot arcs, character goals, and dramatic irony. Bring your story ideas; there will be opportunity to practice some of the techniques Dr. Williams explains and get valuable feedback from him and other participants. This is the same content Dr. Williams has presented to working writers and producers in Hollywood, at film conferences around the country, and what he uses to help his story-consulting clients. WORKSHOP

Who should attend: Knowledge of the story structure secrets in Part 1 will be helpful, but not entirely necessary. Writers who want to investigate Moral Premise story structure on a deeper and more practical level, or writers who are challenged or face writer’s block are encouraged to attend.

Current link: Lessons 10 at https://storycraft.stanwilliams.com

Stories Convince Better Than Logic

Want to be more effective communicator and persuader. Tell a story.

INNOCENCE 2
William-Adolphe Bouguereau
(November 30, 1825 – August 19, 1905)
The picture facing me when I wake each morning.

Buttressed by my comments, here are excerpts from a blog post by David Lavenda. You can find the original essay here: Once Upon A Time At The Office: 10 Storytelling Tips To Help You Be More Persuasive.

Which is easier to remember: statistics or a story? What tugs on your heart logic or a story? 
 

Robert McKee, famous Hollywood story guru, is quoted in the essay as saying:

Trying to convince people with logic is tough for two reasons. One is they are arguing with you in their heads while you are making your argument. Second, if you do succeed in persuading them, you’ve done so only on an intellectual basis. That’s not good enough, because people are not inspired to act by reason alone.

I would add that stories that make an emotional connection that evoke adrenalin which sears memories into the bran. Facts, apart from a story, can be lost in an instant because they are not personal.

But there’s more proof of storytelling's effectiveness than just anecdotal evidence. For example, studies carried out by Melanie C. Green and Timothy C. Brock at Ohio State University have empirically shown that people’s beliefs can be swayed more effectively through storytelling than through logical arguments. The researchers posit that persuasion is most effective when people are "transported" to another place using a story.

More accurately a story, told right, uses a combination of three types of Identification Techniques (physical, emotional & moral),  that place the story listener INTO the story and more significantly into one or more character's minds, where the audience participates emphatically in the journey of the character. That is a literal "transportation" and allows the audience to EXPERIENCE the situation as if present in person. In other words, the story becomes a simulation of reality.  Things are much easier to remember that way because "experience" is the best teacher.

Recently I had the opportunity to sit down to discuss this topic with Susan Fisher, a strategic communication expert and principal at First Class. “People are always telling stories; why don’t they do it at work?" asks Fisher. “It’s because they have been taught that at work you use logic and slides and statistics; this seems more professional. Telling stories seems too emotional and possibly manipulative. So people stick to facts and numbers. But the truth is that real emotions always work better, because that is the way to reach hearts and minds, and also people get to see the real you. It’s authentic.”

Here then are Fisher's top ten list of being a good storyteller at work. These are right out of the screenwriter and director's handbook for making successful motion pictures, or writing engaging novels.

1. Plan your story starting with the takeaway message. Think about what’s important to the audience. The ending is the most important point of the story. This is the message we want to deliver, and the one that will linger with the audience.
2. Keep your stories short for the workplace. Three to five minutes long is about what people can digest in today’s ADD world.
3. Good stories are about challenge or conflict. Without these elements, stories aren’t very interesting. The compelling part of a story is how people deal with conflict–-so start with the people and the conflict.
4. Think about your story like a movie. Imagine you are screenwriter with a goal to get your message across. The story has to have a beginning, middle, and end.
5. Start with a person and his challenge, and intensify human interest by adding descriptions of time, place, and people with their emotions.
6. Be creative. Create a storyboard; draw it out, while listening to music or reading something for inspiration. A good story always has ups and downs, so "arc" the story. Pull people along, and introduce tension, just like in a fairy tale. (“From out of nowhere, the wolf jumps onto the path…”)
7. Intensify the story with vivid language and intonation. Tap into people’s emotions with language. Use metaphors, idioms, and parables that have emotional associations. (Note: For more on this, see Leo Widrich’s article entitled, “Which Words Matter Most When You Talk” and studies on intonation performed by Ingrid Johnsrude at Cambridge University).
8. When using a story in a PowerPoint presentation, use appropriate graphics/pictures to convey your message. Stay away from text and complicated graphics. A single picture interlaced with emotional language will go a long way to convey your message.
9. Most of us have not told stories in front of an audience since English class in high school. So you will need to practice. Tell your story in front of a friendly audience and get feedback. Gauge your pace, and take note of the story’s length and your use of language. It will be a bit rusty at first, but underneath it all, we are all born storytellers.
10. The most important point is to make the switch within; because once you internalize that today’s "left-brain" communication style doesn’t work very well and you realize that stories are how people really communicate, you will find it a lot easier to proceed…because it’s authentic. And that is what really persuades.

Fisher also recommends signing up for a storytelling workshop.

Duh! I have a great suggestion....

What is Motion Picture Development?

As announced earlier I'm facilitating TD Jakes' International Faith and Family Film Festival Short Treatment Contest. (I'm also presenting two workshops at the event, August 30, 31, in Dallas.) The winner of the treatment writing contest will be offered a motion picture development deal with TD Jakes Enterprises. 

One entrant asked what "Development" entailed. Here was my response. NOTE THAT WHAT I DESCRIBE BELOW IS NOT NECESSARILY THE PATH TDJE WILL FOLLOW. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. WHAT'S BELOW IS INDUSTRY TYPICAL.  ALTHOUGH "TYPICAL" DOES NOT DESCRIBE THE MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY.

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Development of a motion picture can take years. The process begins with a story idea, such as the selection of a treatment that has been submitted for the IFFFF Short Treatment Contest. Development typically involves the following steps, but not necessarily in this order:

a. The writer (you) and the Executive Producer (EP, e.g. TDJE) would sign an "Option-Purchase Agreement" that would temporarily transfer ownership of the story and script (referred to an the Intellectual Property (IP), to the EP for a period of three years.  The OP Agreement is in two parts. Part A is the Agreement for the EP to try to get the story through development and into pre-production. For that the writer is paid a small fee. Part B of the Agreement for the EP to purchase all rights in perpetuity to the story, for a larger fee. The Purchase is not executed until the EP is absolutely sure the story will actually get produced, usually on the first day of principal photography.  If the story cannot be fully developed and entered into production, the ownership of the IP reverts back to the writer, and the writer keeps the option fees.  

b. There may also be an over all "Development Agreement" with the writer, wherein the writer is hired to help develop and write the story and the script. But, like the OP Agreement, signing a development agreement is no guarantee that the project will eventually get made into a movie. It is often the case that multiple writers and script story-consultant are involved. The EP pays all costs.

c. Working with a team of story experts the story idea (or original draft of the script) is "broken" or "broken down" or "beat out". That is the story is formally structured to meet the demands of a mainstream movie.

d. The story or script is then written and rewritten (over and over) to make it so good that others will want to be part of the project, and agree to "attach" themselves to the effort.

There are both technical (objective) and aesthetic (subjective) aspects to the above two steps.

e. The EP then attempts to "attach" to the project a line producer, production manager, director, and principal actors. With each attachment (a task that is subjectively dependent on the opinion and taste of the various parties) the script will go through another revision as each person that comes onto the project will make suggestions.

f. The EP will search out and attach funding from a combination of private equity, production entities (studios), and distributors. This may involve writing a business plan and creating preliminary marketing materials.  This step can be long and finding the money very elusive.

g. Along the way, all parties sign "Deal Memos" that confirm the parameters of the parties' involvement in making the picture. Deal Memos are short letters that precede formal contracts that are not signed until pre-production begins, which is the stage following development and just before production. Pre-production does not begin until all the deal memos are signed and the executive producer (and TDJE) agrees to actually make the picture. The approval to proceed with production is called a "Greenlight."

h. It is sometime during the above stages that the "Option Agreement" is executed and the actual sales of the intellectual property (the story and script) is transferred permanently to the executive producer and the writer is paid his or her purchase fee.

Yes, it can take years, and not thing is guaranteed.  Welcome to "Development Hell." 

The Moral Premise in Chinese

The images say it all... I think. A Chinese university exchange student staying with my daughter's family said that the Chinese title is more interesting than the American title. But he offered no further explanation. (?!) My publisher was surprised the cover got past Chinese censors, but then neither my publisher nor I had anything to do with this except collect the royalties.

Click on any image to see it enlarged.

COVER

BACK

Page 158's Table

Page 51

T.D. Jakes Film Festival Workshop Presentations and Treatment Contest

Mike Epps (L) talks to T.D. Jakes (R) on the set of the hit movie Sparkle.

For those of you in Texas, especially near Dallas, let me invite you to the International Faith & Family Film Festival (IFFFF) (Home Page: http://www.mega-fest.com/filmfestival/index.html)  run by T.D. Jakes Enterprises. T.D. Jakes is an internationally known pastor, writer, producer and actor of several films. Here's his IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415890/?ref_=sr_1.

The IFFFF is actually part of TDJE's Megafest held in Texas August 29-31, 2013. As part of the film track, I've been asked to run the Screenwriting program, which will consist of two master class workshops on August 30 and 31, plus facilitate the Short Treatment Contest, the winner of which will get a development deal with the film production arm of TDJE. Submission guidelines can be found here: http://www.mega-fest.com/filmfestival/contest/

The two workshops are titled: 

Workshop Day 1 (3 hours): "The 21 Secrets of Successful Motion Picture Stories: How to tell box office successful stories that connect and engage audiences about what is good, true, and beautiful."

Workshop Day 2 (3-hours): "Irony, Goals and Subplots: How to create diverse, well-rounded characters on a single moral theme that connects with audiences."