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<p>If you look up ‘audit’ in the dictionary, one of its definitions is, “a methodical examination and review”. My friends and family know that this is exactly what I do when I walk out of a theater, watch a new show, or finish a book.</p><p>Much like how <a href="ACGT" rel="noopener noreferrer">ACGT</a> builds the base of every DNA molecule, my Story Audits cover four major elements that center every story. The combination of the four elements differentiate between a mediocre story and a great one. The four elements are:</p><ul><li>Plot + Character</li><li>Conflict + Connection to Audiences</li><li>Setting</li><li>Takeaway</li></ul><p><br></p>

<h3>Plot + Character – What is the story about?</h3><p>Think about a time you've talked with a coworker, family member or friend, having just seen a really good movie (or a really bad one). Just before you can word-vomit your opinion on how the main character wasn’t smart because she could’ve stabbed the killer with the conveniently placed kitchen knife but instead chose to chuck a blender at his head, you’ll, more often than not, get stopped with “Oh, what’s the movie about?” right after you blurt out the title.</p><p>The plot and characters are what the story is about – they're the story's foundation. Plot and characters hook audiences to sit and listen to the story.</p><p><strong>Common Questions&nbsp;</strong></p><ul><li>Is the story exploring new plots and characters we haven't seen before? Is the story adding new, interesting elements to tropes, stereotypes or established characters?</li><li>Are the characters active in their story? Is the plot allowing characters to become active?</li></ul>

<h3>Conflict + Connection – Why should we care?</h3><p>Followed by the plot and characters, a story needs — conflict! It's the heart of a story and gets audiences to listen from start to finish. Does good triumph over evil? Can the father overcome his fear of the unknown to find his son? Conflict adds a layer of complexity and agency to the story's characters. Internal or external, without conflict, stories become flat.</p><p>But it’s not just the existence of conflict that makes a story effective. The conflict must connect to audiences in some way, For example, a movie made for high schoolers that focuses on whether a teacher can save their marriage won't engage an average 15-year-old. Balancing a unique conflict and audience connection elevates the plot and characters.</p><p><strong>Common Questions</strong></p><ul><li>Is the conflict believable within the story and resolvable by the end of the story?</li><li>Does the conflict resonate with a specific or universal audience?</li></ul>

<h3>Setting – What does the story want us to feel?</h3><p>From the beginning of a book or the first shot of the movie, stories begin with the setting. The setting anchors the audience's feelings and emotions in the world of the characters and signals the changes that the main character(s) might undergo. Using an array of world-building tools (score, animation, cinematography, costuming, stanzas, iambic pentameter, etc.), setting works to influence the audience's emotion.</p><p><strong>Common Questions</strong></p><ul><li>Is the setting fleshed out enough to bring the story to life while grounding it in its own reality?</li><li>Does the medium use tools (i.e., score, animation, cinematography, etc.) to create its desired atmosphere?</li></ul>

<h3>Takeaway – How did the story make us feel?</h3><p>Writers, critics, artists, and executives all have their own personalized metrics on how to measure a good or great story. But “guilty-pleasure movies” have just as much of a place in our hearts as award-winning films. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if the film is a box office flop or has a low score on Rotten Tomatoes – what matters is if <em>you</em> liked it.</p><p>I love <em>Arachnophobia</em> (1990). It’s cheesy and reminds me of late summer movie nights with my dad. Even if Blake Snyder didn’t think it was a hit.</p><p><strong>Common Questions</strong></p><ul><li>Did I like the concept? Did I have fun with the story?</li><li>How was the overall medium experience?</li></ul>

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The four elements of story

What is a Story Audit?

Redefining "Story Audit" 

<p>Grilled cheese paves a surefire path into any person’s heart — especially with gobs of butter and layers of Gruyere, white cheddar, and Muenster to build a great crust and a deliciously gooey cheese center . And when you have a star like Glen Powell wiping crumbs off the corner of your mouth, you really couldn’t ask for a better night.&nbsp;</p><p>Well, I can.</p><p>The box office success and subsequent re-release in theaters of <em>Anyone but You</em> alerts that there is still an aching need for romantic comedies. After all, it’s one of the pillar genres of film and storytelling. Audiences are desperate for a cute, witty couple to fall from bitter enemies to casual lovers.&nbsp;</p><p>Although the movie offered a pleasant and, at times, predictable plot, the story itself never made a true impact on me. And much like that poor forsaken-after-one-bite grilled cheese, many of the typical rom-com cliches within the film are left without conclusion.&nbsp;</p><p>Many times, I thought the dialogue and the zany situations would subvert the common trope and result in a refreshing laugh. Instead, the film played their audiences safely, which implies that either audiences are desperate for something new out of their movies and are willing to push success on a mediocre film or the benchmark for a successful rom-com has been diluted from waves of Wattpad Studios productions and Christmas Hallmark marathons.</p><p>Either way, apart from watching the film on a plane or as a wine night treat, <em>Anyone but You</em> blends 109 minutes into an enjoyable, but entirely forgettable time.</p>

The return of RomComs?

Any Film But You

Any Film but You

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<p>The book “The Big Picture: The Fight for the Future of Movies” by Ben Fritz delves deeper into the rise of formulaic films and the topic of why and how Hollywood selects which films gets produced.</p>

Monsters, murder and... critically acclaimed hits?

State of Storytelling

The State of Storytelling

<p>Great villains create an ever-lasting impact on the stories they inhabit. They can be symbols of pure evil, like Morgoth from <em>Lord of the Rings</em>, or agents of chaos, like Eris from <em>Sinbad</em>, and more. Villains elevate their stories by adding moral and physical stakes, influencing their opposing hero’s actions to even influencing your own actions and choices. Today, some villains tend to be flat, predictable and even <a href="boring" rel="noopener noreferrer">boring</a>. Creating a potent and effective villain for your story can be a daunting task. Many writers, including myself, don’t know where to start.</p><p><br></p>

<h2>Building a Foundation</h2><p>As with all characters, the foundation for your villain directly impacts your story’s plot, conflict and opposing characters. Building a foundation for your villain is a great practice for both beginning and experienced writers. Without defining or outlining what your villain believes or what drives their actions, your story’s other characters will have a harder time to naturally react and progress the plot.&nbsp;</p><p>As movie critic Robert Egert once <a href="wrote" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote</a>, "Each film is only as good as its villain. Since the heroes and the gimmicks tend to repeat from film to film, only a great villain can transform a good try into a triumph."<sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">[1]</sup></p><h2>Drafting a Villain&nbsp;</h2><p>Today, modern villains blur the lines of traditional character roles. But, villains still have an expected set of characteristics that offer a time-tested starting point to drafting your character. Many books and online sources list recommended qualities of a strong villain that can help guide you to creating a strong villain. I believe that there are generally four common desired characteristics of a <a href="villain" rel="noopener noreferrer">villain</a>.</p><ul><li>A defined motive that translates to clear actions.&nbsp;</li><li>An internal or external obstacle that drives the hero to change or grow.&nbsp;</li><li>Skills that match or exceed the hero’s beginning skill set.&nbsp;</li><li>A connection path to the hero.&nbsp;</li></ul><h2>Using a Foil</h2><p>Foil characters are defined as “a character who contrasts with another character; typically, a character who contrasts with the protagonist, in order to better highlight or differentiate certain qualities of the protagonist.”<sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">[2]</sup>. Typical foil characters are often sidekicks or characters that spend a lot of time in the company of the story’s hero.&nbsp;</p><p>Writing your villain as a foil character to your story’s hero can allow for natural storytelling to meet the needed characteristics of your villain. Along with additional character tools, like character webs, you can guide and flesh out your villains motives, actions and personal decisions.</p><p>The definition of foil characters for your villain would then evolve into being an <em>opposite foil</em> for your hero. For example, if your hero has an internal obstacle that they need to overcome for the plot of the story, perhaps your villain faced the same internal obstacle and failed. Or they faced the same obstacle and came to a different result.</p><h3>Telling their story</h3><p>Characters drive and lead the story through their choices, struggles and personal convictions. But don’t limit using foil characters for just your dastardly characters. Foils can be used for any and all of your characters. By using a foil character as one of the many tools to draft your story’s inter-character relationships, you can unlock a boundless amount of potential great twists and turns to make your story captivating.</p>

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<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">Depending on the story and the role of the villain in the plot, a villain's role can call to be predictable&nbsp;and flat. For example, Jack Horner's role in </span><em style="font-size: 14px;">Puss in Boots: Last Wish</em><span style="font-size: 14px;"> (2022) is just to be evil. The film even goes further to satirize his villainous origin story — portraying&nbsp;petty jealousy as his character's motive.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">Robert originally wrote this quote about </span><em style="font-size: 14px;">Star Trek: Wrath of Kahn</em><span style="font-size: 14px;"> (1978) and applied this general principle to all epic serials, like James Bond films or the MCU titles. But, I believe&nbsp;that his quote goes beyond serial movies and can apply to all types of stories.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">The listed villain characteristics aren’t written in stone to make your villain great, but I havent seen a weak villain without having all of these characteristics. </span></p>

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Who is the perfect villain?

Foiled Again!

<p>From ancient legends to the Billboard Top 100, we’ve been using music to tell our stories for a very long time. Songs can be a great storytelling tool to engage audiences while delivering impactful stories. And one of the most iconic ways to enjoy music is a musical.</p><p>Originating from opera, modern musicals have always been a fun sandbox arena to play, pull, break, and bend common storytelling rules. And, some of the most beloved musical movies are none other than Disney Renaissance films.</p><p>The Disney Renaissance included films released from 1989 to 1999. They had a profound impact on the way children’s films were created, distributed, and seen. Many musical theater, scriptwriting, and animation principles were revolutionized by these films. They were able to make complex themes identifiable and universal to audiences. Most of all, they told good stories.</p><p>As I rewatched many of my childhood favorite movies, I began to wonder, “How do the Disney Renaissance films work? Why do they work? And how do they utilize music to create a more impactful story?” I began to notice there was a common theme to their success. Disney had perfected a storytelling formula.</p><p>The Disney Renaissance Formula (DRF) had three primary principles that I believe contributed their films' success, which are:</p><ul><li>The Active Protagonist</li><li>The Song Square Principle</li><li>The Simple Balance</li></ul>

<h2>Before the Formula</h2><p>The Disney films of the Gold and Silver Age were iconic fairy tales. Stories where good fought evil and prevailed. Film themes played into traditional morals and ideals and character arcs were exemplified by extrinsic change<sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">1</sup>. A great example of Disney’s iconic fairy tales is Sleeping Beauty (1959).</p><p>Sleeping Beauty encapsulates the moral of good vs evil. Aurora, the protagonist, goes throughout the story being influenced by other character’s words and actions. The villain, Maleficent, is the one that guides her towards her doom. The prince is the one who fights the evil Maleficent and the movie ends with the expected “Happily Ever After”. But the audience doesn’t know about Aurora’s wants. Other than falling in love, Aurora lacks internal change. Perhaps she’ll just be careful next time around needles and spinning wheels. But by the end of the 1980’s, the stories of good and evil seemed fundamental for modern audiences.</p><h2>The Active Protagonist</h2><p>The DRF introduced a major writing shift on how main characters conveyed their wants and desires. Previously the protagonist’s actions were reactionary, but with the DRF the choices made by the protagonist drove the plot forward. Aided by the addition of the “I Want” song, protagonists act as a catalyst for the plot instead of being a victim of it.</p><p>Exemplified in Mulan (1998), Mulan makes active decisions that drive the story forward. She impersonates a man to avoid her father getting killed. She solves the training camp’s pole challenge. She creates the plan to save the Emperor. Mulan’s actions fueled the story, not the other way around.</p><h2>The Expert Understanding</h2><p>After Disney had 10 to 12 years of mediocre success, Michael Eisner wanted to release an “animated Broadway Musical” with the hopes of saving Disney’s failing animation studio. And they only wanted one man to do the job. Howard Ashman.</p><p>Howard Ashman had years of experience with adaptations and musicals on Broadway. His career began as a writer and thrived when he realized that his passion was songwriting. His lyrical understanding culminated with the successful adaptation of Little Shop of Horrors<sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">2</sup>.</p><p>Howard presented a new understanding of music and how it can be used in tandem with plot. He knew that the key was distilling vital plot information into songs that directly spoke to a character’s wants and desires. With the guidance of Howard and his partner, Alan Menkin, The Little Mermaid (1989) launched one of Disney’s most influential and successful periods of its history.</p><h2>The Song Square Principle</h2>

<p>The Song Square Principle acts as a foundation for the plot so viewers can understand how the characters interact with each other, how they feel, and the main goal of the film<sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">4</sup>. The placement of each song is purposeful and complements the story while adding new, valuable information to drive it forward.</p><p>You can add more songs along the sides of the square to “make the foundation stronger” but all songs must feed into the idea of presenting new information about the character or the plot, otherwise the additional songs can throw off the balance of the foundation and detract from the message they are trying to convey.</p><h3>“Raise the Curtain” Song – The Opening Number</h3><p>The first side of the square is the Opening Number. As the first introduction to the setting and story, it establishes audience expectations. The Opening Number can reinforce a later score theme, outline character information, or simply highlight the suspension of reality. With multiple ways to structure an Opening Number, its primary function must establish its audience in the reality it’s trying to set up.</p><h3>The “I Want” Song - The Plot Driver</h3><p>The second side is the “I Want” Song. The “I Want” Song, originating from Broadway tradition, allows the protagonist to explain their motives, drives and wants of their character to the audience. It also reveals the main conflict or goal of the plot, outlining what will be achieved by the end of the story. By song’s end, audiences care about what our main character cares about.</p><h3>The “Helpers and Hinderers” Songs – Giving Voice to Sidekicks and Villains</h3><p>The third side is the “Helpers and Hinderers” Song. Sometimes films have partial numbers or combined musical numbers for the sidekicks and villains, so I have grouped the two in one side. The importance of these songs is to have the audience know what the other characters are feeling. It’s not enough, however, to have the side characters and villains sing about their emotions. They have to sing about how they feel in relation to the main protagonist’s conflict or goal.</p><h3>The “Love” Song – The Resolution Presented</h3><p>The final side is the “Love” song. Stereotypically, this song has had the expectation of highlighting the romance between the main character and their love interest. But, I believe that the “Love” song represents the resolution needed for the protagonist’s conflict or goal established in their “I Want” song. Understanding the resolution provides the audience a tangible look into the film’s main theme and what it wants to convey.</p><h2>The Simple Balance</h2>

<p>The DRF introduced the idea of weaving complex character themes into simple, directed stories. Many Disney Renaissance films focus on intrinsic change and personal identity. With an increased focus on the protagonist's inner growth, there is an identifiable path on how the character will change from who they were at the beginning to who they need to be by the end of the film. We might all not be mermaids willing to trade their legs to go on land, but we all identify with wanting to experience something new and potentially facing the consequences, good or bad, of that experience.</p><h2>Modern Disney and&nbsp;<em>Encanto</em></h2><p>More than two decades after the Disney Renaissance, Disney is still releasing family friendly musicals for audiences to enjoy. One recent release is Encanto (2022) that premiered on the streaming service, Disney+. Met with critical acclaim and enthusiastic audiences, Encanto is a modern subversion of the classic Disney Renaissance film.</p><p>When I watched it, I admired the brilliant animation, set location, and catchy lyrics. And as I watched the credits roll, I realized that I didn’t like it. I thought I was weird. I watched it a second time. And again. How could I not like it?</p><p>I wanted to understand why I didn’t like Encanto. If we use the DRF to analyze Encanto, key principles were changed that resulted in the film feeling flat.</p><p><strong>Mirabel was not an active character.</strong>&nbsp;For a majority of the film, her motivation is dictated by the prophecies of Bruno. It was Bruno’s vision and the threat of the family candle burning out that ultimately pushed Mirabel towards extrinsic familial change<sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">5</sup>. Viewers knew of Mirabel’s wants, but by the end of the film, the plot never resolves her conflict or goal, leaving an unfulfilled feeling by the end credits.</p><p><strong>The songs deviated from the Song Square Principle.</strong>&nbsp;With an unclear foundation on how the songs can support the plot of Encanto, the songs offered limited information about the motivations of each character and how they related to Mirabel’s personal journey on overcoming detrimental family expectations.</p><p><strong>Mirabel’s personal journey was undirected.</strong>&nbsp;The amount of characters, although critical for representing the Colombian family structure, distracted from the focus on Mirabel and her personal journey. With more time needed to develop each family member, Mirabel’s wants and inner growth paused to focus on others. By the end of the film, the audience is left with an extrinsic change, symbolized by the reconstruction of the family house, rather than seeing how Mirabel grew internally.</p><h2>Being Timeless</h2><p>The Disney Renaissance ended in 1999. There is a reason, maybe several, to why it ended. But the DRF lends itself to be a guide on how to create a timeless story. In order to bend and break proven storytelling principles for modern films, critical understanding on how they work needs to be established.</p><p>The Disney Renaissance films have a beauty and timelessness that all films strive to reach. And all we can do is sit back, relax and hit play.</p>

All Posts

Redefining "Story Audit"

8/28/2024•Story Audit

Any Film but You

6/12/2024•Quick Thoughts

The State of Storytelling

12/21/2023•Quick Thoughts

Foiled Again!

8/3/2023•The Symposium

Song & Story

12/2/2022•The Symposium

© 2022–2024 Alexandra Olson / Story Soapbox