Hi, long time no see. It passed about a month since I last post about the Basics of Scriptwriting. I'm a bit busy at the moment, but I will try to keep the Heroes and Villains running.
In the last post I wrote a bit more about the structure of a script, specifically, about the appeal and motivation on act I. I should remind that my posts about the basics of scriptwriting are focus on the important elements an aspiring scriptwriting should keep in mind when starting a script. That's why I try to write as much as simple so everybody can understand it.
Thus, today I'm going to focus on two very famous denominations of the scriptwriting world.
The "Inciting Incident" and The "Plot Point". If you remember from my last post (here) I mention that a special event happens to change the world of the hero/protagonist. Something that makes him to take a decision. This decision can make him to take a journey to defeat someone, or having a quest to take decisions that will change his/her life, and consequently the story. The moment is called the PLOT POINT and the event is called the INCITING INCIDENT.
Normally for a classic three acts stories, we should find two plot points. One at the end of the first act, making the transition to the second act, and a second plot point at the end of act II in transition to act III. If that makes sense to you it probably will be easier to guess what is a plot point. Basically it's the moment when there is a big change or turning in the story. The first plot point marks the end of act I and normally creates the problem/question that the hero will have to solve. The second plot point marks the moment when the hero finds the resolution. Keep in mind that this plot points are events, and this events can change depending of your story and genre. You can find a plot point in a romantic movie when the girl meets boy, or in an adventure movie when the hero starts his journey to save the world. In every genre you can find classic turning points.
What helps the plot point to succeed, is an event or situation that sparks the next act. Normally the inciting incident occurs at the end of the act I (for a 5 or 7 acts story we can find more inciting incidents). Again, we are talking about general examples. That doesn't mean that we don't have exceptions. That's something that I always remark in my workshops. There are rules and conventions that must be followed, unless we don't want to!
Anyway, I strongly suggest to leave the breaking rules to the most experienced scriptwriters and directors.
Just an apart: I remember a stupid and hermetic rule that some cameramen and directors of photography used to say: "You never mix warm and cold colour temperature lights in a scene"... Let me say... rubbish!!!! you mix what you want to get what you want. And I may say, I saw so many temperature mixing in good movies that give extraordinary effects. Just like an Edward Hopper's painting.
Ok but let's go back to tracks to conclude this post.
The Inciting incident as I said is the event that creates changes. The hero is confronted with something completely different for his world. The most famous example of an inciting incident, that everybody uses (after Robert McKee), is the moment of Thelma and Louise, when Louise (Susan Sarandon ) kills the guy who is trying to rape Thelma (Geena Davis) in the car park. At that moment everything changes in their lives. Nothing will be the same and they start a frantic journey to perdition.
Try to identify in your favourite films, the first plot point and the related inciting incident.
Have a good week and good movies!
CYA
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