Filmmaking is both an art and a science. Sometimes we stumble upon the science after creating the art long enough, but analyzing the science and patterns can also inform and guide our work before we begin. The Writing 101 course over at MZed by Seth Worley explains the so-called storyclock and other patterns. In the Writing 101 course on MZed, educator Seth Worley describes how he learned about a visual clock that can identify the major story and character plot points throughout a film. He started to sketch out a visual clock while watching some of his favorite movies, and what he found was striking. There were identifiable patterns everywhere. The Storyclock in Feature Films We know there are traditional patterns in storytelling. There’s the hero’s journey, the conflict and resolution, the antagonist as well as the mentor figure. But in this lesson from Writing 101, Seth illustrates a story outline method that a writer can specifically use to map out a feature film. Essentially, you can visualize a movie as a standard clock, with the film’s midpoint at the 30 minute mark of the clock. So if a film is two hours long, the midpoint would fall at 00:30 of the visual clock. From there on, the writer can plot out the precise moments in the film where the audience can expect action, breathing room, character entries and exits, and other key moments in the story. “Writing 101” online course. Image credit: MZed / Seth Worley As an experiment...
Published By: CineD - Wednesday, 8 December, 2021