If you have trouble following the story of a movie, or don’t know why things are happening, read on. I’ll teach you to recognize techniques that movies use to explain their stories. This is a toolbox, not a checklist.\u00a0 Using or avoiding a particular technique doesn’t made a movie bad or good. Not every story needs every technique.<\/p>\n
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Different kinds of movies are more or less easy to follow. Practicing with the easy ones is good, but don’t stop there. Once you’re comfortable, move on to trickier movies.\u00a0 Just like with written language, the better you are at film language, the more interesting and varied stories you can experience.<\/p>\n
Easy to follow<\/p>\n
You don’t have to figure out the whole movie at once. Movies are made up of scenes, and if you understand each scene, you can put them together to understand the whole movie.<\/p>\n
A scene is a chunk of a movie that all happens at the same time and place.\u00a0 Each scene accomplishes one or more of the following to contribute to the overall story of the movie:<\/p>\n
Usually, the first few scenes introduce us to the world and the characters that will be important. Then someone sets a goal<\/strong>, or a problem<\/strong> arises, and their goal is to solve the problem.\u00a0 That’s called the inciting incident<\/strong>.\u00a0 It’s what pushes things forward, so they don’t stay the same as the introduction.\u00a0 As the characters pursue their goals, smaller goals or problems will arise, sometimes introducing new characters and locations. As those smaller tasks are resolved, the overall goal gets closer. The end of the movie is called the climax<\/strong>, a huge effort to reach that overall goal. Afterwards, there may be a scene showing what happens as the result of the climax. That’s the resolution<\/strong>, or denouement <\/strong>if you’re feeling fancy.<\/p>\n The length and complexity of these parts can vary a lot between different movies.\u00a0 In Underwater, <\/strong>the facility starts collapsing moments after the opening credits end. Alien <\/strong>doesn’t get serious until 34 minutes in. \u00a0The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King<\/strong> is famous for having multiple endings because it wrapped up multiple 3-hour epic movies. On the other end, the resolution of The Fly<\/strong> (the 1986 remake) is a single reaction shot!<\/p>\n Each scene can answer a question, or raise a new question. Keep these questions in mind as you watch the movie. Hopefully the movie ends when all of the questions are answered.<\/p>\n In The Matrix<\/strong>, the first big question is “What is the Matrix?” We get the answer halfway through the movie, but the movie’s not over!\u00a0 The answer to that question raises more questions, like: “Is Neo The One?” Neo’s adventures raise other questions: “Can Neo defeat an Agent?”, “Can Neo dodge bullets?”, and “Can the team rescue Morpheus from the military stronghold?” These are all things that The One should be able to do, so the answer to these questions point towards the answer to the big question.<\/p>\n Some movies let more and more questions build up until everything falls into place at once during the climax. Others are more episodic, asking a group of questions, then answering them and moving on. Some intentionally leave questions unanswered.\u00a0 There’s no one correct way to do it.<\/p>\n Your list of questions may differ from the questions the filmmakers set out to answer. That’s fine for two reasons.<\/p>\n You need to learn a lot when a movie starts. You haven’t met the characters (because they’re not real people), you might not recognize the location, and some rules of the world might be different.\u00a0 Sci-Fi and fantasy movies often start by speaking directly to the viewer to explain all the things that are different in their world.<\/p>\n Battleship<\/strong> gives us text to read.<\/p>\n Battle: Los Angeles<\/strong> lets us watch and listen to fictional news reports of an alien invasion.<\/p>\n In The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring<\/strong>, Galadriel narrates while we see important scenes from history.<\/p>\n Each of these openings mention a goal or problem. In Battleship<\/strong>, will anyone answer the message sent to Planet G? In Battle: Los Angeles<\/strong>, can the soliders defeat the alien invaders? In The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring<\/strong>, what happened to Sauron and his ring?<\/p>\n Usually the first characters we meet are the most important. (Sometimes action movies and horror movies will introduce characters at the very start who die immediately.\u00a0 That lets us know that the world of this movie is dangerous!\u00a0 In that case, the main characters are the next ones we meet. ) The more time the movie spends with a character, the more important they are. The important questions of the movie will involve these characters. Will this character survive? Will this villain get away with their crime? Will this character learn something and overcome their flaws?<\/p>\n When a character is introduced, they often have a flaw, or something they want. Those convert directly into questions: “Can this character overcome their flaw?” and “Will this character reach their goal?” You could even add: “Will their flaw prevent them from reaching their goal?”<\/p>\n Objects can act as symbols for capabilities or relationships. If there’s a close-up of an object, pay attention! If one character gives an object to someone else, pay attention! If a character tells a story about an object while giving it to another character in a close-up, it’s the most important thing in the world!<\/p>\n Wedding rings, badges, and medals have obvious symbolic meaning, even outside of movies.\u00a0 In The Abyss<\/strong>, Bud argues with his wife Linda and throws his wedding ring in the toilet because he’s ready to give up on the marriage. Then he fishes it back out because he’s doesn’t really want to give up.<\/p>\n In The Incredibles<\/strong>, Dash and Violet receive costumes and masks, customized to their powers. This turns them from supers to superheroes, like their parents. Seems cool, until mom explains that villains try to kill superheroes.<\/p>\n In Bicycle Thieves<\/strong>, Antonio’s job requires a bicycle, so that bicycle represents his ability to provide for his family. When that bicycle is stolen (it’s in the title), it’s a disaster far greater than its monetary cost.<\/p>\n Plot Coupons and MacGuffins are two special kinds of objects that characters often fight over. They’re so common that they deserve their own section.\u00a0 People often use both terms interchangeably to mean “The things the characters want”.<\/p>\n A plot coupon is an item that lets the characters move forward.\u00a0 Metaphorically, the characters exchange the coupon for access to the next part of the plot.\u00a0 Characters try to take it, or keep it, or stop other characters from taking it. Adventure films often follow characters seeking one plot coupon after another until they can reach their final goal.\u00a0 When a plot coupon is introduced, you know that this part of the movie is “getting the plot coupon” and the next part will be “what the plot coupon unlocks”.<\/p>\n In Raiders Of The Lost Ark<\/strong>, the location of the Ark of the Covenant is written on a medallion. Indy and the Nazis need the medallion before they can move ahead with their plan to get the Ark.<\/p>\n In Collateral<\/strong>, Vincent has a laptop computer with details of his assassination targets.\u00a0 If he doesn’t have it (e.g. if it is stolen or destroyed), he can’t continue his murderous mission until he gets it back.<\/p>\n A MacGuffin is something that motivates the characters, but isn’t important to the audience or the story.\u00a0 Treasure is often a MacGuffin. It’s so valuable that everyone wants it, but the story isn’t about spending it, so it doesn’t matter if its gold bars, a bag of jewels, bearer bonds, or a priceless antique. When you spot a MacGuffin, keep track of where the MacGuffin is and who is trying to get it. Why they want it, or what they will do once they get it isn’t important.<\/p>\n In Mission: Impossible<\/strong>, everyone is after the NOC list that can identify undercover agents in foreign countries, but none of those undercover agents are characters in the movie. The effect of someone getting the NOC list is outside the movie.<\/p>\n In MacKenna’s Gold<\/strong>, an unlikely band of misfits seeks cursed gold, but it could just as easily be gems, or a precious artifact. What’s important is what people will do to get it or protect it, not what they will do once they have it.<\/p>\n The beginning of the movie will tell you how the movie’s fictional world<\/strong> is different from the real one, introduce important characters<\/strong>, and raise a big question<\/strong>. Keep track of the open questions, and look for answers as you watch each scene. New characters,<\/strong> important objects,\u00a0<\/strong>and events<\/strong> in the story can raise more questions.\u00a0Expect a lot of questions to be answered in an exciting climax<\/strong> at the end of the movie. When the movie is over, the list of questions and answers will explain what happened in the movie.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you have trouble following the story of a movie, or don’t know why things are happening, read on. I’ll teach you to recognize techniques that movies use to explain their stories. This is a toolbox, not a checklist.\u00a0 Using or avoiding a particular technique doesn’t made a movie bad or good. Not every story … <\/p>\nOpen questions:<\/h3>\n
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The Beginning<\/h3>\n
Important Characters<\/h3>\n
Important Objects<\/h3>\n
Plot Coupons<\/h3>\n
Plot Coupon examples<\/h4>\n
MacGuffins<\/h3>\n
MacGuffin examples<\/h4>\n
Summary<\/h2>\n