The Megahit Movies
Page 18
In each scene, the characters are trying to accomplish some part of his or her plan (a subgoal) in order to ultimately achieve the primary objective. Either they achieve that subgoal, or they don’t. If they achieve the subgoal, then they go on to the next part of the plan. If they fail, they must either try new tactics to obtain the same subgoal or change their plans.
Each scene will have a rhythm and a tempo. The rhythm is the number of actions within a scene during a fixed length of time. The tempo is the character’s energy level or intensity that he brings to an action. Usually, the earlier scenes of the story have a fast rhythm and high tempo to gain the audience’s attention. This means there will be a lot of action within a short period of time. The middle of the story usually has a slower rhythm and lower tempo. This changes to a faster rhythm and higher tempo as the scenes approach the climax. Different tempos and rhythms help to create variety between scenes and keep the story from becoming monotonous.
SCENE POINT-OF-ATTACK Scenes usually start in the middle of the action, within the midst of the conflict. They should start at the beginning of the essential information, which is the scene crisis. The real-life time span is never used because this would bore the audience. Character entrances and exits are often not written into the scene. Instead the characters are shown in the midst of an emotion or action. This causes the audience to remain emotionally involved with the story.
SCENE CRISIS This is the event in which the primary character receives information that forces him into confrontation with his opposition. It is a turning point for the character. During the crisis, the character decides to take action that will lead to confrontation and then to the climax.
SCENE CONFRONTATION This is the section of the scene in which a character confronts another character with the information that he has received during the scene crisis. This generates the conflict that will peak in the climax.
The final confrontation in the series of scenes is between the protagonist and the antagonist, which leads to the fight to the death. This has traditionally been called the “obligatory scene.”
SCENE CLIMAX This is the moment of greatest tension, with the characters in the greatest jeopardy at the peak of the conflict. One character will lose, and the other will win whatever is at stake in the scene. If the outcome is not predictable, the audience will remain on the edge of their seats, completely engrossed in the scene.
SCENE RESOLUTION The resolution presents the outcome of the climax fight. It reveals which character won the battle, and how each of the characters feels about this situation. The emotional reactions of the characters are important, for these reactions will propel them into the next scene and cause the next crisis. With the scene resolution, the scene quickly ends, and the story continues to the next scene of the series.
A MODEL SCENE
As an example of a standard structured scene, consider the scene from the The Wizard of Oz, within which Elmira Gulch comes for Toto. POINT-OF-ATTACK
The scene does not start with Elmira entering the house and exchanging social pleasantries with Dorothy and Aunt Em. It begins in the midst of the argument, with Elmira demanding Toto.
SCENE CRISIS
Elmira tells Aunt Em that she is going to take Toto to the Sheriff, where Toto will be destroyed. Dorothy listens to this information then decides to save Toto, the “objective” of the scene.
SCENE CONFRONTATION
Dorothy confronts Elmira Gulch and says that she will not let her destroy Toto. Dorothy appeals both to her aunt and uncle to help her save Toto. The aunt and uncle are supportive until Elmira shows them an order from the Sheriff. Elmira threatens to take away their farm if they “go against the law.”
SCENE CLIMAX
Dorothy physically struggles with Elmira as she tries to place Toto into the basket. Dorothy pleads for help from her aunt and uncle. Finally, Aunt Em tells Uncle Henry to put Toto into the basket, because “they can’t go against the law.”
SCENE RESOLUTION
Elmira wins the “objective”: possession of Toto. Dorothy cries in despair and runs out of the room. Aunt Em wants to tell off Elmira but can’t because she’s “a Christian woman.” Uncle Henry is amused by the situation, and Elmira indignantly leaves the house. As each character’s emotional reactions are recorded for the audience, the scene quickly ends. The audience does not even see Elmira exiting through the door.
ESTABLISHING SCENES (Establishing Shots) Establishing scenes do not have the complete structure of a model standard scene that includes a crisis, confrontation, climax, and resolution. Instead, establishing scenes are used to show the time and location of the actions in the scenes that follow. These “scenes” are also often called establishing shots.
There is another type of scene, an exposition scene, which consists almost solely of dialogue. In these types of scenes information about past or future events and plans are conveyed to the audience. The function and structure of these types of “exposition scenes” are discussed in more detail in the Exposition section within the Cinematic Structures part of the book.
Titanic
The establishing shot of the Titanic in dock as passengers are boarding the ship.
Star Wars
The establishing shot of the spaceport before Luke and Obi-Wan Kenobe drive up in their space vehicle.
Phantom Menace
The establishing shot of the Trade Federation battleships in space above the planet Naboo.
E.T.
The establishing shot of the suburban community in which Elliott lives. Jaws
The establishing shot of Amity beach filled with bathers on the July 4th holiday.
The Lion King
Establishing shots of the animals in the jungle. Return of the Jedi
The image of the forest in the resolution scene establishes that the celebration of the victory over the Empire takes place on the Ewok’s planet.
Batman
The opening shots of the streets of Gotham City. Jurassic Park
The helicopter flight over the mountainous island that contains Jurassic Park.
Home Alone
The establishing shot of the middle class neighborhood in which Kevin lives.
Forrest Gump
The establishing shot of the Army base in Vietnam.
Independence Day
The establishing shot of the White House in Washington, D.C. Men in Black
The establishing shot of the farmhouse yard and truck as the Edgar-Bug spacecraft crash lands.
Sixth Sense
The establishing shot of the streets in front of the house where Cole Sears lives.
Empire Strikes Back
Luke, Obie-Wan Kenobe, and Yoda argue with Luke Skywalker about his plans to leave his training to become a Jedi Knight and run off to save his friends.
The Grinch
The establishing shot of Whoville during the Christmas celebrations. The Wizard of Oz
The establishing shot of the sign in the Witch’s Forest before Dorothy and her companions enter.
Shrek
The establishing shot of Shrek’s swamp.
Spider-Man
The establishing shot of the Science Museum.
Finding Nemo
The establishing shot of the Dentist Office.
Monsters, Inc.
The establishing shot of the factory floor of Monsters, Inc.
Bruce Almighty
The establishing shot of the warehouse where God is the janitor.
Matrix Trilogy
The establishing shot of the Rebel Ship.
Pirates of the Caribbean
The establishing shot of the Black Pearl.
Harry Potter-The Sorcerer’s Stone The establishing shot of Hogwarts.
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The establishing shot of Minas Tirith.
TRANSITION SCENES Transition scenes do not have the same structure of a model standard scene that includes a crisis, confrontation, climax, and resolution. Transitio
n scenes are used to “transport” the characters across a distance of space or an interval of time. Sometimes a series or sequence of images are called montages, and they are used to express transitions of time, space, changes in status, or any transformation that would take too long to show in real time. These are changes that move the characters forward in the story toward the next major conflict or subgoal.
Titanic
The Titanic sails across the ocean. Star Wars
Luke drives his space vehicle across the desert in the hope of saving his aunt and uncle. Whenever Han Solo accelerates into light speed, a visual montage occurs that represents him traveling great distances in a brief period of time.
Phantom Menace
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan Kenobi with Jar Jar Binks escape underwater monsters as they travel to Theed on the planet, Naboo.
E.T .
Elliott and E.T. ride a bicycle into the forest so that E.T. can try to call home.
Jurassic Park
Dennis, the fat computer technician, drives his jeep through the jungle during a storm in order to get the dinosaur embryos to the dock before the ship departs. The survivors fly in a helicopter over the ocean away from the Jurassic Park.
Forrest Gump
Forrest and Bubba ride on a bus on their way to basic training. Lion King
The opening sequence of animals running through the Jungle is a montage. Simba and his friends run through the jungle in order to get back to the Pride Lands.
Return of the Jedi
Luke flies his fighter plane to Dagobah to continue his studies with Yoda. Independence Day
The caravan of human survivors drive across the desert to the Area 51 military base.
Sixth Sense
Cole Sears and his mother are riding down the street in his car when Cole tells her that Grandma says hello.
Empire Strikes Back
Han Solo, Princess Leia, and the Millenium Falcon race through space to escape the Imperial Battleships. The rebel pilots preparing for battle is a montage sequence.
Home Alone
Kevin’s mother travels in the back of the truck as she tries to get home to Kevin.
Jaws
The boat carrying Quint and Capt. Brody sets out to sea to search for the great white shark.
The Grinch
The Grinch and Cindy Lou Who ride the sleigh filled with Christmas gifts down the mountainside to Whoville.
Batman
Batman drives Vicki Vale in his Bat mobile through the forest on the way to his cave.
Men in Black
J and K drive upside down in their car through the Holland Tunnel in order to prevent the Edgar-Bug from flying off the planet earth. The transformation of the Will Smith character into the MIB agent J is a montage sequence.
The Wizard of Oz
The tornado sequence takes Dorothy from Kansas into the Land of Oz. This is a transition through space, time, dimensions, or possibly just her imagination.
Shrek
Shrek and Donkey journey to Fiona’s Castle.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man chases the car thief by running across rooftops.
Finding Nemo
Marlin rides on the current through the great coral reef.
Monsters, Inc.
Sulley and Mike ride on the door conveyor system.
Bruce Almighty
Bruce drives his new car to work.
Matrix Trilogy
Neo drives his spaceship into the center of the machine world.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Will and Jack sail the British ship in search of the Black Pearl.
Harry Potter-The Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry and the other first year students sail with Hagrid to Hogwarts.
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Frodo and Sam journey up the side of Mount Doom.
THE OPENING SCENE Most popular filmmakers attempt to emotionally engage the audience in the story as soon as possible. One device is to place them into a “semihypnotic receptive state,” even as the opening credits role onto the screen. This technique is evident in the beginning of Batman. Some films start with diffused imagery that forces the audience to concentrate their full attention in order to understand what is occurring on the screen. Other films engage the audience with a surprise event or a violent action.
A character is often shown to be in jeopardy in the first scenes, even though this character may not be the protagonist. While the protagonist is the first character that we see in Wizard of Oz and E.T., this is not the case for Star Wars, Batman, or Home Alone. In these cases, it is the antagonist or his supporters that are introduced first, with the intention of creating audience enmity for them.
Usually, the world of the story is immediately revealed through a specification of the locale and the historical period. Most stories, like scenes, do not start at the beginning of a situation, but in the midst of the action. This forces the audience to concentrate their full attention on the action in order to understand the situation.
In these popular films, many of the characters can be considered abandoned, or, in some sense, left on their own in a dangerous situation. This is definitely the case for Dorothy in Wizard of Oz, E.T., and Kevin in Home Alone. This is an effective technique for creating strong audience empathy for the protagonists, for the feelings of insecurity and being rejected are universal and easily give rise to sympathy.
Titanic
The people hunting for “the heart of the ocean” jewel retrieve a safe from the sunken Titanic. When they open the safe, they discover that the jewel is not there.
Star Wars
Against the background of a desolate star -filled space scrolls text that presents the background story to the audience; a civil war is taking place between the Empire and Rebel forces. A small ship crosses the screen pursued by a gigantic battleship. The structure is similar to Wizard of Oz; a small object is being pursued and threatened by something larger and more powerful. Audience empathy is immediately generated for the “underdogs” in the smaller spaceship.
Phantom Menace
Two Jedi Knights, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan fly through a Trade Federation Space Blockade of the planet Naboo as Ambassadors from the Supreme Chancellor negotiate an end to the conflict. Instead, Darth Sidious tells the leaders of the Trade Federation to kill the Jedi Knights.
E.T.
The first image is of a star-filled night and a dark forest, which is visually confusing and demands the audience’s undivided attention. A spaceship with bright lights is barely seen through the forest trees. Smoke diffuses the atmosphere. Creatures seem to be moving about in the forest, but no image is clear or distinct. Strange long fingers move a branch. Exotic plants lie on the floor inside the spaceship. Outside a dog howls, causing the red hearts of the creatures to intensify their glow. A small tree sprout is dug up by alien fingers. In another shot, a small child-like creature is seen in the far distance as it walks among tall trees. The gigantic trees overwhelm the creature, who still cannot be seen clearly by the audience. This forces the audience to pay close attention because they want to see what the creature looks like. Sympathy is also generated for the child-like creature as it stands under the over-towering trees. The creature walks to the edge of the forest and looks at the city lights in the distance. Suddenly, a truck, with headlights glaring, drives up and suddenly stops at the edge of the forest. More trucks pull up and men with flashlights get out of the trucks. They are shadow figures covered in darkness. The audience cannot see their faces. The small creature runs away and is pursued by the men with flashlights. The alien spaceship departs. The creature squeals like a terrified small animal as he runs toward the departing ship in his efforts to escape from his faceless pursuers. Finally, the creature is abandoned in a strange land as the spaceship disappears into the night sky.
The Lion King
Simba, the future king of the Pride Lands, is presented to his animal subjects.
Jurassic Park
A middle class couple, along with their young boy, are visiting Gotham City. They lose their way and wander into an alley where they are beaten and robbed by two muggers. One of the muggers points a gun at the small boy and threatens him. They then climb to the rooftop in order to rifle through the woman’s purse. They are confronted by Batman. He beats and terrorizes them in an act of retribution. Batman leaves them alive so that they can spread the word to the other criminals that “it is he who rules the night.” The audience identifies with the vulnerable couple who are robbed and become angry when they are terrorized by the muggers. They appreciate Batman when he punishes the muggers for their crimes.
Home Alone
Images of a blue moon against a black sky, a blue house silhouetted against a black sky, then the house recedes into the background, getting smaller and smaller. An opening shot of an upper-middle class home with Christmas decorations. There are sounds of many people speaking at once. “Where’s my suitcase?” asks a child. Inside the house a police officer, with his back to the camera, stands in the hallway. He tries to get someone to pay attention to him, but everyone ignores him. This is humorous because a “traffic cop” who is supposed to be a figure of authority is being ignored by the “traffic of children” running through the house. Two small girls walk down the staircase. A third girl walks up, while a fourth girl walks down. They pass the policeman as if he didn’t exist. He stands with his hands on his hips as he expresses exasperation. Holding an authority figure up to ridicule creates laughter. In this scene, the antagonist is introduced, although not explicitly. He is presented as a trustworthy figure, only so that he can later betray the trust of the family. He is really a burglar who is staking out the house to determine when best to rob the trusting family of their possessions.
Forrest Gump
The feather, which represents Forrest, floats through the air and lands on Forrest. He picks it up and places it in his suitcase.