Why Linear Story Structure Is A Bad Thing - Andy Guerdat
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- čas přidán 15. 05. 2024
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In this Film Courage video interview, we ask Andy Guerdat about story structure, character backstory and central conflicts in a screenplay. The film's The Fugitive and Jaws are used as examples for acts one and two in the screenplay.
Andy Guerdat has been a working writer/producer in film and television for the past 45 years, with hundreds of credits in movies, half-hour comedies, hour-long dramas, theater, and animation. He is currently a consultant at Disney TV Animation.
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Andy Guerdat has been a working writer/producer in film and television for the past 45 years, with hundreds of credits in movies, half-hour comedies, hour-long dramas, theater, and animation. He is currently a consultant at Disney TV Animation.
MORE VIDEOS WITH ANDY GUERDAT
tinyurl.com/5rn5c7ry
SUBSCRIBE TO ANDY'S CZcams CHANNEL
/ @thegodraft
CONNECT WITH ANDY GUERDAT
www.imdb.com/name/nm0345907
/ @thegodraft
MORE VIDEOS LIKE THIS
99% Of Screenwriters Make This Mistake When They Begin - • 99% Of Screenwriters M...
Learning Screenplay Story Structure - • Learning Screenplay St...
21 Ways To Structure A Screenplay [WRITING MASTERCLASS] - • 21 Ways To Structure A...
Free Story Structure Training - • Free Story Structure T...
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If the opening scene & story is a kicker I prefer a linear telling. When a movie opens with an innocuous event about characters I neither know nor care about & then immediately jumps back in time, I switch it off.
That's a good point.
Nowadays, that seems like a lazy trick of story telling.
Are you able to articulate your thoughts as to why that is?
I'm curious about both comments
I disaggree
@@BrianThomasIt’s a cheap hook and it’s even worse when the ending scene is shown in the opening. "Look! This is intense, isn’t it? Keep watching to see WHY it happens!" No. You took away the mysteriousness, instead of focusing on what’s happening my mind is busy thinking how what’s happening correlates with the spoiled scene
There seems to be some confusion in the comments about linear being the same as being in chronological order. He doesn’t seem to be saying don’t tell the story in chronological order. More like, keep the viewer engaged by taking the story in interesting, unexpected directions - hence ‘pivot’ points.
the idea of zig-zagging is worth watching this video..... be a step ahead. And then later he talks about Jaws. I felt Jaws was one step ahead of what you would think at every step.
You all have such a great channel I really appreciate it
Your Richter Scale analogy is spot on. While tremors may seem like noise, if you zoom out you can see that there's an overall structure of the quake. Perfect.
I like a spiral image moving forward. To circle back to tropes but the character is in a different place so how the respond/behave is different.
'beginning middle and ending but not in that order' (jean Luc Goddard) informative interview
What is the mental image you have in your head when thinking about story structure?
A methodical map….
W or M
The scene in Mr. Right where Francis teaches Martha how to feel the currents of movement in order to anticipate the next movements. And then the knife throwing.
@@geoffhoutman1557I can relate to that
A visualization of the story being told, and sometimes movie scenes that relates.
Thank you, it makes sense. So, eventhough it looks like linear path, and it is simplified this way, it actually is a lot easier to imagine it this way.
I'm amazed that you keep getting big authors to show up. Congratulations on your success.
Shakespeare, Dickens, the Bronte sisters, Paterson, Sanderson, King - none of them had trouble writing compelling linear stories, all have been adapted to film repeatedly, and rather successfully.
Never heard of them
If you've never heard of Shakespeare, you didn't go to school.
If you've never heard of Patterson, you've never been out of the house.
If you've never heard of Stephen King, you're living under a rock.
Read a book.
@@wilsky5216 is Shakespeare new? How long has she been writing? What films has she done?
@@reallymakesyouthinksharks are smooth, right?😂
@@dudhman they only swim backwards aswell
This video points out one of the major differences in storytelling between movies and novels. Generally, movie audiences need the "Z" as Andy Guerdat says. However, I've been made painfully aware that, *generally,* readers want to read what they've already read, just with tweaks.
Why don't you teach your students how to get a manager and make a sale 😅 So much emphasis on the 'craft' and nothing about the business side... Also, this guy just wants to sound cool by saying a linear story is bad, lol. He's all over the place on purpose.
❤
Film courage is futuristic
Andy is trendy
Love these clips. However there seems to be one episode missing: how to expand a story or plot embryo to something fitting all these advice. Sure, “be creative” is a solution but there should be some kind of route to follow.
The Matrix is 100% linear and it works just fine. Follow your characters and you won't have to think about it.
Did you watch the video? I don't think the Matrix would be considered linear by his definition.
He doesn't mean you need to time jump, he means the film goes off in different directions rather than A to B main story. Matrix isn't linear by that definition.
The Matrix follows, pretty closely, the Hero's Journey. In that way, it is quite linear and predictable. Hero exists in normalcy, call to action, rejection of call, reconsideration and answer of call, etc.
But the idea of The Matrix is unique. The filming is unique, as well as the aesthetic and subject-matter. The themes are different from other heroes' journeys: Determinism vs. Choice.
Many stories, at least in structure, have already been told. I wouldn't worry about listening to a guy whose current writing credits include children's shows. Most writers have their preference; many think they know the formula.
Just write, and don't play to the gallery. Editing is where all this other gobbledegook comes into play.
@@wilsky5216 You seem to be a real expert. What films have you written? Are you more successful than the man in the video?
Interesting, some say , 25 percent, turning point, other 30percent, others every 16th page nerds a turning point. One thing for sure, even the public understands that same , rigorous standerd turning points, lead to ...boring sameness.
This isn't what most people mean when they say "linear story structure."
I don't think he's criticizing the traditional linear structure. He's explaining why the term "linear" is really not a great way of describing the typical 3 act structure because it tends to make writers subconsciously limit themselves.
@@mother7219 I agree, but the title says "linear story structure is bad" and then doesn't talk about what most people mean by "linear story structure." The title is misleading.
There is nothing more overused today than opening at a climactic point and then going back in time. That's usually how I know a movie is just going to be another recycled copy-and-paste job as far as the form goes. If you rely on this and cannot tell the story in a linear fashion then maybe there isn't so much to your story when you have to rely on cheap tricks. How many of Kubrick's films are linear? I think most of them, if not all. There is nothing more powerful than watching things naturally progress/develop.
Waiting for Guerdat. 😂😂😂😂 See what I did there?
For example, let’s use Toy Story, a Linear movie.
Isn't john wick series follows A linear story structure? Yes, and it's successful franchise.
Successful dosnt mean quality 😅
The Marvel Cinematic Universe makes linear storytelling look like a bad thing. It’s only done well if it’s INTERESTING
If you can't tell me an entertaining story from start to finish, YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO WRITE. Flashbacks and flash forwards are losing their popularity. And that's a good thing.
🥸 Non linear is just a crutch to make it look like film has something interesting by forcing the audience to make a puzzle of chronology themselfes. Work on your plot and themes instead of artificially decorate your story by switching scenes in time.
I simply like it , the z z z structure