Most movies can be broken down into 3 acts. That's act 1, which is about 25%, act 2, which is 50%, and act 3, which is about 80-100% of your story. However, most stories are more than just 3 acts, and in between each act lies a more complicated structure. There are 8 points in a Harmon story circle: 1. comfort zone, 2. need or desire, 3. unfamiliar situation, 4. adaptation to that situation, 5. get what they wanted, 6. but pay the price, 7. return to comfort, and 8. having changed. When broken down, it can be put into this phrase: "You need to go search, find, take, return, change.". Films can have multiple story circles within them, and you can even use a circle to create a single scene. The circle helps prevent writer's block as it tells you what events need to happen in a scene. I think I prefer the hero's journey when trying to think of a story overall, but the Harmon story circle is a good tool to use when you need to get into the details of specific events. Some similarities that this circle has with a hero's journey include the beginning, where a character is part of an ordinary world they're used to, they leave for somewhere unfamiliar, go through obstacles, and then return to their regular world as a new person.
No comments:
Post a Comment