Moral Premise

Harnessing Virtue and Vice for Box Office Success

By: Stan Williams

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Paperback | 15 June 2006

At a Glance

Paperback
219 Pages

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23.2 x 16.1 x 1.4

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This book explains how the Moral Premise a statement of truth about the protagonists psychological predicament is a fundamental part of every successful movies structure. It is also a book about how you, the filmmaker, can appropriate the Moral Premise to create great motion pictures that resonate with large audiences. You will learn: the history and theory of the Moral Premise; its components and structure; its use in creating remarkable character arcs, act breaks, turning points, and dramatic beats; and, a step-by-step method for embedding a true Moral Premise into a three-act screenplay. You can understand and embrace one of the most fundamental structural aspects of storytelling, the basis for the most popular movies of all time. You can use what has proven to be successful in the process entertain, delight, challenge, and uplift this generation and the ones to come.

Industry Reviews

"Stan Williams does an outstanding job of cutting through what you think your screenplay is about and getting to the heart of what your screenplay is REALLY about. A must read for any screenwriter." - www.hollywoodlitsales.com "I cannot say how glad I am that this book was written. Anyone who calls themselves a filmmaker (or a movie reviewer) should be required to read this book...While this book may not be for everybody, you will not be disappointed if you do get it. There is a lot of material and it is deep, but it is also easy to follow. It is not overly technical and asks nothing more than the reader having an open mind and a strong interest in good movies." - www.microfilmmaker.com Williams helps film writers and critics alike understand the heart of a story. Given its strong blend of theory, illustration, and practical suggestion, Williams book is important reading for screenwriters, filmmakers, and even film critics. Robert Johnston, Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary; Co-Director, Reel Spirituality Institute Stan Williams has created a new bible for screenwriters. It should be required reading, retroactively, for every working Hollywood screenwriter, and the primer on which every aspiring new scribe cuts his teeth. Cause and effect... motive behind every action... the apple in Eves hand... the basic elements in the giant continuing narrative that is the universe. Brian Bird, Screenwriter/Producer, Bopha!, Call Me Claus, Touched By An Angel (TV)

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Arts & Entertainment Film, TV & Radio Specific Films Film Theory & Criticism Photography & Photographs Special Kinds of Photography Video Photography

Foreword	p. xiii
Preface	p. xv
Introduction	p. xix
History and Theory	p. 1
Premises and Values	p. 3
Uses of "Premise"	p. 3
Lajos Egri's Premise	p. 4
Message vs. Theme vs. Moral Premise	p. 6
Conflict of Values	p. 8
Identifying Values	p. 9
Premise Genres and Conflict of Values	p. 14
Exercises	p. 18
What Socrates and Seinfeld Have in Common	p. 19
Webster	p. 19
The Bible	p. 20
Aesop	p. 23
Socrates	p. 25
English Classics	p. 26
Criticism	p. 28
Modern Stories	p. 29
Exercises	p. 31
The Moral Premise in Modern Writing Guides	p. 33
Robert McKee's Controlling Idea	p. 33
Michael Tierno's The Action-Idea	p. 34
Michael Hauge's Theme	p. 37
Syd Field's Interior Life	p. 39
Field's "Context"	p. 41
Field vs. Egri	p. 43
Other Authors	p. 44
Exercises	p. 48
Storytelling's Natural Law and Processes	p. 49
A Natural Law	p. 49
Natural Processes	p. 51
Exercises	p. 60
Structure of the Moral Premise	p. 61
Form of the Moral Premise	p. 61
Themes vs. Moral Premises	p. 61
The Physical and Psychological Nature of Spines and Quests	p. 66
Moment of Grace: A Movie's Fulcrum of Meaning	p. 68
Comedy Arcs	p. 69
Tragedy Arcs	p. 74
More on the Moment of Grace	p. 77
The Moral Premise in Multiple Story Lines	p. 81
Exercises	p. 84
Identification and the Moral Premsie	p. 85
Suturing the Audience into the Story	p. 85
Physical Suturing	p. 86
Moral Suturing	p. 88
Identification Patterns	p. 90
Audience/Filmmaker Value Alignment	p. 93
What the Movie is Really About	p. 95
Exercises	p. 99
Application	p. 101
Strategic Processes	p. 103
Begin with the End in Mind	p. 103
Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind	p. 104
Tactical Steps	p. 105
Step 1. Determine the Controlling Virtue	p. 107
The Story's Virtuous Theme	p. 107
Step 2. Determine the Controlling Vice	p. 109
The Virtue's Antagonist	p. 109
Step 3. Determine the Moral Premise	p. 111
The Story's Ultimate Message	p. 111
Step 4. Determine the Movie's Genre	p. 113
The Arc of Cultural Conflict and Resolution	p. 113
Step 5. Determine the Protagonist's Physical Goal	p. 117
The Movie's Physical Spine	p. 117
Step 6. Determine the Protagonist's Physical Obstacles	p. 119
The Movie's Physical Conflict	p. 119
Arc Plots and Major Dramatic Beats	p. 121
The Major Plot and Turning Points	p. 121
A Character's Dramatic Arc	p. 121
Character Arc Plots	p. 122
Multiple Goals	p. 127
Step 7. Determine the Major Dramatic Beats	p. 135
Arc Depths	p. 136
Keep It About One Thing	p. 136
Later	p. 136
Step 8. Sequence the Dramatic Beats	p. 137
The Plot Timeline	p. 137
Beginning, Middle, and End	p. 138
Plotting Rules and Decisions	p. 139
Virtual Card Tricks	p. 140
Behavior Ramps	p. 141
Turning Point Characteristics	p. 141
Serendipitous Occurrences	p. 142
Three-Act Element Discussion	p. 142
Braveheart: A Capstone Example	p. 147
Braveheart's Moral Premise	p. 147
Braveheart's Arc Plots	p. 149
Braveheart's Major Dramatic Beats	p. 152
Conclusion	p. 159
Epilogue	p. 161
Research Abstract	p. 163
Films Cited	p. 165
Texts Cited	p. 171
Index of Moral Premises and Themes	p. 175
Topic Index	p. 179
About the Author	p. 196
List of Tables
Benjamin Franklin's Virtues and Precepts	p. 10
Franklin Quest's Survey of Governing Values	p. 12
Laurie Beth Jones' Core Values	p. 14
Movie Genres	p. 15
George Polti's 36 Dramatic Situations	p. 16
The Original Moral Messages: The Ten Commandments	p. 20
Physical vs. Psychological Story Descriptors	p. 66
Virtue-Vice Pairs	p. 110
Good-Guy Arc Plots	p. 123
Bad-Guy Arc Plots	p. 124
Alternate Bad-Guy Arc Plot	p. 125
Bruce Nolan's Arc Plots	p. 128
The Incredibles Good-Guy Arc Plots	p. 130
The Incredibles Bad-Guy Arc Plots	p. 133
Braveheart Protagonist Arc Plots	p. 150
Braveheart Other-Guy Arc Plots	p. 151
List of Figures
Comedy Spines	p. 69
Tragedy Spines	p. 74
Nonaligned Moral Realities: Invalid Audience Identification	p. 94
Aligned Moral Realities: Valid Audience Identification	p. 95
Three-Act Structural Parts	p. 138
Three-Act Structural Parts	p. 142
Three-Act Structural Parts	p. 152
Film Validity Equation	p. 164
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Moral Premise

Harnessing Virtue and Vice for Box Office Success

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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