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Lesson 2

We will use the notes and tools we have developed to finalize the sequence of acts and beats that will make up our movie’s story spine, and that define its plot and storyline. We will focus on how we can make our audience care about the answer to the question, “What happens next?” In a workshop format, we will work with our peers to finalize the outlines or storyboards that represent our movie’s story spine and beats.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I organize my ideas for my own original movie into a clear plot?

  • Can I define the terms story spine and beats?

Texts

Optional

  • Digital Access
    • “Film Grammar” from “Pixar in a Box: The Art of Storytelling,” Pixar Animation Studios, Khan Academy, 2017

Materials

Tools

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Discuss

We will review the concepts of story spine, acts, and beats, using the Filmmaking Glossary and our previous notes.

Reread the entries for story spine, acts, and beats in the Filmmaking Glossary.

Ask any clarifying questions about how to further develop and represent your movie’s story spine. Note: You might use the Storyboard Tool to discuss and write down ideas about how to develop the plot of your movie.

Discuss again the expectation of the Culminating Task to write a three-act synopsis for your movie. Review the discussion of a synopsis in the Filmmaking Glossary.

Consider how your story spine planning and the character arcs you described in your Movie Character Tools will provide the material for writing your synopsis.

Activity 2: Write

We will finalize the plot and storyline for our movie, dividing our story spine into three acts, each of which is made up of a series of key scenes and beats.

Step 1

Using a copy of the Storyboard Tool, an outline, a graphic organizer, or a series of pictures, identify and describe the beats for your original movie. Start with the opening moment of Act 1, the exposition; continue through Act 2, the complication; and finish with Act 3, your movie’s climax and resolution. For each beat, indicate who is involved, what happens, and why it is important.

Step 2

Review the Movie Character Tools you developed, thinking about their relationships to your story beats and spine. Integrate the thinking you have done about wants and needs, obstacles, conflicts, choices, and stakes into your sequence of beats.

Map out key moments in the story spine that might be turning points for your movie’s story.

Step 3

Once you have the beats mapped out, think more analytically about how each one can contribute to your movie’s style and message.

Make notes related to visual effects, sound, and mise-en-scène for each beat, using the thinking you did earlier when you developed your Movie Concept Tool.

Activity 3: Discuss – Write

With our peers, we will workshop our story spine plans and begin to brainstorm about our movie’s logline.

In pairs or small groups, show or read through and describe your story spine and beats to your classmates.

As your partner or each member of your group shares their beats, write down anything that seems confusing, uninteresting, or exciting. Share your responses with your partner or group.

After each review of a story spine, have a short discussion of the plan, focusing on the following question:

  1. What in the story spine and sequence of beats makes or does not make you want to know what happens next?

If you find your peers’ feedback helpful, use it to refine your beats before the next lesson, making your movie less confusing and more exciting. Keep in mind this feedback as you begin to think of ways to sum up your movie in a single logline.