Plots and Emplotment

1
Plots and Emplotment
2
Typical narrative structure

• A wide variety of narratives can be said to
  follow a basic structure, as outlined by Freitag

3
Freitags Pyramid/Triangle
4
Exposition

• At the outset, the audience member is provided
  with information necessary to make sense of the
  narrative
• The amount of information provided varies widely
• Backstory
• The means by which it is provided varies widely

5
Conditions at the outset

• The conditions at the outset of a narrative
  usually depict some form of equilibrium or
  continuing conditions
• Often a peaceful, happy condition exists

6
Then something happens

• The situation is disturbed by
• An act of a character
• An event outside the control of any character
• Recognition of a lack by a character (usually a
  main character)
• The disturbance sets up some form of conflict and
  sets in motion the set of actions that make up
  the plot

7
Rising action

• A series of conflicts that become more intense as
  the story progresses is presented
• There may be rises and falls in intensity, but
  the overall trend is upward
• The individual events usually are linked to the
  main storyline in some way

8
Rising action often includes individual
subplots/conflicts
workbookproject.com/?p207
9
Climax

• Some major confrontation, conflict or turning
  point marks the climax
• Good guy battles bad guy to the death
• Wife finds out that husband has been having an
  affair and confronts him with it
• Kid takes math test
• Lawyers finish making their cases and the jury
  decides

10
Falling action

• The intensity of conflict often falls off fairly
  quickly after the climax but rarely is the climax
  the very end of the narrative
• There are sometimes continuing conflicts or
  questions of one sort or another

11
Resolution/denouement

• Any remaining questions are answered
• The detective tells the former suspect why the
  real criminal committed the crime
• The situation has changed and a new equilibrium
  is in place

12
You can think of characters traveling a road from
the beginning to some end

• It takes time
• It happens in some place
• Things that happen early in the journey influence
  those that happen later
• The actions of the characters reflect their
  personalities
• They reach their destination, usually changed in
  some manner by the experience

13
Making some distinctions

• Storythe events and actions occurring over time,
  relating to characters
• Plotthe actions, events, effects as presented
  within the narrative
• may be out of sequence, may not include important
  parts of the story, etc.
• Diegesisthe story world that the plot takes
  place in and that the characters live within

14
Plots

• Plots are the events and actions, related
  causally, that move the story forward
• Plots range from very simple to extremely complex
• Many narratives have a number of subplots tied to
  the main plot
• Conclusion of a subplot may move the character(s)
  forward in the overarching main plot

15
Multiple plots

• More complicated plots often include a number of
  subplots
• Series, especially television series, will often
  have plots of varied significance going on at the
  same time, some beginning, some continuing and
  some ending
• story arcs

16
(No Transcript)
17
Conflict

• Plots are driven by conflict
• Protagonist v. antagonist
• High Noon
• Humans against nature
• Jurassic Park
• Humans fighting themselves (internal demons)
• A Beautiful Mind
• Humans against the supernatural
• Poltergeist
• And so on

18
Motive

• Conflict is based on the motive of the
  protagonist
• Seeking something
• Often generated through actions of the antagonist
  or by changes in circumstance
• Sharpest conflict is generated by incompatible
  motives among main characters
• Antagonist has a motive that directly opposes
  that of the protagonist
• Multiple protagonists with incompatible motives
• Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

19
Causal chain

• Many real-life events cannot be explained as the
  consequence of some earlier action, but in
  narrative most events are clearly linked to
  earlier events or actions
• If it had not been for X, Y wouldnt have
  happened
• Often these events are fortuitous

20
Variation by medium

• Film
• The plot unfolds in a rather gradual, upward
  spiral with varying amounts of ups and downs
  depending on the particular story
• Comes to a close at the end of the movie
• Television
• The plot unfolds in pulses with highpoints
  immediately preceding commercials and minor
  conclusions to each pulse following the break
• The end of the episode may not lead to a
  conclusion of the plot or may only answer a
  single subplot
• The Amazing Race

21
Genre

• The standard plots of various genres are
  well-known
• When working within a genre, deviating too
  significantly from the classic plot will often
  lead to dissatisfaction among the dedicated
  audience
• Especially true in TV series
• However, too strict an adherence to the
  traditional plot for a given genre leads to
  audience disinterest
• Some amount of creativity is appreciated

22
Romantic comedy

• Boy meets girl
• Boy loses girl
• Alternative Girl doesnt like boy
• Boy gets girl
• In classic style, marriage is the outcome

23
Detective story

• Client comes to detective, asks for help
• Detective takes case, is opposed by
  antagonist/criminal
• Detective investigates, meets and overcomes
  obstacles, solves crime
• Antagonist is killed/goes to jail
• If client was female, may end up with detective
• Gender reversal is rare

24
A good plot

• Is based on significant conflict

25
A good plot

• Holds togetherit doesnt seem implausible
• What is acceptable depends upon the genre
• In a fantasy, you can present actions and events
  that are consistent with the plot that would be
  inappropriate to other genres
• Stardust

26
A good plot

• Draws upon feelings/experiences the audience
  members bring to the text
• Chariots of Fire

27
A good plot

• Is consistent with the characterization
• In TV series, for example, the characters have
  established a personality that the audience
  understands and expects to be consistent
• Acting out of character could be considered a
  form of implausibility

28
A good plot

• Alternates action and rest/thought, etc.
• Though the general trend is toward more intense
  action and quickened pacing, the inclusion of
  subplots, minor conflicts, etc. keep the audience
  interested as the story progresses

29
A good plot

• Does not answer the enigma too quickly
• The audience member should not be certain of how
  things are going to turn out until after the
  climax
• While some narratives begin with the conclusion,
  there is still some question as to how things led
  to that particular outcome
• American Beauty
• Sunset Boulevard

30
A good plot

• Is neither so simple that audience members know
  what will happen far in advance nor so
  complicated that the audience cannot follow the
  logic
• Audience members should be able to make plausible
  predictions for most, but not all,
  events/actions/effects

31
Audience reactions that enhance enjoyment

• Suspense
• Effects of an action/event must not be revealed
  too quickly
• Surprise
• Audience members must not be able to predict all
  actions and outcomes
• Plot twists

32
A good plot

• Leads to an appropriate conclusion
• Most endings are happy
• Unhappy endings usually come from behavior that
  is immoral or stupid
• Bad things happening to good people for no reason
  leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the audience
  member
• When good people meet bad ends, it is usually in
  the name of some higher good

33
Zillmans model
34
Plot holes

• A plot hole, or plothole, is a gap or
  inconsistency in a storyline that goes against
  the flow of logic established by the story's
  plot, or constitutes a blatant omission of
  relevant information regarding the plot. These
  include such things as unlikely behaviour or
  actions of characters, illogical or impossible
  events, events happening for no apparent reason,
  or statements/events that contradict earlier
  events in the storyline.
• Wikipedia

35

• Plot holes are identified by dedicated fans and
  published online
• http//www.moviemistakes.com/best_plothole.php
• http//tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlotHol
  e

36
Master Plots

• Well-known skeleton stories that can serve as the
  basic plot for a wide range of characters and
  circumstances
• Cinderella story

37
Master plots(Tobiass list)

• Quest
• Adventure
• Pursuit
• Rescue
• Escape
• The Riddle
• Rivalry
• Underdog
• Temptation
• Metamorphosis

• Transformation
• Maturation
• Love
• Forbidden Love
• Sacrifice
• Discovery
• Wretched Excess
• Vengeance
• Ascension
• Descension

38
Plot Devices

• A plot device is an element introduced into a
  story solely to advance or resolve the plot of
  the story. In the hands of a skilled writer, the
  reader or viewer will not notice that the device
  is a construction of the author it will seem to
  follow naturally from the setting or characters
  in the story. A poorly-written story, on the
  other hand, may have such awkward or contrived
  plot devices that the reader has serious trouble
  maintaining suspension of disbelief.
• Wikipedia

39
Instrument to make the implausible plausible
40
Plot devices

• A MacGuffin is an object (or character) which
  drives the actions of the characters, but whose
  actual nature is not important to the story
  another object would work just as well, if the
  characters treated it with the same importance.
• Hitchcock said that in a thriller the MacGuffin
  is usually the necklace in a spy story it is
  the papers .
• MacGuffins are frequently found in quest
  fantasy stories the magic artifact which the
  hero must recover in order to save his village
• The Ring of Power in Lord of the Rings would not
  be MacGuffinit is crucial to the plot.

41
The Statue in The Maltese Falcon
42
Nick Lowes list of plot devices

• Collect-the-Coupons plotting. Because having a
  small group of protagonists overcome an army of
  villains would be too implausible, what you do
  instead is write into the scenario one or more
  Plot Coupons which happen to be "supernaturally"
  linked to the outcome of the larger action and
  then all your character have to do is save up the
  tokens till it's time to cash them in.

43
Dragonballs
44
Plot voucher (Nick Lowe)

• The object, typically given to the protagonist
  shortly before, that allows them to escape from a
  situation that would be otherwise impossible.
• The protagonist needs to save the voucher and
  cash it in at the appropriate time.
• Most of the devices given to James Bond by Q
  could fall into this category.

45
(No Transcript)
46

• Other plot devices are simply one-offs to get the
  protagonist to the next scene of the story. The
  enemy spy, who suddenly appears, defects, reveals
  the location of the secret headquarters and is
  never heard of again, would be an extreme
  example.
• The character becomes less of a plot device if
  the author gives her a back-story and a plausible
  motivation for defecting, and makes her an
  interesting character in her own right.

47

• Many video games rely heavily on plot devices
  games often require characters to perform
  arbitrary tasks in order to win the game.

48

• Universal Plot Generator. A Plot Generator is a
  device written into your scenario that will
  create further stories as often as required,
  while laying no restrictions whatever on the kind
  of story produced.
• Red Kryptonite

49
(No Transcript)
50
(No Transcript)
51
Deathtrap

• An overly complicated method of killing a
  character, used solely to provide a means of
  escape
• James Bond
• Superheros
• Batman (TV show)

52
(No Transcript)
53
Deus ex machina

• Artificial or improbable means of resolving a
  story, such as having it turn out to be a dream
• The phrase has been extended to refer to any
  resolution to a story that does not pay due
  regard to the story's internal logic and is so
  unlikely that it challenges suspension of
  disbelief, allowing the author to conclude the
  story with an unlikely, though more palatable,
  ending.

54
(No Transcript)
55
Quest

• A complicated search for capture or return of
  some object or person
• Hero myth

56
Quibble

• Following the exact terms of an agreement to
  escape what would normally be expected
• Legal bargains
• Agreements in fantasy stories
• Pacts with the devil
• Clever and unusual quibbles startle and please
  readers, but clumsily contrived ones can seem
  artificial ways to escape a fictional problem.

57
(No Transcript)
58
(No Transcript)
59
Red Herring
John Paul McCartyMusings and Mutterings
60
(No Transcript)
61
IGN Playstation Teams Top 10 Overused Plot
Devices

• Secret organizations plotting conspiracies,
  possibly relating to world domination
• Uncovering long lost remnant of something
• Fulfilling a prophecy
• Killing the aliens
• Unlocking ones hidden true powers, a.k.a. the
  chosen one
• Accidentally unleashing a terrible evil
• Must seek revenge
• World War II
• Main character with amnesia
• World ending