You may find this useful. Writer K.M. Weiland breaks down many movies and books into the classic 3-Act structure in her story structure database at www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com.
I think what people in the comments misunderstand is that the story circle isn't just one circle, it's a bunch of little circles throughout every step of the main circle. I guess you should have mentioned that. But that's how it is. It's also worth noting that to make better use of this you have to understand where the "beats" are. A beat is a moment that drives the story forward, and it's scattered throughout the circle.
FUN FACT: The Kishotenketsu, an ancient storytelling structure, can actually correspond to the Dan Harmon Story Circle. Ki (Introduction): 1. You 2. Need Sho (Development): 3. Go 4. Search Ten (Twist): 5. Find 6. Take Ketsu (Conclusion): 7. Return 8. Change For centuries Eastern and Western storytelling structures have been at odds with one another, but Dan Harmon managed to create something that makes the best of both worlds.
Act III - You shoot a moon rocket at him loaded with rainbows and pony's, then you lure him into the rocket and blast off into another dimension. The End.
That's the easiest story foundation I've ever seen lol but where the actual story telling begins is how you add little things in between to arouse the person watching it or reading it. Thank you for making everything easier.😂
It looks like Harmon's story circle is a slightly simplified adaptation of Joseph Cambell's "Hero's Journey" which is a narrative framework that pretty much every story ever told follows. If you're not aware of it, I definitely recommend reading up about it, it's pretty interesting stuff, and helpful to keep in mind while writing.
I don't think every story is a monolith. It is way too generalizing and simplifying. There are a lot of stories going around, not all are Hero's Journey. And not all have a return to status quo.
he pretty much jammed the false ending and the low point together, which i think is a good way of looking at the hero's journey since those two beats really go hand and hand.
@@StudioBinder FUN FACT: The Kishotenketsu, an ancient storytelling structure, can actually correspond to the Dan Harmon Story Circle. Ki (Introduction): 1. You 2. Need Sho (Development): 3. Go 4. Search Ten (Twist): 5. Find 6. Take Ketsu (Conclusion): 7. Return 8. Change For centuries Eastern and Western storytelling structures have been at odds with one another, but Dan Harmon managed to create something that makes the best of both worlds.
It should be : 1. You - Bruce/Batman 2. Need - He want to retire to be with his gf, so he need Harvey to succeed. 3. Go - He try to help Harvey, even got the Joker attention in the process. 4. Search - He try to adapt to win, try thinking like Joker only to find that the Joker is just an agent of chaos. 5. Find - He finally got a chance to kill/catch the Joker 6. Take - He catched the Joker, but loose his gf. 7. Return - Joker escape, Harvey turns bad, it’s up to him once again. 8. Change - Bruce don’t want to quit anymore, he must give more to fix everything. Kept Harvey in the light, while still doing what his gf believed. Actually this video got most of them right, but the narrative made it confusing. It tried too much to incorporate all the storylines, while in fact, story circle tends to revolve around the arc of each character, not the sequences.
@@jewelz.a Agreed. I remember Dan Harmon said the main different is : when "take" happen, the character have to pay the price as an exchange too. I think it makes sense, because you don't have to "change" if everything goes your way. :)
That approach of applying the circle to one character arc - I think that’s what the poster tried to do but this fell short for me. Nolan is a master of plotting. I was critical going in that his masterpiece could be simplified down like this. I think part of the “problem” is just that Nolan used so much craft in this thing! Bruce doesn’t even have the biggest character arc! And because it’s a thriller through and through, the villain is driving the plot for almost the entire movie - even after the midpoint where the hero typically goes on the offense. Bruce does go on the offense but still gets outplayed in the end. The Joker won - he really did and Batman was effectively benched for eight years after this movie. Harvey was a fallen hero and experienced the biggest arc. A negative one. In fact Nolan said he intended the title The Dark Knight to apply equally to Harvey as much as it did to Batman. So you’ve got so much subversion of tropes going on (in the best way possible). I mean…when Rachel actually gets killed? The whole theater was in disbelief! So yeah - this might not have been the right movie to try to demonstrate this model. There’s just too much going on to be simplified in this manner - and fifteen years later I’m STILL here for it! 😂😂 How awesome is it that it will be back in theaters in September 16 for Batman Day? So awesome! I guess all the other Batman iterations’ invitations to the “Showcase Theater Ball” that night got lost in the mail. 😂😂😂😂
Exactly what I'm currently using it for! Also implementing the therefore; but principle used by creators of South Park and the Witcher 3 side quests. :)
@suny123boy1 It works well in a D&D campaign if the group is more story centric. A campaign depends on the type of D&D group for it to be sucessful. A good dungeon master knows his groups well.
00:00 introduction 01:04 1 - you : estabish the protagonist 01:30 2 - need : somtying isn't right 02:20 3 - go : crossing the threshold 03:14 4 - search : the road of trails 03:58 5 - find : meet the goddess 04:35 6- take : paying the price 05:46 7 - return : bringing it home 06:30 8 - change : master the both of worlds
My Theatre History professor broke it down as follows: 1. Status quo - Establish the way things are 2. Inciting moment - Something happens to change the way things are 3. Rising action - Reactions to change 4. Reversal of fortune - It looks as though the protagonist will lose 5. Climax - The culmination of the resolution the story has been working toward 6. Falling action - The pieces fall into place as a result 7. Denouement - The dust settles
-Who is the One that Drives this Story, -What the One Needs, -the First thing to do, -Trials that the One Faces, -Figuring out what the One want's, -Failed and Lost Something, -Making a Comeback, -the Moment that Changes Everything, -All Full Circle, and -the Cycle Continues.
This is really handy for stories where the focus is on a singular character as a protagonist, but I'm curious what happens when you have a secondary and tertiary protagonist mixed in...
Just use the same framework for each character separately but you should also use the story wheel for the characters collectively so each story ties into each other.
Agreed, I see a similar transition for Harvey as well as Bruce. I think a broad plot circle is full of character circles each reaching fulfillment in different parts of the story and providing the momentum to move the story along. I believe this can be applied but as part of a larger wheel. Thanks for this.
@@adams3079 Correct. Nolan said that he intended the title ‘The Dark Knight’ to apply equally to Harvey and Bruce. TDK is the second act of The Trilogy. I believe that the overarching theme of the Dark Knight Trilogy is something along the lines of : ‘in order to cope with deep grief and the deaths of those we love, we should honor what they stood for but we must also live our lives to the fullest, in the present. If we lose loved ones to violence, we should seek justice - not vengeance because that poisons our souls and imprisons us and dishonors the dead. First and foremost- we must not get stuck in our grief; rather we should embrace life, and seek love and happiness. It’s okay to move on. Side characters and subplots are often used to play out different aspects of and/or the opposite of the overarching theme. Ra’s AlGuhl sought vengeance for his wife in his backstory which foreshadowed Talia’s quest for vengeance against Bruce in Rises. Each of the three movies shows Bruce and his nemesis dealing with deaths of significant others. In Rises Bruce suffered the symbolic death of Alfred when he leaves him to try to make him retire. The hidden driver of plot in that movie is Talia and her goal is vengeance. She suffers same fate as Harvey - death. The message is clear. In TDK, the Nolan’s really go for making Harvey Two Face a cautionary tale. They point up the theme by playing out it’s opposite I.e. Harvey seeks vengeance (like younger Bruce did in Begins). Meanwhile, we see Bruce’s growth because - in stark contrast to Harvey - Bruce truly honors what Rachel believed when he saves The Joker from falling to his death. He intends for the Joker to be punished and this is him seeking justice and not revenge. This calls back to the scene in Begins when Rachel is lecturing Bruce in the car about the difference between justice and vengeance. When you consider that Harvey and Bruce suffered the exact same loss - the love of their lives, their different reactions make Bruce that much more heroic. As for The Joker, yeah…this story circle tries to account for him as an oh by the way we had the Joker in this - when there are those that would argue that it is Joker’s desire line that drives the plot more than Batman/Bruce’s does. At the very least they are running parallel and almost equal - which might explain why you come away from this film not quite feeling like Batman was the outright STAR of this movie. He was the HERO yes - but his actions did not drive the plot the way they did in Begins. What kind of gives credence to The Joker almost being a protagonist level character of this movie was that he was actually right about many things including about Harvey whose code (adhering to the law) was indeed a bad joke and dropped the second HE was the one that suffered injustice. The Joker even made Batman break his one rule 😩 albeit not out of wrath or vengeance but to save an innocent. Even the Ferry Boat social experiment subjects were perilously close to blowing each other up. The citizens (society) voted to do it by vast majority but no one could actually bring themselves to pull the trigger. That’s not the same as the idea being dismissed out of hat. And on the other boat, it was the one criminal (symbolically Batman / vigilante?) that took it upon himself to make the decision for everyone else on his boat when he threw the trigger out the window. What gave the criminal the right? The copycat Batman asked “What gave Batman the right “ too. Batman acted on Gotham’s behalf and it resulted in escalation. Did he make things worse? It’s a question raised in the movie. So brilliant. But back to our boss criminal - when under the guise of volunteering to pull the trigger - he tells the law (the guard) to cooperate with him and he was given the trigger! Was that appropriate? Probably not. The question this installment in particular poses is which world view is closer to being universal - Bruce’s or Joker’s? This is not humanity’s best showing in this movie because Joker is not as far off the mark as Bruce seems to believe. He has placed faith in the people of Gotham when the truth is that most of them were easily manipulated to contemplate murder and some even attempted it (if the accountant isn’t dead in one hour…I blow up a hospital”. Bruce and Gordon really are exceptions rather than rules. As far as usefulness of this story structure, I don’t know. You can paste this story circle on top of TDK’s plot after the fact and I guess it lines up? But there’s no way this would have been sufficient by itself to PRODUCE the plot on the front end. TDK was the wrong example. There are layers on top of layers going on here. Maybe Iron Man would have been a better choice as it was much more simply plotted. No disrespect to anyone intended.
I look at Harmon's "Story Circle" or Campbell's "Hero's journey" as guidelines with many good ideas within. I, personally, don't see The Dark Knight neatly fall into a structure like this, but it simply contains elements of it. "Paying a price", for example, is a key element in Batman's growth as a character and I would say it's a defining characteristic. The irony that a silver-spooned billionaire chooses to subject himself to mental and physical anguish is about overarching outward goals (Save Gotham) and inward goals (Save himself from grief) throughout the trilogy. It's raw and relatable. So, yes, one of the "Circle's" elements are essential, but not sequential. It's just present. Thanks for the presentation. Kudos to the designer!
clearly, it's the protagonist he meant, no doubt. The video shows batman while he is speaking, also the #6 storyline is talking about Batman being pushed to the brink.
Look, in my opinion, people can do whatever they want. They could follow this model or they could not. It all depends on them and how well they do it. BUT, as some people say, "You need to know the rules in order to break them."
I learned how to juggle as a kid and I find it a great metaphor for this philosophy as a writer. There are a handful of rules you learn to keep 3 balls in the air -- each hand does the same thing scooping from outside to inside and tossing up at eye level toward the other hand, one and then the other. Keep the objects about at eye-level and in the same plane. Now, breaking these rules becomes a juggling trick like going in a circle, tossing straight up etc. But you have to be competent with the standard rules first.
I agree. The movie ‘House’ (1977) comes to mind. It doesn’t just break the rules, it exist in a completely different universe where it follows a completely different set of laws of physics. To call it an “experimental film”, is missing the point. This movie tortured my mind.
Dan Harmon's system is pretty much the Syd field paradigm with Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey but simplified into really easy to remember points. Very nice!
The circle may not apply to every story out there, but it does apply to every story in the top 30 all time box office hits. Which means, this structure is the most effective way to evoke emotion from the general audience.
I don't know how many times I've watched videos about Dan's story cycle and other videos about how good The Dark Knight is but I enjoy it every time. Thanks.
This is a really beautiful and well-presented - simplified - take on the classic Hero's Journey. This would certainly help beat writer's block for some types of story, but - and it's a huge, wobbly but - this is only one type of story; the Hero's Journey is actually pretty limiting if used as a guide to constructing narratives rather than analysing existing ones. This only became obvious to me after reading John Truby's "The Anatomy of Story"; it doesn't deal with a cyclical, Hero's Journey-type plot, but with an even more fundamental structure of premise and design principle, plus character needs (moral and psychological), their weakness(es) (again moral AND psychological), and how you can establish the change that will be necessary to reach by the end. It's also good because it doesn't stick to one genre or one type of story (i.e. the hero's journey); the examples cited in text are from a pretty eclectic range. Can't recommend this enough. But excellent video; really enjoyed it.
One question, if I understand how this circle works, I have some doubts, for example, how do I structure the story? In 3 acts with Syd Field's paradimg? Or do I need to use more acts? There are many structures, such as putting the 8 steps together along with the inciting incident, plot points, midpoint, and pinch points.
This was the best video I could find right now---something that illustrates the story circle that I wanted to know more about using my favourite film!!
1. you (establish the protagonist) 2. you need (protagonist needs externally / wants something internally) 3. you go! (protagonist acts / entering the chaos circle) 4. you search (protagonist faces obstacles) 5. you find (but its not as the protagonist expected) 6. you take (but not without paying a price) 7. you return (bringing home what you took) 8. you change (protagonist has developed)
There's a ninth step I think is CRITICAL to writing any good story: KNOW the era you're writing in, if it's set in the past. As a history buff I cringe when I see film stories that clearly don't fit their era setting (speaking style, culture, etc.). One notable example in some ways is Disney's Princess and the Frog, it claims to be set in the 1920s, but in many ways feels like (and honestly would work much better in) the early 1970s. Some elements (like the idea of interracial dating) even if a joke just don't fit the 20s South at all.
Like I said yesterday in the video about foil characters, subtitles are essential not only to understand whatever narrator, but the examples themselves. It's a feature that international audience appreciate a lot (like me, from Italy)
Like other's have stated - it's pretty much a simplified version of Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey - definitely recommend to read the book "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" - it goes into more depth about how each story is part of the same universal framework we've all grown used to in our local and global culture.
This has to be the best channel I have recently found I can’t thank you and your team enough! I just wish I would have found the channel earlier this week has been so helpful since I’ve subscribed
Thank you for making this video! I struggle with writer's block because I can't find the right words to describe my scene. But thanks to the chart, I may have found a way to move past it.
after testing dan harmon story cycle for a bit, i noticed that it's not supposed to cover a whole film in one cycle. it's more of a subset in plot points, and in each character arc. however the cycle quadrants did helped me on the upper half and lower half momentum, and the relationship between each opposite points. it's a useful guide to aha moments, or at least ground your film to a meaningful story.
My problem with every writing guide online like this one is that the best stories I've experienced dont follow these tips whatsoever. Yet, they're still better than every hero's journey story I've ever seen/read.
There are a ton of story structure out there, if a story is so good it is probably using one of these structures. And yes, not every story uses a structure, sometimes breaking the rules in a clever way is what makes a story interesting.
I've analyzed a bunch of Hollywood movies beat for beat, and they all follow three-act structure with a midpoint crisis. And they nearly all have three or four other things in common, like the heroes going into the extraordinary world at the beginning of act 2 but then moving deeper into it (more dangerous) in the middle of act 2.
@@hydra5758 i cannot remember what i had in mind a year ago, but off the top of my head i can think of nier automata as an example of a story that has been branded into people's memories through sheer pain, and has a very unorthodox structure. I mean, i didnt even grasp the true extent of the emotional torment that the story was administering until i read some side material that the director created. I wish i remembered a better example, as one of the biggest draws about nier automata's story is precisely how unorthodox it is. So its not really a good example. More of an exception.
Thank you guys, your channel has really helped me become a better writer and this technique has made me feel so accomplished just for writing a story circle
Well made video! I always like seeing the dark knight broken down as it is such a masterpiece we can learn from. But... I think maybe Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan should take credit for this one, certainly not Dan Harmon (but by reading the comments i don't think i need to even say that at this point) Plus it's mostly Campbell's the hero's journey. And if you really want to go back to the source (highly recommend) so that you're not getting secondary knowledge, i recommend Aristotle's Poetics, which was written way back when all of this began. Also the video starts out with a great clip from Adaptation. If you have watched Adaptation you would know that Charlie Kaufman (writer and main character) finds story structures like the hero's journey to be "bullshit" and he is completely sick of the conventional structure that hollywood movies cling to. It seems like it is not the only way to write a movie, but i do think that it is important to at least understand the rules of narrative before you break some of them
I guess the point of the video is to reach a broader audience and to that end a name like Dan Harmon would speak louder at this point in time than Campbell's or Aristotle's, however it does mention that those principles were not invented by him. Particularly, I don't think that a clear understanding of theory is important at all. There are all kinds of artists and a lot of great art comes from intuitive people that, by not being aware of supposed rules, are able to create stuff that subverts the expectations of the genre they are tackling, but, you know, not everything is about disruption. There will always be a place for a well executed established structure, no matter how much people like Kaufman despise them. I, for one, am of the opinion that sticking too close to a template often will cause your art to become 'soulless', as they say. Take recent Pixar movies and compare them to their earlier efforts. Most of them are certainly competent -- cash grab sequels aside -- but are they memorable? Adding a little bit of mystery, quirkiness and confusion can go a long way into making your art stand out from the crowd. Even a flaw is better than a played out script. At the end of the day, the problem with Hollywood is that putting big money in risky projects is not a good idea.
danke hab das gestern angeschaut und mir direkt die cheatsheet geholt, direkt ne story in überschriften zu dem circle geschrieben und schaue mir heute das video nochmal an um zu jeder überschrift einen text zu schreiben und es funktioniert so gut. ich muss einfach null darüber nachdenken was grade so passiert. alles kommt von alleine. danke
FUN FACT: The Kishotenketsu, an ancient storytelling structure, can actually correspond to the Dan Harmon Story Circle. Ki (Introduction): 1. You 2. Need Sho (Development): 3. Go 4. Search Ten (Twist): 5. Find 6. Take Ketsu (Conclusion): 7. Return 8. Change For centuries Eastern and Western storytelling structures have been at odds with one another, but Dan Harmon managed to create something that makes the best of both worlds.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:01 🔄 Introducing Dan Harmon's Story Circle - Addressing the common problem of unfinished scripts, - The creation of an 8-step story circle by Dan Harmon to simplify narrative structure. 01:11 🦸 Exploring Steps 1 & 2: Establishing Protagonist and Need - Using "The Dark Knight" to exemplify step 1 ("You") by showcasing Bruce Wayne/Batman, - Delving into step 2 ("Need") and establishing the internal and external needs of Bruce Wayne. 02:19 🔍 Detailing Steps 3 & 4: Journey Initiation and Obstacles - Analyzing step 3 ("Go") as the protagonist enters chaos, seeking Harvey Dent as a replacement, - Unpacking step 4 ("Search") and introducing adversities like the Joker to obstruct the protagonist's journey. 03:24 🎭 Investigating Steps 5 & 6: Complications and Price of Attainment - Demonstrating step 5 ("Find") where goals are achieved but with unexpected consequences, - Exploring step 6 ("Take") where acquiring desires comes with significant sacrifices, such as Bruce's loss of Rachel. 05:11 🔄 Navigating Steps 7 & 8: Return and Change - Discussing step 7 ("Return") where the hero comes back transformed from chaos, - Detailing step 8 ("Change") that showcases a visual transformation in characters after enduring adversities. 07:24 🛠️ Concluding with Utilization Advice for Writers - Encouraging writers to utilize the Story Circle for their scripts, - Offering additional resources like a free Story Circle worksheet and more storytelling insights from StudioBinder. Just notes for my future reference
I'm very happy someone made in analysis using Harmon's story circles. I hadn't known anyone had, though I've known about his diagram based advice for a few years. Hat tip, this is damn fantastic.
In my opinion, stories should be a way to help the mind understand itself without massive tomes of psychology, instead of being senseless entertainment. Often, people judge a story based on their emotional attachment to its characters and its realism, which bothers me as someone with Maladaptive Daydreaming.
That sounds cool and all, and I know that you're paraphrasing the Joker in The Dark Knight, but replacing "to live" with "to write a story" ruins the statement. Stories do have rules and a general flow. Thousands of years of storytelling prove this. The funny thing is that the Joker in Nolan's movie would never say that paraphrased line. As crazy as he is, the Joker knows the power of a good story. He wants to live in a world where the current rules of society are abolished. Something happened to him that made him believe that society failed him, and he wants to show everyone else that society will fail them too. Now, the Joker could have just gone on killing and robbing senselessly, but he didn't do that. To achieve his goal, the Joker decides to tell two violently tragic stories. The first story is about the white knight. It wants to say that even the best of us can be corrupted when the stakes become personal. All it takes is one bad day. That story is for Gotham's citizens, to rob them of hope and trust. The second story is about two boats, two sets of explosives, and two triggers. It's a larger and more general version of the first story. It wants to say that people are inherently selfish, therefore, no one is worth being selfless for. That story is for Batman and other upstanding citizens, to rob them of conviction and purpose. Both of those stories conform to established beats of storytelling: there is a character. That character has a set of beliefs and a comfort zone. The character is taken out of their comfort zone. The character's beliefs are challenged, and those beliefs change. The character goes back to their comfort zone. The comfort zone is no longer the same in the character's eyes as a result of their beliefs changing. Unfortunately for the Joker, the lesson of his first story was heard by only a handful of people, because Batman hid the true ending from the citizens. The lesson of the second story did not materialize at all, because the citizens defied the Joker's expectations of them. So wait a minute. In the second story, the characters' beliefs were challenged, but their beliefs didn't change. Why? Doesn't that break the storytelling rules? Yes and no. Because in the context of The Dark Knight, the boat incident wasn't a story, it played out in real life. The story was the Joker's plan, but it's not what the actual citizens did.
you know, rules are good, they do limit your freedom but encourage productivity and creativity. regardless of if you like this formula or not you're still going to set up rules for yourself when you write. no one starts writing any story, you begin with something to set your boundaries, even something as vague as "I'm going to write a sci-fi novel"; that's two rules right there, you're not going to write historical fiction and it won't be a short story that's the first boundary you set for yourself. then you begin some worldbuilding and what's that if not setting the rules of how the setting functions in relation to backstory? then you work on some characters and you're doing the same, choosing the rules of how everyone acts and reacts to the plot considering their past experiences and your plans for them. so in the end rules aren't just good, they're essential, your creativity should express itself in choosing the rules you want to follow in your work and how to work in their constraints.
This was soooo therapeutic for me. I applied this analysis to my on life and after enduring chaos and devastation, I am at step 7. This puts things into great perspective for me. Now to push forward and WIN!
The Hero Within by Carol Pearson is a very interesting book applying heroic archetypes to personal growth. I wish you great success in recovering after chaos and devastation!
That is the gift of Story. It benefits us in every aspect whether listening, telling or learning the craft behind it. I have found the various perspectives propounded by various professionals in this field to be thought provoking and enlightening. When I apply certain aspects of Story to my own life it’s like “Yeah. Of course! Why didn’t I see that before?” The most important revelation that I see across almost every perspective has been the concept of wounds experienced that have not been healed but that have instead kept us stuck in one place psychologically and in our life journey. With the requisite courage and honest and if properly prompted with thecright questions, it’s often possible to trace backwards through one’s life and see destructive patterns or stagnation and/or limiting misbeliefs which are just stories we tell ourselves over and over cementing them into our reality. But just like the hero in a well told story we can each achieve a character arc that results in the shattering of misbeliefs and self limiting patterns and emerge transformed on the other side of our journey. Story can be so powerful and life affirming. Story is the gift that keeps on giving to anyone willing to look a little deeper into the content they consume - past the inclination to only be entertained. There’s so much more! Continued success to you in pushing forward!
You can also apply this to the entire story arc of The Dark Knight Trilogy: Batman *BEGINS* _ORDER_ The Dark Knight *FALLS* _CHAOS_ The Dark Knight *RISES* _ORDER_
As any trilogy - it reflects your basic 3 act structure. Star Wars 4-6, Lord of the Rings 1-3, The Hobbit 1-3, The Matrix 1-3 - the good ones will always reflect: movie 1= act 1, movie 2= act 2, movie 3= act 3.
If I may add something. Maybe the best illustration is not a Circle, but a Spiral. Since they are in a cycle, but they are not always the same cycle. There is change and growth in every cycle. So I think the Spiral is a more suitable illustration
Wow. This is a very interesting video. I find that using some kind of detailed plot structure makes writing a whole lot easier. At best stories write themselves. I did come up with a way to divide a plot structure to eight parts. I divide the story to four acts. I take the middle of the story and split it to two separate acts. Adding the beginning act and ending act gives a total of four. Then each act has two parts one part sets up the act. The second part is an exciting part to end the act. The act endings are in order lock in, mid point, final break and climax. This video has its own variant of the structure. It should still work. I find that the eight parts in that structure parallel the eight parts I came up with. I like how this story structure is like the Hero's Journey but more gerelized an vague. I am a big fan of the Hero's Journey. It can work well for heroic adventures in speculative fiction. The best example that comes to my mind is Star Wars. I find that a more vague version of it can fit a wide variety of stories. This is like Save the Cat. I like how this story structure in the video addresses the character development of the protagonist. I find that this character development is very helpful for good storytelling. A character arc is a mix of character and plot. So it helps to develop and unify both. I even wonder if theme can work here too. A protagonist is better when they are dynamic. When they change, they may learn some kind of lesson along the way. It is a more subtle way to address theme. Subtly is the better approach. It is not a good idea to get all preachy. I am a fan of the Hero's Journey. I have noticed that if I try to do a simple bare bones fantasy story it ends up being highly derivative of the Hero's Journey. I think that is because this is a good structure. It bridges the gap between story plot and mystical processes in New Age. It is a nice blend. I can add in psychology, which is good for character development. I can also add theme which is involved with mysticism. Setting is also important. It can really change. I prefer a more outlandish setting, and my favorite genre is fantasy. I think fantasy gives me a lot more leeway to get into the heroic and mystical parts. I think that studying the technical details of plot is a lot of fun. It may seem formulaic at first. However I find it very liberating. It is a matter of learning the rules before breaking them. There are many variations of detailed plots out there. So it is good to compare and contrast. So one can tweak structure to suit different stories and still make it work. The key focus is tweaking. One shouldn't overdo things and break the plot. It is going to make the story suffer. Even if one uses the same structure, there is still a lot of room for variation. The structure is so abstract and vague that it can apply to any story idea. When people complain about cliches, it is about more concrete things in stories. These are things like instalove, pseudo medeval Europe fantasy world, love triangles, the dark lord, damsel in distress, maguffin, chosen one, Merlin clone mentor etc. I think it is possible to copy the same structure over and over again without it getting stale. If it does get stale, than only the savviest audiences would notice, like critics. It is also really nice to be able to change plots around for even more creative variation. This video adds more to the fun creativity by having its own plot structure. That is awesome. The beginning of this video has writers stumped with their script. I can see how story structure can help. It would also help to write an outline. I am a plotter, so this is second nature to me. Outlining is a vital part of the writing process. I can't stress this enough. It helps avoid writer's block. It is even taught in English class. There are different ways to write an outline. When doing a story, I like to show a plot structure and then give the specific events of the story. The story circle worksheet can even work as an outline. I am new to scripting, but I imagine tha outlining can still apply here. Now I am curious about Batman. Maybe I ought to check out this movie. I have seen most of the recent Marvel movies and I like them. I would like to go further and chack out DC. The only recent DC movie I have seen is Wonder Woman, and I like that. I noticed something. Harvey Dent looks just like Jaime Lannister form Game of Thrones. The resemblence is striking. The Prince Charming from the Shrek movies also looks like Jaime. Harvey gets disfugured and looses his good looks. The same thing happened to Jaime. Harvey looks a lot more horrifying. I am surprised that something outdid Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones is so intense that it got a MA rating. I wonder what the rating of Dark Knight is. So I Googled it. I find that it is PG-13. They are really pushing that rating. Yikes! It is not going to discourage me from watching the movie. I am just saying. Yikes!
I appreciate your comment regardless of the length. TDK is a really good one to break down as far as story structure and just about every other aspect of craft there is. Various structures apply after the fact but I would love to know which - if any - Nolan consciously used. I suspect he knows them all and they are second nature to him at this point. If you have not already seen TDK (I’m replying from ‘the future’ 😂😂 it’s a great stand alone movie; but you might enjoy the origin story Batman Begins before you watch TDK. Watching them in order really enhanced my experience watching TDK, especially if you want to analyze the craft deployed - because each of the movies in the Trilogy “talk back and forth” to each other. Rises comes full circle with big payoffs to the set ups in the preceding movies. Plus the Trilogy has an overarching theme that can be traced throughout. The majority of those who have chosen some form of Story as their career and have therefore invested money and years of their lives learning about craft and have proven their proficiency via either their success in their chosen field…you know, professionals, masters of craft, people that know of what they speak as exemplified by their standing in the industry laud this movie as masterfully done. But of course you get those who have zero professional credentials but only illusions of grandeur that convince them that they can intelligently call TDK “badly crafted trash” with any kind of authority. There’s a difference between saying you didn’t like a movie and actually stating an issue with how it was made. Those that raise massive issues with how TDK was crafted are mostly trolls. You can recognize them because they come onto a video about a movie they don’t like to waste their time debating people about why other people do. For what purpose? Because a troll has to troll. 😂😂😂. Anyway, ignore them watch it for yourself. But again, try to watch Begins first if u can 😂
In context of Man of steel 1. Clark Kent is established as a man who wants to help others using his abilities but has to hold back cuz the world is not ready to learn about his existence 2. He needs the world to accept him as one of us. He also needs to find where he comes from and why he was sent to earth. 3. He sets out doing odd jobs and tries to live as an ordinary man while risking his identity using his powers to help people when needed 4. He is not satisfied by living among humans while knowing he can never be one of them so he needs to find about his origins to understand his purpose in the world. 5. He finds what he was looking for, his origins and the reason why he was sent to earth 6. He pays the price by giving away earth’s location to General Zod 7. He returns to the start, a man who wants to help others with his powers, this time by saving the world from zod 8. He is changed, from secretly helping others and not knowing his purpose to a god like being who is known by the world as Superman who’s purpose is to be the symbol of hope that krypton never had.
It always comes to the Heroe's journey. Three act structure. Your protagonist wants one thing, and something is in the way. Crisis of the soul. All is lost. Hero finds a way by changing into something he's never been before. New way of seeing. Permanent change. The hero returns. Humans are hardwired to want stories this way. I wonder if aliens share those feelings.
I never have issues with ending a story. I always know the beginning, the middle of the story the climax portion, and the wrap up, the end. My problem isn't knowing the major elements of the plot I'm building, it's more so everything in between it that trips me up, the build up, the character development, how should a character respond according to the character traits I've given them, how can I escalate from a soft spot to an intense piece and transition smoothly between it? How do I make the characters surrounding the main character important enough to have meaning to a reader or audience?
@@amvschool7414 okay so the first thing I do, is come up with the point of your story. What are you trying to tell everyone or what are you trying to convey as far as meaning? If you have a goal for what your story means you can write according to the message you're trying to send. Then drive your character in the directions it takes to get there. I'm more in to screen writing so a lot of times when I'm trying to paint an image of a scene in my head, I listen to music that fits the mood or the theme to help give me inspiration for how to write a particular scene. Music is a powerful tool to me. So establish what your story means I'd say, once you know what it's supposed to mean it will be easier to write an ending.
Actually the problem that I face with the ending is that I don't want any particular of my characters to take the spot, be it the protagonists or the antagonists. But yeah, I've still thought about many different endings because of that. Not to mention that I certainly don't like the cliche ones. I've been writing this Mystery/thriller, comedy and action story called Losers on Wattpad. Will you give it a read for once? And provide some constructive criticisms also? Infact, I'd be happy to make the story with you too, together. I've only released 3 chapters till now and it have already reached up to rank #No 29 in humour category. You can check it out if you want to, and provide feedback. Username: LuciferDaredevil2 Title: Losers Or you can just find it by searching it on humour category number 29.
@@amvschool7414 oh yeah, well I guess the message of it would depend on the genre as well, I didn't factor that in, I'm writing sort of a thriller story about a guy who gets caught up in a bad crowd for money to support his family and ends up regretting it and trying to make amends, so my overall message is redemption and what it takes for the character to want to change. I'll check yours out, if it's comedy I would think it's written a little bit differently, and yeah I'd be happy to check it out, I know a lot about writing, but I'm never gonna claim to be a good writer, so I'll look it over and I'll tell you what I would like to see or what I liked or disliked, don't take what I say as a professional with years of experience because I'm fresh out the gate myself, I just happen to have an eye for detail and imagination. So I'll give it a try.
Actually feeling super betrayed about it as a Rick and Morty fan. That's like if George RR Martin just wrote lord of the rings and called one book to end it all
@@apyorick So Dan Harmon didn't "steal it", he acknowledges that this is actually just his simplified interpretation of the Hero's Journey that he uses to write stories. He never claimed to have invented it
FUN FACT: The Kishotenketsu, an ancient storytelling structure, can actually correspond to the Dan Harmon Story Circle. Ki (Introduction): 1. You 2. Need Sho (Development): 3. Go 4. Search Ten (Twist): 5. Find 6. Take Ketsu (Conclusion): 7. Return 8. Change For centuries Eastern and Western storytelling structures have been at odds with one another, but Dan Harmon managed to create something that makes the best of both worlds.
Every time I start getting distracted, I think of the scene from Star Wars where Gold Five just keeps saying "Stay on target...stay on target..." No idea why this works for me, but it does somehow. It always snaps me out of my distraction and gets my focus back on the page.
I wrote short stories, comic strips, and other stories to be read. And the best advice I get usually for anything having to do with writing story, is from screen writers. You can apply almost any type of writing advice, to any type of writing.
The story circle is a very useful tool if you lose sight of what the story should be. But if you already see the moon, why worry about the finger pointing at the moon?
Nicely put together video, but I'm pretty confused... I love Harmon's model and I love the Dark Knight, but like many "3 Act Structure" guides I've seen in the past this feels a little shoehorned; many of the steps you've argued feel like plot points pulled from all over the place and presented as main character beats, like the "search" beat which is normally about the characters adapting to the situations and changing to suit their main goals (Wants Vs Needs) but you've argued that it's just him jumping hurdles, and while his character does have beats that do illustrate change I think the film's arc is more presented in ideas that are presented by different sides; it's more like an essay film perhaps? I mean, the film might well have a simple Harmon Circle I'm missing, most definitely based round the idea of what a hero has to do (breaking his one rule) to become the hero they need (which literally vocalizes the Wants Vs Needs... maybe the arcs in the people of the city? Probably just him figuring out what Gotham needs as a hero) but for such an arc to be discussed you need to actually discuss the beats that define the edges of each "section", otherwise you're not discussing structure, because we're not discussing the actual fine lines that make up the film, just a vague estimation of what happens where and shoehorning it in. Anyway, long rant over, nicely produced video my friend.
It feels like a lot more detail because it's not a 3 act structure, The Dark Knight is a 5 act structure. Harmon's work is also solidly based in 5 acts
A further note, if still interested, Joseph Campbell, who originally derived the hero's journey, was actually a sixteen act structure. But, try not to see this in terms of ACTS. This story circle is still broken into acts. You can make 3, or 5. These are progressive steps in a story that is scaled down from a monomyth. It works. This isn't shoehorned. This is excellent story telling. This isn't a template overlay onto Batman, this is, I promise you, how the script was approached. Because writers and story tellers can pour out a random tale, but the ones that follow this format are the best because they ring so true to the narratives we naturally structure around our lives. (Hero With A Thousand Faces, long book - didn't read it all but worth a dip ;) )
@@nikolaj3988 Harmon says (in his podcast) that the second thing he does while writing (first - follow the story circle) is to throw the rules away. He often ignores his own rules. Which makes sense.
Mega Pixel Productions It actually fits pretty well in the circle. The youtuber that made this vid just didn't put some of the points in the right places.
If you don't have acts, beginning, middle and end. Then you end up with something that feels like it's not going anywhere, and then it ends. Go watch Fantastic Beasts #2 for a good example of this when contrasted to the spectacular Fantastic Beasts #1.
True 1. YOU - Bruce has a fight in prison. Meets Ducard. Picks the blue fower. 2. NEED - Establishes back story intercut with a training montage. Bruce's parents are murdered. He wants to bring justice to Gotham, stop Falcone. 3. GO - Bruce confronts Falcone, then leaves Gotham. Has to kill a criminal to pass his final test to become a member of The League of Shadows. He fights them, saves Ducard's life. 4. SEARCH - Bruce returns to Gotham. Gathers equipment and allies, prepares to become the Batman. 5. FIND - Bruce takes Down Falcone, gets what he needs (Batman reveal). A water Vaporiser is stolen from Wayne enterprises. While Batman is looking for the missing drug shipment he is set on fire by Crane. 6. TAKE - Rachel is captured by Crane. Batman resues her and is chased by the cops. At wayne manor Ducard reveals himself as the real Ra's al Ghul and burns down Wayne Manor. 7. RETURN - Batman suits up and takes on Ra's and his men, saves Gotham. 8. CHANGE - Bruce has now fully completed his arc, becoming the Batman.
@LTopomcFly I don't think TDK is better because it has 4 acts or follows any 'hero's journey', I think TDK is better because of the writing, cinematography, practical effects, and the ACTING. If you're gonna make such a loaded claim like Aquaman is better than the dark knight at least support your argument my dude
@LTopomcFly What a typical faux intellectual thing to say. Heath Ledger was brilliant but did not carry the movie. Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Christian Bale and Aron Eckhart all were amazing, and Maggie Gyllenhaal she was way better than Katie Holmes. If you watch that film and see boring garbage, all respect to your opinion but you just didn't get it lol, it's a layered film made by one of the most famously complex directors of our time. Have fun watching aquaman lmao
LTopomcFly - You really comparing a movie starring Jason Momoa and Amber Heard directed by James Wan to a movie starring Bale, Oldman, Eckhart and Michael Caine directed by Christopher Nolan? Wan’s a great director but not exactly on Nolan’s level yet, and the casts really do speak for themselves. Plus it’s Batman, come on.
I like this but I believe when you describe step 2 you are talking about "want" not need. The words can (and also are) used interchangeably by people but I think it is better to explain the motivation to make it clear in step 2 you are establishing what the character wants to happen.
I agree that “want” would be more appropriate because that represents the goal, the external story. “Need” is generally used to represent the internal story/inner journey (character arc), which is not the main drive of the plot.
I love Dan Harmon. If you've ever listened to his podcast Harmontown, he's always talking about how he's supposed to be writing a script. Lol He really only writes until he's come up with the story in his head. And he's a genius at it.
I would love to see you explore other story structures, like the 3 act structure or 5 act structure. Or basically structures with any amount of numbers.
Question: would you want to follow this the same way for a short film that is say 20 min long, or would you want to be able to condense this because you don't have much time to relay this type of detail?
Duration does not matter. Just remember that NOT all 8 steps need to happen NOR do they need to happen in sequence. Those calls need to be taken by you in regards to your story. Also note that a NEED and a CHANGE ( or the lack of it) are most certainly needed at least for one character.
Yep. I picked up on that too. If they're going to pitch such an obvious analogue of 'the hero's journey' they could at least try to get basic storytelling terminology correct. Or maybe get somebody to proofread the script.
I think he was actually referring to Harvey, because later he notes how Harvey is in a loop of his own. He gets pushed to the bring, he had his goal, lost it.. etc. He literally shows 2 Face as he says "antagonist", so I'm assuming it was intentional. He uses "Protagonist" properly throughout the video, so he knows the difference.
@@DanteYewToob except Harvey isn't the antagonist. Joker is. Harvey is a foil character that transforms into a secondary antagonist. I.E. his role is not consistent throughout the movie. Regardless, the story circle is based around the protagonist, not the antagonist. Because, no matter if they are good or bad, the story's focus character is the protagonist.
This is the problem with the internet. I know, I'm going there. Joseph Campbell's conception of a narrative arc has been around for nearly a century. And whilst it basically applies to western narrative in particular, it is pretty universal and everyone who writes story, whether they be screenwriters or novelists or in animation, is aware of the ideas and beats inherent in a narrative circle. Dan Harmons story circle is a simplified version of this. Because Rick and Morty episodes are twenty minutes long. Even watching this video you can see how many plot points you've had to miss out just to make your argument fit. The reason I'm saying this is that I probably spend too much time on RUclips, and I just constantly see the same pseudo information regurgitated between channels and lament the possibility of someone picking up The Hero With a Thousand Faces or something similar and actually offering us new information. Like The Dark Knight predated Rick and Morty by 8 years, they have as much to do with each other as Embrace of the Serpent and Crocodile Dundee. Videos like this aren't even journalistic or accurate, they're just the screenwriting equivalent of microwaved noodles.
A series where this is applied to hit movies and classics would be awesome
Great idea! Passed it along to our team.
You may find this useful. Writer K.M. Weiland breaks down many movies and books into the classic 3-Act structure in her story structure database at www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com.
@@StudioBinder did it ever come into being?
@@CircmcisionIsChi1dAbus3of course look up their beatsheat into interstellar it’s great
@@StudioBinderplease?
I think what people in the comments misunderstand is that the story circle isn't just one circle, it's a bunch of little circles throughout every step of the main circle. I guess you should have mentioned that. But that's how it is.
It's also worth noting that to make better use of this you have to understand where the "beats" are. A beat is a moment that drives the story forward, and it's scattered throughout the circle.
A lot of the misunderstanding probably comes from the visual which makes it looks like pieces of a pie
Thanks Renz, imma write this down.
@Iraj Islam Dafo Kere a fellow fan. Tyler Mowery is the best at visualizing his explanations
FUN FACT:
The Kishotenketsu, an ancient storytelling structure, can actually correspond to the Dan Harmon Story Circle.
Ki (Introduction):
1. You
2. Need
Sho (Development):
3. Go
4. Search
Ten (Twist):
5. Find
6. Take
Ketsu (Conclusion):
7. Return
8. Change
For centuries Eastern and Western storytelling structures have been at odds with one another, but Dan Harmon managed to create something that makes the best of both worlds.
Lm..n
Act I - Your get your character stuck up a tree
Act II - You throw rocks at him/her
Act III - You get 'em down
The End
Act II - You set the tree on fire
(I like it better, you get more tension this way)
Act III - You shoot a moon rocket at him loaded with rainbows and pony's, then you lure him into the rocket and blast off into another dimension. The End.
That's the easiest story foundation I've ever seen lol but where the actual story telling begins is how you add little things in between to arouse the person watching it or reading it. Thank you for making everything easier.😂
Didn’t Aaron sorkin say this?
Basically making them suffer, risk everything they care about, and then give them what they want at a cost
It looks like Harmon's story circle is a slightly simplified adaptation of Joseph Cambell's "Hero's Journey" which is a narrative framework that pretty much every story ever told follows. If you're not aware of it, I definitely recommend reading up about it, it's pretty interesting stuff, and helpful to keep in mind while writing.
That's exactly what it's supposed to be.
Harmon used that cycle as a basis of developing his. He talks about it in interviews.
I don't think every story is a monolith. It is way too generalizing and simplifying. There are a lot of stories going around, not all are Hero's Journey. And not all have a return to status quo.
big surprise an alcoholic pos stole someone else's work and called it his own
he pretty much jammed the false ending and the low point together, which i think is a good way of looking at the hero's journey since those two beats really go hand and hand.
Just when I was having writer's block on a script, this drops in my recommended. Thanks RUclips and StudioBinder!
We're glad you found it helpful! What other content are you interested in seeing?
There is no "script" is there Immanuel?
@@Freddiechavira Probably not and he also forgot to thank the algorithm, spies and god of coincidence.
@@StudioBinder FUN FACT:
The Kishotenketsu, an ancient storytelling structure, can actually correspond to the Dan Harmon Story Circle.
Ki (Introduction):
1. You
2. Need
Sho (Development):
3. Go
4. Search
Ten (Twist):
5. Find
6. Take
Ketsu (Conclusion):
7. Return
8. Change
For centuries Eastern and Western storytelling structures have been at odds with one another, but Dan Harmon managed to create something that makes the best of both worlds.
_David Benioff has left the chat._
_D.B. Weiss has left the chat._
😂😂
The D's of writing
You know D&D actually look at RUclips comments
Could you please tell me who those writers are?
Gabriel Idusogie Game of Thrones
love the little touch of editing on that circle like a timer for each section, and all the editing ofc
1. you protagonist
2. you need
3. you acts on his need
4. you finds his need
5. you takes
6. some twist happens
7. you returns
8. you change
Thanks 😊
6 can be - You pay the price ... just to keep the "You" theme across all of them
@@inner.inspire found it funny though. Was kinda a twist🤪
Thanks dude
@the_trashman 😐
It should be :
1. You - Bruce/Batman
2. Need - He want to retire to be with his gf, so he need Harvey to succeed.
3. Go - He try to help Harvey, even got the Joker attention in the process.
4. Search - He try to adapt to win, try thinking like Joker only to find that the Joker is just an agent of chaos.
5. Find - He finally got a chance to kill/catch the Joker
6. Take - He catched the Joker, but loose his gf.
7. Return - Joker escape, Harvey turns bad, it’s up to him once again.
8. Change - Bruce don’t want to quit anymore, he must give more to fix everything. Kept Harvey in the light, while still doing what his gf believed.
Actually this video got most of them right, but the narrative made it confusing. It tried too much to incorporate all the storylines, while in fact, story circle tends to revolve around the arc of each character, not the sequences.
You are amazing I don't know why people overcomplicate this bruh
Thank you for simplifying. I feel the video did not clarify the distinction between steps 6 & 7.
@@jewelz.a Agreed. I remember Dan Harmon said the main different is : when "take" happen, the character have to pay the price as an exchange too.
I think it makes sense, because you don't have to "change" if everything goes your way. :)
I really like this thank you🙂
That approach of applying the circle to one character arc - I think that’s what the poster tried to do but this fell short for me.
Nolan is a master of plotting. I was critical going in that his masterpiece could be simplified down like this.
I think part of the “problem” is just that Nolan used so much craft in this thing! Bruce doesn’t even have the biggest character arc! And because it’s a thriller through and through, the villain is driving the plot for almost the entire movie - even after the midpoint where the hero typically goes on the offense.
Bruce does go on the offense but still gets outplayed in the end. The Joker won - he really did and Batman was effectively benched for eight years after this movie.
Harvey was a fallen hero and experienced the biggest arc. A negative one. In fact Nolan said he intended the title The Dark Knight to apply equally to Harvey as much as it did to Batman.
So you’ve got so much subversion of tropes going on (in the best way possible). I mean…when Rachel actually gets killed? The whole theater was in disbelief!
So yeah - this might not have been the right movie to try to demonstrate this model. There’s just too much going on to be simplified in this manner - and fifteen years later I’m STILL here for it! 😂😂
How awesome is it that it will be back in theaters in September 16 for Batman Day? So awesome! I guess all the other Batman iterations’ invitations to the “Showcase Theater Ball” that night got lost in the mail. 😂😂😂😂
This just helped me with my D&D campaign...Thank You!
I was thinking the same thing!
Exactly what I'm currently using it for! Also implementing the therefore; but principle used by creators of South Park and the Witcher 3 side quests. :)
lol That's exactly why I came to! (Though I do need to write more often just for the sake of writing.)
@suny123boy1 It works well in a D&D campaign if the group is more story centric. A campaign depends on the type of D&D group for it to be sucessful. A good dungeon master knows his groups well.
suny123boy1 Ugh, who cares
00:00 introduction
01:04 1 - you : estabish the protagonist
01:30 2 - need : somtying isn't right
02:20 3 - go : crossing the threshold
03:14 4 - search : the road of trails
03:58 5 - find : meet the goddess
04:35 6- take : paying the price
05:46 7 - return : bringing it home
06:30 8 - change : master the both of worlds
My Theatre History professor broke it down as follows:
1. Status quo - Establish the way things are
2. Inciting moment - Something happens to change the way things are
3. Rising action - Reactions to change
4. Reversal of fortune - It looks as though the protagonist will lose
5. Climax - The culmination of the resolution the story has been working toward
6. Falling action - The pieces fall into place as a result
7. Denouement - The dust settles
-Who is the One that Drives this Story,
-What the One Needs,
-the First thing to do,
-Trials that the One Faces,
-Figuring out what the One want's,
-Failed and Lost Something,
-Making a Comeback,
-the Moment that Changes Everything,
-All Full Circle, and
-the Cycle Continues.
This is really handy for stories where the focus is on a singular character as a protagonist, but I'm curious what happens when you have a secondary and tertiary protagonist mixed in...
Just use the same framework for each character separately but you should also use the story wheel for the characters collectively so each story ties into each other.
Agreed, I see a similar transition for Harvey as well as Bruce. I think a broad plot circle is full of character circles each reaching fulfillment in different parts of the story and providing the momentum to move the story along. I believe this can be applied but as part of a larger wheel. Thanks for this.
@@adams3079 Correct. Nolan said that he intended the title ‘The Dark Knight’ to apply equally to Harvey and Bruce. TDK is the second act of The Trilogy. I believe that the overarching theme of the Dark Knight Trilogy is something along the lines of : ‘in order to cope with deep grief and the deaths of those we love, we should honor what they stood for but we must also live our lives to the fullest, in the present. If we lose loved ones to violence, we should seek justice - not vengeance because that poisons our souls and imprisons us and dishonors the dead. First and foremost- we must not get stuck in our grief; rather we should embrace life, and seek love and happiness. It’s okay to move on.
Side characters and subplots are often used to play out different aspects of and/or the opposite of the overarching theme. Ra’s AlGuhl sought vengeance for his wife in his backstory which foreshadowed Talia’s quest for vengeance against Bruce in Rises. Each of the three movies shows Bruce and his nemesis dealing with deaths of significant others. In Rises Bruce suffered the symbolic death of Alfred when he leaves him to try to make him retire. The hidden driver of plot in that movie is Talia and her goal is vengeance. She suffers same fate as Harvey - death. The message is clear.
In TDK, the Nolan’s really go for making Harvey Two Face a cautionary tale. They point up the theme by playing out it’s opposite I.e. Harvey seeks vengeance (like younger Bruce did in Begins).
Meanwhile, we see Bruce’s growth because - in stark contrast to Harvey - Bruce truly honors what Rachel believed when he saves The Joker from falling to his death. He intends for the Joker to be punished and this is him seeking justice and not revenge. This calls back to the scene in Begins when Rachel is lecturing Bruce in the car about the difference between justice and vengeance.
When you consider that Harvey and Bruce suffered the exact same loss - the love of their lives, their different reactions make Bruce that much more heroic.
As for The Joker, yeah…this story circle tries to account for him as an oh by the way we had the Joker in this - when there are those that would argue that it is Joker’s desire line that drives the plot more than Batman/Bruce’s does. At the very least they are running parallel and almost equal - which might explain why you come away from this film not quite feeling like Batman was the outright STAR of this movie. He was the HERO yes - but his actions did not drive the plot the way they did in Begins.
What kind of gives credence to The Joker almost being a protagonist level character of this movie was that he was actually right about many things including about Harvey whose code (adhering to the law) was indeed a bad joke and dropped the second HE was the one that suffered injustice.
The Joker even made Batman break his one rule 😩 albeit not out of wrath or vengeance but to save an innocent. Even the Ferry Boat social experiment subjects were perilously close to blowing each other up.
The citizens (society) voted to do it by vast majority but no one could actually bring themselves to pull the trigger. That’s not the same as the idea being dismissed out of hat.
And on the other boat, it was the one criminal (symbolically Batman / vigilante?) that took it upon himself to make the decision for everyone else on his boat when he threw the trigger out the window. What gave the criminal the right? The copycat Batman asked “What gave Batman the right “ too. Batman acted on Gotham’s behalf and it resulted in escalation. Did he make things worse? It’s a question raised in the movie. So brilliant.
But back to our boss criminal - when under the guise of volunteering to pull the trigger - he tells the law (the guard) to cooperate with him and he was given the trigger! Was that appropriate? Probably not.
The question this installment in particular poses is which world view is closer to being universal - Bruce’s or Joker’s? This is not humanity’s best showing in this movie because Joker is not as far off the mark as Bruce seems to believe. He has placed faith in the people of Gotham when the truth is that most of them were easily manipulated to contemplate murder and some even attempted it (if the accountant isn’t dead in one hour…I blow up a hospital”. Bruce and Gordon really are exceptions rather than rules.
As far as usefulness of this story structure, I don’t know. You can paste this story circle on top of TDK’s plot after the fact and I guess it lines up? But there’s no way this would have been sufficient by itself to PRODUCE the plot on the front end. TDK was the wrong example. There are layers on top of layers going on here. Maybe Iron Man would have been a better choice as it was much more simply plotted.
No disrespect to anyone intended.
This is the most complex way of explaining that movie I’ve ever seen. Lol
Glad you enjoyed it! Did we get your subscription? ;-)
Yes and the bell as well. But not because of this video. Great job with the channel.
Arthur Moore Yeah. I know. Complete gibberish. I can only think Dan Harmon is trolling everyone.
or the best
Tell me, what's a better way to tell a story? Because literally all great stories follow this or a similar structure.
I look at Harmon's "Story Circle" or Campbell's "Hero's journey" as guidelines with many good ideas within. I, personally, don't see The Dark Knight neatly fall into a structure like this, but it simply contains elements of it. "Paying a price", for example, is a key element in Batman's growth as a character and I would say it's a defining characteristic. The irony that a silver-spooned billionaire chooses to subject himself to mental and physical anguish is about overarching outward goals (Save Gotham) and inward goals (Save himself from grief) throughout the trilogy. It's raw and relatable. So, yes, one of the "Circle's" elements are essential, but not sequential. It's just present. Thanks for the presentation. Kudos to the designer!
in step #6 you said "you must push the antagonist to the brink," I believe you meant protagonist
mythosESveritas ye the antagonist has already beeen pushed to the brink its protags turn 😀
Though it can work both ways
Perhaps even the same thing since the antagonist is usually the repressed shadow of the protagonist
Either way protagonist is obviously what was meant to be said in this part of the lesson
clearly, it's the protagonist he meant, no doubt. The video shows batman while he is speaking, also the #6 storyline is talking about Batman being pushed to the brink.
Look, in my opinion, people can do whatever they want. They could follow this model or they could not. It all depends on them and how well they do it. BUT, as some people say,
"You need to know the rules in order to break them."
I learned how to juggle as a kid and I find it a great metaphor for this philosophy as a writer. There are a handful of rules you learn to keep 3 balls in the air -- each hand does the same thing scooping from outside to inside and tossing up at eye level toward the other hand, one and then the other. Keep the objects about at eye-level and in the same plane. Now, breaking these rules becomes a juggling trick like going in a circle, tossing straight up etc. But you have to be competent with the standard rules first.
@@aaronlittle5478 Good comparison. Do you still juggle for the fun of it?
Learn the Rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.
I agree. The movie ‘House’ (1977) comes to mind. It doesn’t just break the rules, it exist in a completely different universe where it follows a completely different set of laws of physics. To call it an “experimental film”, is missing the point. This movie tortured my mind.
I agreed 👩🚀
Need more breakdowns like this. The way they do storylines for anime/manga is amazing.
Correction at 5:22 - "You have to push your *protagonist to the brink." Amazing work here! Thank you.
Dan Harmon's system is pretty much the Syd field paradigm with Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey but simplified into really easy to remember points. Very nice!
The circle may not apply to every story out there, but it does apply to every story in the top 30 all time box office hits. Which means, this structure is the most effective way to evoke emotion from the general audience.
Coming to rewatch this after watching "never ricking morty" for the meta
The Dan Harmon Story Circle is the STORY TRAIN. Mindblowing.
it even has the same colors. fuuuuck.
I don't know how many times I've watched videos about Dan's story cycle and other videos about how good The Dark Knight is but I enjoy it every time. Thanks.
This is a really beautiful and well-presented - simplified - take on the classic Hero's Journey. This would certainly help beat writer's block for some types of story, but - and it's a huge, wobbly but - this is only one type of story; the Hero's Journey is actually pretty limiting if used as a guide to constructing narratives rather than analysing existing ones. This only became obvious to me after reading John Truby's "The Anatomy of Story"; it doesn't deal with a cyclical, Hero's Journey-type plot, but with an even more fundamental structure of premise and design principle, plus character needs (moral and psychological), their weakness(es) (again moral AND psychological), and how you can establish the change that will be necessary to reach by the end. It's also good because it doesn't stick to one genre or one type of story (i.e. the hero's journey); the examples cited in text are from a pretty eclectic range. Can't recommend this enough. But excellent video; really enjoyed it.
One question, if I understand how this circle works, I have some doubts, for example, how do I structure the story? In 3 acts with Syd Field's paradimg? Or do I need to use more acts? There are many structures, such as putting the 8 steps together along with the inciting incident, plot points, midpoint, and pinch points.
This was the best video I could find right now---something that illustrates the story circle that I wanted to know more about using my favourite film!!
The fact that you are talking about Batman makes the learning of this process of writing so much better! Good choice of analogy
1. you (establish the protagonist)
2. you need (protagonist needs externally / wants something internally)
3. you go! (protagonist acts / entering the chaos circle)
4. you search (protagonist faces obstacles)
5. you find (but its not as the protagonist expected)
6. you take (but not without paying a price)
7. you return (bringing home what you took)
8. you change (protagonist has developed)
Even though I had never forgotten, thank you for remembering me how great this movie is
There's a ninth step I think is CRITICAL to writing any good story: KNOW the era you're writing in, if it's set in the past. As a history buff I cringe when I see film stories that clearly don't fit their era setting (speaking style, culture, etc.). One notable example in some ways is Disney's Princess and the Frog, it claims to be set in the 1920s, but in many ways feels like (and honestly would work much better in) the early 1970s. Some elements (like the idea of interracial dating) even if a joke just don't fit the 20s South at all.
Like I said yesterday in the video about foil characters, subtitles are essential not only to understand whatever narrator, but the examples themselves. It's a feature that international audience appreciate a lot (like me, from Italy)
Like other's have stated - it's pretty much a simplified version of Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey - definitely recommend to read the book "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" - it goes into more depth about how each story is part of the same universal framework we've all grown used to in our local and global culture.
This is one of the best made videos I’ve ever seen on RUclips!
This has to be the best channel I have recently found I can’t thank you and your team enough! I just wish I would have found the channel earlier this week has been so helpful since I’ve subscribed
This video is so perfectly edited and mad and described and just everything about this break down is immaculate
Thank you for making this video! I struggle with writer's block because I can't find the right words to describe my scene. But thanks to the chart, I may have found a way to move past it.
after testing dan harmon story cycle for a bit, i noticed that it's not supposed to cover a whole film in one cycle. it's more of a subset in plot points, and in each character arc. however the cycle quadrants did helped me on the upper half and lower half momentum, and the relationship between each opposite points. it's a useful guide to aha moments, or at least ground your film to a meaningful story.
My problem with every writing guide online like this one is that the best stories I've experienced dont follow these tips whatsoever. Yet, they're still better than every hero's journey story I've ever seen/read.
There are a ton of story structure out there, if a story is so good it is probably using one of these structures. And yes, not every story uses a structure, sometimes breaking the rules in a clever way is what makes a story interesting.
I've analyzed a bunch of Hollywood movies beat for beat, and they all follow three-act structure with a midpoint crisis. And they nearly all have three or four other things in common, like the heroes going into the extraordinary world at the beginning of act 2 but then moving deeper into it (more dangerous) in the middle of act 2.
@@Tysto but why would you look at hollywood when looking for good storytelling?
@@habibishapur Could you provide an example for your favorite stories that take a less orthodox approach?
@@hydra5758 i cannot remember what i had in mind a year ago, but off the top of my head i can think of nier automata as an example of a story that has been branded into people's memories through sheer pain, and has a very unorthodox structure. I mean, i didnt even grasp the true extent of the emotional torment that the story was administering until i read some side material that the director created.
I wish i remembered a better example, as one of the biggest draws about nier automata's story is precisely how unorthodox it is. So its not really a good example. More of an exception.
"Dan harmon distilled centuries of story telling..."
Joseph Campbell: 😮
Thank you guys, your channel has really helped me become a better writer and this technique has made me feel so accomplished just for writing a story circle
This was not only a great video about screen writing but this was also a great Batman video. I’m blown away.
Well made video! I always like seeing the dark knight broken down as it is such a masterpiece we can learn from. But... I think maybe Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan should take credit for this one, certainly not Dan Harmon (but by reading the comments i don't think i need to even say that at this point)
Plus it's mostly Campbell's the hero's journey. And if you really want to go back to the source (highly recommend) so that you're not getting secondary knowledge, i recommend Aristotle's Poetics, which was written way back when all of this began.
Also the video starts out with a great clip from Adaptation. If you have watched Adaptation you would know that Charlie Kaufman (writer and main character) finds story structures like the hero's journey to be "bullshit" and he is completely sick of the conventional structure that hollywood movies cling to. It seems like it is not the only way to write a movie, but i do think that it is important to at least understand the rules of narrative before you break some of them
I guess the point of the video is to reach a broader audience and to that end a name like Dan Harmon would speak louder at this point in time than Campbell's or Aristotle's, however it does mention that those principles were not invented by him.
Particularly, I don't think that a clear understanding of theory is important at all. There are all kinds of artists and a lot of great art comes from intuitive people that, by not being aware of supposed rules, are able to create stuff that subverts the expectations of the genre they are tackling, but, you know, not everything is about disruption. There will always be a place for a well executed established structure, no matter how much people like Kaufman despise them. I, for one, am of the opinion that sticking too close to a template often will cause your art to become 'soulless', as they say. Take recent Pixar movies and compare them to their earlier efforts. Most of them are certainly competent -- cash grab sequels aside -- but are they memorable? Adding a little bit of mystery, quirkiness and confusion can go a long way into making your art stand out from the crowd. Even a flaw is better than a played out script. At the end of the day, the problem with Hollywood is that putting big money in risky projects is not a good idea.
I think they chose the Dark Knight because Chris Nolan absolutely hates the idea of a Monomyth.
Explains why Kaufman's films are so hard for me to follow
Is it The Hero's Journey or The Hero with a Thousand Faces?
Dark night have me headaches. Too many plot holes.
I was confused before watching this video - but after watching - I am more confused ....thank you studiobinder
The communing with the Goddess moment of The Dark Knight is capturing the joker not Harvey claiming to be the Batman.
danke hab das gestern angeschaut und mir direkt die cheatsheet geholt, direkt ne story in überschriften zu dem circle geschrieben und schaue mir heute das video nochmal an um zu jeder überschrift einen text zu schreiben und es funktioniert so gut. ich muss einfach null darüber nachdenken was grade so passiert. alles kommt von alleine. danke
I'm a story Circle nerd, I'd love to just see regular "How this does or doesn't fit the circle" looks at stories.
That's a great idea; we've just added it to our list. :)
Editing is amazing!
FUN FACT:
The Kishotenketsu, an ancient storytelling structure, can actually correspond to the Dan Harmon Story Circle.
Ki (Introduction):
1. You
2. Need
Sho (Development):
3. Go
4. Search
Ten (Twist):
5. Find
6. Take
Ketsu (Conclusion):
7. Return
8. Change
For centuries Eastern and Western storytelling structures have been at odds with one another, but Dan Harmon managed to create something that makes the best of both worlds.
Interesting! Thanks.
[1:16] The "8 proven" circle used as a clock is genius!
This really helped me solidify my major story beats. Thanks for this.
We're glad you found it useful!
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:01 🔄 Introducing Dan Harmon's Story Circle
- Addressing the common problem of unfinished scripts,
- The creation of an 8-step story circle by Dan Harmon to simplify narrative structure.
01:11 🦸 Exploring Steps 1 & 2: Establishing Protagonist and Need
- Using "The Dark Knight" to exemplify step 1 ("You") by showcasing Bruce Wayne/Batman,
- Delving into step 2 ("Need") and establishing the internal and external needs of Bruce Wayne.
02:19 🔍 Detailing Steps 3 & 4: Journey Initiation and Obstacles
- Analyzing step 3 ("Go") as the protagonist enters chaos, seeking Harvey Dent as a replacement,
- Unpacking step 4 ("Search") and introducing adversities like the Joker to obstruct the protagonist's journey.
03:24 🎭 Investigating Steps 5 & 6: Complications and Price of Attainment
- Demonstrating step 5 ("Find") where goals are achieved but with unexpected consequences,
- Exploring step 6 ("Take") where acquiring desires comes with significant sacrifices, such as Bruce's loss of Rachel.
05:11 🔄 Navigating Steps 7 & 8: Return and Change
- Discussing step 7 ("Return") where the hero comes back transformed from chaos,
- Detailing step 8 ("Change") that showcases a visual transformation in characters after enduring adversities.
07:24 🛠️ Concluding with Utilization Advice for Writers
- Encouraging writers to utilize the Story Circle for their scripts,
- Offering additional resources like a free Story Circle worksheet and more storytelling insights from StudioBinder.
Just notes for my future reference
Amazing breakdown. But, I think taking the circle map of this kind of film will not help but confuse the beginners.
all i have to say after watching: this is the kind of thing makes me want to actually study film. thanks for the motivation family!
I'm very happy someone made in analysis using Harmon's story circles. I hadn't known anyone had, though I've known about his diagram based advice for a few years. Hat tip, this is damn fantastic.
Best pick for any kind explaination . Man this the best piece of art ever made.
This was one of the best video for the writing process
Was really enjoying this, when I realised I haven't seen this film yet! Coming back soon!
_"The only sensible way to write a story in this world is without rules."_
This is better advice than from the video
A story IS rules. Is a way for the mind to cope with needing rules to understand the world
In my opinion, stories should be a way to help the mind understand itself without massive tomes of psychology, instead of being senseless entertainment. Often, people judge a story based on their emotional attachment to its characters and its realism, which bothers me as someone with Maladaptive Daydreaming.
That sounds cool and all, and I know that you're paraphrasing the Joker in The Dark Knight, but replacing "to live" with "to write a story" ruins the statement.
Stories do have rules and a general flow. Thousands of years of storytelling prove this.
The funny thing is that the Joker in Nolan's movie would never say that paraphrased line. As crazy as he is, the Joker knows the power of a good story. He wants to live in a world where the current rules of society are abolished. Something happened to him that made him believe that society failed him, and he wants to show everyone else that society will fail them too. Now, the Joker could have just gone on killing and robbing senselessly, but he didn't do that.
To achieve his goal, the Joker decides to tell two violently tragic stories.
The first story is about the white knight. It wants to say that even the best of us can be corrupted when the stakes become personal. All it takes is one bad day. That story is for Gotham's citizens, to rob them of hope and trust.
The second story is about two boats, two sets of explosives, and two triggers. It's a larger and more general version of the first story. It wants to say that people are inherently selfish, therefore, no one is worth being selfless for. That story is for Batman and other upstanding citizens, to rob them of conviction and purpose.
Both of those stories conform to established beats of storytelling: there is a character. That character has a set of beliefs and a comfort zone. The character is taken out of their comfort zone. The character's beliefs are challenged, and those beliefs change. The character goes back to their comfort zone. The comfort zone is no longer the same in the character's eyes as a result of their beliefs changing.
Unfortunately for the Joker, the lesson of his first story was heard by only a handful of people, because Batman hid the true ending from the citizens. The lesson of the second story did not materialize at all, because the citizens defied the Joker's expectations of them.
So wait a minute. In the second story, the characters' beliefs were challenged, but their beliefs didn't change. Why? Doesn't that break the storytelling rules? Yes and no. Because in the context of The Dark Knight, the boat incident wasn't a story, it played out in real life. The story was the Joker's plan, but it's not what the actual citizens did.
you know, rules are good, they do limit your freedom but encourage productivity and creativity. regardless of if you like this formula or not you're still going to set up rules for yourself when you write.
no one starts writing any story, you begin with something to set your boundaries, even something as vague as "I'm going to write a sci-fi novel"; that's two rules right there, you're not going to write historical fiction and it won't be a short story that's the first boundary you set for yourself.
then you begin some worldbuilding and what's that if not setting the rules of how the setting functions in relation to backstory? then you work on some characters and you're doing the same, choosing the rules of how everyone acts and reacts to the plot considering their past experiences and your plans for them.
so in the end rules aren't just good, they're essential, your creativity should express itself in choosing the rules you want to follow in your work and how to work in their constraints.
I agree with Arthur Moore, but it's worth watching it several times taking notes! Thank you for this video!
This was soooo therapeutic for me. I applied this analysis to my on life and after enduring chaos and devastation, I am at step 7. This puts things into great perspective for me. Now to push forward and WIN!
The Hero Within by Carol Pearson is a very interesting book applying heroic archetypes to personal growth. I wish you great success in recovering after chaos and devastation!
That is the gift of Story. It benefits us in every aspect whether listening, telling or learning the craft behind it. I have found the various perspectives propounded by various professionals in this field to be thought provoking and enlightening. When I apply certain aspects of Story to my own life it’s like “Yeah. Of course! Why didn’t I see that before?”
The most important revelation that I see across almost every perspective has been the concept of wounds experienced that have not been healed but that have instead kept us stuck in one place psychologically and in our life journey.
With the requisite courage and honest and if properly prompted with thecright questions, it’s often possible to trace backwards through one’s life and see destructive patterns or stagnation and/or limiting misbeliefs which are just stories we tell ourselves over and over cementing them into our reality.
But just like the hero in a well told story we can each achieve a character arc that results in the shattering of misbeliefs and self limiting patterns and emerge transformed on the other side of our journey.
Story can be so powerful and life affirming. Story is the gift that keeps on giving to anyone willing to look a little deeper into the content they consume - past the inclination to only be entertained. There’s so much more!
Continued success to you in pushing forward!
This helped me understand this movie better and is helping write my own story out.
You can also apply this to the entire story arc of The Dark Knight Trilogy:
Batman *BEGINS* _ORDER_
The Dark Knight *FALLS* _CHAOS_
The Dark Knight *RISES* _ORDER_
Good point!
As any trilogy - it reflects your basic 3 act structure. Star Wars 4-6, Lord of the Rings 1-3, The Hobbit 1-3, The Matrix 1-3 - the good ones will always reflect: movie 1= act 1, movie 2= act 2, movie 3= act 3.
Nope, the 3rd is Rising from Pain
The Dark Knight *TRIPS*
If I may add something. Maybe the best illustration is not a Circle, but a Spiral.
Since they are in a cycle, but they are not always the same cycle. There is change and growth in every cycle. So I think the Spiral is a more suitable illustration
Wow. This is a very interesting video. I find that using some kind of detailed plot structure makes writing a whole lot easier. At best stories write themselves. I did come up with a way to divide a plot structure to eight parts. I divide the story to four acts. I take the middle of the story and split it to two separate acts. Adding the beginning act and ending act gives a total of four. Then each act has two parts one part sets up the act. The second part is an exciting part to end the act. The act endings are in order lock in, mid point, final break and climax. This video has its own variant of the structure. It should still work. I find that the eight parts in that structure parallel the eight parts I came up with. I like how this story structure is like the Hero's Journey but more gerelized an vague. I am a big fan of the Hero's Journey. It can work well for heroic adventures in speculative fiction. The best example that comes to my mind is Star Wars. I find that a more vague version of it can fit a wide variety of stories. This is like Save the Cat. I like how this story structure in the video addresses the character development of the protagonist. I find that this character development is very helpful for good storytelling. A character arc is a mix of character and plot. So it helps to develop and unify both. I even wonder if theme can work here too. A protagonist is better when they are dynamic. When they change, they may learn some kind of lesson along the way. It is a more subtle way to address theme. Subtly is the better approach. It is not a good idea to get all preachy. I am a fan of the Hero's Journey. I have noticed that if I try to do a simple bare bones fantasy story it ends up being highly derivative of the Hero's Journey. I think that is because this is a good structure. It bridges the gap between story plot and mystical processes in New Age. It is a nice blend. I can add in psychology, which is good for character development. I can also add theme which is involved with mysticism. Setting is also important. It can really change. I prefer a more outlandish setting, and my favorite genre is fantasy. I think fantasy gives me a lot more leeway to get into the heroic and mystical parts. I think that studying the technical details of plot is a lot of fun. It may seem formulaic at first. However I find it very liberating. It is a matter of learning the rules before breaking them. There are many variations of detailed plots out there. So it is good to compare and contrast. So one can tweak structure to suit different stories and still make it work. The key focus is tweaking. One shouldn't overdo things and break the plot. It is going to make the story suffer. Even if one uses the same structure, there is still a lot of room for variation. The structure is so abstract and vague that it can apply to any story idea. When people complain about cliches, it is about more concrete things in stories. These are things like instalove, pseudo medeval Europe fantasy world, love triangles, the dark lord, damsel in distress, maguffin, chosen one, Merlin clone mentor etc. I think it is possible to copy the same structure over and over again without it getting stale. If it does get stale, than only the savviest audiences would notice, like critics. It is also really nice to be able to change plots around for even more creative variation. This video adds more to the fun creativity by having its own plot structure. That is awesome. The beginning of this video has writers stumped with their script. I can see how story structure can help. It would also help to write an outline. I am a plotter, so this is second nature to me. Outlining is a vital part of the writing process. I can't stress this enough. It helps avoid writer's block. It is even taught in English class. There are different ways to write an outline. When doing a story, I like to show a plot structure and then give the specific events of the story. The story circle worksheet can even work as an outline. I am new to scripting, but I imagine tha outlining can still apply here.
Now I am curious about Batman. Maybe I ought to check out this movie. I have seen most of the recent Marvel movies and I like them. I would like to go further and chack out DC. The only recent DC movie I have seen is Wonder Woman, and I like that. I noticed something. Harvey Dent looks just like Jaime Lannister form Game of Thrones. The resemblence is striking. The Prince Charming from the Shrek movies also looks like Jaime. Harvey gets disfugured and looses his good looks. The same thing happened to Jaime. Harvey looks a lot more horrifying. I am surprised that something outdid Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones is so intense that it got a MA rating. I wonder what the rating of Dark Knight is. So I Googled it. I find that it is PG-13. They are really pushing that rating. Yikes! It is not going to discourage me from watching the movie. I am just saying. Yikes!
Thanks for sharing all of your thoughts. Very insightful.
And long
I appreciate your comment regardless of the length. TDK is a really good one to break down as far as story structure and just about every other aspect of craft there is. Various structures apply after the fact but I would love to know which - if any - Nolan consciously used. I suspect he knows them all and they are second nature to him at this point.
If you have not already seen TDK (I’m replying from ‘the future’ 😂😂 it’s a great stand alone movie; but you might enjoy the origin story Batman Begins before you watch TDK. Watching them in order really enhanced my experience watching TDK, especially if you want to analyze the craft deployed - because each of the movies in the Trilogy “talk back and forth” to each other. Rises comes full circle with big payoffs to the set ups in the preceding movies. Plus the Trilogy has an overarching theme that can be traced throughout.
The majority of those who have chosen some form of Story as their career and have therefore invested money and years of their lives learning about craft and have proven their proficiency via either their success in their chosen field…you know, professionals, masters of craft, people that know of what they speak as exemplified by their standing in the industry laud this movie as masterfully done.
But of course you get those who have zero professional credentials but only illusions of grandeur that convince them that they can intelligently call TDK “badly crafted trash” with any kind of authority. There’s a difference between saying you didn’t like a movie and actually stating an issue with how it was made.
Those that raise massive issues with how TDK was crafted are mostly trolls. You can recognize them because they come onto a video about a movie they don’t like to waste their time debating people about why other people do. For what purpose? Because a troll has to troll. 😂😂😂.
Anyway, ignore them watch it for yourself. But again, try to watch Begins first if u can 😂
In context of Man of steel
1. Clark Kent is established as a man who wants to help others using his abilities but has to hold back cuz the world is not ready to learn about his existence
2. He needs the world to accept him as one of us. He also needs to find where he comes from and why he was sent to earth.
3. He sets out doing odd jobs and tries to live as an ordinary man while risking his identity using his powers to help people when needed
4. He is not satisfied by living among humans while knowing he can never be one of them so he needs to find about his origins to understand his purpose in the world.
5. He finds what he was looking for, his origins and the reason why he was sent to earth
6. He pays the price by giving away earth’s location to General Zod
7. He returns to the start, a man who wants to help others with his powers, this time by saving the world from zod
8. He is changed, from secretly helping others and not knowing his purpose to a god like being who is known by the world as Superman who’s purpose is to be the symbol of hope that krypton never had.
Never subscribed so hard in my life.
😆👍
It always comes to the Heroe's journey. Three act structure. Your protagonist wants one thing, and something is in the way. Crisis of the soul. All is lost. Hero finds a way by changing into something he's never been before. New way of seeing. Permanent change. The hero returns.
Humans are hardwired to want stories this way.
I wonder if aliens share those feelings.
I never have issues with ending a story. I always know the beginning, the middle of the story the climax portion, and the wrap up, the end. My problem isn't knowing the major elements of the plot I'm building, it's more so everything in between it that trips me up, the build up, the character development, how should a character respond according to the character traits I've given them, how can I escalate from a soft spot to an intense piece and transition smoothly between it? How do I make the characters surrounding the main character important enough to have meaning to a reader or audience?
Can you please share me how you do the ending????
@@amvschool7414 okay so the first thing I do, is come up with the point of your story. What are you trying to tell everyone or what are you trying to convey as far as meaning? If you have a goal for what your story means you can write according to the message you're trying to send. Then drive your character in the directions it takes to get there. I'm more in to screen writing so a lot of times when I'm trying to paint an image of a scene in my head, I listen to music that fits the mood or the theme to help give me inspiration for how to write a particular scene. Music is a powerful tool to me. So establish what your story means I'd say, once you know what it's supposed to mean it will be easier to write an ending.
Actually the problem that I face with the ending is that I don't want any particular of my characters to take the spot, be it the protagonists or the antagonists. But yeah, I've still thought about many different endings because of that. Not to mention that I certainly don't like the cliche ones. I've been writing this Mystery/thriller, comedy and action story called Losers on Wattpad. Will you give it a read for once? And provide some constructive criticisms also? Infact, I'd be happy to make the story with you too, together. I've only released 3 chapters till now and it have already reached up to rank #No 29 in humour category. You can check it out if you want to, and provide feedback.
Username: LuciferDaredevil2
Title: Losers
Or you can just find it by searching it on humour category number 29.
@@amvschool7414 oh yeah, well I guess the message of it would depend on the genre as well, I didn't factor that in, I'm writing sort of a thriller story about a guy who gets caught up in a bad crowd for money to support his family and ends up regretting it and trying to make amends, so my overall message is redemption and what it takes for the character to want to change. I'll check yours out, if it's comedy I would think it's written a little bit differently, and yeah I'd be happy to check it out, I know a lot about writing, but I'm never gonna claim to be a good writer, so I'll look it over and I'll tell you what I would like to see or what I liked or disliked, don't take what I say as a professional with years of experience because I'm fresh out the gate myself, I just happen to have an eye for detail and imagination. So I'll give it a try.
Give all characters motivation and give them a trait and think how such trait would react
Harmon never claimed to come up with this. He has said many times how much The Hero's Journey shaped his writing.
Amazing!! Thank you so much for this master class.
This is how you explain a topic.
This is the best video I've seen explaining Harmon's method, thank you so much!
Like and subscribe for more!
Omygosh this is so helpful. I was writing a story, and it lengthened the plot to things I couldn't even imagine when I started. Thanks so much!
Harmon's Story Circle reminds me of The Hero's Journey.
Because he stole it and passed it off as his own. Which really surprised me
Actually feeling super betrayed about it as a Rick and Morty fan. That's like if George RR Martin just wrote lord of the rings and called one book to end it all
Everything is stollen and repackaged. Good artists just know how to do it well.
@@apyorick So Dan Harmon didn't "steal it", he acknowledges that this is actually just his simplified interpretation of the Hero's Journey that he uses to write stories. He never claimed to have invented it
FUN FACT:
The Kishotenketsu, an ancient storytelling structure, can actually correspond to the Dan Harmon Story Circle.
Ki (Introduction):
1. You
2. Need
Sho (Development):
3. Go
4. Search
Ten (Twist):
5. Find
6. Take
Ketsu (Conclusion):
7. Return
8. Change
For centuries Eastern and Western storytelling structures have been at odds with one another, but Dan Harmon managed to create something that makes the best of both worlds.
Every time I start getting distracted, I think of the scene from Star Wars where Gold Five just keeps saying "Stay on target...stay on target..."
No idea why this works for me, but it does somehow. It always snaps me out of my distraction and gets my focus back on the page.
Does this apply to every kind of story? I am writing a paranormal romance and this structure confuses me big time.
I wrote short stories, comic strips, and other stories to be read. And the best advice I get usually for anything having to do with writing story, is from screen writers. You can apply almost any type of writing advice, to any type of writing.
The story circle is a very useful tool if you lose sight of what the story should be. But if you already see the moon, why worry about the finger pointing at the moon?
I don't usually get to praise a channel with these amount of suscribers. But you will obviously get lots of them.. I'm also in. Thanks for the vid.
Nicely put together video, but I'm pretty confused... I love Harmon's model and I love the Dark Knight, but like many "3 Act Structure" guides I've seen in the past this feels a little shoehorned; many of the steps you've argued feel like plot points pulled from all over the place and presented as main character beats, like the "search" beat which is normally about the characters adapting to the situations and changing to suit their main goals (Wants Vs Needs) but you've argued that it's just him jumping hurdles, and while his character does have beats that do illustrate change I think the film's arc is more presented in ideas that are presented by different sides; it's more like an essay film perhaps?
I mean, the film might well have a simple Harmon Circle I'm missing, most definitely based round the idea of what a hero has to do (breaking his one rule) to become the hero they need (which literally vocalizes the Wants Vs Needs... maybe the arcs in the people of the city? Probably just him figuring out what Gotham needs as a hero) but for such an arc to be discussed you need to actually discuss the beats that define the edges of each "section", otherwise you're not discussing structure, because we're not discussing the actual fine lines that make up the film, just a vague estimation of what happens where and shoehorning it in.
Anyway, long rant over, nicely produced video my friend.
It feels like a lot more detail because it's not a 3 act structure, The Dark Knight is a 5 act structure. Harmon's work is also solidly based in 5 acts
A further note, if still interested, Joseph Campbell, who originally derived the hero's journey, was actually a sixteen act structure. But, try not to see this in terms of ACTS. This story circle is still broken into acts. You can make 3, or 5. These are progressive steps in a story that is scaled down from a monomyth. It works. This isn't shoehorned. This is excellent story telling. This isn't a template overlay onto Batman, this is, I promise you, how the script was approached. Because writers and story tellers can pour out a random tale, but the ones that follow this format are the best because they ring so true to the narratives we naturally structure around our lives. (Hero With A Thousand Faces, long book - didn't read it all but worth a dip ;) )
@@nikolaj3988 Harmon says (in his podcast) that the second thing he does while writing (first - follow the story circle) is to throw the rules away. He often ignores his own rules. Which makes sense.
Mega Pixel Productions
It actually fits pretty well in the circle. The youtuber that made this vid just didn't put some of the points in the right places.
If you don't have acts, beginning, middle and end. Then you end up with something that feels like it's not going anywhere, and then it ends. Go watch Fantastic Beasts #2 for a good example of this when contrasted to the spectacular Fantastic Beasts #1.
Keep returning to this and worksheet for my students. Great work!
bruh, hella helpful idk what ppl mean that it's complex it's quite simple to grasp on to.
We're glad you found it helpful!
thanks to you ive finished writing a script i started on 2 weeks ago...
I'd like this applied to a short film script.
Use the story circle worksheet in the description and let us know how it goes!
The channel "Tyler Mowery" has a video called "how to write a short film" where a short film is analised using the story circle.
This is such a great video. I always return to it before I start a new script.
REally love the animations of the story circle. Very well done. How did you do that? The whole video was dope.
Glad you liked it! We've got the dream team here at StudioBinder. ;-)
Thanks to you you’ve helped make a whole new Racer movie. Without the insane tech of course
It seems like Batman Begins would be a more straight forward example of the hero's journey.
True
1. YOU - Bruce has a fight in prison. Meets Ducard. Picks the blue fower.
2. NEED - Establishes back story intercut with a training montage. Bruce's parents are murdered. He wants to bring justice to Gotham, stop Falcone.
3. GO - Bruce confronts Falcone, then leaves Gotham. Has to kill a criminal to pass his final test to become a member of The League of Shadows. He fights them, saves Ducard's life.
4. SEARCH - Bruce returns to Gotham. Gathers equipment and allies, prepares to become the Batman.
5. FIND - Bruce takes Down Falcone, gets what he needs (Batman reveal). A water Vaporiser is stolen from Wayne enterprises. While Batman is looking for the missing drug shipment he is set on fire by Crane.
6. TAKE - Rachel is captured by Crane. Batman resues her and is chased by the cops. At wayne manor Ducard reveals himself as the real Ra's al Ghul and burns down Wayne Manor.
7. RETURN - Batman suits up and takes on Ra's and his men, saves Gotham.
8. CHANGE - Bruce has now fully completed his arc, becoming the Batman.
Bro Hans Zimmers score throughout this video 🔥🔥I can't 😭😭
And DC fans somehow have the balls to compare this film to Aquaman because of box office numbers. We really didn't deserve this masterpiece
@LTopomcFly I don't think TDK is better because it has 4 acts or follows any 'hero's journey', I think TDK is better because of the writing, cinematography, practical effects, and the ACTING. If you're gonna make such a loaded claim like Aquaman is better than the dark knight at least support your argument my dude
Lol did someone just say Aqua Man was better than The Dark Knight ! 😂
@LTopomcFly What a typical faux intellectual thing to say. Heath Ledger was brilliant but did not carry the movie. Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Christian Bale and Aron Eckhart all were amazing, and Maggie Gyllenhaal she was way better than Katie Holmes. If you watch that film and see boring garbage, all respect to your opinion but you just didn't get it lol, it's a layered film made by one of the most famously complex directors of our time. Have fun watching aquaman lmao
LTopomcFly - You really comparing a movie starring Jason Momoa and Amber Heard directed by James Wan to a movie starring Bale, Oldman, Eckhart and Michael Caine directed by Christopher Nolan? Wan’s a great director but not exactly on Nolan’s level yet, and the casts really do speak for themselves. Plus it’s Batman, come on.
LTopomcFly - Sorry, I really just don’t see it that way. I’d watch Bale’s worst movie over Momoa’s best anyday.
this video is great for breaking down his method of storytelling. i started using it in my script writing and it makes a difference.
Heck yeah! We wrote a whole blog post about it if you'd like more story circle info: www.studiobinder.com/blog/downloads/story-circle-template/
I like this but I believe when you describe step 2 you are talking about "want" not need. The words can (and also are) used interchangeably by people but I think it is better to explain the motivation to make it clear in step 2 you are establishing what the character wants to happen.
I agree that “want” would be more appropriate because that represents the goal, the external story. “Need” is generally used to represent the internal story/inner journey (character arc), which is not the main drive of the plot.
A.R. Partie Agreed. The Dramatic Want and the Dramatic Need... in other words: the A-Story and the B-Story.
I love Dan Harmon. If you've ever listened to his podcast Harmontown, he's always talking about how he's supposed to be writing a script. Lol
He really only writes until he's come up with the story in his head. And he's a genius at it.
I would love to see you explore other story structures, like the 3 act structure or 5 act structure. Or basically structures with any amount of numbers.
My favourite is the 73 act structure
@@petercinematography4718 How does that go?
Love the movie Adaptation. So glad to see a clip of it!
Question: would you want to follow this the same way for a short film that is say 20 min long, or would you want to be able to condense this because you don't have much time to relay this type of detail?
Duration does not matter. Just remember that NOT all 8 steps need to happen NOR do they need to happen in sequence. Those calls need to be taken by you in regards to your story. Also note that a NEED and a CHANGE ( or the lack of it) are most certainly needed at least for one character.
You can also limit the scope which limits the amount of time one needs to spend in each phase
6:01 "Moral Coin". Nice play on words
5:24 I think you mean “protagonist”.
Yep. I picked up on that too. If they're going to pitch such an obvious analogue of 'the hero's journey' they could at least try to get basic storytelling terminology correct. Or maybe get somebody to proofread the script.
Or maybe… they meant antagonist…
I think he was actually referring to Harvey, because later he notes how Harvey is in a loop of his own. He gets pushed to the bring, he had his goal, lost it.. etc. He literally shows 2 Face as he says "antagonist", so I'm assuming it was intentional.
He uses "Protagonist" properly throughout the video, so he knows the difference.
@@DanteYewToob except Harvey isn't the antagonist. Joker is. Harvey is a foil character that transforms into a secondary antagonist. I.E. his role is not consistent throughout the movie. Regardless, the story circle is based around the protagonist, not the antagonist. Because, no matter if they are good or bad, the story's focus character is the protagonist.
I may not understand everything but man this kind of video makes me love filmmaking ❤️
Quentin Tarantino: "I'm gonna pretend I didn't see that"
@2ndBookofLaughter deadass lol
Story circle template looks cool
Would be cooler if it was actually in my inbox
This is the problem with the internet. I know, I'm going there. Joseph Campbell's conception of a narrative arc has been around for nearly a century. And whilst it basically applies to western narrative in particular, it is pretty universal and everyone who writes story, whether they be screenwriters or novelists or in animation, is aware of the ideas and beats inherent in a narrative circle.
Dan Harmons story circle is a simplified version of this. Because Rick and Morty episodes are twenty minutes long. Even watching this video you can see how many plot points you've had to miss out just to make your argument fit.
The reason I'm saying this is that I probably spend too much time on RUclips, and I just constantly see the same pseudo information regurgitated between channels and lament the possibility of someone picking up The Hero With a Thousand Faces or something similar and actually offering us new information.
Like The Dark Knight predated Rick and Morty by 8 years, they have as much to do with each other as Embrace of the Serpent and Crocodile Dundee.
Videos like this aren't even journalistic or accurate, they're just the screenwriting equivalent of microwaved noodles.
YAAAAAAAAAAAAS!!!!!!!! POP OFF, QUEEN!!!! SLAAAAAAAAAY SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
@@A123-d8o The previous comment brought up some interesting points. Your comment has no nutritional value.
@@nomukun1138 SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
You had me in the beginning, you lost me at the end 👍🏽
Whoever made this knows exactly where to put the music lol. It's really well placed.
We do have some very talented Editors! Thank you!
StudioBinder You’re welcome!