Diegesis is a word that’s thrown around a lot in film studies – but what is diegesis in film? We’re going to define diegesis by examining its long history; with reference to Aristotle and Ancient Greece. We’re also going to explore some diegesis examples in literature, film, television, and games to see how writers build worlds for their stories. Continue reading What is Diegesis & Why Storytellers Should Know It
Great writers find ways to explore the internal states of a character without explicitly labeling them. Through their world, dialogue, and imagery, writers can invite readers to lean in and interpret their words, putting pieces of the story and character together. When it comes to the internal state of characters, pathetic fallacy can have a tremendous impact on how we perceive the state of a character in juxtaposition with the world around them. Continue reading What is a Pathetic Fallacy — Definition & Examples Explained
Conflict is at the heart of drama. It is what forces a hero to grow or change, making a story memorable. Few character types are better at creating conflict for a story's protagonist than the archenemy. Some of the most iconic character dynamics in cinema are between a hero and their archenemy — Batman and The Joker, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, and Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. The best heroes often have an equally formidable foe in their archenemy. Continue reading What is an Archenemy — Definition, Functions & Examples
Ethos, pathos and logos are modes of persuasion that form the rhetorical triangle. A compelling argument, sales pitch, speech, or commercial ideally uses elements of all three strategies. We'll show you how to employ each technique and present some examples along the way.Continue reading Ethos, Pathos & Logos — Definitions and Examples
Goodfellas is one of the greatest mob movies ever made, and the script is a huge reason why. The script has excellent characters, quotes, and story resolution.In this article, we’re going to look at what we can learn from the Goodfellas screenplay. Continue reading Goodfellas Script: Characters, Quotes, and Screenplay PDF Download
The Shrek 2 script laid the groundwork for one of the most successful sequels in cinema history. In this article, we’re going to look at quotes and plot in the screenplay and then analyze how the story subverts fairytale tropes. But before we get into the script breakdown, let’s review the Shrek 2 summary and don't forget to download the entire Shrek 2 script to copy and paste it into your brain! Watch: Anatomy of a Screenplay — Ultimate Guide Subscribe for more filmmaking videos like this. SHREK 2 PDF Download Click to view and download the entire Shrek 2…
The Fight Club script was adapted from Chuck Palahniuk’s book of the same name. This was Fox 2000’s first film, and while it is arguably one of the best films ever made, the executives at Fox 2000 reportedly hated the film. We’re going to provide analysis of the Fight Club screenplay by touching on the Fight Club plot, quotes, characters and ending so you gain a better understanding of how this script worked so well.Continue reading Fight Club Script: Characters, Quotes, and Screenplay PDF Download
Midsommar is Ari Aster’s haunting folk horror film that stunned audiences in 2019. The movie follows a group of college students who travel to a pagan festival in Sweden and get caught up in a terrifying ordeal. If you’ve seen the film, then you know that description doesn’t really do the movie justice, and there’s so much that makes this film such a complex, intriguing work of art. Fortunately, we’ve analyzed every frame to bring you a comprehensive breakdown of what this movie’s really about. Here’s Midsommar explained for all you filmmakers wanting to make your own folk horror masterpiece.Naturally,…
An inciting incident is an essential part of every story. But what is an inciting incident and why is it so essential? We’re going to get to the bottom of those questions by defining the term and by looking at examples from Star Wars, La La Land, and more. By the end, you’ll know the inciting incident meaning and how to implement it in your own works.Continue reading What is an Inciting Incident — Definition & Script Examples
A screenplay is an entirely different beast than a novel, essay, or poem. Instead of a finished work of art, a screenplay is a blueprint for a final product — and yet it still requires artistry. The modern screenplay has strict formatting requirements and conventions. Before you become the next great screenwriter, you need to know the rules of the medium, where they come from, what forms they take, and how they’re used. In this ultimate guide, we'll cover the history of screenplays, their elements, and their types. Let's jump in.Continue reading What is a Screenplay — The Ultimate Guide…
