Aristotle’s Poetics for Screenwriters - Storytelling Secrets From the Greatest Mind in Western Civilization

52 Pages·2002·2.56 MB·English

by  Michael Tierno

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Aristotle's Poetics
Screenwriters
for
Storytelling Secrets from the
Greatest Mind in Western Civilization
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Michael Tierno
~HYPERIONI
NEW YORK
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Preface
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I f, scarily enough, your screenplay happens to get read by
a Hollywood studio, the story analystwill sum itup using
a "coverage" form that looks something like this:
•
Log Line:
Brief:
Plot Summary:
Comments:
Idea:
Story:
Charaeter:
Dialog:
Producnon Values:
Absolutely everythingsubmitted to a Hollywood studio
is boiled down to its bare merits and discussed using these
nine topics of analysis. The form allows a story analyst to
write a quick summary ofthe screenplay before zippingsaid
summary off to an overworked story editor, who sendsit to
an equally time-taxed studio executive. Based on this cov
erage sheet, the executive decides whether or not to look at
your script. What the items on the sheet represent are the
no-brainer essentials ofa screenplay-its idea, its stbry, and
XVlZ
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xviii Preface Preface Xl'
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so forth. But you'd be surprised to find out that the criteria I story coverage sheet today. In fact, 1 think it's safe to say
Hollywood executives use to evaluate screenplays are exaetly that Aristotle, besides being the greatest mind in Western
those the legendary philosopher Aristotle thought were the civilization, was the world's first movie story analyst!
nuts and bolts oL1ncient drama more than 2,000 years ago! ! Aristotle's examination of plays.such as OedipusRex
Aristotle carefully examined the fundamentals of dra- demonstrates time!ess urnversal truths about dramatic sto
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matic story structure in the Poetics, which is still considered rytelling. In analyzing great movies likeRocky and American
to be "the bible ofscreenwriting" by many Hollywood pro Beauty, I discovered that they followAristote!ian storystI'UC
fessionals today. Sharing this view, 1 use the Poetics as a ture, which is not to say they simplyfollow abunch ofrules.
guide to write scripts and make films, and haveused its On the contrary, in. these works, the art of storytelling is
truths to analyze and write screenplay coverage notes as a alive aIldfresh, and perhaps that iswhy they emergedlike
story analyst for Miramax Films. Since thePoeties has he!ped beacons from the cluttered marketplace. In each great movie
me irnmense!y in both endeavors, 1 fee! obliged to share its I analyze, the screenwriters an.d directors have understood
insights with anyone interested in writing betterscreenplays. how audiences respond to drama, which is what the Poetics
Don't worry,this book is not an academic study. It's an is all about. This understanding is what makes c!assicfilms
~imed
introduction to tl1e Poeties specifically at scnienwrit time!ess and awe-inspiring.
ers, that seeks tobreak down many ofAristotle's brilliant The passages from the Poetics I cite in the subsequent
concepts ánd demonstrate how his techniques.of dramatic chapteI's contain the soundest principIes of screenwriting
story structure are still used in modern movies. 1know how technique ever articulated. What parentheticalemphasis I
hard it is to read the Poetz·cs in its entirety. There's that have added or any rearranging I have done I felt was nec
translation-from-ancient-Greekissue, not to mention the fact essaryfor the sake ofpresenting Aristotle's thoughts on dra
that many of the plays Aristotle refers to havé vanished or matic structure as clearly and simply as he intended. You
are rare!y performed. Sorne ofthe conventions he describes will notice that throughout most ofthe book, I demonstrate
have no bearing in today's cinematic world, including talk. these principIes by citing actual movies rather than screen
of"dithyrambs" and otheroutmodedforms ofdramaticwrit plays. I fee! that screenwriters must first understand how
ing. However, the Poetics is still useful to screenwriters be drama works in great movies on screen before they can make
cause Aristotleexplained why well-structured dramatic it happen on papero
works affected audiences the way they did. He analyzedplot A word about the semantics of the Poetics needs men
devices, character, and everythingyou'd find in aHollywood tioning. When Aristotle says "tragedy," he means "serious
xx Preface 1
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drama," so wheneveryou see"tragedy" throughoutthebook I
(notably in the Podícs excerpts), it meansjust that-notnec i INTRODUCTION
essarily "tragic drama," in the conventional sense modern "
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viewers hold. In Aristotle's day, there was a hard-core split The Action-Idea
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between tragedy(drama) and comedy. Tragedy was about
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serious issues-the "tragic deed" and higher-Ievel person
ages falling from grace. Comedy, aboutbuffoons and lower Orestes is made to say himselfwhat the poet
leve! personages that were not to be taken seriously, rather than the story demandso
amounted to a sort of"vaudeville." Aristotle informs us that
_, "e
the sadder dramatic works are indeed the mostpotent kind, ~~hat the storydema~ds" is a concept that should
Db;~;¡;¡';;-~:;;;';en;riter's
a notion that carne to define classical "tragedy," as cham wall. It's probably
pioned by Shakespearewith works suchas HamletandKíng the pearl of wisdom from '!he Podícs, which Aristotle gets
Lear. But all ofthe principIes about tragedy laid out in the atinthe aboyepassage. Here, he's referringto the Greektrag
Poetícs apply to most moviestoday, even comedies like Cal edyIphígenía ín Taurís, aplay thathefeels is flawed because
axy Questo. the author (Euripides) made the mistake of letting his own
And now the moment we've all been waiting for; .. agenda seep into the story rather than having everyplotinci
storytelling secrets from the greatest mind inWestern civi dent come together to create a tightunified structure. In fact,
lization. the ability to plotwell or create strongstorystructuresis nota
minortalent,andaccordingtoAristotleitcomeswithmaturity:
o. obeginners succeed earlier with the Diction and
Characters than with the construction ofa storyo
According to Aristotle, the ability to plot, or to crea-te_a
..
-~--~
powerful structure, is the most important aspect of writing.
___________ .__ ......-'·· .. __.. .._.__._-'-.__,
~ ·~_e.'~ ·_,~._._, _"'_~", ,~_
Good writers serve their stories; bad writers serve their own
;g:nd.:s. ¡;;;;;k:-;;;;;II~der;ttnd-;hiit's~;;:;'-=-
Byth;;nd-;;rtlÜs
------- --
...
portant to saywhatthe storydemandso You'11 be able tojudge
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2 Michael Tierno ¡ Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters 3
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forJaws is an ACTION llpon which the entire storyis built.
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We could reduce the ACTIONevenfurther to read, "stop
I
ping akil1er shark," an ACTION that is greater than any of
the characters in the story, even Chief Brady.
Your ACTION-IDEA should beable to move listeners
who merely hear itjust asthey would be moved ifthey saw
an entire movie made fram your screenplay. It takes afull
length rnovie to bring.anaudience to "catharsis," or pro-
~_o,""..·,'_''''''~'''''"_~'''' ......"..;..,..."....,,"-
found emotional release,but the ACTION-IDEA should be
~~_·"""'~<''-''=-<·''''''_"~V_~''~'"""",>,,,.,_~_
able to evoke alittle bit ofthat same deep feeling on itsown.
..So, if your ACTION-IDEA must doall this work, itmust
be asimple summaryofastory, strongenough so that when
it's expanded into a complete screenplay, it will hold and
move a.n audience. Let's Jiow give tité ACTION-IDEAil try.
I
Say we want to write about someone who likes cars.
\ That'SIlOt an ACTION-IDEA. Oby, how about sorneone
who notonly likes cars but who likes them so much that he
steals thém. "Steals"ishederthan"likes"because"steals"re
fers toan action, whereas. "likes" refers to a state ofinind.
But the idea of a hero who merelYsteals cars isn't in and
01 itself capable of moving an audience to a catharsis. It
needs something. So, a better example of an ACTION
IDEAwould read something like:
JJ~ THE ..lOE SCHMO STORY-JOE SCHMO
J~
steals cars to help kids in his neighborhood goto
college. but he eventually decides he's setting abad ex
ample, so he goes to college himselfsothatsomedayhe
4 Miehael Tierno Arístotle's Poet;cs for Screenwriters 5
can get a real job and earn the money to put his kids what they pay foro A good movie reveals poignant tmths of
lhrough schoo!' Al college he slruggles lo lranscend his the human experience in either a small or big way, depend
SO1.0.,butinsteadofbribingteachersto passhisc1asses, ing on the kind ofmovie it is.
hedecidesto pass on hisown merits, settingthe ultimate Just hearing a good ACTION-IDEA can impart a small
exampletor hiskids. feeling of eatharsis, but the bigger drawn-out one experi
enced during a complete movie is more cleansing for the
_
Bravo! We did it. We crealed an ACTION-IDEA suit human psyche, and even therapeutic. Bear in mind, a secret
.--_.-
......
.
able for building into a full-length film. And notice that the _to understa-nding ca..th......a. rsis...i....s that it doesn't happen at the
-<~ ~ ,~~~_~· ··~,="~~c~_...·",;.""",,,,,,,,~_,,,",.,-,,,,~,·,;",,·.,,,·....."'''....-e'''~;'.~'''·'''''''''''''',,·,·"'·'''"~>
finishing touch was adding the fact thatJoe Schmo, the agent end ofwatching a movie, but builds throughout the entire
__.._.,_',.,....,.,....=,....,.~""'-"'.;,~,"">4¡.;..,~'".__"'.,.;".,.~,.-"...._"'."•.-",~""~r"~~'_;""-_..,._..".v.~_"'_•._~."...".,,...,.,_,,~__.._,..._.~ ""_
of the action, got to make amoral choice, two important story ando fli1ll;q.FSgf~:!JltI:e cnd, giving the audience a final
"'~~l;;";~~''''"....'"' ""'-,.r<i" ....~.~, '''''"''''''''''"''''''"'-'''''''~'"-co"C~~'~c"""'__"'_~ .",~_'_~'_'_'__~"<·~'_~'
Aristotelian concepts. Admit it, with Joe's decision to pass
college on his own merits to set an example, you can't help well-crafted story is needed to make an ACTION
butfeel for him. And that's what it's all about, getting the IDEA cathartic. Our task is to take our simple ACTION
audience to feel and to conneet with your characters. IDEA and develop it into a fuIl-length screenplay, without
Of course, you might get cute and ask, "If the abandoning the essence of the original idea. So now, all
ACTION-IDEA is capable in and of itself of doing emo that's left is for me to lead you to the master who can point
tional work on an audience, why make them sit through a the way. The task is easier than you think.
two-hour movie?" The answer couId be, "What else are we
going to do on Saturday nights?" The real answer is that
undergoing catharsis through a full-length story is a richer
experience than listening to the mere summation ofa story
in a few sentences.
Aceording to AristotIe, catharsis (which literally trans
lates to "emotional purging") is the whole point ofdramatic
storytelli;;g:';;;:'"eÍif~';:h;t~~~ry
single story event is working
to achieve in the audienee. Your movie should take the au
dience on an emotional and psychologicaljourney-that is
1.
Let's Start at the Very
Beginning, Middle, and End
... a whole is that which has beginning, mid
dle, and end.
T
bis quote from the Poetics has led to the common mis
conception held by many screenwriters that thePoetics
o
preaches a three-act stmcture as the be-al!, end-all template
for a dramatic story. In fact, Aristotle never stipuIates three
acts, but he does taIk about two distinct movements in adra
matic story, the "complication"and the "denouement":
Every tragedy [dramatic story] is in part Complica
tion and in part Denouement; the incidents before the
opening scene, and ... also of those within the play,
forming the Complication; and the rest the Denouement.
By)complication!r mean all from the beginning of the
""_"¡"""'~-¡:;'_~"''''''''''' .".,'''',.,,'''''''''''''''"'"----...--..---
story to the point just before the chanKe in.\!l.". hero'~
f~;~;;~~;·¡;yÍD~no;~:;;;t;;¡l'fr~~··;¡;~·b;~:.ing:f
the
,-"~,"'•.,.."'",,.,',..~,. ~"'~..'-""".,....,._~=.',.''''. "'"'''',...,.,'O_".>p".....''''''''".,~,~~."'._,,_~_•.·_,..·~_,··~'''''''
change to the end.
<,.'-'<"''''~<.,.~"~"•.''",..''''',..,."'",,'1,.,,...---'''"''''._.
In einematic terms, the complicationincIudes everything
that happens in the back story that pertains to the pIot, and
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8 Michael Tierno Aristotle's Poetics far Screenvvriters 9
continues through the opening of the movie until right be that he can usher in drugs, an action that sets the entire plot
in motion. But this actionwas muy necessary from his point
fore the change in the hero's fortune occurs. That said, how
ofview. In Dead Poets Society, Mr. Keating shows his stu
does beginning,.middle, and end apply to story structure?
dents old photos of now deceased students and tells them
Let's go to the a.ctual excerpt:
"seize the day,"urgingthem to take actionbeforeitis toolate
Tiagedy is an imitation of an action that is whole and to follow their dreams. Nothing in the plot has caused
andcompleteÍnitselfand ofsorne magnitude ... awhole Keating to challenge his students in this way. Because this
is that which has beginning, middle, and end.*Abegin kind ofincitingincident is not caused by anything else in the
ning is that which is not itselfnecessarily afteranything plot, yet sets the entire plot in motion, I callit a"firstcause"
__..."..¿,~~",,'~."""__0',,,__,,.
else, and which has naturally something else aftú it; an ofaction. Theseinciti!,ginsi<!~!ltsin TIe GodfatherandDead
,,·'''·'"''.·..~_C...,·d''_'''~, ..,-=, , ""
end is thatwhich is naturally aftersomethingitself, either PoetsSociety areperfectexamples offirst causes ofaction. ,,
1
tJ:te.ª:~t5'.ª1!~e.?f 1-e
as its necessary or usual consequent, and with nothing It is important to understand that action
i
else after it;and a middle, that which is by nature after must occur after the moviebegins, notin the backsto'~"'r'"'y''-''.--'''<B-.".,.u,. t ;;,z.J:'::j.,
one thingandhas also anotherafterit. Awell-constructed t"h'"'e~~,.,f."i...,~s_.t_C_a;:-'_;s,-e-'.~'f'""a...,c~.,t,,.i·~.~~,,n~»,,,m-,,,,·n",,~s..t.·,,h,.~a~_wp<_,p,~,~,,,'_,.;,.:..~,~"r,""I',Yl;r.. ;o'', t.. h, t,"n:,;_~,',y....¡'"e~,.b..e..-. !h. ,..e.:
"~"",~ ,_""_."'-''''''~"~'''''__~r,....",~""",,,,,,,.__ ,"
Plot, therefore cannot either begm' or end al any point causeitmust be solely responsible for setting offthe chain of
. ."" ,', .
one likes; beginning and end in it must be of the kind events thatdrive theplot. To givewriters sornespace towork
just described. withbefore thefirst causeofactionkicks theplotoff,Aristode
1
~~~Io~." lh¡@~"l
offers us a tool ca.lled the A prologue connects
In other words, it is the plot action that has a beginning,
the back-storypart ofthe complication (e.g., what happened
middle, and end. The plot's beginning "is riot necessarily
to the hero before we meet him) to the "frontstory"(storyaf-
after anything else"; that is, the beginning ofthe plot action
ter the movie starts) and otherwise sets the stage before the
cannotbecausedbysomethingoutsideit. Itstartsupbyitself. ------~,_.~--_ ,-,.""._-_.--',-,.
.ji[sL!:.\!g~!'<l.[~~!i()~"happens. In TIe Godfather, the wedding
It's aself-initiated action, avirtual"bigbang" thatsets theen " .' '''-''--~'-'~''.',"",.
sequencecreates atmosphere,introduces characters,andpro-
tire plot in motlon, that can be committed by either the pro Ih!;," 1\
vides a tranquillead-up to thegunningdownoftheDon.
tagonist or ant~gonist, and that is an act ofpure will. For n_~~()"§",sgmltb.¡§,fimt.sª,J!ll"~,"gfi!sj;jQQ.,9,Sf.\!r§.'.~5"re_~~~t~-' 1h&
example, in TIeGodfather, Sollozzo tries to kili the Don so gtJí
.~.e_:~II1~~~!,~':,()i.!h~.p'!2.~_~~ªefu:!~d"ºy~4ristg\k~
This middle ()¡¡; n
is completelydriven by the first cause ofactionand naturally ,Vrv,'._'
*Emphasis added.·All such emphasis in italics in the."excerpts has been
follows after it in a cause-and-effect manner. Andjust as the
added by the author throughout the book, unJess otherwise noted.
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10 Michael Tierno Aristotle's Poé'tícs for Screenwriters
first cause ofastíon is adynamicjoltofenergy"thatdrives the
middle ofthe story, it builds to create a"secoí;ld cause ofac-
í~,~J~.t~;1i~~I-pl~~~~;;:;t"~Tth~~~tó;:Y;~~·cÍbri;;gs
tion"which
;;;-i;;tºJ¡:;;d~ndll'i¡nent:'~;Z~;~d;;-;;~;;e;~;rt:>--~>-- .. '-,
"_"'-'-,",;..-- -~-'--'~'<'"'~'.'''''.';'''':'~-'.' ..'-,.'--'-""~."re~~-",......._.__~~~.._........~.~......l
For example, in The Godfather, the middle of the pldt
terminates wheÍl Michael becomes Godfath~r.. This change
ín !lis fortune ptarks the beginning ofthe dellouement, dur
ing which Micli.ael has enemies from within hi~ family killed.
The denouem~útcontinues until the last fraIIl.e ofthe movie;
it's notjusta fi.i)al punctuation; it's an entire~nal movement
It takes time. ~d like the triiddle, it naturally unfolds in a
cause-and-effeCt way. But Aristotle is veryspecific about
what must happen in this denouement and\varns us not to
screw it up:
Therellre many dramatists who, afterjgood Com
plication,f¡¡jl in the Denouement. But it is necessary for
both points;ofconstruction to be always duly mastered.
1
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In the deeouement, al! the plot action that got "wound An end is that which is naturally after something
it~elf, ei~
up" in the middle unravels. For example, iilThe'Godfather, ..er.. as its nec7ssary or usual consequent, and.·••••
j.\
the denouementbegins with the changein Michael's fortune, WIth nothing else after it. '.
_.-.-",~'='-""'''-,"",."-,~""",,,,,",...,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
which is thejolt that causes the unraveling.But what really
unravels in this denouement? Wel!, since Aristotle believed To summarize, let's touch on the key points of what
drarnatists must depict not merely life but t~6~~-;:~líif~-~f: constitutes a "beginning, middle, and end." The beginning
g;;~¡;;;;¡;:r'iip'~nd;n-;~;~¡~i~th~ ~~d;~~tcotÍ:-
hero, what of the plot action occurs soon after the movie starts with a
____ :-, ,. ._ _.. . __ .._._._
~ _.~.'.,.-~'_"_""_'"'O~:"_:"· ',.,,~,
cern the hera's moral conflict that developed during the "first cause ofaction," which is a self-initiated, incitinfin
-;tory"snuaaíe~owIiatwá;Mi~h~-;;f's;;;':-al;~~fli~t¡~ih~
cident that is apure act ofwil!-nothing causes it, or makes
--~·""""~'-_~~~:C_"""'~
12 Michael Tierno
it necessary. This action heralds the middle of the plot ac
tion, which moves forward through cause and effect, real-
izing the first movement ofthedrama, or "comlp l"catlO"n.
The middle which naturally springs from the first cause of Why You Want Your Movie
_________--'_,":,-_.,_~~,_.,, ,, ~~~•.~_..,~._,,...._....,.-_'.__,__~_.,..c""''''''.._._.-__..• -'-_~~,=".......
_y••••__._•••,••
action drives the story until right before the change in the to Be a Bomb!
.. .._.. ..
<.~"~ ,_~ly~"._,_,~,~~o,<,.....""_~;"~__'=_'__'_"_''''=''''_'_...__.,..~0~'._,'_,"_',_,e._'"..__o.,'.."_",,,_.'_. _.. .. ,','-"---"'.''''''''''~o'-'
hero's fortune. Th!~.•~~:nge is.the "secondcause~f~:!!on,"
;hidhb;g¡~s- den~~;;~~t:·~;·~~d·~ó~;;ent.
t1-; In the
~---,~ _.. .." -._~...="-~..""
denouement the plot action that got wound up in the com- A tragedy, then, is the imitation 01an action that
plication and .that centers on the moral conflict of the bero is serious, has ma¡r;nitude, and is complete in itself.
unravels. As a result, the conflict resolves and truth is e
whe~~;~li~~¡h;ili;me'orth~'~to~Wh~-ili~"~t;;;Y
gained, are must be taken not to misread the eloquent but
c~ncludes, mtl~tG;;;-'f~;-;;~rtain
th; auclience that it has unfamiliar language ofthe Poetics. Ifyou quickly read,
and that the plót action will not continue. Al! ofthese major "A tragedy is an imitation of a serious action, one having
points of dramatic story construction can be clearly deline magnitude," you might say to yourself, "Yeab, so what else
ated in a simple ACTIüN-lDEA as demonstrated here: is new?" But then you might look again at this sentenCeand
say, "Wait a minute ... an 'imitation' of a serious action?
I@,,.,,T':lEGODFATHER-AfteranatteITlPtonDON What is Aristotle talking about?"
. A CORLEONE'sIife, MICHAEL,who hadforsakenthe Good question, because you'll see the word "imitation"
family Mafia business, killsSOLLOZZO and POLlCE CAp· used throughout thePoetics..For the answer, we need to slow
TAIN MCCLUSKEYto Save his family,thentakes overthe down and deconstruct Aristotle's sentence a bit. We've al
family business,kills alLhisrivals, SQan risestothetop of ready discussed that "tragedy" means all serious drama, so
theAmerican Mafia,and becomesthe newGodfather.He let'sjump to atougherconcept, that dramais"animitationof
then kills alltheenemies he has inside hisfamily. Histate a serious action," The stumbling block for a screenwriterat
asGodfatherissealed. tempting to use this concept might be to think "imitation"
means adirectcopyofsomething. Therefore,an"imitationof
Expressed properly, a strong ACTIüN-IDEA-with a be serious action" could makehim thinkhe's supposed tomimic
ginning, middle, and end, a complication and a denoue seriousevents as theymight"really"havehappened. Remem
ment~is the best springboard for writing a screenplay, ber the scenein The Playerwhen aHollywood suit thinks he
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