BA 2 Premise Ideas.

Premise Ideas.

1.    A divorced father faces losing contact with his 8 year old son if he can’t convince his ex-wife to put on hold her plans to move abroad and instead let their son attend a trial at Oldham Athletic Football Club.

2.    A man stuck in the monotonous routine called life has his world flipped upside down as the fabric of reality suddenly tears at the seams. He soon discovers he’s trapped inside a computer system, a simulacrum. He must find whoever controls this system if he is to restore faith in his own existence and maintain what little sanity he has left.

3.    The end of the world is neigh. Five strangers are forced to take refuge inside an abandoned tower block as anarchy reins on the streets, the Earth’s atmosphere begins to boil and resources run dry. These people all believe to be alone, that is, until one of them discovers something hidden inside, something not meant to be found.

4.    A wounded Knight flees from battle to take refuge in a dark wood, but he is not alone. Hunted my manifestations of his self-indulgence, violence and maliciousness he must acknowledge his past misdeeds and overcome the wood’s horrors if he has any hope of survival.    

5.    The last man on Earth, aided by his only two remaining friends; a bundle of twigs and a mouldy potato, search the devastated landscape of our time in search of answers and other survivors. Soon all is not well as the man begins to sense his fiends wish to betray him and leave him for dead.  

In Depth Email To Writers

I'm just posting this email on here because I feel it has some useful points that could be used at a latter date.

Okey, I've been doing a bit of thinking last night about the way we can go about writing this script. I've just tried explaining my thoughts to Hamish and failed miserably so I hope in written form you'll be able to make more sense of it. I'm not handing you anything regarding physical content of the film, by and large that will come from the diary, I'm just trying to maybe alter our perspective, maybe change our approach to the narrative. I hope by doing this we'll begin to think about other aspects of this story. 

Okey, I'm just going to throw in some bullet points. 

• The war starting is the cataclysmic event, the hook, what ever you want to call it. 
• A turning point in Len's life is him joining the army to fight in the war. 
• The war itself is the antagonist/conflict/barrier that Len must face.
• Len's overall goal is not to win, but to survive so he can continue to serve his country. 
• Len's special talent/attribute is his ability to draw. So he uses his talent to help achieve his goal and is what makes him an interesting subject to explore.  
• So, the next dramatic event in our story would be the build up to the battle at Vimy ridge and Len's contribution to that battle. 
• The resolution would be that the battle is won by the allied forces. 
• But the war still rages on. 

Please comment and challenge those statements, but at a basic level that list, at it's core, is the back bone to our film. 

Here's an example of how I think the story can begin, before a single image has even been shown on screen. 

"In 1914 X amount of brave men signed up to fight the great war. These are the recollections of one of those brave men."

"Smithy" (Smithie sp?) 

By doing this we're telling the audience exactly what the film is about, we are establishing a time and place, we're also introducing the character immediately.  

What comes next is up in the air as far as I can see. 

One option is we can straight away introduce Len the drawer, out in no mans land taking sketches. We don't really know anything about this guy other than he draws. He's good, he begins to draw sketches for plans that are used to help the allied forces. 

Or, we could introduce Len through his regiment. It would just give us a quick glance at his back story, give the audience an understanding of how he got to where he is, North France.  I'm not thinking lines upon lines of dialogue just a short little intro. Visually we could then see him sketching at his billet while on a short break from duty, a simple, calm, human moment. Maybe he's sketching a couple of soldiers, or a building. I'm talking seconds here, the above would take about a minute of the film. This is more of a biopic approach. The film would then naturally move to his work in the battlefield, then to vimy ridge. 

Or, if we wanted a docudrama approach, we immediately begin talking about war artists in general. We then move onto Len Smith, his work, the use of his work then vimy ridge. This approach would lead us to need two narrators (?). A narration to describe the generic use of of war artists for espionage purposes. Then the second narrator being Len Smith himself to add a more personal touch to things. The film will then lead to Vimy ridge. I think we're all in agreement that Vimy ridge is going to play an important role in the film whatever decision we choose. 

I think, if we break it down into a simple 3 act structure of some kind we have this -

1 act - Introducing Len.

2 act - Out in no mans land, drawing. The build up to Vimy Ridge. 

3 act - Highlighting that his work was used during the battle, his work contributed to the victory. End credits explaining a brief history of what he did after the war etc.       

Thinking about it, now I'm just reading back what I've just wrote, I like the idea of opening the film in the billet, just chilling sketching. Its a good contrast, his sketches just for fun, for memories in a diary then suddenly out in no mans land drawing to help win the war, its a dramatic shift and it's interesting. I think if we choose this route we'll need to really hone in on exactly what parts of his diary we are going to use. We'll have to move time and space with a line or two or else we'll risk running over. 

Ken Burns On Story

Ken Burns: On Story from Redglass Pictures on Vimeo.

Males Suicides Outline (rewrite)

Below is a bullet point outline of the film, there will be 3 lists, each one covering one of the characters. Then I'll attempt to merge the 3 lists into the timeline of the film.


Character 1. 19 year old student.

• We see the student looking despondent as his friends laugh and joke at a table in their local pub. 
• The student has a couple of empty beer glasses besides him, he's clearly been drinking faster than his friends. 
• He takes a long drag of his beer, empties the glass. 
• Something is said/ a friendly nudge from his friends suddenly causes the student to snap. 
• He gets up, angry, shouting at his friends, then leaves the pub. 
• Outside, the tirade continues for a little while, then the student begins to cry, he tries turning away to hide his face. Looking on, one of his friends hesitates slightly but then grabs his shoulder and embraces him. 
• Information cards? 
• We then see the student walking in the park, he passes the 16 year old school boy and the 24 year old with his girlfriend.

Character 2. 24 year old professional.

• We see the 24 year old in his car, upset, staring aimlessly through the window, silent and still. 
• The car is somewhere outside of the city, it's night and the rain is falling heavily. 
• At his side his mobile phone begins to ring, he ignores it. The caller ID is 'Molly' 
• Information cards?
• We then see the 24 year old with his girlfriend sat on a park bench chatting calmly. The 16 year old and 19 year old student are in the park also.

Character 3. 16 year old school boy.

• The school boy is sat in the dark, lit only by his computer screen, he looks tired, his hair is dishevelled and bags hang under his eyes. 
• We see him scrolling through Facebook, stopping at times to read a post or two. (or, maybe responding to a friends post - 'How is the studying coming along? I hear you've got to get a * grade to get into college' - 'Don't worry, I'm fine' ?) 
• At his side are a stack of school books, A level text books, screwed up paper lies on his desk.
• Information cards?
• We then see the school boy perched up against a tree in the park studying. The 19 year old passes him buy and the 24 year old sits with his girlfriend on the park bench.   

FILM TIMELINE. (revised version)

We see Jack, a 19 yr old student, looking despondent as his friends laugh and joke at a table in their local pub. 

Jack has a couple of empty beer glasses besides him, he's clearly been drinking faster than his friends.

Jack takes a long drag of his beer, empties the glass.

/cut

We see David, a 24 year old, in his car, upset, staring aimlessly through the window, silent and still. 

The car is somewhere outside of the city, it's night and the rain is falling heavily.

/cut

Alan, the 16 yr school boy, is sat in his bedroom in the dark, lit only by his computer screen, he looks tired, his hair is dishevelled and bags hang under his eyes. 

We see Alan scrolling through Facebook, stopping at times to read a post or two. (or, maybe responding to a friends post - 'How is the studying coming along? I hear you've got to get a * grade to get into college' - 'Don't worry, I'm fine'  or maybe not responding at all.)

/cut

/Display some information about male suicides.

/cut

Back in the pub with Jack, something is said/ a friendly nudge from his friends suddenly causes Jack to snap. 

Jack gets up, angry, shouting at his friends, then leaves the pub.

/cut

We're now back with David, at his side his mobile phone begins to ring, he ignores it. The caller ID is 'Molly'.

/cut

Now with Alan, at his side are a stack of school books, A level text books, screwed up paper lies on his desk.

/cut

Outside the pub with Jack, the shouting continues for a little while longer, then Jack begins to fight the urge to cry, he tries turning away to hide his face. Looking on, one of his friends hesitates slightly but then grabs his shoulder and embraces him. 

/cut
/Display some more information.

/cut

We potentially see all the characters again in a public space going about their day to day lives. We see David with Molly, we see Jack and we see Alan. (This isn't 100% confirmed yet). I want to use this scene to say that anyone can be suffering but you can't always see it, we've just seen 3 intimate moments where our characters have displayed signs of mental strain but in this scene we see them in a very objective way.  

/cut .

/Display - Time to talk. Time to listen. Time to Change. 

*If you need a point of reference to understand how the film will look and flow please watch the Cancer Research adverts. e.g; Mirrors. 

NHS 1st Treatment

For this 3 minute NHS film highlighting the 'Time To Change' campaign I've decided to focus on the issue of male suicides, a huge problem largely unknown by most of society. This film will try to raise awareness about the problem.

The film will follow 3 characters, each one in their own unique situation, all suffering from depression. First we have a 19 year old student out on a chilled night with his friends. The next character is a 24 years old, employed and dating, seemingly with the world open to him at his feet. And finally we have a 16 year old school boy struggling to study for his final exams.

Depression, mental health and/or emotional difficulties manifest themselves in different ways, so having the film follow these 3 characters we can display 3 very different situations and 3 different emotional responses.

The film will begin with a light introduction to each character, quickly establishing that they are not content, that something is amiss. The 19 year old ignoring the friendly banter of his friends. The 24 year old sat in his car, alone, on a rainy night outside of town and the 16 year old scrolling through Facebook ignoring his study books on his desk. Archetype characters but characters the audience can understand very quickly.

We then move a little closer to each of the characters. It's been said that when a man has something seriously troubling him that their outward actions are commonly interpreted as being anti social, aggressive and even violent. So, what the 2nd act of the film will show is these characters breaking down. Further research needs to be done to make sure these characters act out in a real and legitimate way. I want to really give the sense that these characters are bottling up their emotions then suddenly the lid bursts open letting their feelings begin to show in a very real, random and human way.

The 3rd act will see these characters embraced by their friends and/or family. The message I intend to deliver with this film is that you should not feel alone in your suffering, that it is OK for a man to show their feelings, that your friends and family will be there to help and listen. But I also want to make the public aware that we should all be open to help anyone, regardless of gender. As a society it is wrong to think less of a man for displaying emotions or admitting he has problems. That's where the message 'Time To Change' is so relevant.

With regards to style visually/structurally I believe that this film will work in a way similarly to the Cancer Research adds. Those films display multiple stories and multiple characters in a short but emotive time frame.

We will need a multitude of locations if we are to follow the 3 characters. The stories will take place in a pub, a car outside of town (preferably), a bedroom and a park. I understand that within the time frame of this project that might pose a problem, this maybe something to take into consideration before work really begins on the scripts.

At the end of the piece I'd quite like the 3 characters to meet. Just briefly. In a short scene that hits home the message that 'you're not alone'. I want to leave as positive a feeling as possible at the end of the film. Hopefully inspire these men who are suffering and make the public appreciate that this problem needs addressing.      

Male Suicides, Videos.

Here are some videos that are about suicides in men.



Didn't really like this film, though I understood it and what it was trying to bring across I don't think it's going to be very effective.

Vignette Script

"Tourette's"

FADE IN:

INT. bedroom - DAY

PADDY, 19, sits at his desk, littered with textbooks, staring at a blank word document on his laptop. He can hear the clock ticking, it becomes louder and louder and louder still.

paddy (V.O.)

It always starts the same, the twitches. Always the same feeling. Straight in at the bottom of my spine and rising, through my neck into my head jolting it around as it forces it's way out.

As he continues to stare at the screen it becomes unbearable and he has to get up out of his chair. He has to pace around his room, not able to stop for a second.

paddy (V.O.) (CONT'D)

I remember been told, TOURETTE'S. It's something I'll never be able to forget, the day I got diagnosed.

As he continues to pace around his room, he sees a piece of paper on the wall. He sees the word "FUCK" written on it.

paddy (v.o.) (CONT'D)

I think it was the car crash, I was sure about it, but I didn't care. It became worse. The verbal twitches, they started forcing me to swear. I tried to hold it in, not let it get to me but it made me feel so sick, right at the pit of my gut... 

I'll never forget failing that exam.

He dismissed the paper on the wall, but as he turns away from it he sees two more pieces of paper both with sear words on them stuck to the opposite wall. 

He turns and sees more on the other wall. He goes to the window and opens the curtains, letting light into the room. As light consumes the room, he turns to see the entire room covered in pieces of paper with swear words covering them.

paddy (v.o.) (CONT'D)

I had to learn to cope other wise it would have killed me. Ignore it just ignore it that's what I tried. Now it takes over me for that twitch, that moment, then move on.

He stops turning between the walls and stands still in the middle of the room, but still the pieces of paper appear on the wall.

paddy (v.o.) (CONT'D)

It's hardest those times I can't move on, when it overtakes me completely. I can't fight it, not worth trying; I'll lose.

Paddy looks around his room, he can't see anything for the pieces of paper surrounding him. He closes his eyes, takes several deeps breaths.

paddy (v.o.) (CONT'D)

All I can do is try cope with it, for a little while, at least. But I know I'll never be rid of it completely. I know it is waiting to come back.

When he opens his eyes all the pieces of paper have gone. He takes a seat back at his laptop. He looks up at the wall above and stuck there is a piece of paper with a swear word on it.

Change In Direction

I've decided to change my script idea. I'm doing this because for some reason I just feel much more emotionally attached to this new idea, I really want to be brave with this script and write about things that are maybe uncomfortable for me to share, so what I'm going to be doing is keeping all my notes for the script in a note book and not on my blog. it's been a while since I've written anything original but it feels good to be writing again.  

Short Story Beginnings

For our final piece this term we have to develop a 10 to 15 minute short film in script form. We can really go right ahead and make whatever we want because we don't need to produce it, unless I'd really really like to. So here are some early notes.

I think I'm going to stick to what I know best and feel most comfortable writing so I'm going to write a sci-fi screen play, below are some bullet points about the story and characters for me to work with at a latter date.

• Characters - mum, dad, 2 male children & medical nurse. 
• Setting - Near future, the world now has strict birth control laws, each family can only have 2 children at a given time. The children need pass each year at school above a certain grade, failure to do so will result in them being taken away, the public are unaware of the children's destination but they are most likely sent to slave camps where they work manual labour. Its a way for the governments of the 1st world countries to eradicate less able thinkers.
• Event - A boy is on the verge of failing his final year in infant school and his mother does her best to protect him from whats about to happen. 

THE PREMISE - In a world of strict birth control laws a mother has to protect her youngest son from being dragged away and thrown into slave labour for failing his end of year exam at school.

Some other things to look at -

• Eugenics
• China & their population
• Perhaps incorporate CELLi into the story.

Look for small moments in the story, these small moments will build up the larger picture and give a much more detailed narrative.

NOTES - I think I'd like to set the film in Spain, a rural town along the coast similar to where I've grown up. It will add a different perspective on things and will allow me to create slightly different characters.

The mother - she's your traditional Spanish mother, very family orientated, she takes great pride in looking after the house and her two sons while her husbands at work. Her relationship with her husband has soured as her son has started failing at school and her husband has started distancing himself from the child.

The dad - He's very focused on work, prides himself on being the bread winner. Ultimately he is a coward because he's so frightened of loosing his son he has started distancing himself from him so when the day comes for his son to be taken away it will be easier to handle emotionally.   

Documentary/Fictional Films

Before I began working on my documentary I never really thought about the similarities between fictional film making and documentary but realizing just how similar the two are has given me a whole new perspective on story and characters. As a writer before anything else this sudden realization that documentary film making is about weaving a narrative tapestry using real people to tell your story has not only given me a stronger desire to work on documentaries but given me a point of view that will help me create believable characters for the stories I'm likely to write in the near future.

I think most of the documentaries I enjoy are about people and when it comes to fictional films my biggest interest is characters. Even when I write sci-fi with all this incredible technology I want to write interesting, human characters and documentary film making and the process that goes into has helped me a great deal by changing my own thought process. I cant wait to get cracking on my short film for BA1 Story.  

Captain Daedalus

In our story lecture we were given a short prose version of a story and what we needed to do was break it down into scenes, I decided to write it as a script as I felt it would be more beneficial for me. So here it is -

EXT - CONFEDERATE CAMP - NIGHT

It is late, the air smells of hot iron and gun powder. Small campfires lie dotted around the camp with heaps of men surrounding them enjoying the cool night, telling stories and whoring with the native slaves.

A group of Confederate soldiers enter the camp bearing captives from the evening raids. Some are kicking and screaming, wrestling with their bound hands. With them is Captain Daedalus, a union captain, a brute of a man tamed by severe beatings. His face is peppered with bruises and blood lies in his wake.

The Confederate soldiers march the captives to a series of wooden cages and one by one they stripped of their clothes and tossed into their pen like captured wild boar, but Daedalus is kept in line. The Confederate captain signals to his men that Daedalus is perhaps a more valuable prisoner, so he is spared and taken to an old house sitting in the heart of the camp.     

INT - OLD HOUSE ATTIC - NIGHT

Daedalus is stripped of his regiments colors and thrown into a dusty box of a room placed on the top floor of a rickety old farmers home now turned into shelter for enemy soldiers.

His captives untie his hands while a soldier at the door trains his gun at Daedalus's head. Daedalus resits the urge to fight, his body feels broken and his will is diminishing.

The soldiers leave, locking the door behind them. Daedalus collapses to the floor, dust kicks up into his face - he sneezes and blood sprays across the wooden floorboards. Exhaustion gets the better of him and he falls asleep.

INT - OLD HOUSE ATTIC - DAY

The sound of rifle fire snaps Daedalus our of his sleep. The hard noise cuts deep into his aching head.

Above him there is a window, he gets to his feet and presses his nose against the glass. From so high up he can see the whole western side of the camp, so many troops, all gathering their strength to attack Daedalus's stronghold to the north. His army is unprepared and would not survive against this impending onslaught.

Suddenly the scent of escape arouses Daedalus's senses. He quickly opens the fragile window only to see rusty metal bars halting his progress.

A rotten mattress lies in the corner of the attic, old springs poke through the papery material. Daedalus grabs the mattress and tears it apart, collecting the metal coils from within. He begins to loosen the bolts and screws that hold the metal bars together, his fingers become bloodied and swollen as the rust cut into his skin but with time the bars fall free.

He collects the bits of bedding that lie strewn about the attic and binds them together to make a rope of sorts. All he can do now is wait for nightfall and let the shade of twilight cover his escape.

INT - OLD HOUSE ATTIC - NIGHT

The little camp fires begin to light around the base once more as Daedalus prepares his escape. The hazy consciousness that he feels cannot prevent him from moving with purpose and strength. All is ready, its time for him to run.

The wooden attic door begins to rattle as iron keys unlock it. Two soldiers come storming in, at first Daedalus is sure they are coming for him but quickly he sees a young soldier, a Confederate, being dragged behind them.

The young Confederate is thrown to his knees and kicked in the side of the head. He lies motionless as he and Daedalus are left alone, the old attic door slams shut.

Slowly the Confederate stands, gives Daedalus a look of pity then straightens his uniform trying to impose a sense of authority between them. Daedalus fights the urge to kill the man and make his escape but somehow feels sorry for the Confederate. He will likely be shot in the morning, it's much easier to die by gun fire than by the hands of an angry, beaten soldier.

Daedalus must now wait until the young man falls asleep before he can attempt to make his escape again.  

INT - OLD HOUSE ATTIC - NIGHT

Daedalus quickly scrambles around the room preparing to make his escape, he ties the bedding to the leg of a heavy dresser then throws the rest out the open window. Hunger and thirst etch away at his strength but he senses freedom.

A noise dampens Daedalus's spirits. The young Confederate is standing, watching Daedalus's every move. The two stare at each other with unblinking eyes, each hesitating to make a move.

The Confederate fails to hold his bluff, Daedalus sees the twinkle of tears in the boys eyes. Here is a boy frightened of facing death. Daedalus's guesses the boy has never once killed a man, nor even shot at a living target. Daedalus's swiftly continues preparing his escape.

Daedalus's is just about through the window when the boy begins to follow, Daedalus has no desire for company but there is little he can do. They climb through the window together.

EXT - CONFEDERATE CAMP - NIGHT

Daedalus and the boy quickly climb down the makeshift rope. Daedalus is the first to reach the floor, he ducks and scans the area for enemy troops, the coast is clear. He turns and signals for the boy to hurry but the young Confederate fumbles and appears undecided on whether he will continue to climb down.

Daedalus hisses at the boy gesturing him to make haste. The boy looks down to the floor and then his eyes set on Daedalus. Daedalus sees the eyes of a coward and knows that the boy is not worth the risk, Daedalus must warn his army and this boy cannot be aloud to jeopardize this.

Daedalus sees a clear path and begins to sprint to the edges of the camp and then disappears into the woods. If he was to glance back he would see the young boy still clinging to the rope.  

Writing The Short Film

When in the early stages of writing a short film here are some pointers to take into consideration -

• Write a short prose version first so you have all the information, plot beats and characters worked out before you start writing the script.
• The story must always move forward in each scene. 
• Always think of the turning points, large and small.
• Always think of the imagery, possible character monologues, location descriptions. 
• Write a scene by scene breakdown so you know what each scene is about.
• Remember a new scene is when the story moves to a new place and/or time. 

When presenting a character here are some things to think about -

• Think of visual information that the audience can understand about the character - The first things we see about the character immediately builds an understanding of that character. Always think of the tiny characteristics. 
• When creating characters look for potential conflicts within themselves and with other characters.
• Try to play with expectations.
• Small, tiny spoken details may give insight into the character's past, future and present.     

Putting A Story To A Picture

In our story lecture we were each given a random photo taken from a recent newspaper and we were told to write down a story for that particular picture. We were given about 10 mins to come up with something.

'This guy is out on the streets with his countrymen supporting Ghana at this years Africa Cup Of Nations. The story could document the tournament and this mans journey during that period of time. The tournament took place in South Africa so this guy has probably left his family to attend the competition. There are emotional elements to the story as it could be a tale of his love of football and his love for his family and the difficulties balancing the two'  

In Class Exercise

In our story class we were grouped up and told to write down 3 characters and a situation revolving around a container. We understood that the idea behind this exercise was for us to jot down the first things that came into our heads and not really think to much about each individual component of the story. In the end I don't think people liked our idea but I think we were the only group that had done the practice the way it was meant to be done.  

Strangely enough this is an odd idea that I may want to come back in the future -

Peter - 6'0, mustache, heavy build, combat trousers, wheel chair bound, 40's & unemployed.
Jason - 5'9, inspects food for a living, thin & gaunt, wears smart clothing, always touches his eyes.
Jessica - 5'4, cousin of Jason, Peter's girlfriend, stoner, secretary at a law firm, distinctly average in every way.

The 3 characters are at a family party and are out in the garden. Their relatives don't like the trio very much.

At the bottom of the garden there is a steep drop. At the bottom they see a coffin, it appears to have just been dumped there by someone.

Peter uses his upper body strength to open the lid.

Inside is a body of an alien.

Each one stares at the alien and each one begins to see a person from their past lying there in the coffin.   

Time ran out and that was as far as we got, utterly bonkers story but we really did just write down the first thing that came to mind. Might be worth having a go at doing this exercise again sometime. 

Telling Lies

We watched a short film called 'Telling Lies'. It was not a live action film but a combination of voice over and sub titles. The cool thing was that subtitles did not match what the characters were saying but showed what they were thinking instead. It was a really cool little short that pokes fun at all the little white lies you can make in a given situation.

The drama is in the subtext - the unspoken word. Whatever a character says is not always the truth. Its a great tool that can add depth to the story and the characters.

Short Film Writing Notes

When developing a short story for film there are a few things to consider -

• Choose a single moment in a life time and explore it. A tiny moment, not a grand narrative. Sometimes the simplest of stories can have the most unexpected effect on the audience.
• Try to develop how the characters fit into their own world. It can be difficult in short film to allow the story to breath but a slower pace allows the audience a chance to observe the world and its characters. 
• Look at all the characters in the film - it's important to get across their personalities, even if they only have a minor role. Simple and slight moments of character can help shape the larger narrative.    

Oldboy Essay

Oldboy & The 3 Act Structure

Does Oldboy Use The Classic 3 Act Structure To Help Tell Its Story?

The Intent

The classic 3 act structure does not appear to have a definitive definition amongst writers/analysts  because in many cases writers/analysts all have very different ideas regarding the structure of story. “Since screenplays never show act breaks, an "act" is really a theoretical concept. Screenwriters talk about three acts, meaning the beginning, the middle, and the end.” (Johnaugust.com/glossary, John August, 2003). The rest is very much up for personal interpretation.
  
From what I can understand during my study of the 3 act structure I believe that Oldboy (Park Chan-Wook, 2003) Is best described using Syed Field’s interpretation of an act structure. I can see the hook or inciting incident, the 1st act plot point, the midpoint, the 2nd act plot point and then resolution. So what I intend to do in this essay is to break down Oldboy into these five sections and try to explain how each part is used to develop the story and keep the lead character moving towards his overall goal.

The Film   

Oldboy is traditionally a revenge movie. Our hero Oh Dae-Su is captured and imprisoned for 15 years and once released he sets out to get revenge on the man who locked him up. The antagonist, the man who Oh Dae-Su wishes to kill is also out to get revenge, revenge on Oh Dae-Su who, when still at school, witnessed the antagonist, Lee Woo-Jin, having sexual contact with his own blood sister. This in turn triggers a tragic event in which Woo-Jin’s sister is forced to commit suicide rather than live with the rumors of incest. The great twist in the tale comes in the form of the beautifully innocent Mi-Do who is the love interest for Dae-Su who is later revealed to be his own grown up, forgotten about, 20 something year old daughter. The coming together of Oh Dae-Su and Mi-Do in a sexual relationship is completely pre planned and manipulated from the shadows by Lee Woo-Jin. This is Lee Woo-Jin’s act of revenge.      

The Hook     

These opening scenes are what is sometimes referred to as the inciting incident, ‘this is the point in the story when the Protagonist encounters the problem that will change their life.’(Abundant Productions LLC, abundantproductions.biz/syd-fields-paradigm).

The film begins strongly as we are first introduced to Oh Dae-Su in a powerful opening scene where he is on  top of a tall building clutching a weeping man by his necktie as he looks almost certain to fall. Oh Dae-Su’s appearance is cast in shadow and he says to the hapless man that he’s going to tell him his story and with that the film immediately cuts to the inside of a police station. Oh Dae-Su is clearly very different; he’s drunk, washed up and shouting obscenities. This is such a huge contrast from the Oh Dae-Su we had just met moments ago and this clearly tells the audience that Dae-Su is going to change at some point in the tale.

A friend comes to bail out Dae-Su, it’s late in the evening and he calls home at a phone booth to wish his young daughter (Mi-Do) a happy birthday. Then suddenly like vapor Oh Dae-Su disappears, leaving a frantic friend in absolute panic. Dae-Su is snatched and taken to what a first appears to be a state prison.

This opening segment of the film is clearly the inciting incident that grasps the audience’s attention and thrusts the lead character into a life changing situation.     

The 1st Act Plot Point

Now that Oh Dae-Su has encountered the great problem that has kick started the film, the story is now going to start building towards the act 1 plot point, this point is going to dramatically change our hero’s life and is going force Oh Dae-Su to act, ‘The last scene in Act One, Turning Point One is a surprising development that radically changes the Protagonist’s life, and forces him to confront the Opponent.’(Abundant Productions LLC, abundantproductions.biz/syd-fields-paradigm).

The next time we see Dae-Su it is two months later. He’s trapped inside a strange apartment of some kind. He’s not the only one locked in the building but he is isolated and looked after but by people unknown. A TV broadcast explains that Dae-Su’s wife has been murdered and the blame is pointed squarely at Dae-Su, the penny drops and he knows that he is being set up. Oh Dae-Su makes a pledge that he will find and kill whoever is behind this plot. This is the first stage of the antagonist’s great plan. Dae-Su will spend the next 15 years locked in this room and the audience now understands the protagonist’s main goal in the story.     

What we start to see now is Dae-Su’s slow transformation into the man we saw in the opening shot. He begins to question his morality and understands he’s lived a life with many possible enemies and so he writes a journal documenting all the horrible things that he’s done, it starts as a means to discover who could be behind the plot to but it quickly turns into a way of keeping his sanity. This along with some intense physical training prepares him for his eventual release and his revenge but also gives the audience tangible evidence that once Dae-Su is released he is physically capable of achieving his goal.

The moments before his release are quite strange but very important for the story. At points during his imprisonment sleeping gas is seeped into his room so that he is unconscious when his captives clean and maintain his living space, but this particular time a hypnotist visits him. Dae-Su is put to sleep and the next moment he is awake, on top of a tall building and the audience is brought back to the opening scene.

Dae-Su's release is the 1st act plot point because now he is forced to act. Dae-Su is driven by his need for justice and he spares little time thinking about why he has been given back his freedom. This is the second stage of the antagonist’s grand scheme.   

The Midpoint

‘An important scene in the middle of the script, often a reversal of fortune or revelation that changes the direction of the story. Field suggests that driving the story towards the Midpoint keeps the second act from sagging.’(Abundant Productions LLC, abundantproductions.biz/syd-fields-paradigm).

Soon after Dae-Su’s release he’s encountered by a nameless man who hands over a phone and a wallet full with cheques. Dae-Su acknowledges that his situation is far from over but nonetheless takes the opportunity to go to a decent restaurant and have a good meal.

In the restaurant our hero is served by Mi-Do, at this point in the story neither characters, or the audience, are aware that they are father and daughter but there are hints of familiarity. Dae-Su dismisses this by saying he saw her on a cooking program once upon a time. The initial signs of a possible relationship between them are set in motion and Mi-Do offers Dae-Su a place to rest at her home.

The two begin to work together to try and track down the person behind his imprisonment and begin their search at local restaurants. While imprisoned Dae-Su was treated to the same take away meal every single day from a place called Blue Dragon. During this bonding period between the two characters it becomes clear that the antagonist has connections with Mi-Do. Only a young girl, she’s into internet chat rooms and online the antagonist has been in regular contact with her.

Dae-Su manages to successfully recognize the take away food and tracks down his place of imprisonment. After an incredibly brutal and dangerous fight Dae-Su discovers some audio tapes with Woo-Jin explaining that Dae-Su was locked up for talking too much. This is the next clue that will eventually lead to the meeting of Dae-Su and Woo-Jin. Woo-Jin gives our hero two options, the chance of revenge or the chance to find out the truth about his capture. Dae-Su cannot act out his revenge without knowing the truth and the antagonist slips away. Both Mi-Do and Dae-Su attempt to escape the watching eye of Woo-Jin and here the film begins to reveal that Dae-Su is in love with Mi-Do.

The hero’s goal has taken a slight shift in direction, Dae-Su no longer wants to just act out his revenge he now wants to know the truth, he understands that the rabbit hole goes much deeper than he first envisioned. This goal will drive Dae-Su through the remaining portion of act 2 and into the final act.

The 2nd Act Plot Point

‘A dramatic reversal that ends Act 2 and begins Act 3, which is about confrontation and resolution.’ (Abundant Productions LLC, abundantproductions.biz/syd-fields-paradigm). This is the point Oh Dae-Su will go to confront Woo-Jin and have his final showdown.

The 2nd half of act 2 begins with Oh Dae-Su and Mi-Do having sexual intercourse. This is crucial character development that's needed to add serious emotional impact latter in the showdown portion of the story.

Dae-Su and Mi-Do continue to unravel the mystery and the next set of clues lead them to begin their search online. They discover a link between our hero and the antagonist, both attended the same school and they later discover that Woo-Jin’s sister, who also attended the school, was killed by drowning after falling from a nearby dam. Oh Dae-Su suddenly recalls a memory from his days at school and the film takes the audience into this memory. In the memory we see a young Dae-Su accidentally encounter Woo-Jin and his sister having sexual contact, in confusion he speaks out to a friend which starts a rumor that spreads throughout the school thus leading to the suicide of Woo-Jin’s sister. It dawns on Dae-Su that this is the reason he is being punished. Dae-Su, with the truth at last, still feels the need to take his revenge. He leaves Mi-Do to confront the antagonist alone.        

The Showdown

‘About midway through Act 3, the Protagonist will confront the Main Problem of the story and either overcome it, or come to a tragic end.’(Abundant Productions LLC, abundantproductions.biz/syd-fields-paradigm). Oh Dae-Su’s confrontation with Woo-Jin propels the story into the final act.

Dae-Su confronts Woo-Jin with what he’s remembered but the antagonist laughs of Dae-Su’s certainty of the truth. Woo-Jin reveals that being locked up for 15 years is not a severe enough punishment and that he had chosen to take Dae-Su’s daughter and raise her, then, when she was old enough, hypnotize her and Dae-Su to make them one day fall in love. With this truth Dae-Su begs Woo-Jin not to tell any of this to Mi-Do, he even goes as far to cut out his own tongue to show no more rumors will spread. A lonely and mentally disturbed Woo-Jin accepts this and then takes a gun to his head and takes his own life. Dae-Su has to now live with this knowledge and this is Woo-Jin’s final act of his master plan thus successfully achieving his goal of revenge. The death of Woo-Jin also signals the end of Oh Dae-Su’s goal, though it’s up for debate whether or not he successfully achieved what he set out to accomplish.        

The Resolution

The resolution is when; ‘The issues of the story are resolved,’(Abundant Productions LLC, abundantproductions.biz/syd-fields-paradigm). Dae-Su appears, months later, in the middle of a snowy wood talking to the very hypnotist that brought Mi-Do and Dae-Su together. In the end the film leaves the door wide open for interpretation, there is no solid conclusion to Dae-Su’s story. Does he use the hypnotist to help him forget that Mi-Do is his daughter or does he simply live with the lie and bear the burden of his actions.  

The Summary

I do believe that I have provided enough evidence to suggest that Oldboy does indeed use all of the elements of a classic 3 act structure to help tell its story. Within each section of the 3 acts Oldboy successfully moves its narrative forward while giving the protagonist and the antagonist enough motive to act.  

Genre

GENRE - Provides the audience with a means of recognition and understanding.  

We took a look at two films, The Italian Job and Rififi, both are heist movies but both have very different styles. One is a comedy adventure and the other is a film noir. Its important to remember when writing a genre piece that with that genre you can have sub genres which can add great value to the story and engage your audience.

Themes and Subplots

The plot is easy to understand but it's the the themes that are harder to grasp but they are what makes the story interesting.

Sub plots should add depth and complexity to the story. They should only be happening because of the main plot, they also should have an impact on the main story. They should revolve around characters in the film. The character in the sub plot should be the main character in their own story.

Writing Characters

The character check list -

• Name -
• Age - 
• Gender - 
• Sexuality - 
• Physical Appearance - 
• Present Circumstances - 
• Values - 
• Flaws, Contradictions - 
• Social Class - 
• Education - 

Opposites attract, different characters who have to come together to solve the great problem in the film makes interesting storytelling. 

The characteristics you choose for your characters need to reflect the genre and themes of the film.