6. Act 1 Beats

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LESSON NO. 6    VIDEO PARTS: 1   LENGTH: 21-min   SLIDES: 20   CLIPS: 4
PREREQUSITES: Lessons 1-5
DESCRIPTION: This lesson explains and provides examples for the critical story beats found in Act 1: First/Last Image, Life Before, The Inciting Incident, Rejecting the Journey, Act 1 Climax, and Crossing the Threshold.

SPECIFICALLY, this lesson covers:
-- How story structure is part of Natural Law of Life's Structure
-- The importance (with examples) of the First and Last Image
-- Why visual storytelling is important, even in novels.
-- Two examples of the Inciting Incident and why it's important
-- The Act 1 Climax beat from Ratatouille's co-protagonists.
-- Crossing the Threshold Beat in Harry Potter's Sorcerer's Stone

7. Act 2 Beats & Casablanca

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Enjoy. Learn. Write.

LESSON NO. 7   VIDEO PARTS: 3   LENGTH: 59-min   SLIDES: 25   CLIPS: 10
PREREQUSITES: Lessons 1-6
DESCRIPTION: This lesson explains Act 2 beats: Threshold Crossing, B-Story, Pinch Point A, Pinch Point B, and Act 2 Climax/Near Death. (The Moment of Grace is reserved to another Episode.) It provides example from two motion pictures (Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, and Casablanca). A special feature of Parts 2 & 3 is the macro breakdown, with example clips of CASABLANCA's 8 major turning points from Act 1 through Act 3.

SPECIFICALLY, this lesson covers:
-- Secrets to Successful Stories 11, 13 and 16
-- Turning Point Beats vs. Sequence Beats
-- Act 1 Climax and Act 2 B-story start beats
-- Act 1-2 and Act 2-3 transitions in The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship....
-- The Eight major turning point beats in Casablanca
-- The  Mid-Act 2 Beats in Casablanca
-- Beat contribution to the story's emotional Roller Coaster
-- The difference between Protagonist and Antagonist beats
-- Act 2 Climax and Act 3 transition in The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship...

8. The Moment of Grace (The Midpoint)

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LESSON NO. 8   VIDEO PARTS: 2   LENGTH: 53-min   SLIDES: 17   CLIPS:7
PREREQUSITES: Lessons 1-7
DESCRIPTION:  This 53-minute, two-part,  presentation by Dr. Stan Williams, explains and shows examples of the The Moment of Grace (MOG) in successful and not so successful motion pictures. The MOG is the main plot's mid-point. It's the scene where the truth of the Moral Premise is realized by the Protagonist and he or she changes their motivations, and thus changes their arc. Examples are shown from Lord of the Rings, A Beautiful Mind, Liar! Liar!,What Women Want, Ratatouille,  and Aronofsky' Noah.

SPECIFICALLY, this lesson covers:

-- The 12 and 13th Secrets of Successful Stories
-- How the Moment of Grace defines all plot arcs
-- Why the protagonist's Moment of Grace is at the mid-point
-- How other Moments of Grace can be just about anywhere.
-- Examples of the Moment of Grace in A Beautiful Mind, Liar! Liar!, Ratatouille, What Women Want, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship and Noah.
-- Compares and contrasts the two Moments of Grace in Noah.

10. Character Transformation: Goals, Plots, Irony

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Enjoy. Learn. Write.

LESSON NO. 10   VIDEO PARTS: 3   LENGTH: 54-min   SLIDES: 54   CLIPS: 0
PREREQUSITES: Lessons 1-9
DESCRIPTION: This lesson covers the foolproof, anti-writers-block method for screenwriters, novelists, and playwrights to design their character's plots, subplots and transformation. It describes the theory and demonstrates the method for proper construction of plots using the 11-13 fundamental beats as a basis for longer plots, and using only 3-5 beats for shorter sub-plots. It also shows how the various subplots are integrated, yet keeping the story about one thing.

SPECIFICALLY, this lesson coves:
-- Review of the traditional beats and the rollercoaster effect
-- How the major beats are laid out on a story diamond.
-- How Characters transform through the Values-Actions cycle
-- How Inner Values motivate Outer Action
-- How the protagonist has no control over the consequences of his/her action
-- Why each subplot must have an associated goal
-- Why characters have multiple subplots
-- How subplots are created from a character's life aspects
-- How the Moral Premise unites plots and subplots
-- How to card a plot or subplot
-- How to determine who the protagonist of a story is and how to keep him or her in that role
-- How Irony dramatizes Goals and Plots
-- How Irony naturally leads to Oscar winning scripts