Eric Edson has developed a new tool for bringing depth and passion to any screenplay - the "23 Steps All Great Heroes Must Take." It's an easy to understand paradigm that provides writers and filmmakers the interconnecting, powerful storytelling elements they need. With true insight, a master teacher of screenwriting pinpoints the story structure reasons most new spec scripts don't sell; then uses scores of examples from popular hit movies to present, step by step, his revolutionary Hero Goal Sequences blueprint for writing blockbuster movies.
Why are creative sometimes so boring. Sorry. Get into it. Engage, involve your audience. We don't want to be talked at. Connection is crucial. Dynamics of communication is magic. Good luck. Lost me here
I admire and love this man. A consummate teacher to whom I owe a debt of gratitude (even though I might never write or write anything of consequence). I hope that others appreciate him as much as I do, and give him the opportunities to use his talent and pass his knowledge to as many people as he wants to.
I think that revenge is a return to achieve closure (through administration of justice). But it’s not really a return, because the protagonist does not revert to who they were in the first part. Revenge is necessary for him/her to move on. Revenge occurs when the socially accepted forms of justice (which are, psychologically, supposed to give the victim as sense of revenge) will have failed in the first place. This is one of the problems with the ‘turn the other cheek’ narratives- they are stupid stories written by inept criminals, that leads only to concealed resentment with its plethora of ensuing catastrophes.
Love your videos/insight, but I’m 31:51 a little confused. At the 30 min mark, you talk about the hero’s 2nd physical battle where they succeed which is at “HGS 17 or 18”, but isn’t the SS2 (aka Hero’s darkest hour) also at HS17/18?
Please look at the sex we had in my mind. Ask yourself, does he want me or does he want to make me a useless lump after a great night and come back when my energy is back.
Can someone please help clarify this for me? if Act 2 has also 6 hero goal sequences,, which means it already covers 12 sequences total up on act 2, when does sequence 18, which the stunning surprise 2 takes place, comes into play?? thank you
6 hero goal sequences in the first act. Then in act II you have 6 hero goal sequences up to the midpoint, then another 6 hero goal sequences for the rest of act II. In act III you have usually 2-3 hero goal sequences, but here you have more freedom to choose less or more
This interview absolutely intrigued me even more, because the story that I am writing in a film script has every single beat that was addressed in this interview. I absolutely love this and would recommend any screen writer to watch this video!
Hi Roger, thanks for your comment. You’ve stated here a common misunderstanding about my storytelling paradigm. I am NOT saying writers must use an exact number of scenes in a film story. No. I’m pointing out that there is a verifiable pattern in the number of action sequence GOALS pursued by the Hero or Heroine in movies that work for audiences, no matter how many scenes you want to put in each Hero GOAL Sequence. I’ve traced this pattern as far back as Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex.” And my saying there are only 21 to 23 Hero Goal Sequences in successful movies is like saying “there are only 12 notes on a piano, repeated through 8 octaves of ever higher registers - and they have been used to create all of music as we know it.” Both are true. My paradigm is about the plot pattern through which visual storytelling communicates best to the human mind. That’s all. The story you want to tell about the characters you create, and in what genre, historical period, and style you want to tell it, remains entirely up to you, the artist. Thanks. All best wishes, Eric
Art is delicate. Art is complex. It has heart, not just brains. Which is why it’s so important to have those who love the story make the final decisions about it. A story is not a machine that anyone with technical skill can just go in and fix. It’s so easy to break it. One must take into account all the heart authors put into their stories and treat that as sacred. Allow the heart to flourish. That’s what I love about Eric Edson’s approach to craft: It allows the heart to flourish. You can stick to any other formula and see the heart and soul go out of your script. But what I have found with Eric Edson’s techniques is that they keep the heart of the story intact all the way from beginning to end. I highly recommend his book and lectures. Thank you Eric Edson for helping young writers like myself discover how we can tell our stories in a way that resonates with others. I can’t tell you have much I have apprecited your work. You have a genuine desire to make every individual writer flourish and it is truly inspiring.
I’m so grateful for this channel and Eric Edson’s teachinga. The HGS structure is helping me leave writers block behind forever. I never get stuck anymore since I learned this method. Simply brilliant! Thank you!
