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.
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!
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
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
