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Dan Harmon's Story Circle: The Heart of Community | Video Essay

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An analysis of how Dan Harmon’s story circle shaped the writing of the NBC sitcom Community, from story structure and pacing down to the character arcs in each episode.
0:00 - Introduction
- Overview -
1:00 - Story Circle vs. Hero's Journey
2:01 - Sitcom Structure
4:07 - Three-Act Structure
6:47 - Character Arcs
- Analysis of Mixology Certification -
8:51 - Troy
10:58 - Abed
12:12 - Jeff & Britta
13:45 - Annie
14:51 - Shirley
15:54 - Pierce
16:49 - Conclusion
References:
- Adult Swim, ‘Dan Harmon's Story Circle | Rick and Morty | adult swim’, RU-vid (15th Jun 2020) • Dan Harmon's Story Cir...
- BookSharing, ‘Joseph Campbell's Hero's journey’, RU-vid (21st Jan 2015) • Joseph Campbell's Hero...
- campbellfoundation, ‘Joseph Campbell - Jung, the Self, and Myth’, RU-vid (3rd Nov 2018) • Joseph Campbell - Jung...
- Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949)
- Dan Harmon, ‘Story Structure 104: The Juicy Details’, Channel 101 (12th Aug 2009) channel101.fandom.com/wiki/St...
- K. M. Weiland, Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author's Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development (2016)
- Lacey Rose, ‘Community's Dan Harmon Reveals the Wild Story Behind His Firing and Rehiring’, The Hollywood Reporter (17th Jul 2013) www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...
- Brian Raftery, ‘How Dan Harmon Drives Himself Crazy Making Community’, Wired (22nd Sep 2011) www.wired.com/2011/09/mf-harmon/
- Dan Harmon, ‘Could you explain your story breaking process?’, Tumblr (9th Aug 2013) danharmon.tumblr.com/post/577...
- Dan Harmon, ‘Could you explain a particular Community episode with the story circle?...’, Tumblr (10th Aug 2013) danharmon.tumblr.com/post/578...
- Syd Field, Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting (1979)
- Andy Bobrow, ‘How Writing for the TV Show Community Cured Me’, Medium (14th May 2014) / how-writing-for-the-tv...
Music:
‘Community Medley’, ‘Community Medley 2’, ‘Community E101’, ‘Community Season 1 Music’, ‘Community E103’, ‘Greendale Is Where I Belong’, ‘Running Through Raining’
All tracks by Ludwig Göransson.
Additional:
- S03E04 ‘Remedial Chaos Theory’ Story Circle danharmon.tumblr.com/post/114...
- S05E01 ‘Repilot’ & S05E02 ‘Introduction to Teaching’ Story Circles danharmon.tumblr.com/post/752... & danharmon.tumblr.com/post/752...

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6 авг 2024

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Комментарии : 106

@daftbanna7202 3 года назад

its mad how every character has an arc no matter how small

@whimsnickal 3 года назад

This video is streets ahead - great analysis and a perfect episode choice to demonstrate the circle in action.

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

Thanks Nick! Really enjoyed doing this breakdown, so feel free to let me know if there are any other episodes you'd like me to look at.

@danduhlion 8 месяцев назад

ALL CAPS when you spell the man’s name! Also, great video!

@Falley45 2 года назад

"...having Changed" haha did no see that coming but oh so perfect!

@TheStoryBlueprint 2 года назад

Is there any room in this pocket for a little spare Chang?

@christophercondry4224 3 года назад

I'm both one of the biggest structure nerds out there, and one of the biggest Community fans. So it'd be easy to assume this analysis doesn't meet some arcane, gatekeeping standard of mine. But this whole video is just excellent. It's passionate, insightful, precise, and well-crafted. It's a true love letter to the show and its creation. I'd thumbs up a hundred times if I could.

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

Thanks for the comment! Good to meet a fellow structure nerd

@bradfordhazell 6 месяцев назад

I was thinking the same thing. Great video.

@ciervo42 3 года назад

Woow man, not only this essay had been missing in RU-vid for ages, but also it’s so carefully and respectfully crafted! Gracias desde México

@ttcc5273 3 года назад

8:10 reveals the secret sauce of this concept of story structure - it's like a magnification of contrasts - lie/truth, familiar/unfamiliar that reveal the inner through the outer. Thanks for posting this!

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

The four quadrants idea is such an interesting way of looking at stories and really sets the circle apart from the Hero’s Journey - would love Harmon to elaborate on it further at some point. Thanks for watching!

@wombat7961 3 года назад

OMG literally died laughing when Pierce said "I broke my leg, not my gender"

@melthomas1930 3 года назад

I've been watching tons of videos on the story circle and this is the first one that finally made it click for me, thanks to your thoughtful analysis. Awesome work.

@wowmachineradio 3 месяца назад

Excellent summary of DH's SC and your breakdown of each character's SC in that episode could be the basis of an entire college course on writing for TV! Thanks for your work! I'm a better person for having watched this. ;)

@thisisjoel7199 2 года назад

Brilliant analysis. One of my favorite episodes and I thought it was just about Troy and Annie, with Shirley and Abed's subplots. I was super impressed when you were able to explain that *everyone* had their own arc. And I just about lost it when you got to Pierce!

@satishkumarsajjan2132 3 месяца назад

I just love this show. The writing is par ahead of any comedy show i have ever seen.

10 месяцев назад

This video is a gem. I was able to finish watching it in 2 hours by taking notes.

@Makin- Год назад

Love this video. Not only is it incredibly informative and clever, every second is crammed with visual puns that keep me entertained. Awesome work here.

@StefanH 11 месяцев назад

Annie's cut out floating head looks absolutely terrifying

@Ana99225 2 года назад

Do more community essays! You are awesome and there is so much to learn from the writing of these serie.

@TheStoryBlueprint 2 года назад

Glad you enjoyed the video! Currently planning one on what makes a great sitcom cast, so there’ll obviously be a lot of Community focus in that vid!

@alexlennen 2 года назад

incredible video - super helpful and really well presented

@AntonPatsi 2 года назад

Thank you so much for this video and all the time you put into this! It was the clearest explanation I’ve found of Harmon’s story circle, and the examples helped a lot.

@jackjotravels6743 3 года назад

The characters “Chang’d” 😂 This is incredibly well crafted! Still a bit complicated for my friend to understand how to use it in my own blogs but the examples you used were excellent and the rest is for me to unravel! You’re going far my friend!

@jackjotravels6743 3 года назад

For my *brain* to understand

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

Thank you for saying! To be honest, I wish I’d mentioned in the video that even Harmon himself acknowledges that not all stories follow this structure perfectly, so if you’re having a hard time trying to include all eight steps, keep in mind that you may not need to!

@jackjotravels6743 3 года назад

@@TheStoryBlueprint I'm still thinking this level of story telling is lightyears ahead of what we're ready to tackle at this point but it's definitely great to have it filed in the back of the brain to mull over. Would you be able to do this type of explanation again with Rick & Morty for us? That would be sick

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

@@jackjotravels6743 I’ve actually been thinking about doing breakdowns of the new R&M season when it airs! In the meantime though, I found this series really helpful when making this video: ru-vid.com/group/PLh9sgDrUcPgWn1Fe5bFfhIImZ-qW6ayjT

@jakobb8063 3 года назад

"Having recently become wheelchair-bound after breaking both legs in an trampolining accident" You just have to love this show.

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

No. Double. Bouncies.

@malcolmk2878 Год назад

Dan Harmon is probably one of the great creatives of our time. This was wildly fascinating!!!

@seanlannigan5109 3 года назад

Clever way to end the video 🤣🤣🤣

@justthinkingaboutthearmyofbees Год назад

This was such a great video and really helped me get the idea of it!!! You're so talented! I can't believe that episode of community (and probably others) gave everyone a story arc 😮

@lumenwrites 2 года назад

What an incredible video! Thank you so much for creating it, it is extremely helpful, and amazingly well done!

@ChloeFrizzle 2 года назад

Fantastic video! Thanks especially for providing links to your references.

@timhold2016 2 года назад

This is an amazing video dude, best video essay I’ve ever seen. Finding all the small clips must’ve taken hours

@TheStoryBlueprint 2 года назад

It gave me an excuse to rewatch Community again, so I can’t complain. Thank you for the comment - glad you enjoyed the video!

@jaredrogersword 3 года назад

Thanks for this in depth video. Added an extra angle I hadn't seen before about the story circle 👍

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

Thanks for watching! Glad to hear it

@CHNNL3 3 года назад

Great video , man!!

@schattentaenzerin Год назад

A really well done video! Thanks for breaking this down like this. Cool. Cool cool, cool.

@DannyD-lr5yg 2 года назад

Please please please continue making videos. Love this!

@enzodecarlos417 3 года назад

amazing video, man! your examples were perfect and It demonstrated perfectly why this show is so special beyond character development, thank you for doing It :)

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

Thanks for taking the time to comment! Glad you enjoyed it

@RamenSploosh 3 года назад

omg, thank you for this so much. i've been aware of the "harmon story circle" for a while, but i didn't really get it untill now, thanks for this super easy to follow breakdown of it! fantastic work.

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

Thanks for watching! Glad I could help you reach a deeper understan-dean

@RamenSploosh 3 года назад

@@TheStoryBlueprint you've really chang-ed my understanding of story writing. :)

@spheremulticorp 2 года назад

Great video! Alternate title, compilation of all scenes in community with circles

@snamwob 3 года назад

Great essay! I've read or seen many different takes on Harmon's Circle, but your analysis brought me to a more complete understanding. Well done. You have a new subscriber in me.

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

Thanks for subscribing! Glad I could help

@TestingChannel1407 3 года назад

Excellent break down of Harmon's story circle! I'm going to use this vid as reference when screenwriting.

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

Great to hear! Keep writing, my man

@Flamewolf14 3 года назад

Great video very informative makes me want to rewatch some community

@HectorTWE 3 года назад

Amazing video! I hadn't thought about the various ways that the "price" characters pay could be demonstrated. Thanks for shedding light on that, especially.

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

Thanks for watching! One thing I noticed while making this video is just how often the second act of an episode will end with a character storming out of the room in anger - it’s funny to think that even a show as self-aware as Community has its own tropes that it conforms to.

@HectorTWE 3 года назад

@@TheStoryBlueprint Haha that's a good point! I wonder if some years down the line we'll have a show that would give us a Community-themed episode! I'd love to watch that even though it's difficult to imagine what that would even look like

@chisairaccoon1931 3 года назад

Awesome video man! Keep it up!

@greghulme 3 года назад

Excellent analysis skills dude. You have a new fan!

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

Thanks man!

@mackadam5894 3 года назад

I've watched Community 6 times through. Now all I want are more and more analysis videos of how wonderful it is. Except the part Chang farts about.

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

Thanks for watching! Yeah I don't _hate_ season four, but I don't think it implements the story circle quite as well as the other seasons do

@mackadam5894 3 года назад

@@TheStoryBlueprint Agree 100%. In a vacuum, it's not really that bad. But based on the quality we expected due to the first 3 seasons, it didn't match up. Then season 5 starts and it's an immediate shift back into the formula. And it's noticeable.

@MsNicAlexander 3 года назад

honestly, this was brilliant

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

Thanks for saying! Glad you enjoyed it

@jansesooley833 2 года назад

I am trying to become a writer and was doing some research on different methods of writing. This video definitely helped me grasp a lot of concepts of the circle that other videos didn't. Thank you

@TheStoryBlueprint 2 года назад

Glad to hear it helped you - best of luck with your writing!

@YCCMD 3 года назад

Great work, great video

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

Thanks for watching!

@ScribblebytesWorldwide 2 года назад

Okay. You've convinced me to give it a go.

@TheStoryBlueprint 2 года назад

You just made the best decision of your life

@burtgallagher6499 5 месяцев назад

Nice use of “streets ahead”! 🎉

@truejae1 3 года назад

keep making videos my guy your up next

@joyceyt6722 2 года назад

God I love this show so fucking much

@josephan6953 Год назад

"having changd" made me spit laugh...

@DeltaWave 3 года назад

Great video!!

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

Thanks for watching!

@DeltaWave 3 года назад

@@TheStoryBlueprint np man :)

@robderiche 6 месяцев назад

Does anyone know if Harmon was influenced by Kurt Vonnegut? The Greendale flag looks like one of Vonnegut’s signature drawings and KV famously lectured about the literal shapes of stories.

@TheElsari 2 года назад

Great work. This video clearly took a loot of time and effort to make. Please explore more community themes and how it’s much different then your typical sitcom. A comparison with the big bang theory comes to mind.

@TheStoryBlueprint 2 года назад

Thanks for the comment! Haven’t actually seen The Big Bang Theory, but I’m planning a video that will look into what makes Community’s cast so perfect, so stay tuned!

@axelkor69 3 года назад

You're the boss dude

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

I thought Abed proved beyond doubt that Angela Bower was the boss, but thanks anyway

@axelkor69 3 года назад

@@TheStoryBlueprint oh my lord i didnt expect such knowledge, you're a true hero

@BigSmoke-bu6ib 2 года назад

Good job, but you forgot the Jan Michael Quadrant

@eshel9886 9 месяцев назад

Let’s see if we can come up with our own stories using dan harmons story circle (leave a comment below if your interested)

@pavelinaodkonjsk3907 2 года назад

Hello, great video, i have a question: Would you say that the Story Circle doesn't fit for shows like Parks and Recreation or Brooklyn 99 ? If possible you could give a detailed explanation😂 I hope you can circle back to me.

@nevermindthegermans6242 2 года назад

Don't mind me, I'm just here to fight heresy. The Emperor protects!

@leanderwhite Год назад

🔥🔥🔥👍🎉

@nicolesmith1724 7 месяцев назад

1:59 that was foul

@debatingdiva5237 2 года назад

Your favourite character and actor?

@TheStoryBlueprint 2 года назад

Ooh good question. Fav character is Britta - I just love the way she Brittas every single she does. And fav actor is Alison Brie - she makes what could have been a boring character absolutely hilarious. What about yours?

@debatingdiva5237 2 года назад

@@TheStoryBlueprint Abed is my favourite character and Danny Pudi my favourite actor second is Troy and then Annie

@TheStoryBlueprint 2 года назад

@@debatingdiva5237 solid choices. Abed is definitely the most unique character, and Danny plays him brilliantly. The show would never have worked without him.

@debatingdiva5237 2 года назад

@@TheStoryBlueprint yes his character is the heart and soul of Community and he's one of the moat brilliant actor who's underrated.

@DnalorNibul 6 месяцев назад

Just a bit of a question, not about this great video but about Nope. I haven’t seen the movie, but the themes of “our addiction to spectacle” -and it being portrayed as mostly negative- and the theme of “black people are not fairly given enough spectacle“ sound somewhat contradictory No? 1. I haven’t seen the movie 2. I’m myself black 3. Please don’t take this comment as anything more than a philosophical question of possible contradiction. Not political or racial in nature. THANK YOU

@PDD883 3 года назад

Streets ahead

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

Thanks for watching!

@dresdenwarlock7978 2 года назад

high school setting lol

@neraklh1017 3 года назад

If you look into it you would find Dan Harmon's Rick and Morty applies the same story circle

@TheStoryBlueprint 3 года назад

Thanks for watching! I did mention Rick and Morty near the start of the video, but you’re right - it’s definitely another great example of the story circle in action