PART
#1: CONCEPT 18/19
|
|
The Pitch: Does this concept excite everyone who
hears about it?
|
|
Is the
one sentence description uniquely appealing?
|
A princess must save the world from her sister’s
out-of-control ice powers.
|
Does
the concept contain an intriguing ironic contradiction?
|
Having to stop (and maybe
kill) the person you most love.
|
Is this a story anyone can identify with, projected onto
a bigger canvas, with higher stakes?
|
It’s a very believable
difficult sibling relationship
|
Story Fundamentals: Will this concept generate a
strong story?
|
|
Is the
concept simple enough to spend more time on character than plot?
|
Not really, there’s a ton
of plot, and many of the plot turns are somewhat awkward.
|
Is
there one character that the audience will choose to be their “hero”?
|
Anna, though it does a good
job of also allowing it to be Elsa’s story in secondary way.
|
Does
the story follow the progress of the hero’s problem, not the hero’s daily
life?
|
Yes.
|
Does
the story present a unique relationship?
|
A
princess and an ice merchant must team up to stop another princess.
|
Is at
least one actual human being opposed to what the hero is doing?
|
Hans. The movie would have been much weaker
if not-really-bad Elsa was the only antagonist.
|
Does
this challenge represent the hero’s greatest hope and/or greatest fear and/or
an ironic answer to the hero’s question?
|
Greatest
hope: She finally gets to be around her sister, in a very ironic way.
|
Does
something inside the hero have a particularly volatile reaction to the
challenge?
|
She
finds love, betrayal, etc.
|
Does
this challenge become something that is the not just hard for the hero to do (an obstacle) but hard for the hero
to want to do (a conflict)?
|
It’s
hard to fight your sister.
|
In the
end, is the hero the only one who can solve the problem?
|
Yes,
only her love for her sister is strong enough to break the curse.
|
Does
the hero permanently transform the situation and vice versa?
|
Yes and
yes.
|
The
Hook: Will this be marketable and generate word of mouth?
|
|
Does
the story satisfy the basic human urges that get people to buy and recommend
this genre?
|
Yes,
it’s got great songs, a fun upbeat tone, etc.
|
Does
this story show us at least one image we haven’t seen before (that can be
used to promote the final product)?
|
The ice
palace, the fractals, etc.
|
Is
there at least one “Holy Crap!” scene (to create word of mouth)?
|
The Hans reveal.
|
Does
the story contain a surprise that is not obvious from the beginning?
|
Hans is
evil.
|
Is the
story marketable without revealing the surprise?
|
Yes. It’s actually really concerting to
see the promotional materials in which Hans is smiling as part of the gang.
|
Is the
conflict compelling and ironic both before and after the surprise?
|
Yes.
|
PART
#2: CHARACTER 20/22
|
|
Believe:
Do we recognize the hero as a human being?
|
|
Does
the hero have a moment of humanity early on? (A funny, or kind, or oddball,
or out-of-character, or comically vain, or unique-but-universal “I thought I
was the only one who did that!” moment?)
|
She has
many, but no one big one. I
would say it’s the unique-but-universal emotion of being shut out by someone
who used to let you call the shots, and saying “It doesn’t have to be a
snowman” I’ll talk more about
this soon.
|
Is the
hero defined by ongoing actions and attitudes, not by backstory?
|
Yes.
|
Does
the hero have a well-defined public identity?
|
The
people’s princess.
|
Does
the surface characterization ironically contrast with a hidden interior self?
|
She’s
tortured by her relationship by her sister and her suppressed sexuality.
|
Does
the hero have a consistent metaphor family (drawn from his or her job,
background, or developmental state)?
|
Adolescenece:
“It’ll be totally strange.” “For the first time in forever”
|
Does
the hero have a default personality trait?
|
Sunny,
awkward
|
Does
the hero have a default argument tactic?
|
Naïve
insistence
|
Is the
hero’s primary motivation for tackling this challenge strong, simple, and
revealed early on?
|
Yes:
save her sister.
|
Care:
Do we feel for the hero?
|
|
Does
the hero start out with a shortsighted or wrongheaded philosophy (or accept a
false piece of advice early on)?
|
”What
if I meet the one?...I know it all ends tomorrrow, so it has to be today.”
|
Does
the hero have a false or shortsighted goal in the first half?
|
Just
ask Elsa to turn her powers off.
|
Does
the hero have an open fear or anxiety about his or her future, as well as a
hidden, private fear?
|
Open:
never get married, never bond with sister. Hidden: Have to hurt sister.
|
Is the
hero physically and emotionally vulnerable?
|
She is
damaged physically and emotionally in the opening minutes.
|
Does
the hero have at least one untenable great flaw we empathize with? (but…)
|
Naivite,
haplessness
|
Invest:
Can we trust the hero to tackle this challenge?
|
|
…Is that great flaw (ironically) the natural
flip-side of a great strength we admire?
|
Hope,
pluck, positivity
|
Is the
hero curious?
|
Yes.
|
Is the
hero generally resourceful?
|
Not
tremendously, but she recruits allies that have the skills she needs.
|
Does
the hero have rules he or she lives by (either stated or implied)?
|
This’ll be easy, I need love quickly,
I need Elsa. (The first two turn
out to be problematic, but not the third one.)
|
Is the
hero surrounded by people who sorely lack his or her most valuable quality?
|
Everyone
else (except Olaf) is far more cynical, and lacks the pure love that will
save the day.
|
…And
is the hero willing to let them know that, subtly or directly?
|
Sort
of. Like so many heroines, she
is the master of the muttered aside.
|
Is the
hero already doing something active when we first meet him or her?
|
She’s
waking up her sister and then playing in the snow. We know Anna is the hero
because it’s her waking Elsa up and not vice versa.
|
Does
the hero have (or claim) decision-making authority?
|
Yes,
she’s a princess, and she’s in charge of the country once Elsa flees.
|
Does
the hero use pre-established special skills from his or her past to solve
problems (rather than doing what anybody would do)?
|
No. She’s an everywoman with few skills.
|
PART
#3: STRUCTURE (If the story is about the solving of a large problem) 17/21
|
|
1st
Quarter: Is the challenge laid out in the first quarter?
|
|
When
the story begins, is the hero becoming increasingly irritated about his or
her longstanding social problem (while still in denial about an internal
flaw)?
|
She
can’t see her sister or leave her palace to find love.
|
Does
this problem become undeniable due to a social humiliation at the beginning
of the story?
|
On her
first day outside, she has an embarassing encounter with a cute guy.
|
Does
the hero discover an intimidating opportunity to fix the problem?
|
She
then hits it off with him and decides to marry him right away. The intimidating part is that her
sister refuses her blessing.
|
Does
the hero hesitate until the stakes are raised?
|
No, that’s her
problem.
|
Does the hero commit to pursuing the opportunity by the
end of the first quarter?
|
Sort of. Elsa runs away and Anna goes after
her. Will this help her solve
her own problem, or is it just selfless? Presumably, with Elsa simply missing, Anna will be in no
position to become queen herself and marry whom she wants, so it’s sort of
solving her own problem.
|
2nd
Quarter: Does the hero try the easy way in the second quarter?
|
|
Does
the hero’s pursuit of the opportunity quickly lead to an unforeseen conflict
with another person?
|
She
meets Kristoff, and tries to get him to help her, but he refuses, then pushes
back after agreeing.
|
Does
the hero try the easy way throughout the second quarter?
|
Yes,
she’s just trying to find her sister and ask her to stop it.
|
Does
the hero have a little fun and get excited about the possibility of success?
|
Yes,
they meet Olaf and the three of them develop a fun rapport.
|
Does the
easy way lead to a big crash around the midpoint, resulting in the loss of a
safe space and/or sheltering relationship?
|
Elsa
kicks them out and freezes her heart.
|
3rd
Quarter: Does the hero try the hard way in the third quarter?
|
|
Does
the hero try the hard way from this point on?
|
No, Anna becomes passive, than
she tries another easy way (kissing Hans)
|
Does
the hero find out who his or her real friends and real enemies are?
|
Yes,
she realize that Hans is evil and she really loves Kristoff.
|
Do the
stakes, pace, and motivation all escalate at this point?
|
Yes,
she’s now dying, the winter is getting worse, Elsa might be killed, etc.
|
Does
the hero learn from mistakes in a painful way?
|
Yes,
her sister almost kills her, her fiance betrays her, etc.
|
Does a
further setback lead to a spiritual crisis?
|
Yes,
Hans betrays her.
|
4th
Quarter: Does the challenge climax in the fourth quarter?
|
|
Does
the hero adopt a corrected philosophy after the spiritual crisis?
|
It’s a
line from before that now gets interpreted correctly: “An act of love of love
will thaw a frozen heart.”
|
After
that crisis, does the hero finally commit to pursuing a corrected goal, which
still seems far away?
|
Get
Kristoff to kiss her.
|
Before
the final quarter of the story begins, (if not long before) has your hero switched
to being proactive, instead of reactive?
|
Sort of. Her goal of getting Kristoff to kiss
her is still somewhat passive, and Olaf is leading her around. She really only become proactive at
the last, crucial second.
|
Despite
these proactive steps, is the timeline unexpectedly moved up, forcing the
hero to improvise for the finale?
|
Yes,
Elsa escapes, chased by Hans, forcing Anna to act.
|
Do all
strands of the story and most of the characters come together for the
climactic confrontation?
|
Yes.
Everybody is there except the trolls and the Duke of Weselton.
|
Does
the hero’s inner struggle climax shortly after (or possible at the same time
as) his or her outer struggle?
|
At the
same time.
|
Is
there an epilogue/ aftermath/ denouement in which the challenge is finally
resolved (or succumbed to), and we see how much the hero has changed
(possibly through reversible behavior)
|
She’s
happy in love, able to live outside the castle, and reconciled with her
sister.
|
PART
#4: SCENEWORK 16/20 Anna confront Elsa in her ice palace
|
|
The
Set-Up: Does this scene begin with the essential elements it needs?
|
|
Were
tense and/or hopeful (and usually false) expectations for this interaction
established beforehand?
|
Anna is
clearly naïve in her expectation of how this will go. Elsa has made it clear she wants no
more of anyone.
|
Does
the scene eliminate small talk and repeated beats by cutting out the
beginning (or possibly even the middle)?
|
No, it begins
at the beginning.
|
Is
this an intimidating setting that keeps characters active?
|
Yes,
it’s an ice palace in which Anna can’t even stand up straight, and Elsa can
summon creatures to defend herself.
|
Is one
of the scene partners not planning to have this conversation (and quite
possibly has something better to do)?
|
Elsa:
“You should probably go.”
|
Is
there at least one non-plot element complicating the scene?
|
Olaf.
|
Does
the scene establish its own mini-ticking-clock (if only through subconscious
anticipation)?
|
Elsa’s
curse is getting worse.
|
The
Conflict: Do the conflicts play out in a lively manner?
|
|
Does this scene both advance the plot and reveal
character through emotional reactions?
|
Yes.
|
Does
the audience have (or develop) a rooting interest in this scene (which may
sometimes shift)?
|
We can
root for both, but we’re more on Anna’s side.
|
Are
two agendas genuinely clashing (rather than merely two personalities)?
|
Elsa
wants to stay, Anna wants her to come home.
|
Does
the scene have both a surface conflict and a suppressed conflict (one of
which is the primary conflict in this scene)?
|
Surface:
Come home, Suppresed: Why did you abandon me?
|
Is the
suppressed conflict (which may or may not come to the surface) implied
through subtext (and/or called out by the other character)?
|
Elsa
stabs Anna’s heart.
|
Are
the characters cagy (or in denial) about their own feelings?
|
No, they’re
pretty open about it.
|
Do
characters use verbal tricks and traps to get what they want, not just direct
confrontation?
|
No, it’s just
direct confrontation.
|
Is
there re-blocking, including literal push and pull between the scene partners
(often resulting in just one touch)?
|
They
never directly touch, but Elsa creates a creature to pick Anna up and throw
her out.
|
Are
objects given or taken, representing larger values?
|
Elsa’s
anger becomes a monster, if we want to count that as an object.
|
The
Outcome: Does this scene change the story going forward?
|
|
As a
result of this scene, does at least one of the scene partners end up doing
something that he or she didn’t intend to do when the scene began?
|
Anna is
sent away.
|
Does
the outcome of the scene ironically reverse (and/or ironically fulfill) the
original intention?
|
It’s
not really ironic, she just fails.
|
Are
previously-asked questions answered and new questions posed?
|
Anna
and Elsa find out more about each other.
|
Does
the scene cut out early, on a question (possibly to be answered instantly by
the circumstances of the next scene)?
|
No, it ends
with them being thrown out.
|
Is the
audience left with a growing hope and/or fear for what might happen next?
(Not just in the next scene, but generally)
|
We’re
worried about that hit in the heart Anna took.
|
PART
#5: DIALOGUE 14/16
|
|
Empathetic:
Is the dialogue true to human nature?
|
|
Does
the writing demonstrate empathy for all of the characters?
|
Yes.
|
Does
each of the characters, including the hero, have a limited perspective?
|
Yes. Kristoff has more perspective than
Anna.
|
Do the
characters consciously and unconsciously prioritize their own wants, rather
than the wants of others?
|
Anna is
fairly selfless in her concern for her sister, but their needs coincide
enough that it’s not a problem.
|
Are
the characters resistant to openly admitting their feelings (to others and
even to themselves)?
|
The
awkward scene where Anna and Elsa talk is excellent. Neither can discuss everything
between them.
|
Do the
characters avoid saying things they wouldn’t say and doing things they
wouldn’t do?
|
Yes.
|
Do the
characters interrupt each other often?
|
Yes.
|
Specific: Is the dialogue specific to this world
and each personality?
|
|
Does
the dialogue capture the jargon and tradecraft of the profession and/or
setting?
|
Not
really. It’s a fairly generic
setting and the princess-ing is fairly generic as well.
|
Are
there additional characters with distinct metaphor families, default
personality traits, and default argument strategies from the hero’s?
|
MF:
Elsa: Parent “Be the good girl you always have to be”, Kristoff: Mountain man
“We leave at dawn”, Olaf: Childhood
PT: Elsa: Cold, Kristoff: Unimpressed,
Olaf: Open-hearted
AS: Elsa: Brook no opposition,
Kristoff: Quiz you to expose the flaws in your argument (What’s his last
name?), Olaf: Help you figure it out for yourself.
|
Heightened:
Is the dialogue more pointed and dynamic than real talk?
|
|
Is the
dialogue more concise than real talk?
|
Yes.
|
Does
the dialogue have more personality than real talk?
|
Yes.
|
Are
there minimal commas in the dialogue (the lines are not prefaced with Yes,
No, Well, Look, or the other character’s name)?
|
Yes.
|
Do
non-professor characters speak without dependent clauses, conditionals, or
parallel construction?
|
Yes.
|
Are
the non-3-dimensional characters impartially polarized into head, heart and
gut?
|
Partial
polarization: Olaf: Heart/Gut, Kristoff: Head/Gut, Anna: Heart
|
Strategic: Are certain dialogue scenes withheld
until necessary?
|
|
Does
the hero have at least one big “I understand you” moment with a love interest
or primary emotional partner?
|
When
Kristoff points out to her that she barely knows Hans, and he clearly has her
number.
|
Is
exposition withheld until the hero and the audience are both demanding to
know it?
|
No, it’s all
dumped on us at the beginning, but they do a great job with it, interweaving
it with a song.
|
Is
there one gutpunch scene, where the subtext falls away and the characters
really lay into each other?
|
When
Anna confronts Elsa in the ice palace.
|
Part #6: Tone 9/10
|
|
Genre:
Does the story tap into pre-established expectations?
|
|
Is the
story limited to one genre (or multiple genres that are merged from the
beginning?)
|
The
fairy tale
|
Is the
story limited to sub-genres that are compatible with each other, without
mixing metaphors?
|
The
princess-marriage plot and the
magical curse tale.
|
Does
the ending satisfy most of the expectations of the genre, and defy a few
others?
|
The
curse is broken and everybody gets what’s coming to them, but the princess
both end up unmarried.
|
Separate
from the genre, is a consistent mood (goofy, grim, ‘fairy tale’, etc.) established
early and maintained throughout?
|
A
snarkier and more absurd version of the standard fairy tale
|
Framing:
Does the story set, reset, upset and ultimately exceed its own expectations?
|
|
Is
there a dramatic question posed early on, which will establish in the
audience’s mind which moment will mark the end of the story?
|
The
dramatic question changes a few times, until Anna gets hit in the heart and
the dramatic question for the rest of the movie is, “Will she beat the
curse?”
|
Does the story use framing devices to establish
genre, mood and expectations?
|
The
songs.
|
Are
there characters whose situations prefigure various fates that might await
the hero?
|
Not really.
|
Does
foreshadowing create anticipation and suspense (and refocus the audience’s
attention on what’s important)?
|
They
set up at the beginning that getting hit in the heart will be the worst, so
we fear that and know what it means when it happens.
|
Are
reversible behaviors used to foreshadow and then confirm change?
|
The
doors are closed, then they’re opened.
|
Is the
dramatic question answered at the very end of the story?
|
All of
the stories except the Kristoff story climax at the exact same moment as the
curse is broken.
|
PART
7: THEME 12/14
|
|
Difficult:
Is the meaning of the story derived from a fundamental moral dilemma?
|
|
Can
the overall theme be stated in the form of an irreconcilable good vs. good
(or evil vs. evil) dilemma?
|
Family
vs. independence
|
Is a
thematic question asked out loud (or clearly implied) in the first half, and
left open?
|
”Why
did you shut me out?”
|
Do the
characters consistently have to choose between goods, or between evils,
instead of choosing between good and evil?
|
Get married without family’s blessing? Sacrifice your safety to save your
family member? Live as a hermit
if no one understands you?
|
Grounded:
Do the stakes ring true to the world of the audience?
|
|
Does
the story reflect the way the world works?
|
Very
much so: Love at first sight is actually a terrible idea, and an invitation
for pschopaths to take advantage of you.
|
Does
the story have something authentic to say about this type of setting (Is it
based more on observations of this type of setting than ideas about it)?
|
Not
really. There’s no commentary on
life in contemporary Norway here.
It’s a fanciful fantasy kingdom.
|
Does
the story include twinges of real life national pain?
|
The story
is inherently critical or the pricessess-ification of girl-culture,
ecouraging girls to see the problem with the traditional princess-love-story
paradigm
|
Are
these issues and the overall dilemma addressed in a way that avoids moral
hypocrisy?
|
Yes.
|
Do all
of the actions have real consequences?
|
Yes.
|
Subtle: Is the theme interwoven throughout so
that it need not be discussed often?
|
|
Do
many small details throughout subtly and/or ironically tie into the thematic
dilemma?
|
There
are lots of different types of families, including the merchant’s loving gay
family, and Hans’s toxic relationship with his brothers. These are contrasted
with orphan Kristoff and created-from-nothing Olaf.
|
Are
one or more objects representing larger ideas exchanged throughout the story,
growing in meaning each time?
|
Interestingly,
not really. There is no amulet reprsenting the powers, for instance, and no wilting
flower representing the out-of-control cold. The closest thing is Anna’s hair, but that doesn’t really
count.
|
Untidy:
Is the dilemma ultimately irresolvable?
|
|
Does
the ending tip towards one side of the thematic dilemma without resolving it
entirely?
|
Family
is better than independence, but both are important.
|
Does
the story’s outcome ironically contrast with the initial goal?
|
Elsa’s
powers are embraced.
|
In the
end, is the plot not entirely tidy (some small plot threads left unresolved,
some answers left vague)?
|
We
never find out the source of the powers, etc.
|
Do the
characters refuse (or fail) to synthesize the meaning of the story, forcing
the audience to do that?
|
Yes. There’s
not a lot of talk about what it all means.
|
Podcast
Tuesday, October 04, 2016
The Ultimate Story Checklist: Frozen
Young Anna enjoys her sister Elsa’s magical ice-powers, but after Elsa hits Anna in the head, Elsa closes up the castle and goes into hiding. Years later, as Elsa reluctantly becomes queen, Anna gets a chance to leave the castle and meets Hans, a handsome prince. They quickly decide to get married, but Elsa refuses her blessing. In the ensuing fight, Elsa’s ice-powers go out of control and she flees into the mountains. Anna pursues her and joins with ice-merchant Kristoff and brought-to-life snowman Olaf to find Elsa, who sends them all away, striking Anna’s heart in the process. Hans tracks down Elsa and imprisons her. Anna is told by trolls that she’ll die without an act of true love. She goes to kiss Hans, but he tries to kill her instead. Elsa escapes and Anna almost dies to save her from Hans, and that’s the act of true love that saves them both.
Final Score: 106 out of 122
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Great checklist as usual, but in the scene item "Is the audience left with a growing hope and/or fear for what might happen next?", your answer says "We’re worried about that hit in the head Anna took." But Anna wasn't hit in the head here in this scene; that happened when Elsa mistakenly zapped her when she was 4 years old or whatever. This time, as an adult, Elsa zaps her in the heart. SIGNED, SOMEONE WHO HAS SEEN THIS MOVIE TOO MANY TIMES
Good point! Fixed.
Great checklist! My daughter is four, so I've seen this one plenty.
I feel like one major problem with Frozen is that Hans and Anna actually have way better "I understand you" moments than Kristoff and Anna do. They both connect over feeling ignored by their siblings, and their song is full of lines where they intuitively understand one another's way of looking at things ("Jinx!" "Jinx again!"). Every time they talk about finishing each other's sandwiches, I think, Maybe those two crazy kids can work it out.
Post a Comment