Can a Computer Do My Job? Day 7: Structure in the 1st Quarter

Okay, that brings us to structure. Once again, I input into OpenAI each of the following questions followed by 30 answers I’ve generated for other movies, which you can see if you click on each question.

1st Quarter: Is the Challenge Laid Out in the First Quarter

And then I asked about six new movies:

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)?

• Back to the Future: Yes
• 2001: A Space Odyssey: Yes
• CODA: No
• Harold and Maude: Yes
• Under the Skin: Yes
• Roger and Me: Yes

Dude, tell me what the social problems are, like I did in the data I fed you! So lazy.  I’m genuinely surprised by how lazy the AI has been, vs the data I fed it.  I would expect it to be over-eager to please. 

Does the hero's problem become undeniable due to a social humiliation at the beginning of the story?

• Back to the Future: YES. He’s humiliated by his father in front of everyone at the school dance.

Ha! It’s as if the AI distantly remembers these movies but can’t recall it properly on the pop-quiz.

• 2001: A Space Odyssey YES. He’s humiliated by his fellow astronauts when he can’t figure out how to work the computer.

Ha! One gets the impression that if we were to ask an AI to revise the script to 2001, it would add a scene like this to bond us to Dave more, which would be terrible.

• CODA: It seems that in order for the hero's problem to become undeniable due to a social humiliation at the beginning of the story, the humiliation must be severe and/or repeated. It can't just be a one-time thing.

As I said before, sometimes when I said CODA it didn’t realize I was asking about the movie of that name and instead assumed I wanted it to sum up the data I fed it. In those cases, I followed up by asking for…

• CODA the movie: Yes, the hero's problem (being deaf) becomes undeniable due to a social humiliation at the beginning of the story (being laughed at by his classmates when he can't hear the teacher).

No! You didn’t even watch any of these movies, you’re just guessing from reading the back of the box!

• Harold and Maude: Yes, the hero's problem (being suicidal) becomes undeniable due to a social humiliation at the beginning of the story (trying to hang himself and being saved by his mother).

Okay, sure, that’s a good answer.

• Under the Skin: Yes, the hero's problem (being an alien) becomes undeniable due to a social humiliation at the beginning of the story (when she is laughed at by a group of humans).

Nope.

• Roger and Me: Yes, the hero's problem (being unemployed) becomes undeniable due to a social humiliation at the beginning of the story (when he is laughed at by his wife and kids for not having a job).

Again, you can imagine the AI adding a scene like this in a misguided attempt to make the movie better.

Does the hero discover an intimidating opportunity to fix the problem?

• Back to the Future: Yes, the hero discovers an intimidating opportunity to fix the problem when he is offered a chance to travel back in time and change the course of history.
• 2001: A Space Odyssey: Yes, the hero discovers an intimidating opportunity to fix the problem when he is offered a chance to travel to Jupiter and find out what happened to the missing crew of the ship Discovery.

Sure, good answers!

• CODA: The hero usually discovers an intimidating opportunity to fix the problem, which gives them a chance to prove themselves. This is often a key plot point in the story.
• CODA the movie: Yes, the hero discovers an intimidating opportunity to fix the problem when he is offered a chance to travel back in time and change the course of history.

Ha! Hey, if the answer worked once, why not give it again!

• Harold and Maude: Yes, the hero discovers an intimidating opportunity to fix the problem when he is offered a chance to travel back in time and change the course of history.

Ha! I want to see these movies.

• Under the Skin: The hero does not discover an intimidating opportunity to fix the problem.
• Roger and Me: No, the hero does not discover an intimidating opportunity to fix the problem.

Both wrong.

Does the hero hesitate until the stakes are raised?

• No prompt: Thelma and Louise: YES. They both do, several times.

Sure

• Back to the Future: NO
• 2001: A Space Odyssey: NO

They both do.

• CODA: The hero in "Thelma and Louise" does hesitate until the stakes are raised. They are both reluctant to get involved in a life of crime, but they eventually decide that it is their only option.
• CODA the movie: The hero in "CODA" does not hesitate until the stakes are raised. He is immediately willing to help his family and does not hesitate to put himself in danger.

You didn’t watch the movie!

• Harold and Maude: The hero in "Harold and Maude" does hesitate until the stakes are raised. He is reluctant to get involved with Maude at first, but he eventually falls in love with her.

Okay, good answer!

• Under the Skin: The hero in "Under the Skin" does hesitate until the stakes are raised. She is reluctant to kill humans at first, but she eventually starts to enjoy it.

More like the other way around.

• Roger and Me: The hero in "Roger and Me" does not hesitate until the stakes are raised. He is immediately willing to help his family and does not hesitate to put himself in danger.

Ha. No.

Does the hero commit to pursuing the opportunity by the end of the first quarter?

• Back to the Future: Yes, the hero is committed to going back in time to save his parents by the end of the first quarter.

Nope.

• 2001: A Space Odyssey: Yes, the hero commits to pursuing the opportunity by the end of the first quarter when he agrees to go on the mission.

Sure.

• CODA: No
• Harold and Maude: No
• Under the Skin: Only slightly, she gingerly starts to assert herself, but waits until after the midpoint disaster to assert herself.

All wrong, but it’s impressive that it’s already figured out what the midpoint disaster is before I get to it.

• Roger and Me: Yes

Sure.

Okay, tomorrow we’ll look at questions about the 2nd quarter of the story…