Richard Michaels Stefanik - The Megahit Movies

Copyright 2004 by Richard Michaels StefanikAll Rights Reserved.

Published by
RMS Productions Company9299 Tower Side Drive #435

Fairfax, VA 20031

All Rights Reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,without the prior written permission of
RMS Productions Company.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number:Available from the Publisher.ISBN 1-882373-04-9Printed in the United States of AmericaDEDICATEDtoK. C. CRAIGwhoseunconditional loveenabled me to writeThe Megahit Movies
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The analysis of the films in The Megahit Movies book is based onthe versions of the movies distributed on videocassettes and DVDs.The primary purpose of this book is to serve as an educational researchresource for students of popular films, for teaching, and scholarship.These commentaries are published in compliance with the fair usedoctrine, Section 107, of the U.S. Copyright Law.

BATMAN: Copyright 1989 Warner Brothers, Inc.
BRUCE ALMIGHTY: Copyright 2003 Universal Studios.
EMPIRE STRIKES BACK: Copyright 1980 and 1995 Lucasfilm, Ltd.E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL: Copyright 1982 Universal City Studios.FINDING NEMO: Copyright 2003 Disney/Pixar.
FORREST GUMP: Copyright 1995 Paramount Pictures.
GHOSTBUSTERS: Copyright 1984 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.HARRY POTTER: THE SORCERERS STONE: Copyright 2001 Warner Bros.HARRY POTTER: CHAMBER OF SECRETS: Copyright 2002 Warner Bros.HOME ALONE: Copyright 1990 Twentieth-Century Fox.
INDEPENDENCE DAY: Copyright 1996 Twentieth-Century Fox.
JAWS: Copyright 1997 Universal Home Video.
JURASSIC PARK: Copyright 1994 MCA Home Video.
LION KING: Copyright The Walt Disney Company.
LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING: Copyright 2004 New Line.LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS: Copyright 2003 New Line.LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING: Copyright 2001 New Line.MEN IN BLACK: Copyright 1997 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.MONSTERS, INC.: Copyright 2001 Disney/Pixar.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: Copyright 2003 Disney.
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: Copyright 1981 Lucasfilm, Ltd.
SHREK: Copyright 2001 Dreamworks LLC.
SHREK 2: Copyright 2004 Dreamworks LLC.
SPIDER-MAN: Copyright 2002 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.SPIDER-MAN 2: Copyright 2004 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.STAR WARS: Copyright 1977 Twentieth-Century Fox, 1995 Lucasfilm, Ltd.STAR WARS: ATTACK OF THE CLONES: Copyright 2002 Lucasfilm, Ltd.STAR WARS: RETURN OF JEDI: Copyright 1995 Lucasfilm, Ltd.THE GRINCH: Copyright 2000 by Universal Studios.
THE MATRIX RELOADED: Copyright 2003 Warner Home VideoTHE PASSION OFTHE CHRIST: Copyright 2004 Icon Pictures.
THE PHANTOM MENACE: Copyright 1999 Lucasfilm, Ltd.
THE SIXTH SENSE: Copyright 2000 Spyglass Entertainment Group.THE WIZARD OF OZ: Copyright 1939 Lowes, Inc., Renewed 1966 MGM, Inc.TITANIC: Copyright 1998 Paramount Pictures.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword by Chris LockhartExecutive Story Editor, International Creative Artists (ICM)11

Film Critics Best Movies28
Megahit Movies Redux31

Genres segment the mass market audience43High Concepts & Loglines47How to hook the reader with one sentence49

The Unique Object & The Main Characters55
The Unique Object57
The Protagonist58
The Antagonist61
The Love Interest64

The Climax Scene of the Movie67
The final battle between the Protagonist and the Antagonist69
for possession of both the Unique Object and the Love Interest

Plotting for Audience Emotional Responses75
The psychology of the audience77
Understanding audience empathy and enmity77

Character Development: Maintaining Audience InvolvementPersonal Objectives87
Character Motivation91
Decisions: Hard Choices95
Relationships: Lovers & Friends99
Codes of Behavior104
Transformations109
Personalities113
Supporting Characters117

Subgoals & Plot Twists: Creating Unpredictability123
The Story Objective125
Concrete Objects128
Personal Values130
Subgoals & Subtasks132
Strategies & Plans134

Conflicts: Creating Excitement137
Obstacles139
Jeopardy141
Self-Conflicts145
Enemies148
Relatives151
Friends154
Lovers157
Physical Objects160
Natural World163
Supernatural World166

Plots: Designing the Emotional Roller Coaster Ride169
Plot & Story171
Events & Actions173
The Inciting Event175
Subplots178
Plot Arena180
Plot Twists183
Plot Organization187
Plot Outline Worksheet190
Emotional Plotting192
Emotional Plotting Graph194

Story: Whats It All About?195
Human Values197
Virtues & Vices198
Community Ideals200
Basic Story Design201
A-Story & B-Story204
Story Climax & Plot Climax206

Scenes: Creating Those Special Moments211
Scene Actions216
Point of Attack217
Crisis, Confrontation, Climax, and Resolution217
A Model Scene218
Establishing Scenes219
Transition Scenes222
Opening Scenes225
Introduction of the Protagonist229
Introduction of the Antagonist233
Climax Scenes236
Resolution Scenes237
The Essential Scene Elements241

Emotions: Making the Audience Feel243
Emotion & Story245
Emotion Words247
Theories of Emotion251
The Cognitive Theory252
Intensity of Emotions253
Reactions to Events253
Reactions to Actions255
Reactions to Objects257
Dialogue & Emotion258

Humor: Release the Tension and Make Them Laugh261
Emotion & Humor263
Theories of Humor265
Humorous Dialogue275
Humorous Situations278
Humorous Characters280
Humor in the Megahit Movies287

Sequences: Designing a Series of Scenes307
Entertaining the Audience309
Visual Material310
Excitement314
Surprise315
Suspense316
The Chase317
Ticking Clocks320
Using Props322
Exposition325

Themes: Creating Universal Appeal329
Mythic Structures331
Megahit Movie Themes332

Scene-by-Scene Analysis of a Popular MovieThe Wizard of Oz339

Story Structures in Megahit Movies
Chicago371
Shrek & Shrek 2375
Spider-Man & Spider-Man2388
Pirates of the Caribbean416
Finding Nemo425
Monsters, Inc.428
Bruce Almighty434
The Matrix Trilogy441
The Passion of the Christ447
Harry Potter and The Sorcerers Stone448
Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban456
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy458

Screenwriting & Movie Magazines489Recommended Screenwriting Books490The Megahit Movies Hollywood Story Design Workshop 493The Megahit Movies Website502Richard Michaels Stefanik
The Megahit Movies Hollywood Story Design Workshop

The Megahit Movies book is a revised and updated version of aprevious work on story structure, Structures of Fantasy, which analyzeddramatic and comic elements found in commercially successful movies.

Structures of Fantasy has been selected by the Writers Guild ofAmerica (WGA) Mentors Program for the Recommended ScreenwritingBooks list ( www.wga.org/mentors/mentorbooks.html) , and it is describedas one of the best books on story structure.

Richard Michaels Stefanik is the Writer-Director-Producer ofthe movie, Henry Dodd, which was released by RMS ProductionsCompany in 2004. He consults with new writers to develop theiroriginal stories into high concept screenplays. He was a ScreenwritingFellow at the American Film Institute, where he wrote, directed, andproduced a dramatic movie, Michael & Christina. Richard then workedat several Hollywood studios, including Paramount Pictures andWalt Disney Productions