Animation Scriptwriting
Stories - Part Six: Problems and Power
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Plateaux, Mountains and Valleys

Life doesn't run smoothly. Everything goes along fine for a while and then problems come and we are in the valley of despair. Then things change and we are on top of the world and wondering what the trouble was all about. This is a common story pattern. You can draw a story line like a graph, plotting the ups and downs as good and bad.

Here is Robinson Crusoe outlined this way:

He goes on a voyage

Good

   

His ship is wrecked

Bad

   

He is washed up alive

Good

   

The island is deserted

Bad

   

He manages to survive

Good

   

He discovers hostile natives

Bad

   

He rescues one who is friendly

Good

With Cinderella it would be:

Cinderella is orphaned

Bad

   

Her stepmother makes her a servant

Bad

   

The Prince wants to meet local girls
to choose a wife

Good

   

Cinderella is blocked from the
invite to the Ball

Bad

   

Cinderella has a Fairy Godmother

Good

   

But the magic is limited to a few
hours at the Ball

Bad

   

She has to run out of the Ball

Bad

   

But she leaves her slipper

Good

   

The Prince tries to trace her

Good

   

The stepmother pretends she is
not in the house

Bad

   

She appears and goes off with
the Prince

Good


 Exercise


Analyse three fairy tales in this way.

  
 

Search: Analyzing story plots

 
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