Screenwriting: All (Hollywood) Stories Follow the Same Pattern: Jaws (1975)
All (Hollywood) stories follow the same pattern. After deconstructing more than 100 successful Hollywood blockbusters, we can make this statement with certainty.
Below is a sample of the pattern and a deconstruction of one of Hollywood’s Greatest Films.
Jaws (1975) deconstructed
FADE IN: Context: music, underwater, dark, something, lurking…
Antagonism: Jaws attacks the girl in the water.
Meeting the Hero and Allies in their Ordinary World [home]: Martin, Ellen and Michael Brody at home. Hero’s Backstory: we bought the house in Fall, now it’s Summer; “like you’re from New York.”
Foreshadow of the Journey: the phone rings…missing person on the beach…gotta go.
Warning: “listen chief, be careful will ya…”
Developing Character: Brody on the beach with the boyfriend.
Call to Adventure: finding the body on the beach.
Hero in his Ordinary World [office]: Brody in the office.
Foreshadow of the Adventure: probable cause of death…Shark Attack; the Doctor’s call.
Obstacles to the First Threshold: minor characters and police issues that block Brody out of the office.
The World of the Journey: the characters we meet on the way to the shop.
Forced to the First Threshold: some kids are doing a mile long swim for their merit badges.
Interdictor: the mayor tells Brody he hasn’t the authority to shut down the beach or “yell shark!”
Foreshadow of the Physical Separation: Alex goes into the water.
Hero Frustrated: Brody watching the water, “chief Brody you are uptight.”
Forced to Counter the Interdiction: Jaws attacks Alex; “everybody out…”
Developing Characters and Relationships: the meeting.
Meeting the Shape Shifter: Quint will deliver the head, the tail, the whole damn thing for $10,000.
Seeking Guidance / Developing Characters and Relationships: Brody reading about sharks; with Ellen.
Developing the Antagonism: “Michael, out of the water now!”
Developing the Antagonism: Jaws pulls the pier apart; Brody reading the book; the visual images of shark attacks.
Warnings: Brody tries to get the shark hunters out of the water.
Meeting the Mentor: Matt Hooper arrives.
Developing the Antagonism: Hooper examines the body.
Pushed toward the Physical Separation: Hooper’s examination: it was a shark!
Resisting the Physical Separation: they think they’ve caught the shark.
Foreshadow of the Physical Separation: Quint sails by.
Pushed towards the Physical Separation: Hooper wants to cut the shark open.
Pulled from the Physical Separation: the Mayor resists cutting open the shark.
Pushed toward the Physical Separation: Alex’s mother slaps Brody in the face.
Developing Characters and Relationships; Mentor’s Backstory: Hooper brings around some bottles of wine. Inner Challenge made explicit: Ellen recalls that Brody couldn’t even drive over a bridge.
Physical Separation: they cut open the shark and find no human remains.
Developing Characters and Relationships / Developing Backstory: Brody and Hooper on the boat;
Transformation / Trial 1: the boat is working its way along the territorial waters where the shark has been feeding; they find Ben Gardner’s boat; Hooper goes underwater and finds the dead body.
Transformation / Trial 2: not convincing the Mayor; “tomorrow is the 4 th July…”
Transformation / Trial 3: Amityville is open on the 4 th July; nobody’s going n the water; the false alarm; attack in the pond.
Symbol of Transformation: “take Michael home.” “Home New York?” “No, home here.”
Meeting the Oracle: Brody forces Larry to authorise the hiring of a contractor [Quint].
Entering the World of the Sword: Quint’s place.
Developing Characters and Relationships: “I don’t need this working class hero crap…”
Preparing for the Journey: “what are you, some kind or half arsed astronaut…”
Foreshadow of the Final Conflict: the cage.
Warnings: Ellen says goodbye.
Journey to the Sword: the boat sets sail.
Trial 1 / Developing Characters and Relationships: “keep that chum line going chief…”; the smell…
Magical Gift: Martin drops the compressed air.
Trial 2: Brody ties the knot.
Trial 3: the gamefish / is it the shark? sequence.
Battle with the Guardians: “we’re going to need a bigger boat…”Jaws appears in full length; that’s a 25 footer, 3 tons on him.
Foreshadow of the Near Death Experience: Quint on the radio.
Foreboding / Warnings / Resistance: “foreground my ass!”
Seizing the Sword: harpooning Jaws with the barrels.
Developing Characters and Relationships: comparing scars.
Near Death Experience: the USS Indianapolis story; the whale; the song; Jaws attacks the boat.
Foreshadow of the Final Conflict: Brody with his gun.
Reward: the barrel is up.
Refusal: Quint smashes the radio; there is no going back for a bigger boat.
Atonement with the Father: they harpoon two barrels onto him.
Apotheosis: Jaws goes down with three barrels.
Ultimate Boon: “we’re heading in Brody…”"Thank Christ!”
Magic Flight: Quint pushes the boat until it burns out.
Rescue from Without: “Hooper, what can we do with these things of yours…?”
Foreboding at the Border: “I got no spit…”
Crossing the Return Threshold: going down in the cage:
Catharsis 1: Jaws attacks the cage.
Catharsis 2: Jaws eats Quint.
Master of the Two Worlds:
Brody puts the tank into Jaws’ mouth.
Catharsis 3: Brody pokes Jaws away.
Build up to Final Catharsis: Brody shoots but misses the tank.
Catharsis 4: Brody shoots the tank.
Physical Celebration: Brody screams for joy.
Freedom to Live:
Hooper reappears.
Physical Celebration: Brody and Hooper laugh.
The birds.
Inner Challenge Conquered: “I used to hate the water…”
They swim to shore.
Learn more…
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Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at http://www.clickok.co.uk/
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