Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast DZ-43: Driving Sequences - Character and Plot Intensity
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Jul 8, 2017 Guest Stephen Cleary delves deep into the impact of plot vs. character questions in sequences, exploring how they shape pacing, structure, and audience engagement. The discussion spans films like THE BOURNE IDENTITY, NAKED, and THERE WILL BE BLOOD, unraveling the dynamics of protagonists and the narrative impact of abandoning the plot. Spoilers ahead in this 3-hour long exploration!
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Sequences as Story Chapters
- Sequences in storytelling act like chapters, each with its own driving question that keeps the audience engaged.
- These can be plot questions (What happens next?) or character questions (Who are these people really?).
Three Kinds of Sequences
- Different kinds of sequences exist: plot sequences, plot-character sequences, and pure character sequences.
- Each type shifts story intensity from external action to internal character exploration.
Bourne's Plot to Character Shift
- In The Bourne Identity, a sequence shifts from intense plot action to a slower, introspective plot-character sequence.
- Jason Bourne questions his own morality, which slows the plot and deepens character complexity.