Video: “Heightening”

Another in the excellent screenwriting series Raising the Stakes.

Jonathan W. Stokes is a screenwriter with a unique credit to his name: Five of his original screenplays have been named to the annual Black List. That alone should get your attention, but there’s also this: Over the last few years, he has produced an excellent video series called Raising the Stakes.

In the Season One, Episode 5 video (“Heightening”), Jonathan says this:

“The term heightening comes from improv comedy but the concept applies in every genre of storytelling.”

In this video, Jonathan explores the use of heightening in comedy, action, adventure, romantic comedy, and horror.

Pixar are masters at heightening in their storytelling. I like to break it down into three degrees: Complication, Roadblock, Reversal.

Complication: This is anything from a mere nuisance to a major hassle that requires a minimal level of time and effort for the characters to overcome.

Roadblock: Whereas a complication slows things down, a roadblock stops characters in their tracks, making them to figure out an alternate way to get around the obstacle.

Reversal: This is the biggie, a major obstacle that forces characters to move away from their goal, if only temporarily, but in so doing ratcheting up the drama.

A complication is akin to a hurdle and they need to figure out a way get over it.

A roadblock is akin to a boulder and they need to figure out a way to get around it.

A reversal is akin to a flood and they need to go back figure out an alternative route.

If you watch any Pixar movie strictly with an eye toward these moments, you will be amazed at how frequently they appear. For example, consider the ending sequence in Toy Story:

· Buzz’s rocket attached to his back causes him to get stuck in Sid’s fence. COMPLICATION

· The moving van drives away. REVERSAL

· The strap of the van is just out of Woody’s reach. COMPLICATION

· Sid’s dog Scud clamps his teeth onto Woody. ROADBLOCK

· Buzz jumps down from the van to confront Scud, causing the dog to free Woody. SWITCH

· Woody and the moving van leave Buzz behind. REVERSAL

· When Woody throws the RC Car onto the street, the other toys attack him. REVERSAL

· When Buzz jumps onto RC Car, Rocky spins Woody who in turn spins the car. COMPLICATION

· Hamm leaps onto Woody causing Buzz to end up facing backward on RC Car. OBSTACLE

· Buzz and the RC Car drive straight into a busy intersection. ROADBLOCK

· The toys toss Woody off the truck. REVERSAL

· A car heads straight for Woody and he ducks just in time. COMPLICATION

· Buzz and RC Car smash into Woody who is now a passenger. SWITCH

· The toys about to run into the car that just passed them. ROADBLOCK

· Rocky pushes a lever, truck ramp slams down almost crushing Woody and Buzz. COMPLICATION

· Woody grabs Slinky to get pulled onto the truck, but RC Car slows down. ROADBLOCK

· Battery running dead, the RC Car slaloms on Slinky from side to side. COMPLICATION

· RC Car sputters to a stop. REVERSAL

· Woody ignites match to light fuse on Buzz’s rocket, but passing car puts it out. REVERSAL

· The sun magnified by Buzz’s helmet starts to burn Woody’s hand. SWITCH

· Woody uses Buzz’s helmet to light fuse, but it is so strong they go airborne. COMPLICATION

· The rocket hurtles higher and higher, then Buzz extends his wings. SWITCH

· Buzz and Woody narrowly avoid some power lines while flying. OBSTACLE

· They miss the truck, but drop right into Andy’s car. SWITCH

Here is a video excerpt of part of the Toy Story sequence:

From a plot standpoint, the writers’ task was to get Woody and Buzz into the car with Andy, but instead of moving from Point A to Point B as simply as possible, they created a slew of Complications, Roadblocks, and Reversals to make the journey an arduous one by heightening circumstances.

Note: Sometimes, things work in favor of the character. We may think of those as a Switch.

Jonathan’s video drives home how valuable heightening can be as a tool to create drama, chills, and thrills.

Movies referenced in the video:

Check out all of Jonathan’s Raising the Stakes videos.They offer an excellent foundation in grasping the essence of screenplay structure.

For more background on Jonathan W. Stokes, you can go here.

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You may read my interview with Jonathan here.