Video: The Tarantino Principle
Another in the terrific screenwriting series Raising the Stakes.
Another in the terrific 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.
It’s been a while since the last video dropped and it took the Writers Strike to provide the time, but Jonathan has produced six more installments in the series. Here is Season 4, Episode 1: The Tarantino Principle.
I liked this video so much, I played it last night for my SCWR 306 Scene-Writing class at DePaul University. In the video, Jonathan uses language deriving from film producer, theorist, and screenwriting teacher Frank Daniel:
Objective Drama = External Stakes
Subjective Drama = Internal Stakes
This aligns precisely with the way I’ve been teaching screenwriting for over two decades. When crafting a story, I have my students imagine a screenplay universe consisting of two realms:
The External World (Plotline)
The Internal World (Themeline)
The Plotline is the domain of what the audience sees (Action) and hears (Dialogue).
The Themeline is the domain of what the audiences intuits (Character Motivation / Intention) and interprets (Subtext).
The Plotline reflects how the story plays out in space and time, the Physical realm of the narrative.
The Themeline reflects how the story plays out in emotions and attitudes, the Psychological realm of the narrative.
What that means is that in every scene, something happens. This is the Objective Drama we see and hear. At the same time, however, something else happens, the Subjective Drama we intuit and interpret.
Why the Tarantino Principle? With all those wonderful long monologues in the filmmaker’s movies, the Subjective Drama of those words is infused with tension because of the corollary Objective Drama involving the threat of …
Know what? Watch Jonathan’s video and find out. Lots of great film clips:
To check out previous episodes in the Raising the Stakes series:
Season 1
Episode 1: The Objective Correlative
Episode 2: Breaking Suture
Episode 3: Nuking the Fridge
Episode 4: 10 Ways to Invest Your Audience in Your Hero
Episode 5: Heightening
Season 2
Episode 1: Theme Shown
Episode 2: Raising the Stakes on the Call to Adventure
Episode 3: 7 Ways To Do Bad Exposition
Episode 4: 9 Rules For Good Exposition
Episode 5: Magic Flight
Season 3
Episode 1: The Act One Break
Episode 2: Atonement with the Father
Episode 3: Seven Set Pieces
Episode 4: The Midpoint
Episode 5: Anaphora and Epistrophe
For more background on Jonathan W. Stokes, you can go here.
You may read my interview with Jonathan here.