DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
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- 2010-2011 Story Data
DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
My name is Emily Schultheis; I am currently a junior at GHS. I have benefited from three consecutive years of the Independent Research/Mentorship Programs. In previous years, I dedicated much of my creative energy to scientific research, particularly robotics and optical engineering.
From an intense study of the traditional sciences, I hoped to develop an understanding and appreciation for the scientific element and thought process. I have now decided to explore a different and equally compelling aspect of human ingenuity: artistic expression – in the context of this research I will explore the ideal design of modern story.
DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
Slide 28
It’s interesting to speculate about this 16th component: the hidden need triplet. The hidden need triplet is a series of three scenes taking place consecutively at the beginning of the third act (of a story divided into four acts). They show the main character’s internal progress in himself. At the beginning of the story, the protagonist should have some kind of character flaw that must be resolved before he can finally defeat the antagonist. A simple example would be a high school kid who needs to learn to value real but quirky friendships over shallow but popular allies. The hidden need triplet is the focal point of the story’s teaching of a moral if it has one. The reader or watcher learns a lesson from the protagonist’s ethical realization that can then be taken away, whereas the superficial story world and fireworks, however creative will leave the reader or watcher entertained, but not educated. This data demonstrates that the only difference seen between those stories that carry on (classics) and those that are immediate hits, but do not last (non-classics) is this moral component. Morality is the only aspect of story that stays with us.
The Story Template algorithm failed to detect this hidden need triplet in the objectively-identified classic, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Raiders was an enormously popular film that spawned three sequels, the latest made in 2008 (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). Although there was no prominent change in the protagonist’s way of thinking the story line of Raiders of the Lost Ark centered upon a well-known religious/Biblical artifact (the Ark of the Covenant) and had a Nazi antagonist, which might trigger an emotional response from the audience through implied but not explicit teaching of morality. Furthermore, the uniqueness of the protagonist and concept, the special effects, and the unpredictable stunts definitely made the movie a fun experience.
Interestingly, the second Indiana Jones movie, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, was not nearly as popular. While this second film was darker, it also did not add anything new to the Indiana Jones character; either or both factors may have contributed to its flop. The third film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, added a new character, Jones’ father, and also a renewed childhood in his relationship with his father (and a solved hidden need) that would suggest this film would be quite popular, as indeed it was.
DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
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