Screenwriting Lessons: Michael Arndt [Part 4]
Unless you’ve been living under a proverbial rock, you know that screenwriter Michael Arndt has been hired to write Star Wars: Episode VII. This week we are delving into Arndt’s observations about the craft.
Today: More on story endings from Michael Arndt.
The Internet is amazing. And when you have someone like Arndt — who went to film school at NYU, worked as a script reader, and has evolved into a great screenwriter — someone who has put considerable thought into the craft and has given public presentations with his ideas, it’s possible to find that content online.
Which leads me to this: “ENDINGS: The Good, the Bad, the Insanely Great.” Arndt has a comprehensive presentation on this subject. I don’t want to steal his thunder, but Arndt has hit on something so sound [in my view], it deserves as wide a format as possible. So today I’m going to touch on some highlights of his presentation.
Arndt contends movies are all about the last 10 minutes. That is where the meaning of the story is revealed in its fullest.
An insanely great ending includes these dynamics:
• Euphoria
• Emotional release
• Sense of clarity
• “New Eyes” on the world
• Life is actually pretty great
Bad Ending: Positive but… Predictable
Good Ending: Positive and… Surprising
Insanely Great Ending: Positive, Surprising and… Meaningful
Meaning = Emotion
Meaningful Emotion = Insanely Great
This makes me very happy. My principle is Theme = Meaning. And specifically emotional meaning.
So how do insanely great endings work?
How does it work?
What is at stake?
What will be gained or lost?
The Stakes
• Internal (emotional)
• External
• Philosophical
This also makes me happy because for years, I have broken down a screenplay universe into two aspects: External World [Plotline], Internal World [Themeline]. Both of those interweave to create an Existential Question to the Protagonist: Who am I?
External Stakes
• Life / Survival
• Money
• Contest
• Position / Status
• Any Achievable Goal
Internal (emotional) Stakes
• Romantic Love
• Parent / Child Love
• Friendship
• Self Respect
Philosophical Stakes
• Community over Individual
(Casablanca, Star Wars)
• Individual over Community
(Catch 22, The Graduate)
• Ideal vs. Self
(Little Miss Sunshine)
Arndt’s presentation conveys a lot more on the subject, but again I don’t want to steal his thunder. However there is some obvious takeaway even from the minimal amount of content I have presented:
* Endings are hugely important to the success of a screenplay.
* Stories have multiple layers of dynamics at work [External, Internal, Philosophical].
* A story’s emotional meaning is critical to how it is received.
If you search online, you may be lucky enough to find a PDF or even a video of Arndt’s “Insanely Great Endings” presentation. Short of that, check out these links:
For Part 1 of the series on Michael Arndt, go here.
For Part 2, go here.
For Part 3, go here.
Tomorrow: We move from Arndt’s thoughts about endings to beginnings.
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