Comments on: Screenwriting structure Part 12 The Inciting Incident

By: Karel

Karel — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:48:32 +0000

Matt, it’s often easier to figure out if you look at it from the Hero’s POV.

It’s an INCIDENT, something happening TO the Hero. Rarely an action or decision by the Hero.

I believe the death of the family is part of a prologue, leading to the Heroine’s WOUND. So the Ordinary World only starts “One year later”.

In that case, I would say it is the collapse of the cave that is a late Inciting Incident.

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 10:39:11 +0000

Something’s bugging me about horror films… What’s the II in The Descent? Is it the death of her family, or the moment she chooses to go down the cave without a map?

By: Marco, Germany

Marco, Germany — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:01:52 +0000

This is fucking amazing!
I’m not an aspiring screennwriter but I’m reading up on some narratology to hopefully put a graphic novel online.

This post just made me think of a most awesome inciting incident.

I’ll be back for more.

Many thanks!

By: Javier Otero

Javier Otero — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 06:12:52 +0000

I recently discovered this site. Keep moving on UNK… what’re doing its amazing. I’ve learned a lot of things from your post.

I would like to give a little opnion about structure. I do think structure its the key element of any great story. But I think we have to develope our own. And don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that we don’t need to study the all kinds of structures that are out there right now. It is necessary to study them, cause they give us the knowledge to move forward our story. And if we don’t understand the elemental parts of a structure, we will ending creating a completely mess of a story that doesn’t tell us anything. But I think that they doesn’t work for everybody. Well, at least not for me.

Every story its unique. And in my opinion we should be the only ones to give the correct elemental structure so our story works. And I emphasize again… those Act Structures that the gurus teach us are helpful, but we cannot cling to them.

P.S. Sorry for my English. I speak Spanish. I’m learning to speak Enlish.

Javi.

By: Khid

Khid — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:51:59 +0000

Hey Unk! Been a while!

Had a little downtime and got into the production side of things more-so to pay some bills, and now I’ve got my writers cap back on, so-to-speak.

And, the first thing I’m about to ask you? If the Ordinary World is not the daily routine, then you’ve confused me a heap!!!

Consider that your example, back on the post about the Protags’ Ordinary World, was the Music Video for “Turn The Page”… that Ordinary World exists as a daily routine.

Can I get some clarity!?!?

By: Richard McNally

Richard McNally — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 05:52:32 +0000

Ultra that you met the Cincinnati Kid like that … you had the good karma flowing that day … I think I’d give up a finger (not the middle) to have had that experience. Or Cool Hand Luke … I’d flip out … met John Malkovich once, started chatting away to him, telling him how the Square was going downhill, and then I caught myself and blurted, “I can’t believe I’m talking to John Malkovich,” and then went on yammering away. He had his son with him and said he was waiting for his wife to finish shopping. Then an old guy came up and said, “I just want to thank you. And now I want to get out of your head.” And John (I of course call him by his first name now) said, “I want to get out of my head as well,” and said goodbye and walked off.

By: Unk

Unk — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:54:48 +0000

Scott,

That’s really difficult… How about some of my favorites?

THE PROFESSIONAL — 12 year old Mathilda is thrown into Leon’s life.

THE GREAT ESCAPE — The new prison camp IS the inciting incident. Happens IMMEDIATELY.

THE STING — Hooker and his partner, Luther pull a switch on a collector.

COOL HAND LUKE — Luke uses a pipe cutter to lop the top off parking meters.

THE GRADUATE — Mrs. Robinson.

THE BIG LEBOWSKI — The rug.

STAND BY ME — The dead kid.

JAWS — The dead girl with crabs eating her.

THE THING (Carpenter) — The dog.

These are just off the top of my head… Probably some if not most of my favorites…

Ryan,

You said: “EVERYTHING I write in your DAMN comments DON’T come out right for some DAMN reason… I guess that’s y proof reeding is important, huh?”

You got it, Buddy… LOL.

Josh,

Forgive me? WTF did I do? LOL.

Richard,

Thanks for the suggestion… But see? Just from reading that crap, you’ve come up with some outstanding observations on your own and THAT’S what it’s all about.

Unk

By: Richard McNally

Richard McNally — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:23:38 +0000

Unk,

I’ve read your tip on the “Transformational Character Arc” and would suggest that of the 23 Personality Types listed, which is a highly useful list, you might want to consider changing “Type 10, the Fearful” to “Type 10, the Neurotic,” then add a footnote listing: Anxiety Disorder, Depression, Manic-Depression (Bipolar Illness), Schizoid (split personality), Obsessive-Compulsive, Schizophrenic (hallucinations, hearing voices, etc.), and Psyopathic (cold-blooded killer). And tell us about your encounter with Ernest Lehman, if you’ve got the time.

-R.McN.

By: Joshua James

Joshua James — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:21:36 +0000

Yeah, it was a typo, I meant to say it wasn’t an adaptation (like Die Hard) . . . my bad.

Wait a minute.

Unk, did you say . . .

You SAT down with Lehman?

That on top of your McQueen, Unk, means I should officially hate ya just for being so cool . . . I’ll forgive you as long as you SPILL EVERYTHING HE SAID.

Heh-heh.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:08:34 +0000

Unk!!!!

LOL!!!

EVERYTHING I write in your DAMN comments DON’T come out right for some DAMN reason… I guess that’s y proof reeding is important, huh?

I love seeing all the action that comes from the newest post. I get just as much out of it as reading the original post. It’s good reading everyones comments then seeing what Unk says back. Entertaining.

It’s great to see all the action that happens in here after a new post has risen.

Thanks Unk ‘n’ yall!