FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE PDF

Lecture Identify common elements that have set stories apart from nonstories over the ages. - Emotion - Meaning - Conflict - Character Arc - Rooting interest - Stakes, Moral Choice - Consequences - Dilemma List five benefits that stories provide society. - Teach - Pro...

Lecture Identify common elements that have set stories apart from nonstories over the ages. - Emotion - Meaning - Conflict - Character Arc - Rooting interest - Stakes, Moral Choice - Consequences - Dilemma List five benefits that stories provide society. - Teach - Provide us with heroes and dreams - Inspire us - Provide escape - Give hope - Provokes change - Festers emotions - Help us understand What is a story? - A hero's struggle against an obstacle to reach a goal. What is a hero? - SOMEONE LIKE US with a HIGH-STAKES GOAL (and/or a HIGH-STAKES NEED TO CHANGE) who DRIVES THE ACTION FORWARD through ALL OBSTACLES to reach THE GOAL. - The one we root for. List six types of goals a hero might have. - Love - Prize - Personal Achievement - Revenge - Survival  - Rescue - Beating the enemy - Achieving good List six types of obstacles a hero might encounter. - Man v. Man - Man v. Self - Man v. Nature - Man v. God - Man v. The Clock - Man v. Society How does comedy writer Bill Idelson say the hero-goal-obstacle equation can be manipulated for greater effect? - Make the obstacle bigger, or make the hero's desire stronger. What are the first two hero questions, and how does the first relate to Idelson’s definition of story? How does the second relate to Egri’s definition of a well-drawn character and his concept of transition? - What does the hero want? (External/superficial/requires no growth) = Hero-obstacle-goal - How does the hero need to grow and change? (Internal/deep/transforming) = Motivation...? Be able to reproduce the Eight Essential Story Points (including approximate page numbers where each occurs). Act 1 - 1. Opening - The Hook. (Page 1) - 2. Upsetting the Apple Cart - An incident disrupts the status quo and sets the hero's story in motion. (Page 10 - 15) - 3. End of Act One - Something happens that cuts off any possible return to the status quo. (Page 27 - 30) Act 2 - 4. Beginning of Act 2 - Our hero makes a plan. (Page 30) - 5. Midpoint - A major development spins the story in a new direction; the hero’s plan is adjusted. (Page 60) - 6. End of Act 2 - A crisis; the hero’s plan fails; all hope is lost. (Page 85 - 90)  Act 3 - 7. Beginning of Act 3 - Our hero makes a new plan, requiring him to grow and change at the most basic level. Has to use the new capabilities to overcome an obstacle. (Page 90) - 8. End of Act 3 - A final showdown. The new plan succeeds (or fails) and our hero achieves his goal (or doesn’t), often in an unexpected way. (Page 105 -120) Define genre and give examples. - A group of things (stories) that share common characteristics. - Examples: Comedy, horror, drama, etc… Why does a writer need to understand genre? - It allows you to talk about your film - Tells executives who to market to - Makes you marketable - You understand the principles that make the genre work. How can a writer learn the principles by which a specific genre operates? List questions that can be asked to help determine these principles. - What are the great classic films of the genre? - What recent films in the genre have been the most successful? - What distinguishes this genre from others? (plot/character-driven, how much the hero changes, what kind of goal/obstacle, stakes, role of the antagonist, beginning, ending, what emotions). What is a logline and how can it be created? - A sentence that presents to you the simplified version of the idea. - Should focus the understanding of the story and have the hero-goal-obstacle. List four possible sources of story ideas. - Character - Arena - Theme - What if... List questions Bill Marsilii suggests a writer ask to test the strength of an idea. - Does the idea spark a bunch of other ideas?  - The "oooh" response. - You're dying to write it. - Compelling central question. - Does the idea go to extremes? - Compelling central relationship? - Is the obstacle big enough? - Has it been done? How are meaning, attitudes and thematic questions communicated through stories? (Don’t have the answer for this…) Egri What is the fundamental material the dramatist (storyteller) is forced to work with? - Character List and describe Egri’s three dimensions of character. - Physiology, sociology, and psychology. What, according to Egri, must “every character a dramatist presents” have within it? - The seeds of its future development. How does Egri define “a badly drawn character”? - Any character that does not undergo a basic change. What is a weak character unable to carry? - The burden of a conflict that is protracted (a conflict that lasts a long time). What does Egri mean by “orchestration”? What does orchestration demand? - Contrasting characters are instruments which work together to give a well-orchestrated composition. - Orchestration demands well defined and uncompromising opposition, moving from one pole toward another through conflict. What will happen to a story if the protagonist and antagonist do not have a strong, unbreakable bond between them?  - The conflict will never rise to the climax. Explain: “All [forms of conflict] rise on this simple basis: attack and counterattack.” - Each will reveal how strong he really is, limits will be pushed. What will determine the intensity of a conflict? - The strength of will of the three-dimensional individual who is the protagonist. List and describe Egri’s four types of conflict. - Jumping Conflict - Static Conflict - (Steadily) Rising Conflict - Foreshadowing Conflict What will “two determined, uncompromising forces in combat” create? - A rising conflict Egri says, “It is imperative that your story starts in the middle, and not under any circumstances, at the beginning.” Explain what he means. - You have your story or play the moment you can answer authoritatively why this man must do something so urgently and immediately. - Whatever it is, the motivation must have grown out of what happened before the story started. - Your story is possible only because it grew out of the very thing that happened before. Understand the recurring sequence of conflict, crisis, climax, and resolution. - Ex: In birth pains, there is crisis, and the birth itself is the climax. The outcome, whether it is death or life, will be the resolution. What is an antagonist? - anyone who opposes the protagonist What is a pivotal character, and what are his or her necessary qualities? - The Protagonist  - He is necessarily aggressive, uncompromising, even ruthless - He creates conflict and makes the play move forward What is a premise, and what are its three parts? Be able to provide examples. - The truth that the story tries to prove (A purpose, goal, thesis, or theme) - 3 Parts: Character, conflict, and conclusion Understand and describe a unity of opposites. How can one be broken? - The real unity of opposites is one in which compromise is impossible. - Proper motivation establishes unity between opposites. - Only death in some way will end the conflict. - Only if a trait or dominant quality in one or more characters is fundamentally challenged. In a real unity of opposites, compromise is impossible. What is a point of attack? - That point at which a character must make a momentous decision. What must all well-drawn characters undergo? - They must undergo a basic change. Understand the dialectic process: thesis, antithesis and synthesis, and provide examples. - Dialectics: It is the three-part process that Socrates discovers truth. - Thesis: Status quo-> Hero's want. - Antithesis: Something other characters are against. - Synthesis:The thing that is the change that has to happen What is transition and where in the story does it occur? - Transition is a gradual change. - (Where does it occur?) What is exposition? How is it tied up with character, action and conflict? - Exposition itself is part of the whole play, and not simply a fixture to be used at the beginning and then discarded. - Without once mentioning "atmosphere" in the questions we ask ourselves, and the answers we give, we shall be on the way to establishing it. - (Could use a better answer)  Turner What reason does Turner give for Christian fiction lacking “the deep texture of real life”? - Writers were using fiction to evangelize people who they imagined wouldn't accept the gospel in other forms. - Rather than trying to show the whole truth, they were trying to show "the simple truth". - Christians can diminish the importance of human endeavor in the arts. It is the instinct of the artist, according to Turner, to ask questions about what four topics? - Origins, identity, behavior, and destiny. Outline the evolution of “religious art” or “Christian art”: a) During the first two centuries after the death and resurrection of Christ - No religious art. b) From the time of Constantine through the Enlightenment - Churches were decorated with scenes from the Bible, Mary, and the saints. This helped communicate the Gospel to illiterate people. c.) During and after the Reformation c.1) List the three principle effects of the Reformation on art - 1. Regular people outside the church began to commission art of landscapes, family portraits, horses, etc. - 2. Protestants claimed that every aspect of everyday life (non-religious) was for God. - 3. They destroyed religious christian art because protestants were opposed to it. c.2) Describe the contradictory effects of the Reformation on theater - Protestants hated theater / art / fiction (they believed it told lies). They believed that plays encouraged immorality. c.3) Describe the “ambiguous role” of the Reformation in the rise of the novel - It made novels possible. Puritans became great keepers of journals to record spiritual growth. It developed the inner voice of consciousness. - However, they did not approve of fiction books made for amusement. d) From the 20th century to the present, including Christian responses to film and popular music - Christians here are suspicious of music, movies, and TV shows, as they could encourage immoral behavior. Describe how the Reformation changed the subject matter of art. - Same Answer as C1. - 1. Regular people outside the church began to commission art of landscapes, family portraits, horses, etc. - 2. Protestants claimed that every aspect of everyday life (non-religious) was for God. - 3. They destroyed religious christian art because protestants were opposed to it. From Turner's chapter “The World,” list concerns our Christian forebears had about the making of art. - That it would become idolized. Why does Turner say stories so often contain depictions of sin? - Drama depends on conflict. The protagonist must face tests and trials, and through overcoming them reveal his true character. What does John Henry Cardinal Newman observe about literature of sinful man? - It is a contradiction in terms to attempt a sinless literature of a sinful man. What does Turner say it means for a Christian to become “worldly” in a negative sense? What does he say it means in a positive sense? - We are to be IN the world, but not OF it. - Negative: We become worldly by allowing any system without God at its center to shape our thinking. - Positive: God made the world good. We should be good stewards of it. We should be lovers of life because God is the giver of life. Explain Turner’s statement that “the truly Christian worldview is far more pervasive and often less obviously religious than people imagine.” - Many acceptable morals in our society are aligned with Christianity. - Additionally, much of daily living is the same between Christians and others. We don’t have to be overt for people to understand us. - Also, the gospels embrace all aspects of life, not just that about Jesus. What is Turner’s criticism of “a dualistic view of life”? - Both the body and spirit are important to nurture. - Plato believed that the body and soul were at odds and that death was the only cure. - Paul, on the other hand, believed that our mind needed only to be constantly renewed and controlled, and that the body was not bad. - Christ embraced all areas of life and blessed human activities, etc. What three doctrines does Turner say are necessary for creating art that isn’t “warped”? - Creation, Fall, and redemption. What do salt and light represent to Turner, and what do they mean for a Christian working in media and the arts? - Salt = preservative and restraining evil. - Light = guidance and revelation. - We should be where those in need of illumination can see us, like Jesus’ illustration of putting a lamp on the stand. Our light does not help those who already have light. Describe and explain Turner’s notion of five concentric circles representing types of art a Christian might produce. - The outer ring is made up of art that doesn't suggest an obvious worldview. We may think that we can hear the accent of Jesus but it is not overt. - The second ring contains work that is an expression of our Christian faith because it dignifies human life and introduces a sense of awe. - The third ring contains those things that carry an imprint of clear bible teaching but which we know are not uniquely Christian. - The fourth ring gets closer to the issues to the heart of the gospel. The Issues here are inspired by some of the Bible's primary Theological themes. - At the heart of the final circle stands the cross and the gospel of death and resurrection. What does Turner say is the reason he believes that “the most common criticism of Christian art is that it is old-fashioned and irrelevant”? - Christians often ignore the pressing questions of the day because they either  don't understand the issues or fear it will weaken their faith. What does Turner believe we can learn from the way Paul addressed various audiences? - He takes into account their culture, unique problems, questions, and recent history. In what ways does the song “Sunday Bloody Sunday” touch on Turner’s center circle? - It seems that U2, because of the excitement of their music and strength of their vision, was able to achieve things that weaker, less imaginative artists would never have been able to do. - "Sunday Bloody Sunday," (the title refers to the killing of Irish marchers by British troops in 1972) moves from some general musing on violent conflict to the causes ("the trenches dug within our hearts") to the ultimate solution ("The real battle just begun/To claim victory Jesus won/On Sunday, bloody Sunday.") - Thus the blood has become the blood of Christ and the Sunday has become Easter Sunday. What does Pixar director Pete Docter advise about building a film around a moral? What does he say happens when you “actually come out and say it”? - Says that he feels uncomfortable with the idea of expressly building a film around a moral. - It loses its power when you actually come out and say it. Turner writes about artists who have been “destroyed by the very values they set out to challenge.” He writes that the change hasn’t been sudden, but has taken what form? - The form of a gradual compromise until, eventually, their hearts went cold towards God. What does Turner see as the relationship between the quality of an artist’s spiritual life and the spiritual quality of his or her work? - If the quality of the Christian's spiritual life suffers, then he or she will never be able to compete with the best that the world can offer.