Whether you're writing for the big screen or small, if it's a good story, it will faithfully follow the Something Startling Happens' universal minute-by-minute beats. Let's examine Twilight Zone's classic episode, To Serve Man:
MINUTE 1: ATTENSION!
Mr. Chambers argues with the speaker Voice
MINUTE 2: THE BUILD
“This is the way nightmares begin,” the narrator says
MINUTE 3: THE RATCHET
The narrator warns of something ominous in mankind’s future
MINUTE 4: ANOTHER NOTCH
Humans spot a UFO
MINUTE 5: JAW DROPPER
A 9-foot tall space representative enters the conference!
MINUTE 6: FRIEND OR FIST
The spaceman greets the council with “peace and friendship” (Friend)
MINUTE 7: FRIEND OR FIST 2
The spaceman wants to help the people of earth (Friend)
MINUTE 8: SOMETHING STARTLING HAPPENS
The spaceman claims he can prevent earth’s natural and unnatural catastrophes (a startling claim to make!)
MINUTE 9: THE PURSUIT
The Russian councilman pursues the truth, by questioning the spaceman
MINUTE 10: THE DISCUSSION
Russian councilman: Is there an ulterior motive?
Spaceman: There is nothing ulterior in our motives, nothing at all”
MINUTE 11: THE WARNING
The narrator warns us about the spacemen’s real intentions
MINUTE 12: HARSHER WARNING
“This is a tough nut,” says the decoding specialist, “a real tough nut”
MINUTE 13: THE SUBMISSION
The decoding specialist admits that they might be out of a job
MINUTE 14: DANGER WATCH
The General orders the decoding specialist to figure out what the book says
MINUTE 15: WHEW, THAT WAS CLOSE!
The lie detector detects when the spaceman is lying and telling the truth (Whew, that was close—there was a chance it might not work on him)
MINUTE 16: THE BIG CONCERN
The council is concerned whether or not the spaceman is lying
MINUTE 17: WORLD UPSIDE DOWN
The spaceman promises no more war or suffering for mankind, which would turn their world upside down
MINUTE 18: TROUBLE TURN
The narrator suggests that the spaceman’s promises came true, but it may have been a set up
MINUTE 19: THE THREAT
The Russian councilman threatens another man in line
MINUTE 20: PUSH BACK
The assistant says that things seem “odd”
MINUTE 21: THE GREAT AFFECT
The ease at which man complies to the spacemen baffles the decoding specialist
MINUTE 22: TRUTH DECLARED
“The capital letters {the spacemen} use are different than ours” says the assistant
MINUTE 23: SCARY STUFF
The frightened assistant tells the decoding specialist not to get on the ship—the book is a cookbook!
MINUTE 24: SCARY STUFF 2
The spacemen tell the decoding specialist to “eat hardy” (they want him to be plump for when they eat him)
MINUTE 25: SCARY STUFF 3
Rod Serling says that we will be “the ingredient in someone else’s soup”
And try the #1 Bestseller, The Screenwriter's Fairy Tale: The Universal Story Within All Movie Stories: http://www.amazon.com/The-Screenwriters-Fairy-Tale-ebook/dp/B007U6D0CM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348519200&sr=1-1&keywords=the+screenwriter%27s+fairytale+the+universal+story+within+all+movie+stories
Todd Klick Writing Services: www.toddklick.com
Mr. Chambers argues with the speaker Voice
MINUTE 2: THE BUILD
“This is the way nightmares begin,” the narrator says
MINUTE 3: THE RATCHET
The narrator warns of something ominous in mankind’s future
MINUTE 4: ANOTHER NOTCH
Humans spot a UFO
MINUTE 5: JAW DROPPER
A 9-foot tall space representative enters the conference!
MINUTE 6: FRIEND OR FIST
The spaceman greets the council with “peace and friendship” (Friend)
MINUTE 7: FRIEND OR FIST 2
The spaceman wants to help the people of earth (Friend)
MINUTE 8: SOMETHING STARTLING HAPPENS
The spaceman claims he can prevent earth’s natural and unnatural catastrophes (a startling claim to make!)
MINUTE 9: THE PURSUIT
The Russian councilman pursues the truth, by questioning the spaceman
MINUTE 10: THE DISCUSSION
Russian councilman: Is there an ulterior motive?
Spaceman: There is nothing ulterior in our motives, nothing at all”
MINUTE 11: THE WARNING
The narrator warns us about the spacemen’s real intentions
MINUTE 12: HARSHER WARNING
“This is a tough nut,” says the decoding specialist, “a real tough nut”
MINUTE 13: THE SUBMISSION
The decoding specialist admits that they might be out of a job
MINUTE 14: DANGER WATCH
The General orders the decoding specialist to figure out what the book says
MINUTE 15: WHEW, THAT WAS CLOSE!
The lie detector detects when the spaceman is lying and telling the truth (Whew, that was close—there was a chance it might not work on him)
MINUTE 16: THE BIG CONCERN
The council is concerned whether or not the spaceman is lying
MINUTE 17: WORLD UPSIDE DOWN
The spaceman promises no more war or suffering for mankind, which would turn their world upside down
MINUTE 18: TROUBLE TURN
The narrator suggests that the spaceman’s promises came true, but it may have been a set up
MINUTE 19: THE THREAT
The Russian councilman threatens another man in line
MINUTE 20: PUSH BACK
The assistant says that things seem “odd”
MINUTE 21: THE GREAT AFFECT
The ease at which man complies to the spacemen baffles the decoding specialist
MINUTE 22: TRUTH DECLARED
“The capital letters {the spacemen} use are different than ours” says the assistant
MINUTE 23: SCARY STUFF
The frightened assistant tells the decoding specialist not to get on the ship—the book is a cookbook!
MINUTE 24: SCARY STUFF 2
The spacemen tell the decoding specialist to “eat hardy” (they want him to be plump for when they eat him)
MINUTE 25: SCARY STUFF 3
Rod Serling says that we will be “the ingredient in someone else’s soup”
To learn much more about all the minute-by-minute beats, and how to apply them to your screenplay, TV pilot, novel or graphic novel, order Something Startling Happens: The 120 Story Beats Every Writer Needs To Know at Amazon.com or Barnes & Nobles.http://shop.mwp.com/products/something-startling-happens-the-120-story-beats-every-writer-needs-to-know
And try the #1 Bestseller, The Screenwriter's Fairy Tale: The Universal Story Within All Movie Stories: http://www.amazon.com/The-Screenwriters-Fairy-Tale-ebook/dp/B007U6D0CM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348519200&sr=1-1&keywords=the+screenwriter%27s+fairytale+the+universal+story+within+all+movie+stories
Todd Klick Writing Services: www.toddklick.com
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