Friday, February 24, 2012

How PIXAR Uses the 120 Universal Story Beats!

A minute-by-minute analysis of UP by Todd Klick, using the Something Startling Happens' story beats.
MINUTE  1:  AT-TENSION!
The narrator says, “Who would dare set foot on this inhospitable summit?”   
MINUTE  2:  THE BUILD
Scientists accuse Muntz of fabricating the skeleton and strip him of his membership     
MINUTE  3:  THE RATCHET
Carl slams into the stump
MINUTE  4:  ANOTHER NOTCH 
Ellie yells at Carl for trespassing
MINUTE  5:  JAW DROPPER
Carl falls through the floor, and breaks his arm!
MINUTE  6:  FRIEND OR FIST
Ellie shows Carl her adventure book (FRIEND)
MINUTE  7:  FRIEND OR FIST 2
Ellie and Carl get married and work on their house (FRIEND)
MINUTE  8:  SOMETHING STARTLING HAPPENS
All the clouds turn into babies!
MINUTE  9:  THE PURSUIT
Ellie and Carl put money in the jar so they can go to Paradise Falls
MINUTE 10: THE DISCUSSION 
Carl thanks the travel agent for the tickets she sold him
MINUTE 11: THE WARNING
Ellie dies
MINUTE 12: HARSHER WARNING
Carl lives a lonely existance without Ellie 
MINUTE 13: THE SUBMISSION
Carl gives up all his efforts of leaving the house and sits on the porch instead
MINUTE 14: DANGER WATCH 
Carl receives an ad from Shady Oaks retirement home
MINUTE 15: WHEW, THAT WAS CLOSE!
Carls expects to open the door to the construction company boss, but it’s a boy scout instead (Whew!) 
MINUTE 16: THE BIG CONCERN
The boy scout won’t leave Carl’s porch
MINUTE 17: WORLD UPSIDE DOWN
The truck backs into Carl and Ellie’s mailbox
MINUTE 18: TROUBLE TURN
Carl strikes the construction worker and it draws blood
MINUTE 19: THE THREAT  
A police car shows up; the judge orders Carl into a retirement home
MINUTE 20: PUSH BACK
Carl makes a promise to himself and crosses his heart
MINUTE 21: THE GREAT AFFECT  
Thousands of balloons spring out of Carl’s house and lift it into the air
MINUTE 22: TRUTH DECLARED
Carl says, “I’ll send you a postcard from Paradise Falls!”
MINUTE 23: SCARY STUFF
The house flies at a dangerous height
MINUTE 24: SCARY STUFF 2
Carl hears a knock on the door—Scared Russell is on the porch!
MINUTE 25: SCARY STUFF 3
Scared Russell runs into the house
MINUTE 26: THE BIG UNEXPECTED
They’re headed towards a big lightning storm!
MINUTE 27: THE MINI-QUEST 
Carl tries to steer away from the storm
MINUTE 28: BIG QUEST PREP 
Carl and Russell prep for their trip to South America
MINUTE 29: BIG QUEST PREP 2 
Carl wants to drop off Russell so he {Carl} can continue on
MINUTE 30: THE NEED
Carl needs to go higher or they will wreck!
MINUTE 31: DISTRESS SIGNAL   
Carl and Russell dangle over a cliff!
MINUTE 32: ANXIETY AMP
Russell can’t climb the rope, which causes Carl great anxiety
MINUTE 33: OMINOUS OH NO!
Carl is stuck on the wrong side of the rock (oh no!)
MINUTE 34: FRIEND AFFECT 
Russell walks along with Carl
MINUTE 35: BAIT & SWITCH  
Dogs chase the bird (BAIT), but Carl’s hearing aide scares them away (SWITCH)
MINUTE 36: HIDE & SEEK
Russell spots an animal’s tracks (HIDE), and Russell goes looking for it (SEEK)
MINUTE 37: OVER HIS HEAD
The bird is HUGE. Russell may be in over his head
MINUTE 38: POSITIVE RECONNECT
Russell and the bird play
MINUTE 39: NEW JOURNEY BOND
The bird follows Carl and Russell
MINUTE 40: ALLY’S WORLD
Russell secretly feeds the bird chocolate so it keeps following
MINUTE 41: THORNY ROSE
The dog has a talking collar (ROSE), but Carl thinks it might be radioactive (THORN)
MINUTE 42: SURPRISE REVEAL
The hidden bird tackles the dog  
MINUTE 43: SURPRISE REVEAL 2
“Squirrel!”
MINUTE 44: NEW NEWS
The dogs discover that there’s a boy with their dog friend
MINUTE 45: OUT OF THE ORDINARY
Russell yells at everyone
MINUTE 46: THE REVELATION
Carl realizes he can’t escape the dog and bird
MINUTE 47: THE ESCORT 
Russell points to the tent he made for Carl
MINUTE 48: NEEDED KNOWLEDGE 
Carl learns that Russell’s dad and stepmom don’t care for him
MINUTE 49: FOREBODING FACT
“What have I gotten myself into?” Carl asks Ellie
MINUTE 50: THE PORTENT
The bird is taking the food
MINUTE 51: THE ENGAGE     
The mean dog asks Dug where the bird is
MINUTE 52: SAY UNCLE     
Carl gives into the dogs   
MINUTE 53: THE INTIMIDATION    
Many mean dogs surround Carl   
MINUTE 54: THE LIGHTBULB    
Russell realizes the old man is his hero, Charles Muntz!   
MINUTE 55: SIDESWIPE     
The mean dogs put “the cone of shame” on Dug   
MINUTE 56: DARK TWIST CHAT    
Muntz played gin rummy with President Roosevelt, but he would cheat   
MINUTE 57: DIFFICULT WORDS    
Muntz says thieves have come to steal what’s rightfully his   
MINUTE 58: VITAL EVENT    
Muntz learns that Russell lured the bird with chocolate   
MINUTE 59: THE DECEPTION              
Muntz believes Carl is decieving him about why he’s here   
MINUTE 60: THE SHOCKER
Muntz sees the bird on Carl’s house and sets the dogs on them!   

And so on...

To learn much more about all 120 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 Storieshttp://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 Serviceswww.toddklick.com

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