If you visit this
blog often (though it cannot be too often as of late, seeing that I
have added few new articles over the past four years), you may have
noticed that I talk a lot about PLOT PATTERNS:
The “Taking on the Mantle;” “The Unstoppable Beast;” “The Healing Narrative,” Or you’ll find articles like this one where I
ramble off a series of types: “Type 5c: The Exploiter,”
Type 9b: The Voluntarily Snowball of Complications,” “Type 16b:
The False Friendship.” However, I have never provided a full list
of these patterns on this blog, other than to mention that the
information can be found in full in my book Screenwriting & The Unified Theory of Narrative, Part II. I
admit this is kind of a tease, but cut me some slack. There are
THIRTY-FOUR of these patterns. It takes a lot of time and space to
list them all. But to remedy that, I will finally list all of
American cinema’s common plot patterns here and now, one chunk at a
time, with descriptions and examples taken straight out of UTN
Part II.
For
those of you who have yet to hear me talk about the plot pattern
phenomena, you can read this article I wrote for Creative Screenwriting Magazine to get a basic summary of just what plot
patterns are and how they operate. You can also find diagrams of each
pattern here on this blog.
One
note: Sometimes in the past I have stated that there are sixteen
common patterns of plot, at other times thirty-four. To clarify (and
as you will see below), there are sixteen general patterns.
Most of these general patterns can be divided into two or three
subtypes, resulting in a sum total of thirty-four overall patterns.
Additionally, I should state that these are merely the thirty-four
most common plot patterns in Hollywood and American
Independent cinema. There very well may be more. However, any
examples of these yet-to-be-identified patterns occur so infrequently
that I have yet to gather enough evidence to confirm the existence of
a repeated structural pattern. On a similar note, some of the
following patterns are found with a far greater frequency than
others. For some, like Type 1a: The Reluctant Hero, I could compile a
list of dozens of well-known examples. Others, like Type 5b: The
Ejected, are rare finds, so their examples are a bit more obscure.
The
sixteen general plot patterns can be further organized into four
categories: Hero-Centered Narratives, Antagonism-Centered
Narratives, Action-Centered Narratives, and Dualist
Narratives. I will begin here with the Hero-Centered and Antagonism-Centered Narratives
and provide the rest in my next installment.
HERO-CENTERED NARRATIVES
Hero-centered narratives place a great deal of emphasis upon the
protagonist, his or her Character Arc, and the psychological impact
of story events. These stories encourage close personal
identification with the protagonist and develop largely in response
to the character’s internal wants, fears, or needs.
1.
An Innocent Abroad
A passive or reactive protagonist is drawn into a confused or
threatening situation and forced to decide how or if to participate.
For the first half of the story, this hero exerts little personal
control, and is thus left subject to ambivalent desires or the whims
of the chaotic situation. At the Midpoint, the hero finally seizes
control and launches a course of strong, willful actions to resolve
the situation or achieve a more positive personal fate.
- Subtype A: The Reluctant Hero (Star Wars, The Godfather, The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Die Hard, Cast Away) – By poor luck or a twist of fate, a protagonist is swept into a predicament or situation he or she would rather have no part of. Initially reluctant to participate, the protagonist first allows more proactive characters to control his or her fate and/or merely attempts to survive passing events. Eventually, developments convince the protagonist to take charge of the situation. He or she transitions from reactive to proactive, taking direct actions to resolve the situation.
- Subtype B: The Wrong-Way Hero (The Graduate, Almost Famous, Spider-man, American History X, The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) – Outside characters or unexpected events lead a protagonist to a choice that may decide his or her destiny. At first, the protagonist chooses wrong, following a flawed or ill-conceived path. The protagonist realizes this mistake at the Midpoint and attempts to reverse course. This puts the protagonist at odds with his or her former allies and/or previous actions, requiring great personal effort to put life back on the right track.
2.
The Small Man /Woman Rises
An outside power or circumstance plucks a protagonist from obscurity
to fulfill an important duty or role. Unprepared for this
responsibility, the protagonist is initially hampered by flawed
beliefs, attitudes or insecurities. Struggles and setbacks lead to
self-evaluation, eventually causing the protagonist to discover or
challenge his or her heroic identity. Later developments test this
newer identity, with the protagonist often failing before finding
victory.
- Subtype A: The Summoned Hero (The Matrix, Men in Black, The Silence of the Lambs, Kung-fu Panda, Unbreakable) – A more-or-less unremarkable protagonist is selected by an outside power to fulfill a heroic role. Due to personal flaws, the protagonist has difficulty adjusting to this new identity, and thus requires help or mentorship from stronger or more experienced characters. Gradually, the hero acquires the necessary skill or strength, yet must ultimately prove this worth against an ultimate test without help from others.
- Subtype B: The Breakaway Hero (Batman Begins, 12 Monkeys, Rocky, Whiplash, Trading Places) – A higher power lures a protagonist into a role or duty with the promise of fame, glory, or personal worth. However, the protagonist eventually realizes the power is corrupt, exploitative, or using him or her contrary to better interests. This causes the protagonist to break away. The protagonist finds a new identity as a solitary hero, often turning the protagonist and higher power into direct adversaries.
- Subtype C: The Returning Hero (The Dark Knight Rises, Airplane!, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Cinderella Man) – A hero of former greatness has receded into irrelevancy, often due to a debilitating personal flaw. Unexpected events convince the protagonist to return to his or her former role. However, the protagonist’s old methods meet failure. To succeed, the protagonist must transform into a new kind of hero, one capable of solving problems in healthier and more effective ways.
3.
Taking on the Mantle
A protagonist begins as an anti-hero—someone capable of heroism who
nevertheless chooses to behave in selfish or harmful ways. This is
disrupted by an event or situation that demands the protagonist
become a more open or morally-responsible member of society. Though
initially reluctant, the protagonist eventually finds the will to
walk a higher or more selfless path, in spite of the risks or
difficulties this may bring.
- Subtype A: Crisis of Character (Rushmore, Shrek, As Good as it Gets, Liar Liar, The Royal Tannenbaums) – A deeply-flawed protagonist has willfully isolated him or herself through selfish or anti-social behaviors. Surprise events force the protagonist to “rejoin” human society through situations that demand honest, caring, or cooperative interaction with others. Eventually, the protagonist recognizes the harm caused by his or her behaviors and decides to change in order to forge fulfilling relationships.
- Subtype B: Crisis of Conscience (On the Waterfront, Casablanca, Michael Clayton, Schindler’s List, Thank-you for Smoking) – A morally-ambivalent protagonist begins the story in a complicit partnership with a Force of Darkness. Since the protagonist profits from this arrangement, he or she willingly ignores, or even aids, the Force’s misdeeds. However, the plight of an innocent victim (or victims) compels the protagonist to question this loyalty. Eventually, the protagonist turns on the Force of Darkness, taking selfless actions to protect the weak.
4.
The Healing Narrative
A protagonist begins the story with a physical, emotional, or
spiritual “wound” that prevents him or her from functioning
normally in life. This character is then compelled (by will or force)
to pursue an objective which may heal the wound. Though the hero
meets obstacles and external conflicts, real moments of development
occur when the character is forced to step outside his or her comfort
zone, face flawed attitudes or beliefs, and then move past old
traumas to secure a healthier state of mind.
- Subtype A: The Resistive Wounded (Good Will Hunting, Ordinary People, Sideways, Silver Linings Playbook) – In this first type, the protagonist does not want to heal. He or she protects the wound or refuses to recognize its existence. This prevents healthy personal development and creates conflicts with those who wish to help the protagonist. Eventually, narrative developments convince the character to change his or her attitudes so healing may begin.
- Subtype B: The Seeker Wounded (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Hi Fidelity, About Schmidt, Bringing Out the Dead, The Fisher King) – Here, the protagonist knows he or she is wounded and genuinely wishes to heal. Unfortunately, the character does not know how to go about this. Lost and confused, the protagonist seeks out personal relationships and paths of self-examination to find a way back to a healthy and productive life.
5.
Character Drive
Desiring more out of life, a protagonist follows a path of action he
or she hopes will lead to happiness or success. Unlike most plot
patterns, the protagonist makes this choice voluntarily, without
being forced by an outside conflict. However, the protagonist’s
actions turn out to be foolish or harmful, creating predicaments that
demand self-evaluation and personal change before anything resembling
real happiness can emerge.
- Subtype A: The Escapist (Lawrence of Arabia, Office Space, Trainspotting, Tootsie, Dances With Wolves) – Discontented with life, a protagonist escapes into some blissful alternative. However, this alternative proves to be a fool’s paradise. Neglected problems build under the surface, eventually returning to threaten the protagonist. With this, the protagonist must realize he or she cannot continue to hide from reality. Success comes only by returning to the original world to face problems head-on.
- Subtype B: The Ejected (The Hustler, Jerry Maguire, The Wrestler, Chicago, The Artist) – A restless protagonist feels a compulsion to pursue an (often ill-conceived) personal ambition. However, initial actions prove self-destructive, expelling the protagonist from his or her former environment. Now lost in the wilderness, the protagonist searches for new paths and relationships to regain a sense of direction or control. Many mistakes must often occur before the protagonist discovers the reason for his or her original failure and finds a new way to return to the initial objective.
- Subtype C: The Exploiter (There Will Be Blood, The Social Network, Bowfinger, The Big Short, Capote) – An immense desire for gain or glory drives a protagonist to pursue an objective by dishonest means. While the protagonist may make great progress, his or her exploitative behaviors test and often destroy personal relationships. Eventually, the protagonist must either repent these behaviors and make amends, or end up bitter and alone.
ANTAGONISM-CENTERED NARRATIVES
Antagonism-centered narratives are driven more by the force opposing
the protagonist than the protagonist him or herself. This often
places the protagonist into the role of a reactionary or victim,
resulting in stories where the villain may be more memorable than the
hero.
6.
The Unstoppable Beast
A protagonist is continually tormented by a malevolent force with a
single-minded desire to enslave, destroy, or ruin the protagonist.
The plot develops as each escalated attempt to resist or escape the
force is denied. Eventually, the hero must take a direct stand
against this force in a desperate attempt to reclaim his or her
security or freedom.
- Subtype A: The Destructive Beast (The Terminator, The Bourne Identity, Punch-Drunk Love, No Country for Old Men, The Incredible Hulk) – A protagonist is targeted by a malicious force that will stop at nothing to see the protagonist killed, captured, or ruined. Multiple attempts are made to escape the force, yet this only intensifies the pursuit. Eventually, the only solution is to face and defeat the force in a direct confrontation.
- Subtype B: The Covetous Beast (Sunset Boulevard, Fatal Attraction, A Beautiful Mind, Misery) – Here the Beast does not wish to destroy the protagonist, but possess and control the protagonist. Poor initial decisions trap a protagonist in a toxic relationship that progressively robs the hero of his or her independent will or freedoms. The protagonist then attempts to escape, inciting vicious reactions that escalate the conflict to an ultimate breaking point.
7.
The Infecting Agent
A malicious force (physical, psychological, or otherwise) invades the
protagonist’s environment and proceeds to poison or destroy
everything around it. Characters make progressive attempts to avoid,
disarm, or eliminate this force, yet fail due to its steadily
increasing power or refusal to give in.
- Subtype A: The Infecting Being (Alien, Casino, The Usual Suspects, Jaws, The Dark Knight) – In this first instance, the malicious agent is physical (either a character or some form of creature). At first, the protagonist is unaware of the agent or underestimates its threat. This allows the danger to grow until it becomes too dangerous to control. Following attempts to combat the agent prove futile, inevitably forcing the protagonist to formerly unthinkable lengths to expel this entity from his or her life.
- Subtype B: The Infecting Idea (Reservoir Dogs, Mystic River, Glengarry Glenross, Election, Birdman) – Here, the agent is abstract in nature. Characters are exposed to some psychological threat, worry, or suspicion that brings out their most irrational fears or impulses. Though the characters try to resist, one or more individuals eventually succumb to this irrationality. This causes characters to turn on one another, leading to chaos and self-destruction.
- Subtype C: The Spoiler (Amadeus, The Magnificent Ambersons, Bridesmaids, Pushing Tin, My Best Friend’s Wedding) – In a mixture of the previous types, a protagonist feels threatened by a new arrival into his or her environment. This is only a perceived threat. It has not yet, nor may ever become a legitimate one. Nevertheless, an irrational fear or jealousy motivates an escalating series of actions intended to undermine or eliminate the new arrival. This eventually backfires, poisoning the protagonist’s life and everything in it.
(On to Part 2 --> )
