Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting

Write a short backstory for your main character. Explore ways you could communicate exposition in your film using only visuals and no dialogue.

What is the relationship between the inciting incident and the climax? How could the climax function as the inciting incident for a new story?

At this time of writing, McKee’s monumental work is almost 20 years old. Since storytelling culture is evolving all the time, is there anything in his guide you feel would not resonate with a modern audience? Why or why not?

McKee often draws parallels between the craft of story and the craft of musical composition. Compare genre conventions in storytelling with genre conventions in music.

Reviewing the three levels of antagonism, map out the contrary, contradictory, and negation of the negation levels of conflict for a core value not included in the chapter.

McKee calls the deus ex machina literary device “the writer’s greatest sin.” Find three examples of deus ex machina from popular films and suggest three alternatives that the writer could have used instead. Alternatively, if you think one or more of those examples is effective, explain why.

Explore the difference between genre convention and setting—for example, the difference between a Western story and a story set in the old west.

McKee argues that symbolism in a film is only effective when it is subtle enough to be absorbed subconsciously. Compare and contrast two popular films: one that used symbolism effectively, and one whose symbolism did not have the desired result. The author offers Viridiana as a film whose symbolism fell flat.