based on the Story Grid series of blog posts, books, and podcasts by Shawn Coyne and Tim Grahl.
Welcome back to my continuation of applying the Story Grid method of story structure analysis to one of my favorite stories: the sci-fi/action/horror classic, Aliens.
Last week, I introduce the concept of Shawn Coyne's Story Grid in macro as it pertains to the entire, or global, story. I promised you a contrasting perspective this week, by applying that same method in a micro level to one of my favorite scenes from that film. We will see how it can be used at the smallest levels of story to help you analyze and troubleshoot your work.
I'll give a quick overview of the Story Grid approach here (if you want more details, check out last week's blog, or go strait to the source at storygrid.com). Stories that work typically have a solid structural foundation consisting of five fundamental components: the Inciting Incident, one or more Progressive Complications, one of which forces a Turning Point; the Crisis; the Climax; and the Resolution. See the infographic below for details on what these terms mean in the Story Grid universe.
The scene I've selected for this micro dive is one of the scenes I singled out last week as one of the 5 Commandments in the global story: the Crisis.
There's so much to love about this scene - where do I begin? Bill Paxton's panicked Private Hudson; Michael Biehn's resigned, ticked off, Corporal Hicks; and of course our fearless leader, Ellen Ripley not mincing words when she sets slimeball Burke straight about what's going to happen next. Click here to watch the two minute scene. It's glorious.
Just to recap: the elite military force sent to investigate mysterious problems on The Company's terraforming planet has just been decimated in their first encounter with the aliens. They are dumbfounded by this turn of events, to say the least. The survivors have retreated to the safety one of their fancy military vehicles to discuss what action to take next, since their original plan to show up, kick ass, and take names, has failed so spectacularly. Ripley and the remaining soldiers want to exterminate the aliens by any means possible, including destroying the terraforming facility from space using nuclear weapons. But Burke, who works for The Company, objects on the grounds they have much invested in this facility, and he urges them to consider other options. But they outnumber him physically, point out that technically he is not in charge, and decide to proceed with their plan to destroy the entire facility.
I chose this scene as a Crisis scene (in the Story Grid sense) at the global level because events force the characters to regroup and make a new plan of action. They each suggest options, laying out the various choices quickly and concisely.
Identifying important scenes from the 30,000 foot level may seem pretty straightforward (even though it's not, IMO). But what about the 3000 foot, or the 30 foot? It's tempting to feel like you're in a forest-for-the-trees situation. The trick is to view the smaller chunk as the entire story.
My other handy tip to help identify these components is to identify the most important/obvious one first, and work from there. For me, this is usually the Climax. Some find the Turning Point more obvious. Basically identify which Commandment hill you are willing to die on, and work from there.
Here's how I identify the 5 Commandments in this scene.
Inciting Incident: the expedition discovers the missing colonists deep within the aliens' lair.
Turning Point/Progressive Complication: many of the military force are killed, including their leader.
Crisis: several characters suggest their idea of a Plan B. Some are already thinking about what weapons they still have available and how they can be used. One suggests just leaving. One suggests a literal Nuclear Option. One argues for an option that would minimize the damage to the expensive terraforming facility.
Climax: all but one agree they should employ the maximum force necessary - "it's the only way to be sure".
Resolution: the group quickly prepares to take action on this new plan.
As I mentioned last time, and will mention every time when blogging about the Story Grid 5C's: even though they're referred to as 'commandments', they are definitely not written in stone. I'd love to hear your thoughts on where the 5C's of this scene are - especially if you disagree with me!
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