Master Storytelling Basics in Filmmaking with ‘The Batman’

The art of storytelling has been an integral part of human culture since the beginning of time. From cave paintings to modern day films, storytelling has evolved, but the fundamentals remain the same. In the world of filmmaking, storytelling is the backbone of a successful movie. In this video, we will explore the fundamentals of storytelling in filmmaking. Today, we're gonna break down Matt Reeves' The Batman as an example for storytelling in filmmaking. Hey guys, I also have links to the movie and some story structure books in the description if you wanna check those out. All right, let's get back to it. Now let's go to the bare bones. What is a story? Simply put, a story is a telling of a series of events that unfolds through time. Why do we care about stories? Humans connect with stories because stories can touch us on an emotional level. Stories are entertaining. Stories can be persuasive. Stories can teach us something about the world and other cultures. All right, now let's go to elements of storytelling. A story can be as basic as one person telling another about their day. But what makes a good story is how it employs the following elements of storytelling. Plot, character, conflict, theme, story structure, and genre. Now what makes a plot interesting to the audience? It includes well-developed characters. Characters that are engaged in some type of conflict and follow some type of story structure. Characters are vital to stories. Without characters, there's no story to tell. A character's purpose is to move the story along through his or her actions or through dialogue. I hope you guys are enjoying the video so far. Go ahead and hit that like or subscribe button. Hit that little notifications tab so you know when a new video is dropping. All right, guys, let's get back to it. Now let's go through the types of characters. We have the protagonist, the good guy, a main character who is often the hero of the story. This character is typically well-developed and will generate events in the story's plot. In our example, our protagonist will be Batman, an antagonist, the bad guy, a main character or group of characters who cause conflict for the protagonist. Now there are many antagonists in the Batman, but we're gonna focus with the Riddler as the main antagonist, which I believe he is. There are several types of characters, but they can all be categorized as either a main or other character. First, we have a foil. A foil is a character that has opposite character traits from the protagonist and to help highlight or bring out another's positive or negative sides. Many times, the antagonist is the foil for the protagonist. In the Batman, the foil was the Riddler, played by Paul Dano. He was an especially great foil because he brought out Batman's positive and negative sides by showing Batman what actions he had inspired. Next, we have static characters. These are characters who do not change throughout the story. Their use may simply be to create or relieve tension, or they were not meant to change. Sometimes a major character can remain static through the whole story. This character was and always is in Batman films, Alfred, as he keeps the same feel through the movie and guides Batman through his ups and downs. All right, next we have dynamic. Dynamic characters can change throughout the story. They may learn a lesson, become bad, or change in complex ways. Our dynamic character in this story is Catwoman, played by Zoe Kravitz. She changes through the story and keeps us engaged as she helps Batman and ends up eventually doing bad things for good reasons. Next, we have a flat character. Flat character has one or two main traits, usually only all positive or negative. They are the opposite of a round character. The flaw or strength has its use in the story. This character is the Penguin, played by Colin Farrell. He's on the negative side of the flat character. He's not the main antagonist, but his negative traits help move the story along. Round characters. These are the opposite of flat characters. These characters have many different traits, good and bad, making them more interesting. Batman has always been a round character, which is why he is such a classic and beloved character. And the other round character will be going back to Catwoman. And then we have stock characters. These are the stereotypical characters, such as the boy genius, ambitious career person, fateful sidekick, mad scientist, et cetera. The stock character in this film is James Gordon. He is the fateful sidekick who does what it takes to help the city and Batman. All right, now let's go to conflict. Every story should have a conflict, a struggle between two opposing forces. Conflict can be internal or external. Internal conflict occurs within a character's mind. Internal conflict is categorized as man versus self. External conflict is a character dealing with an outside force. External conflict can be categorized in many ways, man versus man, man versus society, and man versus nature. In the Batman, our main character has many conflicts he's dealing with throughout the story. He battles himself on if he's doing things the way he should be, as well as dealing with the loss and controversy of his parents. He has conflict with the thugs on the street, with the police officers, and the main antagonist, the Riddler. Now the theme. The theme of a story is the story's underlying message, the emotion or takeaway message behind the heart of the story. Themes are not stated directly by the author. Instead, the audience has to think about what the theme may be. Common themes include triumph. The main character faces an obstacle they need to overcome. Love. Two characters fall in love and fight for the right to remain together, despite strong obstacles. Good versus evil. Opposites are in conflict with each other. Obviously, this story has a good versus evil theme, but also this is a coming of age story, as this is a younger Batman still trying to figure out how he's going to make change in Gotham and carry his family's legacy. All right, now let's get into the structure. The person who first described the basic story structure was the philosopher Aristotle, who explained how we tell stories in his work, Poetics, now known as the three-act structure. Act one, beginning, act two, middle, act three, end. Prevalent in many stories throughout history and still used today in many different mediums. The three-act structure is a go-to story structure for many mediums. Feature-linked films, comic books, novels, plays, but not all stories follow this structure. When writing a short story or short film, writers may not have space or time for all elements to fully unfold. Just remember, whatever your story's length and however much you want to experiment with this structure, something has to happen in the story, and all stories generally involve exposition, conflict, rising action, a climax, and an ending resolution. Typically, all stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end, separated by turning points. Twist in a story that provoked the beginning of a new act. Act one, beginning. First, we have the setup, the exposition. The beginning introduces the main characters, the world he or she lives in, the conflict the character finds him or herself in. The beginning usually includes an exciting incident, an event that is out of the ordinary that throws the main character into the conflict. The exciting incident in this film will be the opening scene of the movie where the Riddler kills the mayor. The beginning ends at a point at which the protagonist is forced to make a decision and leave their normal world behind. This part of the film is when Batman meets Selina Kyle, or Catwoman, when chasing down a suspect for the murder. He now has a partner when he usually works by himself. Act two, middle, confrontation. The story develops, actions rise and fall, but there is an overall rising tension that leads to the climax of the story, the final moments of the story's main conflict. The middle also includes the midpoint of the story, a moment of false hope, when the character falsely thinks the conflict can be solved. The midpoint is the big car chase scene with the Penguin, and he and James Gordon believe the Penguin is the prime suspect, but find out he is not. Crisis. Next, we go to the crisis moment, a dramatic moment that forces the protagonist into the second turning point. This moment happens when Batman finds out about his family history, and Alfred opens a bomb that sends him to the hospital. Second turning point, a moment that forces the main character and the story in a different direction. This moment happens when the Riddler is captured, tells Batman about the bombs around the city, and they go off as Batman is interrogating him. Now, the climax of the story is when the city is being flooded from the bombs, and Batman has to go save the city of Gotham. Resolution. The loose ends of the story are wrapped up, typically a shorter act, since the audience may lose interest after the resolution of the climax. Batman and Selina go their separate ways, and Batman has a clear view of what he needs to do going forward for the city of Gotham. Hopefully, that breakdown helped you understand plot, character, conflict, theme, and story structure. I'm a big fan of having examples when learning, so I thought that would help the understanding a little bit more. If you're having trouble writing your own story or worrying about story structure, try following this simple exercise to create your own story spine in seven steps. Just complete the sentences. Although this may seem elementary, a story spine has become a popular tool with writers. Once upon a time is the beginning, and every day until one day, the inciting incident and first turning point. And because of this, now this is the middle. And because of this, until finally, the second turning point, and ever since that day, and then that's your end. These fundamentals are essential to creating a compelling narrative that will keep the audience engaged from beginning to end. By understanding these fundamentals, filmmakers can create stories that will resonate with the audience for years to come. Thanks for chilling and learning with me today, you guys. I'll see you next time.