Comparing writing systems...

[Chuck58]

Then, there's this, from Oscar winning screenwriter William Monohan - The Departed; Edge of Darkness and others.

"The thing about this business is that you have to come out of your shell and deal with certain realities of commerce and collaboration and still come up with a masterpiece at the end of it. And you know what? The masterpiece also has to make money. It’s not easy to walk into that set of problems and come out with a work of art at the end of it, but it can be done. As far as getting notes is concerned, I‘ve spent thirty-odd years studying English drama, so I’m personally at a point where I’m post-conscious about craft, but that’s a pricey personal evolution, that’s a thing I chose to do, and you have to remember not everyone’s had time for it, any more than you can expect some other guy off the street to know kung fu or biochemistry. So yeah, there I am, and I sure I know English drama, plus film, and sometimes the other guy knows what somebody at a class told him a screenplay needs, and there’s a difference, but I tell myself what I’d say to my kids or anybody else: when your boss is talking, you listen. The studios catch a lot of crap from the peanut gallery but they’re the guys who pay for the movies and they are rightfully concerned about their investments. I don’t expect an MBA to be Northrop Frye, but I do want to hear his opinions and I’d ask for them were they not given.

"Do I want to hear 'arc' and 'journey' and how does someone 'change' through the course of the movie? No, I do not. People change in stories about people changing, not in every story. Not every story is A Christmas Carol. You get this crap about 'story' because of these chuckleheads out there running script classes, who really prey on confusion about art and people’s genuine desire to learn. It’s shameful what they’ve done to discourse about motion pictures and to film itself. Writers literally get fired in this business because they aren’t providing enough 'journey' in a story that doesn’t call for any. There are no general rules to any sort of writing. Each work has its own inherent rules. You discover them. You don’t import them."

Probably safe to say that Monahan isn't much of a fan of Joseph Campbell.

[uncle_al]

"The Hero's Journey" is a system that works.
It's not the ONLY system that works.
Confusing?
Probably.
My preference (and that's what it is, purely a personal preference) is McKee's STORY... only because I had a class using it as the guiding paradigm.
I also like Blake Snyder's SAVE THE CAT, purely because it made sense to me while reading the book one night.

Your mileage may vary.

Cheers!

Al B.

[Forty]

Actually different writing system is very unique and it is as unique as us as a different individual. All of us have different characteristics, traits, etc. But what we need to know is that what you really want to have in your script. That would put life into your story as you done it full of passion. You should be able to identify your niche and focus on it. When the first one goes strong, all you need to do is branch out from it.

This maybe vaguely true in terms of content, but not structure. "Writing systems" refers to structure. And whether you like it or not, if you want to call yourself a screenwriter then you'll have to get your head around the hero's journey, simply because it's so pervasive. I always recommend students learn it first.

Most of the other stuff fits around it and is easily undestood within its cnotext.

[picohours]

Actually different writing system is very unique and it is as unique as us as a different individual. All of us have different characteristics, traits, etc. But what we need to know is that what you really want to have in your script. That would put life into your story as you done it full of passion. You should be able to identify your niche and focus on it. When the first one goes strong, all you need to do is branch out from it.

[Forty]

At the root, they're the same. But the root is not enough - you need a much more comprehensive analysis. I always refer to the 510+ stage Hero's Journey at http://www.clickok.co.uk/index4.html

Also, you're better off sticking to one structure that you truly understand. And one genre that you truly understand.

It's to do with developing core competencies. Most successful writers stick to a structure and genre they understand. For example, JK - she didn't go writing sci-fi then romcom then a western and then a horror. She stuck to her niche (Harry Potter).

[André]

I am trying to fit different story systems together and would like to see where plot points from Contour fit in with for example the Hero's Journey by Vogler and Save the Cat by Blake. I know that someone made such an overview somewhere on the web, but cannot find it any more. Does someone here where I can fin something like this?