Movies That Move Us
Also by Craig Batty Media Writing: A Practical Introduction (with S. Cain, 2010) Writing for the Screen: Creative and Critical Approaches (with Z. Waldeback, 2008)
Movies That Move Us Screenwriting and the Power of the Protagonist s Journey Craig Batty Palgrave macmillan
Craig Batty 2011 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2011 978-0-230-27834-9 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6 10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2011 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-32617-4 ISBN 978-0-230-34815-8 (ebook) DOI 10.1057/9780230348158 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Batty, Craig. Movies that move us : screenwriting and the power of the protagonist s journey / Craig Batty. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. Includes filmography. 1. Motion picture authorship. 2. Motion picture plays Technique. 3. Characters and characteristics in motion pictures. I. Title. PN1996.B383 2011 808.2'3 dc23 2011020965 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11
Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgements vi vii Part I Screenwriting and the Power of the Protagonist s Journey Introduction 3 1 Exploring the Duality of a Screenplay Narrative 20 2 Mythology and the Hero s Journey 43 3 Exploring the Hero s Journey 56 4 Redefining the Hero s Journey into a New Model for Screenwriting 81 Conclusion 92 Part II Screenplay Case Studies Case Study 1 Muriel s Wedding 99 Case Study 2 Little Voice 116 Case Study 3 Cars 131 Case Study 4 Forgetting Sarah Marshall 146 Case Study 5 Sunshine Cleaning 164 Case Study 6 Up 180 Notes 196 Bibliography 199 Filmography 201 Index 202 v
List of Illustrations Muriel s Wedding (1994) 99 Credit: Miramax/Photofest Little Voice (1998) 116 Credit: Miramax/The Kobal Collection/Sparham, Laurie Cars (2006) 131 Credit: Buena Vista Pictures/Photofest Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) 146 Credit: Apatow Productions/The Kobal Collection Sunshine Cleaning (2008) 164 Credit: Big Beach Films/The Kobal Collection Up (2009) 180 Credit: Buena Vista Pictures/Photofest vi
Acknowledgements I would like to offer special thanks to Professor Graeme Harper for the wealth of knowledge, support and enthusiasm that has made this book what it is. Without his expert guidance throughout my Ph.D., where this book started, I do not think that I would be writing this page. I would also like to thank Dr Steve May for his support in the early stages of this project, and Robin Mukherjee for being such a generous screenwriting mentor. Many thanks too to Christopher Vogler and Dr Linda Seger, both of whom gave up their precious time and had some very enlightening things to share with me. I would also like to thank Beverley Tarquini, Christabel Scaife, Felicity Plester and all the support team at Palgrave Macmillan, and colleagues at the University of Portsmouth and Bournemouth University. Thanks to Intellect for permitting me to reproduce work from my article, The Physical and Emotional Threads of the Archetypal Hero s Journey: Proposing Common Terminology and Re-examining the Narrative Model, published in 2010 in the Journal of Screenwriting (Volume 1, Issue 2). Finally, and most importantly, I would like to offer thanks and love to my family and friends. They have listened, they have understood, they have cared. vii