Robert McKee, a wise voice on storytelling, highlights an important point:
The impact of the Inciting Incident creates our opportunity to reach the limits of life. It’s a kind of explosion. In Action genres it may be in fact an explosion; in other films, as muted as a smile. No matter how subtle or direct, it must upset the status quo of the pro-tagonist and jolt his life from its existing pattern, so that chaos invades the character's universe. Out of this upheaval, you must find, at Climax, a resolution, for better or worse, that rearranges this universe into a new order.
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Well put.
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Hi, Ehsan Rahimpour. I’m a Stage 32 Lounge Moderator. I wanted to let you know I moved your post from the Authoring & Playwriting Lounge to the Screenwriting Lounge since it fits better here. Let me know if you have any questions.
I put a lot of thought into the Inciting Incident. I always know it before starting a script. I usually put the Inciting Incident in my logline too.
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Hi, Maurice Vaughan,
oh, thanks for your careful correction.
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You're welcome, Ehsan Rahimpour. And it's the last week of Stage 32's November Write Club. It can help you reach a goal, it's a chance to connect with writers, directors, producers, etc., and you can get support for your goal and projects. There's three prizes this week and a grand prize drawing at the end of the month! Week 4's blog came out Monday. www.stage32.com/blog/november-write-club-week-4-the-art-of-the-pitch-wha...
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it’s the first element I anticipate when I’m watching a movie or a tv Ehsan Rahimpour series.
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Ehsan Rahimpour - very insightful. My entire script is often written from the idea of an inciting incident - then I start at the beginning - incite - and keep going!
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Debbie Seagle Totally agree, the inciting incident sets the whole tone. It’s a great starting point for building momentum.