When little time exists during an interview or when I receive quick questions after a speaking engagement, the number one question everyone asks is, “What’s the single most important thing I need to understand about story structure?”

My answer is straightforward, “Your story needs to have a beginning, middle and end.”

At that point the person stops listening because they think they know how to make it happen. They are sorely disappointed that I haven’t given them a secret Easter egg of success. But I have and they’ve missed it.

All great stories are about movement, change and growth. The movement is reflected in the pacing and universal questions raised within the story. The change is based on circumstances and how it affects the character. And, the growth is the development of the character. The only way to demonstrate these issues and effects is through a three-act structure that has a beginning, middle and end.

The beginning is all about the character’s typical life in contrast to his dreams – Defined as the thesis world. The middle is about the character overcoming obstacles or battles, as circumstances keep the character from his dreams – Defined as the anti-thesis world. The end is all about how the character succeeds at overcoming his obstacles and ends up with his dream, but not as expected – Defined as the new thesis world.

BEGINNING: HELP THE AUDIENCE TO CARE
If there is no beginning, the audience can’t care about the character or relate to him. They can’t understand his dreams in contrast to his daily mundane life. Nor can they care to watch the rest of the film because they weren’t able to connect with him or be emotionally charged enough to care. But with a beginning properly in place, the audience will cheer him on to achieving his dreams.

MIDDLE: DEMONSTRATE WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE TO THE AUDIENCE
If the middle is missing, the audience won’t be excited about the character’s achievement. It’s only when we watch someone continue to preserver through the toughest of situations that we applaud their accomplishment, having overcome numerous obstacles. Also, without a middle, the audience can’t see past the normal or mundane. There is no need for hope or achievement, just status quo, which doesn’t make for a very good story.

END: GIVE THE AUDIENCE HOPE
If the story has no end, then the audience feels ripped off. For it’s in the ending that we find hope of success and a new way of living. It contrasts the mundane or excessively difficult world we sometimes face and it provides a new hope for our own lives. We no longer see life from the point of us not being good enough or being squelched by the world. Instead we see a new hope that causes us to realize that we can make a permanent impact in our own life.

So, the most important part of story structure is having a beginning, middle and end.

And, not the kind that a person says is the beginning, middle and end, but a real one.

I recently talked with a filmmaker who stated that his short had a beginning middle and end. After watching it, I was not able to see all three elements. In other words, his film drove me to not care, see no practical demonstration of success, and take no hope into my own life. He had fooled himself into thinking there was a story structure in place when it didn’t exist.

All stories must have a beginning, middle and end, or it isn’t a story.

What do you feel are the most important elements of story structure?

COPYRIGHT © 2014 BY CJ POWERS

Those who know me are well aware of the many facets of my life. Whether I’m addressing areas of leadership, creativity, filmmaking, business, ministry or any other interest, I don’t beam nearly as much as I do when I watch my kids shine in those same areas. There’s something about watching them exceed what I’ve done that is exhilarating.

I first noticed that type of fatherly pride when my son was a drummer in a band that performed concerts globally including Russia and Brazil. I had played drums since the fourth grade and enjoyed being in symphonic, jazz, and marching bands. But, my touring was limited to performances during NFL halftime shows. To watch video clips of my son in Russia and see pictures of his concerts in Brazil was a thrill.

That same sense of pride in my kids was magnified when my youngest daughter started her own film production company. She combined efforts with another production company on three profitable feature documentaries that released theatrically. The documentaries I had shot over the years only released to television.

About a year ago, my oldest daughter bought a small business and rebranded it. She streamlined the business processes, reduced the expenses to operational costs only, and then sold the business last week for an exemplary profit. Her business acumen continues to amaze me.

Also last week, my son announced that his prototype for the new card game he designed arrived for play testing. His first introduction into game creation was for our family business. At age 12, he wrote some of the code and animation for an interactive roleplaying game sponsored by Tambrands.

Watching all three of my kids excel in areas that I’ve touched over the years is rewarding. While we’ve all struggled through many projects and ventures with some level of success, I’ve always thanked God for His blessings in my kids’ lives. I also take some of the credit, thinking that I must have done something right in raising creative leaders.

I can’t wait to see how my kids raise their kids with creative leadership abilities.

What do you do to instill creative leadership skills in your kids?

I had a good time coaching two filmmakers recently. They both wanted to learn as much as they could from my experiences and had the exact same questions. The only obvious difference between the filmmakers was the genre they work in. One made Christian films and the other horror films.

But there was a second, less obvious difference. The Christian filmmaker talked from the perspective of being a part of the “Christian film industry,” while the maker of horror films talked from the perspective of the movie industry. This is a bit confusing, since there is only one global film industry.

The Christian filmmaker became angry when I explained that there was only one film industry. He ranted on about the differences between the Christian and secular film industries. However, as a consultant, I had to bring the truth to light.

The thing that makes an industry is the joint economic activities between businesses, moving from concept to deliverables, in a given field.

To clarify my point, I asked several questions. Can you please name one lighting and grip company that is part of the Christian film industry? He couldn’t. Then can you please name one Christian theater chain? He was silent. Can you at least diagram a flowchart for me of how the Christian film industry works from concept to the screening of the film? He looked at me puzzled.

The Christian film industry does not exist. Yes, there are Christians who act. There are also writers and directors who work in the film industry and live by faith. Some theater owners are Christian. There are even some Christian sponsored film organizations. But, there are far too many holes in the theoretical Christian film industry business model for it to actually exist.

The horror filmmaker wanted to learn what steps to take in order to be successful in the film industry. The Christian filmmaker didn’t want to know how to fit into the industry, but rather how to be successful in his own marketplace. And, his definition of success was getting his message to those that already agreed with him, while stating that his films would reach outsiders.

When the conversation got to release strategies, I talked about how the industry uses a film release calendar to maximize revenue. I took the opportunity to suggest that if a Christian film industry existed it too would have a calendar accessible by all Christian filmmakers. But, it doesn’t exist.

Based on my understanding, the reason it doesn’t exist is because Christian filmmakers are not concerned about overlapping release dates or the revenue that a film generates. They are solely interested in getting their message to those who agree with them. Some using the term, “preaching to the choir.”

I have no problem with a group of people working to create their own industry. In fact, I love growth and expansion. However, until Christian filmmakers have numerous businesses that specialize in all aspects of filmmaking from soup to nuts, or, should I say from concept to popcorn, it is imperative that they learn how to work within the general film industry.

All filmmakers, regardless of genre, must become experts to compete in the current marketplace. They also must create a fan base that loves their work and style, as super fans are the ones that create each filmmakers future.

But what are your thoughts? Does a Christian film industry exist? If so, how would you define it?

Copyright © 2014 by CJ Powers