Search results
- Freelance Writer
- Psycho. Alfred Hitchcock's best known feature, resplendent with some of the most iconic images of filmmaking, is the classic horror film Psycho. Perfectly executed, the disjointed plot moves from character to character, giving even the narrative a frenetic jumpiness, completely devoid of comfort.
- Weekend at Bernie's. The O.G. The one and only. The alpha and omega, there have been imitators, but this is the originator: Weekend at Bernie's. It was the heyday of the Don LaFontaine trailer voice and buttoning the top button of your shirt without a tie.
- Stand by Me. Among the classic coming of age tales that continue to inspire the likes of The Sandlot and Stranger Things, is Stand by Me. Early career-makers for Kiefer Sutherland and River Phoenix, and the basis for director Rob Reiner's Castle Rock company name, as the fictional Oregon town in which four boys decide to go on a hike to find a dead body.
- Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Here's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in a nushell: after accidentally peeing on a corpse left in his hotel shower (he discovered it mid-urination), Robert Downey's Jr.
Jun 27, 2021 · In Memento (2000), Leonard’s (Guy Pearce) entire body is a plot device. Leonard is an amnesiac man who can’t remember anything after a short stretch of time. To cope with this condition, Leonard tattoos his body with clues and deductions that point him towards a killer. These clues, scattered across his body as a canvass, are storytelling ...
Sep 10, 2021 · 6. Cliffhanger: A cliffhanger is one of the most commonly used plot devices for good reason. By not resolving an ending, an author keeps their readers yearning for more and certain to come back. Most comic books end each installment on a cliffhanger—often with the hero dangling over a death trap. 7.
Apr 10, 2024 · Cliffhanger: An ending with unresolved tension, creating suspense and a desire to continue the story. Example: The episode ends with the protagonist trapped in a burning building. Dead End: A plot thread introduced but intentionally left unresolved. Can create intrigue or mislead the audience.
- Why Should You Use A Plot device?
- When Should You Use A Plot device?
- Artifacts of Attraction
- Artifacts of Doom
- Chekhov’s Gun
- Deus Ex Machina
- Flashbacks
- Framing Devices
- Love Triangles
- MacGuffins
Plot devices often get a bad rap in the writing world because they can come across as contrived, arbitrary, or lazy. Those things can definitely be true if the Plot Device isn’t used effectively. But Plot Devices have been around as long as stories have been around, and I’d be willing to bet money that the majority of screenwriters have used a plot...
Great question, thanks for asking! The not-so-satisfying answer is that it depends entirely on the plot device. A story that warrants an Artifact of Doomwill almost certainly be very different than one with a Love Triangle. Not all stories are the same and not all plot devices are created equal, so it should probably be a case-by-case decision. To ...
What’s in a name? Well, for this Plot Device… just about everything you need to know. Artifacts of Attractionare just that — objects that, for some reason, are so incredibly attractive to the characters in a movie that the desire to possess or protect them actually fuels the plot. These items often possess magical powers or have immense financial o...
Whereas Artifacts of Attractionoften offer something positive and powerful, the same cannot be said for Artifacts of Doom. Dun, dun, duuuuuuuun… This Plot Device can be dangerous and deadly, and has the power to corrupt, manipulate, or kill the characters we love. These objects pose a huge threat if people interact with them. That interaction is th...
“One must never place a loaded rifle on the stage if it isn’t going to go off,” wrote Russian playwright and short story writer Anton Chekhov. Chekhov didn’t name this Plot Device after himself, but he did originate the storytelling principle that would become known as Chekhov’s Gun. In his play “The Seagull,” the main character carries a gun at th...
Sometimes screenwriters back themselves so far into a corner that the only way to save their characters is an act of God. That’s the Plot Device known as Deus Ex Machina. Literally meaning “God out of the machine” in Latin, Deus Ex Machina is when a seemingly impossible problem is solved in an unexpected and unlikely way. It’s a storytelling techni...
What’s that word for when a movie flashesbackto something in the character’s past? Oh right! A Flashback. This is probably the most common Plot Device on this list — we’ve all seen a Flashbackor two (or ten thousand if you watched Lost) and have a general idea of what they are. The explanation is in the definition, after all. However common, Flashb...
Imagine a picture frame hanging on your wall. The frame is nice, right? But the more important thing is what’s inside the frame — the picture or work of art that the frame surrounds. That’s essentially what a Framing Deviceis. Framing Devices— or Frame Stories — are a way for writers to structure the tale they’re telling. It’s a Plot Device wherein...
You know the drill. Boy loves girl. Another boy also loves the same girl. Girl… has to choose which boy she truly loves and wants to ride off into the sunset with. This is the Love Triangle, a romantic situation involving more than two people. Yes, there can be love rectangles and pentagons and dodecahedrons… to keep things simple, if it’s a romanc...
Alfred Hitchcock presents… the MacGuffin, a Plot Device that is often as mysterious and beguiling as the plot of the whodunit. A MacGuffinis something — a statue, stack of cash, shrink ray, or giant sapphire necklace — that is absolutely crucial to the plot but has no real impact on the story. Basically, MacGuffinshave no intrinsic value themselves...
Feb 6, 2024 · Plot Device Definition. A plot device is a storytelling tool or element used in literature, film, television, and other narrative mediums to advance the plot, create conflict, or resolve a story's central conflicts. Plot devices can take various forms, and they are often employed to add intrigue, drama, or depth to a narrative.
People also ask
Is a dead body a plot device in a movie?
What is a physical death scene?
What is a plot device in a movie?
What does a psychological death scene look like?
Are physical deaths a powerful tool in storytelling?
Is a dead body a 'corpse'?
Physical death is perhaps the most straightforward type of death scene. It refers to the end of life in a physical sense, and is often depicted as the end of a character's journey in a story. Physical deaths can be caused by a wide range of factors, like an illness, an accident, violence, or natural causes. In a physical death scene, the focus ...
