1. © 2012. Wanda Teays, all rights reserved.

2.  Who is Aristotle?  What are the main parts of a movie?  What does it mean to be Authentic?

3.  Aristotle was an ancient Greek Philosopher.  Did a little bit of everything but is best known for his work in plays and ethics.  Aristotle believed there were 6 main components to a successful play.

4. PLOT —Plot is on top! The plot is the soul of the movie! CHARACTER —Focus especially on the protagonists’ moral character THOUGHT — Themes and ideas, what motivates the character DIALOGUE — and diction,” the expression of meaning in words” (Aristotle) MUSIC —-is “embellishment” in that it reinforces the theme SPECIAL EFFECTS (“Spectacle” —- Least important says Aristotle—more craft than artistry. (He’d probably be a bit more receptive to today’s special effects)

5. Movies should have a BEGINNING, MIDDLE and the END For Aristotle this is: the First Cause= Begining the Complication= Middle the Resolution= End Ideally, the audience should experience a CATHARSIS at the end, like a big sigh of relief!

6.  Back story: What happens before the beginning of the movie  First Cause—sets off the story line, sets things in motion  Second Cause—toward the middle of the movie, sets the 2 nd half in motion toward a  Resolution ( = “ DENOUEMENT”) where knots are tied.  Catharsis —an outpouring of all the pent-up tension or emotions that have been building.

7.  A good drama has a beginning, middle, and an end. He calls them the First Cause, the Complication, and the Resolution (Denouement).  The beginning (“First cause”) sets off the chain of events that drives the story. The First Cause happens early in the movie and not before the movie starts.

8.  The second part (“Complication” where a moral conflict on the part of the hero is made clear.)  It ranges from the change of fortune for the hero to the “Second Cause of Action.”  The second cause of action leads to change or “Discovery.”—the third part, (“the Resolution”) towards the end of the movie.

9.  COMPLEX plots are Aristotle’s favorites.  What makes them complex?  There’s a “Reversal of Fortune”—-the hero’s fortunes change (from good to bad or vice versa).  “Reversal of Fortune” leads to a “Discovery” — - a revelation or realization that is transformative to the hero  SIMPLE plots are usually thought to have a reversal of fortune but no discovery (some interpret Aristotle to hold that a simple plot may have neither (just be a string of episodes).

10.  The best plots have a single focus—they are tight!—not a bunch of tangents going off in all directions The best movies:  Have no subplots and  are not episodic—The story wraps up at the end, doesn’t leave us dangling.  Franchise films-the “to be continued” types of movies are definitely not for Aristotle!