The 36 Plotsby - Weebly



“7 Basic Types of Stories:Which One Is Your Brand Telling?”Creatives explore humans' archetypal plots By Tim Nudd Exceprted from AdWeek, Oct. 3, 2012You think you're being all clever and original with your brand storytelling. In fact, you're not. From Shakespeare to Spielberg to Soderbergh, there are really only seven different types of stories, an Advertising Week panel hosted by TBWA suggested on Wednesday. The challenge becomes finding which one best suits your brand, and then telling it skillfully, believably and—if you're going to invite consumers to join in the story—extremely carefully.TBWA's global creative president, Rob Schwartz, led the discussion, which was based around author Christopher Booker's contention, in his book HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" Seven Basic Plots, that seven archetypal themes recur in every kind of storytelling. Booker looked at why humans are psychologically programmed to imagine stories this way. Schwartz and his two panelists, Droga5 executive creative director Ted Royer and novelist (and former agency creative) Kathy Hepinstall, focused on how the theory applies to brands—and how creatives can make use of it in developing persuasive stories for them.Below are the seven basic plots—with examples from art and advertising of stories that fit each one.1. Overcoming the Monster. This type of story goes back through Beowulf to David and Goliath and surely a lot further than that. It's the classic underdog story. 2. Rebirth. A story of renewal. It's a Wonderful Life is a prime example from the movies. Brands telling stories of renewal include Gatorade, whose "Replay" campaign gave aging members of high-school sports teams a chance to recapture their youth through rematches against old foes; and Prudential, which is presenting retirement as the beginning of a new chapter, not the end of an old one.3. Quest. A mission from point A to point B. The Lord of the Rings is the classic example.4. Journey and Return. A story about transformation through travel and homecoming. The Wizard of Oz and Where the Wild Things Are are both journey-and-return stories.5. Rags to Riches. In literature: Charles Dickens and Cinderella. In the movies: Trading Places. In ads: Chrysler, which is rising from the ashes of Detroit; and Johnny Walker, whose entire brand history is about a simple Scottish farmboy's rise to global prominence.6. Tragedy. From the Greeks through Shakespeare, these are stories of the dark side of humanity and the futile nature of human experience.7. Comedy. The flipside of tragedy, and the last of the great storytelling tropes, it's perhaps the hardest to do well but is hugely popular in both popular art and advertising—with Old Spice and Geico among the brand leaders in the space.Schwartz suggested the seven plots can provide a blueprint for figuring out what a brand story should be when there isn't one, or isn't a strong one. During the panel, both Royer and Hepinstall talked about the importance of generating potent stories that ring true, and can't be hijacked or exposed as fraudulent."Ads most often are 'The husband's dumb, the wife fixes it, now he's better,' " said Royer. "They're these simple little stories that, I think, a lot of people react against. But if we do it right, we can tell some really beautiful stories. One of my favorite ads of all time was the Halo ad with the metal figurines. They beautifully portrayed what the game was about … I thought it was captivating and wonderful and amazing."…The seven basic plots might give creatives inspiration when it comes to crafting brand stories. But Hepinstall said it sometimes can help to focus outward, away from the brand, toward consumers—and figure out their experiences and their stories.A "genius burst of energy about the customer's story," can ignite a campaign, she said. "The most perfect example is 'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.' I thought that was such a genius reframing of the customer experience."Want to read more? Check out the article at 36 Plotsby Loren J. Miller article is descended from an article I wrote several years ago about plotted games, based on my interpretation of a book by Georges Polti called The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations. There are several other improvisations on my article floating around the internet, and at least one independently written article similar to it. Parts of the Story Assuming a RPG is like a story, what are the different structural parts of the story and how do they work in the RPG? Plot. Basic form of the story, includes major incidents and encounters. Decided by the GM. Subplots can be partially or totally the work of players. Conflict and Strategy. How do the PCs go about solving their problems? Character. The GM provides lots of characterization, players still provide the bulk of all characterizations. Dialogue. Jointly the job of players and GM, though mostly the players' job. Setting & Theme. The GM's job. Those who argue against storytelling within rpgs seem to say the GM's only jobs are setting and character (and maybe dialogue) and plot isn't important, much like slice of life writers argue with more traditional writers over the proper structure of short stories. With this I hope to make the job of writting a plotted game that allows for free actions by player characters not only possible, but simple. The Basic Plots Each short plot description starts with the title of the plot pattern. After a hyphen the main characters to be found in the plot are given, separated by commas. Supplication - Persecutor, Suppliant, a Power in Authority Deliverance - Unfortunates, Threatener, Rescuer Revenge - Avenger, Criminal Vengeance by Family upon Family - Avenging Kinsman, Guilty Kinsman, Relative Pursuit - Fugitive from Punishment, Pursuer Victim of Cruelty or Misfortune - Unfortunates, Master or Unlucky Person Disaster - Vanquished Power, Victorious Power or Messenger Revolt - Tyrant, Conspirator(s) Daring Enterprise - Bold Leader, Goal, Adversary Abduction - Abductor, Abducted, Guardian Enigma - Interrogator, Seeker, Problem Obtaining - Two or more Opposing Parties, Object, maybe an Arbitrator Familial Hatred - Two Family Members who hate each other Familial Rivalry - Preferred Kinsman, Rejected Kinsman, Object Murderous Adultery - Two Adulterers, the Betrayed Madness - Madman, Victim Fatal Imprudence - Imprudent person, Victim or lost object Involuntary Crimes of Love - Lover, Beloved, Revealer Kinsman Kills Unrecognised Kinsman - Killer, Unrecognised Victim, Revealer Self Sacrifice for an Ideal - Hero, Ideal, Person or Thing Sacrificed Self Sacrifice for Kindred - Hero, Kinsman, Person or Thing Sacrificed All Sacrificed for Passion - Lover, Object of Passion, Person or Thing Sacrificed Sacrifice of Loved Ones - Hero, Beloved Victim, Need for Sacrifice Rivalry Between Superior and Inferior - Superior, Inferior, Object Adultery - Deceived Spouse, Two Adulterers Crimes of Love - Lover, Beloved, theme of Dissolution Discovery of Dishonor of a Loved One - Discoverer, Guilty One Obstacles to Love - Two Lovers, Obstacle An Enemy Loved - Beloved Enemy, Lover, Hater Ambition - An Ambitious Person, Coveted Thing, Adversary Conflict with a God - Mortal, Immortal Mistaken Jealousy - Jealous One, Object of Jealousy, Supposed Accomplice, Author of Mistake Faulty Judgment - Mistaken One, Victim of Mistake, Author of Mistake, Guilty Person Remorse - Culprit, Victim, Interrogator Recovery of a Lost One - Seeker, One Found Loss of Loved Ones - Kinsman Slain, Kinsman Witness, Executioner ................
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