Question 1

One reason I like lower stakes is that if the world is going to end if the protagonist fails, its pretty obvious that they won't. If it's simply a reputation, the antagonist seems to have a more plausible chance of winning. However, of course, higher stakes raise tension. Anyone have any advice?

Accepted Answer

Maybe you could make it so they have a surprise in your story.

Question 2

I think that a film without stakes isn't a film.

Accepted Answer

That is true. If there were no obstacles or antagonists, the film's plot would not be interesting. If a woman lost her child in Market Basket, only to find the child a few seconds later, that would be a pointless (and also brief) movie. This would make a much more interesting flick: A heartbroken mother lost her beloved child named Stanthony in a monumentally large Market Basket facility. She searches every continent, meeting hundreds of people along the way, only to find Stanthony in Rio De Janeiro.

I hope that explained it.

I hope that explained it.

Question 3

I found it very interesting that my school never taught us about the importance of stakes in our stories. Am I the only one who was not taught about stakes in school?

Accepted Answer

No you are not! Some schools have different curriculum. I think you can compare it to problems or conflicts :)

Question 4

what role does a protagonist have in a story?

Accepted Answer

The protagonist is the leading character in a story. They are essentially the main character that the story follows.

Note that protagonists do not necessarily have to be the "good guy". You can have a bad guy be the main character and still have a story on your hands. For instance, _Megamind_'s protagonist is a villain. The animated series _Villainous_ features a team of villains trying to destroy heroes. _Infinity War_'s protagonist can arguably be Thanos.

Does this help?

Question 5

I feel like in a lot of movies, what happens is that the side that is going to "win" so you know what's going to happen, maybe not exactly how, but most of it, how would you get around this problem?

Accepted Answer

Avoid predictable scenarios like "Avengers must protect NY", or "Mankind invades Pandora to satisfy want of a metal, driving out the native population." In stories like that, most of what makes it interesting is either the CGI, or, relationships between characters. Instead, don't necessarily choose  a story where there is a "good side". Not in the way that there is no defined good and evil, but, in the way that there are no "rebels vs empire" conflicts.

The film The Village is a good example. It is only until the very end of the story when you finally know enough about everyone and their backstories to make a factual prediction. And, by then, most of the story has already happened. You are only shown so much in the beginning; if that's all there was, it would still be a very good story, but it is only a partial picture. Any predictions made before the story's ending cannot turn out to be true, as, they were based on an incomplete set of facts. Context and background are everything.

[Sorry I was vague; this is a film that cannot be truly discussed without spoiling it all.]

Question 6

with stakes, can plot twists be a part of this. or is that a different thing all together?

Accepted Answer

"The consequences of a choice the character makes" - the stakes.
Plot twists, I think, can be related and a part of it. Say, in a choice, "(A) killing" leads to "(B) death of enemy", and "(C) sparing life of enemy" leads to "(D) game over." It can be assumed that the protagonist will chose A over B.

However, to throw in a plot twist, D was only an assumption, and the actual result of choosing action C would actually lead to a result E, a powerful ally. Choosing B over A would thus prevent the rise of some stronger enemy that choosing A would only have allowed. Similarly, this "enemy" could actually have been a framed friend, or, simply a misunderstanding; no, this man is not the Assassin, he just looks like him and has no affiliation.

Just some ideas.

Question 7

Does every movie have to have external, internal, AND philosophical stakes?

Accepted Answer

Not every movie does, but many of the best do.

For example, Akeelah and the Bee is about a girl who is given a chance to participate in the national spelling bee, even though she is not in a community which would usually consider such an opportunity important. There are no external stakes, nothing will physically happen to her if she looses, but there are internal and philosophical stakes, since her emotions, goals, and reputation have all been invested.

Hope this answers your question! :)

Storytelling

Course: Storytelling > Unit 2

Stakes

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