Every Story Is About A PROBLEM - Erik Bork

[@josephzuniga3928]

You literally are the best interviewer for these writer gurus. Your questions are smart and it's all about the craft. No nonsense. Just the essential. Thank you, Film Courage.

[@DavideBaresi]

P-Punishing R-?? (Rewarding?) O-Original B-Believable L-Life-changing E-Entertaining M-Meaningful But I might have made up one or two ^^

[@АзаматСулейменов-ш4р]

Relatable for R

[@iam.shavonne]

So so good and clear!

[@GREENLIGHTFILMMAKING]

Preach! Problems are what make us into the people we are today. it knocks us down which then builds us up into a better stronger person.

[@matildadavid9523]

I love how Karen always catches the pun in her own response.

[@ClintLoweTube]

Good pick up.

[@johnfranklin8047]

Have just seen this interview and immediately or The Idea. Thanks

[@JStack]

This is one of me most useful ones I’ve watched. The acronym of problem isn’t necessarily a be all end all, but often times I have scenes or plot points that look good in my mind but don’t serve a problem. I now have some parameters or starting points to go off of, to see in what ways I can relate this scene to either the movies problem or give that scene one

[@luckyboypictures]

Congrats on the book, the idea is most important part not only in a movie or srcript but any endeavor you are trying to do. Whether it's starting a business or just finishing a marthon. Remember, this is the best time to make your own project. You don't have to give up the shop to start your career.

[@luckyboypictures]

Thanks for the like, and remember to give a like, to film courage. It's not easy doing this, so show them your love.

[@StoryMapsDanYouTube]

PROBLEM. Love it.

[@thehollywoodphantom4413]

"Well done, I enjoyed that." Good luck with your book buddy.

[@jamespeck125]

Ah, great. As clear and erudite as Mark Travis. Possibly even clearer, on the necessity for keeping the idea/problem within the story constant. Brilliant.

[@filmcourage]

Glad it was helpful!

[@animedreammachine7123]

This helps me immensely, thank you. What is it about the human mind makes us so attracted to stories about a person in their own hell or struggle? A problem is to the human mind either watching or reading a story is as strong as sex drive, it’s a core of our psychological make up. Without the problem, we just can’t get to involved in it. Maybe we seek to understand the resolution.

[@paparoxo3606]

This guy should have been consulted by the new Star Wars saga writers.

[@joshliam1967]

This book sounds great! Might need to give it a read.

[@محمدعبدالوهابعبدالحليم]

I have the idea but I don't know who to ask and take advice from?

[@ClintLoweTube]

The main thing I keep in mind while writing is just make everything extreme.

[@kurington.blogspot7876]

90's kid.

[@jonathantrauner3742]

Film gives us a lens into the human spirit like nothing else can." Kimberly Steward. "You should not dream your film. You should make it." Mr. Steven Spielberg. Of all the music that reached farthest into heaven, it is the beating of a loving heart. Henry Ward Beecher. "The only limit is the one you set yourself." - Felix Baumgartner Manhattan New York City. February 2019. Twenty seven year old, Josephine Warren, an courageous and fearless arts educator, disability legal justice activist, and a future film director and film producer, reflects on her wonderful childhood growing up in Manhattan New York City and coping with mild High Functioning Aspergers Autism Syndrome and coping with her getting bullied, (through her love of theater and film screenwriting). Josephine, 27, the eldest of four children; Sandra Warren, 25, Michaela Warren, 25, and Josephine’s only and youngest brother Reed Warren, lived in Manhattan New York City her whole life. In late February 2019, Josephine Warren, expressed to her siblings and her parents, just how much she wanted to attend film directing graduate school at the University of Southern California Los Angeles, instead of serving in the US Navy Seals as a military aviation technician. Toward the middle of her life, her bullies and her parents Trisha Warren and Alex Warren; former Navy Seal graduates keep on, hiding her film school applications in their office drawers, as, they fear that Josephine, their daughter, would fail to follow in her parents footsteps of becoming a Navy Seal West Point Academy soldier; as that is what the Warren family legacy is defined as, according to Josephine Warren. Even though Josephine lived with Aspergers her entire life, Josephine would use her adversity and failures, as foundation blocks, toward her evolving into one of the most inspiring film directors in New York City and global history; At the end of her film, Josephine Warren, receives the most inspiring reward of her life, and she ends up inspiring, tens of billions of lives, through her artistic voice and loving and gratitude giving heart and human existence alone. At the film’s end, Vincent Everett, an doctoral graduate student of the University of Phoenix and a Five Star US Navy Seals Admiral at Phoenix’s “SEALS RECRUIT ACADEMY” in Arizona, falls romantically in love with Josephine, in Baka Jerusalem Israel after reading her film script for Superheroic and shows his soldiers unit, that the human race can inspire, even in adversity and obstacles. Superheroic, A Mr. Jonathan Trauner Directed Film. (I have shared my Superheroic film script to the Scarlet Lens Film Production Company of Toronto Canada and to Mrs. Leah Rifkin; Renowned Film Director and Author of Beyond The Directors Chair; She said that my story has the power to inspire the Oscar Academy of Beverly Hills California. Even though I have Aspergers, I have completed my Superheroic film story, I am an Israeli American immigrant Jerusalem Jewish Israeli citizen, and I work for Mobileye Intel in Jerusalem for their Computer Algorithms Correction Department. I also shared my Superheroic film story with Nancy Spielberg and she was so inspired by my story, characters, and Superheroic film script message; My dream is to win an Oscar Academy Award in Los Angeles California in real life. My mission as a film director and storyteller is to inspire the world through storytelling, love, gratitude, and heart. Main Theme for my Future Oscar Academy Award Winning Film Superheroic; Never Give Up. (The Score, Unstoppable). The Score's Unstoppable identifies with my primary Superheroic film theme which is never give up. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqrHl2ZrZtFgndk

[@howardkoor2796]

Great interview

[@agoogleuser4410]

This is good. Very good.

[@frenchvideoclub8031]

What is the central problem in Inception?

[@filmcourage]

Here's one take - kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHi8eXqZZdWHm6s

[@pikiwiki]

oooh. this is solid, solid advice.

[@filmcourage]

Thanks for watching!

[@pnsmexico]

Wow, great lesson!

[@luckyboypictures]

Too many people get trapped by the traditional ways of doing things, remember this is the internet age. It's still in it's enfancy.

[@Nerdwork-fg7wt]

5:08 To the point...

[@howardkoor2796]

P R O B L E M 👍👍👍👍

[@luckyboypictures]

You can use transmedia to build your own fan base even if you haven't started writing a single line.

[@ScribblebytesWorldwide]

My channel presents transmedia natratives. I have an ARG called Night Game.

[@luckyboypictures]

@@ScribblebytesWorldwide Thanks, will check it out.

[@FlemmyMcDuff]

Title: "The Diamond Duke "/ R rated Thriller / Drama An young acting progeny refuses to accept that his feature film stardom has ended at age 8. He hires a young writer to help set up his television comeback. The writer believes she can make him a star on the small screen, but she soon finds out she is wrong as the young actors violent petulant traits take hold leading to dire situations of violence, madness, and murder. Out of curiousity would this be considered a sales synopsis?

[@iCyFlaMeZ96]

The amount of ads on this channel is so annoying

[@MemphiStig]

the thing i find so unwatchable in most sitcoms is not that their characters aren't well-developed or anything, altho most characters are cardboard cutouts of stereotypes without any legit connection to reality. it's that every line is a set-up for the next joke, and the jokes are so stale even Dad doesn't laugh, and the central problem of any episode is pushed thru heartlessly between all the failed attempts at being funny, and it has no resonance or weight. sitcoms fail me because they aren't funny and because they can't be taken seriously when they try to be dramatic.

[@lonjohnson5161]

Without going back, what does PROBLEM stand for? Yeah, right. Mimetic acronyms rarely work unless you've delved deeply into what it means. What I got from the interview is that he thinks one should not solve the main problem of the story until the end, for fear of losing tension in the story. If I got that right (remember, the challenge is to comment without going back), I must mildly disagree. You can solve a problem without losing tension as long as the solution creates its own problem. Example: Chuck is lonely. Frank offers to set him up on a date with Ann, a potential solution. Chuck and Ann have a date and hit it off, problem solved. But they hit it off too well. Later Ann tells Chuck that he is going to be a daddy, new problem as a direct consequence of solving (or over-solving) the first problem. ANY solution to this problem will create a new problem. Even a near ideal set of solutions where everything falls into place will still end with problems, such as many years of happy marriage later, Chuck struggles with his own history as he advises his son to take it slow with his new girlfriend. Of course, the story didn't have to go this way, but it illustrates the point that tension can be maintained through problems arising from solutions to other problems.

[@meg-k-waldren]

I agree with you. One of my favorite movies is Room and it's a tale of two halves structure. 1st half is about trying to escape "room." 2nd half is about trying to acclimate to the normalcy of being free. Two different problems. I'm so not fond of the idea of shooting down a story at the idea level instead of screenplay level.

[@NickSklias]

Lon Johnson i agree with what you said, however, i think you missed the part where he said, victories can happen (ie problems can be solved) but usually they are overshadowed by a larger problem that still needs to be resolved. To use the great example you gave, one solution leads to another problem. The protagonists main problem is that problems keep arising. Once you’ve established the pattern in your story the audience recognizes the main problem is that life is a relentless onslaught of problems, and no matter how many you solve you will never be done dealing with them until you have breathed your last breath The writer could give our protagonist, Chuck, a meaningful death, but he could also write in a silly plot twist where chuck solves his problem of death by getting bitten by a vampire but then has to deal with the problem of eternal life and watching all of his loved ones die -his solution brings him full circle to his original problem, being lonely).

[@lonjohnson5161]

Nick, I did catch the part where he said victories can happen, but they must be short term. I understood that to mean good things can happen, but the main problem must remain, but it is entirely possible that my interpretation is wrong. As to the vampire bit, I love it. You took my idea that wasn't going anywhere in particular and made it go somewhere surreal. It genuinely made me smile.

[@josephzuniga3928]

Yeah, but the underlying PROBLEM to your example is that Chuck can't settle with happiness even when it's in his face. The problem isn't resolved until the end, not until he advises his son, which in a way is an admittance of his flaw, his problem.

[@lockeforeer]

@@meg-k-waldren But the main story problem (what he's referring to) isn't solved in Room at the half way mark, because the story problem isn't that she can't escape that room. The main story problem of Room is the consequences of everything she and her son went through on their lives as a whole, and those don't disappear the moment they get out of that little room and the guy is arrested. When he says problem, he means one overarching problem that lasts right up until the end of the story.

[@moto9492]

No disrespect, but these "rules" of screenwriting shown in many (not all) of these otherwise well done interviews create endless generic scripts, which sadly leaves us with predictable, generic films. Can you imagine if today's readers/consultants had the power to green light (or toss) films of the past? "'Harvey'? Yeah, I read it. The main character has no goal! He has no arc! He doesn't change! Neither does his rabbit! Dump it!" Or even 'The Godfather'. "This stupid writer can't make up his mind whose story this is! The Don? The lawyer/son? The young army son? And that army son changes his mind halfway through, first saying he wants nothing to do with the family. He's GOTTA establish his goal by page nine! And who's the villain? Is there one? They gotta fight head to head with the protagonist all the way through till the confrontation with the loud music in the climax exactly on page 103! Bad writing!" Or 'Psycho'. "The dumb writer killed off the main character in a shower 25 minutes in! Who's the jerk who wrote this!? I'm not reading another page!" Okay, I could go on, but plug in more for yourself like "The Shining" (no goal), "Annie Hall"(mopey, complaining lead), "Pulp Fiction"(no clear antagonist) etc. Brilliant films bend rules, not just follow them to the letter... or page number.

[@mavenous22]

Moto 949 or Boyhood, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset (no conflict)...some of the best films are interesting because there isn't any conflict in them.

[@Damacles9]

Go sell it on a mountain!

[@thereccher8746]

@@mavenous22 Yeah you try to make a film without conflict you're not making a film. You're making two hours of nothing. What you said is akin to a car without an engine. That's not unique that's dumb.. Why would you waste your audiences money and time? And I guarantee those great films had conflict. I'm guessing your mistaking conflict for guns and explosions.

[@JackPetersonEnergy]

@@thereccher8746 pleb

[@lockeforeer]

Old man yells at cloud. Having read his book, The Idea, I can tell you that The Godfather would absolutely pass the credentials set out in it.

[@juju10683]

it helps to be original but it isn't necessary

[@erlendviken6412]

I wish Karen could inteview me when I'm old.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Okay... mild history incoming... Years ago, there was a T-shirt that came out (among many directed at RPG-gamers like me) that read as follows : It's true. I'm an evil, twisted, sadistic genius with delusions of grandeur, bent on the total humiliation of those around me. I kill without reason or warning. I set impossible goals, and then I raise impenetrable barriers to the advancement of any who dare to challenge my supreme authority. I change the rules to suit my every whim. The only thing I can be relied upon to do is ensure tgat no one has a fair chance. I am no mere tin-plated dictator; even the laws of physics cannot deter me. My godlike powers are without limit, and I use them freely and capriciously. Your abject surrender and worshipful adulation will not save you from my wrath... forever. It is futile to appeal to my better nature, for I have none. I will not keep your secrets, I will not try to soften the blows of misfortune, and I will never fail to heap insult upon injury. Your doom has been sealed: I am your Game Master. The weird dichotomy between GM's and Players has LONG been the subject of satirical scrutinies and tongue-in-cheek expressions, BUT we GM's dutifully seek to ENTERTAIN our Players with THEIR own stories... They create the Roles themselves, and it's purely up to US (GM's) to flesh out worlds in which those Roles get played, the adventures FILLED to overflowing with obstacles and goals, puzzles, traps, death-defying stands against all odds and tensions GALORE... While it's true that a LOT of such adventures, campaigns, and stories get sidetracked, deteriorate into lunacy, and even just end up with abandonment... We GM's still try... take our notes... learn from the missed opportunities... pick up the remnants and shrapnel of lost campaigns and attempt some recycling to engage a better result "next time"... The shirt reminded ALL of us Gamers that however we adore our GM's (and we certainly adore the good ones) it is this particular attitude that tends to make a Game Master truly GREAT... AND for those interested, you can see this shirt (or a recent edition of the style) on Seth Skorkowsky's channel... He's wearing it in his recent video "Why GM's should use modules"... Which you might find interesting on the whole "Where the hell do we find inspiration?" issue, anyways... Finally, I have this to say... The GREATEST games I've played, were filled with Characters who had no problem giving their lives. Non-Players who were cried over when they were gone... AND enemies we could salute, even as they fell under our blades and fiery projectiles... Breaths around the room were held over a single die bouncing along the floor... only to explode as if Nasa had put a man on the moon when the number came up "good". AND likewise... horror, despair and swears ripping through the place with every turn that came up "bad"... BUT without question, the most invested stories were the ones with the stakes at their highest, and sacrifices were painful... agonizing... with defeat as the only remaining motivator. Oh yes, the carrot is a good way to urge me in a good direction, BUT nothing... NOTHING is better to get me going than the hope of avoiding the STICK! I don't know anyone who CAN'T relate to that... ;o)