Ideal Plot structure reconstructed with 3 mythological tales enhance revenues by 6X
A Quiet Place: Day One is the third instalment in the movie series. Written and directed by Michael Sarnoski it is a prequel to A Quiet Place series. The movie explores basic human desires of tranquillity & honour. Mythosis uses 2 mythological tales to extract the plot structure of the movie.
1. Mythological tales reveal the invisible plot structure of any story
1A. 96% of the events are borrowed from 2 mythological tales
Sam's quest is driven by the desire to be secure surroundings and mirrors the tale of Odysseus from Greek mythology. Both Odysseus & Sam want to return to the place they associate with happy memories.
Eric’s quest is driven by the desire to be loyal to their clan/order and mirrors the tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Eric assist others in realizing their ambition.
Aliens, Reuben & Henri have underdeveloped quests.
Detailed mirroring of each character to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
1B. 32 mythological tales are the source of all stories, even the untold ones
Human beings are driven by 16 fundamental desires. Every desire, whether encountering fulfilment or unfulfillment, gives rise to two distinct quests. Thus, a spectrum of 32 unique quests mirrors every human desire.
We have discovered mythological tales from across civilizations that uniquely portray each one of these 32 human quests. While each mythological tale stands as a distinct quest, the true magic unfolds when these tales are combined. This synergy is evident in the epics of Odyssey and Ramayan, where various universal quests seamlessly intertwine.
Combining any five tales from the 32, generates a staggering 24 million unique story plots. Take it a step further, by combining six tales the possibilities explode to an astounding 600 million!
The unique plot structure of A Quiet Place is # 909. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Odysseus & Hanuman.
2.Plot structure potential of A Quiet Place – Day One: $97-138MM
2A. Plot structure evaluation of A Quiet Place
An analysis of Blockbuster, Hit & Flop plots has led to the discovery of Mythosis Code. The Code reveals the story principles shared by all Blockbusters. We use the Code to estimate a story’s potential
All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. A Quiet Place uses 2 universal quests of Tranquillity and Honour.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character.Joy mirrors the quest of Family. Riley mirrors the universal quest of Accumulation whereas Anxiety mirrors the quest of Vengeance.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Sam borrows 30% of events from the quest for Tranquillity. Eric borrows 36% from the universal quest of Honour.
Blockbusters interweave different quests to create a tight plot structure. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. The quest interweaving score of A Quiet Place is 0.33 and is below par. An example of interweaving the quests of Sam & Eric:
2B. Plot structure is the most important but least understood element of storytelling
Any plot structure that borrows events from at least 3 mythological tales has high resonance. In our own lives, each one of us identifies with at least one quest to fulfil a basic human desire. The more quests woven into a story, the wider its appeal.
The nature of mythological tales used, makes the plot structure fresh & unique. Besides, appealing to a larger audience size the interweaving of various human desires creates a unique and original story.
Interweaving mythological tales makes the plot structure cohesive. Stories become seamless when characters are woven with each other through their quests and not merely by relationships.
Characters are consistent when they mirror a single mythological tale. Characters pursuing more than one quest appear confusing due to their divergent desires.
Borrowing 35% or more events from each mythological tale strengthens both the plot structure & character. The plot structure becomes flat when characters borrow less than the threshold. Each mythological tale has multiple twists & turns hence no forced injection is required. Characters become layered & complex when their journey is deep.
2C. Measuring the revenue potential of A Quiet Place
We have created an algorithm by assigning weights to the principles of The Mythosis Code. The algorithm calculates the potency of a story’s plot structure and estimates its corresponding audience appeal. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
A Quiet Place has a script potential score is 0.08 and the movie will appeal to 2.42 – 2.96% of the population. Our estimate of the movie’s revenues from its audience appeal is $97 – 138MM in the domestic market.
3. The ideal plot structure of A Quiet Place
We have identified 32 universal quests that represent every human desire. These quests are the superset of thousands of stories across cultures that reflect our collective subconscious. Each quest has a structured sequence of events divided into 5 major arcs.
We map a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale (universal quest) which reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. The ideal Plot Structure is constructed by plugging these gaps with the missing events from the tale. These events strengthen both the journey of characters as well as the weaving of quests without altering the story.
3A. Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts
Quest 1: Sam mirrors the universal quest for Tranquillity
Sam’s desire for Tranquillity stems from the need to be in secure surroundings. The tale of Odysseus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Tranquillity.
Quest 2: Eric mirrors the universal quest for Honour
Eric’s desire for Honour stems from the need to be loyal to a clan/order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.
3B. Gaps in the current plot structure
Mythosis has identified 2 gaps that inhibit the script’s potential. A. Since the script relies on 2 quests the interweaving is below threshold. B. Only the quest of Eric has sufficient depth.
Enhancing the depth of Sam’s quest marginally enhances the potential of the script. True potential of the script is unlocked by assigning the universal quest of Preservation to Henri OR the universal quest of Power to the Aliens.
3C. Unlocking the hidden potential
For the ideal plot structure, we have chosen the Alien’s quest due to their presence in higher number of events through the script. The Alien’s underdeveloped quest is driven by the desire to dominate others and mirrors the tale of Ravan from Hindu mythology. Both Ravan & the Aliens are, a. forcefully take over a kingdom b. gain more power c. acquire unscrupulously & abduct d. fail to stop the escape of a spy e. their weakness is exposed leading to downfall.
Borrowing from the universal quest of Power provides the script with a third compelling quest. Even though the last arc is explored in the previous instalments there are enough events to create a robust quest for the Aliens. Introducing this quest also solves for the below par interweaving score.
The ideal plot structure # 27,643 interweaves the tales of Odysseus, Ravan and Hanuman. It is a blockbuster plot structure that enhance the current revenues by 6X!
Tags:2024, Blockbuster movies, Hanuman, Honour, John Krasinski, Michael Sarnoski, Mythology, Odysseus, Paramount Pictures, Plot Structure, Prediction, storytelling, Tranquillity
