Cloud Atlas: Fabulous High Concept, Shallow character arcs
Est vs Actual domestic box office revenue: $21 – 26MM vs $27MM
98% of the events are borrowed from 7 mythological tales
Cloud Atlas a 2012 movie directed by Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, and Lilly Wachowski is based on the novel by David Mitchel. The movie weaves together six stories from different time periods to explore the impact of actions of individuals on one another. Mythosis, harnesses mythological tales to extract the unique plot structure of Cloud Atlas. The plot structure exposes the gaps of the ambitious story.
1. Mythological tales reveal the invisible plot structure of any story
1A. 98% of the events are borrowed from 7 mythological tales
Rey's quest is driven by the desire to find an elusive object and mirrors the tale of Jason from Greek mythology. Similar to Jason’s quest, Luisa Rey & Meronym receive assistance from various allies, but ultimately triumph due to crucial insider support.
Ewing’s quest is driven by the desire for justice and mirrors the tale of Prometheus from Greek mythology. Similar to Prometheus’ quest, Adam Ewing & Hae-Joo Im switch sides to protect the exploited.
Zachry’s quest is driven by the desire to collect & own and mirrors the tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology. Similar to Valmiki’s quest, Dr Goose, Sach & Zachary forge new relationships when they shift their focus away from themselves.
Robert Frobisher has an under-developed quest of Independence that is restricted to just one of the six stories.
Sonmi-451 has an under-developed quest of Acceptance that is restricted to just one of the six stories.
Timothy Cavendish has an under-developed quest of Power despite also appearing as Vyvyan Ayrs.
Lloyd Hooks has an under-developed quest of Vengeance despite appearing as Denholme Cavendish, Seer Rhee & Kona chief.
Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest 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 plot of Cloud Atlas is a subset of plot structure # 5,889,251,734 that interweaves the tales of Prometheus, Valmiki, Daedalus, Ravan, Duryodhan, Jason & Karn.
2. Plot structure potential of Cloud Atlas: $21-26MM
2A. Plot structure evaluation
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. Cloud Atlas uses 7 universal quests of Power, Acceptance, Independence, Vengeance, Expedition, Idealism and Accumulation
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Rey, Ewing, Zachry, Frobisher, Cavendish, Sonmi & Hooks mirror their respective universal quests across their avatars.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Rey borrows 28% of events from the quest of Expedition. Ewing borrows 24% from the quest of Idealism. Zachry borrows 24% from the quest of Accumulation. The other 4 characters have underdeveloped quests.
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. Cloud Atlas’ quest interweaving score of 0.14 is below par. An example of interweaving the quests of Rey & Zachry:
2B. Estimating revenue potential from the plot structure
Cloud Atlas’ plot structure is an ambitious attempt to interweave 7 universal quests. However, the plot structure reveals negligible growth of 4 characters across 6 stories. Even the 3 characters that witness some growth have insufficient depth. Lastly, the interweaving between character quests is extremely weak.
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.
Cloud Atlas has a script potential score is 0.03 and the movie will appeal to ~1% of the population. Our estimate of the movie’s revenues from its audience appeal is $21 – 26MM in the domestic market. The movie’s actual revenue was $27MM.
3. The ideal plot structure of Cloud Atlas
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: Rey mirrors the universal quest for Expedition
Rey’s desire for Expedition stems from the need to find an elusive person/object. The tale of Jason from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Expedition.
Quest 2: Ewing mirrors the universal quest for Idealism
Ewing’s desire for Idealism stems from the need for fairness & justice. The tale of Prometheus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Idealism.
Quest 3: Zachry mirrors the universal quest for Accumulation
Zachry’s desire for Accumulation stems from the need to collect & own. The tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology has a robust expression in Dicken’s character of Scrooge which is the universal quest for Accumulation.
Tags:2012, Accumulation, David Mitchell, Expedition, Idealism, Jason, Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski, Long range prediction, Mythology, Plot Structure, Prometheus, storytelling, Tom Tykwer, Valmiki, Warner Bros. Pictures, X Filme Creative Pool
