HERE is a 104-minute concept presented without a story
Script potential at Domestic box office: NIL
Plot structure made from 2 mythological tales can generate revenues of ~$220!
Here, directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth is based on the graphic novel by Richard McGuire. The movie marries the concept of Forrest Gump with Cloud Atlas. It showcases only the concept & fails to tell a story. There is a shallow exploration of basic human desires of independence, curiosity and social contact. Mythosis, leverages these desires and mythological tales to create a plot structure that unlocks the concept’s potential.
1. Mythological tales reveal the invisible plot structure of any story
1A. HERE doesn’t have a plot structure. It borrows a few events from 3 mythological tales
Richard's quest is driven by the desire for companionship and mirrors the tale of Psyche from Greek mythology. Both Psyche and Richard strive to win back their loved who have left them.
Margaret’s quest is driven by the desire to gain respect and mirrors the tale of Kaikeyi from Hindu mythology. Both Kaikeyi and Margaret, feeling betrayed by their husbands, forge their own paths.
Leo’s quest is driven by the desire for self-reliance and borrows events from the tale of Daedalus from Greek mythology. The inventions of both Daedalus & Leo secure their position in society.
None of the other characters have any quest.
1B. Create infinite blockbuster stories with 32 mythological tales
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!
HERE is a subset of plot structure #789 that interweaves the tales of Psyche & Kaikeyi.
2. Plot structure potential of HERE is negligible
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.HERE uses no universal quests
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Richard, Margaret & Leo have unique but underdeveloped quests
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Richard, Margaret & Leo borrow less than 5% of the 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. The underdeveloped quests of HERE aren't interwoven.
2B. Estimating revenue potential from the plot structure
The plot structure of HERE doesn’t satisfy any of the principles of storytelling.
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.
HERE doesn’t have a script potential score and the movie will have negligible appeal.
3. The ideal plot structure of Here
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. Unlocking the hidden potential
HERE is a subset of Mythosis plot structure #789 that interweaves the universal quests of Social Contact & Status. This plot structure can generate revenues of ~$220MM in the domestic market.
a. Plot structure #789 uses three arcs each from Psyche’s & Kaikeyi’s quest
b. The events from the three arcs of these tales deepens the quest of Richard & Margaret.
c. Both the tales have number of events where the quests can be interwoven.
We've highlighted the arcs in both the quests from where few events appear in HERE. The mirroring of all events from the highlighted arcs creates a plot structure that has higher audience engagement and promises better revenues. Using events from the highlighted arcs doesn’t alter the storyteller’s vision.
Five arcs of Psyche’s quest:
A.Psyche is married off to the monster B. Psyche falls in love with the monster
C. Sisters plant a seed of doubt
D. Monster leaves Psyche for doubting him
E. Psyche sacrifices herself to win him back
Five arcs of Kaikeyi’s quest:
A. Kaikeyi learns to excel in a man’s world
B. Kaikeyi sets the terms of her wedding C. Kaikeyi helps her husband who promises her the world D. Kaikeyi turns vindictive when husband doesn’t fulfil his promise E. Succeeds but falls prey to misfortune
.
Tags:2024, Duryodhan, Eric Roth, Hanuman, Honour, Long range prediction, Miramax, Mythology, Odysseus, Plot Structure, Robert Zemeckis, Sony Pictures Releasing, storytelling, Tranquillity, TriStar Pictures, Vengeance
