Chick 1 says:
I thought for our second beat sheet we’d look at a story as far from Hot Fuzz as possible. So I chose Pride and Prejudice, the 2005 version starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen and directed by Joe Wright. How will a movie that’s based on a 200-year-old novel line up against our list of beats?
I admit it was more difficult to pick out the beats in this than Hot Fuzz and sometimes I’m not completely sure they were there at all. Tell me what you think of the scenes I’ve picked out.
Opening Image – A visual that represents the struggle & tone of the story. A snapshot of the main character’s problem, before the adventure begins.
- Elizabeth Bennett wandering through the grounds reading, content with herself and her life.
Set-up – Expand on the “before” snapshot. Present the main character’s world as it is, and what is missing in their life.
- We meet Elizabeth’s family; her older, beautiful and sensible sister, her equally sensible but henpecked father and her very silly mother and three younger sisters. Marriage is on their minds!
Theme Stated (happens during the Set-up) – What your story is about; the message, the truth. Usually, it is spoken to the main character or in their presence, but they don’t understand the truth…not until they have some personal experience and context to support it.
- In one sense, Jane Austen stated the theme of this story when she penned one of the most famous opening lines in English literature: ”It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” But this line doesn’t occur in the movie and it’s not exactly the theme we follow here.
The theme is stated clearly by Jane to Lizzie at the common ball. After Lizzie pronounces all men “humorless poppycocks”, Jane warns her that one of those men will one day win her heart and then she’d better watch her prejudice. And who should walk in the moment these words are out of Jane’s mouth?
Catalyst – The moment where life as it is changes. It is the telegram, the act of catching your loved-one cheating, allowing a monster onboard the ship, meeting the true love of your life, etc. The “before” world is no more, change is underway.
- Elizabeth meets Mr. Darcy. She is not impressed.
Debate – But change is scary and for a moment, or a brief number of moments, the main character doubts the journey they must take. Can I face this challenge? Do I have what it takes? Should I go at all? It is the last chance for the hero to chicken out.
- Conversations with sister Jane and friend Charlotte help Elizabeth brush off Mr. Darcy’s insults, happy to be rid of him.
Break Into Two (Choosing Act Two) – The main character makes a choice and the journey begins. We leave the “Thesis” world and enter the upside-down, opposite world of Act Two.
- Here it is actually Lizzie’s choice to not go on the journey prescribed for her that propels her character arc. It is often a complaint of both female characters or poorly written stories that the hero or heroine is simply carried along by events instead of making their own destiny. But Lizzie’s refusal to go along with the demands of her mother and society are what make her so strong. She turns down not one but two marriage proposals. She wants to make up her own mind. And as with most well drawn characters, her strength is also her weakness. She must overcome her own prejudice.
B Story – This is when there’s a discussion about the Theme – the nugget of truth. Usually, this discussion is between the main character and the love interest. So, the B Story is usually called the “love story”.
- As the love story IS the story, I believe that once again the B story is where the hero receives nurture and care. Here it is with her sister Jane. They are sometimes the only sane members of their family and have an easy understanding of each other and the most reasonable discussions about love happen between these two sisters.
The Promise of the Premise – This is the fun part of the story. This is when Craig Thompson’s relationship with Raina blooms, when Indiana Jones tries to beat the Nazis to the Lost Ark, when the detective finds the most clues and dodges the most bullets. This is when the main character explores the new world and the audience is entertained by the premise they have been promised.
- Due to Mrs. Bennett’s scheming, Jane and later Elizabeth spend a few days in Mr. Bingley’s home, which means more time with Mr. Darcy. The handsome Mr. Wickham and the annoying Mr. Collins are both introduced. Eligible men everywhere and a ball!
Midpoint – Dependent upon the story, this moment is when everything is “great” or everything is “awful”. The main character either gets everything they think they want (“great”) or doesn’t get what they think they want at all (“awful”). But not everything we think we want is what we actually need in the end.
- Lizzie has rejected Mr. Collins and infuriated her mother, her sister Jane has been spurned by Mr. Bingley, her good friend Charlotte has married the ridiculous Mr. Collins and moved away, and now the disgusting Mr. Darcy has declared his love. Lizzie is miserable. And after reading Darcy’s letter defending himself, she begins to doubt her opinion of him.
Bad Guys Close In – Doubt, jealousy, fear, foes both physical and emotional regroup to defeat the main character’s goal, and the main character’s “great”/“awful” situation disintegrates.
- This section begins with Lydia’s invitation to Brighton. Lizzie has a foreboding about the whole thing and begs her father not to let her go. Even worse, Jane lies to Lizzie about her heartbreak while Lizzie lies to Jane about Darcy & Mr. Bingley. Things are starting to disinigrate.
All is Lost – The opposite moment from the Midpoint: “awful”/“great”. The moment that the main character realizes they’ve lost everything they gained, or everything they now have has no meaning. The initial goal now looks even more impossible than before. And here, something or someone dies. It can be physical or emotional, but the death of something old makes way for something new to be born.
- Sure enough, Lydia runs off with Mr. Wickham. The family and especially the girls’ chances of good marriages are ruined (the death). Just as Lizzie and Mr. Darcy were beginning to connect, Darcy runs off to allow Lizzie to deal with the crisis.
Dark Night of the Soul – The main character hits bottom, and wallows in hopelessness. The Why hast thou forsaken me, Lord? moment. Mourning the loss of what has “died” – the dream, the goal, the mentor character, the love of your life, etc. But, you must fall completely before you can pick yourself back up and try again.
- I suppose the section where the family is waiting to hear of Lydia’s fate might cover this beat, although it is Mrs. Bennet who wallows in hopelessness (and hysterics) more than anyone.
Break Into Three (Choosing Act Three) – Thanks to a fresh idea, new inspiration, or last-minute Thematic advice from the B Story (usually the love interest), the main character chooses to try again.
- A midnight visit from Darcy’s rude and formidable aunt is enough to touch on Lizzie’s stubborness and inspire her to admit her feelings to herself. When Lady de Bourgh demands that Lizzie promise to never become engaged to Darcy, she refuses.
Let's pause to honor the glory that is this moment.
Finale – This time around, the main character incorporates the Theme – the nugget of truth that now makes sense to them – into their fight for the goal because they have experience from the A Story and context from the B Story. Act Three is about Synthesis!
- Lizzie wanders in the meadow at dawn and sees Darcy. There is no pretense now. She knows that she has misjudged him and that she loves him.
Final Image – opposite of Opening Image, proving, visually, that a change has occurred within the character.
- Oh the debate over this one. Filmmakers added a scene that was not in the book of Darcy and Lizzie flirting as man and wife at the end. It was shown only in America. For our purposes here, I’ll stick with the lovely scene between Lizzie and her father, as she confesses both her love and her misguided prejudice and very tenderly says goodbye to her family life as she has known it.
THE END
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