Introduction
The question begs an answer.
You can avoid the question, but you can’t avoid its pull.
Its call.
Like the Heroine’s Journey, it swells and emits endorphins like a beacon designed for you and you alone.
The truth is simple.
The question begs an answer.
And here’s the question.
How many languages do you speak?
Story
Surely, in the Film Industry, having a mastery of Story is the greatest skill ever!
Think again.
Once again, the mastery of Story depends on the interlocking understanding of Character, Theme,
Genre, Plot, Structure, Relationships, Reveals, Revelations, Story World, and a zillion other items.
The mastery of Story depends on the 30,000 foot view, which is an incredible skill to have in your arsenal.
But again, when we need to zoom in to understand Sequences and Scenes, the mastery of Story is quite distant and not “hands-on” in its approach.
We’re not asking did you enjoy a film, we’re asking a better question.
What does it MEAN?
And that question can only be faithfully answered by one concept.
The Moral Premise.
Symbols and Metaphors
I know what you’re thinking, why isn’t this considered first or primal in your decision-making?
Surely, the mastery of Symbols and Metaphors would put any Film Industry person in the highest echelons of our peers.
That’s what you think?
I have to disagree, and I totally agree with you, upon first thought this idea FEELS true.
But when you look closer, you realize that Symbols and Metaphors are transitional in nature.
They only provide “meaning” when place in context.
And that context, that TRUE NORTH, is the Moral Premise.
The Core of Story
As a Film Insider, you’ve spent your time perfecting your career, only to be told that you are not going in the right direction.
But you argue, all Story Theorists have their particular systems and we know for a fact that each one differs.
Yes, this is true.
But we’re not talking systems, we’re talking the final frontier, that last 10% that takes a good film into greatness.
The basics, the foundation, the core of Story.
This is not a secret, this is a fact.
Welcome to the the future of Global Story Design and the greatest language in the Film Industry.
The Moral Premise, the greatest language spoken in our industry.
What is the Language of Theme?
The first and primal language in the Film Industry is the most elusive.
It is the language of Theme, that ingredient everyone agrees it is important, but everyone conveniently never talk about.
What is this language, the language of Theme?
Luckily, much of our work has been done for us by an innovative Story Theorist (Stanley Williams).
He took the concept of Theme, lived with this limitation, and then embarked on a Hero’s Journey and returned with an answer.
The Moral Premise.
By far, the greatest tool in a writer’s life.
If you don’t know the value, you need to brush up on your reading.
I’ve spent over a decade deciphering, researching, brainstorming, and revisiting the Moral Premise.
Trust me, it deserves its own section in the bookstore!
The best description is simple.
The Moral Premise is the SALVATION, Saving Grace, and Savior to the Modern Day Writer.
