Aristotle is one of the greatest ancient Greek philosophers and scientists. He was a master of both the arts and the sciences. But as anyone teaching film knows, Aristotle was—of course—not a filmmaker or a screenwriter. However, it doesn’t mean that he didn’t know a thing or two about what makes good quality film writing. And to think there was no such thing as a film back then, but was clearly wise beyond his years. His book Poetics discusses the elements of poetry and the stage, but he wrote a lot about epic storytelling that can apply to film scripts today.
Plot
According to ScreenCraft, Aristotle’s principles of successful storytelling can apply to an entire film. The first crucial element of a story is the plot—the life and soul of any story. You need a plot in order for characters, ideas, and concepts to even exist. The beginning of the story should be when the character first faces conflict, the middle represents the character either confronting the conflict or retreating from it, and the ending of the story gives the audience closure. Aristotle felt no matter what, audiences need to have some answers once the story is over. Even if the movie were to end on a cliffhanger, the sequel would then need to provide those answers.
Aristotle also mentioned important plot points that lead to a strong story. The reversal of intention is the turning point of the story. For example, in Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker finds out his nemesis, Darth Vader, is his father. This changes the direction of the story and the two characters’ understanding of each other. There’s also recognition when a character is no longer ignorant about something important but gains knowledge about it. In The Matrix, Neo discovers the world he lives in is a computer simulation run by machines and uses this understanding to join the rebellion against the machines.
Character
Character is considered secondary to the plot in seeing what a person chooses or avoids. Even if the character isn’t likable, there still has to be something intriguing or entertaining about them. Aristotle also said if a character had flaws, they would need to stand out throughout the entire movie for the plot’s consistency unless that character gains knowledge to get over those flaws.
Thought
Filmmakers use their stories to tell messages about what they find important. It can be their theories on politics, conflict resolution, or how they see the world. In Jordan Peele’s Nope, he explores how people are addicted to the spectacle. As the extra-terrestrial spacecraft flies above everyone, anyone who looks gets taken away. This message inspired Peele as he would notice people getting out of their cars to see a traffic accident blocking the road.
Dialogue
What a character says explains a lot about who that person is. You get a glimpse of their emotions, intentions, struggles, and fears. The more relatable a character, the more you’ll want to keep watching. You can find a lot of these characters in an A24 movie, such as Eighth Grade where Kayla stutters a lot because of her anxiety, or in Moonlight where the character of Chiron is a man of few words, but what he says leaves an impact. Sometimes, what a character says or doesn’t say can speak volumes in getting to know them.
Spectacle
Aristotle probably wouldn’t be happy with the collection of Marvel movies we have right now. He spoke in his book about how spectacle should never be prioritized. It was more important for the plot, characters, thought, and diction to come into play before visuals take place. He didn’t believe spectacle mattered. There’s no point in watching a movie for hours just because it’s nice to look at without depth behind it.
You would think that the principles of a philosopher who was around over 2,000 years ago wouldn’t matter anymore. It turns out that the classic principles created by scholarly men are still relevant today. Library shelves may be full of books about the best screenwriting practices. However, picking up a book on Aristotle’s teachings can actually be educational for your screenwriting career.