Opening Credits

Screenwriting 101--


Inciting Incident

Every single movie ever made has an INCITING INCIDENT, a.k.a., the event that kicks the story into gear, gets things moving. The unfolding story is a result of the INCITING INCIDENT.

Think of some of your favorite movies, and the INCITING INCIDENT in each one.


"Toy Story" ?

"The Lord of the Rings" ?

Every porn ever made ?


(hint: the cable needed fixing... or someone ordered a pizza)



And then we have Genesis, chapter 37:

The story of Joseph and his fabulous D & G coat of many colors.
I become frustrated, arguing with the Bible--
"If only Jacob hadn't given little Joe that coat, his brothers wouldn't have gotten jealous and tossed him in a pit, sold him to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt, yada yada yada, 400 years later-- BOOM-- we're slaves!"

The INCITING INCIDENT: That darn coat! (Disney movie?)

But y'see, that HAD to happen! Without that coat, there's no Exodus, no ten commandments, (no career career for Charlton Heston).
Besides, the bible would only be one book! As J.K. Rowling will tell you, that's no way to make a buck!

Sequels! Sequels! Sequels!


Besides, God told Abraham that his descendants would become "strangers in a strange land" and become slaves for 400 years" (Gen. 15:13); kind of a spoiler alert.


"If only Eve hadn't listened to that snake... we'd still be in the Garden of Eden."

But that's not a story!!!


If only Dorothy knew ahead of time about clicking her heels three times, she wouldn't have had to go through all that rigamarole with those three morons, and the witch and the great and powerful Oz...
Of course, then you have no movie... and that's the whole point of the film...

the Journey! Not the destination.




(Rigamarole?)