(typewriter clacking) (lively music)
- [Michael] Hi, I'm Michael.
This is "Lessons From The Screenplay".
Everyone knows the story of "A Christmas Carol".
In the 1843 novella by Charles Dickens,
a miserly old man is visited by three ghosts
who take him through Christmases past, present, and future
to teach him to be a better person.
And if you know the story of "A Christmas Carol",
then congratulations, you're also familiar
with the basic elements of story structure.
Most stories guide a character on a journey
of transformation, and story structure can help
a writer design this arc of change.
"A Christmas Carol" not only has
one of the clearest examples of a character transformation,
it also has a very visible story structure.
Every major step along Scrooge's journey
is marked by the introduction of a new character
with a clear, singular purpose.
So today, I wanna go back to basics
to look at a few adaptations of "A Christmas Carol"
to examine the story's visible five-act structure
and to dissect how each turning point
pushes Ebenezer to become a little bit less of a Scrooge.
- Humbug.
- [Michael] Let's revisit "A Christmas Carol".
(light rhythmic music)
While there are many kinds of story structure,
today we're going to be breaking down five-act structure
because Dickens's novella is made up of five staves,
which correspond directly to five acts.
For reference, a five-act story is simply
a more detailed version
of a traditional three-act structure.
Check out our video on "The Avengers" to learn more.
So let's start with Act 1.
Before a story can take a character on a journey of change,
the audience needs to understand who this person is
and how they need to change.
So Act 1 is used to establish the story world,
introduce the main characters,
and most importantly, set up the protagonist's flaw.
In Act 1 of "A Christmas Carol", we meet Ebenezer Scrooge
and his flaw is quickly revealed
through his interactions with others.
- Well, what do you want?
- Neither to borrow money or beg a mortgage, Uncle.
Only to wish you a Merry Christmas.
- Keep Christmas in your own way
and leave me to keep it in mine.
- But you don't keep it.
- [Michael] When his nephew, Fred, invites Scrooge
to Christmas dinner, Scrooge blows him off,
making it clear that he doesn't care about Christmas.
When two charity collectors approach him seeking donations,
Scrooge shows no compassion for those in need.
- Are there no prisons?
- [Collector] Plenty of prisons.
- And the union workhouses, are they still in operation?
- Many can't go there.
- And some would rather die.
- (sighs) If they would rather die,
they'd better do it and decrease the surplus population.
- [Michael] And when his lone employee, Bob Cratchit,
asks for Christmas Day off, Scrooge makes it clear
that he thinks work is more important
than family or celebrations.
- 'Tis only once a year, sir.
- It's a poor excuse for picking a man's pocket
every 25th of December.
- [Michael] Through these interactions,
Scrooge's primary character flaw is revealed.
Scrooge values money more than people.
So now that we know Scrooge's flaw,
it's time to interrupt his normal life
and launch the protagonist on his journey of change.
This is the job of the story's inciting incident.
In "A Christmas Carol", the inciting incident
takes the form of a surprise visitor.
- (panting) Who are you?
- In life, I was your partner,
Jacob Marley.
- [Michael] Marley brings with him a dire warning
that Scrooge will be doomed to suffering in the afterlife
if he doesn't change his ways
and then sets the story into motion.
- You will be visited by three spirits.
- [Michael] Act 1 has established Scrooge's flaw,
warned him that he needs to change,
and set up the story to come.
Now it's time for Act 2, signaled by the arrival
of a new ghost. (tense music)
(dramatic music)
- What are you?
- I am the Ghost of Christmas Past.
(gentle music)
- [Michael] By this point in the story,
the audience understands
that the protagonist needs to change,
but the protagonist may refuse to acknowledge
or even be unaware of their flaw.
So Act 2 is all about creating challenges
for the protagonist that will confront them with their flaw.
In the second act of "A Christmas Carol",
the Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge
through various Christmases in his history,
reminding him how he came to value money more than people.
- [Ghost] Why didn't you go home for Christmas?
- [Scrooge] I wasn't wanted.
- [Michael] Scrooge's father was abusive,
so he spent Christmases alone at boarding school,
and his sister, the only family member he loved,
died after giving birth to Fred.
But the character who most powerfully confronts Scrooge
with his flaw is his ex-fiancee, Belle.
- Our promise to marry is an old one.
It was made when we were poor and content to be so
until we improved our fortunes.
You are changed.
When we promised each other, you were another man.
- [Michael] After realizing that Scrooge
had begun to value money more than people,
Belle decided to leave him. (gentle music)
The Ghost of Christmas Past has brought Scrooge
through Act 2, using Belle to confront Scrooge
with his flaw, but Scrooge is not yet ready to change.
So now it's time to show him (light rhythmic music)
how urgent the matter is in Act 3,
signaled by the arrival of the Ghost of Christmas Present.
(cheerful holiday music) - Come in!
And know me better, man!
Did I already say that?
- You did, yeah.
- I am the Ghost of Christmas Present.
- Act 3 is designed (light rhythmic music)
to show the protagonist the cost of his flaw,
forcing him to acknowledge the difficult truth
that he has been ignoring or denying.
In the third act of "A Christmas Carol",
the Ghost of Christmas Present
transports Scrooge around London.
They visit people enjoying Christmas
regardless of how rich or poor they are,
demonstrating that not everybody needs money to be happy.
And when Scrooge sees how his nephew Fred and his family
are spending Christmas, Scrooge overhears
what others think of him.
- Wait, I know! (lively holiday music)
An unwanted creature, but not a rat,
a leech, or a cockroach?
- Then what?
- Then what? - What?
- It's Ebenezer Scrooge!
- Yes. (all laughing)
- What is he for?
- A bitter sentiment echoed (light rhythmic music)
at the Cratchit residence,
where the family barely scrapes by
on the meager salary Scrooge pays Bob.
- I give you Mr Scrooge, the founder of the feast.
- The founder of the feast, indeed!
- [Both] Humph!
- If I had him here, I would give him a piece of my mind
to feast upon and I bet he would choke on it, hm.
- [Both] Choke.
- [Michael] As he watches these scenes,
Scrooge begins to understand that his behavior
also affects others.
But the point is most clearly made
at the story's midpoint, heralded by the arrival
of yet another crucial character, Tiny Tim.
- God bless us every one! (gentle holiday music)
- Scrooge notices (upbeat music)
Bob Cratchit's son, Tiny Tim, remains joyful,
in spite of his own poor health
and his family's strained finances.
Struck by Tiny Tim's positive attitude,
Scrooge asks the Ghost of Christmas Present
about the young boy's future.
- Tell me if Tiny Tim will live.
- I see a vacant seat (somber music)
by the chimney corner,
and a crutch without an owner.
If these shadows remain unaltered,
I believe the child will die.
But what then?
If he's going to die, he'd better do it
and decrease the surplus population.
- Oh, Spirit.
- It's here at the midpoint (light rhythmic music)
that Scrooge can no longer ignore the truth of his flaw.
If he doesn't learn to value people more than money,
his behavior will result in Tiny Tim's death.
But he's still not ready to change.
In order to change, he needs to be forced
into a choice between his flaw
and becoming a better version of himself
which is exactly what happens (chorus vocalizing)
in Act 4,
beginning with the arrival (eerie music)
of the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come.
- I fear you
more than any specter I've seen.
- Act 4 is (light rhythmic music)
closely connected to the inciting incident.
After all, there's a reason the protagonist
doesn't want to change.
Change is scary.
When we take an honest look at ourselves and our flaws,
we might be afraid of what we see,
but it's the choice to confront and overcome these flaws
that lead to real change.
So in Act 4, the protagonist is confronted
with the worst possible outcome
of the inciting incident.
There's a great quote in John Yorke's "Into the Woods"
about the fourth act of a story.
"Faced with the ultimate crisis,
the structure asks of the protagonist one simple question.
Will you revert and die, or change and live?"
When the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come shows Scrooge
a future Christmas, he overhears conversations
about a rich man who recently died.
- [Broker 1] It'll likely be a very small funeral.
Supposing we volunteered and form a party.
- [Broker 2] I'll go if lunch is provided
but I insist on being fed for the time I'll waste.
(men laughing)
- Scrooge also sees three scavengers
who have callously looted the dead man's house
in order to sell his valuable belongings.
Scrooge at first thinks that the ghost
is using people's reactions to some other man's death
as a kind of warning.
But then the ghost takes him to see
the grave of the dead man and Scrooge
realizes the truth. (eerie music)
(thunder cracking)
(dramatic music)
- In previous acts, (light rhythmic music)
other characters confront him with his flaw
but in Act 4, at the crisis point,
Scrooge is confronted by his own grave.
(wind whistling) (thunder cracking)
The ghost has shown him a future
in which he dies alone (tense music)
with no one
to mourn his passing. (light rhythmic music)
- Why show me this, (dramatic music)
if I am past all hope? (wind whistling)
Say that I may change these things by an altered life!
- [Michael] This horrifying revelation,
the worst possible outcome (light rhythmic music)
of his character flaw,
finally forces Scrooge
to not just acknowledge (thunder cracking)
his flaw, but to choose to change.
(eerie music)
- I will honor Christmas in my heart
and try to keep it all the year.
I will live in the past, present, and the future.
The spirits of all three shall strive within me.
I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.
(dramatic music)
(Scrooge crying)
- [Ghost] Swear of it.
- [Michael] But it's not enough
for the protagonist- - I swear! (crying)
- [Michael] to simply claim he wants to change,
he has to prove it.
And that's exactly what happens in Act 5,
which begins as Scrooge finds himself
back home in his bed (tense music)
on Christmas Day.
(bells ringing)
- Hello, you there, boy.
- Me, sir?
- Yes you, my good fellow.
What day is today?
- Today? Why, it's Christmas Day of course.
- Christmas Day!
I haven't missed it.
The spirits did it all in one night.
- Act 5 completes (lively music)
the protagonist's character arc,
testing their commitment to change
and demonstrating who they have become
as a result of their journey.
Scrooge encounters the same characters from Act 1,
but now treats them completely differently.
He anonymously sends a large holiday turkey
to Bob Cratchit's family, and then makes his way
to visit his nephew, Fred,
pausing to make a charitable donation along the way.
When Scrooge asks Fred if his invitation to Christmas dinner
is still open, we see that he's learned
to value spending time with family.
- Fred, it's your Uncle Scrooge.
I've, I've come to dinner.
Will you have me, Fred?
- [Michael] And when Bob Cratchit comes into work
the next morning, we see Scrooge has learned
that there are more important things than money.
- I was making rather merry yesterday, sir.
- I am not gonna stand this sort of thing any longer.
Which leaves me not alternative
but to raise your salary. (laughing)
- [Michael] Through this new behavior,
we see that Scrooge truly has overcome his flaw
and has become the best version of himself.
(all laughing) (holiday music)
- And Scrooge was better than his word.
He did it all, and infinitely more.
To Tiny Tim, Scrooge became a second father.
And it was always said of him, (all laughing)
that he knew how to keep Christmas well,
if any man alive possessed the knowledge.
May that truly be said of us, and all of us!
And so, as Tiny Tim observed-
- God bless us.
- God bless us, everyone!
("Auld Lang Syne")
- Stories are about change
because the process of changing unlocks
some of our deepest human emotions.
This is why we can understand
when a character might be afraid of change,
why we are upset when changes present disturbing challenges,
and why we experience joy
when we witness people who are faced with a difficult choice
choose to do what's right.
Story structure provides a framework
for guiding a character and the audience
through each of these steps.
Ebenezer Scrooge's transformation
not only contains these steps,
it marks each one with clear, memorable characters,
making it a handy resource
when thinking about story structure
and allowing it to form
the classic, heartwarming tale of "A Christmas Carol".
Hey, guys.
Hope you enjoyed the video.
I am out walking around the block
because I've spent far too much time this year
sitting at my desk all day, every day.
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