1. What is Narrative?

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."
-Maya Angelou, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
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Hello, all, and welcome to "The Chromatic Cycle: Developing the Narrative, Finding Your Story", a workshop that will teach you how to unlock the power of masterful storytelling and why it is important to your medium of choice. In the most generalized way of putting things, this is where disciplines of literature meet the disciplines of art. As such, we will first learn narrative (giving you the Desire), and then apply it to the piece (Devoting ourselves to the knowledge). We will be studying story structure by first diving into Joseph Campbell's "The Hero's Journey" cycle (from his book, "The Hero With a Thousand Faces", published in 1949), a narrative pattern that underlies most, if not all, of human fiction. Joseph Campbell, American mythologist, psychologist, writer, and lecturer, was devoted to uncovering the connections between the mythologies/fictions of the world and the subconscious dreams of our psychological development. In short, he wanted to see just how connected our own paths are to the heroes in our heads. Through his research, consequently, he discovered that they are essentially one in the same. Campbell's work seems to stand up, as the human experience could be summarized as a string of our own fictions.
We, as a people with a history, are the culmination of the stories we tell ourselves.

2. How The Story Cycle "Got So Famous"

"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."
... a guy named George Lucas read "The Hero With a Thousand Faces" and a comic book series called "Valerion", synthesized those two things, and created "Star Wars", the second highest grossing film in North America to date, winner of seven Academy Awards, and overall powerhouse of a franchise, which is now owned by the Disney company.
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Disney is actually another prominent reason we know of the story cycle. Chris Vogler (born in 1949, strangely enough), a Hollywood development executive who has worked for Disney, Fox, Warner Bros., and others, also caught wind of Campbell's work. However, Chris did something even further with the book than Lucas - he synthesized the main points into a series of three acts, and wrote a seven page studio memo while at Disney, titled, "A Practical Guide to the Hero With a Thousand Faces" (which later became "The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers"). Vogler's simplification of Campbell's cycle not only influenced pretty much every Disney film since it was developed, but also pretty much every Hollywood film since it was available to the public. If you are devoted to feature film or novel writing, this is the best version of the cycle to familiarize yourself with. Vogler's cycle runs clockwise.
 

4. Now, In Professorial Fashion, Read MY Book!
(Introducing "The Chromatic Cycle")

I have taken the liberty of developing my own cycle for the purpose of boiling this workshop down to its core ingredients. It consists of two realms, three acts, and six key events/emotions faced by the hero.
I call it "The Chromatic Cycle", due to its correlation between complementary emotional beats and colors. This cycle works clockwise, even though the color wheel aspect of it is running counter-clockwise (this is purely because of the general emotional stigmas attached to each color, or how they make us feel). The "Three P's of Primary Plot Points" are Price, Payment, and Prize. The "Six D's of Dramatic Development" are Dignity, Desire, Disillusionment, Doubt, Devotion, and Difference. Each P of Plot encompasses a pair of the D's of Development: Desire and Disillusionment are the two states involved in discovering the Price (although, as explained in the next segment, Dignity is also involved in Price, as it is necessary for exposition); Doubt and Devotion are the states involved in the Payment process; and Difference and Dignity are the states involved in having the Prize. Another difference in my cycle, as you will notice, is my decision to rename "The Familiar World" with "Light" and "The Unfamiliar World" with "Darkness", as things are only familiar if we can see them, and everything is unfamiliar when bumbling around in darkness. These two realms are identified on The Chromatic Cycle as being the warm and cool colors (they could also even be simplified to the old, two-word adage, "Risk, Reward"). Each of the Three P's represent the primary colors. Lastly, each of the Six D's is directly opposite its complementary emotion, representing the full spectrum of ROYGBV. Give us some pretty palettes, people!
(Figuratively speaking, anyway. The colors should be felt within the emotional responses of the audience, not necessarily seen in the end product itself. For example, you don't have to see blue to feel blue.) As a final thought on the overall structure of this narrative before diving into the specifics, note how Price is the largest part of story, Payment is the second largest, and Prize is the smallest. The amount of time dedicated to the telling of each primary act should be reflective of this: the combination of exposition and trials should feel like the uphill climb that it is; the darkness before the dawn and the cresting of the hill should feel briefer, but intense enough to make the uphill climb worth it; and, finally, the home stretch should feel like just that... an easy home stretch.
The takeaway? Narratives build upon themselves.
They should naturally begin to take on a life of their own.

ACT II: PAYMENT OF PRICE
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After learning the Price of their Desire, the character sets out to pay that Price - at whatever cost. Disillusionment has tested our warrior, and they are now ready for the fight. Doubt refers to the Nadir of the story, the lowest emotional state a character can find themselves in. This is the true belly of the beast moment, in my opinion, contrary to Campbell, and many would agree. Even after all of the trials, our hero expresses concern that it still might not be enough. This is a vital step to any engaging story, as it achieves three things: our sympathy for the hero; emotional complexity of the hero in that weakness is displayed immediately following feats of strength; and anticipation for the final victory. In other words, your hero must hit their rock bottom. For obvious reasons, Doubt is blue on my Chromatic Cycle. Here, the stakes are clearly laid out, if not already, while we reflect on what is to be lost if our protagonist is to fail. Devotion is the climax. Campbell calls this the Apotheosis, which is the highest point in the development of something, or the moment when a character obtains divine status. I prescribe green to Devotion as it is the color of life, rebirth, and resurrection. It's the color that best says "Let's get back to our roots and fix this mess." It's the leap of faith. This is where bullet hits the bone. Do or die. Go big or go home. You get the point - you've set up your world, the protagonist, the protagonist's motivation, the antagonist entity, and the anticipation...
Now, give us the fireworks.

In Campbell's cycle, the hero begins in a state of stability in a familiar world, hears a call to adventure, refuses the call, but is aided supernaturally to venture on. Once the protagonist sets off, they find themselves stuck in an unfamiliar world, where challenges await them if they hope to survive. Now, this is where we typically begin to veer from Campbell's structure - his inclusion of the terminology "meeting with the goddess", "woman as temptress", and "the atonement with the father" are entirely avoidable. What he was getting at with those moments, however, is not: they represent the Nadir in the story - the ultimate low point, just before the dawn breaks. Apotheosis refers to the climax of a story, where exposition meets its resolution. This is also not avoidable: without a climax, there is no hill to climb in the first place, and there is no daybreak to relieve our night. "The Ultimate Boon" here refers to the thing obtained by the hero, which the hero knows must be taken back to the rest of humanity. Next, the character, finding themselves in a place of unfamiliar beauty, wishes to remain, but is reminded of their responsibility of the boon. Then, in Campbell's terminology, the equivalent of a magic carpet ride allows the hero to return victoriously to the familiar world once more, this time with something of great magnitude that will help to resolve issues in the future. Now, the hero has become, essentially, the master of both the familiar and unfamiliar realms, and has gained the freedom to once again live in bliss. Campbell's cycle runs counter-clockwise.
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Campbell realized that the structure of any good, engaging story is one in which the protagonist undergoes a full range of emotions as they are dragged into a dilemma that they are called upon to solve. Even shorter, stories of interest come from conflict resolution. Rise and fall of action (story beats) are what drive a good story to feel like the emotional rollercoaster that it is. As we will return to this over-arching purpose of narrative, for now, suffice it to say that your role as the storyteller is to help me, the viewer, conquer my own demons, to provide catharsis. That's the real reason you love the movies, songs, TV shows, and books that you do.

3. The Cycle Keeps Changing

However, like life, the story cycle keeps changing. Today, one of the most influential names in story structure is Dan Harmon, creator of "Community", co-creator of "Rick and Morty", and writer on many other productions. He took a step in Vogler's direction, and decided to do some synthesizing of his own while writing "Community". Harmon's cycle, "The Story Embryo", has eight parts. Most importantly, note how Harmon structures his cycle to feel more like a color wheel of emotions: to ensure that his stories are filled with a rich range of them, each story element's opposite (i.e., #8 and #4) works as its "complementary color". Harmon's cycle runs clockwise. (For more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_c2hqmFBdM)

ACT I: AWARENESS OF PRICE
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This may seem complicated at first, but the story begins with Dignity, even though Dignity is technically grouped into Prize as well. The truth is, Dignity has two parts - the ignorant dignity of the blissfully unexperienced, and the earned dignity of the experienced. This side of Dignity, which is more complacent than proud, is essential to the establishment of any story. I would associate orange with this emotion, as it has a mellowing effect. So, The protagonist is found in Light with an air of security, or assurance. Unawareness of an issue results in an "out of sight, out of mind" effect on a protagonist, and this is what we open on. This is the introduction to the character and world within a story - who they are, where they are, what they are doing in their normal, day-to-day life. Harmon urges the storyteller to "not screw around here"; while you must take the time necessary to set up the story, do not overdo it. Start a story where it starts - not three weeks earlier. Writers often mistake unnecessary information with "world building". Give us the meat of the issue, don't dance around it. The opening shot tells us everything (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZhFtd1QZWc). Desire refers to the inciting incident that draws the character toward the threshold of Darkness, and away from familiarity. This happens when anything new is thrown into the mix: sometimes it's a mentor figure, sometimes it's as simple as hunger -either way, Desire can ultimately be described as the agent of change. We prescribe the color red to Desire for the overwhelming sensation of passion that rushes over you once it sets in. You know - the heart, blood, etc. Once Desire has set over the heart of the hero, they are obliged to learn what one must do to obtain said Desire. This is where Disillusionment sets in, when the actual price of the prize is discovered. This usually plays out as a series of trials that lend themselves to the hero's knowledge of what it will ultimately take to achieve their goal - think small wins. At any rate, this is when the hero first ventures into the Darkness, and is greeted by fresh experiences that challenge them tremendously. I identify Disillusionment in my Chromatic Cycle as violet due to the feeling of emptiness or shock that takes its toll on the protagonist. This is also the section of the story cycle that, literally, every television show takes place in. Every show is designed to have you come back next week expecting the same product - meaning they are not able to reach a true point of change. Rather, episodes are just the trials of the hero's journey. Will Rachel finally get with Ross? Will Wile E. Coyote finally catch the Road Runner? Who knows. I guess we'll have to watch next week.
 

ACT III: POSSESSION OF PRIZE
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After sacrificing all that the character must in order to prevail against the final challenge, the only way to go is up. The hero is victorious in reaching their Apotheosis after their Nadir, they were Devoted through the Doubt. They made it - whew! Now, we can return home, with a Difference. Remember in Campbell's cycle, this is where the magic carpet ride occurs and where the ultimate boon is returned to the land of the living, so to speak. This is good to note, because, without some type of special, celebratory return, the resolution aspect of a story can feel very boring. No one wants to watch excessive scenes at the end of a movie, repeating over and over again, "We did it!" Just as Harmon believes it best to keep the opening brief, I believe it best to keep the ending even briefer. Avoid excessive feelings of the happily ever, and avoid the question marked endings. You are the storyteller, not us. Don't make us have to fish for meaning, as it should be apparent in our guts what has transpired, or what has been learned. Any good story is of course complex and says plenty, but the bottom line is, don't give us multiple bottom lines. Conclusions should feel clean and tidy - satisfactory, if you will. (Unless you're trying to go experimental with your structure, but I wouldn't recommend trying to break rules that you may not have learned yet.) Difference is represented in the Chromatic Cycle by yellow. Difference sort of seems to slide into the second part of Dignity, which is an earned Dignity of experience. This is the sheer comfort felt from a job well done. This is important because it is ensures the cyclic nature of the story, and is reflective of life at large. Success plus time equals complacency until next drive to succeed occurs. This is just how we work. We start normal, we end normal, but with a little more info each time. Think of it like equilibrium - the action rises, and falls, but always returns. Nothing ever ends. TV episodes will always end here, and stay here, until the audience knows that everything is back to normal (vital to TV, as discussed). As a final thought, think about how Dignity ties up the purpose of the story - we must sacrifice our current level of dignity (humility, or admitting to a need for change) to achieve a higher level of it, which is wisdom/experience. We trade it in so that it can be refined by Doubt and returned to us, Different.

5. Think Outside the Box Office

Here you can see The Chromatic Cycle working itself out in my own film, "Jumpin' Jack".

The story cycle can be seen in all works of fiction, and can be manipulated quite a bit to fit the goals of the storyteller. For instance, George Lucas wanted to establish Campbell's work very clearly in a film, resulting in the typical, happy/peaceful resolution to an issue, as this is what story is ultimately aimed at achieving. (How the story cycle works out in "Star Wars: A New Hope" - http://www.shmoop.com/star-wars-a-new-hope/heros-journey.html). Traditional use of the cycle results in a very linear, chronological approach to narrative - think Disney films, or the typical children's story (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V7drZMyL5M). (How it works out in "Toy Story": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUMSfhWLpnc). The chronological approach  is the most straightforward, but there are other ways of structuring your story. For instance, in order to get a nonlinear narrative, one could place the scene with the inciting incident at the very end of the film. One great example of this is Quentin Tarantino's  "Pulp Fiction" (https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/nonlinear-storytelling-in-pulp-fiction-bb745c6eeb40). For an extreme example of a truly experimental story structure, David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" expresses an emotional story cycle that refuses to follow any structure (https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/mulholland-drive-was-the-film-that-made-me-328).
 

6. Once You See It...

By now, you might have realized similarities between your life and the cyclic nature of a story. For instance, i am your mentor, drawing you into this world of narrative. You are going to face trials in order to learn how to tell a story. You may even doubt you can learn it, or that it can apply to any medium of your choice. However, if we are devoted to learning story, we will leave here different. Art is about expression, expression is about story; art is, inherently, storytelling. The story cycle can apply to nearly everything you experience as a human, since it is rooted in the psychological similarities found in all of human fictions, which we are comprised of. Even in business, the salesman plays the role of mentor by introducing a solution to a client's problem. The client takes a leap of faith, and leaves with an ad campaign. If you need further convincing of how this knowledge of narrative can be applied to all mediums, here is a list of helpful links for your reference. Once you see how story permeates all, you will begin looking for it, and finding it, everywhere.

- - - Part Two: Devotion - - -

1. Creating The Ultimate Boon

"We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us." -Joseph Campbell
(Hero's Journey Supercut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hTKc9DAN88)
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Things actually get a lot simpler from here on out. Now that we've done our homework, we can have fun with the information. A lot of this process will feel as simple as plugging in ideas until the cycle works right. That's why we went so deep into understanding how story is structured; once you have the recipe down, all that's left is to put in your favorite spices. A story is only successful, though, if the audience can come to some general consensus on the message they've just received. What does this mean? Collaboration will be vital to your success. Make sure you are talking to your peers about your story constantly, seeking constructive criticism anywhere you can find it (and, as the altruistic human being I'm sure you are, you will kindly offer them the same).

2. With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

Stories impact life through affecting our decision making. Feel like your story is a little boring? It's because there probably aren't many decisions happening within the mind of your protagonist. You've forgotten something: CONFLICT RESOLUTION!
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"The music of story is conflict... As long as conflict is progressing and building in the story, it moves forward in time." -Robert McKee, Story.
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All in all, your story should build an emotional dam within the viewer, and then provide catharsis, or a release from those repressed emotions. Your job as a storyteller is to help us as the audience revisit the pain of our past, and view it differently in order to deal with it. "We see particularly good examples of this in Japanese media," says Jared Salamon, CEO of Wisecrack, "In post World War II Japan... Kaiju movies, such as "Godzilla", which depicted mass destruction akin to the devastation wreaked by the atomic bomb, served [to help them release some of the emotions from the war]." The same happened in America post 9/11, when Matt Stone and Trey Parker wrote an episode about Osama bin Laden. Story heals people through simulated emotional strife. The best way to kill a story is to unwittingly add a Deus Ex Machina element, which undercuts the emotional build up by solving the dilemma in one fell swoop. Think about how the aliens died off in "War of the Worlds", or how some movies or episodes turn out to just be dreams. Ugh... The Deus Ex Machina renders all prior strife pointless in a story. Don't waste our time. There should always be a clear goal we are working for in our stories. (However, for a very successful example of a story with a protagonist as the deus ex machine, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XJhZVmORlM&spfreload=1)
The skilled storyteller has the unique ability to unite or divide societies.
Let's work together to stay together.
Thank you.
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“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.” -Joseph Campbell

3. Supplies

As a part of the challenge of understanding narrative pattern and how it can apply to any medium of your choice, the materials provided to you will be intentionally minimalistic. Essentially, paper, pencil, pen. You will also have a sketchbook. Everyone is required to at least use these materials in their final product to some degree, but you are expected to take creative liberties. This is sort of a "free-for-all" project; as long as it achieves a Chromatic Cycle, pretty much anything goes. Sharpeners, some scissors, and some artist tape will be provided, but - again - feel free to bring any and everything you'd like! Remember, it's ALL about your story!

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Breakdown of Supplies:

4. Homework Assignment

Watch this music video until you can recognize the Chromatic Cycle in it.
Keep in mind, stories can break many conventi0ns and still follow the cycle; some stories only follow the cycle emotionally.

Gorillaz - "Sleeping Powder"

5. Examples of Simplistic Visual Narratives Developed with The Chromatic Cycle

Orpheus and Eurydice
Medium: Greek sculpture/clay pot/ Comic strip/ Storyboards/ etc.
Message: "You can't change the past."

Orpheus and Eurydice live in Thrace, a mountain in the clouds, where they enjoy boundless love and splendor. One day, however, Eurydice dies, and Orpheus vows to get her back. Orpheus finds the Cave entrance to the Underworld, crosses the River of Styx, and vanquishes Cerberus, the three-headed demon dog guarding the Gates of Hell. Orpheus finds Hades and Persephone, and pleads to them on behalf of Eurydice's life. They agree to let him have her back, but only on the condition that he not look at her on the way back to Thrace. Orpheus, upon seeing Thrace, is overcome with excitement and turns to his lover. She, as consequence, is immediately taken back to the Underworld, and can never again be resurrected. Orpheus returns to Thrace alone, but with discipline.

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The Determined King
Medium: Prop design/ Acting/ Photography/ etc.
Message: "Never give up."

A content king learns he is poor. He travels to find wealth, and quickly discovers how foolish that can be.
("Hey, guys, where's all your money?")
After being defeated, however, he comes back and fights one last fight for the gold.
("Hi- YAH!")
With the gold, the king returns to his land, rich.
("Wooo-hooooo... We did it.")

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Family Forever
Medium: Tattoo & graphic design/ Illustration/ Photography/ etc.
Message: "Ends do not justify means."

A man has a family, but wants more. Seeking more, he pursues money. Seeking money, he is thrust into a world of crime, violence, and overall immorality, etc. Through a path of crime, he finds himself in jail. In jail, the man discovers he had what he really wanted all along in his family. After paying his dues, he goes back to his family, and shares his newfound sincerity with them all.

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Tribe
Medium: Fashion design/ Jewelry
Message: "Night is darkest before the dawn."

A northern, water-centric tribe is in state of stasis after much growth; a plateau of culture. They are forced down south as the first Ice Age begins to freeze over the globe. The tides are changing, forcing them off of their cultural plateau and into cultural shock in a new, unfamiliar land. After much violent strife with new tribes, famine, disease, natural disaster, and more, the tribe begins to adapt and find its footing. Eventually, they return to a place of stability and cultural stasis, having changed and more able to handle a greater variety of scenarios.

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As a way of proving how fast these projects can go once you have the hang of it, I completed and documented all of these above examples in a day.
This is far more of an attribute to the simplicity of the model than to my skill, as these look "healthily horrible".
Don't get as stuck on how it looks, but more so on what it's actually saying; as I like to say, the perfectionist in you is trying to strangle the artist in you.

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Coming to the Tennessee Arts Academy 2017...

Morning Shower
Message: ???
Medium: ???

I have a story in mind where a character steps into the shower, and is greeted with an extremely uncomfortable water temperature. I will think about a medium and message a little more before the workshop, as you all should for your own ideas if possible! However, I will officially work this project out by collaborating with you all in our second class as an exercise. As stated earlier, you can prepare ahead with additional supplies and materials if you'd like to go an extra mile with your vision. Again, any and all mediums and methods are welcome, as long as your final product incorporates some of the basic supplies and achieves a Chromatic Cycle.

See you then!
-G.W.

Post TAA 2017:

Morning Shower
Message: Pain is sometimes a necessary process of the life cycle.
Medium: Performance piece.
(You just had to be there. Haha.)

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With the TAA 2017 in conclusion, I would like to update this page with my reflections, as well as those of my participants, and any/all accompanying photos of pieces developed from the class. If you were a participant, please feel free to send me all of your thoughts and photos! If not, feel free to experiment with this project on your own time (should only take about an hour if you're brand new to it), and let me know what you think! Thanks!
-G.W.