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Pixar in a Box
Course: Pixar in a Box > Unit 2
Lesson 5: Film grammar | 5- Introduction to film grammar
- Major vs. minor beats
- Activity 1: Major and minor beats
- Basic shot types
- Activity 2: Basic shot types
- Extreme shots
- Activity 3: Extreme & angles
- Dynamics shots
- Activity 4: Dynamic shots
- Storyboarding
- Activity 5: Storyboarding
- Advice on film grammar
- Glossary: Film grammar
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Activity 1: Major and minor beats
Part A: Pick a scene or sequence from one of your three favorite movies and do the following:
- What is the major beat in the story that it depicts?
- Break this major beat down into a bullet point list of minor beats.
Remember, each minor beat represents one event or idea (this happens, this happens, this happens...).
Part B: Pick two major beats from your own story spine and break them down into a bullet point list of minor beats.
Want to join the conversation?
Star Wars The Force Awakens:
Major beat (scene): Rey Meets Finn
Minor beats: Rey interrogates Finn about his jacket and discovers he helped Poe escape; Finn lies to Rey; Finn tells Rey BB-8 is carrying a map to Luke Skywalker.
Major beat (sequence): Rey and Finn encounter Han Solo
Minor beats: Han Solo is told BB-8 is carrying a map to Luke; Han Solo says he knew Luke and fought for the rebellion; They encounter the Guavian Death Gang and Kanjiclub; Rathtars get loose; They escape both the gangs and the Rathtars.(63 votes)
This is a great example!(31 votes)
X-Men Apocalypse:
Major: Cyclops is brought to Professor X's school for gifted young
Minor: His brother brings him to the school
Major: Cyclops and the rest fight Apocalypse and his four horsemen face to face
Minor: Cyclops says that not all of them, including him, can control their powers
My story:
Major: Guy discovers he's a superhero
Minor: Guy gets his own "super" name
Major: He gets captured by his own enemy
Minor: Through tech, only he can hear or see his enemy(30 votes)
Movie: How to Train Your Dragon
Major beat: Hiccup shoots down a Night Fury
Minor beats:
- Hiccup doesn't kill the dragon
- Hiccup is put in training camp
- Hiccup learns more about Night Fury
- Toothless gets his name
Major beat: Hiccup and Astrid find Dragon Island
Minor beats:
- Hiccup doesn't kill Monstrous Nightmare in arena
- Stoick finds out about Dragon Island
- Stoick and adults travel to Dragon Island
- Hiccup forms the Dragon Riders
I just watched this movie the other day.(23 votes)- Exercise 1: Major and Minor beats
A story spine split into eight major beats.
Part A: Pick a scene or sequence from one of your three favorite movies and do the following:
What is the major beat in the story that it depicts?
Once upon a time a man found out how to replicate dinosaur dna
Everyday he would make you dinosaurs and put them on a island so he can have a zoo
Until one day a work was attacked by one of the dinosaurs
Because of that he needed the expert's opinion of his island
Because of that they went to his park and were amazed by the dinosaurs
Because of that they went on a tour of the park
Until finally the dinosaurs got out and were killing them
And ever since that they have escaped but have not been on that island
The moral of the story is not to play God and humanity should not control nature
Break this major beat down into a bullet point list of minor beats.
Remember, each minor beat represents one event or idea (this happens, this happens, this happens...).
Alan grant and the rest go on the tour
This happens are bored that there is dinosaurs that they can see
This happens Alan sees a sick Triceratops and stops the tour to see it
The rest follow him and they are amazed by him
A scene split into minor beats.
Part B: Pick two major beats from your own story spine and break them down into a bullet point list of minor beats.
Everyday he would look for new ways to earn wealth.
One way involved being an inventor
Another way involved being a door-to-door salesman
Until finally he went back to convince the old man to give him his souls back.
He looks throughout the town
He remembers the hill that they met on and goes there
He find him on the hill and begins to beg for his old life(12 votes)
I feel like the girl getting kidnapped would be a major beat and not a minor. Because it's not a minor thing. It's practically the basis of your story and the story kind of depends on you saving that girl for the happy ending. So, I think the girl getting kidnapped should be a major beat.(3 votes)
Anomalisa
Major Beat:
-Michael Stone hears a different voice.
Minor Beats:
-Michael goes out of his room
-Runs in the hotel to find the different voice
-Searchs in a lot of rooms until he find a pair of girls in one of them.
-Starts to talk with the friend of ''the voice''
-With that, he met the difference voice.(7 votes)
Movie: The Adventures of Merlin
Major Beat: The Prophecy of a great warlock
Minor Beat: Meets king, goes poorly
Learns destiny
Likes king good friendship
King dies
Fulfills prophecy(4 votes)
Show:Stranger Things
Major Beat : Will is kidnapped
Minor Beat: they meet eleven
Music Talent Discovered:they find out that eleven is magical
this show is amazing!(7 votes)- Movie:
Miracles from Heaven
Major Beat:
Anna is Poorly
Minor Beat:
Goes to the Hospital
They say she is lactose intolerance
Do more tests and find out she is really poorly
Have to operate immediately
Major Beat:
Anna falls into the tree
Minor Beat:
Abby runs away
Her Dad gets a ladder and tries to see her
Phone Fire and Ambulance Service
Firemen try to get her out
How did I do?(7 votes) - My Own Film:
Scene One,
Major Beat,
Jerome wakes up on a shore after being bitten by a zombie and being infected the night before.
Minor Beats.
He discovers that he is not alone, Sam has been watching him.
Jerome panics. Thinking he's infected, he warns Sam that he was bitten last night.
However Sam tells Jerome that She found him five days ago.
Then Jerome realizes, he is immune to the virus.
Scene Two.
Major beat,
Sam leads Jerome to her camp.
Minor Beats.
Sam explains where her and Jerome are and how it is really safe from the infection.
Sam takesJerome to the camp leader
The leader, is very skeptical of Jerome especially since he has 'survived a "infection"
Nonetheless, he welcomes Jerome and gives him tests on his infection
Sam gives Jerome a home.(6 votes) 
The Godfather: Scene 1
The major beat is an enclosed, dark, misterios place. The pace is slow and it is a dialogue.
Minor beat 1: Close up to Mr. Bonasera sitting and talking to Don Corleone, with gradual zoom out to general frame. (end scene standing)
Minor beat 2: Half frame to Don Corleone, speaking in his deep scratchy voice (shortly)
Minor beat 3: then a general frame of all the people in the office. (shortly)
Minor beat 4: again Don Corleone, sitting, but a full frame.
Minor beat 5: general frame of all the office. Don Corleone stands and all stand (as if saying that something different is going to happen)
Minor beat 6: the convesation continues but and now standing and walking, alterning between Mr. Bonasesa and Don Corleone.(4 votes)- Paper towns
Major beat: Boy searches for missing girls he's in love with
Minor beats…
•boy meets girl
•they hang out
•he falls inlove
•she goes missing, he goes looking for her
•he realizes to accept reality(1 vote)
- major beats: remy meets linguini
minor beats : when the office head saw the rat he asked linguini to put it in a lake but linguini kept remy in his pocket(3 votes)
