Characters are what they do. Story events impact the characters, and the characters impact events. Actions and reactions create revelation and insight, opening the door to a meaningful emotional experience for the audience.



Story is what elevates a movie, transforming a good film into a great one. Movie-making is a collaborative endeavor — requiring great skill and talent by the entire cast, crew, and creative team — but the screenwriter is the only original artist on a film.



Everyone else — the actors, directors, cameramen, production designers, editors, special effects wizards, and so on — are interpretive artists, trying to bring alive the world, the events, and the characters that the screenwriter has invented and created.



Robert McKee's Story Seminar is a comprehensive, superbly organized exploration of all elements, from the basics to advanced concepts. It is a practical course, presenting new perspectives on the craft of storytelling, not just for the screenwriter but for the novelist, playwright, journalist, and non-fiction writers of all types.



Robert McKee's Story Structure is the world's ultimate story and screenwriting class because it effectively demonstrates the relationship between Story Design and Character. Using examples from over 100 films, Robert McKee demonstrates that structure and design are about form and principles, that structure is not plot, rigid rules, formulas or "Hollywood" movies.