"Elysium" Online Analysis -- SPOILERS

analysis
#42

Let’s press forward and see if we can figure out why that is.

Max longs to be with Frey, but his selfish past (stealing cars) drove them apart. After being irradiated, all Max can think about is saving his own skin and is unable to see past his own needs, but in the end, starts to care for others and sacrifices himself to save Matilda and the millions of others who don’t have access to universal healthcare (or the sci-fi version of it anyway).

MC Growth: Start
Max needs to start thinking about others.

EDIT: Wait, I think I screwed that up.

I’m in the process of rereading the Dramatica book and came across this regarding consequences (page 206):

"Consequences are the results of failing to achieve the Story Goal. Consequences are dependent on the Goal, though other story points may change the nature of that dependency. Consequences may be what will happen if the Goal is not achieved, or currently suffered and will continue or worsen if the Goal is not achieved. You should select the Type that best describes your story’s risk.

“One of the eight essential questions asks if the direction of your story is Start or Stop. A Start story is one in which the audience will see the Consequences as occurring only if the Goal is not achieved. In a Stop story, the audience will see the Consequences already in place, and if the Goal is not achieved the Consequences will worsen.”

By that definition, the MC Growth is definitely Stop. We can already see the consequence(s) if Max fails: The radiation will kill him and / or the people on earth will continue to suffer.

#43

There’s been several discussions about the Start - Stop choices. In most cases, people recommend you wait until all the other settings have been decided up before you make that choice. JimH is an advocate for that strategy, so maybe we should do the same… Like Key says, it will probably pick itself by the end.

1 Like
#44

Yeah, that’s actually a good idea. Wasn’t aware of that. Thanks for the tip.

Guess this means you’re up @Writegeist.

#45

Okay… I definitely see Max as a do-er. In fact, most of his problems have to do with the fact that he doesn’t think things through before acting. Getting stuck in the radiation chamber could have been prevented if he’d just stuck something in the track to keep the door open. He’s a reacter (reactor?) and not particularly contemplative.

What do you think, sirs?

1 Like
#46

I’ll agree with that. Definitely a Do-er.

EDIT: Okay, Sean’s up next with MC Style (linear or holistic).

1 Like
#47

Linear, because Max’s problem solving decisions make logical sense. There is a predictable cause and effect trajectory that guides his actions.

#48

Can you give us an example to back it up?

#49

Perhaps for example when Max tells Spider in a very direct way, exactly what he needs for the data heist. Also, when his friend comes to him earlier with a heist idea and Max tells him exactly what is needed to get the job done in the most straightforward way possible. This shows him setting up requirements, which is indicative of linear thinking. Also, Max doesn’t stop to consider the possibility of his chip being able to save Frey’s daughter, until Spider spells it out for him later.

#50

Yeah, that works for me. @Writegeist, how about you?

#51

Great examples… I’m a “yes” … I guess that means you’re up, Dr. J.

#52

Action or Decision. Hm… I guess I’ll go with Action. It’s the police officers breaking Max’s arm that precipitates the MC/IC storyline and Max getting irradiated that precipitates the OS storyline. At the end, it’s Max sacrificing his life that makes everyone a citizen of Elysium and saves Frey’s daughter. So yeah… Action.

Oh, I also noticed we haven’t labeled the OS Throughline. How about “Have VS Have Nots.”
Also, for the RS Throughline, maybe something like “Friends”

Just a thought.

1 Like
#53

Considering Max is really a do-er guy, he doesn’t really respond well to someone else’s decisions. So, yeah, action makes sense to me… As far as Throughlines, we’ll need to do the same things for that too, one at a time… And I think the choices are Situation, Activity, Fixed Attitude, and Manipulation.

2 Likes
#54

Looks like we’re all in agreement. Next is Limit. @Writegeist?

#55

Let’s see… Max is irradiated. He’s give a bunch of pills and told he has about a week to live. His reaction is that there is only one real option and that’s to make it to Elysium (Are you telling me there are NO med beds on Earth at all?! Sorry… ).

I say Timelock for this one.

2 Likes
#56

Seems like we’re all in agreement. Shall we move onto the next one, OUTCOME? @Sean?

#57

Success, because everyone down below becomes a citizen of Elysium and receives the healthcare benefits.

1 Like
#58

Agree… I wish the Affordable Care Act could have been that easy!

Also, I rearranged the Story Engine Setting doc on Evernote to have the following flow:

  • Character Dynamics
  • Plot Dynamics
  • Main Character
  • Influence Character
  • Relationship Story
  • Overall Story
  • Additional Story Points

I think that sums up the Chris Huntley method… Does that sound right, sirs?

Also, I’ve started feeding our choices into the Dramatica program and we’re starting to get some limits on what the program says would work. Hopefully that juxtaposition of what we saw in the movie and what the program says may give us some insight into what went wrong.

#59

Awesome. And for Judgement, I think it’s safe to say Good. Max is at peace with his choice, he doesn’t leave this world kicking and screaming.

1 Like
#60

Max sacrifices himself for the sake of others (“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few… or one.”). Definitely agree.

2 Likes
#61

Okay. So shall we move onto the Domains? Maybe for this one, we can all suggest our four domain choices and give our reasons and take it from there (see if we differ). Does that sound like something we’d all be cool with?