Inception and Understanding

[Rachel_Blot]

I am currently watching Inception for the second time in a row. I remember having read that Cobb’s concern is in the Past, making Mal’s Memory, their relationship’s Conceptualizing and the OS’s Understanding.

Now my question would be : how does the OS fit into Understanding ? Because the story focuses a lot on how to implement an idea into Robert’s mind, so I would’ve thought it would be an OS of Psychology (Conceiving could have fit but it doesn’t work with the previous arrangements). In general, how do you choose between an OS of Physics and an OS of Psychology in the case of stories focusing on psychology at a storytelling level ? It makes it hard sometimes to differentiate storyforming from storytelling.

[jhull]

The problem isn’t presented as one of Psychology, it’s Physics: getting the team together, running from mind “agents”, stealing memories, rolling in a van while battling other agents on a different level of the mind, battling mind “guards” on your way up the mountain, working your way back through the subconscious of an aging man, and so on.

Issues of Sense and Interpretation are all over the place – rain, sound, appearance, and so on.

Cobb has a massive chip on his shoulder - the guilt for driving his wife to commit suicide. (Stop dynamic)

You’re absolutely right, it’s a great example of the difference between storytelling and storyform - they go on and on about incepting - but the conflict in the story isn’t about the process of “conceiving”, it’s about running a con of misUnderstandings in order to incept - or get him to UNDERSTAND - that he needs to sell off his father’s business.

[Rachel_Blot]

It makes a lot of sense when explained that way, indeed. I realized that when seeing all the actions scenes but I wanted some more explanations, so thanks a lot !

I was asking mostly because it is sometimes kind of hard to know how to write an OS story in Psychology without accidently making it Physics. With Universe and Mind it’s not so much of a problem because they are both states (one external like a Civil War or a huis clos ; the other internal what with prejudice and painful memories), but writing processes involve some level of actions and it’s easy to slip into Physics and making the psychological aspect a storytelling device rather than a true source of conflict.

[jhull]

It’s easier to just think in terms of Genre—do you want a thriller like Memento or A Simple Plan where everyone is f—ing with everyone’s head?

Or do you want a thriller like * Inception* or * The Usual Suspects* where people are dying or trying to kill each other?

When you balance that out with the opposing Relationship Story, it’s easier to figure out the kinds of scenes you should write.

[mlucas]

I watched Inception for the first time about a month ago, and I found the Concerns were pretty easy to peg. Totally agree with Jim on those. (I actually remember thinking during the movie “they keep talking about Conceiving but it can’t be Conceiving because bottom-right Concerns feel light/golden/beautiful, but this movie feels heavy”.)

But one thing I didn’t understand was why so much of the movie was so boring! There was so much “action” (fighting snow soldiers, driving around in the van with sleeping people, etc.) that seemed totally pointless. Enough that I felt there was some structural reason for that pointlessness.

Yet I was still caught up enough by the underlying story that I was compelled to watch to the end of this very long movie, and was impressed by the ending.

Maybe it’s because the IC and RS throughlines are underdeveloped? Or maybe it’s because there’s a fairly solid structure (with small but still present IC and RS), and everything is explored properly (signposts in right order). But then they tacked on a bunch of gratuitous action where it wasn’t necessary.

[jhull]

The Relationship Story Throughline is underdeveloped, almost non-existent. There’s a setup with Cobb teaching Ariadne about working imyiur way through a maze (Conceptualizing), but it really doesn’t go anywhere.

Tons of ways to hook that idea up with Mal etc., but I agree—mainly plot and MC. Still, a great movie.

[Khodu]

Suffered the same thing last week. Been back and forth on this so much.
Remembered something @jhull said somewhere. Dramatica storyform is the underlying structure of a story. Then it hit me. Subtext. No wonder he changed the service from Atomizer to Subtext.

Chosen to settle for the Physics domain for my OS. That way, I can still leverage the storytelling to get the Psychology feel in there.

[Rachel_Blot]

Yeah regarding that. I always thought the IC was Mal, she fits into the mind domain for obvious reasons and her steadfast behaviour makes Cob realize she’s nothing but a shade of his real wife. And their RS of Conceptualizing would be all about the worlds they created to be together. It’s what drove them to grow old together in limbo, a world of their own making. It was what led Mal to scheme a way to have both her and her husband wake up in the real world. It’s what keeps their relationship alive as Cobb recreates a world of memories where they can still be together. And in the end this world is destroyed when Cobb tells Mal they did, in fact, grow old together - marking the end of their relationship as Cobb moves on and gets back to his children.

[jhull]

I believe you are somehow incepting me here!

It would be super annoying to me if she actually fit in here somehow—mainly because I’ve always felt something was missing.

But there’s a lot that seems super obvious now (Mal IC Problem of Knowledge. RS Problem of Order)…

…dang it…get out of my head!!!

[jhull]

One year later…

…though maybe it was only six seconds in real life…