Before/During/After theory

Indiana Jones shot first...

Ok, here is the compiled list of the 3 classes for your Before/During/After theory. This theory lays out the rules for the hero to follow when it comes to the hero doing violence. The idea is that for the audience to “enjoy” (or at least think it is ok) when then hero does violence, the hero needs to follow a lot of rules Before/During/After he or she is doing the violence.

(the list has some repetition…)

BEFORE

Threat has to be posed. Carried out.. Very bad..close family , child or spouse, kidnapped…
Something tragic has to happen...pretty bad--almost always by the bad guy 
ID the bad guy.. (lots of times the badness goes even deeper than the heros personal trajedy)

Hero gets blamed..

Manipulation of the hero

Hero faces an unscrupolous bad guy.,

Hero must save someone or something from some one or something

He must feel fear...not gonna be easy
plan , train, find allies

Research

MUST try to solve things officilaly

Violence has to be the last resort.,

Negotiasean

Official means must be exhausted

Must feel like justice, not revenge…

Stakes get bigger than personal

Our hero must feel inadequate…

Hero has some guilt

Cant seem like revenge...needs to be justice

Must be real effort to solve things officially..this will fail...

Must train.. Must get allies…

Badly suffer… physical …. Or psych

The hero must FEEL the big responsilblty

Abandon their ideology...or not...flirt with anti-hero…

Try to reason, use words… negotiate with the evil

Nothing left to lose...violence last resort.

Our hero must feel inadequate…

Hero has some guilt

Must be real effort to solve things officially..this will fail...

Some background...lack of guidance...maybe issues or problems

Try to talk it out

Some mutual respect...or at least the hero..

Lets the bad guy know…

Violence to come must be for greater good…

Build the character empathy

DURING

Self defense

Gets the beating first…

Finds stamina

Amost die

Memory plays a role… to guide them…

He becomes obsessed, bc the responsibliltuy is so great

It must like a duty… a job…Cant be fun

Often a tough choice to make..

No kids….Protect the innocent...No innocent die. Or we dont see it… No overkill..

Often shows mercy--that doesnt work.. .NOW we kill him

Often has a moment with the bad guy--tries to show him how to be better

No gloating , no braggin, no happiness. ..

Selfish … forced back into it…

Hero can not enjoy the violence--must feel like a a job... super difficult

Hero must fail...cant be too easy

Side kicks can die..

Must be outnumbered… bad odds, out gunned

Hero gets trapped,

Violence takes place not near citizens… cannot hurt the innocent..

Hero must show mercy…try to rehablititate the bad guy..Never sink as low as the villian

Try to use words

Dont care if they caught… no real risk of getting stopped doing the violence

Hero wants to do alone…

There is no other option… hero see this..

No over kill,,,No torture

Always big final struggle

Must be tricky...Good skill set.,,,,Out wit the bad guys

 

Throw out pride...main character is stubborn…at the end we allow the hero to change it up.

 

AFTER

Lesson to be learned

The hero always “wins”

Sacrifirces…. Big time..

Gets the girl…or not

Spouse isnt upset…..

Public gratificaitoin…

Not caught after…

Limit to the accolades..Limitations on the rewards

Hero doesnt feel like hero...very broken

But sociey is repaired…..

They help out with  repairing the damage

The enemy is still out there

Sacrifice is huge….

They dont get honored,,

Or rewarded

They have more respect ….but not much else

Hero decides to embrace official ways…

Cliff hanger..even if bad guy dies, $$$... prospect of more violence

One liner… wrap up, encsapsulate,

Cops show up always too late…official people show up.

Violence  accomplihsed greater gooood .. but not the personal reward

Limited personal glory…

Limted celebration…

Sometimes reunion with loved ones

Cant die…
Official rule returns.

Rides off … done…

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