If one is to make oneself clearly understood, one has first to work out a logical plot and then express it cogently. A good speaker leaves no opportunity for his audience's attention to flag, he holds their attention focused on what he is saying, making them wait for what follows until they are convinced unawares that his message is an immutable truth.
If a writer is to blend several different real-life stories into an interesting and meaningful drama to give people a convincing picture of life, then an original formal resolution is essential. And that, precisely, is the plot.
A film can only develop its ideological content with depth and clarity, and show life truthfully, if it has a good plot.
The great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung said that in order to ensure a high degree of ideological and artistic quality in works based on fact, scriptwriters should be efficient in their treatment of events, instead of just jumbling them together. He cautioned that the latter practice would devalue their work.
Any writer who intends to provide a proper solution for the problems he raises in his work and emphasizes important ideas, needs to be highly skilled in the meticulous development of the plot structure. Without this skill he will be unable to achieve his goal. This is why drama is called the art of plot-construction. It is very
important, therefore, that the plot of a film be planned carefully and correctly, and that it deal adequately with all problems arising in the composition of the drama.
Even though a writer may select a very worthwhile seed, in order to express the idea of his work clearly he is still obliged to devise a plot which suits the seed. The plot is the basic form integrating the characters, conflicts, events and other elements of dramatic description into a harmonious framework which clearly expresses the seed. That is why the writer can express nothing adequately unless he has planned the plot correctly.
Works of art and literature need tightly-drawn plots. Untidy plots are not only inadequate to the writer's intention, they also diminish the truth of descriptive elements and further obscure the ideological content of the work. So writers must not forget that even the smallest gap in the plot will cause the whole work to crumble.
A film with an untidy plot cannot grip the audience and define their emotional response. Only when the story-line flows naturally and logically can the film rouse the ideological and emotional sympathy of the audience, and make their hearts beat faster. If it does not convince the audience of the truth through the natural flow of the story, it is not art.
The plots of works of art and literature must be planned according to the requirements of the seeds, in order to meet the needs of real life.
seed, which provides the principles for the organization of content and the unification of all the formal elements of the work in conformity with the content. Only by working from the requirements of the seed can the writer select certain aspects of real life and blend them into a well-knit story and an organically harmonious work. The writer must never work out his plot irresponsibly, ignoring the requirements of the seed.
Some writers seem to think that they can construct the plots of their works in any way they please. But they could only do that if they were to collect various kinds of material before selecting their seeds. They can consider all kinds of plots because, not having chosen their seeds, they have not yet defined their themes properly. But it would be a great mistake for them to think that they can work like this once their seeds have been selected.
A writer can never judge the value of the form of his plot without reference to the seed he has selected. The plot structure of a work can only be determined correctly according to the standards of the seed. Which plot structures will develop the content most efficiently in the light of the requirements of the seed? That is the way the question should be put. So writers must endeavour to work out the plot which best meets the requirements of their seed.
The plot of a literary work should be designed in such a way. as to conform with the logic of life, since its structure has to develop the seed gradually and comprehensively through the interaction of diverse and complex life-stories. Only a work in which the plot is
logically constructed is capable of representing its ideological essence truthfully. The ideological content of the work can only be depicted truthfully when the event basic to the structure of the work and the human relationships formed around these events develop logically.
Each literary plot must have its own distinguishing characteristics. Since every work has its own individual seed and, accordingly, its own theme, and every work deals with different people, there is no reason why they should all follow the same pattern.
In creating new works, writers must not cling to existing structural forms but create a new structure for every new piece they produce.
Art and literature have a number of established structural forms which have been developed in the course of history. Writers need not regard them as absolute ideals just because they have been polished through use. These forms change and develop and are steadily enriched as society changes with the times and man's artistic understanding develops accordingly. Writers must constantly explore, develop and perfect new structural forms which are in keeping with the changing times and the intrinsic nature of revolutionary art, while at the same time choosing from amongst the existing forms which have been historically refined those which mirror life truthfully and accord with our contemporary aesthetic taste.
Plots must be taut and consistent without any gaps.
to be dovetailed together. As for the relationships of the various characters, all of them must be subordinated to giving prominence to the hero's line of development. In the development of conflicts, the various secondary conflicts must converge on the line of the main conflict, and in the sequencing of events, all the secondary lines must be linked to the main line. Furthermore, all elements must be subordinated to the interpretation of the theme and the idea.
The most important thing here is to ensure the consistency of the hero's line of development, while at the same time organizing the characters in such a way that each of them will have his own distinct share of the story-line.
In a dramatic plot, the most important thing is to establish human relationships correctly. The correct definition of the relationships between characters largely determines both the artistic clarity of the work's content, and the adequacy with which the major social contradictions are depicted, as well as the strength and dimensions of the plot structure.
If the characters are to become dramatically embedded in the storyline, each of them must occupy the correct position within the structure, each with his own share of associated description, and they must all contribute to the expression of the theme and the idea. Even where they might seem to have a value of their own, individual characters and events will prove worthless unless they have a definite place and descriptive task in the context of the plot.
role of linking together the other characters and leading them forward. The clarity and suppleness of the relationships between all the characters depend on how consistently the hero's line of development is maintained.
For the hero's line of development to be clearly defined, he must play the leading role in the resolution of the work's fundamental issue and occupy a central place in relation to the other characters, so that they will move in tune with him. If the hero does not occupy his rightful place and play his rightful role, other characters will dominate the plot.
The hero's place and role are determined by the active and decisive influence he has on the resolution of the major issue. If other characters come into contact with each other and weave a story-line as a result of being drawn into the situation created by the hero's dramatic actions, then the hero can remain quite distinctly present through the images of the other characters, even if he does not appear in the foreground himself. The hero can create the strongest dramatic impression by appearing in only those scenes where his presence is required.
It will not do in attempting a clear presentation of one character's line of development to allow that character to develop quite independently, sidetracking the story or fragmenting it, instead of subordinating it to the hero's line. Any character's line of development is valuable only insofar as it fulfils the dramatic task of highlighting the hero's line and widening the scope of the story. The various characters'
lines must each have their own distinctive features and develop in a neat fashion, so that they are easily understood.
The question of the development of characters is directly related to the relative position of the characters in the structure. There should be no gaps in their distribution, nor should there be a duplication of similar characters. Characters must have their own particular positions, where they can play their proper roles. Typical characters should be selected from different classes and backgrounds in accordance with the content of the work and organized in a structured relationship which can be settled with clear political implications. This character-set serves as the basis of life through which the theme and idea are defined.
If characters are created simply to make an interesting story, or relationships are formed between them merely in order to produce moving episodes, then these characters and their relationships will not develop consistently, nor will they contribute to the clear expression of the work's ideological content.
Considerable care is required in establishing the relationships between characters, even with those whose role is to establish links between the main characters and to intensify conflicts and disagreements.
Any lacuna in the disposition of characters is a pitfall to be avoided in the telling of the story, and the creation of a superfluous character is a snare to be avoided in description. Both the pitfall and the snare are equally harmful in their destructive effect on the narrative.
Nevertheless, some writers, claiming that this character is suitable for this scene and that character has a particular charm, tend to duplicate or triplicate characters or create separate characters who can only be included in a single scene. This results in the indiscriminate involvement of superfluous characters, usually producing situations which lack some truly essential character, or, where he does exist, fail to make him play his proper part in his proper place. These writers attempt to win fame through the great number of their characters, rather than their intrinsic charm. Their indiscriminate creation of characters renders the story-line discursive and loosens the plot and in the final analysis it blurs the focal point, the essence, of the idea.
The relationships between characters in a drama are formed and developed in the course of the story, and they are, therefore, inseparable from the development of the story-line. The central place in the dramatic structure is held by the story-line, which takes shape as contacts are established between characters, culminates in the climax, and then proceeds to the denouement. If the story-line is not closely-knit, the overall structure will not be compact. A careful analysis of a work in which the content is obscure and discursive will show that the defect is mainly due to a vague and loose story-line. A rambling story-line will also be incapable of showing the process of development of life in a clear and interesting way.
Once they have appeared on the screen, scenes in a film cannot be viewed again immediately, so that a scene which was not clear to the audience remains so until the end of the story. A vague
story-line will introduce ambiguous scenes into the film, and the audience will ultimately not be certain of what they have seen. The close weaving of the story-line is therefore always a matter of great importance.
The story-line of a work includes the general stages of narrative development usually beginning with a specific event, gradually advancing to a leap to the climax, which is followed by the conclusion. So if the structure is to be well-knit, the story-line must be planned to include these distinct stages—the initiation of events, their development, climax and conclusion. The development of events can be defined with a coherent logic when the writer identifies the most essential links in the internal relations of human life and dovetails them firmly together.
In developing the story-line it is impossible to carry along every line of events and every episode evenly. The major requirement, if the central points of the structure are to be given prominence, and the story-line is to remain closely-knit, is that priority must be given to clarity in the development of the basic events, which link and direct the narrative-lines of various secondary events, episodes and details.
A literary work has no room for meaningless and unnecessary events, episodes and details. Incidents and episodes which prove merely to be interesting in themselves will not simply be useless, but a positive nuisance. Even if a writer has a bundle of very interesting episodes, these will only cause him a great deal of trouble unless they contribute effectively to the composition of the drama and the
portrayal of the characters' distinguishing features. Episodes must be in the right place if they are to support the characterization, advance the story-line and clarify the theme and idea. Some writers attempt to ornament the story by tactfully inserting a few interesting episodes. However, episodes which have been added merely for the sake of interest, without regard to the demands of the events and the characters, are usually taken out at the polishing stage. So writers should think very carefully before deciding to add supplementary episodes in order to fill gaps or link disjointed story-lines.
New developments in the plot must advance the story-line steadily and maintain the dramatic tension. Only the literary work with a well-knit plot is capable of holding the attention of the audience, alternately tightening and loosening its grip by means of a stream of incidents with rising and falling emotions.
Tension is maintained through the combination of deep sympathy for the hero, anticipation of the development of events and interest in the noble lives disclosed in the story-line. This tension must be motivated on the author's part by the need to deepen the audience's understanding by presenting them with a clear and forceful impression of life.
The constantly changing current of life is an uninterrupted flow of inexorable logic, by which a cause produces an effect which in turn becomes the cause of a new effect. The audience will naturally be drawn into the current of life when the writer recognizes the most essential line of these logical connections, and follows it faithfully,
highlighting it by eliminating those elements which obscure or weaken it, and skilfully focusing attention on its necessary implications.
However, the audience should never be roused to a state of tension simply by the introduction of exciting incidents. The psychology of the people in the audience should also be taken into consideration in stimulating the feeling of tension. It is not possible, nor is it necessary, to maintain a high level of tension from start to finish.
The plot of a film must not be a mere grouping of events; it must be a sequential process of stimulating emotions.
Since characters' thoughts and emotions find concrete expression in the events of life, it is important when dealing with these events to have a proper understanding of the ideological and emotional state of the characters, and to describe it clearly. In working out the plot, close attention to the flow of emotions is essential, not only to maintain a correct balance in the development of the characters' feelings, but also in order to control the emotional response of the audience.
In the writing of a work, the characters' emotions must be treated as their response to the subtle development of their lives, their feelings should grow in intensity, culminating strong in explosive outbursts which are the natural result of this development. Discovering noble, honourable lives and portraying the rich and complicated emotions of the characters, so as to stimulate a profound emotional response—this is the secret of writing a plot.
The organization of events must correspond to the organization of emotions. The emotions of the characters and the feelings of the audience are roused, converge and unite in response to the same sequence of events in the work. The audience can only be drawn into the compass of the work when there is a logical match between the harmonious flow of events and the process by which the emotions of the characters are roused, expressed in action and communicated to the audience.
If the crucial scene is introduced before the conditions required to rouse the characters' feelings have been adequately developed and the situation properly prepared, or if the events reach a conclusion before emotions reach their full pitch, then the flow of the characters' emotions will be interrupted and the audience's excitement will also subside. Dull events lacking emotional support will not excite the audience, even though they follow a logical idea.
A film must deal naturally and concisely with the events and emotions which develop in the course of complex lives. The distinctive character of a film is largely determined by the conciseness with which it sets forth the major, prominent points. Individual events and stories, even if valuable in themselves, will be of no use unless they are presented dramatically.
This is even more true of a work which is constructed on a large scale, involving many major characters and weaving together