Talk to me, Goose.
Imagine you’re streaming Top Gun: Maverick at home
In one pivotal scene, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, the legendary Navy combat pilot, walks into the briefing room on the morning of his team’s most crucial mission, with the fate of the free world hanging in the balance.
INT. BRIEFING ROOM – DAY
Chatter fades to silence as Maverick strides to the front of the room.
MAVERICK
Okay, horndogs, listen up. About today’s mission… I’ve been up all night worried sick about encountering bandits or bogies or whatever they’re called these days, ten miles up in the air, getting shot at with real bullets. I feel queasy, and I’m about to throw up in this trash can. Do you guys mind if I sit this one out?
Audience Member Josie jumps up and shouts, “That’s xx%$##@! Maverick would never say that! I’m not watching this xx%$##@ another minute!”
Thankfully, this scene isn’t in the film.
Story logic asks, “Does this make sense?” and, “Is this believable?” It’s the second key aspect of verisimilitude in storytelling, along with Emotional Truth, that’s essential to build a world that’s real to the audience for the time they’re immersed in it.
Even if this were someone’s first exposure to the Top Gun universe, they’d have a clear sense of who Maverick is by how he’s introduced in the film. His persona as a tough, heroic, hard-bitten Navy pilot is part of the rules of this world.
Any violation of these rules, such as Maverick suddenly acting cowardly, breaks the story’s logic.
Tip: Clearly define the rules of your story world early on, then don’t violate them.
Sounds simple, right?
More to come…
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