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OK, so here’s our second part to the blog on the difference between the screenwriting terms Inciting Incident and Call to Action.

As we saw in the last post, the Inciting Incident does not necessarily have to directly involve the protagonist or even be on screen for that matter. The Call to Action on the other hand definitely has to involve the protagonist and be seen on screen. It is just that—a call to action. The beckoning of adventure. The phone ring. The poster. The hologram message from a droid. However the message is delivered, the protagonist has definitely been called into action and their normal, cozy, safe, world comes crashing down around their ears.

It can be a seemingly good thing that’s actually bad, or a seemingly bad thing that’s actually good. The point is, their mind is thrown into turmoil and they are left with a difficult decision to make about what’s just happened. A decision that they’ll make at the Act One Turning Point and have to commit to for the remainder of the film.

While the Inciting Incident often starts a film, heralding a major change in the protagonist’s life, it is the Call to Action that actually kick-starts the story for the protagonist. After the usual, mundane world of the hero has been set up, it is the Call to Action that shakes it up. It also generally ends the first sequence, setting the protagonist on the slippery slope towards the end of Act One,

Let’s take a look at a few examples to help clarify the definition:

The Truman Show

After we see Truman going about his daily life, with his friends, his wife, saying hello to the neighbours and having flashbacks, the event that spins all this on its head and brings nagging doubts about his existence to the surface is when he recognizes his father, dressed as a tramp, on the street. From then on Truman is only going to end the act one way—setting out to try and leave the island.

The Heartbreak Kid

The Inciting Incident in this film occurs around twelve minutes in, and is the moment Eddie saves Lila from being mugged. As in all romantic comedies this is the moment the lovers meet for the first time, the moment the protagonist’s head is put in a spin by the amazing girl / guy they’ve just met. In rom-com terminology it’s also known as the “cute-meet”

Alien

The Inciting Incident in this film is the radio transmission from another moon that the crew are awoken from their slumber to investigate. All seems fairly normal until they actually arrive on the moon and one of the crew is attacked by an alien which bursts out of an egg. All of a sudden this Call to Action spins everything on its head and brings into play a dilemma—should they let the stricken crew member die, or bring him in on-board the ship? The decision they make ultimately leads to the Act One Turning point and the action over the course of the film.

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So, we hope that’s cleared things up a little regarding these two screenwriting terms. Be sure to check back soon for our next post!

Today we’re going to take a look at the some of the confusion surrounding the screenwriting terms Inciting Incident and Call to Action moments in a script. Are they the same thing? If not, how do they differ? Although the actual terms don’t really matter and many books / gurus use different ones, (catalyst, point of attack etc.) it’s important to be clear on that they are two different points in a script with different functions.

So, let’s start by taking a look at the Inciting Incident, and in the next post we’ll tackle the Call to Action.

The Inciting Incident

This is the moment without which there would be no film. It doesn’t necessarily have to involve the protagonist—they could be completely oblivious of it when it happens—but it’s the moment that kick starts a chain of events sucking them into the story. It is also often the first scene in a film. Let’s take a look at some examples:

Basic Instinct

At the beginning of the film we see Catherine murder a man in bed. This is the Inciting Incident because it’s the moment in the film without which there would be no story. If Catherine hadn’t murdered him she wouldn’t end up being investigated by Nick and he wouldn’t have fallen for her, and so on. Nick is completely unaware of this event when it happens but it’s still the moment that kick-starts the story.

Mean Girls

Sometimes the protagonist is well aware of the Inciting Incident as in this case. In the first scene of the film, Kady describes in voice-over how she has moved back to the States with her parents after twelve years in Africa. Moving back home is, of course, the catalyst to enrolling at that particular school, meeting those particular girls and to the whole story.

In this case, and many others, the Inciting Incident represents a major change in the protagonist’s life, of which they can be aware or unaware at the time. Leaving college, as in The Graduate, or moving to Earth as in Bewitched.

Sideways

In some cases the Inciting Incident happens off-screen before the film even starts. In Sideways, the Inciting Incident is Miles and Jack’s decision to go on the wine tour, but we don’t see this conversation and are thrown into the ride the day of their departure. Nevertheless, it still proves to be the one moment without which there wouldn’t be a film and a major turning point in both of their lives.

Be sure to check back for our upcoming post on another misused screewriting term: the Call to Action.