Nofilmschool iconNofilmschoolSep 4, 2026 ~1 min source read

The Story Rule That Separates Great Films from Great Entertainment

Let's tell a story of someone desperate enough to stalk a friend they want to make. Writer and story artist Adam Argot has spent 15 years working in film, TV, games, and publishing, and teaches story structure at CalArts and as a guest lecturer in USC's Screenwriting Program.

The Story Rule That Separates Great Films from Great Entertainment

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Let's tell a story of someone desperate enough to stalk a friend they want to make.

Writer and story artist Adam Argot has spent 15 years working in film, TV, games, and publishing, and teaches story structure at CalArts and as a guest lecturer in USC's Screenwriting Program.

In an interview with Film Courage, Argot walked through how he approaches character and structure.

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The useful part

Let's tell a story of someone desperate enough to stalk a friend they want to make. Writer and story artist Adam Argot has spent 15 years working in film, TV, games, and publishing, and teaches story structure at CalArts and as a guest lecturer in USC's Screenwriting Program. In an interview with Film Courage, Argot walked through how he approaches character and structure.

How it works

  • In his view, what most storytellers call a character arc is really a rite of passage, and understanding that connection changes what you're actually doing when you shape one.

Example or evidence

  • Everything else builds around those elements based on the genre I choose.

Details worth keeping

Let's make two ridiculously codependent characters. Someone lost in the deepest throes of yearning? Character Arcs & Rites of Passage, came out in 2025.

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