

It’s the pilot, Al, or rather his corpse, which Chuck robs of anything useful. He spots a body awash on the shore and runs to pull it from the water. He realizes he is just a small blip in a vast ocean with little likelihood of ever being found. Turning Point Catalyst – The Reality Check: 45 minutes (32.8%) – Chuck climbs to the summit of the mountain and surveys the island. He struggles to open coconuts and feed himself. He draws a HELP sign into the sand only to find the tide has washed it away in the morning. Incidental Opposition: Chuck is scared by noises in the darkness. Transitional Goal: Figure out where he is and what to do next. The Unfamiliar Situation: Chuck finds himself marooned on a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific.
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But when he learns how isolated the island is and finds the corpse of one of his fellow passengers (the reality check), Chuck buries his former colleague and contemplates how to get home to the woman he loves (the commitment). Marooned on a deserted island (the unfamiliar situation), with no survival supplies or training (incidental opposition), Chuck tries to figure out where he is and how to get back to civilization (transitional goal). But when he receives a Reality Check, he makes a Commitment to his New Role. The character Learns the Rules of an Unfamiliar Situation and faces Incidental Opposition in pursuit of a Transitional Goal. The New Role: A plane crash survivor on a deserted island.ĪCT TWO: LEARNING THE RULES OF AN UNFAMILIAR SITUATION Chuck escapes the sinking plane in a life raft and washes ashore on a small island. Turning Point One – The Dilemma: 20 minutes (14.5%) – The plane Chuck is on crashes into the ocean killing everyone else on board. He tells her they’ll open it on New Year’s when he gets back. He and Kelly exchange gifts when they arrive at the airport, culminating in him giving her a ring box. Turning Point Catalyst – The Disturbance: 13 minutes (9.4%) – Chuck gets called away to Malaysia by FedEx during Christmas dinner. He’s been putting off proposing to his girlfriend despite how much they love each other. The clock is always ticking and he makes his living by ensuring efficiency.

Oppressive Opposition: Chuck’s greatest enemy is time. Initial Goal: Keep FedEx running like clockwork. The Imperfect Situation: Chuck Noland is a workaholic who frequently travels away from his girlfriend and has been holding off on marrying her. But when he’s called away on business on Christmas (the disturbance), his plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean (the dilemma) leaving Chuck the sole survivor on an uninhabited island (the new role). Workaholic systems analyst Chuck Nolan (the imperfect situation) puts his work before his relationship and battles against time (oppressive opposition) as he tries to keep FedEx working smoothly (initial goal).


But when there is a Disturbance to his routine, he faces a Dilemma regarding his situation and must assume a New Role. Foundations are laid for the main throughline, subplots and central conflict.ĪCT ONE: DEALING WITH AN IMPERFECT SITUATIONĪ character in an Imperfect Situation faces Oppressive Opposition as he pursues an Initial Goal. The story world and its mechanics are established. Story Structure Analysis: Cast Away DRAMATIC PHASE ONE: THE SETUPĪll of the main characters are introduced. Plot summary of the 2000 survival drama film Cast Away continues below… New Role: A plane crash survivor on a deserted island
