Premise Nailed

By Mark David  

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Premise revisited

I have discussed premise before, without arriving at any consensus. These communities can be used for something really at the very core of writing really meaningful stories that move and enthral us. This is my motivating factor as a writer. 

I have previously stated: 

'Somewhere along the line, we have to say stop and figure out what it is we are doing. That is when we have to discover the premise, so we appreciate what the story is essentially about and how it can end (Enders-first not included).'

I have always had the feeling that premise lies at the very heart of creating a great work of fiction, whether it is a book or a film. The media are different, yet the device I feel is the same. I knew it had something to do with showing human quality. Defining just what that was is not easy.

To illustrate this, I have spent time looking for an example that encapsulates what it is I have been feeling I know is the key to great fiction writing - so I can learn from it and apply this recognition to turn my fiction into something it aspires to be. Great. Cutting Edge.

My mission in this post is to define PREMISE once and for all - by illustration

We can say that the 'core' of the meaningful story – contains the motivating force. The genetic material for the tree: The seed, from which a novel will grow with a trunk (storyline), branches (subplots), flowers (generate ideas) and bear fruit (prove its point).

This is exactly what the De Niro character does in the example I was looking for. It is a line from a film by a great instructor with the best actors and cinephotographers in the business.

'A guy told me one time. Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.' 

HEAT

This line is the best one I have found that illustrates what PREMISE is all about.

The premise is attached to the main character played by Robert De Niro. He, through the choices he is confronted with, fails to live up to his own mantra, sealing his fate. It is a tragic premise, preaching destruction. Mantra, because these words are a sacred utterance, a profound statement of being and a prediction of what will happen to those who do not listen to their inner voices and abide by it. It is a deep and fascinating premise. It was what HEAT is all about and why I think this one of the best crime-robbery movies ever made.

'If we want our stories to create resonance with the reader, we have to believe whole-heartedly in the premise. It doesn't have to be the only truth there is, but a possible — a likely truth that we can out out hearts into. That core of meaning  - this what a strong premise provides.' (from a post on G+)

The premise is based on character. De Niro is faced with the choice of starting a new life with the young woman he has come to love, or exact revenge on him who has been the cause of the events that has lead him to his current predicament. It is a battle between belief and circumstance not of his own choosing. 

When he comes face to face with his opposite, the counterpoint, the meeting is defined by the premise in the film.

The premise in HEAT is imbued with overtones of existence and fate and the choices we face when the going gets tough, placing us in situations we have no control over and have not chosen to be placed within. To rise above circumstance and walk the right path to a 'better destiny' than the one he is currently headed towards. It is universal and I'm sure rereading will show other examples from cultures all around the world.

The premise drives the entire movie and it can be defined as: 

Emotion is greater than reason (for the antagonist)

Even when the stakes are at their greatest. This is the story and character premise is in its purest form. It is embodied in the antagonist, the antithesis of the protagaonist (Al Pacino) who follows his motivation to hunt at the expense of his emotional life. The protagonist does not conform to premise and this is what sets him apart as being the antithesis of the crime running forwards in story.

The differences between them men and their motivation is brought to fruition in the climax of the film that follows the events, placing the Protagonist in a situation where his fate is decided: Life. Destruction. Order. Chaos. The premise drives the antagonist, and the entire story, though they could each have their own premise. 

As far as I am concerned, this understanding nails premise once and for all.