Story-telling 101: What is a Micro-Tension?

Two films come to mind; Pulp fiction and The Interview, but it is not before cross-referencing the Hollywood Classic “Beaches,” do I find that these modern incarnations of Cinema to be of equal and more modern appeal to the world of screenwriting. What is your story? Or rather, what is your lack of story?

To first differentiate the difference between character and story is the plight of this very fundamental exercise. In the film Beaches one could relegate it to the likes of a stark overblown lack of style over substance. There is NO story, just two characters from different sides of society living through their respective points of view surrounding their respective relationship beats. And, this is exactly why it works so well. Hollywood has forgotten this very mode of “story-telling,” just rich and textured character development for the sake of leading us from point A to Point B to Point C. Fantastic expression of the cinema and a even better script to boot, if I do say so myself.

Now how does Pulp Fiction and The Interview fair while pitted against the likes of this storied classic? In these two films, both exercise the use of micro-tensions to keep the audience compelled from start to end.

In Pulp Fiction, the preeminent example stems from the setting up of “the burger killing,” when Jules begins to berate each of the college students with notions of being well fed after a botched criminal act. Even within the scene are we further compelled to think about how Sam Jackson leads us from washing down the big kahuna burger with a “tasty beverage,” We are of course taken back to the film and wonder how the mastery of said writer, Quintin Tarantino takes us from Point A to Point B to Point C in the scene, itself.

Another example of a “micro tension,” is in the film The Interview where the initial “set up” is in the poisoned band-aid serving as a stick of gum is eradicated while Skylark and Rappaport are checking into the quarters after a security check. The result is that they are forced to radio home to replace the poisoned handshake with another similar looking prop.

A guided missile is then fired from the America’s into Korea where Rappaport is to retrieve the poison capsule in a second attempt to assassinate the supreme ruler of North Korea, by shaking his hand is the plight. Rappaport is sent into the adjacent fields just opposite their designated quarters. We find a Bengal tiger in his way this time of which is later subdued, answering the question of the first micro tension. Once the Tiger is comatosed the poison is retrieved only to face a new and even more menacing micro-tension. North Korean Militia are now on their way. These “tensions” are working on a micro level to better enhance the cinema going experience.

Now the point is simple, we may not always exercise every fundamental in every scene but for the most part good story-telling does require conflict or in two of the three cases here… micro-tensions.