Napoleon's inciting incident ISN'T Toulon... (screenplay plotting - minutes 0-15)

Taking up the challenge of crafting a top-notch screenplay treatment about the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, Alex Stevenson is joined by James Topham (who knows a thing or two about screenwriting) and Ben Deery (who knows a thing or two about acting) to put the movie world to rights. Having analysed the pitfalls and frustrations of Ridley Scott's Napoleon 2023 in the first season the Napoleon Movie Quarter-Hourly, this time round the team have to come up with the magic themselves.

This episode covers their consideration of the film's first 15 minutes: critical real estate in any screenwriting escapade. Whilst we might not be clear what Napoleon's 'save the cat' moment is - the event which gets the audience to like or engag with the protagonist - we do have a clear answer to what the 'inciting incident' should be that propels our lead character into the world. And, shock horror, it's not going to be Toulon...

As our resident AI bot N-AI-poleon Bot-aparte puts it:

• The team reconvenes to craft a unique treatment for a Napoleon movie, blending heist-movie energy with historical drama

• Alex Stevenson lays out the initial setting: a dissolute, awkward young Napoleon in 1795 Paris, skipping over the usual Toulon set-piece in favour of a fresh perspective

• James Topham explains the crucial components of a film’s first 15 pages: establishing character, creating a “save the cat” moment, and delivering a compelling inciting incident

• The hosts debate Napoleon’s lack—whether it’s ambition, savoir faire, or something deeper—and explore how his transformation sets up the arc of the film

• The episode climaxes with the inciting incident, launching Napoleon onto the stage of history, and setting up the next challenge: assembling his mustachioed crew for the film’s heist vibe.

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