One of the best parts of the original Rocky was that he didnt win. He proved himself, and he went the distance, which is all any of us can truly hope for, and in alot of ways thats so much more important than winning.

I can't tell you how frustrating it is to see a story (book or film) have interesting ideas and be well made but completely fail for me for one reason: the characters. They are not the icing on the cake, THEY ARE THE CAKE.

If Rocky came out today I could just see the reviews. "SLOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW" "BORING" "He just walks around not hitting things"

It is the movie that invented the training montage

Whoever says Rocky is a "boxing" movie, they have never seen it. This is an inspiring movie about redemption, never giving up and that anyone can survive even the worst things in life. I still remember watching this masterpiece, just last year when I was 15 years old, and I instantly fell in love. This movie is so well written that the boxing is ironically not that important compared to other aspects and themes of the movie

Like a wise man once said: We Need Emotional Content.

That's it. I'm gonna finally watch Rocky. See you later.

I read Save the Cat last year and have been struggling to make an idea of mine fit into the formula. It's a good formula, but not one size fits all. I needed this video, now more than ever. Thank you.

Good video. The best thing about Rocky is that his call to action is only the A story. The B Story is that he is able to form a meaningful relationship with someone, regardless of prestige or financial reward. Rocky 'Wins' at the end of this movie, despite what Apollo might tell you ;)

Having written over 50,000 words for Nanowrimo in 2012, I've had no energy to go back and really edit it or write more to it. This story about Sylvester Stallone going through a rough patch when writing Rocky touched me deeply that I couldn't really explain.

ADRIIIIIIIAAAAAAAN

Greatest movies ever.

The problem with making you feel emotion forward characters is, if you fail to do so, you have a movie that feels very forced and enjoyable to watch. Rocky suceed on doing so because of great writing, great soundtrack, and magnificence performance of Stallone. But many over stories which tried to do the same - Failed and fell into oblivion.

I love Rocky. Just LOVE the movie. It isn't a just boxing movie, and I agree with him, I can't watch the movie without seeing Stallone's struggle. And all that time spent before Apollo Creed's offer makes it that much more powerful for me.

Funnily enough I was just reading the section describing Rocky's late inciting incident in Robert McKee's "Story" the moment I saw this video in my feed. You read my mind totally!!!

I'm not a writer, i just like learning about things in my spare time . Might give writting anther go since i find your video's as a good breakdown and an eye opener for many good piece i never knew why i liked them. Keep up the good work.

Building off this, am I the only one who actually likes those long, "boring" first acts in RPGs? I did a video on Twilight Princess a week ago on my channel, and I talked about how that game has my favorite Link. Why? Because we get to spend time living his sleepy village life. We help with herding goats. An impatient gamer might want to get to the action as early as possible, but I enjoyed going around Ordon Village, interacting with the locals and getting to see their relationship with Link. Because of this, I cared much more when he was forced away from his old life than I would have otherwise.

3:36 I'm not crying, you're crying... Man I love this soundtrack. It hits me every time, harder than any punch to the gut from the heavy weight champ because the weight it carries is more than just vibrations from an instruments that was recorder ages ago. It's because that sound, that EXACT wave/vibration of this soundtrack resonates with every fiber of my very being, connecting to experiences in my life that are more deeply rooted than anyone would understand unless I wrote a novel about it. Bill Conti is a brilliant composer, and everyone who made that soundtrack so impactful!

Thanks, man. I really needed to hear this. I've been working on cutting down a script I'm working on, ironically called "Hit Me" about a washed up boxer/trainer turned gambling addict, and I've read/used/attempted the "Save The Cat" methodology trying to trim it down closer to 'the beats'... and I really felt like I was cutting out the heart of my story/main character. I couldn't have came across this video at a better time. Not just Rocky, but Sylvester Stallone should be an inspiration to all of us aspiring writers. Thanks again.

I was meant to see this. I read Blake Snyder and tryed to model my screenplay after his principals. My firt draft that is. But in any case: this video inspred me. Great work. I'm gonna work some more right now. Cheers

Rocky is as great as a masterpiece can be. The story is so human, so beautiful, so touching. The music score is amazing. And about the acting... can anyone imagine anyone else playing their parts? What makes a great movie great? Watch Rocky.

I've been watching youtube videos since 6 years...and this is one of the best videos I've ever seen. Amazing job! Hit me right in the sweet spot.

Obviously you write about films and television, but I think it would be cool and interesting if you talked about writing narrative in games - the tools are different from screenwriting and interact much differently with one another. But it’s your channel mate, I’ll enjoy the content either way.

I love this channel so much. This is the best video essay channel on KZfaq. I think that the idea of looking at movies in the “how can I learn this” perspective is a great idea and is a lot more interesting than a basic analysis or a fan theory. I am so glad that this channel is doing well!

Excellent analysis, I absolutely love Rocky. One interesting point I would mention is that at 3:27 when you say that he's talking to his family in the pictures, he's actually talking into the mirror rehearsing a future conversation about the food for his turtles in a way to flirt with Adrian when he goes back to the store. You even hear him say basically the same dialogue the next time he sees her after that scene, which I believe makes it even more so emphatic as to how sympathetic of a character Rocky is.

This video makes a very good point. Sadly a lot of modern movies "trim the fat" and cut scenes that would add to atmosphere and character development just because it doesn't "serve the plot" ...

For an opposite example, Blade Runner's catalyst is literally the first time we see Deckard

I would like to take this moment and thank Sylvester Stallone fr writting one of the most influential and inspiring story of all time and inspiring many people like me who seek positivity and inspiration in this cruel world,this movie will keep inspiring generation after generation.And thank u fr making this video fr spreading ur knowledge u guyzz are amazing keep up the good work 👍

Never tought I'd see a video with this title

Rocky follows a similar theme to how the ancient Greeks considered a hero. They always named a person as a hero only after meeting every challenge from a point of disadvantage, then coming out on top in the end. Even failing to meet the expected result works - just like the first Rocky movie. It is the journey to meet that objective that makes the difference, not the end result. This is how a person grows and comes out better than before. It works.

This was excellent. I'm glad you touched on the importance of emotional truth in storytelling, without it stories tend to have little to no resonance and are generic. It's also what helps you to find the right structure for each story. Congrats on reaching that many subscribers. Keep it up.

Thank you for this inspirational video. I'm an actor who couldn't cry at one time in my career, but I learned to cry from the film Rocky. It has more heart than most other films combined. Stallone is a genius.

Reminds me of Pet Semetary by Stephen King. Though spooky stuff happens before- namely the first visit to the titular cemetery and what may or may not be a bout of night terrors- nothing supernatural truly happens until well over 100 pages in the book and the truly horrible stuff doesn't happen until the last 50 or so pages. The rest of the book is just us getting to know the characters- the nice neighbors, the alienated parents-in-law, the family of the main character, etc. This makes the point where everything really goes down late into the book that much more horrific.

"So read it but be skeptical of it at the same time"- that's probably the best advice ever!!thanks a lot for this video.

More people need to see this video because it makes a very important point. Too often movies rush along without slowing down to give us a moment with the characters. To give us time to connect with them and relate to them. When its done effectively it is what makes a movie great. You don't usually remember the movies that had cool action but lousy characters. You remember the Characters that had an emotional impact and connection with you, and you remember the movie because of that connection. You remember all the struggles and heartfelt moments that character goes through because you care about them as people, and of course you remember people you care about.

Almost the whole nation felt like Rocky in 1976; the energy crisis - gasoline was being rationed, high inflation, high unemployment. Rocky may be a timeless story, but it truly was a product of its time. It spoke to people where they were living at the time.

Man, just yesterday I started a Rocky marathon. I've seen 1, 2 and Creed, so my friend borrowed me the other 4 movies. Rocky III is cool and fun, and Rocky IV is pretty stupid, but also fun. I really love the 1st one and Creed, and I think I'll really like the 6th one. And about the writing, I recently started writing a psychological horror story with the theme of depression, since horror is about something that should let someone afraid, and depression to me is the biggest fear. My best friend, my sister, and some other friends of mine struggle with it, and I'm afraid to maybe lose them to it, so all my emotions go into the script. In a screenplay, for making a great story you really have to feel what the characters feel, but not only in the moment, you must have felt that before, and therefore, the movie is about your own struggle, and in my case, my struggle to watch other people struggle and not being able to do anything about it, except being there for them. Great video.

Amazing KZfaq channel. Amazing videos. Great progress and congratulations on 200k! Keep on the good work!

Great video! Thanks I needed this. Often times I find myself trying to do a paint by numbers approach to story structure.

great video. do you need an intern? I'm 26 and about to quit my job. lol. anyways, keep up the good work. you make my mornings much better.

The best example of exceptional writing in Rocky didn't include a single line of dialog. It was scene you showed, but didn't talk about. It was scene when Rocky returns to his horrible apartment after the opening fight of the film, and picks up the picture of him as a young boy. Back and forth he looks...from the picture to the man in the mirror. Back and forth...with just a profound sense of regret and actual sadness on his face, before turning away. In that one 20 second scene, without speaking a word, we get an insight into the essence of who Rocky is. He's a man who regrets how his life turned out. He's a man who knows he has become something that his 8 year old self wouldn't have recognized. It just shows the talent of Stallone. A less skilled writer would have written a shoehorned scene of Rocky actually verbalizing (probably to Paulie) about how he hates how his life turned out, how he feels life has passed him by, and how it actually depresses him. Stallone did it in 20 wordless seconds. And, that realization of what he's feeling in that scene is really what created the iconic timeless character....because far too many people can relate to that feeling. The feeling of, when looking back at childhood pictures, it was all still in front of us...we could have done anything. And now, as we look at ourselves, we realize we just haven't lived the lives we though we would. To me, that's one of the greatest scenes ever written. It really does set up a Campbell hero's journey of redemption. We meet him as a nobody. He gets an opportunity to go on a journey (fight the champ), that he initially rebels against (in the film he starts out by saying that, no, he doesn't want to fight Creed). He embarks reluctantly, and on the way finds redemption as he ends up becoming the man his eight year old self would be happy to have become. You miss the point of the redundancy. It's not to show that Rocky is an outcast that is alone and nobody likes. It's to show that he's a genuinely good guy. And, a nice guy. A guy worth cheering for...that we want to see succeed. We see him help the passed out wino into the bar and out of the cold. We see him try to dish out life advice to Marie, only to have her insult him (and we see his genuine hurt over this). We see him backing down and no breaking the person's thumbs. We see him resisting knocking the hell out of Paulie, because he realizes that Paulie is just as broken as he is. And, in another superbly written throw away scene, we see him stopping while he leaves Adrien's, after watching them make fun of him at the press conference, and saying, "you know when I said it didn't bother me what those guys said?" "It did." Rocky is the type of person we would say, "he's a good guy...he deserves a break." That's what we're thinking in the first hour of character's development. And, the scene in the manager's office does a masterful job of further creating the image of a good guy. There is no Ali showmanship or confidence in him at all. He doesn't say, "hell yeah I want to fight the champ...where do I sign!!' He looks off, remembering who he is, and meekly says, "no." At this point he is a good guy, who the audience feels deserves a break, and who is hugely sympathetic because it's obvious life has beat out all the self belief in him.

This movie gets me every time. I love how you nailed the parts that work so well in this movie. Thank you.

Fantastic video. This just reminded me of the thing I love so much about Rocky (and movies in general). Also, as someone who loves writing, your breakdowns really do help me ask myself questions on where I am going/want to go.

What makes the movie greater is knowing it was as much a do or die project for Stallone. Rocky is like his alter ego. Also knowing Stallone went to the eventual producers for an acting job was turned down then they remember sly walking out & stopping playing w/ the door handle & saying " u know I do a little writing too " so they were like ok bring it by & they did not like one of his scripts so he said " I got another one " & it was Rocky. They read the story & were blown out how good it was. Also they went to director john avildsen & he said " I don't like sports films " but he read it & saw on page 3 this guy talking to his turtles & was charmed by it. Also knowing it was made on a 900k budget & a 28 day shooting schedule created art through adversity. So many wonderful moments were created bc they simply did not have the money or time. Like the ice skating scene is so lovely & I'm glad they were alone at the rink , makes sense it was Thanksgiving & the guy was closed & instead of paying all these extras to works so much better. The steady cam which was a revolutionary achievement b/c they couldnt afford to lay the dolly tracks. Think of the time that saves too. They also couldnt afford to pay the teamsters to film in philly so having such a small crew they got away w/ it & they also shot him starting his workouts at dawn to also avoid paying. The cast used their own wardrobe did their own hair & makeup so it has such an authentic real look to it. Also bc of the low budget they went to a young hungry composer in bill conti who took 25k for the entire budget ! Thats incredible even in 75. That's for the orchestra , the studio time & Bill's labor. That score is perfection & I think anyone would put it up there w/ a john William's score. Plus the idea is just brilliant. The heavyweight champ cant find any est. Boxer to fight him w/ only 5 weeks to train so apollo ( the best antagonist ever who is so likeable smart & not a villain) comes up w/ an idea to make the match a novelty. It's the bi centennial & philly is a historic place so the idea to give a local underdog a chance of a lifetime is brilliant. Also I love that rocky did not win yet it was still a victory bc he went the " distance " 15 rounds was shocking for a club fighter vs the champ. The love story is one of the best & I love all the moments at the end like paulie pushing the rope down so his sister can get in the ring or rocky not even caring to listen to who won all he Wants is adrian. I tear up everytime. Esp when apollo Knicks rocky down in the 14th & mickey says " down stay down " bc as much as mickey would love to win a title he cares about rocky more & just when apollo is raising his arms in victory he sees rocky up & he puts his head down like " are u kidding me " I also love dukes line " he doesn't know this is a damn show he thinks it's a fight now finish this bum & let's go home !"

This is like the only Rocky movie I can watch over and over and over and never get bored of it.

I keep rewatching your content men, you really know what makes a film beautiful. I keep finding that more and more partially because of you

Please, don't lower the quality of the content of your videos in order to meet the new schedule. A lot of science and book-related channels have done that and in the process burned down their creativity.

Awesome, Rocky is one of my favorite movies. Super cool that you did this. I just discovered this channel a few days ago, and it's already one of my favorites. Looking forward to seeing more of your stuff in the future.

Haha you release vids extra on friday so we can use our most productive time over the weekend Thank you so much

Just found your channel. Really, really great video. I think all the character buildup is important. The more we learn about Rocky in that hour, the easier it is for us to root for him throughout the whole series. Thank you for video.

Thank You for taking your time and sharing this and the other vids. Really have me seeing alternative facets to my work and others

"When that bell rings and I'm still standing. I'll know for the first time in my life, that I werent just another bum from the neighborhood." He didnt fight to earn anybody's respect, he wants to prove something to himself. Despite his optimism, he was full of self doubts and insecurities. He, like us, just wants to look in to a mirror and be proud of the man staring back at him.

This is the video that made me love this channel. Though I don't believe I could ever write a movie, you have made me love the process and analyzation of movies. Which has made them so much more enjoyable in a way I never could have enjoyed them before. Thank you

This video perfectly described my feelings towards this film. I love it. Your work is great man. Happy to subscribe!

Thoroughly enjoyed this video! It's so refreshing to hear somebody actually go against the formula but by tracing a very good example of a film that does it and does it successfully. And like you, Rocky is my favorite film. There's no close second.

The moment you said "Page 55" I knew exactly what you said was true. I listened to the audiobook of Save the cat about 2 years ago and now I'm writing my own screenplay and I realize that when you're writing something you truly care about and want to make it perfect or exactly how you imagined it, you don't worry about time, you don't worry about the number of pages, you just be creative and write out everything your mind has to offer.

Greatest story ever told. Not only entertained but has inspired millions of lives. Whenever I'm down I replay the last round in my mind. Thanks Rocky.

Congratulations on 200k! Keep up the great work!

Hey I love your videos. When I'm down, these videos really help me. Thank you for all you do!

You just reaffirmed my whole existence with this video on story structure. Thank you so so very much!!

That was excellent. It was insightful and interesting, but what set your analysis apart from others was the level of love you clearly feel for the film. Your heart shows through your words, and that's what resonates. ...which is exactly what you say about why Rocky resonates wit people. It's all about heart.

What makes Rocky so effective is, well, the movie is like its hero. It really is the Little Movie that Could. None of the studios believed this movie had a chance. The reason the sets and whatnot look so authentically gritty isn't because they had an amazing set designer; it's because they were operating on what was considered a shoestring budget even by the standards of the time. In fact, when Adrian and Rocky go to the ice rink on their date, they had originally intended for there to be other ice skaters on the rink as Rocky and Adrian get to know each other, but they couldn't afford to pay for Extras, so Rocky and Adrian hung out alone. Haven't seen any of the subsequent Rocky films; I'm not sure I want to. The first one was just such a damn good little film and I don't really want to spoil it, especially since subsequent films turn Adrian into such a nag. I thought the blossoming relationship was one of the sweeter aspects of Rocky. Adrian is all mousy and down-trodden, so used to be being used and abused by everyone in her life, that she doesn't know how to handle it when a guy is genuinely interested in her and genuinely cares for her.

This was an amazing video, you have completely opened my eyes to this point of view!!

Such an Awesome video!!! I love Stallone and his triumphant story. I am so fired up to finish writing my story now. Thank you - I truly needed this.

What you mentioned at the end of the video about creating high concept premises sounds really interesting. I would love to see a video on that. Awesome video by the way.

Don't know why this came up on my recommended channels, but very glad it did. What a video! Really amazing job. Thanks

Great video. It got me emotional ! I love Rocky ! I love how Stallone explains it all came from the heart! I love the music ! Great lesson !

100% straight on. The story dictates what it needs. Each story brings its own formula, and no one formula is going to work for every single story.

Thank you, this really helped me. I have loved this movie since I was 5, and you've made me understand why.

Dude your channel is amazing! You have such thoughtful insights that inspire me to be a better writer. Thank you for the great content!

A classic film that I've always enjoyed! I love your reviews/video essays please keep them up!

Really enjoyed this one. Look forward to seeing more. Very well done!

Love your channel, man! I'm learning a lot!

Another amazing video, Sage. Such an inspiration.

These videos help me so much and I recommend them to all of my friends. My fiance and I both have goals we'd like to reach in our creative fields and these videos really do spur us on. Thank you.

Your videos are great,thanks man.

I was always told that the indicting incident needed to be on page 10 and the plot had to be in full swing by page 30... I'm so glad you told me that was stupid because now I have time to develop the characters and settin... I believe you... I BELIEVE ROCKY!

Thank you very much for this, it is what I needed to hear all along and never realized.

Your videos make me cry half the time man... Now I understand why I Rocky is one of the best movies I've ever seen. I'm gonna watch the movie again now...

Thanks for this, I thought my 3 series was doing it wrong but your analysis of rocky ensured I am doing it right

I like how you balanced the point about not following a formula with the suggestion of building up your writers tool belt. Congrats on reaching 200 000 subs! You deserve it!

Thanks for the video and happy Halloween

I think that there is another lesson here, running just under the surface, that you touched on briefly, but I would love to see expanded on a bit: make sure your climax fits the theme. I mean, really, make sure everything fits the theme, but the climax should ideally be where you can look back and say, "All of that we just saw? That was all just to get here, to this moment." A lot of films do this well, but I think that Rocky is amazing for it. You said it best in your own video - The first huge chunk of the movie is basically us following Rocky around, watching him get beat down, but keep going. It definitely makes it easier for the audience to connect with him, and really *care* about him and his relationships, but it also sets us up beautifully for the match against Creed. Because that's ultimately what Rocky is about, and nothing encapsulates that better than the fight at the end - Rocky probably won't win, but he's tough, and he's gonna stick it out, far past the point everyone thought he would and past the point that a lot of others could have. Maybe even past the point where he thought he could have. A lot of films fail to pull that off, and the truncated version of Rocky you described at the end would have failed to pull that off as well. Which is why hard-and-fast rules ultimately don't hold up - every story is going to be about something different. And if you want to fully explore that, you need to give yourself the room to explore what your story is really about.

The whole Rocky series ( even Creed ) is always going to have a special place in my heart. while i am not old enough to catch them at the big screen ( just RB and creed ) , i did grow up with this movies, and now as an adult i notice a lot more details in them that make me love Rocky even more. Awesome video !

Beautiful Insight! Thank you - I wish more film industry people saw this video and understood this.

Another great video. Keep it up - you’re inspiring me to continue writing and finish my first book.👍

You Sir are amazing! I have felt the same way about the "rules" of writing for some time now and I hate how fans and critics usually hate on a film bc it didn't follow a certain formula. Very well made video and I'm glad stuff like this is out there. Hopefully this helps other narrow minded people widen their gaze on what can be done with screenplays.

"Yo Adrian, I did it" makes me cry literally every time I heard it. So annoying.

I am learning soooooo much from your videos. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I'm a novelist trying to get published. Rocky is one of the best examples of how I try to structure characters. It's not all about the fighting, its about the man. It's about Rocky.

love this. just watched it again. Thank you.

I like the content of this video. Yes, I read a lot about story substances. But, these video really inspire me to just start writing and never give up my dream to become a writer. Thank you for your content.

An amazing video! I got chills at end!

Dont you ever delete this! I always come back to it lol bravo, man!

watched this when it came out. It got me then and it got me again now, gj man

I love your work, I wish there were 5 such channels

Awesome video. Rocky is just such a great movie. Congratulations on the 200K subs! I'm one of your newer subscribers. Honestly, I'm not trying to write anything. I actually just watch your videos because you have a nice voice, your videos are entertaining and they've made me look differently on movies, books and just storytelling in general. Your series on The Hobbit was extremely satisfying to watch, since I felt the same way about them but couldn't put any words on my feelings towards it. I'm also a Death Note fan, so your analysis on one of the episodes was very fascinating to follow. Keep up the good work!

good stuff dude

Great video man. Love you Sly. Love you Rocky.

Love Rocky, and your advice!!! Thank you!