It’s been a little while since I watched the new The Karate Kid, but the lessons I gleaned from it have not been forgotten. The main thing I took from it is a technique I’ve called Signpost Scenes.
By the term Signpost Scenes, I mean a string of scenes which revolve around a common object or character and are mainly concerned with showing a character’s growth (signposting, if you will). They are more concerned with character than with plot, and are a way of externalising growth. In The Karate Kid, there are several scenes where Dre’s growth is demonstrated as he and other characters interact, with his jacket as the focal point of their interaction.
At the start of the movie, Dre has the habit of dropping his jacket to the floor, expecting his mother to pick up after him, much to her disgust. This action shows Dre’s disrespect towards his mother, his displeasure at being in China, and externalises Dre’s lack of growth despite his move from Detroit to China.
The jacket then assumes greater significance when Mr Han begins to teach Dre Kung Fu. Dre continues his personal sloppy habits and drops his jacket where he pleases, but Mr Han refuses to allow Dre to continue his bad habits. The jacket becomes pivotal in Dre’s training.
Dre is directed to hang his jacket up, drop it, pick it up and repeat, ad nauseam. Dre soon tires of the routine and lack of what he perceives as real Kung Fu training, and threatens to walk out. It is a delicate line that Mr Han walks, forcing Dre to learn discipline, without driving him away. The sequence is also a great homage to the “Wax on, wax off” sequence in the original Karate Kid.
Dre’s growth is shown with the jacket, when his mother notices him hang it up, but the growth is not complete. Dre confronts Mr Han about the training. He shouts out that he has learnt his lesson, he gets it – he needs to remember to hang it up, to be more respectful. Mr Han shows Dre, though, that the whole training with the jacket has had a dual purpose. The hundreds of repetitions of dropping the jacket, picking it up, swinging it round his back and putting it up have trained his body to move Kung Fu style.
This integration of the jacket from supporting theme to direct involvement in the main story line works a treat. Dre’s attitude is reflected in the care with which we treats his jacket. As he grows, his behaviour changes, to the point where his mother notices the change in him when he hangs it up.
So, how can Signpost Scenes be used to chart the growth of a character?
Firstly, these scenes are given extra power by the use of symbolic objects. These objects do not have to be innately symbolic. Dre’s jacket, for example, is imbued with symbolic significance due to the repetition and growth attached to the scenes featuring the jacket. The object, however, needs to be organic to the character. The jacket motif certainly fits in The Karate Kid, as it is not unusual for a boy to be untidy, and his dress style is a link he craves with his old life in America.
Secondly, the genius of the idea in The Karate Kid is in the crossover between theme and the ‘A’ story of Dre’s Kung Fu training. The symbolic object needs to work on a thematic level, but it will gain extra power if it also ties in with the main thrust of the plot.
Thirdly, there needs to be repetition. This enhances the symbolism, but also provides the necessary screen time to enable an audience to clearly see the progress. It helps if other characters recognise the hero’s shortcoming and observe the change. This repetition can also provide an opportunity for humour, as demonstrated in the interaction between Dre and his mother where she smiles at something he has done, and then screams at him to pick up his jacket.
Fourthly, don’t let the character learn too easily. They might make inroads to improving themselves, but make sure they struggle to grow. Dre does not immediately learn his lesson with hanging his jacket up. He tries to do things his way, at first, and only changes when his way does not work. As humans, change is the last thing we want, so the Signpost Scenes should reflect this caution towards change.
It is worth noting that Signpost Scenes do not have to show positive growth. They can be used to show a character spiralling toward self-destruction. They can even show that a character is static and not growing if their behaviour does not change when they face these repeated interactions with the symbolic object.
Signpost Scenes are something I will endeavour to plant in the stories I work on. They are not the only way of showing the growth of a character, but they are an effective tool in the screenwriter’s arsenal.