7 Steps

Andrew presents the seven-step story spine: Once upon a time / And every day / Until one day / And because of this / And because of that / Until finally / And since that day. He maps these to three-act structure and McKee's framework. Using Finding Nemo, he walks through each step: the overprotective father, Nemo's kidnapping, the shark and jellyfish encounters, and the climactic net scene where Marlin finally lets go.

He emphasizes Trey Parker and Matt Stone's rule: if "and then" connects your beats, you're in trouble. It should be "therefore" or "but" (cause and effect, not sequence). He shows Up's married-life montage storyboard, demonstrating how even rough boards with the right music create strong emotional responses. He explains how Up uses pink light as a visual motif for Ellie's love, then strips it away at her death. The lesson: if it works in rough storyboards, it will only get better.