Dramatica Weekend Workshop Syllabus

8 GENRE

Genre: Genre is a description of the feel of a finished work.

• Genre/feel comprises setting, style, content, intent, and many other aspects of structure and style.

• Common Genres are Horror, Westerns, Love Stories, Science Fiction, Comedies, Dramas, Action, Foreign, etc.

Fine for picking out a video on the shelf, lousy for writing from - “write me a western”...

• Story Mind personality emerges from all four aspects of structure as expressed through stages of communication

When all is combined back together, we perceive four broad categories, Drama, Comedy, Entertainment, Information. If we create a table with the elements of structure along one axis and art of storytelling along another, each intersecting point represents a different feel or genre.

• Entertainment through Atmosphere – (Entertainment/Universe) – entertainment derived from new, unique, or interesting settings or backgrounds (e.g. Disaster, Fantasy, Horror, Musical, and Science Fiction)

* Video Clip: Entertainment through Atmosphere: Blade Runner.

• Entertainment through Thrills – (Entertainment/Physics) – entertainment derived from new, unique, or interesting activities/experiences -- much like thrill rides at an amusement park (e.g. Action Adventure, Suspense)

* Video Clip: Entertainment through Thrills: Speed.

• Entertaining Concept – (Entertainment/Mind) – entertainment derived from new, unique, or interesting ideas (e.g. High Concept piece)

* Video Clip: Entertaining Concept: Junior.

• Entertainment through Twists – (Entertainment/Psychology) – entertainment derived from new, unique, or interesting forms of audience manipulation (e.g. Mysteries, Thrillers)

* Video Clip: Entertainment through Twists: The Crying Game.

 

• Situation Comedy – (Comedy/Universe) – humor derived from the difficulties created by placing characters in some sort of predicament (e.g. TV Sitcoms).

* Video Clip: Situation Comedy: Some Like It Hot.

• Physical Comedy – (Comedy/Physics) – pratfalls, slapstick, and other forms of humor derived from physical activities gone awry (e.g. The Three Stooges and much of Charlie Chaplin’s work)

* Video Clip: Physical Comedy: The Three Stooges, The Great Race.

• Comedy of Manners – (Comedy/Mind) – humor derived from divergent attitudes, biases, or fixations - frequently noted as drawing room comedies (e.g. Jack Benny or Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Ernest”).

* Video Clip: Comedy of Manners: Crimes and Misdemeanors.

• Comedy of Errors – (Comedy/Psychology) – humor derived from misinterpretation or, in psychological terms, attribution error (e.g. Abbott and Costello's “Who’s on First” and several Shakespeare comedies including “Twelfth Night”).

* Video Clip: Comedy of Errors: Tootsie.

 

• Exploration Drama – (Drama/Universe) – a serious exploration of how the “state of things” is unbalanced (e.g. Courtroom, Crime, and Classroom dramas).

* Video Clip: Exploration Drama: The Verdict.

• Action Drama – (Drama/Physics) – a serious take on how problems are created by ongoing activities (e.g. Espionage and War dramas)

* Video Clip: Action Drama: The Wild Bunch.

• Bias Drama – (Drama/Mind) – a serious take on what types of conflicts arise from incompatible attitudes (e.g. Obsession and Prejudice dramas)

* Video Clip: Bias Drama: To Kill A Mockingbird.

• Growth Drama – (Drama/Psychology) – a serious take on the attempts to overcome difficulties resulting from manipulations and/or evolving identities (e.g. Coming of Age and Dysfunctional Family dramas)

* Video Clip: Growth Drama: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf*.

 

• Where/What it is – (Information/Universe) – an examination of events and situations with an emphasis on the past, present, progress, and future “state of things” (e.g. Documentary, Historical and Period Pieces)

* Video Clip: Where/What it is: Citizen Kane.

• How it works – (Information/Physics) – an examination of how specific processes work with an emphasis on instruction (e.g. Educational, Informational, Instructional)

* Video Clip: How it Works: Jurassic Park.

• What it means – (Information/Mind) – an examination of opinions and points of view with an emphasis on the context in which they are made (e.g. Inspirational, Motivational)

* Video Clip: What It Means: Bob Roberts.

• Why it's important – (Information/Psychology) – an examination of value systems with an emphasis on providing context relevant to the audience’s personal life (e.g. Persuasion, Propaganda)

* Video Clip: Why It’s Important: Network.

• A single story may stay within a single category, or spread over several.

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