Dramatica Weekend Workshop Syllabus

3 STORYFORMING

Storyforming:

Developing a story’s underlying skeleton of structure and dynamics.

The Eight Essential Questions

Main Character Dynamics

• Main Character Resolve: Change or Steadfast

Will the Main Character ultimately hold onto his original motivation or exchange it for a new motivation*

* Video Clips: Examples of Change Main Characters: Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, Judah Rosenthal in Crimes and Misdemeanors, Luke in Star Wars.

* Video Clips: Examples of Steadfast Main Characters: Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive, James Bond in Goldfinger (Pussy Galore is the Obstacle Character).

• Main Character Direction: Stop or Start

Will the direction of the Main Character’s growth be toward something starting or toward something stopping*

* Video Clip: Example of Stop Main Character: Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive.

* Video Clip: Example of Start Main Character: Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.

• Main Character Approach: Do-er or Be-er

How does the Main Character prefer to solve his problems, through external work or through internal work*

* Video Clip: Example of Do-er Main Character: Harry in Dirty Harry.

* Video Clip: Example of Be-er Main Character: William Munny in Unforgiven.

• Main Character Mental Sex: Male or Female

Does the Main Character fundamentally tend to see things linearly or holistically*

* Video Clips: Example of Male and Female Mental Sex swap: Agents Mulder and Scully in The X Files.

* Video Clips: Example of Female Mental Sex Main Character: Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October.

 

Plot Dynamics

 

• Story Work: Action or Decision

Which takes precedence over the other in driving the plot, do Actions drive decisions or do Decisions drive actions*

* Video Clips: Example of Action driven stories: Jaws, Star Wars.

* Video Clip: Example of Decision driven stories: The Godfather.

 

• Story Limit: Timelock or Optionlock

What brings your story to a climax, running out of time or running out of options*

* Video Clips: Example of Timelock stories: 48 Hrs., High Noon.

* Video Clip: Example of Optionlock stories: The Verdict.

 

• Outcome: Success or Failure

Is the Story Goal reached or not*

 

• Judgment: Good or Bad

Does the Main Character work out his angst or not*

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