DRAMATICA OVERVIEW - Screenplay.com - Software for...

DRAMATICA OVERVIEW

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW

• The Dramatica Theory in General and its Relevance to Human Behavior

• Some Specifics of the Dramatica Theory

• Using Dramatica Theory to Understand Story

• Using the Dramatica Software to Identify and Predict Comprehensive Relationships from Incomplete Data

OVERVIEW

•Dramatica is based on the idea that stories are analogies to the human problem solving process

• The Dramatica theory of story is predictive in ways that no other story models are, and is useful for both analysis and creation

• As a model of practical psychology, Dramatica can be predictive of human behavior

OVERVIEW

• The Dramatica Pro software embodies many aspects of the Dramatica theory of story

•Dramatica Pro has been used to develop stories by tens of thousands of writers since 1994

•Dramatica Pro has a real-time, interactive Story Engine built into the software, which gives instant feedback to user choices

THE THEORY

•Dramatica Theory of Story

•Mental Relativity Theory of Psychology

• Theory, in this context, can also be thought of as a model, a paradigm, or a methodology

THE DRAMATICA THEORY

• A story is an analogy to a mind trying to resolve an inequity.

• In short, stories are simplified models of human psychology

•We call this model, the “Storymind”

The StorymindStories exist to communicate complex thought patterns from the author to his audience.

Storymind

THE STORYMIND

• Characters = Motivation: The drive to resolve an inequity

• Plot = Methodology: How to resolve an inequity

• Theme = Evaluation: The standards by which progress is determined while resolving the inequity

• Genre = Purpose: The reason for resolving the inequity

The Storymind contains all the elements of story.

THE STORYMIND

• Story Structure—The way in which parts of a story are put together to from a whole. A story’s “skeleton.”

• Story Dynamics: —The rules that guide the way in which the story structure can be put together. A story’s “muscles” and “ligaments.”

• In Dramatica, we represent the Storymind of a particular story in a Storyform. The storyform contains the structure, dynamics, and more.

The Storymind contains all the elements of story.

GRAND ARGUMENT STORY

• A storyform represents a particular type of story, the Grand Argument Story (GAS)

• A GAS contains the makings of a complete, closed-ended argument

• A GAS includes four different perspectives represented by story “throughlines”

• A GAS has a persuasive power to it

THE OBJECTIVE STORY THROUGHLINE

•The Objective Story throughline is often thought of as the “plot.” It’s the part of the story that describes the scenario in which everyone is involved. Also known as the Overall Story throughline, the Big Picture, action line, or “head” line.

•Represents the third person, “They” perspective.

THE SUBJECTIVE STORY THROUGHLINE

•The Subjective Story throughline describes the key relationship explored in the story, also known as the Relationship throughline or “heart” line.

•Represents the second person plural, “We” perspective.

THE MAIN CHARACTER THROUGHLINE

•The Main Character throughline describes the Main Character’s personal journey in the story

•Represents the first person, “I” perspective

•Note: The Main Character need not be the protagonist, the character leading the effort to reach the Story Goal

THE IMPACT CHARACTER THROUGHLINE

•The Impact Character throughline describes the alternative to the Main Character’s viewpoint and provides the impetus for the Main Character’s personal growth.

•Represents the second person, “You” perspective.

THE FOUR THROUGHLINES

• Together, the four throughlines work to make a complete argument to support the author’s intent

• The Objective Perspective (Big Picture)

• The Subjective Perspective (Relationship)

• The Personal Perspective (Main Character)

• The Oppositional Perspective (Impact Character)

Big Picture

Relationship

Personal

Big Picture

Relationship

Personal

Big Picture

Opposition

Relationship

Eye contactusually

identifies the Main Character

• Main Character

• Impact Character

• Main Character

• Relationship

• Main Character

• Relationship

• Big Picture

MOTIVATION & INEQUITY• The mechanism that motivates a person is the same

mechanism that drives stories:

• Inequity is imbalance

• Inequity creates drive (motivation)

• The greater the imbalance, the greater the drive

• The resistance to efforts to resolve an inequity creates Conflict

Inequity

RESOLVING INEQUITIES• Inequities represent the potential between things, such

as the desire for something and lack of its possession

• The first step in resolving an inequity is to identify where you want to do your work (e.g. desire or possession)

•Making this choice begins the problem-solving process and establishes the remaining choice as a given

•When the “problem” resists resolution, a solution to the problem is identified and pursued

JUSTIFICATION & PROBLEM SOLVING

• If the solution to the problem is not achievable, a solution to the solution is required.

• This process can be repeated up to four times, each step requiring greater effort to balance the inequity

• If a fifth step is taken, the inequity collapses on itself creating a psychological black hole, effectively hiding the inequity from direct observation

•We call this process, Justification.

• A justified mind can only observe symptoms of the inequity, and requires a process to tear down the justifications to get back to the source.

• The mechanics of problem-solving and justification describe many aspects of story development, such as:

• Character growth and drive

• Plot development

• Thematic exploration

STRUCTURE CHARTThe basic unit of the structure chart is the Quad

STRUCTURE CHARTThe Story Domains

External

Internal

External

Internal

External

Internal

External

Internal

StateWednesday, September 22, 2010

External

Internal

External

Internal

State Process

StateProcessWednesday, September 22, 2010

STRUCTURE CHART

Situation

The Story Domains

External

Internal

External

Internal

State Process

STRUCTURE CHART

Situation Activity

The Story Domains

External

Internal

External

Internal

State Process

STRUCTURE CHART

Situation Activity

FixedAttitude

The Story Domains

External

Internal

External

Internal

State Process

STRUCTURE CHART

Situation Activity

Manipu-lation

(Psychology)

FixedAttitude

The Story Domains

External

Internal

External

Internal

State Process

STRUCTURE CHART•Quads may be nested within quads

STRUCTURE CHART

STORY POINTS

• The Dramatica structure chart represents the Storymind with minimal inequity

• A storyform represents the specific dramatics of a story that contort the structure by twisting and turning it

• The intersection between the author’s objective view and the audience’s subjective view create unique “story points”

STORY POINTS

• There are eighty-five story points in Dramatica

• There are plot, character, theme and genre story points

• Examples: Story Goal, Main Character Resolve, Objective Story Thematic Issue, Subjective Story Act Order, etc.

MAPPING STORY POINTSSpatial Mapping

MAPPING STORY POINTS

Problem

Spatial Mapping

Problem

Solution

Spatial Mapping

Problem Symptom

Solution

Spatial Mapping

Problem Symptom

Response Solution

Spatial Mapping

Problem

Symptom

Response

Solution

Spatial Mapping

Problem Symptom

Response Solution

Spatial Mapping

MAPPING STORY POINTSTemporal Mapping

Act III Act IV

Act I Act II

Temporal Mapping

Act III

Act IV Act I

Act II

Temporal Mapping

Act III

Act IVAct I

Act II

Temporal Mapping

•Mapping the story points ties the author’s intent to the structure

• Reveals touch points with audience understanding

• Paradox: Storyforming allows for prediction, Story Reception allows for meaning

DYNAMIC QUESTIONS

• Character and Story Dynamics control the twisting and turning of the storyform

•Making choices manipulates the storyform

• There are four Main Character dynamics and four Story (Plot) dynamics.

MAIN CHARACTER RESOLVE

•Change: Does your Main Character Change his way of dealing with the problem at the heart of the story?

•Steadfast: Or remain Steadfast in his convictions?

MAIN CHARACTER RESOLVE

•Change Characters:

•Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol”

•Luke in “Star Wars”

•Michael in “Michael Clayton”

•Steadfast Characters:

•Richard Kimble in “The Fugitive”

•Ray Kinsella in “Field of Dreams”

•Clarice in “The Silence of the Lambs”

•In stories where the Main Character CHANGES, the Impact Character remains STEADFAST.

•In stories where the Main Character remains STEADFAST, the Impact Character CHANGES.

Main Character Resolve

IMPACT CHARACTERS

• Impact Characters force the Main Character to deal with their personal issues

•Without the pressure applied by the Impact Character, the Main Character is not compelled to address his personal issues

• “You and I” storytelling convention generally identifies the Main Character relationship with the Impact Character...

•Start: Does your Main Character grow by adopting a new useful trait?

•Stop: Or by outgrowing an old inappropriate one?

Main Character Growth

MAIN CHARACTER APPROACH

•Be-er: Is your Main Character a Be-er who prefers to respond to conflict by mentally adapting to his environment?

•Do-er: Or a Do-er who prefers to respond to conflict by physically changing his environment?

•Linear: Does your Main Character use a linear problem solving style to solve problems?

•Holistic: Or a holistic problem solving style to solve problems?

MAIN CHARACTER PROBLEM SOLVING

•Action: Is the overall story driven by Actions first? Do actions drive decisions?

•Decision: Or is the overall story driven by Decisions first? Do decisions drive actions?

STORY DRIVER

•Timelock: Is your overall story brought to its climax by running out of Time?

•Optionlock: Or by running out of Options?

STORY LIMIT

STORY OUTCOME

•Success: Do your character’s efforts to achieve the overall story goal result in Success?

•Failure: Or do their efforts to achieve the overall story goal result in Failure?

STORY JUDGMENT

•Good: Does the Main Character resolve his personal problems and feel Good?

•Bad: Or not resolve them and left feeling Bad?

OUTCOME + JUDGMENT

Success Failure

Triumph(Happy Ending)

Personal Tragedy

Personal Triumph

Tragedy

THE DRAMATICA SOFTWARE

•Dramatica Pro has a real-time, interactive Story Engine built into the software, which gives instant feedback to user choices

•Next is a demonstration of the Story Engine’s predictive capabilities in the currently available version of the Dramatica software -- Dramatica Pro

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