DRAMATICA (R) A New Theory of Story Developed and written by Melanie Anne Phillips & Chris Huntley Fourth Edition Screenplay Systems Incorporated FOURTH EDITION: February, 2001 Dramatica, A New Theory of Story -- Copyright (c) 1993 - 2001 Screenplay Systems Inc. All Rights Reserved 1. The Dramatica Theory was developed by Melanie Anne Phillips and Chris Huntley and was not researched nor based upon any other theories of story design or analysis. NOTE: This special fourth edition is only available in electronic form and differs from the third edition in one sig- nificant aspect. Some of the terminology in this version has been updated to match the language changes made in the 4.0 version of the Dramatica software. Otherwise, this version is comparable to the third edition published in 1996. Copyright Notice Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1996, 2001 by Screenplay Systems Incorporated. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, tran- scribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any human or computer language, in any form or by any means whatsoever, without the express written permission of Screenplay Systems Incorporated, 150 East Olive Avenue, Suite 203, Burbank California 91502, United States of America. Phone: (818) 843-6557. Internet Electronic Mail Address: [email protected] Trademarks Dramatica is a trademark of Screenplay Systems Incor- porated. Scriptor and Screenplay Systems are trademarks of Screenplay Systems Incorporated. References may be made in this manual to "Macintosh"; this name is a trade- mark of Apple Computer, Inc. References may be made in this manual to IBM and-Windows; this name is a trademark of IBM &/or Microsoft, Inc. All other trademarks are held by their respective owners. ISBN 0-918973-01-6 Last updated: February 2, 2001 Dramatica, A New Theory of Story -- Copyright (c) 1993 - 2001 Screenplay Systems Inc. All Rights Reserved 2. Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank all those who have been influential in guiding our paths and inspirational in shining a light for us to follow. Though each of us can point to scores of such friends, relatives, associates and distant pioneers, Chris would particularly like to thank Stephen Greenfield for bugging him (for 10 years!) about writing down the stuff in this book, and Melanie would like to thank her mother, whose brilliance laid the foundations for many of the insights that ultimately led to the Dramatica theory. The concise and extensive support materials contained in this book would not have been possible without the help and input of many dedicated and insightful contributors. While gratefully acknowledging everyone's efforts, we would like to give a special thank you to members of the industry who attended our early seminars, our compatriots in the aca- demic community who reviewed and scrutinized our work for accuracy. In addition, special thanks goes to Mark Haslett, who started as an intern with the Dramatica Project and developed into a master of the theory, and contributed many side notes and corrections to this book. Finally, our deepest appreciation to Sandy Stone, Mary Parrillo, Katy Monahan- Huntley, and J.D. Cochran (associates with the Dramatica Project), and to all our friends and relatives who suffered our long-winded requests for opinions of these materials per- haps more than we suffered in creating them. Our profound gratitude to a gathering of great minds in support of a new idea. Dramatica, A New Theory of Story -- Copyright (c) 1993 - 2001 Screenplay Systems Inc. All Rights Reserved 3. FOREWORD (ONWARD) I know. You don't read forewords. You always skip them. I understand. Just don't skip this one. Looking at story in a new way is like falling into a fast river of cold water with all your clothing on: it's a big shock. Dramatica is a theory, a paradigm, a model, a philosophy of story. It's got a different perspective on many of the ideas you may have already learned in books and classes on writing, or from the raw experience of writing. At first, you struggle, intensely aware of your situation. Will you get whisked away? Smash head first into a rock? It takes some time to get used to Dramatica's unique perspective, novel terminology, and dramatic concepts that predict relationships between character, theme, plot and genre. Kick off your shoes, shed some of your excess clothing. You can always get dressed later on. Right now, you need to get accustomed to your new environment. What is story? What are the underlying principles? The begin- ning of this book introduces concepts about story that will amaze many, surprise others and confuse the rest (this is normal!). Shooting the rapids, quite unsure if you're going to make it, you dodge a few nasty-looking bounders. Whew! Throughlines. Throughlines. Perspectives. Overall Story and Subjective characters. Dynamic pairs. Contagonists. Thematic Issues. Where did all this stuff come from? A low branch, conveniently hanging over the water. You reach for it as you get whisked over the thundering waterfall, sailing through thin air into... Dramatica, A New Theory of Story -- Copyright (c) 1993 - 2001 Screenplay Systems Inc. All Rights Reserved 4. Storyforming. Story Encoding. Story Weaving. Story Recep- tion. As you move through these Four Stages of Communication, things begin to look more familiar. ...a nice, calm, shallow pool of water. You're alive! Heck, the water's not cold — it's refreshing. You might even want to stay in for a while... You begin to see how Dramatica can be used to accurately describe story problems, fix faulty structure, and improve storytelling. Wow! ...As you paddle toward the shore, you notice a group of familiar faces applauding you: friends, fellow writers, your agent. The journey to learn more about the mysterious art and craft of creating stories is always worth the effort. As you approach the end of the book, much of what you've read will come together. After the final page turns, I hope Dramatica will occupy a unique place in your heart and mind when considering this thing we call "story." Your best friend extends a hand to hoist you out of the water. You're buck ass naked, but who cares? You just had an adventure. Stephen Greenfield President, Screenplay Systems Chief Software Architect, Dramatica Dramatica, A New Theory of Story -- Copyright (c) 1993 - 2001 Screenplay Systems Inc. All Rights Reserved 5. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments ................................................................................. 3 Foreword (Onward) ............................................................................... 4 Dramatica & the Creative Writer ........................... 13. Grand Argument Stories ........................................................................................... 14. The Scope of Dramatica ........................................................................................... 16. Author's Intent........................................................................................................... 17. When to Use Dramatica ........................................................................................... 17. How this Book is Arranged .......................................................................................19. Section 1: The Elements of Structure Foundations ....................................................................................... 20. The Story Mind .........................................................................................................20. The Four Throughines ..............................................................................................21. Character .............................................................. 26. Introduction to Characters.................................................................. 26. The Hero is a Four Letter Word ................................................................................26. Overall Story and Subjective Characters ..................................................................27. Overall Story Characters.................................................................... 28. Archetypal Characters........................................................................................ 28. Protagonist .........................................................................................................28. Antagonist ..........................................................................................................29. Reason & Emotion .............................................................................................30. Sidekick & Skeptic ..............................................................................................31. Guardian & Contagonist .....................................................................................31. Complex Characters ................................................................................................. 33. Drivers and Passengers .....................................................................................34. Drivers ......................................................................................................................35. Passengers ...............................................................................................................36. Drivers and Passengers in "Star Wars" .................................................................... 37. Archetypes in "Star Wars" ..................................................................................37.