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3. ThemeWhat is Theme?
Perspectives are created in the relationship between what you’re looking at and where you are looking from. A story’s perspectives come from looking at the story’s problem from each of its four points of view or throughlines. Comparing how the story’s problem appears from all four throughlines creates the story’s meaning.
Classifying Problems Is the problem External or Internal? External States and Processes (Universe and Physics) -- Video Clip: Example of External Problem story: Alien. Internal States and Processes (Mind and Psychology) -- Video Clip: Example of Internal Problem story: A Christmas Carol.
The Four Classes:
-- Video Clip: Example of External/State (Universe) story: Die Hard. Physics -- an activity -- Video Clip: Example of External/Process (Physics) story: African Queen. Mind -- a fixed state of mind -- Video Clip: Example of Internal/State (Mind) story: The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Psychology -- a manner of thinking -- Video Clip: Example of Internal/Process (Psychology) story: Hamlet.
The Dramatica® Structural Model
The Dramatica Structural Matrix is a framework for classifying the problem at the center of a story as it pertains to Genre, Plot, Theme, and Character. During the process of storyforming, an author determines how the story’s problem will look from four different points of view: the Objective view, the Main Character view, the Obstacle Character view, and the Subjective view. As points of view are matched to aspects of the story’s problem they create dramatic topics, called appreciations. The four levels, starting at the top, are the Class Level, the Type Level, the Variation Level, and the Element Level.
What happens when we assign points of view to the Classes? Domain: The general area in which the problem resides. -- Video Clip: Objective Story Situation (Universe) story: The Poseidon Adventure. -- Video Clip: Main Character Situation (Universe) story: The Elephant Man. -- Video Clip: Obstacle Character Situation (Universe) story: A Christmas Carol. -- Video Clip: Subjective Story Situation (Universe) story: The Defiant Ones. Concern: The specific area of concern. -- Video Clip: Objective Story Concern (The Future) story: The Verdict. -- Video Clip: Main Character Concern (Understanding) story: Chinatown. -- Video Clip: Obstacle Character Concern (Becoming) story: The Verdict. -- Video Clip: Subjective Story Concern (Being) story: Bullets Over Broadway. Issue: The area most related to the thematic issues explored. -- Video Clip: Objective Story Issue (Self Interest) story: Network. -- Video Clip: Main Character Issue (Truth) story: Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. -- Video Clip: Obstacle Character Issue (Thought) story: The Silence of the Lambs. -- Video Clip: Subjective Story Issue (Confidence) story: The Silence of the Lambs. Problem: The source of the troubles, inequities, and imbalances. The Story Problem manifests itself differently for each throughline -- Video Clip: Objective Story Problem (Control) story: Jurassic Park. -- Video Clip: Steadfast Main Character Problem (Unending) story: The Silence of the Lambs. -- Video Clip: Change Main Character Problem (Test) story: Star Wars. -- Video Clip: Obstacle Character Problem (Desire) story: Chinatown. -- Video Clip: Subjective Story Problem (Avoidance) story: The Verdict. Main Character Drive: is sometimes a problem and sometimes a solution to the problem.
Thematic Conflict Thematic Conflict: In Dramatica, for every thematic point there is a thematic counterpoint that shows the alternative way things could work out. They both need to be there to show both sides of a thematic conflict. To prove your thematic point, it's important to show an alternative considered by other characters in the Story Mind. For example in "Greed leads to self-destruction," greed (Self Interest) is just half of the thematic conflict in that premise. The thematic counterpoint to greed is generosity (Morality). Generosity illustrates an alternative path that might be pursued. There are four Thematic Conflicts in every Grand Argument Story——one for each of the four throughlines. |
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