Dramatic Story Structure: A Primer for Screenwriters

229 Pages·2013·3.05 MB·English

by  Edward J. Fink

Dramatic Story
Structure
A successful screenplay starts with an understanding of the fundamen-
tals of dramatic story structure. In this practical introduction, Edward J. Fink
condenses centuries of writing about dramatic theory into ten concise and read-
able chapters, providing the tools for building an engaging narrative and turning
it into an agent-ready script. Fink devotes chapters to expanding on the six
basic elements of drama from Aristotle’s Poetics (plot, character, theme, dialogue,
sound, and spectacle), the theory and structure of comedy, as well as the concepts
of unity, metaphor, style, universality, and catharsis. Key terms and discussion
questions encourage readers to think through the components of compelling
stories and put them into practice, and script formatting guidelines ensure your
fi nished product looks polished and professional. Dramatic Story Structure is an
essential resource not only for aspiring screenwriters, but also for experienced
practitioners in need of a refresher on the building blocks of storytelling.
Edward J. Fink, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair of Radio-TV-Film at California
State University, Fullerton.
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Dramatic
Story Structure
A PRIMER FOR
SCREENWRITERS
edward j. fink
R
Routledge
Taylor & Francis Group
NEW YORK AND LONDON
First published 2014
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Simultaneously published in the UK
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2014 Taylor & Francis
The right of Edward J. Fink to be identifi ed as author of this work has been asserted by him in
accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and
are used only for identifi cation and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fink, Edward J.
Dramatic story structure : a primer for screenwriters / Edward J. Fink.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Motion picture authorship. 2. Television authorship. I. Title.
PN1996.F454 2013
808.2'3—dc23
2013007413
ISBN: 978-0-415-81369-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-81371-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-06798-7 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
To my wife Friederike and my
children Anna and Liam, who keep
the good drama in my life.
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C ontents
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xv
1. Introduction and Sample Script 1
Drama Defi ned 1
Aristotle and Others 2
Sample Script: La Llorona
(The Weeping Woman) 4
2. Plot 11
Three-Act Structure 11
Act 1: Setup to New Direction 16
Act 2A: Launch of Journey to Midpoint Crisis 19
Act 2B: All Goes Well to All is Lost 23
Act 3: Turnaround to Climax and Denouement 26
Throughout all Three Acts 29
Experiments with Three-Act Structure 31
Sample Plot Points 33
Jule Selbo's 11 Steps (2007) 34
Chris Vogler's 12 Steps (2007), based on
Campbell (1949) 35
viii Contents
Eric Edson's 23 Steps (2011) 37
Summary 40
Refl ection and Discussion 42
3. Character 44
Protagonists 44
Extraordinary Person in Ordinary Situation 47
Ordinary Person in Extraordinary Situation 47
Achilles’ Heel 48
Arc 49
Antagonists 51
Human v. Human 52
Human v. Environment 53
Human v. Self 54
Supporting Characters 55
Functionaries 57
Unmasking 58
Ethos, Pathos, and Hybris 59
Experiments with Character 62
Character Types 63
Four Humors 64
Enneagram 65
Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) 66
Carl Jung (1875–1961) 66
Myers-Briggs 67
Lajos Egri (1888–1967) 68
Obsession 69
Summary 71
Refl ection and Discussion 72
Contents ix
4. Theme 73
What Theme Is Not: Plot or Character 73
What Theme Is: Lesson with Point of View 74
Typologies of Theme 76
Treatment of Theme 77
Experiments with Theme 79
Summary 81
Refl ection and Discussion 82
5. Dialogue 84
Show, Don’t Tell 84
Creating Dialogue 86
Poeticism 86
Naturalism 88
Realism 89
Heightened Realism 91
Functions of Dialogue 93
Advance Plot 93
Reveal Character 93
Point to Theme 94
Comprehensibility 96
Memorable Lines 99
Dual Meaning 102
Summary 103
Refl ection and Discussion 103
6. Sound 106
Sound for Screenwriters 106
Music 107