Hope everyone’s having a pleasant summer. Been watching movies on the official list in an effort to hone my Dramatica chops, but also other titles that aren’t on the list. After watching something, I usually try to plot out the storyform using the DSE software and thought I’d share some here.
Will add as I go along. Others are welcome to add as well. Critiques, thoughts, questions are always welcome.
Training Day written by David Ayer
logline: On his first day on the job as a Los Angeles narcotics officer, a rookie cop goes on a 24-hour training course with a rogue detective who isn’t what he appears.
MC: Jake Hoyt.
IC: Det. Alonzo Harris.
OS: Activity: Corrupt police officers killing and harassing civilians
MC: Fixed Attitude: Jake wants to be a successful cop
IC: Situation: Alonzo owes the Russian mob $1,000,000 by tonight, midnight.
RS: Manipulation: Alonzo plays into Jake’s desire for success and gets him to do things he normally wouldn’t do
CHARACTER DYNAMICS:
MC RESOLVE: Change: Jake Hoyt walks away from the promise of a career with Det. Alonzo Harris
MC GROWTH: Start: We’re waiting for Jake to start saying no to Alonzo.
MC APPROACH: Be-er: Jake is focused on being a straight cop, of living by a code.
MC PROBLEM-SOLVING STYLE: Linear: Jake sees Alonzo’s approval of him as his ticket to a better career.
PLOT DYNAMICS:
DRIVER: Decision: Jake decided to apply for the special narcotics team, he agrees to smoke the weed, he agrees to keep his mouth shut when the narc team steals and kills an unarmed man, in the end, Jake decides to walk away from Alonzo.
LIMIT: Timelock: Alonzo has until midnight to deliver the money to the Russian mob.
OUTCOME: Failure: Jake doesn’t make it into the narc team and Alonzo is shot by the mob.
JUDGMENT: Good: Jake has remained true to his nature and can live with a clean conscience.
OVERALL STORY:
DOMAIN: Activity: Drugs are sold, young girls raped, and corrupt police officers take whatever the want.
CONCERN: Obtaining: Everyone is out to get something. Alonzo wants $1,000,000, Jake a promotion, the other officers want money, revenge and power.
ISSUE: Attitude vs. Approach: Alonzo shows Jake how the job is done, intimidating everyone around you with a badge and brandishing weapons in people’s faces. Jake’s attitude is to jump right in and save the day (like protecting the teenager from the rapists.).
PROBLEM: Support: The crooked politicians and officers support the violence and crime while taking a cut of the profits.
Bicycle Thieves based on the novel by Luigi Bartolini
LOGLINE: A man and his son search for a stolen bicycle vital for his job. IMDB
MC: Antonio (the father)
IC: Bruno (the son)
OS: Activity: Searching for a stolen bicycle
MC: Situation: Without a bicycle, Antonio cannot support his family
IC: Fixed Attitude: Bruno loves Antonio and sticks by him even when he gets a slap in the face
RS: Manipulation: Antonio and Bruno struggle with the frustration of looking for the bicycle
CHARACTER DYNAMICS:
MC RESOLVE: Change: As the day progresses, Antonio loses faith he’ll ever find the bicycle
MC GROWTH: Stop: Antonio’s quest is hopeless from the start; his perseverance only hurts his son
MC APPROACH: Do-er: Antonio runs after the thief when his bicycle is stolen, slaps Bruno when he frustrates him, runs after suspects and pushes them around, and finally tries to steal a bicycle when he fails to find his own.
MC PROBLEM-SOLVING STYLE: Holistic: Antonio wants a job, but can’t take it because he doesn’t have a bicycle, it’s his wife who figures out how to get one. When the bicycle is stolen; he laments his situation before others agree to help him find it
PLOT DYNAMICS:
DRIVER: Action: 1. Antonio gets a job 2. his bicycle is stolen 3. he goes to his friends for advice 4. he searches for the bicycle with them 5. he finds the thief, but not the bicycle 6. he steals a bicycle, but gets caught
LIMIT: Optionlock: no bicycle = no job
OUTCOME: Failure: Antonio and Bruno fail to find the bicycle
JUDGMENT: Bad: their prospects are bleak
OS DOMAIN
DOMAIN: Activity: Antonio, his friends along with his son search for a stolen bicycle while they try to make ends meet
CONCERN: Obtaining: Everyone in the story is focused on finding a way to stay alive and to prosper, to earn enough money to buy food and to live in dignity
ISSUE: Approach vs. Attitude: Some people join political rallies, others forget their worries by going to a soccer match, others hold menial jobs, others steal
PROBLEM: Logic: The blunt truth of the matter is, in Post WWII Italy, there aren’t enough jobs to go around.
Pursued written by Niven Busch
Logline: Brought up by a neighboring family in the 1880s, an orphan grows up haunted by nightmares of a childhood trauma in which his own family was killed. IMDB
MC: Jeb Rand (the orphan)
IC: Thor Callum (his adopted sister / wife)
OS: Fixed Attitude: haunted by memories
MC: Activity: Jeb seeks to find his place in the world
IC: Manipulation: Thor’s feelings for Jeb go from sibling affection, to love, to hate and back to love again
RS: Situation: the relationship is mired by a past neither of them understands
CHARACTER DYNAMICS:
MC RESOLVE: Change: Jeb, haunted with memories of boots and flashing, finally comes to understand what those memories mean
MC GROWTH: Start: Until Jeb can figure out what his memories mean, he cannot go on with his life
MC APPROACH: Do-er: Jeb resolves his issues by either fighting it out or tossing a coin
MC PROBLEM-SOLVING STYLE: Linear: Jeb plays Thor’s game and goes through the steps of courting her until he can propose marriage.
PLOT DYNAMICS:
DRIVER: Action: Jeb’s family is slaughtered, he’s taken away and brought to live with his surrogate family, he’s drafted into the war, he kills his step-brother, he kills his step-sister’s beau, he marries his step-sister, his step-mother kills her brother
LIMIT: Optionlock: The world closes in on Jeb who ends up trapped in his old house and shoots it out
OUTCOME: Success: When the truth is finally revealed, peace returns to the family
JUDGMENT: Good: Jeb can finally start to look forward instead of being stuck, looking back
OVERALL STORY
DOMAIN: Fixed Attitude: Jeb’s step-uncle is convinced that someday, Jeb is going to kill his family in revenge for the wrong they’ve done him.
CONCERN: Memories: The memory of the shoot out that slaughtered Jeb’s family haunts is a thorn in everyone’s side.
ISSUE: Falsehood VS Truth: Jeb’s step-mother asks if he wouldn’t rather adopt his new family name, but Jeb decides to stick with his own, Jeb’s presence reminds the family of the ugly truth that is never spoken
PROBLEM: Equity: Everyone tries to make do with the lie hanging over their head and pretend like everything’s fine when it never really is
So yeah, thanks to honest feedback, I’ve decided to move further analyses to a blog that I started a couple of days ago. Only have a couple of entries, but plan on continuing to analyze different titles so I can develop my Dramatica brain.
For those interested, the blog is at https://jeromeolivierblog.wordpress.com. It’s one of those freebie things, so don’t expect much in terms of design.
As always, feedback, comments and questions are always welcome.