Modes of Expression, Complex Form

questions
#1

Just read this section, trying to figure it out.

A So, on the one hand, you can have a throughline that starts out expressing Drama be monotone, and express all four dramatic modes (Growth Drama, etc).

B OTOH, you can have a throughline, for variety, move through the genre modes (Information, Entertainment etc) as long as they’re in the right order, so they don’t jar when you move between them.

2 questions:

1 Can you order the genre moves on the presentation storytelling level instead of the internal logic of the throughline level? Seems to make sense to me that you could, in fact it would be best.

2 Is there Dramatic theory around composing FOR the genre? I guess that’s more in the storytelling arena than in the structural arena…?

Doing B seems pretty ambitious, but clearly it’s done all the time. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

#2

I was thinking of Hannah and her SIsters as a great example of this – the Woody throughline is funny, some of the other throughlines are more serious and dramatic, and ‘warmer’.

#3

…To be honest, I’m not really sure what you’re talking about, but I can answer question 2 for you. “Genre” as used in common parlance is socially determined. There are certain character, theme, plot, and setting expectations that differentiate one genre from another. When you make a show like Cowboy Bebop, “the genre unto itself,” or any story with such a clear tone and feel that it immediately sets itself apart from other similar stories, you have a new genre for people to appreciate. And those genres splinter and cross-pollinate–the western budding the “space western,” or horror and mystery intertwining to become the thriller.

Remember that Dramatica’s fundamental point is to establish the argument of a story–the genre trappings are just window dressing. You could use the storyform for Romeo & Juliet to tell a comedy or a thriller story, because the storyform elements don’t say, “The two characters must be star-crossed romantic lovers.” Going on from that, I don’t think it has a whole lot to say about the four modes of writing, beyond that they map to the four Domains, kinda. I absolutely agree that a story should have all four (Hamlet, for example, has some great comedic moments inbetween all the melancholy and father-figure-murdering), but I think the proportion of those four is up to you.

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#4

Thanks for replying. I’m reading Section 2.8.4.2-4 inclusive, Modes of Expression in the Story Expert 5 Manual, the Dramatica Theory section of the book.

#5

I think he’s referring to Entertainment, Comedy, Drama, and Information.

There really hasn’t been much development on it beyond what you’ve read. It’s the Wild West!

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#6

Yes, that’s what I meant. Thanks for the response. It’s cool that there’s still a few spots in the theory to noodle over and think about.

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#7

Copied from the theory.

Modes of Expression

Next, we want to consider a new concept: four modes of expression through which the story’s structure can be conveyed to an audience. The four modes of expression are:

Information ­p; focusing the audience on knowledge does that mean the information genre is derived from past, present, progress, and future .

Drama ­p; focusing the audience on thought does that mean drama is derived from memories, contemplation, preconscious and subconscious?.

Comedy ­p; focusing the audience on ability does that mean comedy is derived from learning, doing,
obtaining, understanding?.

Entertainment ­p; focusing the audience on desire does that mean entertainment is derived from conceptualizing, conceiving, being, becoming?.

The Dramatica Classes describe what the audience will see. The modes describe in what light they will see them. When we match the two categories, we begin to control the feel our story will generate within the audience.

This is analogous to the manner in which Domains are created by attaching a point of view to a Class. Domains are part of the Story Mind itself and represent how a mind shifts its perspective to consider all sides of an issue. Genres, while also creating perspectives, do so outside of the Story Mind and represent the four different ways an audience can look at the Story Mind as a finished work they are receiving.

The following “Grid of Dramatica Genres,” shows the four Dramatica Classes along one axis, and the four modes of expression along the other.

my thoughts below

I’m doing a couple of experiments around this in my own work.

I want to add comedy to my work so I’m going to shade in elements from the physics class (focusing the audience on ability) into my work and use them to communicate clumsy or humourous situations.

what I’m seeing is that the modes of expression are a mask for the story form. The first thing to do is express the story form and then shade a mode of expression using one of the classes that corresponds to a particular mode of expression to augment the feel of the story form.

I’m going to record a screencast which I will turn into a document at some point in the future.

A puzzle about Genre
#8

my application of comedy by focusing on ability

Under ability we have the physics class, I’ve chosen to go with the doing type under physics to deliver a light hearted moment in a serious narrative.

A lawyer is getting ready to meet another client in his office. He picks up his pen and begins to tap his chin with the pen.

He sets down the pen and gently rotates himself in his office chair from left to right.

Enjoying the sensation, we backs away from his desk and spins himself around making full rotations.

He uses his feet to wheel himself to the shelf on the left side of his desk, then he wheels towards the door and then he wheels himself towards the client seat.

He stretches out his hand and greets an imaginary client. Then he wheels himself back to his desk letting out a deep sigh. All work and no play makes Tom a dull boy.

He straightens his shirt, hits the intercom and tells his receptionist to let his client come through.

The door opens and a lady elegantly dressed in a navy blue business suit walks in. He stands up and shakes her hand from across the desk.

I used doing - focusing on ability - to show Tom playing around his office before his next client meeting.

@chuntley @mlucas I’d like your thoughts on my modes of expression process.

#9

additional hypothesis

For a situational comedy - use the physics types but carry the variations and elements from the universe class.

For a comedy of manners, use the physics types with the mind variation and elemental patterns.

For a physical comedy, use the physics types with th physics variations and elemental patterns.

For the comedy of errors, use the physics types with the psychology variations and elemental patterns.

I’m thinking one can create a multi mode of expression - genre experience in one type/scene

this way, dressing up the scene in comedy (learning, doing, obtaining, understanding)

information (past, present, progress, future)

entertainment (conceptualizing, conceiving, becoming, being)

Mind (memories, preconscious, subconscious, conscious)

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#10

I remember going to a workshop Chris gave in Burbank where he showed Hudson Hawk as what happens if one ‘skips’ the genres out of order. It is very complicated for me to understand and explain, but believe me, “…jar…” does not begin to describe being left scrambling for the lost follow through. What is now happening doesn’t belong or fit right, making one think about what was happening, while not having fun with the new track, and being confused with a feeling of loss. This genre skipping in Dramatica is a solid no-no. (whatever it is)

#11

Sorry Samuel, I don’t really have anything to offer here … this isn’t an area that I have an expertise or interest in. This is the kind of stuff that, for me, I would do by feel.

As an example of that, I liked your little scene snippet above … but if I’d written that I’d be thinking about how it had exposed a neat aspect of Tom’s character. I wouldn’t know how to even start applying modes of expression to it.

But if the process seems to be working for you, then I’d say keep experimenting with it!

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#12

Without context, your example does not appear to be expressed in a comedic manner. You describe the actions but they are not inherently funny, nor are they played for laughs. He’s your same scene played to emphasize the same events comically.

A lawyer is getting ready to meet another client in his office. He picks up his pen and begins to tap his chin with the pen when the end slips off and flies behind the desk.

He sets down what’s left of the pen and gently rotates himself in his office chair from left to right.

Enjoying the sensation, we backs away from his desk and spins himself around making full rotations.

He uses his feet to wheel himself to the shelf on the left side of his desk, then he wheels towards the door and then he wheels himself towards the client seat. The wheels catch in the carpeting and dump the lawyer face first on the floor.

He get up, uprights the chair and wheels it back to his desk and drops into it letting out a deep sigh. All work and no play makes Tom a dull boy.

He straightens his shirt, hits the intercom and tells his receptionist to let his client come through.

The door opens and a lady elegantly dressed in a navy blue business suit walks in. He stands up and shakes her hand from across the desk. That’s when he notices the huge ink stain on his extended hand. He offers the woman a tissue.

Apart from my lame writing, the same scenario has comic elements interspersed through it, versus the simple description of the same scenario.

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#13

I like this! Keep going.

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