Elf Storyform Analysis

What do ya say?

Anyone up for a group analysis? If you start with Genre, it should take about two seconds! :rofl:

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Yes!!! I have been waiting for this for so many years. My favourite Christmas movie of all time, and I cannot wait to be completely wrong on the storyform. :joy:

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I’m in. Does everyone have their Dramatica set to Holiday Comedy? :smile:

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So what’s the overriding trend on all things Holiday Comedy?

Overall Story Universe, Main Character Physics and lower right concerns.

That’s based on … two out of three examples? (Home Alone, The Santa Clause, and the Simpsons Christmas)? Am I missing some?

The Santa Clause is OS Psychology/Becoming, MC Universe.

I would be surprised if Elf wasn’t the same. (But Elf has got to be Steadfast).

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My gut says Elf is closer to this than the other holiday comedies listed, but that’s probably just the contrarian in me trying to get ahead of what I’m guessing is Jim’s conclusion (OS in Situation). :sweat_smile:

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Yeah, there’s only three examples. I have some hesitations on the genre-based analysis stuff, but I’m rolling with it. :smile: My instinct would be to put Elf in the Santa Clause domains too. That’s not the overriding trend though. (I know, I know)

Maybe everyone is dealing with an Elf in New York / A human in the North Pole. Buddy’s stuff is all about learning how to be a human in New York?

I agree on Steadfast resolve. :thumbsup:

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Genre is the top level. Keep it general (Genre-al, that’s my new thing!)

So, generally speaking Holiday Comedy

MC is always where?

OS is always where?

Here’s the trick. Don’t answer those with Dramatica Domains. Keep it genre-al (see what I did there?)

Answer with one of these four:

External
Internal
State
Process

You can still have more than one answer, but generally speaking it will be one.

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So, you’d say, generally a Holiday Comedy is an OS in External State and MC in External Process?

If this Dramatica things falls through, you have a bright future in marketing. :wink:

What is the general difference between Home Alone and Elf as personalities? Holiday Comedy might be a bit too broad to encompass both.

Or even compare Home Alone with Santa Claus. How is the quality of their comedy different?

And where does Elf fit into that?

In a general sense.

Haven’t seen the Santa Clause in a long time.

Home Alone is more about the bandits, and the family getting back and protecting the house.

Elf feels more about getting everyone into the Christmas spirit. Everyone is kind of cynical, maybe.

In other words:

Home Alone comedy - external or internal?
Santa Claus comedy - external or internal?
Elf comedy - external or internal?

In Home alone, the kid is left alone and waits for his family to come back. In Elf, a kid is taken away and goes back to rejoin his family.

Home Alone – external (physical humor)
Santa Claus – not sure because it’s been so long since I’ve seen it …
Elf - internal

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Right. The comedy is Elf and New Yorkers comedy of errors stuff.

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Yeah, he mistakes the publisher for an elf; thinks the mall Santa is real; etc., etc. And also when his dad mistakes him for a Christmas-gram.

Feels very internal to me.

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I would try to keep it focused on “feeling” / general sense of comedy. When you get specific like this it starts to pull it away from the area and into more trying to define a source of conflict.

I’m saying that’s a deceiving approach and that there’s a way easier way to find a storyform.

Home Alone - external comedy (fighting burglars off defending the home)
Santa Claus - internal comedy (posing as Santa Claus, changing the way you make toys)
Elf - internal comedy (all the stuff you posted above :))

That’s why I’m saying there is likely a better way to differentiate something like Home Alone from Elf. Something better than just Holiday Comedy.

So with the comedy in the internal space, the trend is Psychology or Mind for OS?

And knowing that it’s a “lighter” comedy and not so serious, where does that put the MC?

Given all the misinterpretations and misattributions, OS HAS to be Psychology.

And Buddy in MC Universe – he’s a human who was raised as an Elf (and now he’s in New York, so fish out of water too).

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And do you feel the lightness there? That’s a Start story. Intuiting that dynamic really helps you get to the best storyform quicker.

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