How to begin analysing movies with Dramatica?

questions
#1

Hi there,

I’m new to Dramatica (I’m on my second reading of the theory book, and read most of the articles on James Hull’s site). Naturally, I have been beginning to analyse movies that I have seen, but have come across difficulties which I’m not sure is just down to a lack of experience, or a wrong application of the theory.

When does it become ‘easy’ to initially spot a film which follows dramatica grand story argument?

It’s difficult for me, at the minute, to identify a film and quickly understand that although the film does not follow dramatica, but can be considered a great movie (Inglourious Basterds or Django come to mind) .

I remember reading right at the beginning of dramatica, that the grand argument story is just one way to tell a story, and that there are many ways to tell a story. Is it better for me to ‘course correct’ right now with dramatica knowing it only serves a certain narrow focus of writing and analysing, rather than trying to get hung up of trying to apply it to every movie I watch?

An example: two films I’ve seen recently, American Hustle and The Hateful Eight.

It seems to be much easier for me to analyse American Hustle against the mechanics of dramatica (I can identify some of the archetypes and who remained steadfast/changed, as well as understanding the meaning of the film), but I’ve found it very difficult to apply Dramatica to The Hateful Eight.

My question is that is this just a case of lack of experience when applying the theory to all movies? If not, how do I identify and understand when certain movies do not fall into the theory, and how do I still continue to understand why they are great movies?

Hopefully this makes sense as I understand it’s a rather convoluted way to as the question…

Many thanks,

Zubair.

#2

Keep studying, man. The more you understand the theory (by listening to the podcasts, reading Jim’s analysis, etc.), the easier it becomes to spot the elements and variations that show up.

American Hustle isn’t a complete Grand Argument story, so that’s a tricky one to try and figure out – there’s only the overall story there. The Hateful Eight is a similar situation, I feel. There’s no clearly defined ‘main’ or ‘influence’ character, which makes it tricky to pick out any specifics.

Personally, I hated American Hustle but I enjoyed Hateful Eight. So, I would guess that the reason we enjoy movies that have no developed Dramatica structure is because of the authorship; e.g. Chaplin’s style of comedy in City Lights or the tension in Jurassic Park.

#3

I haven’t seen Hateful Eight yet, but agree that Hustle was incomplete. The answer is that it just takes time. Watch films that have already been analyzed on the Dramatica site and try to guess it on your own. After awhile you’ll start to get a feeling for where certain films or narrative are located and whether or not it is a Grand Argument Story.

#4

The quality most incomplete stories omit is a solid Influence Character Throughline (and ergo the Relationship Throughline as a consequence). As you’re watching / reading, ask yourself, “Is there a clear Main Character?” Then ask, “Are there characters who represent a consistent, personal, and opposite approach to the Main Character’s way of problem-solving?”

If your answer to either of those questions is “no,” then it’s not a complete story. If your answer to both of them is “yes,” then it might be a complete story.

#5

I’m going to expand on your questions just a bit @LunarDynasty , because I think some of the things we take for granted (with experience) will help if they are made plain:

“Is there a clear Main Character who has a personal problem that is not part of the main plot?” [This helps distinguish them from the Protagonist.]

“Are there characters who represent a consistent, personal, and opposite approach to the Main Character’s way of problem-solving that the Main Character has a developing relationship with?” [Some movies have many people that do things differently, but this characteristic generally sets one character apart.]

3 Likes
#6

I think these are all really helpful points guys, really appreciate it.

I think I will try and watch most of the films that are on the list of Dramatica’s most complete stories. This will help strengthen my understanding of the theory whilst I re-read the book.

It might help me get my head around why I still enjoy films that omit such a key part of the dramatica theory. MWollaeger’s point about ‘Does the Main Character have a personal problem that is not part of a plot’ has really helped, as when i think about Christian Bale’s character in American Hustle, it seems he is just trying to help solve the main plot problem. All I can think of in terms of his personal problem is his initial lack of willingness to leave his wife, which although that does happen in the end, it was his wife’s decision rather than his.

I wanted to say thanks to Jim also as I think i would have abandoned the Dramatica book long ago if it wasn’t for the articles on Jim’s site.

2 Likes
#7

You’re very welcome!