Recently, I’ve found the requirements (aka OS benchmark) showing up in the turning sequences between the signposts. The Terminator and Team America are nice, clear examples.
Now, I haven’t applied these to the Dramatica program, but I am confident in being able to mentally perform the algorithms. Here’s what I’ve come up with for Splash (1984).
In approximate time and story turning points, these are the Journeys. The Inciting Incident would be the initial scene when child Alan dives into the water, meets mermaid Madison, then rescuers pull him away. This Action Driver leads directly to the Decision at the end of the signpost when, in a bar, Alan chooses to go to Cape Cod to feel calmer instead of Rio. After this, Alan falling overboard from the boat, being found by Madison, is the Action Driver into Act Two. This leads directly to her using his documents to reunite with him at the police station. Again, the question comes up: who is this woman? The following day, she visits Bloomingdales to become properly dressed. He reunites with her and they go for a night walk. He’s asking her who she is. She’s evasive, but asks about the strange city objects. At this end, there’s some sense of a Decision that she says she wants to stay with him. Moments later, Alan nearly catches her in the bathtub with her tail. Fortunately, he doesn’t but this Action Driver further drives questions in his mind over who she is. I suspect this signpost concludes with her coming back to Alan replying to his question: “Yes, I will marry you.” The next scene shows Alan excitedly escorting her past Dr. Cornbluth, who is eager to shower her with water to demonstrate she’s truly a mermaid. However, the true culmination of that presidential party is the actual Action Driver. He showers water on her, forcing her tail to be exposed to the world. She is then captured and kept in a lab, leading Alan to be focused on a decision whether to rescue her. He decides to get her out. All the characters become involved in this climactic finale. Although Alan’s decision to jump in the water to be with her in the end is huge, the action of getting rid of the pursuing divers, I suspect, is the Concluding Action Driver.
Where are the domains? Her being a mermaid is some degree of a problem for her being on land, but it’s a major effect on him. He consistently wonders who she is. She would be in a Situation, putting Alan in a Fixed Attitude, which describes him quite well. Now, the Objective Story would either be in Psychology or Physics. Probably the majority of the movie deals with conversation and romantic moments… psychology domain territory. However, Dr. Cornbluth wants to obtain her or demonstrate who she really is. The second signpost with the two of them walking along the street seems to either be Learning or Conceiving an Idea. I think it’s more Learning (aka Gathering Information). He’s asking about her and she’s asking questions. Dr. Cornbluth occupies at least the final quarter being concerned with having obtained her for the lab. Perhaps the story Goal is that Alan and Madison obtain each other.
This jibes with my sense of Alan’s growth. This Main Character demonstrates Change at the conclusion of the story. He dives into the water to be with her, as opposed to not being able to admit his love with his fiancee at the beginning of the movie. He apparently rises to the occasion. So he would be a Start Change character, which is confirmed by being in a domain (Fixed Attitude) having a vertical relationship with the Objective Story (Physics).
Where is the Concern for each throughline? Her Past doesn’t seem a large concern for her nor for him, aside from one point with his memory. If the Objective Story is in Obtaining, then he’d be concerned with Inner Desires. This matches with his desire to be with a woman, to marry and have kids. Then, her concern would be Future. While she would be thinking of her future with him, she also seems consistently interested in being with him in the present. In fact, she knows she must return to the ocean after six days. I suspect she is very much an Impact Character, in that her Concern of the Future actually reflects her impact on him. It’s really her causing him to be concerned about his future with her.
There was a deleted scene which should be included in a new home video release. Based on the photo of the sea hag in the DVD Bonus Features, I am guessing this moment occurs as the story journeys into Signpost Two, about the point we see her finding his wallet. The sea hag apparently tells her she can only remain on land for six days. Eventually, the scene was removed from the final cut. However, Madison periodically mentions how many days she has left. “After that, I can’t ever go back.” We see the moon in the night-time sky a few times. I suspect the story had either a Story Limit of a Timelock or that it was being positioned as one.
Based on common events at those aforementioned Driver sequences, I am guessing the Benchmarks are diagonally across from the Concerns. This would mean Doing is involved in trying to achieve the story goal. Madison finds clues which lead her to Alan. Meanwhile, Alan drives to the police station. This could relate to Understanding more than Doing. Dr. Cornbluth dashing her with water was certainly an Action. Does it relate to Doing or to getting the world to Understand what she is?