Dramatic Story Structure A successful screenplay starts with an understanding of the fundamen- tals of dramatic story structure. In this practical introduction, Edward J. Fink condenses centuries of writing about dramatic theory into ten concise and read- able chapters, providing the tools for building an engaging narrative and turning it into an agent-ready script. Fink devotes chapters to expanding on the six basic elements of drama from Aristotle’s Poetics (plot, character, theme, dialogue, sound, and spectacle), the theory and structure of comedy, as well as the concepts of unity, metaphor, style, universality, and catharsis. Key terms and discussion questions encourage readers to think through the components of compelling stories and put them into practice, and script formatting guidelines ensure your fi nished product looks polished and professional. Dramatic Story Structure is an essential resource not only for aspiring screenwriters, but also for experienced practitioners in need of a refresher on the building blocks of storytelling. Edward J. Fink, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair of Radio-TV-Film at California State University, Fullerton. This page intentionally left blank Dramatic Story Structure A PRIMER FOR SCREENWRITERS edward j. fink R Routledge Taylor & Francis Group NEW YORK AND LONDON First published 2014 by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Simultaneously published in the UK by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2014 Taylor & Francis The right of Edward J. Fink to be identifi ed as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Fink, Edward J. Dramatic story structure : a primer for screenwriters / Edward J. Fink. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Motion picture authorship. 2. Television authorship. I. Title. PN1996.F454 2013 808.2'3—dc23 2013007413 ISBN: 978-0-415-81369-3 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-415-81371-6 (pbk) ISBN: 978-0-203-06798-7 (ebk) Typeset in Bembo by Apex CoVantage, LLC To my wife Friederike and my children Anna and Liam, who keep the good drama in my life. This page intentionally left blank C ontents Preface xiii Acknowledgments xv 1. Introduction and Sample Script 1 Drama Defi ned 1 Aristotle and Others 2 Sample Script: La Llorona (The Weeping Woman) 4 2. Plot 11 Three-Act Structure 11 Act 1: Setup to New Direction 16 Act 2A: Launch of Journey to Midpoint Crisis 19 Act 2B: All Goes Well to All is Lost 23 Act 3: Turnaround to Climax and Denouement 26 Throughout all Three Acts 29 Experiments with Three-Act Structure 31 Sample Plot Points 33 Jule Selbo's 11 Steps (2007) 34 Chris Vogler's 12 Steps (2007), based on Campbell (1949) 35 viii Contents Eric Edson's 23 Steps (2011) 37 Summary 40 Refl ection and Discussion 42 3. Character 44 Protagonists 44 Extraordinary Person in Ordinary Situation 47 Ordinary Person in Extraordinary Situation 47 Achilles’ Heel 48 Arc 49 Antagonists 51 Human v. Human 52 Human v. Environment 53 Human v. Self 54 Supporting Characters 55 Functionaries 57 Unmasking 58 Ethos, Pathos, and Hybris 59 Experiments with Character 62 Character Types 63 Four Humors 64 Enneagram 65 Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) 66 Carl Jung (1875–1961) 66 Myers-Briggs 67 Lajos Egri (1888–1967) 68 Obsession 69 Summary 71 Refl ection and Discussion 72 Contents ix 4. Theme 73 What Theme Is Not: Plot or Character 73 What Theme Is: Lesson with Point of View 74 Typologies of Theme 76 Treatment of Theme 77 Experiments with Theme 79 Summary 81 Refl ection and Discussion 82 5. Dialogue 84 Show, Don’t Tell 84 Creating Dialogue 86 Poeticism 86 Naturalism 88 Realism 89 Heightened Realism 91 Functions of Dialogue 93 Advance Plot 93 Reveal Character 93 Point to Theme 94 Comprehensibility 96 Memorable Lines 99 Dual Meaning 102 Summary 103 Refl ection and Discussion 103 6. Sound 106 Sound for Screenwriters 106 Music 107