Two ICs Possibly More Common Than Thought

Discuss the practical use of Dramatica. Have questions about how throughlines should be used, how to create Complex Characters or even the various combinations of the 12 Essential Questions and how they will affect your story go here.
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Geoff1975
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Two ICs Possibly More Common Than Thought

Postby Geoff1975 » Aug 02, 2013 7:30 am

I'll give three examples where there is clearly an Impact Character and a romantic interest. In "Turner and Hooch", Scott Turner is forced to harbor a messy dog in his home while he's investigating a case. Outside the OS of the case itself, we see Hooch tearing up Turner's home to the point of turning the cop into a desperate, emotional wreck. However, the dog is actually forcing him to acclimate. Turner also meets a romantic interest, who encourages him to treat the dog well. She makes some impact, too, but this is after Hooch has impacted him quite a bit.
In "Ed Wood", although Ed has a girlfriend who impacts him through her aggravation, he's also steadfast when it comes to the impact he has on friend Bela. Bela begins the movie being a washed-out actor, completely burned out. True, this dovetails into the OS throughline, but Ed mentions Bela actually "treated (him) like a friend". He rushes to Bela's house during a time when Bela is suicidal, for example.
Perhaps the easiest example to argue is "My Blue Heaven", where FBI agent Barney becomes assigned to protect a mob witness, Vinny, during two court appearances (OS). The two contrast each other practically on first sight. Vinny encourages Barney to date the Assistant D.A. Hannah Stubbs. True, Barney has some emotional storyline with Hannah, but Vinny is the character who makes the biggest impact on him. He points Barney to the idea of dating Hannah. He wrecks his controlled life by spending his credit cards and lying. About half way through the movie, he literally forces Barney to change from traditional slouchy outfits into flashy suits, the type Vinny wears. Once this occurs, Barney becomes more focused on trying to date Hannah. It seems Hannah is a twin of Barney in terms of her flaw. She's as straitlaced and her husband has even divorced. The same goes for Barney. She detests Barney when the two argue in the OS, but a good deal into the movie she softens when Barney has been changed by Vinny. Again, it seems Vinny's steadfastness changes Barney... then Barney's steadfastness changes Hannah. In the story's climax, Barney doesn't feel as adherent to the truth. He's comfortable with letting a white lie through for the greater good. Vinny has loosened him up. In the climactic scene, he nudges Hannah to do the same. There's some suspense. She does.

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