A challenge to the Dramatica team and others – can you help
Posted: Apr 15, 2015 8:37 am
I find it a bit hard defining and understanding a story goal, as, I understand it, Dramatica Theory prompts me for this before the MCs storyline. Maybe I have misunderstood something. I have a story, but I do not know the story goal as described by Dramatica. Neither do I find the right impact character.
In the theory, I do not find any stories related to this question. They ALL have big Story Goals seen from a birds’ perspective. My story is told from the MC’s.
****When to enter the story? (Yes – I know – from the start, but some conflict here with the story goal as it is not revealed yet) ****
At WHAT point in the story DOES the story goal ticks in? Meaning; People DO learn and discover along the way. In the beginning, the story goal could be: “Making a successful and spectacular reality series, but taking chances with a serum manipulating the dna of the participants”?.
When my Main Character Realizes he has made a big mistake and tries (for the first time) to restore law and order – or die (they are in a remote place, murders after them, they have to run). It would be quite dull with just the escape as the story goal as my story build up in long waves…
On the other side – that is what is on stake, as I see it? But the MC doesn’t realizes this until the third act?
*** Like an exercise – how would you describe the story goal in “Yes man”****
Jim Carrey cannot say “no”. Who is the impact character? His friend forcing him to action? The girl he falls in love with? Doesn’t his change also change the story goal?
My story (from the MCs view. What would be the story goal?) “Atomic winter”
An alcoholic and abounded director undertakes realizing his insane wild idea of a reality show. The Broadcaster needs ratings to survive. The show will take place in a dome in the Antarctica. The participants are drugged to act like Neanderthals. It all falls apart in violence, but the broadcaster wants him to continue. Armageddon breaks loose as the dome burst and people starts to kill each other. He realizes his ideas involves real consequences and have to cope with consequences for the first time of his life. Else he and the cast will die.
Is that a story goal or a throughline?
What about the Impact Character? Isnt the IC a character that sets the story in motion? It could be
1) The Main Character’s longing for Career/Approval from the audience
2) The BIG reality show taking chances never taken before?
3) MCs love he find among one of the participants, a Schizophrenic women (the chick of one of the bad guys).
I am confused. I tried to use Dramatica to simplify my story, but find it more complicated after fitting struggle it to fit the interface. I have really did an effort to struggle myself through Dramaticas prompts as I believe the software could elevate the story/plot. Then, again, I stumble and fall. I realizes after filling in 200 answers that I did something wrong at Q50.
Below you willl find my outline. Can someone help me narrow it down to: Story goal, MC, who is the impact character?
****
Some issues
- Who is the impact character? My character sucks for attention and audience in the beginning, realizing he sucks for another girl later – and then for surviving? Who is the trigger? The girl? The survivor? The broadcaster (as my main character is a director)?
- Back to one – I really TRIED to describe a story goal, but as the story changes, the story goal changes. Here are some takes:
- WHO, GOAL, OBSTACLE?
****Some takes on story goal (am I in the right direction here?)*****
Take 1: An alcoholic director tries to save his career, realizing a crazy and wild reality show, but people dies. For the first time in his life, he realizes his fantasy involves real consequences and have to cope with fear for the first time
Take 2: An alcoholic director realizes his monstrous reality show at the Antarctica gets REAL people killed. He tries to turn it down, but one of the participants will do anything to stop him
Take 3: A reality show in the Antarctica goes overboard and REAL people are killed at the best watch time. The director wants to turn it down, but one of the participants will do anything to stop him
****** SYNOPSIS*****
At a bar, a wash drunken and recently abandoned reality director (Mattias) brags about his brilliance and his crazy idea of a reality show in front of a broadcaster representative (Slynning). Mattias doesn’t know this.
As Mattias’ career flushed down the drain, he drinks too heavy. His girlfriend leaves him. His only chance is to undertake to realize the sick reality series to save himself and TV CEE from bankruptcy.
(Later – end) Mattias’ idea goes total overboard, people starts killing each other, and for the first time in his life, Mattias understand he has to take consequences of his actions to save himself and other human beings.
Mattias’ reality series Idea:
Twenty-four people shall live in a dome with artificial atmosphere and plants from the era of the Precambrian. The dome is located in a deserted place in the Arctic. Half of the participants will have a serum, which will turn them into Neanderthals. The rest will live with the intellect intact. The aim is to determine which civilization survives. A big glass wall will separate these worlds in the dome.
Realization, meeting Zorac and Cynthia + second thoughts from Mattias
Mattias is not accustomed taking consequences and become anxious as he realizes the concept will hit air. TV CEE really need a television success.
As the casting process begins, we get to know the sociopath ZORAC. He is fleeing from drug debt and aims to win the huge prize (1 bill dollars), whatever the cost will be. Zorac also has a girlfriend (Cynthia) whom he manipulates. Cynthia is bipolar, drugged and suffering from Schizophrenia. When Mattias first sees Cynthia; immediate interest.
In the preproduction process, Mattias doubts several times. Things are moving too fast. Like the serum thing he see tested on animals and human beings in Munich. People gets insane! In Munich we meet THE PROFESSOR behind the serum. In the casting process, SLYNNING (TV CEE) ignores the advices from psychologists, telling which participant will fit or not. The participants has to sign a contract, obliging them to go into the series with their life on stake.
The show kicks off – but Zorac fakes taking an injection
It is show start. The participants arrives the remote Artic area.
Before they enter the dome, they all have to take an injection. Some of them get the real serum that turns them into Neanderthals, some get placebo. Everything caught on camera. Zorac pretends taking the Neanderthal-serum. Mattias and Slynning divides the group in two, by the one injected with real serum and not. Zorac pretends to be a Neanderthal and ports that half of the bubble (as the only one with his intellect intact).
The show goes overboard, but Slynning (representing the broadcaster, pushes)
The series soon turns wild. The participants soon exposes violence in a way audience has never seen. The worlds apart by the glass wall, look curious at each other. TV Cee V/Slynning is ALWAYS pushing Mattias to go further. Slynning knows about Mattias alcohol problem and his problem getting a job, so Mattias does what he says.
Removal of the glass wall - Armageddon
As the ratings falls, viewers require the artificial wall between the two worlds removed. The Broadcaster forces Mattias to turn it off, even though he is afraid the consequences.
This is when things really goes bad. Participants start to kill and eat each other. Viewers love it, but the moral dilemma tortures Mattias who realizes that this is real people, not just puppets. The broadcaster does not agree – it is all about ratings, even if it costs lives.
As a result, the Production team leaves the production, one by one. They cannot live witnessing the situation in the bubble evolves into pure madness. The team cannot bear all the violence and cannibalism.
Mattias wants to save the bad situation. He even agree, by request of the viewers, entering the bubble to turn the wall on again. His plan is then to turn off the system and lay down the series. By doing this, Mattias is all of the sudden a participant in a program he has created.
Mattias alone in the bubble, struggling to end the show
He is alone and scared. Mattias has always been afraid. He meets Cynthia and realizes that he can reach through to Cynthia’s schizophrenia, occasionally. He hopes she will save him.
For the first time in his life: Mattias MUST take the consequences of his actions and stop this series. Zorac, however, want the series to continue, as he sees a chance to win the prize money and survive creditors.
Zorac therefore do everything to keep the wall down, keeping the series alive. As the series has no rules, Zorac tries to prevent Mattias to end it all. Meanwhile Mattias falls in love with Cynthia.
Armageddon
At the same time, Armageddon is to break loose. Zorac’s creditors has seen Zorac on TV and have travelled to the location to crave their debts. As the team has left the dome, it is an easy job to take the control over the dome. The intruders ignores warnings from the last Scientifics. In the end, the bubble bursts. It becomes minus 40 degrees inside, and every man left has to escape. At the port there will be a ferry, just taking those onboard that Mattias or the Broadcaster approves.
Zorac understand that he has lost it. He now wants to survive. He knows that Mattias is his ticket out – and run with Cynthia and Mattias over the ice to the port. The last scooter is taken by SLYNNING.
Zorac has to depend on Mattias to get approval to enter the boat, but at the same time, he doesn’t know about Mattias interest in Cynthia. At this point, Mattias and Cynthia is bonding.
They forces the snow and ice, on their way to the port. Mattias has to kill Zorac know or getting killed himself if Zorac will find out. He has to trap Zorac into something. He has to use violence for the first time in his life.
They find Slynning in an abonded small cottage, near the port. He is half frozen to death as the gas went out of his scooter.
Zorac killed – the end
At the end – Mattias and Cynthia manipulate Zorac. Cynthia killes Zorac (Mattias doesn’t dare – but lure her into it). They end up at the boat. Mattias have learned a lesson. Be happy without to much responsibilities. He takes care of Cynthia and start a new career.
In the theory, I do not find any stories related to this question. They ALL have big Story Goals seen from a birds’ perspective. My story is told from the MC’s.
****When to enter the story? (Yes – I know – from the start, but some conflict here with the story goal as it is not revealed yet) ****
At WHAT point in the story DOES the story goal ticks in? Meaning; People DO learn and discover along the way. In the beginning, the story goal could be: “Making a successful and spectacular reality series, but taking chances with a serum manipulating the dna of the participants”?.
When my Main Character Realizes he has made a big mistake and tries (for the first time) to restore law and order – or die (they are in a remote place, murders after them, they have to run). It would be quite dull with just the escape as the story goal as my story build up in long waves…
On the other side – that is what is on stake, as I see it? But the MC doesn’t realizes this until the third act?
*** Like an exercise – how would you describe the story goal in “Yes man”****
Jim Carrey cannot say “no”. Who is the impact character? His friend forcing him to action? The girl he falls in love with? Doesn’t his change also change the story goal?
My story (from the MCs view. What would be the story goal?) “Atomic winter”
An alcoholic and abounded director undertakes realizing his insane wild idea of a reality show. The Broadcaster needs ratings to survive. The show will take place in a dome in the Antarctica. The participants are drugged to act like Neanderthals. It all falls apart in violence, but the broadcaster wants him to continue. Armageddon breaks loose as the dome burst and people starts to kill each other. He realizes his ideas involves real consequences and have to cope with consequences for the first time of his life. Else he and the cast will die.
Is that a story goal or a throughline?
What about the Impact Character? Isnt the IC a character that sets the story in motion? It could be
1) The Main Character’s longing for Career/Approval from the audience
2) The BIG reality show taking chances never taken before?
3) MCs love he find among one of the participants, a Schizophrenic women (the chick of one of the bad guys).
I am confused. I tried to use Dramatica to simplify my story, but find it more complicated after fitting struggle it to fit the interface. I have really did an effort to struggle myself through Dramaticas prompts as I believe the software could elevate the story/plot. Then, again, I stumble and fall. I realizes after filling in 200 answers that I did something wrong at Q50.
Below you willl find my outline. Can someone help me narrow it down to: Story goal, MC, who is the impact character?
****
Some issues
- Who is the impact character? My character sucks for attention and audience in the beginning, realizing he sucks for another girl later – and then for surviving? Who is the trigger? The girl? The survivor? The broadcaster (as my main character is a director)?
- Back to one – I really TRIED to describe a story goal, but as the story changes, the story goal changes. Here are some takes:
- WHO, GOAL, OBSTACLE?
****Some takes on story goal (am I in the right direction here?)*****
Take 1: An alcoholic director tries to save his career, realizing a crazy and wild reality show, but people dies. For the first time in his life, he realizes his fantasy involves real consequences and have to cope with fear for the first time
Take 2: An alcoholic director realizes his monstrous reality show at the Antarctica gets REAL people killed. He tries to turn it down, but one of the participants will do anything to stop him
Take 3: A reality show in the Antarctica goes overboard and REAL people are killed at the best watch time. The director wants to turn it down, but one of the participants will do anything to stop him
****** SYNOPSIS*****
At a bar, a wash drunken and recently abandoned reality director (Mattias) brags about his brilliance and his crazy idea of a reality show in front of a broadcaster representative (Slynning). Mattias doesn’t know this.
As Mattias’ career flushed down the drain, he drinks too heavy. His girlfriend leaves him. His only chance is to undertake to realize the sick reality series to save himself and TV CEE from bankruptcy.
(Later – end) Mattias’ idea goes total overboard, people starts killing each other, and for the first time in his life, Mattias understand he has to take consequences of his actions to save himself and other human beings.
Mattias’ reality series Idea:
Twenty-four people shall live in a dome with artificial atmosphere and plants from the era of the Precambrian. The dome is located in a deserted place in the Arctic. Half of the participants will have a serum, which will turn them into Neanderthals. The rest will live with the intellect intact. The aim is to determine which civilization survives. A big glass wall will separate these worlds in the dome.
Realization, meeting Zorac and Cynthia + second thoughts from Mattias
Mattias is not accustomed taking consequences and become anxious as he realizes the concept will hit air. TV CEE really need a television success.
As the casting process begins, we get to know the sociopath ZORAC. He is fleeing from drug debt and aims to win the huge prize (1 bill dollars), whatever the cost will be. Zorac also has a girlfriend (Cynthia) whom he manipulates. Cynthia is bipolar, drugged and suffering from Schizophrenia. When Mattias first sees Cynthia; immediate interest.
In the preproduction process, Mattias doubts several times. Things are moving too fast. Like the serum thing he see tested on animals and human beings in Munich. People gets insane! In Munich we meet THE PROFESSOR behind the serum. In the casting process, SLYNNING (TV CEE) ignores the advices from psychologists, telling which participant will fit or not. The participants has to sign a contract, obliging them to go into the series with their life on stake.
The show kicks off – but Zorac fakes taking an injection
It is show start. The participants arrives the remote Artic area.
Before they enter the dome, they all have to take an injection. Some of them get the real serum that turns them into Neanderthals, some get placebo. Everything caught on camera. Zorac pretends taking the Neanderthal-serum. Mattias and Slynning divides the group in two, by the one injected with real serum and not. Zorac pretends to be a Neanderthal and ports that half of the bubble (as the only one with his intellect intact).
The show goes overboard, but Slynning (representing the broadcaster, pushes)
The series soon turns wild. The participants soon exposes violence in a way audience has never seen. The worlds apart by the glass wall, look curious at each other. TV Cee V/Slynning is ALWAYS pushing Mattias to go further. Slynning knows about Mattias alcohol problem and his problem getting a job, so Mattias does what he says.
Removal of the glass wall - Armageddon
As the ratings falls, viewers require the artificial wall between the two worlds removed. The Broadcaster forces Mattias to turn it off, even though he is afraid the consequences.
This is when things really goes bad. Participants start to kill and eat each other. Viewers love it, but the moral dilemma tortures Mattias who realizes that this is real people, not just puppets. The broadcaster does not agree – it is all about ratings, even if it costs lives.
As a result, the Production team leaves the production, one by one. They cannot live witnessing the situation in the bubble evolves into pure madness. The team cannot bear all the violence and cannibalism.
Mattias wants to save the bad situation. He even agree, by request of the viewers, entering the bubble to turn the wall on again. His plan is then to turn off the system and lay down the series. By doing this, Mattias is all of the sudden a participant in a program he has created.
Mattias alone in the bubble, struggling to end the show
He is alone and scared. Mattias has always been afraid. He meets Cynthia and realizes that he can reach through to Cynthia’s schizophrenia, occasionally. He hopes she will save him.
For the first time in his life: Mattias MUST take the consequences of his actions and stop this series. Zorac, however, want the series to continue, as he sees a chance to win the prize money and survive creditors.
Zorac therefore do everything to keep the wall down, keeping the series alive. As the series has no rules, Zorac tries to prevent Mattias to end it all. Meanwhile Mattias falls in love with Cynthia.
Armageddon
At the same time, Armageddon is to break loose. Zorac’s creditors has seen Zorac on TV and have travelled to the location to crave their debts. As the team has left the dome, it is an easy job to take the control over the dome. The intruders ignores warnings from the last Scientifics. In the end, the bubble bursts. It becomes minus 40 degrees inside, and every man left has to escape. At the port there will be a ferry, just taking those onboard that Mattias or the Broadcaster approves.
Zorac understand that he has lost it. He now wants to survive. He knows that Mattias is his ticket out – and run with Cynthia and Mattias over the ice to the port. The last scooter is taken by SLYNNING.
Zorac has to depend on Mattias to get approval to enter the boat, but at the same time, he doesn’t know about Mattias interest in Cynthia. At this point, Mattias and Cynthia is bonding.
They forces the snow and ice, on their way to the port. Mattias has to kill Zorac know or getting killed himself if Zorac will find out. He has to trap Zorac into something. He has to use violence for the first time in his life.
They find Slynning in an abonded small cottage, near the port. He is half frozen to death as the gas went out of his scooter.
Zorac killed – the end
At the end – Mattias and Cynthia manipulate Zorac. Cynthia killes Zorac (Mattias doesn’t dare – but lure her into it). They end up at the boat. Mattias have learned a lesson. Be happy without to much responsibilities. He takes care of Cynthia and start a new career.