Resolve & central issue

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Chris Huntley
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Resolve & central issue

Postby Chris Huntley » May 30, 2008 9:22 am

Peter Deckard Resolve & central issue

hi,

could You explain more the Change/Steadfast question in connection with the whole story and the 4 throughlines?

this Resolve should evolve around a "central issue" - what is that? is it a part of a throughline? or is it that a new element? (or has to do with the crucial elements?)

thx in advance, Peter


Chris Huntley Re: Resolve & central issue #1

Hi Peter --

The question of MC Resolve is about the MAIN CHARACTER's resolve. The Main Character (MC) has a personal problem he deals with which is explored over the course of the story in the MC Throughline. The Impact Character (IC) represents an alternate approach to dealing with problems that forces the MC to reconsider the way he's trying to work through his personal problems.

A story's plot structure begins with an inciting incident. Over the course of the story, the MC's resolve and the IC's resolve are tested against one another. Pressure increases with each act. The story's climax occurs when the Story Limit is reached and the ending event takes place. Whe the proverbial dust settles, either the MC has adopted the IC's approach, or vice versa. If the MC adopts the IC's approach, the MC's resolve is said to be CHANGE and the IC's resolve is STEADFAST. If the IC adopts the MC's approach, the MC's resolve is said to be STEADFAST and the IC's resolve is CHANGE.

Crucial elements are tied to the MC Resolve but have no effect on it.

Cheers,
Chris Huntley
Write Brothers


Peter Deckard Re: Resolve & central issue #2

dear Chris,

i'm a little bit confused now.
there's a Problem-element in the MC Throughline - is that the same with the "central issue" mentioned by the MC Resolve?

and the MC and IC Throughline should be the two alternate ways of the same problem?

or maybe i'm mixing now different elements?


Chris Huntley Re: Resolve & central issue #3

A "central issue" is a generalization. The MC has personal issues he struggles with. He has an approach he uses to manage those personal issues. Those issues grow from the quad of elements that has the MC Problem. At the element (smallest) level, the MC either CHANGES from the MC Problem element to adopt the MC Solution element, OR remains STEADFAST by sticking with the MC PRoblem and applies effort to the MC Response.

So, yes, the MC Problem is at the heart of the "central issue" from the Main Character's perspective.

Look to the IC Problem quad to see what drives the IC. They are not the SAME as the MC elements--even if some of the items have the same name. The elements are different because they are seen within the context of the Impact Character. These represent the "central issue" as seen from the IC's perspective.

It's easiest to see the difference in perspectives between the MC and IC by looking at the domains. In the film, Phat Girlz, the MC is a woman defined by her heavy weight (Situation). It is a source of great conflict for her personally. The IC is an attractive man from a culture that sees a woman's weight as a sign of her status (more is better)--Fixed Attitude. The IC's Fixed Attitude has a profound impact of the MC's issues with her Situation. She can resolve her personal issues by adopting his attitude that fat is "phat" (assuming we want a happy ending). In other words, as a change character she would stop looking at her personal issues in the context of a Situation and adopt the IC's Fixed Attitude instead. (NOTE: I haven't seen the film so I don't know how it ends, but this shows you one way it could work for the sake of illustration.)

Chris Huntley
Write Brothers



Peter Deckard Re: Resolve & central issue #4

Dear Chris,

thx a lot! now everything seems to be clear - at least for a time.

Peter
Chris Huntley
Write Brothers Inc.
http://dramatica.com/
http://screenplay.com/

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