Genres

Come here to ask questions or give advice about the theory that forms the basis of Dramatica.
Pieta
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Genres

Postby Pieta » Oct 11, 2010 6:46 pm

When choosing where to change on a certain throughline from information to drama to comedy and back, etc, how can you avoid skipping past one while getting to the other if you set the sequence in storyforming but change the sequence during storyweaving? It seems if you set the sequence during storyforming so there aren't any disruptive transitions between genres, then when you got to storyweaving and changed the sequence of the story they would all be out of sequence.

So do you set the sequence during storyforming, then not worry about abrupt transitions in genre after that? Or should you set the sequence in Storyweaving, leaving the issue of genre out of Storyforming completely and adding the tone/mood in during storyweaving?

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Chris Huntley
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Re: Genres

Postby Chris Huntley » Oct 15, 2010 1:37 pm

Generally speaking, you'll want to transition from one to the other through the intermediary mode of expression. The transition may be fast, and/or you may interject something from one of the other throughlines that happens to be in the intermediary mode of expression to soften the transition.

For example, lets say I want to go from DRAMA to ENTERTAINMENT in the Overall Story throughline. Rather than jumping abruptly from one to the other, you might have your Main Character interject some bit of comic relief, which then segues into the Entertainment segment in the OS throughline.

Moving from one mode of expression to a non-adjacent mode of expression feels jarring to your audience. If that is the effect you want, then go for it.
Chris Huntley
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Pieta
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Re: Genres

Postby Pieta » Oct 19, 2010 6:49 pm

So we write the different genre types in the storyform and arrange them in proper order (avoiding a harsh transition) in the final storyweaving process?

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Chris Huntley
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Re: Genres

Postby Chris Huntley » Oct 20, 2010 2:58 pm

Yes. The encoding can make a difference too, as well as transitioning THROUGH other throughlines when you are storyweaving.
Chris Huntley
Write Brothers Inc.
http://dramatica.com/
http://screenplay.com/

Pieta
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Re: Genres

Postby Pieta » Oct 22, 2010 11:36 pm

So it's not enough to keep genre switches smooth within each throughline, but genre switches should be smooth in the final work as a whole? Sorry to keep the subject going; this is my final question on genre.

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Chris Huntley
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Re: Genres

Postby Chris Huntley » Oct 25, 2010 2:31 pm

It is more important to keep the genre switches fluid in the storyweaving of the finished work than in the throughline itself. That said, if you CAN do it in both, that should make for the least noticeable transitions from one mode of expression to another. This is good because it won't draw the audience's attention to the change in genre.
Chris Huntley
Write Brothers Inc.
http://dramatica.com/
http://screenplay.com/


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