Week 2
This entry will focus mainly on plot. So far, genre and characters has been discussed, so it only makes sense to discuss what the driving force behind drama films and all films in general is. The plot. Drama plots have a loose formula, and often require only a few key factors. The first being tragedy. Tragedy is in virtually all drama's whether it be Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet or Hamlet, or in films like Where the Crawdads Sing.
The tragedy in these films and other drama films all aim to keep the story fresh and leave audiences drawn to the film. When a character suffers, the audience pities them and wishes to see them succeed. This suffering can signal the beginning of recovery, like in Where the Crawdads Sing, after the tragedy of Kya being arrested for murder, and then the resolution of her being found Not Guilty. Sometimes though, this tragedy signals the end of the movie, like in Hamlet, when the lead character, Hamlet, duels his opponent, and they both perish.
The next important factor for a Drama is several obstacles in the way of the character. These obstacles can be categorized in several different ways. Character vs. Self, Character vs, Nature, Character vs. Character... the list goes on. A few examples of obstacles being implemented in Drama films can be seen below. The first being in Emma by Jane Austen. Throughout the film our lead, Emma, realizes that she has a destructive behavior. She gets involved in other peoples personal lives and is unable to admit her love for Mr. Knightley. This internal struggle does eventually get resolved and she makes up with her friends and marries Mr. Knightley. This is Character vs. Self.
Next is an example of Character vs. Character. This conflict is very common and often implemented in someway in virtually all films. A famous example is in Romeo & Juliet by Shakespeare. While the film does not focus primarily on Character vs. Character, the duel between Romeo and Tybalt is an important event in the movie. It leads to Romeo's banishment and sets up his plan to fake his death with Juliet. This conflict, like the previous one, helps to set up the end of the movie, and keep the plot moving.
The last factor on plot in Drama is a character's driving force. This is a purpose, something that gives the character reason to continue and allows the audience to cheer on the character. This could be 12 Angry Men's by Sidney Lumet's characters attempting to come up with a decision on whether a young defendant is Guilty or not for his father's murder. This example is one that is shared by all characters in the movie. A more singular driving force can be Whiplash. Andrew Neiman's obsession with being one of the greatest drummers to ever live is what keeps him going. Even after being in a car crash, Neiman still makes his way to the drum set to perform.
All these aspects are what truly make a film dramatic. Elements of heightened suspense, conflict and reasons as for character's behavior help keep audiences emotionally attached to movies. The research done on these successful films will be implemented into the story Camila and I will write for our film opening.
Sources:
“Conflict in Literature: Character vs. Self Conflict in Writing - 2023.” MasterClass, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/character-vs-self-conflict-in-writing.
“Dramatic Structure in Stories: 5 Elements of Dramatic Structure - 2023.” MasterClass, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/dramatic-structure-guide.
Jacksonville, Florida State College at. “The Importance of Tragedy.” Literature for the Humanities, https://fscj.pressbooks.pub/literature/chapter/the-importance-of-tragedy/.
O'Donnell, Dayton. “The Six Basic Plots and the Dramatic Curve.” Medium, The Writing Cooperative, 3 Aug. 2020, https://writingcooperative.com/the-six-basic-plots-and-the-dramatic-curve-8f310689b091.
Team, Uniting Artists. “Drama Films and Its Writing Challenges. Elements of the Genre - Drama.” Uniting Artists, 8 July 2020, https://unitingartists.org/drama-movie-genre/.
Luhrmann, Baz. Romeo + Juliet. Twentieth Century Fox, 1996.
Chazelle, Damien. Whiplash. Sony Pictures Classics, 2014.
Lumet, Sidney, director. 12 Angry Men. Orion-Nova Productions, 1957.
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 author. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. [London] :The Folio Society, 1954.
Austen, Jane. Emma. Wordsworth Editions, 1992.
Owens, Delia. 2019.
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