Ensemble stories are always elusive when it comes to interpreting their meaning. Typically, these kinds of stories bring together several separate throughlines with the intention of making some “greater point.” Unfortunately for many, Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu’s Babel is not typical. While compelling and thought-provoking, the film lives up to the confusing nature of its Biblical namesake.

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Most writers understand the importance of having a Goal for characters in a story to strive for. What is less understood is the flip side of that Goal: the Consequence. And while it may seem that any arbitrary relationship will do, the two are dramatically connected in a very precise and simple way.

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Using this theory to analyze great films or TV series is not always an easy thing to do. Unlike other story paradigms which simply seek to find out whether any “commandments” or rules are broken, Dramatica is chiefly concerned with deciphering the author’s original intent. It’s always nice then when you can have your analysis verified by the original writers…

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One of the first things people ask when they delve into this theory is whether or not the big guys use Dramatica. Having personally worked with several of these big guys I can tell you that most, if not all of them would vehemently deny it. This doesn’t mean, however, that they’re not really using it…

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For the most part, the mechanics of storytelling cross over easily into different cultures. After all, we all have essentially the same physiology/brain chemistry necessary to comprehend the meaning of a story. Klingons, however, don’t.

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To many, the Dramatica concepts seem arbitrary and forced. At times the learning curve may seem detrimental towards the act of writing a unique story - a story from the heart. But if you think about it, our hearts can get in the way of our best intentions.

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For those who’ve seen this 1994 action classic, the biggest complaint always centers around that ludicrous fight on the subway. The story was supposed to be about a bus that can’t drop below 50 M.P.H., right? Then how the heck did we end up on a subway? Wasn’t the story supposed to be over by now? It was…

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Having worked with Dramatica for over ten years now, the one thing I’ve come to learn is that there is always a new way of looking at things. Often this new perspective is so simple that I can’t help but smile and think, “Why the hell didn’t I think of that?!” This happened to me recently when trying to decipher the throughlines for Michael Mann’s Collateral.

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The New York Times recently ran an article about writers and the software they use. The most shocking aspect of the piece? One writer admitted to using Dramatica. GASP!!

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The South Park movie shocks at the same time as it entertains. But it is more than just that. Underneath it all, a consistent storyform exists that presents an audience with a complete argument. Dramatica refers to this as a Grand Argument Story and, as will be shown, gives meaning to the madness.

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