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Dramatica®
Weekend Workshop
Syllabus
Developed by
Melanie Anne Phillips
Chris Huntley
Copyright © 1996 - 1998 Melanie Anne Phillips & Chris Huntley
• All Rights Reserved
Welcome to our class in the Dramatica Theory of Story
and the software that bears its name!
(Click on the links below
for a complete outline
of each section of the syllabus!)
Our purpose in this class is to provide you with a wealth of new
tools, techniques, and a new understanding of what stories are and how they work.
Software-wise we will show you how to use Dramatica to go from concept to completion of a
fully developed sequential treatment.
Dramatica Theory easily divides into two topics: the structure of story Vs. the telling
of story. We refer to the structure of story as “The Elements of Structure.” We
refer to the telling of story as “The Art of Storytelling.” The class is
organized so that we will move back and forth between the structural and story telling
approaches to story.
1 Introduction and Overview
An introduction to the four elements of structure, the four stages of
communication, and some of Dramatica’s fundamental concepts.
2 The Elements of Structure: Character
A structural understanding of Characters .
3 The Art of Storytelling: Storyforming
A look at the 8 essential questions which describe a story’s dynamics.
4 The Elements of Structure: Theme
The Thematic Appreciations of a Storyform.
5 The Art of Storytelling: Storyencoding
A look at the process of selecting the symbols for your story.
6 The Elements of
Structure: Plot
The static and progressive appreciations of Plot.
7 The Art
of Storytelling: Storyweaving
A look at the considerations involved in how to present your story to an
audience.
8 The Elements of
Structure: Genre
The structure and modes of expressing Genre.
9 The Art of
Storytelling: Reception
A look at how the audience is author of their own Reception.
Recommended Viewing List
We recommend viewing as many of these films as possible before the class. Consider
reviewing the films you have already seen before. Though we will be showing brief clips
from many of the films, we have found that the fresher your memories are of the films, the
more you will get from the examples we use.
Highly Recommended:
Star Wars
The Fugitive
The Wizard of Oz
To Kill A Mockingbird
Moderately Recommended:
Casablanca
The Godfather
The Verdict
If you haven’t anything better to do on a Saturday night:
Pulp Fiction
Rain Man
Remains of the Day
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf*
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