Feature film dramaturgy

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The film dramaturgy is a branch of aesthetics and dedicated to the "secret of storytelling". Dramaturgy is a practice-related and practice-based science that has been handed down for centuries and is dedicated to the arrangement and design of narrative means in order to determine the effect of a work on the audience. Dramaturgy is the technique of creating specific narrative patterns in order to optimally harmonize and thus bring out the theme, the plot and the premise of a work.

The term film dramaturgy refers on the one hand to the practice of authors , dramaturges , editors , lecturers, etc. and thus to scriptwriting and the structuring and cultural references of stories in audiovisual and time-based media. On the other hand, film dramaturgy provides film studies with the theoretical tools it needs to analyze the narrative structure of films.

Starting points of the film dramaturgy

Conflict or problem

The starting point for most stories for films and thus for film dramaturgy is a fundamental conflict or a fundamental problem that requires a solution . The search for a solution and the solution to the problem or conflict provide the red thread for the action and at the same time drive it forward. Therefore, based on the problem or conflict, the structure of the film plot is developed.

Choice of genre

At the beginning of the development of a story, a decision has to be made about the respective film genre , since according to Robert McKee (Story), certain conventions are derived from each genre , which must be taken into account when developing the film dramaturgy - the dramatic structure for the respective film plot. if the story is supposed to be coherent.

Models of film dramaturgy

Syd Field , internationally renowned lecturer for script seminars

3-act model

The paradigm of the 3-act structure is basically a simplified structure of the 5-act structure, as it was in the rule drama of the French Classical period . This paradigm assumes that a feature film consists of three acts: exposure, confrontation, and dissolution. This model is represented in particular by the American author Syd Field and explained in his books.

Plot Points

Each new act is introduced by a plot point at the end of the previous act. The plot point gives the story a new direction. There are also minor turning points within the three acts that drive the story forward and develop it further, but only the large plot points at the end of an act are so fundamental that they give the plot a complete twist and thus a completely new direction.

first act

Act 1  - also known as an exposition or introduction - comprises about a quarter of the length of the film and at the end of it the first plot point, which brings the story a fundamental turn and leads to the second act.

The exposition is a prehistory that leads to the actual story and conveys the spatiotemporal horizon of the action. In the first act, the most important characters , the situation as well as fundamental problems or conflicts are introduced that set the plot in motion and drive it forward. Usually this is an external problem that can affect not only the main character ( hero or heroine) but also other people up to the whole world and an internal problem that the main character has to solve in himself. Often it depends on the solution of the internal problem whether the protagonist is able to solve the external problem.

From the two main problems (internal and external) in the first act, the two dramatic (so-called mandatory) questions are derived, how the internal and external main problem can be solved. The answer to it or the solution to it comes only at the end of the third act. Usually, the two central problems are also related to smaller problems that must also be solved in order to achieve the dramatic goal.

The external problem that needs to be solved can initially be quite general - as in Star Wars - Episode IV the dictatorship of the empire or Harry's inability to bond with Harry and Sally . Often it soon becomes very specific for the main character, so that they feel personally addressed - such as B. Luke Skywalker through the cry for help from Princess Leia in the first act of Star Wars - Episode IV or Sally, which Harry confronts again and again with his emotional deficits.

This results in a new quality of the general problem and an argument with it becomes more and more urgent for the main character. This so-called call to adventure (see hero's journey ) often occurs several times, because the main character initially refuses to accept it (the hero's refusal in the hero's journey). Only when the pressure increases decisively and there is no longer any way out, the heroes embark on the adventure.

In Star Wars - Episode IV Luke's aunt and uncle die before he is ready to save Princess Leia with Obi-Wan Kenobi . When they are finally denounced at the end of the first act and have to flee from the imperial stormtroopers (1st plot point), there is finally no turning back for Luke Skywalker. He has crossed the threshold into another world (hero's journey) and now has to pass his adventure here in the second act.

With Harry and Sally , Harry is left by his wife on the 1st plot point. Sally and her boyfriend just broke up on the 1st plot point. In this situation, they now meet and begin to deal with it together (focus of action in the second act).

Second act

The second act (confrontation) is the largest act with about half the total length of the film. It is divided into two parts by the so-called central point and ends with the second plot point.

In the second act, the main character begins to actively deal with the existing problems and looks for ways how these could be solved (for example in the conversations between Harry and Sally in the film of the same name). In the second act, the central point provides a decisive indication of a specific solution.

Central point

At the central point, the main character becomes aware of an important fact, context or aspect that was not clear to him before. It may also be that the main character now receives important evidence or an important tool that is necessary to solve the problem. The central point thus also has a turning point function, but rather by telling the story, e.g. B. enriched with important information. But it does not - like a plot point - give a fundamentally new direction for the story. Nevertheless, the central point provides the crucial information to find a starting point for solving the problem or conflict.

After the central point, the main character can advance the solution of the confrontation in a more targeted manner, which at the same time logically prepares the next major turning point - the second plot point, which then leads to the third act:

So the central point in Star Wars - Episode IV is that Luke Skywalker learns from R2-D2 that Princess Leia is being held captive on the Death Star. He frees her and then brings the Death Star's plans to rebellion with her and his friends. The escape with Princess Leia to rebellion is the second plot point at the end of the second act. Its function as a plot point is shown here by giving the story a fundamental twist that gives the plot a completely new direction, which introduces the third act.

The central point in Harry and Sally is the dinner, at which the two friends of Harry and Sally - Jess and Marie - do not (as planned by Harry and Sally) fall in love with Harry or Sally, but rather stay with each other during Harry and Sally singles . Love at first sight between Jess and Marie in Harry and Sally shows the two main characters that true love does exist and that people can be made for each other, which one after the other leads to Harry and Sally catching up with their past are wonderful as the relationship between Jess and Marie develops: First, Harry meets his ex-wife with her partner; Sally later learns that her ex-boyfriend is about to get married. Both stir up both in contrast to the harmonious relationship between Jess and Marie and finally lead to a one-night-stand, which is the second plot point of the film, because then the relationship between Harry and Sally changes fundamentally for the second time.

Third act

The 3rd act (dissolution and conclusion) comprises about a quarter of the total length of the film. Here the main character (and possibly their allies) tries to solve the problem or the conflict with the help of the knowledge or insight gained or with a ruse, trap, weapon etc. In the case of Star Wars - Episode IV , the rebellion has to evaluate the data about the Death Star in order to find a weak point in the Death Star so that they can destroy it (ultimately with Luke Skywalker's help). With Harry and Sally , Harry has to find the courage to get involved in a serious relationship again and Sally has to find the strength to forgive Harry.

In the third act the answers to the obligatory (dramatic) questions of the first act are given (“Can the Death Star as the ultimate weapon of the empire be destroyed in order to break its power and influence?” Or: “Will Harry and Sally one day be yours Ultimately find great love? ”) or the basic problems of the first act are solved or not solved in the third act.

In this way, the first and third acts are directly related. A dramatic unity of the story or the plot emerges only when they relate to one another. Therefore, a screenwriter can only solve dramatic or logical problems in the third act by making corrections to the first act.

There are also films that close with an open end. Here, however, the solution to the problem or the answer is so obvious that it no longer has to be expressed or presented. Films rarely end without a hint of a possible ending or a possible solution.

For the story to be dramatically balanced and coherent, the two central problems (internal and external problem) introduced in Act 1 should relate to each other. Both problems are ultimately related to one another: the external problem, which in addition to the main character often affects other people or even the whole world, and the internal problem of the main character. In order to solve the external problem, the main character usually has to solve the internal problem first.

So z. B. Luke Skywalker in Star Wars - Episode IV in the third act only then land the decisive hit against the Death Star after he trusts and surrenders to the power inside. So he must first solve his internal problem (lack of faith and trust) in order to make use of the “force” so that he can solve the external problem (destruction of the Death Star as the ultimate weapon of the empire).

After Harry has long denied during the third act that Sally is his great love, he has to realize in the end on New Year's Eve that he cannot live without her. Only then is he able to speak openly and honestly to Sally and to confess his love to her. Only in this way can he repair the break in the relationship and both can enter into a love relationship with each other.

A film often ends with a few minutes of film showing how the world or the life of the main character is after a solution has been found or one has failed - such as the award from Luke Skywalker and his friends or the interview with Harry and Sally, describing how they both got married and went on their honeymoon.

Model of the hero's journey

Based on the writings of Joseph Campbell , several models were developed in the 1980s that depict the development of the main character in a classic film. The hero goes on a journey that includes the three phases of separation, trials and arrival.

The phase of separation

“The phase of separation begins with the presentation of the status quo (A: status quo). An initial trigger sets the action in motion (B: trigger). Often the protagonist receives an object or information that will be of importance for his 'journey' (C: gift). But many heroes hesitate whether they should start the journey. If, on the other hand, a hero is ready to embark on the adventure, his environment usually advises him not to change his life situation (D: refusal or warning). In the course of the act, one or more characters are finally established (E: counselors) who accompany the main character on the way to the second act - the phase of the trials. "

The stage of the trials

In this second phase, the protagonist goes through a series of adventures in the course of which he or she changes. The figure goes not only on an external journey, but also on an internal journey. “A distinction must be made between exams that are taken before the central turning point (F) and those that take place afterwards (G).” In the course of the second half of the second act, the figure experiences a moment of self-knowledge (H), so that it is purified can cross the threshold to the phase of arrival.

The phase of arrival

“In this phase of the film, the character first does new tasks (I). This is followed by the final confrontation (J), which often takes the form of a showdown and is often ended by a last minute rescue. The final argument clears up all the questions raised in the course of the film (K). If the hero passes the dispute, he is rewarded; if he fails, he will be punished (L). This outcome is confirmed again in an epilogue that often follows (M). "

See also

literature

Sorted alphabetically by author name:

  • Richard Blank: screenplay. Everything at the beginning - farewell to the classic dramaturgy. Alexander Verlag Berlin, Cologne, 2011, ISBN 978-3-89581-241-5 .
  • Jean-Claude Carrière / Pascal Bonitzer : Screenwriting and storytelling. Alexander Verlag Berlin, Cologne, 2011, ISBN 978-3-89581-244-6 .
  • Jens Eder: The dramaturgy of popular films. Screenwriting practice and film theory . 3rd ed. Lit, Münster 2009 PDF, online .
  • Syd Field: Screenwriting for television and film . 2nd Edition. Ullstein, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-548-36473-X .
  • Syd Field: The Script Handbook. Exercises and instructions for a good script. 10th edition. Two thousand and one, Frankfurt am Main, ISBN 3-86150-035-3 .
  • Syd Field, Peter Märthesheimer, Wolfgang Längfeld a. a .: Screenwriting for television and film. A Manual for Education and Practice. 6., updated Output. List, Munich, ISBN 3-471-77540-4 .
  • Joachim Hammann : The hero's journey in the film. Scripts from which the films are made that really touch you. Two thousand and one: Frankfurt am Main, 2007, ISBN 978-3-86150-762-8
  • Joachim Hammann: The hero's journey in the film. Revised and updated new version 2015. BoD Verlag: Norderstedt, 2015, ISBN 978-3-7347-3474-8
  • Ari Hiltunen: Aristotle in Hollywood . Bastei Lübbe, 2001 ISBN 3-404-94013-X .
  • Christopher Keane: Step by Step to a Successful Screenplay , ISBN 3-932909-64-X .
  • Robert McKee: Story. The principles of screenwriting. 3. Edition. Alexander Verlag, Berlin, ISBN 3-89581-045-2 .
  • Jürgen Kühnel: Introduction to film analysis. Part 2: Dramaturgy of the feature film. Universitätsverlag , Siegen 2007 ISBN 3-936533-16-4 .
  • Philip Parker: The Creative Matrix. Arts and Crafts of Screenwriting . UVK Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, 2005, ISBN 978-3-89669-516-1 .
  • Michaela Krützen : Dramaturgy of the film. As Hollywood says. Frankfurt am Main: Fischer, 2004 ISBN 3-596-16021-9 .
  • Michaela Krützen: Dramaturgies of the film. Hollywood with a difference. Frankfurt am Main: Fischer, 2010 ISBN 978-3-10-040503-6 .
  • Peter Rabenalt: film dramaturgy . Revised new edition. With a foreword by Detlev Buck. Alexander Verlag Berlin | Cologne, 2011, ISBN 978-3-89581-243-9 .
  • Martin Schabenbeck: The script in Hollywood format. Correctly implement the conventions for style, structure and layout . 2008, ISBN 978-3-89864-530-0 .
  • Linda Seger: The secret of good scripts. Alexander Verlag, Berlin, ISBN 3-89581-006-1 .
  • Oliver Schütte: The art of reading scripts . 1999, ISBN 3-404-94003-2 .
  • Kerstin Stutterheim , Silke Kaiser: Handbook of the film dramaturgy. The gut feeling and its causes. 2nd revised and expanded edition 2011. Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Vienna. Peter Lang Verlag, ISBN 978-3-631-61882-0 .
  • Eugen Vale: The technique of scriptwriting for film and television . UVK Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, 2004, ISBN 978-3-89669-688-5 .
  • Christopher Vogler: The Screenwriter's Odyssey. About the basic mythological patterns of successful American cinema. 2nd, updated and expanded edition. Zweiausendeins, Frankfurt am Main, ISBN 3-86150-294-1 .

Web links

Wikibooks: How to Write a Screenplay  - Learning and Teaching Materials

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Syd Field: The handbook for the script. Exercises and instructions for a good script. 10th edition. Two thousand and one, Frankfurt am Main.
  2. ↑ a b c Michaela Krützen: Classic, Modern, Post-Modern. A film story. Fischer, Frankfurt a. M. 2015, ISBN 978-3-10-040504-3 .