Fatal Flaw?

[JeffLowell]

I think you're onto something! I have a team of scholars running it through the Dramatica Story Engine as we speak. Expect an answer in two to three months.

[SuperScribe]

Come on. Everybody knows the nightclub is the protagonist and the flashback is the antagonist.

Silly screenwriters.

[Steven Jenkins]

Originally Posted by JeffLowell

No, no. Clearly Rick is the antagonist of Casablanca.

What's the catch

Oh,who cares.

[Rantanplan]

Personally, my favorite scene in CASABLANCA is when the fat man swats the fly in the BLUE PARROT. I think he should have been developed into a Main Character

[instant_karma]

Originally Posted by Rantanplan

Personally, my favorite scene in CASABLANCA is when the fat man swats the fly in the BLUE PARROT. I think he should have been developed into a Main Character

The fly or the fat man?

I can see both working.

[Steven Jenkins]

I've had enough of Casablanca - who's the Protag in "A Christmas Carol"?

Is it Bob Cratchit?

Ok - laugh it up

(Sorry - this isn't a serious question!)

[JimHull]

Re: loglines for Shawshank and Casablanca

I have an idea where you are headed with this question, but before I bite...

In my estimation, loglines are about as useful to an author as the concept of "raising the stakes." They're great for development executives and the back of DVD boxes, but they don't really give a writer the tools necessary to write a complete story. They are reductive and meaningless and should not be a part of the creative process as they don't delineate any structural features of a story. Likewise, they are not a useful tool when it comes to analysis. If they did somehow communicate the true meaning behind the author's original intent, then we would all be writing loglines instead of elaborate well thought out screenplays.

That being said, I will concede that if I were to write loglines for those films, the first would center on Andy's story, the second on Rick's. Those are the most compelling parts of the story and would do well in the marketing or pitching of said story.

Loglines illustrate and summarize the most interesting or compelling parts of a story. An author may choose to emphasize any portion of a story's structure, making one element more interesting than the next, with little to no effect on the structure itself. The intensity of one does not negate the necessity of the other. Whether or not Darabont spent more time on Andy's story does not change the fact that the film is seen through Red's eyes. It is his personal perspective on the events that unfold that we as an audience share, and it is an integral part of the story's message.

[instant_karma]

Originally Posted by JimHull

Loglines illustrate and summarize the most interesting or compelling parts of a story. An author may choose to emphasize any portion of a story's structure, making one element more interesting than the next, with little to no effect on the structure itself. The intensity of one does not negate the necessity of the other. Whether or not Darabont spent more time on Andy's story does not change the fact that the film is seen through Red's eyes. It is his personal perspective on the events that unfold that we as an audience share, and it is an integral part of the story's message.

I still don't see anything here that goes against the idea that Red is simply the Narrator, telling the story of Andy, the Protagonist.

If you don't think Red's role fits this already pretty well established storytelling device, could you please explain why.

It seems like you're trying to sell a new paradigm to replace one that currently works perfectly well.

[Steven Jenkins]

Originally Posted by Steven Jenkins

I've had enough of Casablanca - who's the Protag in "A Christmas Carol"?

Is it Bob Cratchit?

Ok - laugh it up

(Sorry - this wasn't a serious question!)

[NikeeGoddess]

Originally Posted by instant_karma

I still don't see anything here that goes against the idea that Red is simply the Narrator, telling the story of Andy, the Protagonist.

If you don't think Red's role fits this already pretty well established storytelling device, could you please explain why.

It seems like you're trying to sell a new paradigm to replace one that currently works perfectly well.

here's my take that i posted several pages back.

redd talks about how he spent so many years inside that he didn't think he could survive in the real world. remember when the first old guy got released and hung himself? redd thought he was on that same path but andy's desire to get out of that prison even after 17 years inspired him to survive out there. that's why redd is the protagonist and andy is the main character.