Central Dramatic Argument

[Craig Mazin]

No offense to Gary, but there are better examples out there.

Groundhog Day, for instance.

[jonpiper]

Originally Posted by jonpiper

I wonder if the following exercise would help us. To "determine" what the CDA of Book of Eli is, study a DVD and read the script of Book of Eli. Think of the intention of each scene. The action. The dialogue. Plot. Etc.

Does everything fit into what Whitta [the writer] says is his CDA. What CDA do you think the movie best fits? What CDA do you think the movie best fits?

Originally Posted by christopher jon

Faith gives us strength?

What I've more or less come away with is that the theme or the CDA is the soul of a movie. Which is something all of my previous writing attempts have lacked. A movies gotta have a soul, and a little bit of funk.

And I think the story should be coheisive and and have direction.

I'm learning and discovering things along with you. Does everything in the script address "Faith gives us strength"? It's an interesting argument:

Perhaps it should be phrased: Faith in God give us the strength to withstand whatever **** trys to prevent us from acheiving a goal.

Yes, faith in something gives us the strength to carry on no matter what the obstacles.

No, faith is not enough. Faith does not give us enough strength to complete the journey. Unless we have a "worthy" goal, faith will fail us.

Hm, faith carried Eli to his goal. Their faith wasn't enough to allow the others to defeat Eli and take the book from him.

Seems like the script explored both sides of that argument.

That's only take on your CDA. Others may disagree.

[BattleDolphinZero]

To me, Unforgiven is a movie about justice. What it is. The toll of it. Is it black and white. Again, you usually don't know exactly what the writer/director was thinking in regards to theme (or even the specificity of character arc). Without a direct conversation one can only guess.

The story is primarily a tale of decent, right? (And maybe an analogy for alcoholism) It's not really a "hero's journey" in which the hero must rise to the occasion and arc to complete his task. William Muney has been hiding from who he really is. To me, he's built a life that feels like a state of suspended animation. But, like alcoholism, it is unsustainable. You know how in AA they say, "while you're inside the house hiding from your sickness, your alcoholism is outside doing pushups"? That's kinda what this movie was about. The black hearted demon that was inside Will Muney had never gone anywhere.

I can't recall if there's a tag at the end. Isn't there a scrawl that says "Muney went back to his old life, blahblahblah"? Let's say there is. And let's say my take on the story's subtext is as acceptable as anyone else's. At that point maybe you have a convergence of this mythical character journey and theme. Maybe at the end, what is being stated is that in this tale, for justice to be served, the executor had to be the devil. Maybe the film poses that sometimes justice is as ugly as the crime.

[TwoBrad Bradley]

Sorry for I'm about to suck all the air out of the room.

From the Writers Store site:

"Step by step, Inside Story: The Power of the Transformational Arc guides you through an extraordinary new process that helps identify your thematic intention - what your story is really about - and teaches you how to turn that intention into the driving force behind all your creative choices. The result is a profound relationship between the movement of the plot and the internal development of character, which is the foundation for the transformational arc. The transformational arc is the deeper line of structure found inside the story. Knowing how to work with the arc enhances your ability to:
•Express your unique point of view
•Give meaning and urgency to the line of action
•Infuse your characters with richness, subtlety, and surprise
•Develop a powerful emotional undercurrent
•Make your stories stand out and get attention
A strong transformational arc is the single most important element that makes the difference between a good screenplay and a great one."

So the CDA is: Are all guru books completely useless?

[TwoBrad Bradley]

How does all this relate to Voice?

Can a screenwriter write a successful convincing story and not agree with how the CDA is resolved?

[Jeff_Shurtleff]

Originally Posted by 11

Wait -- aren't you the guy who gave up screenwriting?

After thinking about it for a day, you're right.

I need to officially close this chapter of my life. It's tough to walk away from something you have been doing for sixteen years... but it need's to be done.

Jeff Shurtleff

[sc111]

Originally Posted by Jeff_Shurtleff

After thinking about it for a day, you're right.

I need to officially close this chapter of my life. It's tough to walk away from something you have been doing for sixteen years... but it need's to be done.

Jeff Shurtleff

Now I feel bad. Look -- you called me an a$$-kisser and accused me of being condescending simply because I saw value in what a pro said and felt his pointers were lost in the side debates. So I got snarky. We were both wrong. I apologize.

For the record -- I think about walking away from it at least once per week. The thing is -- the discussions in which all the pros have offered good stuff actually inspire me to keep going, to keep at it, and put all my energy into writing the best script I humanly can because that's the only way I will get farther than the last time I had a rep. So I remain in my bunker focused on one thing -- getting better.

I think if you loved it for 16 years, give it one more try. I'm rooting for you.

[Jeff_Shurtleff]

Originally Posted by sc111

Now I feel bad. Look -- you called me an a$$-kisser and accused me of being condescending simply because I saw value in what a pro said and felt his pointers were lost in the side debates. So I got snarky. We were both wrong. I apologize.

For the record -- I think about walking away from it at least once per week. The thing is -- the discussions in which all the pros have offered good stuff actually inspire me to keep going, to keep at it, and put all my energy into writing the best script I humanly can because that's the only way I will get farther than the last time I had a rep. So I remain in my bunker focused on one thing -- getting better.

I think if you loved it for 16 years, give it one more try. I'm rooting for you.

Don't feel bad. The truth is, I love living in Sarasota and running on the beach everyday. I don't want to live in LA and I don't care about money.

I look at this as a new opportunity to write and publish things for the kindle and e-readers.

I'm not going to stop writing...

It will be nice to have less people involved in what gets done and put out there.

I wasn't going to post again, but I owed you that. Sorry for yesterdays comment.

Jeff Shurtlleff

[TheRobotard8000]

I miss fall in New England...

[Hasil Adkins]

Originally Posted by TheRobotard8000

I miss fall in New England...

Including the Cod?