This document provides a crash course on dramatic structure through 5 modules: Character, Onstage Manifestation, Dramatic Question, Artistic Goal, and Perception Shift. It uses examples like the story of the Starbelly Sneetches and a football game to illustrate concepts like character goals, conflicts that arise when goals are at odds, and resolution. A key point is that characters don't actually change, but our perception of them may shift through their journey.
2. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
All characters have goals.
The character with the goal you’re
supposed to follow for the whole
play/movie/tv show is called the
‘protagonist’.
3. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
The goal is something tangible that
has an immediate effect on the
protagonist.
“Being happy” is a horrible goal. It is
a piece of an Artistic Goal, but a very
poor character goal.
4. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
The goal is something tangible that
has an immediate effect on the
protagonist.
“I will kill forty people and get away
with it” is a GOOD character goal. It
is very specific.
5. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
The goal is something tangible that
has an immediate effect on the
protagonist.
“I will ruin John’s life because he
passed me up for a promotion.” Is a
GOOD character goal. It gives a
reason for the goal, but we are
unsure of how we will achieve it.
6. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
The goal is something tangible that
has an immediate effect on the
protagonist.
“I will find the cause of the Plague
and rid Thebes of it, because Thebes
is my home and I love all of you.”
Is GREAT. It is specific, and there’s a
reason.
7. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
If there was nothing that got in the
way of the protagonist, it would be
VERY boring.
But sometimes things get in the way,
and it is STILL boring.
Why?
8. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
Because the writer didn’t understand
conflict.
Conflict is when two things are trying
to exist in the same place at the same
time.
9. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
We will be using the story of the
Starbelly Sneetches, from Dr Suess:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v
3yJomUhs0g
It starts at 50 seconds.
10. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
The goal is to become special by
getting a star and enjoy all of the
great parties together.
The goal for the star-bellies is to stay
special, so they have to do the
opposite of what the NS does.
11. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
They can’t exist in the same place at
the same time. If one of the NS got a
star, then the S can’t take it and
something HAS to change.
Conflict than escalates. In this case,
with quicker and quicker enterings
into the machine. We feel our pulse
raising. This can’t end very well!!
16. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
The titans will start
impossible far away from
their goal.
Then they have successes,
then they have setbacks,
then more successes, then
more setbacks…
18. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
And it’s down to the last TWO
MINUTES,
They are 50 yards away and down by
6! They’re toast!
But no, Jake throws a long-bomb, it’s
received, and run for a touchdown.
19. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
And now they bring on the kicker, but
he’s injured.
Can he do it?
He prays, kisses the locket that has
his dead mother on it, bites thru the
pain, kicks it, and….
22. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
In a good piece, the
protagonist ALWAYS gets
what she wants.
But in a way they didn’t
expect it. This fulfills the
artistic goal , or their secret
intention behind their goal.
23. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
In the Sneetches video, all of
the sneetches are messes
up!
It’s hopeless!
Some of the NS have stars,
and some don’t.
24. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
They thought that stars
made them special. And
that’s what they’d been
working towards.
But through their journey,
they achieved their goal.
29. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
On the discussion board:
Click on “Character”
And your assignment is to identify a
character goal, obstacles, and
resolution on something you’ve
read/watched.
31. Character
Character
MODULE
ONE
Onstage
MODULE
Manifestation
• Character
– Goal
– Conflict
– Resolution
– Exercise
TWO
Dramatic
MODULE
Question
THREE
Artistic
MODULE
Goal
FOUR
Perception
MODULE
Shift
FIVE
Body:
Title of Movie/Play/TV Show
Character:
Character Goal:
Three Conflicts:
Resolution:
What the character Actually wanted: