drama story : how to come up w/ ideas?

Randall_Oelerich

Randall_Oelerich

Veteran
I seem to have no problem generating ideas for horror / supernatural stories-- choosing between which of two sequenced horror stories to flesh out into a screenplay right now. But I want to write a drama screenplay, I just find it hard to come up with ideas for drama. Maybe because drama superficially seems too ordinary to me (no monster, no serial killer, no asteroid threatening earth, etc), although a good drama flick really can move me emotionally. A drama story-- Lost and Delirious -- is what motivated me in the first place to take up screenwriting and filmmaking as I thought to myself if I could only write a story like that, love and loss, full of controversy and emotion, and tragedy. Any thoughts on how to brainstorm ideas for drama stories?
 
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Something that has worked for me (and which admittedly I started doing on the advice of a very good writing instructor).

1. Just sit down and write something...whether in a moment of inspiration or whether you have to manufacture such a motivation.

2. When you're done...leave it alone for a while.

3. Go back to it, and see what's there. Possibly (or probably) you'll have a typical first draft (some half-realized ideas, a few narrative miscues, some potentially brilliant nuggets mixed in). The key is to target the very best parts of the draft, pull out those nuggets (yeah, I just said that). Sometimes, with me, this has literally just been a single sentence or paragraph.

4. Take that "best part" and dig at it with subsequent drafts, bravely and mercilessly, until it stings (or moves) you. Don't worry too much about plot or structure - yet.

5. Then you have a essential moment of drama that is personal to you, and that probably won't fail you even if it takes five more drafts and much brainstorming to figure out how it might evolve into a story.

Not the only way of doing it, of course, but at the very least it provides exercise and the possibility of...discovering a quality nugget.
 
Oh...and I should add that I often do this outside of the screenplay format...which you don't have to do...but sometimes a blank sheet of notebook paper seems much less intimidating and much more organic than a blinking cursor.
 
Thanks mtd. Good ideas. Personally I like using google docs for initial brainstorming and outlining/narrative-- saves all changes, revisions, etc automagically. Yeah you are right, sometimes one just needs to dive in and type anything, if even garbage, then go back and like a hungrey squirrel raiding garbage cans along the sidewalk on garbage day (LOL) find the nuggets hidden in that garbage. :)

mtd2007 said:
Oh...and I should add that I often do this outside of the screenplay format...which you don't have to do...but sometimes a blank sheet of notebook paper seems much less intimidating and much more organic than a blinking cursor.
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Something I did years ago was to turn the internal censor off and generate a long list of titles. I was literally lying in bed staring at the ceiling. I generated about forty titles over an hour's time (no, it was not conducive to sleep in the least).

Some almost immediately, and others after reflecting on them, started my brainstorming cylinders firing. Only one, as I recall, suggested a story all by itself, but several of them called images to mind, both from the ether and that I'd already had in my head, that began working themselves into various storylines. I actively pursued the first, and have two or three of the others filed away for possible future use.

I discovered in the process that I should apparently be in studio marketing, as seven of the titles--a fifth of them--have been used since then either as major motion pictures (e.g., End of Days) or indie films (e.g., Finding North).
 
randall,

drama is so vague that the story can be about anything that has conflict really. look back in your life, remember moments that made you feel... 'negative'. sad moments, burdens, etc. create a story out of that. create characters out of the people who were actually there, IE your father, brother, etc etc. good luck.
 
I am going to try that. I know that I have recently come to greatly appreciate the value of brainstorming 10-20 story ideas before charging into the first one or two ideas that come into one's head. Something I learned reading Michael Hauge's book on how to write a screenplay that sells. Similar to Rob Turin's book on writing a winning screenplay in that the concept is so important from the start, too easy to charge into writing a mediocre story idea just to have a story to write. I am going to brainstorm a dozen or two dozen titles, see what story loglines might come from those titles, pare the list down to the few highest concept stories. Thanks again!
 
Far more productive for me, though, has been grabbing the "Wish I could"s and "What if"s that hit me on a fairly regular basis. I've written three feature-length scripts and have at least three more waiting in the wings, and all but one of them are the result of one of those projections.

I prefer working with the results of those, because writing a great screenplay requires an extraordinary, intense intellectual and emotional involvement, often over an extended period of time, and I'm more apt to have that involvement with an idea prompted by a personal desire.
 
So true-- conflict reigns supreme. Without conflict there is no drama, and without drama there is no screenplay/story (and no sale!). I think for drama (genre), I need to change gears in how I think about conflict-- not asteroid versus earth, or monster versus college kids at a cabin, but conflict about universal themes and values -- loss, love, sexuality, family, trust, life goals, career, marriage, revenge, etc. If done right, I think it can work in even the most mundane circumstances/location.

nouou said:
randall, drama is so vague that the story can be about anything that has conflict really. look back in your life, remember moments that made you feel... 'negative'. sad moments, burdens, etc. create a story out of that. create characters out of the people who were actually there, IE your father, brother, etc etc. good luck.
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Randall_Oelerich said:
Similar to Rob Turin's book on writing a winning screenplay in that the concept is so important from the start, too easy to charge into writing a mediocre story idea just to have a story to write. I am going to brainstorm a dozen or two dozen titles, see what story loglines might come from those titles, pare the list down to the few highest concept stories. Thanks again!
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For the reason I just wrote, make sure you're truly interested in the high concept you come up with. High concept won't write itself obviously, and I've learned the hard way that doing high concept well means not *treating it* like it's high concept. I've got four scripts, two written, that I'd give that label, and they're among the hardest to do well because they're usually based on a clever conceit that doesn't necessarily lend itself to thoughtful exploration. I go back to films like The Truman Show and shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The concepts were high, but it was digging into what the concept would actually require of people--the reality of the fantasy--that mined the gold.
 
Terry Rossio (Aladdin, Zorro, Shrek, POTC 1-3) hammers the idea of situational conflict. Whatever spurs the conflict, be it external--asteroid--or internal--rejection, putting that conflict in the context of a situation which has to be resolved is often at the heart of the film sequences which make up a film. You can find his columns on the subject on his Wordplay website.

Also, from both a personal and professional standpoint, don't fall into the "drama = bleak" trap. Finding an emotionally trying time in your life as a springboard is a good idea--there's obviously conflict there upon which you can build--but find the aspiration and hope in it. Certainly good drama can be found in bleak stories, but (a) bleak is only half the story of life, and you get to choose which side you tell; and (b) if you look at the top films adjusted for inflation, bleak doesn't have nearly the audience and timelessness of uplifting.
 
Nice resource website, thanks. I especially like the columns page, going to do some serious reading there tomorrow over coffee.

texvanwinkle said:
Terry Rossio (Aladdin, Zorro, Shrek, POTC 1-3) hammers the idea of situational conflict. Whatever spurs the conflict, be it external--asteroid--or internal--rejection, putting that conflict in the context of a situation which has to be resolved is often at the heart of the film sequences which make up a film. You can find his columns on the subject on his Wordplay website.
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I've always tried to write comedies, action, etc. but I always veer back to dramas. I'm finishing up a comedy and after that I'm staying where I belong, whether I'm successful or not.

The reason I tried to avoid writing drama is because it requires a deeper insight into the emotional side...the real side of ourselves. We always think that everyone else is screwed up...but not us. LOL! It requires us to get real. What makes drama powerful is that we all want the same things like you mentioned...love, security, shelter, laughter, etc.

Stories are everywhere around you. Watch the people on your block. Go sit in the mall and watch people...watch the teenagers crazy in love or the ones that are fighting. Pull your car up in front of a liquor store for 20 minutes and see who's going in there. Or any place. Buy a homeless person lunch and strike up a conversation. I did that about a month ago...my wife and I would see this bike chained to a lightpole for months and wondered who's it was. Then we saw this young girl and decided to buy her a gift card to Subway. We talked to her for about 30 minutes...she was a physics major at Cal-Berkeley and couldn't handle the pressure. She basically had a breakdown. She was 26 years old and had been on the streets for 3 years. She had a gym membership so she could take showers and she recycled cans...didn't have any relatives that would help her. Smart as could be, but also didn't want to work anywhere that had any pressure. She was very happy being on the street because she didn't have to have any responsibility.

Simple stories, but unique complex characters...all wanting the same simple things, but unable to get it all together in order to get them.

Look around you! Drama is all over the place.
 
But what would you say are some common denominators for drama that is high concept enough for film? A homeless person is one thing, but what turns the concept into something high concept? I am trying to see if there are some common factors to incorporate, maybe there aren't but maybe there are? Perhaps the 36 dramatic situations? Homeless, or divorced, or love, etc.-- but toss in one of those 36 dramatic situations (revenge, prince and pauper, solving a mystery, etc) and now it is unique drama but with one of the 36 common plot situations used in drama? For example, dramatic situation #3 of the 36 -- REVENGE-- e.g. revenge for slain child, voila you have the film Reservation Road with Joaquin Phoenix; seemingly mundane town and street, then a neighbor runs over a couple's child and takes off (hit and run), such that the protagonist Phoenix seeks revenge for his son's death. I think I need some good reviewing of the 36 dramatic situations tomorrow over morning coffee. Just getting this thread started and getting all the input from you guys is really helping. I want to write drama, not sure if I can but I want to give it a shot; and I think writing drama can teach us all how to incorporate drama more into whatever genre we write, whether horror or whatever.
:beer: randall
 
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The 36 dramatic situations-- copied here for anybody interested. Compiled by Georges Polti in the 1800s based on the earlier work of Carlo Gozzi.

1. Supplication
Someone who needs help, usually due to the antagonist. Fill in the why, who, and how it is resolved.

2. Deliverance
Similar to Supplication, but with the emphasis on rescuing another person rather than seeking assistance.

3. Recovery of a lost one
Similar to Deliverance, but without necessarily requiring rescue.

4. Loss of loved ones
Best used as a motivation for, or result of another plot strand.

5. Abduction
Kidnapping and negotiation. This is sometimes teamed with a rescue (Deliverance).

6. Crime pursued by vengeance
Revenge taken into the protagonist’s own hands.

7. Vengeance taken for kin upon kin
Similar to Vengeance for a Crime, but with family members involved, leading to possible angst about blood being thicker than water.

8. Enmity of kin
Family feud

9. Rivalry of kin
Sibling rivalry, or rivalry between family members.

10. Crimes of love
Ie, deliberate crimes of passion rather than "involuntary" crime.

11. Involuntary crimes of love
The emphasis here is on "involuntary" rather than crimes of passion, for example a relationship that is unknowingly incestuous.

12. Murderous adultery
A love triangle where someone is killed.

13. Adultery
Presumably the love triangle without the murder.

14. Slaying of kin unrecognized
A typical Greek tragedy storyline where wars and duels could lead to a character killing their rival, and then discovering the rival was a family member.

15. Self-sacrifice for an ideal
Beware of sounding "preachy" with this one. This is best used as a minor theme rather than a major plot strand.

16. Self-sacrifice for kin
Anything from single parents working overtime to put their children through school, to taking a bullet for a "more important" family member.

17. All sacrificed for passion
Giving up everything for love, or something that only feels like love.

18. Necessity of sacrificing loved ones
Choosing between, say, a spouse and a child, or turning in/killing a criminal family member for the protection of the rest of the family.

19. Discovery of the dishonour of a loved one
The topic of dishonour can lead to various storylines, from revenge taken on the guilty to "purification" of the victim.

20. Obstacles to love
Lovers overcoming the obstacles, or the tragedy of their failure to overcome these.

21. An enemy loved
Possibilities range from not knowing that the loved one is also the enemy, to falling for the "bad guy".

22. Mistaken jealousy
Taking action based on incorrect suspicions of betrayal and the consequences.

23. Erroneous judgement
Similar to "Mistaken Jealousy". Action taken based on incorrect suspicion in general, or wrongful accusation/wrongful imprisonment, etc.

24. Pursuit
Hunting down a fugitive.

25. Disaster
Anticipation before or survival after a natural or human-inflicted disaster.

26. Falling prey to cruelty/misfortune
And how the protagonist gets out of it.

27. Revolt
Overthrowing a dictator, mutiny, etc.

28. Daring enterprise
The good old adventure story, which may involve a quest.

29. The enigma
A mystery or mysterious person or object, leading to another plot strand.

30. Obtaining
Obstacles faced while trying to attain something.

31. Madness
Could take a number of forms. Polti preferred that the madness claim a victim, but it is also possible to explore the line between sanity and insanity without harm.

32. Fatal imprudence
A character's naïveté has drastic consequences.

33. Rivalry of superior versus inferior
Anything from a character up against a former mentor, to a supposedly weaker character using other abilities to defeat, or attempt to defeat, a stronger rival.

34. Ambition
Possibilities range from rags to riches to corporate greed and the consequences.

35. Conflict with a god
Mortals versus immortals, superpowers, the government, superior beings, etc.

36. Remorse
Remorse doesn't have much depth as a plot strand without exploring the motivations of the actions that the character regrets.

37. Mistaken Identity (circulating on the net)
Opportunity to be a different/rich/powerful person, believing oneself to be someone else, comedy of errors or tragedy when one character is unknowingly believed to be another, getting away with something while another is blamed, etc.
 
Thanks for the list of 36! I was about to ask for it than i scrolled down more and voila! :)
So its called 36 dramatic situations and theres 37 situations? lol.
 
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I think I misunderstood you. For me personally I can't sit down and drum up a script idea. I like to get out and mingle and that is where things pop into my head. I am reacting to what I see out there and it drums up ideas. Music also triggers ideas as does reading an article in a magazine or newspaper. Once I get a spark then I can brain storm ideas.

I think each one of us has to determine what best influences our own idea generation. What stimulates you? LOL! What plants those seeds into your brain? Try different things like music, food, TV, reading, etc. We all know people who get wild ideas using drugs, etc., to stimulate their mind. I don't condone it, but it worked for Hunter S. Thompson...so who am I to complain.
 
Well today I woke up with a hellish head cold and sore throat, hallucinating on NyQuil and Robitussin-- that should stimulate some bizarre ensemble drama film story idea, LOL. Microwave cheesy macaroni for dinner, with a sprinkling of Sudaphed topping for good measure, LOL.
~randall
 
Just take out the horror element.

Take THE EXORCIST. Okay, now remove the whole demonic possession thing. What do you have left? A mother of a rebellious 12 year old who doesn't know what to do about the kid. She disrupts adult parties. She talks dirty and talks back. She may be masturbating. How do you deal with your kid when she's a wild child?

But most films fit in some genre, THE GODFATHER is a crime movie.

Heck, so are DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD and GONE BABY GONE and MYSTIC RIVER.

For a drama, the conflict is more personal, less global. Stakes are lower... but in a way, higher (more personal). Instead of horror scenes or shoot outs, you are going to have big dramatic blow ups. See - something *has to* blow up in a script. It could be a big dumb explosion that the heroes are out-running, or it can be an explosion of emotion. But something will be exploding.

- Bill
 
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