The Positives of Dramatica
A candid discussion with Screenwriter Marc Moss

Marc Moss studied film history at University of Chicago, and received a Masters Degree in screenwriting from Columbia University.

In 1996, Marc was brought onto the set of the Morgan Freeman thriller Kiss the Girls. While he did not receive credit for his work, Paramount assigned him to write the sequel, Along Came a Spider. Marc remained the sole writer during the development and production of Spider, which will be released this spring (currently slated for release on April 13th, 2001).

Since breaking into feature work with Kiss the Girls, Marc has written screenplays for producer Mark Johnson [What lies Beneath, Rain Man], and producer Arnold Kopelson [Devil's Advocate, The Fugitive]. Currently, he is writing an adaptation of the novel Flint for producer Douglas Wick [Gladiator, Hollow Man, Girl Interrupted].

SSI: What are the positives of Dramatica?

Marc: Writing a screenplay requires a vast amount of decision making. Big deal, you might say; so does writing anything, such as a novel or short story.

But there is a difference. Namely, screenwriting is uniquely a craft of omission. Ideas can't be set down in interior monologues, in streams-of-consciousness, in long descriptive passages. You're allowed only twenty to thirty thousand words, 120-some pages (the whiter the better), and in the pursuit of economy it often becomes difficult to also juggle all the ideas, remember all the angles, and stick to whatever dramaturgical concepts you feel must be obeyed.

That's where Dramatica comes into play—it allows you (or forces you) to articulate your ideas in an orderly fashion before starting the screenplay. In this way, it is a valuable organizational tool, a template-maker which can be referred to during the actual writing process.

But also, in the process of answering Dramatica's questions it's common to find yourself coming up with additional ideas, connections, associations, and strategies. This is because Dramatica harnesses tried and true dramatic principals in a way designed to milk your brain. It sometimes hurts to have your brain milked, but once the process is done you usually find the results more than justify the ordeal!

SSI: How do you use Dramatica?

Marc: I use Dramatica in three ways. It's become a story idea register: a mere title, a concept, an image— any of these things can be the initial entry in a Dramatica document; sometimes, the application's probing questions take over, and a story begins to grow.

I also like to use Dramatica for the preparing of treatments. Writing a treatment is not something I like to do when writing a spec piece, but in my experience executives tend to assume a treatment is an obligatory part of the process. Dramatica's report feature makes what was once a hassle a natural byproduct of the writing process.

Finally, I find Dramatica is an interesting application to use when evaluating a finished screenplay. Applying its questions and theories to an already completed work can help identify deficiencies or clarify intentions.

SSI: What features do you depend on? What features do you ignore?

Marc: I especially like the features which develop and integrate different story throughlines. A cohesive is guaranteed; I feel that with that part of the application completed, I can immerse myself in the smaller parts of my screenplay— sequences and scenes— without constantly having to step back and look at the big picture.

I tend to ignore a lot of Dramatica's in-house terminology, which I find forces answers which are so intellectualized as to be narratively useless.

But, to clarify, there are many Dramatica in-house concepts, such as those about the impact character and the contagonist, which I think are brilliantly insightful and indispensable.

SSI: How did Dramatica contribute to your current project?

Marc: Flint, my current project, is a book adaptation. Because significant changes were necessary, I found Dramatica useful in vetting my decisions. And also, as I mentioned earlier, it's so helpful as an idea depository. In addition to my own ideas, so much of the book and so much of my research went into my Flint Dramatica document. Consequently, the actual writing process has been remarkably pain free.

SSI: What process do you go through when using Dramatica?

Marc: I don't have a linear approach. Answering the questions in order can be maddening. I like to hop around, find questions which at that moment seem to have an interesting answer.

After a few days, a few weeks, I find I've fleshed out a story.

At that point, invariably, I realize a lot of my answers are wrong or don't make sense. It usually takes a couple passes through the questions before I'm satisfied I've made decisions which are meaningful and can be applied to the screenplay.

SSI: How has Dramatica made you see your work differently?

Marc: Again, the program has introduced to me a number of useful dramaturgical concepts which I otherwise would never have known to even try employing.

And, I suppose subjecting myself to the process— the discipline of Dramatica— has had an invaluable consequence: I have more confidence in the final product. I know the bones of the screenplay are good because I know I made my fundamental decisions in a most dramatically informed way.

(To see what Marc Moss has to say about Movie Magic Screenwriter -- click here!)

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Interview by Reggie Resino