Film Courage: What is the central dramatic question?
Naomi Beaty, Writer, Screenwriting Teacher and Consultant: The central dramatic question is just another way to phrase that idea that your story is about one person trying to achieve one thing. It’s again another tool to help you wrap your brain around your own story. Whatever your protagonist is pursuing, their story goal over the course of that story, if you phrase that as a question, that is the central dramatic question then that’s the question that you’re trying to answer over the course of the story. For Silence Of The Lambs (my go-to example) will Clarice catch the serial killer? That’s the question that we’re waiting for the answer that the story is hopefully going to answer by the end of it otherwise we’ll be unsatisfied.
Film Courage: What happens when the central dramatic question is answered?
Naomi: Then your movie’s basically over, that gives us that framework for your story. It’s the thing that we’re tracking and then once that question is answered it feels to us like your story is…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
BIO:
Naomi Beaty is a writer, screenwriting teacher, consultant and owner of WRITE+CO., along with the author of LOGLINE SHORTCUTS: Unlock Your Story And Pitch Your Screenplay In One Simple Sentence and THE SCREENPLAY OUTLINE WORKBOOK: A step-by-step guide to brainstorm ideas, structure your story, and prepare to write your best screenplay.
CONNECT WITH NAOMI BEATY
Facebook.com/groups/ScreenplayLab
Advertisement – contains affiliate links
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
More affiliates:
Camera we use for interviews – https://buff.ly/3rWqrra
Sound we use for interviews – https://amzn.to/2tbFlM9
Writers, try Final Draft free for 30-days – https://ow.ly/Gz4w30rDSKt
Other books on Amazon that Film Courage recommends – https://buff.ly/3o0oE5o
