tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post637871557175747804..comments2023-11-03T11:37:13.579-04:00Comments on Something Old, Nothing New: The Difference Between Great and Merely Effective Dramatic WritingJaime J. Weinmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15128500411119962998noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956070.post-39813022002021580312009-07-27T19:29:19.526-04:002009-07-27T19:29:19.526-04:00Very good/thot provoking post. As you posted, the...Very good/thot provoking post. As you posted, the trick is in making the conventions seem unconventional and/or invisible. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION is a good example of this: When one analyzes it, one realizes it's deus en machina all the way through, but the gods and the gears are effectively hidden behind another level of story.<br /> <br />Most of the conventions of Western literature/drama came about because they are the result of thousands of years of trial and error in story telling. We have these conventions because we have seen them work so effectively in the past in other great stories.<br /> <br />(Sidebar: Japanese noh drama celebrates a limited repertoire with no room for innovation in performances; actors are expected to come as close as possible to a rigidly proscribed set of mannerisms.)buzznoreply@blogger.com