by Jeff Kitchen
The Central Dramatic Question
Will Nick manage to win Darcy back?
The Use of the Central Proposition for Minority Report
The conflict in Minority Report, as with most action and adventure films, is much more apparent because there’s little ambiguity in a life-or-death situation. The central struggle is clear and literal. Let’s work through the five steps to construct the proposition for this film.
Step 1: Visualize the Fight to the Finish. Anderton is fighting to get out of his conviction of a future murder.
Step 2: What is the Central Dramatic Question? Will Anderton succeed in escaping the frame-up?
Step 3: What Action by the Protagonist Touches Off the Fight to the Finish? When Anderton refuses his predicted future—to kill Leo Crow—he really starts to fight against Lamar’s plan. He doesn’t know yet that Lamar is behind everything, but this action throws a monkey wrench into the gears of Lamar’s plan, and it’s Anderton’s first major move in the endgame to extract himself from the trap.
Step 4: What Earlier Action by the Protagonist Sets up the Potential Fight? Anderton fights to escape Danny Witwer and the Precrime cops once he’s been flagged for a future murder he knows he wouldn’t commit.
Step 5: Do the Set-up and the Touch-off Have Anything in Common that Can Bind Them Together? Anderton knows that something is off or suspicious about the prediction. Just before his fight with Danny, he suspects that he’s been framed; then just before he refuses to kill Crow, Agatha screams at him that he can choose not to follow it.
Here’s the bare-bones version:
Set up the potential fight
Anderton, certain that the prediction is all wrong, fights his own Precrime cops and Danny in a desperate attempt to escape.
Touch off the fight to the finish
Hearing the psychic Agatha’s cries that he can choose not to fulfill the prediction, Anderton refuses to kill Leo Crow and resolves to figure out who set him up and why.
The Central Dramatic Question
Will Anderton succeed in escaping the frame-up?
Now let’s add more detail to flesh out the proposition.
Set up the potential fight
John Anderton, head of the D.C. Precrime police unit that prevents murder through the use of psychics known as “Precogs,” learns of a prediction that he will kill a man named Leo Crow, whom he’s never met. Determined to prove that something is totally wrong with the prediction, Anderton goes on the run to escape his own squad of cops as well as Danny Witwer, an investigator who may be trying to frame him.
Touch off the fight to the finish
Now in hiding, Anderton struggles to solve this murder prediction and learns that one of the Precogs may have proof that the future murder is not a certainty. He abducts the Precog, Agatha, and they find Leo Crow, the man they learn had kidnapped and murdered Anderton’s son. Anderton is about to execute Crow, but when Agatha screams that Anderton can choose, he becomes convinced that something is wrong and refuses to shoot Crow. Discovering that this was a setup to trick him into killing Crow, Anderton starts digging to find out who framed him.
The Central Dramatic Question
Will Anderton succeed in escaping the frame-up?
The Use of the Central Proposition for The Godfather
Some additional explanation is required to locate the central conflict in The Godfather, as it is somewhat subterranean. The fight to the finish—the war on Barzini—is largely hidden, because Michael never goes directly head-to-head with Barzini, who operates entirely behind the scenes through his agents Sollozzo, Moe Green, Carlo, and Tessio. But when Michael and Moe Green argue over the Las Vegas hotel and casino that they co-own, Moe threatens to deal with Barzini, who has chased the Corleones out of New York. In the next scene, Don Corleone warns Michael that Barzini will call a meeting at which his safety will supposedly be guaranteed, but that he’ll by assassinated there. The point of no return has been crossed. We are left with the Central Dramatic Question: Can Michael defeat Barzini and save the family?
What set up this potential fight was Michael’s execution of Sollozzo, Barzini’s agent in a power play to overthrow the Corleones. It’s as if the leader of the Crips sends a messenger to the leader of the Bloods and they kill the messenger—you know there’s going to be a fight. The common term has to do with Michael being thrust into a position of power—both when Sollozzo requests a meeting with him and when Don Corleone puts him in charge of the family—and he takes control in both situations
Now let’s lay out the five steps needed to determine the Central Proposition for The Godfather.
Step 1: Visualize the Fight to the Finish. Michael is involved in an indirect fight with Don Barzini.
Step 2: What is the Central Dramatic Question? Will Michael defeat Barzini and save the family?
Step 3: What Action by the Protagonist Touches Off the Fight to the Finish? Michael declares war on Barzini by throwing down the gauntlet at Barzini’s agent, Moe Green.
Step 4: What Earlier Action by the Protagonist Sets up the Potential Fight? Michael executes Barzini’s agent, Sollozzo.
Step 5: Do the Set-up and the Touch-off Have Anything in Common that Can Bind Them Together? Michael finds himself thrust into a position of power and takes control of the situation.
Here’s the three-sentence proposition:
Set up the potential fight
Michael, finding himself thrust into a position of power, takes control of the situation and executes Barzini’s agent, Sollozzo.
Touch off the fight to the finish
Michael, now put in charge of the family by his father, takes control and declares war on Barzini by throwing down the gauntlet at Barzini’s agent, Moe Green.
The Central Dramatic Question
Will Michael defeat Barzini and save the family?
Now let’s review the proposition again with a little more detail.
Set up the potential fight
Michael Corleone, son of a Mafia don in the 1940s, does not want to enter the family business, but an attempt on his father’s life changes all that. When the would-be assassin, Sollozzo, asks for a meeting with him, Michael finds himself in the driver’s seat and, taking control of the situation, executes Sollozzo and his bodyguard, McCluskey.
Touch off the fight to the finish
Having been made head of the family operation by his ailing father, Michael takes control and launches a surreptitious attack on Barzini, the don behind it all, pretending to run from New York and then throwing down the gauntlet at Barzini’s agent, Moe Green, by threatening to take over the hotel and casino that they co-own.
The Central Dramatic Question
Will Michael destroy Barzini and save the family?
The Use of the Central Proposition for Tootsie
Tootsie is very challenging to break down to the basics because it has a more complex structure. It’s essentially a play within a play: Dorothy’s drama inside Michael’s drama. To find the central action, ask yourself, “What is the high point of suspense?” At first it seems that Dorothy and Ron (two guys fighting over a girl) support most of the conflict throughout the script. That holds up—to a degree. Their fight comes to a head when Julie is about to break up with Ron, and Dorothy tells him that she knows him a lot better than he thinks. But that’s the play within the play—and it doesn’t give rise to the Central Dramatic Question of the script as a whole.
But ask yourself: When were you most on the edge of your seat? It’s actually when Dorothy is unveiling on live television, coming down the stairs telling this gigantic lie as she tries to reveal that her character is really a man. This seems to be the point of no return, where both audiences are hanging on every word and wondering how it’s going to turn out. In terms of conflict, it brings up an interesting angle—the clash between Michael and Julie. This has been brewing since Michael propositioned Julie with her own pick-up line and got a drink thrown in his face. They’re definitely in confl
ict until he finally wins her over at the end of the movie. In romantic comedies the lovers are often at odds, and that’s certainly the case here.
Let’s look at it in the following terms:
Step 1: Visualize the Fight to the Finish. Michael is struggling to land Julie now that he infuriated her by unveiling as a man.
Step 2: What is the Central Dramatic Question? Will Michael be able to win Julie back?
Step 3: What Action by the Protagonist Touches Off the Fight to the Finish? Michael unveils on live TV, revealing that Dorothy is really a man who’s been substantially deceiving Julie and her father, Les.
Step 4: What Earlier Action by the Protagonist Sets Up the Potential Fight? Michael tries on Julie the very pick-up line that she recommended to Dorothy, which she finds insulting, and he gets a drink thrown in his face.
Step 5: Do the Set-up and the Touch-off Have Anything in Common that Can Bind Them Together? Michael is trapped as Dorothy but is utterly desperate to get Julie.
We can assemble the basic three-sentence proposition as follows:
Set up the potential fight
Michael, trapped as Dorothy but desperate for Julie, tries a pick-up line on Julie that she herself suggested.
Touch off the fight to the finish
Stuck as Dorothy and now madly in love with Julie, Michael pulls off his wig on live TV to reveal that Dorothy is really a man.
The Central Dramatic Question
Will Michael somehow manage to win Julie back?
Now let’s assemble the proposition again, this time with enough detail so that a stranger to the story can make sense of it.
Set up the potential fight
Michael Dorsey, a “difficult” actor whom no one will hire, disguises himself as a woman to land a role on a soap opera, where he falls in love with Julie, a beautiful woman trapped in a powerless relationship with the show’s director, Ron. They become good friends as Dorothy inspires Julie to free herself from Ron, and when Michael, desperate to win Julie, tries on her the pick-up line that she suggested to Dorothy, he gets a drink thrown in his face.
Touch off the fight to the finish
Michael falls more in love with Julie, but he is trapped in his role as Dorothy when her contract on the show gets extended. At Dorothy’s prompting, Julie breaks up with Ron, and Michael (dressed as Dorothy) tries to kiss her but she freaks out and ends their friendship. Michael, now more desperate than ever to land Julie but completely trapped as Dorothy, reveals on live TV that Dorothy is really a man.
The Central Dramatic Question
Will Michael somehow manage to win Julie back?
The Use of the Central Proposition for Blade Runner
Finally we take a look at Blade Runner, isolating the separate parts of the proposition. As usual we begin by locating the high point of suspense.
Step 1: Visualize the Fight to the Finish. Deckard and Roy Batty are fighting it out on the roof.
Step 2: What is the Central Dramatic Question? Can Deckard possibly defeat Roy?
Step 3: What Action by the Protagonist Touches Off the Fight to the Finish? Deckard kills Pris and tries to kill Roy.
Step 4: What Earlier Action by the Protagonist Sets Up the Potential Fight? Deckard follows clues to Zhora, the snake lady, and kills her. He’s now starting to take out the replicants.
Step 5: Do the Set-up and the Touch-off Have Anything in Common that Can Bind Them Together? The common element is that Deckard feels for the replicants, making him reluctant to kill them.
Stripped-down proposition:
Set up the potential fight
Deckard, although feeling for the replicants and reluctant to kill them, follows clues to Zhora, the snake lady, and kills her.
Touch off the fight to the finish
Now in love with Rachael and even more sympathetic to the replicants, Deckard is forced to kill Pris and face off with Roy, who has killed Dr. Tyrell and J.F. Sebastian.
The Central Dramatic Question
Can Deckard possibly defeat Roy?
Filled-out proposition:
Set up the potential fight
Rick Deckard, a retired bounty hunter in a dystopian future, is drafted back into the police to destroy four dangerous genetically engineered slaves known as “replicants.” After meeting their cruel creator, Dr. Tyrell, he begins to see things from the replicants’ point of view, feeling for them and becoming reluctant to “retire” them, yet he finds Zhora, the snake lady, and kills her.
Touch off the fight to the finish
Although Deckard has fallen in love with Rachael, a replicant who saved his life, and now feels more sympathy for the replicants and is less willing to retire them, he’s forced to kill Pris and face off with the unstoppable combat model Roy, who has killed Dr. Tyrell, the replicants’ creator.
The Central Dramatic Question
Can Deckard possibly defeat Roy?
THE NUCLEUS OF YOUR PLOT
As you plan and revise your own script, be mindful of the simple way that one of Price’s students, Arthur Edwin Krows, sums up the Central Proposition in his book Playwriting for Profit (New York: Longmans, Green and Co., 1928):
. . . Price’s formulation is primarily a manner of stating succinctly: first, the circumstances out of which the action proper grows; second, the precipitating act which compels a fight to the finish; and finally, the objective of the play as a whole, expressed in alternatives—one in favor of one side at issue, the other in favor of the other.
The Central Proposition can be a tricky tool to master, but once you get the hang of it, it will be extremely useful in tying together a plot that is under construction. The proposition can unite a collection of story elements into one coherent plot. It forces you to get right down to the nucleus of the plot and state it clearly, cleanly, and completely as a logical argument.
When it comes time to apply the proposition to your own plot, part of you may rebel against having to get that clear. You’ve become used to chaotic brainstorming, fuzzy logic, and an unfettered creative process. Now it comes time to put a bridle and saddle on this wild horse, and you resist. Remind yourself that the clarity and power of this tool will bring you a new level of control over the material. It often helps build, develop, or outright create conflict where it might have been weak, ineffective, or even nonexistent. The Central Proposition locates the gaps and suggests solutions, and can help pin down the mysterious missing something that really makes the script click.
Getting Some Distance from Your Work
It’s very easy to be hypnotized by your own material. You say to yourself, “How can it not be great? There’s so much great stuff in it!” The proposition can objectify your plot, giving expression to its fundamental elements and allowing you to see it from a distance in order to evaluate it. You may find that stripping your plot down this far leads you to think, “Wow, I didn’t know my plot was that solid.” Conversely, you may find yourself asking, “Is that all I’ve got?” If it’s not working, this is a good time to notice. You don’t want to find out that your Central Dramatic Question is weak on the opening night of your $30 million movie, when it will be painfully obvious. You don’t want the audience members to be falling asleep right when you expect them to be the most spellbound. The discovery that your plot is dramatically flat while it’s still in your workshop is an extremely valuable one.
Conflict or opposition comes in many forms. Whatever form you’ve got, you should set it up and then touch it off—and the dramatic question in the minds of the audience will give you a measure of its power. If it isn’t working, then tweak it as needed, either in a big way or just a bit. Set up several possible propositions in parallel and observe which ones grab you more than others. Play with them. Try things on. Mess things up. Stir the pot and experiment with the shape of the whole plot. You’re not trapped by details yet, since at this point you’re dealing with the deep structure of your story. You’re flexible and free in a way that you won’t be later in the d
evelopment process when your plot solidifies. That’s what this tool is all about—you get the core structure right before you actually start writing or even outlining the screenplay.
Pulling All the Elements Together
The proposition is the true starting point for plot construction. Prior to this, we’ve been collecting good “parts” with which to build a movie. Dilemma, Crisis, Decision & Action, and Resolution are all solid components, but they don’t automatically make a plot function. The 36 Dramatic Situations and the Enneagram are good elements, too, but are still only a piece of the pie. Even Research and Brainstorming and all the hard work that goes into creating a plot don’t automatically pull it all together. The Central Proposition is a tool that can take you from the point where you’re done gathering your wits to the point where you’re ready to begin constructing your plot.
You can try different propositions as you experiment and shape your plot. The thing to remember is that it’s truly a proposal for a movie—a pitch—and either it works or it doesn’t. You can say, “Okay, what if I try the plot this way? Hmmm, not bad. What if I try it that way? Interesting. What about this? Weak. How about this version? Wow! That really kicks. Now I’m onto something hot.”
The Genetic Identity of Your Story
The Central Proposition displays the most compact rendering of the complete action of your plot—your whole story reduced to a single-celled organism. Once you find a proposition that works, the genetic identity of the plot is in many ways determined, just as before you were conceived, there was only a sperm and an egg—but once they combined, your genetic identity was determined. All the cell division and growth thereafter carry that same identity. Here you get to shape your script at its nucleus, and that is a big part of the power of the proposition.