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Alternative Scriptwriting, 6th Edition
book

Alternative Scriptwriting, 6th Edition

by Ken Dancyger, Jessie Keyt, Jeff Rush
January 2023
Intermediate to advanced
442 pages
15h
English
Routledge
Content preview from Alternative Scriptwriting, 6th Edition

10 Working with Genre II: The Melodrama and the Thriller

DOI: 10.4324/9781003242307-10

The melodrama and the thriller represent two extremes of genre. Although both genres lean toward a realistic tone, they are opposites in their structure. The melodrama is a character-driven genre, while the thriller is a plot-driven genre. In this chapter, we will explore these two story forms, not only to highlight these differences but also to illustrate the way they incorporate narrative characteristics from each other that enhance the power of both.

The Classic Melodrama

In profiling the classic melodrama, it is useful to look at its dominant considerations:

  • The presentation of the main character
  • A bias for character over plot in its structure
  • The ...
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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9781000804126