The Simplest Construct
When I started learning the fundamentals of story editing, I came across with an exercise that I eventually encountered again in film school. The exercise is called “man, dog and boat”.
The simplest construct in premise development consists of two parts. Commonly called subject and action. This is the most basic 2 part construction that pertains to problem and solution for a dramatic structure. Elements : man, dog and boat.
1. a sick dog abandoned by his owner / strikes a heartfelt friendship with a man who lives in an old boat.
2. an elderly man abandoned by his children/ strikes a heartfelt friendship with a dog who lives in a broken-down boat.
3. a broken down boat /gets a second life when a man turns it into a home for stray dogs.
4. a man who is suffering from Parkinson’s disease /finds comfort looking at a painting of a dog on a boat.
5. a man who looks like a dog/ finds peace inside a house made of vintage boats.
The said premises share the same two part structure yet the said premises give off different possible story outlines. By knowing the parts of a premise, one is able to execute abstract ideas into working concepts. To learn more about this science of premise construction, I invite you to join the 11the Sinelab workshop.
By: Melchor DF. Escarcha