Continued from here:
http://www.simplyscripts.net/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?b-OWC0809/m-1250913536/

Quoted from Dreamscale Hmmm, I'm a bit confused now.  Originally, I thought the challenge genre was Romantic Comedy/Drama.  I just checked and I see that it's listed as "Romantic Drama/Comedy (Romantic Dramedy)". Was this changed at all, since when it was first posted?  I seem to remember Don saying that he tweaked teh wording, based on questions. Either way, it seems pretty obvious to me that we're talking about a script that contains Romance, Comedy, and Drama.  Right? I guess the only tough part for me to really explain (and understand) is drama. But then again, isn't everything, pretty much drama?

My Bad, I figured they were both the same and switched them accidentally.  

Don

Crack a beer jeff, Cheers from C-town. Why'd the other thread get locked???


something i said???

No, think it was a length thing. This is a continuation, that's all.

However, as for continuing the 'what is drama'/'what makes a dramedy a dramedy and not a comedy or a drama' discussion...a discussion for another time on a different board, perhaps! Not that we can really hope to achieve much by discussing it...people as far back as Aristotle have been asking the same questions about story-telling and ultimately admitting it's all very hard to define - that's what makes it so special.

Now, back to reviewing the OWC scripts. A new batch has just been put up, I see...

I'm much better now...got some wadka going...much more relaxed.

Also glad that I wasn't going completely nuts, and the original genre was Romantic Comedy/Drama.  As Don just said, eitehr way you read it...or write it, it's the same thing.

Are we all in agreement on that?

I don't have any problems at all with the reviews so far.  maybe a few are a bit too short and meaningless, but for teh most part, lots of good detail and feedback, and it seems like people are really taking this seriously, as they read and review.

It's tough with so many scripts, but I'd say they're all getting alot of reads...isn't it already more than last time around?  I don't know...could be wrong.

I say KUDOS to everyone who entered and is reading and providing feedback.

Except the thing is that some of us might have read the original one as Romantic Comedy or Romantic Drama, not both.

Jwent,

C-town, my hometown, the armpit of America?  Click on this link to restore some civic pride.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

As for the challenge, I have to admit the overall quality is better than the last OWC.  Most are good efforts.  Whole lotta tombstones, though...

What seems like a pretty good definition from http://tviv.org/Dramedy - all that seems certain is that nothing is certain! And that it's primarily a TV term, not one used for films.

"A dramedy is a term used to describe programs with elements of comedy and drama. However, the term does not merely apply to any comedy with some serious moments, nor does it apply to any drama with funny moments. In fact, it is very possible for a show to be a mixture of comedy and drama and not be a dramedy. Romantic comedy, for instance, is a common example of a frequently non-dramedic comedy/drama, as are most action or sci-fi shows (Firefly, Magnum P.I., The Rockford Files, etc.). The term as coined is more specific, in that it refers to those comedies—particularly those set in typically dramatic settings or themes (doctors in hospitals, lawyers, cops, etc.)—which, while clearly comedic in tone, nonetheless handle the dramatic situations—e.g.: death, divorce, illness, social concerns—as serious issues, or those dramas set in typically dramatic settings which nonetheless place their often over-the-top characters in outlandish or impossible situations one might more commonly associate with a sitcom. However, it is important to note that in the original intention of the term, the combination was structural, not thematic. On the other hand, structural distinctions are not easily distinguished to the casual observer, while thematic distinctions are, and as thematic distinctions are more easily recognizable, it has become industry standard to apply those thematic elements to the term over the structural ones. Moreover, structural blurring has increased steadily since the 1960s, and thus some series today which are clearly either comedies or dramas may contain elements formerly associated with the opposite genre."

There are no clear boundaries...I see it as a spectrum. You can pick out a show and pretty much say where it fits, but you can't say where one category ends and another begins.

For example, 3 shows set in hospitals:

Scrubs: comedy
Grey's Anatomy: dramedy
ER: drama

I think that's where they go...but why?! It's so frustratingly fascinating, at least to me.

Quoted from Cam17 Jwent, C-town, my hometown, the armpit of America?  Click on this link to restore some civic pride. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

I think thats a tourism commercial now. We're really drumming up some business. I've never seen that. Almost died.

By the way, are we supposed to be voting on these? Some have said they have. I know i haven't but can go back.

Good. If I entered one then based on that definition it would be a dramedy. Well done. Problem solved.

I'm glad Jonny brought this whole topic up. I thought you made some valid points and I don't think it reflected on any of the reviewers.

Romantic Drama/Romantic Comedy/Romantic Dramedy.
Imh, 'Romance' is the operative word.

If 'Romance' runs as a central theme throughout the piece then I think its met the challenge. If it's weighted more towards comedy or more towards drama doesn't matter to me so long as it contains a primary core of romance. If it's a comedy with no romance or a drama with no romance then I think it belongs in the Drama or Comedy genres. Am I making sense or just muddying the waters.

I'd say most of the scripts I've read at least make a good attempt to fulfill the criteria. And let's face it, as long as the bloody thing is entertaining for its less than thirteen pages then who cares. I admire all who had the balls to enter and I look forward to the unveiling...

Quoted from LC If 'Romance' runs as a central theme throughout the piece then I think its met the challenge. If it's weighted more towards comedy or more towards drama doesn't matter to me so long as it contains a primary core of romance. If it's a comedy with no romance or a drama with no romance then I think it belongs in the Drama or Comedy genres. Am I making sense or just muddying the waters.

If I entered one then based on that definition it would be a dramedy. Well done. Problem solved.

Think you're right, Libby; the romance is the key here. Although, 'romantic comedy' is really its own genre, with its own quirks and expectations, separate from drama, comedy and dramedy!

Quoted from mcornetto Well done. Problem solved.

Think we're being encouraged to just let it go.

Fair enough - I see how the middle of a OWC isn't exactly the best time to hold a theoretical debate (albeit a potentially interesting one) on genre hybridity and boundaries! Another time, another place.

You're all right, but remember, Don originally posted the genre as Romantic Comedy/Drama, so in my mind, Romance and Comedy are key.  Drama flows into every genre, as far as I'm concerned.

Agreed...or no?

All the little chicks with the crimson lips say cleveland ROCKS!

Sry, just bored!