The Four Types of Dramatic Conflict

by Laura Cross @ About A Screenplay

Conflict is the basis for drama

Audiences don’t flock to see a film where all the character’s play nice and live their lives free of obstacles. Good drama shows characters in confrontation, in dynamic relationships that emphasize their differences and force them to transform.

Conflict must have meaning

If the conflict only consists of a problem that needs to be solved, the story will be flat and the audience will lose interest. The audience needs to know what the conflict means to the characters – how does it affect their actions, their relationships and most importantly, what are the consequences. Showing how a character responds and copes with the conflict helps the audience connect and engage with the story. If the conflict has no affect on the characters, the story will stay stuck on a superficial level. Good dramatic conflict pushes characters to express human qualities that reveal a deeper understanding of the story, ourselves and the world around us.

Four types of Dramatic Conflict

Good screenwriting weaves more than one type of conflict through the story.

Inner conflict

Inner conflict occurs when a character struggles with himself (such as Johnny Cash in Walk The Line). The struggle could be anything from a lack of self-confidence to addictive and self-destructive behavior. Inner conflict is tricky to express on screen because… well, it’s inner. The conflict is within the character. For the audience to understand the inner conflict the character must reveal it. The inner conflict must be projected outward onto something else – visually, or via voice-over, or through the character expressing his feelings to another character.

Relational conflict

The most predominant type of conflict is relational, often the battle between the mutually exclusive goals of the protagonist and antagonist, though this also occurs between “buddies” and “couples”. Examples include, Harry and Sally (When Harry Met Sally) , William Munny and Little Bill (Unforgiven) , Chigurh and Moss (No Country for Old Men) , and Dillinger and Purvis (Public Enemies).

Societal conflict

Societal conflict occurs between a person and a group and is usually present in films about corruption, justice, or oppression. Films with societal conflict often incorporate scenes or subplots involving personal conflict. Erin Brockovich, Hotel Rwanda, Star Wars.

Situational conflict

Situational conflict occurs when a character is in conflict with a specific situation – a woman trapped in a burning building, a man hiding in a married woman’s closet when her husband arrives home, a group of stranded adventurers trying to find a way off a deserted island. In films containing situational conflict, the main conflict is still usually relational. Audiences need a personal connection to stay engaged. The Poseidon Adventure, Night at the Museum, Aliens, Castaway, World Trade Center.