Anatomy of Dramatic Storytelling

Background:  The power of narrative has been used for thousands of years as a way to capture people’s attention while conveying socially relevant messages. Entertainment education has long been documented in research communities as an effective strategy for awareness and behavior change communication.

Program background:  What are the ingredients that make narratives grab and hold our attention in such a gripping way? This presentation will explore how writers and producers of hit dramas craft compelling narratives to convey accurate and timely public health information.

Evaluation Methods and Results: Character development, story arc construction, and theme integration will be discussed. Additionally, the process of crafting a storyline will also be explored with an emphasis on case studies where medical information or health content was included in episodes that aired on primetime. Case studies will include episodes from the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, which highlight three different characters, themes, and health issues (diabetes, child safety, and face transplantation).

Conclusions: The panelist will discuss how writers strike a balance between entertainment value and the desire to convey health issues in an accurate and relevant manner.

Implications for research and/or practice: This presentation will provide information about how entertainment and education can be partnered to produce accurate and dramatic narratives.