Hello, screenwriters.  As you all know what I attempt to do is provide information you won’t normally hear in your typical screenwriting course, screenwriting workshop, or screenwriting class.  This is more of the same.

I started my Facebook group, Secrets of Screenwriting Group, to share information from screenwriters all over the world.  What I love about our group is that it’s a meeting place for hearing new ideas and opportunities.

We now have over 3,200 members and growing exponentially.  When I started this group over 4 years ago I never imagined it could reach the critical mass it has achieved.  I’m very pleased at its success and appeal.

Here is something I just learned about on our site – Scriptank, a new business created by Roger Mortimer.  It’s a new way for screenwriters to break through the arcane obstacles we all face when attempting to get our screenplays into the right hands.

As Roger describes it, it’s a disruptive global networking site.  For a small price, screenwriters can upload their screenplays on this platform to allow readers from anywhere in the world to read them.  The screenwriters will then share in the monies earned from these downloads.

Readers rate the screenplays and those getting the highest marks and the most downloads will be chosen to receive production funds.

If it works as planned, this is much more exciting for screenwriters than Inktip or other sites like this.  Screenwriters will actually get paid for their work, even if it is a nominal fee.  Producers will surely be interested in those screenplays that are a hit with the general public.

This is similar to what Amazon has done for novelists who self publish.  The writers are able to do an end around the calcified publishing world, letting readers themselves decide what they like.  Publishers have responded by scouring Amazon for successful self-published works, because the readers themselves have decided what they like.  This has changed the publishing world forever and launched numerous successful writing careers, just as Kickstarter has helped producers raise funds outside of the studio world.

Hopefully, Scriptank will do the same for us.  Studios are now run by lawyers and accountants who don’t have a clue what is a good screenplay and what isn’t.  Why not let the public decide what they want to see?  That is the idea behind Scriptank empowering screenwriters and giving the general audience out there a chance to vote for what will end up on the big screen.

This a brand new idea and company which will launch in the fall.  As such, no one knows (including me) if it will work or not, but I personally love the idea behind it.

As a promotion, Scriptank is offering a discounted rate of $10.00 for submitting your screenplay before July – the normal cost will be $50 later on.  To find out more, go to:

http://scriptank.intuitwebsites.com/Writers.html

As I’ve cautioned you, you’re taking a chance on something that is untried and untested; but I for one am willing to throw the dice now and see if this will actually be a viable way for screenwriters to reach the public and get recognition and a financial reward.

And as I always sign off:  KEEP WRITING!

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Hello, Screenwriters – As you know I’m constantly looking for material that you won’t normally get in your typical screenwriting course, screenwriting class or screenwriting workshop.  What we’re about to talk about definitely fits that bill.

As much as I enjoy sending out these weekly posts – I call them communications for a reason.  I outflow to you and share information and basic rules about screenwriting partly because I want to receive in return.

I enjoy greatly when you share your reactions, thoughts, knowledge about movies.  What you’ve seen and what you’ve observed and why a movie works for you.

Let’s all help each other on this journey.  If anyone would like to find a screenwriting partner, this is a great place to post that.  Knowledge is everything in this business and the more we all know, the better off we will all be.

Are you with me?

Good.  Now let’s talk about great Anti Heroes.  For this discussion I will use “Wicked.” This musical is based on the novel by Gregory Maguire.  I assume that it was the novelist who created the amazing protagonist, Elphab – previously known as the Wicked Witch of the West.  The genius of Maguire’s creation is that he completely turned this wicked witch into the star of his novel, making her sympathetic and extremely dynamic.

As in every good screenplay, stage play and novel – the protagonist should be the most compelling and interesting character in the story.  This is surely true of Wicked.  Elphaba did end up fighting the powers that be in the Land of Oz but for very good reasons.

This is a backstory. She was born from an illicit relationship between her mother and a traveling salesman as it were.

Elphaba is born green because of a potion her mother takes from the salesman and her father loathes her. He blames her for the death of her mother after the birth of her sister – the future Wicked Witch of the East.

Through no fault of her own, Elphaba is despised but does not feel sorry for herself. She dotes on her younger sister who is a cripple and feels honor bound to take care of her. This creates huge rooting interest for her, even though her sister is loved by her father and she is not,

Elphaba does not take it out on her sibling. In fact, it’s the opposite. She loves her sister and insists on taking care of her when they’re sent to boarding school.

Elphaba is an outsider. She feels compassion for all who are oppressed or mistreated. She does not cave in to adults like most of her peers in Oz but questions authority at all turns. She has a professor who is a goat – yes, a very sophisticated and learned goat but still a goat – and Elphaba admires her professor greatly.

But it’s decreed by the Wizard that all animals must give up their ability to speak with humans and her professor loses his job and his ability to communicate.

Elphaba is outraged. When she is summoned by the Wizard because he has heard of her remarkable abilities in sorcery, she stands up to him about his policy on animals and this confrontation leads to Elphaba being banished.

Now we have the classic anti hero story – a sympathetic rebel fights the injustices of society and ends up being ostracized and hunted down – only because she refuses to give up her integrity and sense of justice.

The novelist was brilliant in finding a classic antagonist and turning her into a sympathetic heroine – in effect – turning this classic fairy tale on its head.

The character of Dexter in the series of the same name on Showtime does the same thing.  We take a serial killer and make him a hero. Who could have believed this was possible?  But Dexter is one of the great anti heroes in television history.

We can learn many things about the creation of a great protagonist from Elphaba. We understand in very visceral terms why she is an outsider. From her very birth, she was shunned and denigrated. She has never been able to fit in but she does not feel sorry for herself.  She goes her own way.  She has tremendous integrity.

Even though she has every right to be jealous of her sister, instead she feels sorry for her and takes complete responsibility for looking out for her.  She is a rebel and questions authority.  She knows what it feels like to be ostracized and feels compassion for others like herself.

She also has no sense of taste when it comes to fashion, clothes, etc, dresses in black, has a strange hair style, is made fun of by the popular kids, but underneath it all, she’s quite beautiful in a strange way and is brilliant to boot.

Elphaba is the most interesting and compelling character in Wicked – she moves the story forward with her actions – and yes, she does grow and evolve as the story goes on.  Eventually, she even finds true love.

Let’s do this same kind of work on our protagonists that Gregory Maguire did on his.  These kind of great heroes/heroines is what make for great movies, plays and musicals – not plot.

Plots are there to enable great characters to grow – it’s the characters that make us care – plots are just devices, nothing more. You must as a writer find a tremendous connection to your protagonists for if you don’t care deeply for them and empathize with their character and destiny, why should we?

And KEEP WRITING!

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Hello, screenwriters – As you all know I strive to communicate subjects that aren’t covered in your normal screenwriting workshop, screenwriting course or screenwriting workshop.  It’s not because the instructors aren’t knowledgeable, it’s most because they just don’t have the time.

So, this is possibly a great moment to talk about this craft and business we all aspire to and what it realistically takes to be successful in the pursuit of screenwriting glory. This critical element is in some ways more important than all the craft and talent in the world.

And that is pure desire. Wanting something so badly you’re willing to sacrifice anything (not including your first born). But close. What we are all attempting in this great pursuit of filmmaking is a goal so difficult and harrowing that many, many get left by the wayside. The last words on their rotting breath as they die bitter and disappointed is – “if only, if only…”

I know that is not how I want to pass. So sad. I will not be accused of only trying so hard or not having the courage to give it everything I had. Then there will be no bitterness or regret whatever my achievements will ultimately be.

So it is not talent that makes the difference. I decided many years ago that I was not particularly talented, but that I had enough talent to achieve my goals.

What I did have in abundance was the never ending determination to keep at this and do whatever it took to get my work produced. I had many moments of doubt and disappointment but I would not give up. No matter what.

This and this alone has been the deciding factor in the successes of my colleagues, screenwriting friends and students – they just wanted it so badly they were ready and willing to put everything on the line.

If I told one of my highly motivated writers that what they needed to do next is stop everything, run to San Francisco and back, they would immediately start looking for appropriate running gear. This is a metaphor you understand but an apt one. “Whatever it takes!”  And it will take everything you have and more.

All of us must come to this harsh reality and self examination – are we willing to do this? Are we willing to sacrifice and work harder than anyone else in the pursuit of our dreams?

In other words, are we willing to succeed?  And once you make that commitment with no hesitation or excuses, you are actually in the running and a real part of the game. You actually have a shot.

It takes courage to do this. As much courage as it takes to reveal the depths of your heart to the one you love. There is no half measures here or Plan B or an exit strategy. To see this raw determination and willingness, to bare heart and soul is what I look for in the writers I work with. If they have this, I know they can make it.

I hope I can impart this as passionately as I impart the nuts and bolts of screenwriting – because I know it’s a lesson far greater than anything else.

Thanks for listening. I said much more than I intended.

Next week we return to our discussion of creating great characters. I want to discuss the protagonist of the musical “Wicked,” as an example of great character development.

And of course – KEEP WRITING!

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Hello, screenwriters.  As always, I attempt to provide information that is normally not provided in your typical screenwriting course, screenwriting workshop, or screenwriting class.  Let’s continue that tradition.

We have been talking recently about creating great protagonists and methods used to help you develop your characters into rich, multi faceted individuals.

Last week I wrote about Lajos Egri and his great book on writing:  “The Art of Dramatic Writing.”  Egri laid out three areas that needed to be addressed to help writers explore a fully rounded hero/heroine – they are physical aspects of the character, sociological aspects of the character and psychological aspects of the character.

You then ask yourselves questions about all three areas of your protagonist and finding the answers will help your main character come to life.

It is true that as much groundwork as we do, trying to visualize and understand our protagonists before we start writing, those fictional creations hopefully will still grow and come alive during the very act of writing itself.

One of the most thrilling aspects of writing is exactly this – the character will say or do something we didn’t expect and those actions or way of speaking can oftentimes be the very heart of who your character is yearning to become.

During the writing process, they actually come alive and start to direct their own destinies in a way we could never have imagined.  This is gold and should always be taken to heart by the writer, for now your character is truly taking on a life of his or her own.

I’d like to discuss another method for creating great protagonists and that is the character diamond created by David Freeman.  I have promoted David’s Beyond Structure Workshops to this group previously.

It’s a 2 Day intensive class held in Los Angeles, New York, and London and is well worth your time and money.  David has created many great techniques to make your screenwriting more colorful and deep and the character diamond is just one of many techniques.

I don’t want to go into this too deeply as David is the only one who can truly give it justice, but I will give you a small taste of this truly groundbreaking concept.

In short, to create a rich character you devise 3,4, or 5 character traits which describe your protagonist – For example, he’s charismatic and energetic, ambitious, brutally self aware at times, and terrified of intimacy.

This is the diamond for Jerry McGuire.  At least one trait on the diamond should be something we wouldn’t expect – As outgoing and full of life Jerry is, with many friends and acquaintances, he’s also terrified of getting too close.

It’s also a surprise that even though Jerry is a sports agent and full of hot air and glad handing at times, he also has a strong sense of self awareness, despite himself he knows when he’s not truly being honest and somehow is reaching for something deeper and truer in himself.

This causes him to lose his job and to go on a path that is much harder and more treacherous.  It surprised him when he took this path and he regrets it at times, but he is a seeker and deep down desires the road to self redemption.  Who would have guessed this about Jerry McGuire?  Certainly not himself.

I just reread Jerry McGuire again and it’s so brilliant it can be intimidating – every scene seems to come off the page – the energy of the writing is amazing and the depth and humanity of the characters is inspiring.

But I digress.  The character diamond forces us to come up with traits we wouldn’t normally think of in terms of a character like the one we’re developing and this makes the character unique and fights against cliche.  It makes us create characters we haven’t seen before.  They are characters that surprise us.

As I wrote previously, do we do this kind of work with all our characters?  No, it’s only the protagonist who should be the most compelling, rich and active character in the whole movie and we should never let a minor character steal the show from the star.

I am giving a webinar on Monday, focusing on writing your script so a star will want to play your protagonist.  This is the reason scripts get produced, because a start commits to the project.  So what exactly is a star looking for?  Join me for this lecture by clicking on:    http://tinyurl.com/ljl3ha5

Until then – KEEP WRITING!

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Hello, screenwriters.  As I always point out, I attempt in this blog to talk about issues you don’t normally hear in your typical screenwriting class, screenwriting course, or screenwriting workshop.  This continues that trend.

Before we launch into this new topic on creating great characters, I extend my invitation once again to anyone who needs individual help on their writing, whether it be a private consultation or a screenwriting workshop here in L.A., please don’t hesitate to contact me.

A number of you have emailed me about specific questions and I am glad to help when time permits.

Very well.  We have been discussing creating great protagonists, character arcs, what makes a hero, etc.

We have neglected to talk about an even more initial step in the process – once I have a story I want to write – how do I go about creating my protagonist?

There are many methods that accomplished writers use to do this – some are absolutely instinctual – that is, the writer just starts to write and his protagonist will hopefully just begin to emerge and take on a life of his or her own.  There’s nothing wrong with that.

I work with many writers who don’t use outlines.  I don’t encourage this but I also don’t like to impose my own methods and thus hinder the creativity of others.  Some very famous writers – Elmore Leonard is one – very rarely if ever writes an outline – he just starts creating his tale and lets it go where it wants.

Unfortunately, most of us are not as talented or seasoned as Elmore Leonard and what inevitably starts to happen is we get to page 70 or so and get hopelessly confused about where we’re going and the story crashes and burns.

This happened to me more times than I like to admit when I first started writing and from then on, I never start a first draft without a pretty detailed outline.

So I encourage outlines just as I encourage working on your protagonist before you begin writing.  What do I mean by that?

We will discuss a number of different methods articulated by different teachers and writers in terms of creating a character.

The first is from Lajos Egri – Whose book – “The Art of Dramatic Writing” I highly encourage everyone to read.  Egri breaks a chracter down into three different areas – Physical, sociological, and psychological.

He first wants the writer to spend time on the physical aspects of the hero – how tall the person is – the way they dress – their stature – how they hold themselves – their attractiveness or lack of attractiveness, etc.

All the physical aspects of this person are delineated, including the car they drive, the apartment/house they live in, etc.  The reasons for this are obvious – we are dealing with a visual medium and these things will be crucial in how we see this character visually and what those details will tell us about them.

The next aspect we want to delve into is the sociological aspects: what class the person grew up in – working class, middle class, upper class.  This clearly will determine elements of their personality.

Did they grow up in wealth or poverty?  How did this shape them?  Were their parents educated or self taught?  Were they first born?  In the middle?  The oldest?  This also will play a crucial role in their development.

Did they go to college?  How educated are they?  Do they read books?  Only play video games?  Watch TV a lot?  All those things are important to know in how they behave and how they speak.

The third area to explore is maybe the most important thing we need to know – and that is their psychological make up.  You may not even need to tell the audience some of this stuff but it’s good that you know  what are the crucial factors that shaped this person.

Are there incidents in the protagonists childhood and beyond that marked this person in some way?  David Freeman calls this the FLBW, the fear, limitation, block or wound.

Something in the character’s life that has limited him or her in some way?  This fear, limitation, block or wound will be exposed because of the plot and by overcoming the obstacles of the plot, the character will be forced to face this FLBW.  This is in fact the reason we have the plot – it forces the character to face his or her demons.

So plot comes out of character – not the other way around.  We first figure out who the character is, what they need to deal with in achieving greater awareness or success as a person – and then the plot is created to force them to overcome these limitations.

Make sense?  Good, this is one way to achieve a great and rich protagonist.  It leads us to ask – do we need to tell the audience why a person has a certain FLBW – whether that flaw is an inability to experience intimacy, fear of confrontation, a terror of taking risks, whatever their issue is.  Do we in fact need to give a reason for this?  It’s a rich and interesting area that I’d like to address next week in a separate post.

For now, create those great characters, for they are the real reason why a movie transcends mediocrity into greatness, it is not the plot, it is always the richness of your characters and your ability to connect with them on a deep and personal level.

I will cover many specific techniques, tips and insights into character when I present my next webinar:  “Writing Scripts That Appeal To A-List Actors.”  Please join me on July 1^st for this presentation, the webinar will be archived for a year so you listen and watch the lecture any time during the period.  To Jooin go to http://tinyurl.com/ljl3ha5

Until then – KEEP WRITING!

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Hello, Screenwriters.  As you’ve probably gathered by now, I try and provide information you don’t normally get from your typical screenwriting workshop, screenwriting class or screenwriting course.  Here is another example of that.

As a screenwriting instructor, I always advise my students to take the point of view of the buyers when conceptualizing their screenplay.  How can you give yourself the best opportunity to break into the business?

To do this, you have to ask yourself what the buyers are looking for.  For example, what genres are most commercial?  As a beginning writer, should you start with a big budget project or something more modest?  When the buyers appraise a project for commercial success, what are the selling points that get them most excited?  And what makes them confident they can make back a return on their investment?

For the buyers and distributors the most important consideration is their ability to attract a star name for their film.  So they are constantly asking themselves – how enticing is the role you’ve created for your protagonist?  Do you have a great vehicle for a star?

Why is this such an important consideration when writing for the commercial marketplace?  It’s simple – the reason your movie will get made is because a star agrees to do your film.  When Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks or Reese Witherspoon or any bankable star attaches himself or herself to the project, it has a much greater potential of being made.

That’s what studios are looking for, because they know it will give their films a greater chance for success, not just domestically but internationally as well.  So, if that is the case, shouldn’t all screenwriters focus on creating a protagonist that will entice these bankable stars?

Obviously.  But creating this star vehicle is not easy to do.  In fact, it’s quite difficult.  It’s not uncommon for the protagonist to be the least interesting character in a movie.  The reason for this is that the hero or heroine has to carry the plot and give whatever exposition that needs to be delivered.  For an actor, this is not desirable and more minor characters without this burden can easily steal the show.

When you think of the great movies you admire, whether it’s “Braveheart,” or “Lawrence of Arabia,” or “Jaws,” the protagonists were always memorable and gave the star an opportunity to shine.  The minor characters did not steal the thunder from the star.  When this happens, it results in commercial as well as artistic disaster.

We can’t let that happen.  We need to protect the star at all costs.  And that doesn’t mean always giving the star nothing but great heroic moments either.  We want to see the protagonist at their lowest moments as well as the highest.  That is what motivates the star to commit to a film – a chance to show sides of themselves they haven’t necessarily explored before.

If you’d like to hear more about this, join my upcoming webinar.  We will not only cover strategies for creating a star vehicle but will also discuss character growth and development in general.  Please join me live on Monday, July 1 for this exciting discussion.  The webinar will be archived for a year so it can listened to any time during that period.

To join my webinar on “Writing Scripts That Appeal to A-List Actors” please click on this link.  I know you won’t be disappointed:  http://tinyurl.com/ljl3ha5

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Dear Screenwriters – This continues our ongoing discussion about creating great characters.  As you know by now, I’m always trying provide information that you don’t normally hear in a typical screenwriting course, screenwriting worksop or screenwriting class.  This follows that same template.

I have been talking in generalities lately about character development and character arcs and this will continue that thread.

In the weeks to come, I will veer off onto more specific topics, tricks and devices that screenwriters use to make their characters come off the page and immediately grab us and hold our attention.

For those of you who are new to this screenwriting group and want to receive all past posts so you can be caught up with the material we’ve had so far, please click on FILES and you will see all past posts archived there.

Carrying on then – I promised to talk about one of the most seminal aspects of writing movies and creating great protagonists – and that is – who deserves to take up the standard of your hero in the movie you create?

In other words – is anyone capable of being a hero?

Oftentimes, I believe the reason a movie fails is because the character as conceived is not capable of the heroism we expect to see in a protagonist.

Let’s take for example a movie I discussed earlier:  “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.”  The protagonist “Peter” is an overly sensitive but a not unlikeable movie composer who loses his girlfriend and goes to Hawaii to heal his wounds.  Unfortunately, he continues to mope and feel sorry for himself for practically the entire movie.

The comedy comes from the fact that Peter continues to be “slammed,” (a David Freeman term) – meaning – he continues to have this heartache thrown in his face – as his ex is also in Hawaii at the same hotel with her new rocker boyfriend.

But unfortunately, this humor gets old fairly fast and we want to see our protagonist act like a man and finally “snap out of it.”

As Nicholas Cage did in “Moonstruck – a very similar situation when he meets Cher.  The Cage character also lost his girlfriend and his hand as well because of a loss of love.  And he also is grieving but fairly quickly does “Snap out of it!” as Cher instructs him and has the balls to love again.

We quickly root for Cage and want him to succeed.  He possesses heroic stature – he has the moxie to get off the floor and fight again.

One movie – Forgetting Sarah Marshall – never quite materializes and will be quickly forgotten; while another “Moonstruck,” is a movie beloved and honored and will continue to enchant and delight audiences for eons to come.

Having a protagonist we can truly root for is not the only reason for this but surely one crucial factor.  The Nicholas Cage character is worthy of being a protagonist – he doesn’t mope for long but in fact finds the courage to love again, even though the woman he falls in love with is the fiance of his brother.

So what makes a character worthy of being a protagonist – they do not give up in the face of overwhelming obstacles.  This can be Dudley Moore in “Arthur” or Steve Carrell in “40 Year Old Virgin” or even the slacker character in “Knocked Up.”  They are fighters.

And notice I’m picking light comedy as my examples.  In action movies and suspense thrillers the case is even stronger to have very worthy protagonists.

These protagonists can be very ordinary people – unlike the Greeks, we don’t require protagonists who come from royal birth – just those who we can admire for their fortitude and integrity.

This does not mean either that they can’t have their moment of doubt.  We all have our moments of doubt.  We all have times when we don’t want to get off the floor, when we complain and bitch.

But the true hero doesn’t let that loss of courage and confidence last long.  They always rise again and continue to fight to their last dying breath.

So when devising the character diamond of your protagonist (another David Freeman term) – one absolute essential trait of your protagonist is that he or she possesses determination, courage, true integrity, etc to take on the great obstacles you will throw at them.  And of course the greater the obstacles the better, because this will determine just what true courage they are capable of.

Coming up, look for my next webinar I’m doing through the Writers Store on the top of Writing for Stars.  You won’t want to miss that.

Until  then – as always – KEEP WRITING!

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Hello, screenwriters.  I hope you all had a great Memorial Day week-end.  As you’re all aware, I try as hard as I can to provide information on this blog that is not normally provided in your typical screenwriting course, screenwriting workshop or screenwriting class.  Here is another example of that.

I just saw “42” and it made me ponder the following question:  Do all protagonists need a character arc?

This film is written and directed by Brian Helgeland, a screenwriter who has become a first rate director.

Do see this movie.  It’s extremely well made and compelling with fantastic performances by a new rising star, Chadwick Boseman (who plays Jackie Robinson), Nicole Beharie (who plays his wife Rachel) and most notable the performance given by Harrison Ford (who plays Branch Rickey, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers).  He should be nominated for the incredible job that he does in this film.

Let’s look at the character arc (or lack of one) that is given to the protagonist. Does Jackie Robinson in this movie have a character arc?  I would answer that question like this – barely.  Who is Jackie Robinson then when we begin this story?  He insists that his team bus leave a gas station because he’s not allowed to use the all white bathroom.  We’re told that he was disciplined in the military because he refused to sit in the back of the bus.  So clearly he is someone that who a strong sense of justice and pride.

What exactly is his character arc?  Branch Rickey insists that he not react when faced with the awful prejudice and racial slurs that will surely occur when he joins the all white Dodgers.  And this is what the movie is all about – will Jackie Robinson be able to turn the other cheek when assaulted by the racist taunts that assault him when he attempts to break the color barrier of professional baseball?

It’s a great conflict and we feel deeply for Jackie Robinson as we know just how badly he’s assaulted both emotionally and physically, and how much he’d love to respond.  But Jackie Robinson resists the temptation to fight back.  With great struggle, he takes the high ground and answers back with his bat and his glove.  Finally, he wins the crowds over and baseball is segregated.

Is this truly a character arc?  I suppose you could say it is, although normally we think of a character arc as someone who goes from one extreme of character to another – from love to hate or trust to betrayal.  The character is changed significantly from one state of being to another.

We never do see Jackie Robinson’s propensity for rage or violence in the beginning of the film so his success at keeping his temper at bay isn’t as dynamic as we would expect.  Does he truly change his character?  Not really, he just fights his natural tendency to respond and somehow controls his anger.

It’s a great conflict but has he truly changed?  I’m not sure.

Does this make “42” any less successful as a film?  Not at all.  If we set up a great conflict like this does every protagonist need a character arc?

This is another “rule” that the pundits insist on that has exemptions, just like all rules do.  Take a look at horror films for example.  Does the protagonist in a horror film need a character arc?  How about Ripley in Alien or Aliens?  Does she fundamentally change during the course of these films?  I don’t think so.  Do these films suffer as a result?  Hardly.

Let’s look at one of my favorite films of all time – Forrest Gump.  Does he have a character arc?  Absolutely not.  Everyone around him changes in some way, but Forrest is the same at the beginning of the movie as he is at the end.  But does he have to face terrible conflict?  He sure does.

All rules can be broken.  Don’t let the so-called “experts” tell you differently.  Write what you feel comes naturally, what you believe works.  That is the ultimate rule.  We’ll talk more about characters and character arcs in the future.

Until then – KEEP WRITING!

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Hello, screenwriters. As you all know I attempt to provide information that you don’t normally get in the traditional screenwriting course, screenwriting class or even screenwriting workshop.  So here is more of that as promised.

I want to take a short pause and not pursue what I promised – that is a discussion about what makes a character worthy of being a hero – and talk about a rental I just saw on DVD which illustrates perfectly why a fully conceived character is so critical to the success or failure of a film.

The movie I’m referring to is “What Happens in Vegas,” starring Cameron Diaz (Joy) and Ashton Kutcher (Jack).  This was not a terrible movie by any stretch of the imagination but it could have been truly great if only the writers had been reading these posts about character and taken to heart what makes a fully realized character that we can care about and root for. (I know that is self serving but I couldn’t resist).

There are many attractive elements to this romantic comedy and some very funny and touching moments.  There are also some real illogical plot developments which don’t help much but that is not our subject for today.  Today we are talking about character development and character arcs and unfortunately, both Joy and Jack are cliches and very tired ones to boot.

Joy is a workaholic, driven and uptight thirty-something who gets crazy one night in Vegas and marries Jack, who is her opposite – a free spirit who has a messy apartment and raunchy habits but is damn good looking and has a certain charm.  (BTW – this is the first time I saw the true star power of Ashton Kutcher and he is damned good in this film).

Now that is all well and good but unfortunately that is as far as the writer(s) got to making these two protagonists real and compelling.  When you think of it, almost all romantic comedies have these two prototypes at their core – Think “When Harry Met Sally.”

Same exact prototypes.  Sally is uptight and a bit of a control freak and Harry is a free spirit with a carefree personality and sense of fun. There is no accident to this. Pitting these two very contrary personalities makes for good comedy!

Unfortunately, we have now seen these two identical types of people meet and hate each other, then end up following in love with each other – the woman learns to let go and allow life and passion into her existence and the man learns some semblance of responsibility and true caring.

But these two prototypical characters need more depth than this for us to truly believe they are flesh and blood people.  David Freeman talks about creating character diamonds, which means that you find 2 to 3 consistent characteristics for each of your main characters, then find at least one trait which makes them unique, something we wouldn’t normally think of when imagining a character like this.

Finding that one extra trait that we normally don’t imagine in a character is what makes that character truly original and breaks the cliche.

In “What Happens In Vegas,” we have the true acting talents of Cameron Diaz and a star turning performance from Ashton Kutcher but they were basically playing cliche characters.  As a result, the comedy falls a little flat, we don’t feel true and compelling emotional moments as we do when a great comedy delivers (as for example in “When Harry Met Sally” or “Arthur”) where the characters are both fully developed and go beyond the cliche.

We also don’t see the characters changing until the very end of the movie.  This by the way was the same problem with “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” remember?

It’s not until the very end of the movie that these protagonists actually start to feel and grow and develop beyond their initial cliche origins.

But you can’t wait until the end of a movie to have a fully rounded protagonist.  We need to start with a fully rounded protagonist at the beginning of a movie, not wait until the end when they actually learn something and grow emotionally.

A character must begin his or her character arc at the beginning of Act 2, when some event comes out of the blue and turns the story around in a new direction.

They are forced to change because of the unexpected obstacles they encounter. That’s the whole reason we have plot points – they force the character to grow.

Think about this – it’s painful to grow.  Nobody really does it willingly.  So we have to force people to grow and this is where a clever plot serves us.  But the plot is there to service the character, it’s not the other way around!

We certainly can’t wait until the end of the movie to have our protagonists exhibit that 4th part of the character diamond that should have been there at the beginning of the story.

It’s very true that we can learn a lot more about screenwriting from movies that don’t quite work than we sometimes can from brilliant movies.

From now on, don’t just go to a movie to be entertained but always study what you’re seeing.  If a movie is a success, why is it successful?  Why does it “work?”  If a movie doesn’t quite work, why is that?  That’s how you learn important rules that you want to follow in your own screenplays.

Along with this, please read, read, read as many great screenplays as you can.  Study them.  Analyze plot and character and study what makes them great.  You’ll start to slowly internalize formatting, structure, writing visually, etc. What makes a great read.

Sound good?  Until next week – KEEP WRITING!

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Hello everyone!  As you know I attempt to provide in this blog screenwriting information you wouldn’t normally get in your typical screenwriting course, screenwriting class or screenwriting workshop.  Here is more of the same.

And thanks again for everyone who attended my webinar on Creating A Great Read.  I hope you learned a lot.

We spoke last week about character arcs for our protagonists and the danger of creating strong character arcs for minor characters as it might steal attention away from your heroes and heroines.

This leads me to another area of protagonist versus minor characters and that is an even more seminal one.  How do we pick minor characters in the first place?

Lajos Egri (in his great book – The Art of Dramatic Writing) refers to this as orchestration.  I’ll try and summarize this as following:  Your protagonist as we’ve already discussed should be the most interesting and most fully developed character in your movie.  Think of him as a full orchestra.

He has many layers and colors.  He not only plays the wind instruments, he plays the horns and strings as well.  He or she has many different facets, some of which are even contradictory (as we want to make our protagonists as complex as possible- take Nurse Jackie, for example who is a drug addict but a great nurse).  We create our leading characters like this for aesthetic as well as commercial reasons. (We spoke of this earlier)

So once we’ve established who our protagonist will be, how do we then create the minor characters who revolve around him or her?

Let’s take an example from classical literature.  “The Brothers Karamazov” by Feodr Dostoevski.  Oh my God, you’re saying, this guy is really getting deep now.  Yes, that’s true.  Mediocre artists borrow, great artists steal.  Nothing wrong from stealing great ideas as Shakespeare can attest (if he were alive that is) – he stole every one of his plots and we don’t think less of him for it – do we?

Fine, we shall do the same. In The Brothers Karamazov, the Father in the story was the protagonist.  He had many colors and played many instruments.  As David Freeman would say, he had a great character diamond.

He was an unscrupulous businessman, he was greedy, he was a letch and the side of his diamond which was something not expected – he was also sincerely spiritual. He loved God and the church.  A contradiction – but we are full of contradictions.

Now, let’s look at his sons.  The oldest one was an adroit businessman who was completely unscrupulous, the middle son was driven by romance and a need for sexual conquest, and the third son was a young priest who truly loved God and the church.

You see how Dostoevski devised these minor characters with great precision.  Each one reflects a single trait in the protagonist.  The minor characters play one note of the orchestra, where the father plays many notes.

Why did Dostoevski orchestrate his characters like this? Because the protagonist becomes richer when we compare him to the minor characters surrounding him. The hero will have to overcome these contradictions and sometimes conflicting character traits to reach his goals.  He or she will then shine in a truly awe inspiring way while the minor characters will remain where they are – never truly becoming anything but one or two dimensional characters.

A hero who has all these instruments playing in his orchestra makes for a Hamlet, a Juno, an Othello, a William Wallace, etc — Someone who is truly worthy of carrying a movie or any great story.

We shall speak of this in my next post – what makes a character worthy of being a hero?

In the meantime, continue to play all the colors in your palette and create great protagonists.  Don’t hesitate to surprise us or yourself.

Until then — KEEP WRITING!

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