While we’re on the topic of characters, here are a few more random thoughts about movie characters for you to chew on: Everyone Loves a Hero Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. They face all kinds of challenges. What all heroes have in common is that, for one reason or another, we admire … More Random Thoughts on Main Characters
In Act One, your reader meets your main character. They form an opinion of who that characters is. Watching your character make decisions, face obstacles and takes actions — no matter how small and seemingly insignificant — enables your reader to hone and refine that first impression. Then what…? How do you keep your reader … More 5 More Tips for Creating Characters
While plots most be original and compelling, characters are the key to every great movie. Your characters are the emotional core of your story. It is through them that your audience engages and experiences the world you have created. To write great characters you must know them and understand them. They must live in your … More 3 Steps to Introducing Characters
Now that we’ve discussed Egri’s take on the pivotal characters in a script, let’s look at how the protagonist and antagonist work in concert to create the dramatic structure that is your script. Orchestration There is a saying, “There is no action unless there is a need; and there is no need until there is … More Art of Dramatic Writing, Part 3: Conflict and Unity
Last week, in our our examination of the valuable ideas in TADW, this week, we looked at what Lajos Egri had to say about the premise of your script and why it is so important. This week, let’s look at what he has to say about creating characters. Character Egri likens characters and their actions … More Art of Dramatic Writing, Part 2: Character
What makes a Scene a Scene…? In my last blog, I defined a scene as a unit of story in which a character has a clear want that s/he either does or doesn’t get because of a conflict with another character, and the result of that conflict in some way advances the plot of your … More How to Write a Scene (Part 2)
The Hero’s Journey There has been tons and tons of great material written about Joseph Campbell and his Hero’s Journey. Here’s my take on his incredible work. It’s my attempt to simplify it down to its core ideas in “snackable” bites that are easy to comprehend. Joseph Campbell According to Me The hero’s story is … More Joseph Campbell: The Hero’s Journey (Part 2)
A person cannot speak unless he or she has had a thought. A person does not have a thought unless he or she has a need. That is never more true than in all dramatic writing. Characters in a script speak because they want something. Another way to think of it: the average person speaks … More Dialogue: Subtext
In the 1920, Vladimir Propp was a Russian critic. He was mainly interested in narrative Folk tales as he believe that Folk tales were about the same basic struggles, therefore had the same characters. According with the Propp theory, characters have a narrative function as they provide a structure for the text. Let’s examine how … More Character Functions: Types of Characters
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