Film Courage: You believe most movies can come down to three words, who wants what?
Naomi Beaty, Writer, Screenwriting Teacher and Consultant: I think that's the basic nut of of
any movie is you have a main character who is trying to achieve something because if you don't
have those basic elements and that's not the whole story obviously but if you don't have those basic
elements then then really what is the story you don't have a character to be our vehicle through
a series of events and you don't have anything propelling them forward or driving them forward
if they're not trying to achieve something so if we just think we have this interesting character
and all these different things happen to them and these cool like conflict situations but we don't
actually know what does this character want is that something that we really have to do a lot
of soul searching is this are we that character do we have to see is this us well I do think that
characters should always be like our mirror or our vehicle through the story but when I say who wants
what I'm actually talking about more external plot stuff because that's what's going to give you that
that plot framework to tell your story so really the who wants what is is figuring out what
external plot thing or what destination is your protagonist aiming toward through this story
knowing that helps you plan the story and write it but it also
indicating that to the audience is really helpful because that's how we track where we are in the
story if we know what that character is trying to achieve that gives us like a yardstick to measure
is he succeeding or is he failing is he making progress or is he having setbacks and that's the
that's that like push-pull of like hope and fear that we have when we're watching
the movie is we're hoping that he makes progress and gets to his destination but we're fearing the
worst we're fearing all these obstacles are going to derail him or end up damaging him in some way
so that's what I really mean when I when I say who wants what we need to know who are we watching
in the story whose story is it and what are they trying to achieve from an external plot point of
view because that gives us that spine of the story or that through line that we're tracking over the
course of the movie what distinguishes the main character from all other characters in a film
well the writer has decided that that's the main character no I think that to some degree that's
that is true you decide who whose story you're telling and then what separates that character
in the screenplay or for the audience is the focus that you place on that character you want to tell
the story from that character's perspective or from their point of view so that we know
who we're watching go through this set of experiences so what separates the protagonist
from the other characters is really the focus that you place on them and how you tell the
story through the lens of their experience does that make sense it does I just saw a Crazy Stupid
Love oh for the first time I know it came out like 2011 or whatever did you enjoy it I did I love and
again it was one not one that I would normally think I would love but Steve Carell he's a good
guy you want to root for him and then he meets the dark horse who then you find out is really
not that dark once you get to know him but it you it takes you on this this journey but a lot
of the side characters are also very complicated and complex I actually that's a great example I
just rewatched it and I had a new appreciation for it watching it again I remembered really liking it
and finding it funny but watching it over again already knowing where the story was going I could
pay a little bit more attention to how it was put together and you're like it's it's pretty
much a true like ensemble because so many side characters get their own story lines and it it
has these intersecting storylines but I do think Steve Carell is the protagonist in that story
even though he like in act 2 we spend a lot of time we go away from him and shift focus
to the Ryan Gosling character so just page count wise you might not be able to decide like who is
the main character they both get their screen time but I think what makes Steve Carell the
character the protagonist there is that first of all the way the story starts we get into it
through him wanting to know what his story is and and getting on board with his experience
through the story and then he also wraps it up in the end he's the one who learns the lesson
and brings that lesson to the group and has his transformational experience and
and we're rooting for him I think the whole time so sure sure but you're there are so
many because it's not just Ryan Gosling it's the Emma Stone character it's the babysitter it's all
these different ones and they all have these interesting plights that they're dealing with
that the Kevin Bacon character and you see all of their why they did what they did from these
different things but you still in the end you root for the Steve Carell or at least yeah and it's so
it does such a good job of like not making anyone the villain as well which I thought was really fun
and and and you're you're it's a great one it is again it's one that simple concept but then
when you take all the relationship dynamics and all the little nuances and stuff it's
it's it's quite that one's again not probably an easy one to write were you surprised by the the
way it all comes together I was okay I definitely was I was too and I thought that they did such
a good job of making that feel believable but also it it's big it's over the top and
you're like oh it's it's for humor's sake the way things come together I don't want to spoil it sure
even though it's over a decade old but we'll keep 30 years for spoilers yeah but it's so
entertaining the way all the story lines intersect and you don't see it coming but
then it all makes perfect sense the way it unfolds like that so what makes an effective protagonist
a few different things I think that primarily they have to be able to drive the action of the plot
like you need a protagonist who can take action who's willing to take action or at least can
be convinced to take action otherwise your plot won't advance if he's not he or she isn't doing
something to pursue their goal and then I also think that they're on the on the character side
of things there are certain things that we look for in a protagonist to help us get on board with
them to help us align with them and be willing to go through the story with them so there's the
the cliche thing and the thing that writers hate to hear is that making your protagonist likeable
but there's some truth to that even if your character isn't likable I think they do need to be
someone that we're willing to go along on this journey with so they have to be
at least engaging and entertaining enough for us to like to dislike them sure so so I think those
two they're two prongs of that question which is like what makes an effective protagonist
plot-wise in the story it has to be someone who can take action and who can who can do
things that move the plot forward and then on the character development side of things it's someone
that we're willing to go along with as they go through this story I think even Stephen King
said in on writing that he didn't really like the character of Carrie which I actually like her but
I i think that he felt that she was compelling enough and real enough and he saw some
similarities in his town and so to invest that much time in a character that you don't think
is actually that likable but other people saw there's something here and I think there's even
if you don't it's been a while since I read Carrie but I think even if you don't like that character
even if it's not someone that you would hang out with he does a really good job of creating
empathy for that character it's like she's in a terrible situation she's being bullied at home
and at school and she's awkward and doesn't fit in and that of course is going to even if we don't
like her in a traditional sense I think we feel for her and and that's enough to get us on board
and to want to know what she's going to do next because that's an interesting theory of wanting to
spend time with a character that we don't actually we maybe if we met them in real life we wouldn't
actually want to sit next to them at the school lunch table that's and I can think of plenty of
people that I wouldn't want to but would I want to invest time in a story from that character's point
of view I guess I guess because we could try to find something that we could somehow connect with
and that's that whole if you walk a mile in a man's shoes you'll understand what they're going
through and even if you don't agree with them you can empathize you can understand actually to bring
it back to Crazy Stupid Love I feel like that was another thing that that movie did really well
even if so none of those characters are unlikable but they did such a good job of making us
care about and empathize with Steve Carell in the beginning so that he could then go on and become
this cad-like divorce guy so he's he becomes a womanizer for a short time in the film and I think
that could turn a lot of people off but because they spent time in the beginning making us
care about him and feel bad for him because his wife asks for a divorce in a crowded restaurant
out of the blue that gets us that earns enough of our our like love for him that we can we know why
he's doing what he's doing and we can watch him do some not great stuff for a little while before
he he brings it back around and redeems himself and we see a lot of what he's he's being groomed
by this other guy who he doesn't get it even from the genes and the and
he's like turn around you have a mom but like these are not those are not the jeans for you
yes so he reluctantly goes into that womanizer phase he thinks wearing these tennis shoes and
he's like dad jeans are okay but because that's not he wasn't really setting out to be that person
so I think you see that he's actually a good guy and he's doing it out of and then when
you see the other and I hope i'm not giving a spoiler away but the other divorced dad
in the bar sipping on the drink and he doesn't really have much of a role but you're like oh
that's the next incarnation of him like that's you want you want Steve Carell to avoid becoming
that guy like no matter if you don't agree with what he's doing now you know why he's doing it
sure you feel for him you want him to not be lonely and sad so you're willing for him to
be like you said be groomed in that direction even if it's maybe not the greatest direction.