Protagonist Vs Main Character: Is There A Difference?

PROTAGONIST The term protagonist is theatrical term used in Ancient Greece to signify the character that made the first appearance on the stage and was the focal point of the story. This terms is still prevalent in theatrical circles. The term main character is more commonly used in film and TV to mean the same…

Why Antagonists Are More Important To Your Screenplay Than Protagonists

In classical storytelling, protagonists are the first actors that enter the stage. They represent the point of view the audience should follow. This often holds true for the main character in your screenplay. Who Is Your Antagonist? Antagonists are depicted as negative, bad or outright evil. However, they do have a positive aspect to every story….

3 Levels Of Dramatic Conflict In Your Story

An important aspect to creating DRAMATIC CONFLICT for your screenwriting is to present a character, situation or belief that prevents the main character from achieving their goal. Pretty simple stuff. Let’s say your main character wants to cross the street to get to the dry cleaning store before it closes. Just as they approach the lights, they turn…

Inter Connecting Your Characters

Nothing exists in a vacuum in the universe. Everything is inter connected with each other. Everything is inter dependent. If not, the universe expels it. This mantra also applies to efficient storytelling. Every story element (characters, plot, dialogue and action) should bear some relationship to the main story narrative. Each element must either be a cause or…

Types Of Antagonism

Robert McKee describes antagonist’s actions on a continuum ranging from positive to negative outcome. The four values below describe the degree of action an antagonist must take to create the most compelling and emotionally satisfying protagonist. POSITIVE This refers to what the main character ultimately desires, both internally and externally. These outcomes include love, justice,…

More On Pitching

Doug Eboch and Ken Aguado, co-authors of “The Hollywood Pitching Bible”, discuss the key components of a successful pitch. Most pitches range from 15 seconds to 15 minutes long and they are often delivered in an unstructured, spontaneous environment. The key to delivering an effective pitch is to have a compelling idea with a strong…

Why You Should Write Your Antagonist Before Your Protagonist

Most screenwriters construct their stories from the protagonist’s (hero) point of view, and consequently write them first. Villains (antagonists) represent evil, while your hero represents goodness in screenwriting. Your audience will sympathise with your protagonist to a greater extent if they have an equally (or more) powerful antagonist to battle. This represents the darkness and…

The Dual Protagonists

There is a long held mantra of screenwriting that there can only be one protagonist in each story. It is the character that undergoes the most change.  By definition, the protagonist should occupy the most screen time. More recently, such character structure is becoming skewed to allow for dual protagonists. That is, two characters, occupying…

Working With Non-Traditional Story Structures

Linda Aronson discusses alternatives to the traditional linear screenplay model. Ever feel your film doesn’t fit the one-hero linear model? Ever wanted to use flashbacks, time jumps, multiple story lines or ensemble casts? Clearly, they are the way of the future. Surprisingly, these complicated films – with their multiple protagonists, multiple storylines, flashforwards and flashbacks…

How The Good Guy Defeats The Bad Guy

The dance between the good and bad guys (or gals)  is becoming more intricate in cinema. The morality lines more skewed. Are the good guys exclusively good and the bad guys pure evil? Not anymore. However the predominantly bad guy (villain) doesn’t normally win in movies. Chris Soth considers what end should our villain/antagonist/bad guy…

Shifting Your Protagonist’s Power Balance

Robert Piluso, writer for Script Magazine discusses the use of shifting power between the protagonist and antagonist to create tension and conflict in your screenplay. Push and pull, strength and submission, master and slave, who has “the power” when your story begins? It shouldn’t be your protagonist! At least, not for long… Often a story…

Should You Have More Than One Protagonist In Your Screenplay?

Want to learn how to write a screenplay? It all begins with your main characters in your script. Screenwriters are often told they can only have one protagonist. Is this always the case? Generally speaking, yes. What is a Protagonist? In screenwriting terms, a PROTAGONIST is defined as the principle character who drives most of the…