StoryNotesNewsletter

ISSUE #6:

(This is a continuation of the
article which began in Issue #5; see
the online archive at e-groups if
you did not receive or save Issue 5:
www.egroups.com/group/StoryNotesNewsletter)


PART 2 (OF 3):


TIPS FOR DESIGNING


* * * S T R O N G E R M A I N C H A R A C T E R S * * *


KEY TRAITS SHARED BY MOST PROTAGONISTS



UNDERDOGS FACING LONG ODDS

But however willful they are, they are nonetheless
*outmatched*.

This refers to the odds being against them. They are trying to
solve an intensely arduous problem, to achieve an overwhelmingly
difficult goal. Often they are up against opponents who are in
some way stronger, abler, and more powerful – either physically,
numerically, or in terms of abilities or resources.

Now, being "outmatched" is more of a situational consideration
than a character trait.

But knowing that it is helpful to have an outmatched character
will guide you in "designing" the best character to place into your
story. So there *is* a connection to character.

Some of the considerations here overlap with your character
being an "unlikely" person to be in a particular situation, much
less to succeed. But to this unlikeliness we add the element of
the deck being stacked against the hero.

Why is this so?

A character who is outmatched – an underdog – will
generate more suspense and more empathy from the audience.
The struggle will be more involving.

If the character is not outmatched, we don't pull for them as
much. We don't admire them as much if and when they succeed. And
there just isn't as much suspense. If the odds are against them,
if they are overwhelmed by the opposition or the size of the
problem or the difficulty of the goal, we say to ourselves, "Will
this person pull it off? And if so, how?"

So, in designing our character, we stay away from types who are
so competent and powerful that success will be easy and deemed
likely.

In KARATE KID, the *antagonist* is the one who is tall,
classically handsome, muscular, and with advanced karate skills.
The main character is shorter, scrawny, and with only rudimentary
martial arts knowledge.

The opponent is rich and popular, Daniel is barely middle class
and an outsider.

In almost every way, Daniel is outmatched.

As is Dorothy by the witch, Schindler versus the Nazis, Forrest
due to his retardation (and earlier, his leg), and Luke due to his
youth, his lack of training as a warrior or in the ways of The
Force, and the numbers and power of his opposition.

Most main characters are underdogs. Sometimes, when given
ultra-competent characters like James Bond or Superman, this
becomes difficult. So we put Bond up against a super-intellectual
who is teamed up with a huge brute who is also a skilled fighter.
Plus an army of henchmen.

We pit Superman against *three* super-villains with comparable
powers.

An able warrior from the future goes up against a near-invincible
Terminator. And when another Terminator is assigned to
protect and serve, not kill, then we get a new, souped up T2, who
is even stronger and can morph.

By the way, that's all the more reason to give your main
characters sufficient willpower. An unlikely, outmatched
protagonist will need all the willpower he or she can muster.

INCOMPLETE AND IMPERFECT

Finally, each of the protagonists mentioned – along with many
others – is "incomplete" in some way. And also imperfect.

INCOMPLETE

By incomplete, I mean that there is a void in their lives. An
emptiness that needs filling. A lack that must be supplied.

This completion must occur in order for them to feel whole.
And so that they can fulfill their potential and sustain healthy
relationships.

It could be an emotional quality, a relationship, a situation,
an understanding, or a value.

A parent or parent-figure. Security. Tolerance. Self-esteem.
An opportunity for self-expression. Adventure. Friendship. Joy.
Direction. Love.

But something is missing from their lives. Something they *need*
in order to be a better, happier person.

This is one more way to hook the audience: they not only
sympathize, but they want to see the emptiness filled, or that
which is missing in the main character's life to be supplied. And
they are curious. Will it happen? If so, how? And when?

Frequently, that which is incomplete will be supplied by
achieving the goal – or from the process of achieving it.
Sometimes it's due to a meaningful relationship acquired during the
course of the story.

IMPERFECT

By imperfect – well, that's obvious. But too many scripts are
guilty of hero-worship. The characters are too good, with scarcely
a flaw or weakness. A few, of course, do just the opposite.

A perfect character is a dubious choice for two reasons. One,
we don't believe it. We aren't perfect, and we don't know anyone
in our own lives who is. So characters who are nearly perfect just
aren't plausible. We don't buy it.

Besides that, a perfect character tends to generate resentment
on our part. We see him or her as a "goody-two-shoes." To the
degree we accept their perfection, we are envious of it. And we
certainly don't identify with it.

So in creating a too good, too competent character, you give
the audience a character they resent, find implausible, and can't
identify or empathize with. Nice going.

EXAMPLES

Let's look at how our four representative protagonists are each
incomplete and imperfect.

Dorothy is incomplete because she feels that she doesn't have a
good home. She feel she lacks a family that accepts her and gives
her love and attention. She is imperfect because she is wrong
about that.

Schindler is incomplete because no matter how much money he
makes, his wealth will feel empty – he will feel alone – until
he learns to care about and connect with other people. And he
certainly, in the first half, is flawed. He's selfish, self-
absorbed, dishonest, manipulative, apathetic, and more.

Forrest feels incomplete without the love of the woman he loves
– a woman who accepts him for who he is and who has shown courage,
but cannot commit to him. Forrest's imperfections are mostly
physical flaws, not character flaws. But he's no saint. He does
have a temper.

Luke feels a need for adventure and meaning in his life. But
he at first lacks the courage and self-esteem to pursue it. Later,
the imperfections he must deal with are his temper and rash
impatience.

IN SUMMARY . . .

Every protagonist should be a distinct individual. But that
said, certain underlying traits may make for a more "viable"
protagonist than another equally interesting character who lacked
them.

Again, these are not the *main* personality characteristics.
Not at all. They are secondary, supplementary traits and
situational factors.

They're not right for every main character in every type of
story. But it helps to be aware of them. In brief, many
protagonists are:

1. UNLIKELY (to be heroic or to deal with a particular
situation).

2. RELUCTANT – at least initially.

3. STRONG-WILLED

4. OUTMATCHED

5. INCOMPLETE

6. IMPERFECT

Would your next protagonist be more effective with one or more
of these commonalities?


(Next: "Other Hidden Traits and Actions")


(TO BE CONTINUED ...)

(End of Issue 6; see Issue 7)
(To be sent tomorrow)

Copyright Jeff Newman, 2001

Note: In addition to my "Deluxe" Screenplay Evaluation, I now
offer a $300 Evaluation. Included: on-script notes, a tape
recording elaborating on the notes, 10 pages or more of written
evaluation -- 6 pages or more of written commentary, and a 4-page
checklist -- and a phone consultation.

For more information, please see my homepage (www.storynotes.net).

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