I read a guide to help with rewriting my script. It asked me, is your hero the best character for that part? I'm like "of course he is. I made him." How would you know whether or not your hero is the best he can be for the part?
Screenwriting : The Best Character for your script's Hero... by Nikki April Lee
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Laura, you've perfectly described a Farce protagonist. They cannot help but cause trouble.
Hi guys I am new to this website.
@ David , its nice to be here
when he is doing studip thing than one can expect as he continue causing problems for him self , and his stregth to challange villain must be too law or nothing [weak] i mean if a hero is not an idiot that pretends to know and yet he knows nothing , then there is no screenplay for me , that's if your buliding on suspense , but if your blending the two , or going tension only , then i think you hero must be too weak to get him self from shit/death row when he is been hanged by villian , whether emotional or physically , i think we both agree that the more he suffers by either his weak mind or body that's the more we sympathize and we can not call him a hero unless he does what we felt was too much for us to handle or tolorate . happy new year Nikki
Hi Nikki - great question! I believe that story emanates from character, so it's not just ANY character that can drive a particular plot. Luke Skywalker is already itching to leave his uncle's farm, he's already a hot-headed, impulsive guy, so he's the perfect guy to find the 'droids that get him caught up in saving the princess. Elliot in "ET" is already an outsider (check out the early scene where he wants to join a board game with big brother and friends) so he's perfectly suited to discover a creature COMPLETELY out of his element, and want to help him. So maybe another way you can tackle the question is this - why is your protagonist not just well suited to drive your plot, but the best-and-only character to drive your plot. What is it about the "compelling question" at the center of your story that ONLY your protagonist can find the answer to? Every good script has a compelling question. Will Luke save Princess Leia? Can a 3rd rate boxer go the distance against the world heavyweight champ? Will an off duty NYC cop save the hostages (including his wife) in an LA skyscraper? Once the question is clear, you can modify your character so he/she has the special qualities necessary to triumph, and (as others have pointed out) enough flaws to make him human, likeable, and an obstacle to his own desires. Happy Writing!
@Julian very good point made about sympathizing with the hero. @Jim I never thought to create a compelling question for my script. It helps to understand what exactly my hero needs to do to succeed in the end.