Abstract
This chapter details eight critical questions the writer answers to generate a Protagonist Character Treatment. Who is my Protagonist? Who or what is opposing my Protagonist? What does my Protagonist want? What does my Protagonist need? What are the stakes in the story for my Protagonist? What does my Protagonist fear the most? What is the synthesis of the Protagonist’s want and need? Why does this story have to happen to this Protagonist at this time? This exercise grounds the breaking story process in the life of this most important character. In addition to references to several notable movies and television series, this chapter provides an example of a Protagonist Character Treatment for the Pixar movie Up.
Author’s note:
As indicated previously, there is no right way to write. Every writer is different. Every story is different. The same pertains to breaking story. The process presented in the next six chapters is one I have taught to thousands of writers. Indeed, it is the foundation of an undergraduate and graduate level college course called Story Development at the DePaul University film school where I teach. This process has proved to be successful in guiding writers from story concept to outline. This stage of story development is critical in that it exponentially increases the odds a writer will not only get from Fade In to Fade Out, but also their initial pass at the material will result in a solid first draft. That said, the character-driven approach to story prep detailed in Part III is a way to tackle the process, not necessarily the way. I encourage writers to feel free to adapt this method to best fit their unique creative practices and instincts.
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Notes
- 1.
It is possible for the Central Character and Protagonist to be different characters. For example, one way to interpret the movie Little Miss Sunshine is that Olive is the Central Character: It is her goal—to win the Little Miss Sunshine pageant competition—which drives the whole plot culminating in her performance on stage. However, the characters who go through the most significant metamorphosis around the theme of success and failure are Richard, Frank, and Duane, who can be considered Co-Protagonists.
- 2.
Stories may have more than one Protagonist. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Trading Places are examples of Co-Protagonists, two characters who interact throughout a majority of the story and whose arcs are parallel in nature. The Shawshank Redemption is an example of a Dual Protagonist narrative for although Andy and Red interact throughout the narrative, each has a distinct transformation arc. The Hangover, Horrible Bosses, and Book Club are examples of Multiple Protagonist stories in which several Protagonists have their own individual transformation arc as well as an overall arc for the group itself. In contrast, movies like Magnolia, Crash, Traffic, and Babel are examples of multi-linear narratives which track several individual Protagonists connected by some sort of plot and/or thematic elements whether they intersect directly with each other or not. In any case, the writer must treat each character as a Protagonist in their own right for that is their experience of the story universe.
- 3.
In It’s a Wonderful Life, the Protagonist (George Bailey) never achieves his want: travel the world, build skyscrapers. Even though his existence is largely one of reacting to circumstances which happen to him, he manages to carve out a meaningful life in Bedford Falls, even if it takes an angelic intervention to help him realize that fact.
- 4.
“Word Into Image: Writers on Screenwriting: Robert Towne,” DVD, 30 min, American Film Foundation, 1984.
- 5.
Read Chapter 9 for an in-depth analysis of the Nemesis as the projection of a Protagonist’s shadow.
- 6.
Go into the Story interview: Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Scott Myers (editor), Go Into The Story, November 12, 2020, https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/go-into-the-story-interview-javier-grillo-marxuach-ab7b9970b613.
References
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McCullah, K. and Smith, K. (screenplay), Brown, A (novel) (2001). Legally Blonde; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
Myers, S. (editor) (2020). Interview: Javier Grillo-Marxuach; Go Into the Story.
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Peterson, B. and Docter, P. (screenplay), Docter, P., Peterson, B. and McCarthy, T. (story) (2008). Up; Walt Disney Pictures / Pixar Animation Studios.
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Myers, S. (2022). Breaking Story I Protagonist Character Treatment. In: The Protagonist's Journey. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79682-2_15
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