I read a script last week for a repeat client. It was a good script, had a good and suspenseful storyline, an ironic and interesting premise, and a deep and complex main character. It was an entertaining read, borderline thriller, and I enjoyed reading it very much. Yet, something was bugging me about it, and I realized that even though the writer had done a good job of creating a main character that I could sympathize with and put him in situations that were suspenseful, it wasn’t clear what the main goal of the character was.

Even if the story is character driven, your character needs to have a goal.

This character did have a sort of inner goal. The script had a terrific hook with the main character’s wife getting brutally raped and murdered as he was locked in the trunk of his car. It was a very effective way to draw the audience in, and that even shaped his character for the rest of the script. His inner need was healing, but it was never clear what his outer goal was, and how those two ideas were in conflict.

This all got me thinking about the difference between a script that is plot driven vs. one that is character-driven. Certainly there have been some great films over the years that were primarily character driven where it seemed like the character didn’t necessarily have an outer goal, but was looking for some sort of inner peace or fulfillment.

But the bottom line is that all stories good stories are about someone who wants something and has to go through a difficult time to get it.

So that means the first question you have to ask yourself is, “Who is this story about?” That means the second question you ask yourself is, “What does he/she want?” The most obvious way to find that out is a fill-in-the-bank exercise that I’ve written about before and learned from a screenwriting instructor that I had at USC:

This is a story about ________, who after _________ wants desperately to __________.

That’s your movie. When I finished reading my client’s script, I was able to fill in the first two blanks but not the third. Even in a character driven piece, it should be apparent what the main character wants. Without that, there’s not a lot of point in watching the film, because how can an audience really root for someone when they don’t know what they’re rooting for, other than for good things to happen to him, but that isn’t nearly focused enough to carry a whole film.

Think about that fill-in-the-blank exercise. If you don’t have all three blanks filled in, then you don’t have a movie.

At Monument Script services, we specialize in character and story development. If you have a character whose goal is illusive, we can help you find it. Click the link below to see how.

http://monumentscripts.com/service/