Whiplash may actually be challenging the whole storytelling premise of choice/free will on a philosophical level where compulsion consumes choice and compels greatness even as loss and self-destruction mount.
A good lie a character believes in is like a drop of blood a shark cannot resist. Viewers are hungry to see to the end if that lie is compelling and relatable!
For anyone who has seen Matt Reeves' The Batman, it's not only visual style and genre that is lifted from Se7en - Batman's entire character arc mirrors Somerset's, with The Riddler representing John Doe's exaggeration of this core belief. Super interesting!
This is an extremely relevant tutorial on making character arcs. It simplifies the task of tracing characters in the story without complicating the ideas.
I have to give it to you man, after reading dozens of books on screenwriting and taking other online courses yours has absolutely been the most informative. Where other books and courses try to lock you into a constrictive structure, or just lack the info of what actions to take to move the story along, yours has an entirely different and eye opening approach. Your method really gives the power back to the writer and has inspired me to stop worrying so much about structure and just write the darn thing. Thank you for making this openly available to all creatives and sharing your knowledge with the masses. You're doing a huge service to us all.
some good stuff here - the importance of the midpoint cannot be overstated. The midpoint MUST be a choice - not an external event - by making that choice, they can NEVER go back to who they were at the beginning of the story
Captain Willard is a flat arc character. He knows from the beginning that the meek shall inherit the earth, and he causes a change in Kurtz. Although Willard's introspection at the beginning of the film brings him to an unresolved conflict without a method, and he knows that he is a ghost who can never go home again, he postpones his inner turmoil by being occupied. He has a mission. Notice how Willard is the only one who had it together, on the mission. All of the others on the boat would die, except Lance. Each one had a kind of incompleteness and frustration, as in Chief and Chef. Clean was too immature, though Lance is the searching meek who will inherit the earth. On the journey, Willard explores how Col. Kurtz descended into darkness, resulting in Kurts being marked for death by his superiors, and Willard's mission. However, in the end, a changed Kurtz is merciful. He spares Williard's life. Although Kurtz murdered many, he wouldn't kill one of his own who is that remarkable soldier that Kurtz wished he had, in order to win the war (Go to Kurtz's monologue about the inoculations and the VC's courage to chop off the children's arms). Therefore, Kurtz is the one who changes. Willard goes out of the story, the way he came in -- another mission completed, and how he would come to terms with his own inner demons, remains a mystery, and perhaps, another story.
this is beyond helpful. In our filmschool, we just read mckee`s book and that was it. thank you so much for these videos, it really gives me the medium in which to make my ideas come alive.
Omg... this is plot guys.. Character arc is the STORY and plot is what happens for the arc to come true, damn it! XD how did I NOT see this all this year's.. My mind is blown.. and then he goes:"but a character arc can be even more interesting than this." Me:"yes, teach me sensei." Thank you man. I've been doing a lot of this subconscious as probably many people are, but this gives me a true direction.
Man, I have been stuck with my script for a few weeks already (its my first time writing a script for my scriptwriting class) and I just gotta say your videos really are helping in moving forward with my storytelling. Thank you and keep it up!!!
Daniel Plainview. I think something remarkable about this character is the relationship he has with childrens (HW and also the blond girl) this gives him another dimension and a layer above the fact that he is moved almost only by power and ambition. Is like a compassionate side of him.
Yeah absolutely, it's such a great piece of writing IMO. Even though Daniel is a reprehensible character he still has some humanity in him, but I think what makes it really great is that it isn't really explored in depth. The writing presents the complexity of humans; he's not truly evil and isn't an archetype, but we don't get to hear his tragic backstory and why he defends the blonde girl so fiercely, , and we don't get anything to overly humanize him. The writing just presents this complex, multilayered character and let's the audience come up with their own moral judgment of who he is
I really love Jack Thompson's s Character arc in the Peggy Carter series...the gradual change he has in his life due to Carter was amazing. The best part is that they don't change him from a so-called bad guy to a good guy... They add more depth to his already layered character... I love characters who're neither completely good nor completely bad... By the way...thanks Tyler for helping me out!!!
So a "ghost" is a traumatic event in a characters past that haunts them and is a pivotal reason for the lie they hold throughout the story? its great to learn about stories haha movies are crazy
I dont want to become a writer or something but I love your channel because Its super interesting to looking for the pattern you explain in the movies series novel I like
Nice video for anyone who doesn't know this stuff already. Good of you to share to them. Good point about Plainview. My favorite flat character arcs: Gladiator Rudy Forrest Gump Uncut Gems 12 Years A Slave Ratatouille To Kill A Mockingbird Philadelphia Glory Rocky I'm not normally a fan of flat character arcs but when they work for me, they work big time.
Thank you for all of these videos, great job, they have been so helpfull. I've started to analyze all the people around me, friends and family under these arches and it's amazing how organic it is. Each could be a perfectly written character.
I just want to say thank you, your videos are really helpfull. Unfortunaly I can't afford your course (the dolar in Brazil is six time more expensive), but one day I'll. Continue doing this wonderful work!
Hi, Tyler. I really love your videos. I think you should see Abbie Emmons, another author in UA-cam. She too talks about internal conflict in her videos. I think you both will learn a lot from each other.
An example of the flat arc character is Sam from the movie Charly based on the book by Jack Weyland. His truth is the teachings of repentance and eternal marriage. Charly challenges his belief in the truth. She changes throughout the story by her conversion. I guess that would make hers a change arc.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! You realy endevour in this explaining. Calm voice, and great insights into the subjectmatter. I am at the beginning of my writting / scenario / director carrier. And am watching videos of such sort. Your this one was exceptional. I will watch more of your content. Keep up the good work man. You are heaven sent for people like us, the beginners. :)
As an Indian, the Western World is relatively easy for me to cope with because the World view there (my belief) is largely black or white. As we move Eastwards, we struggle to make peace between between profound truth and blatant lies. .Life is a mass of grey; neither black nor white. Do you have an archetype (arc) that deals with the ironies of life where the jury is still out? Something that can resolve an open ended arc? Thanks for a thought provoking video.
What do you think about RRR? Ram is a ruthless fellow who can do anything to get on his goals, be it beating the shit out of anyone, sacrificing people like a goat, even betraying his best friend. All these are negative traits of a character. But the movie justified them with his past story as how as a child he has to watch his family die due to britishers and even has to sacrifice his father to save the village. So now he is fulfilling his father's dream to start a revolution- A hero here. So these 2 traits makes him an anti hero and a character with shades of gray.
Wow. This is so helpful. I am taking note of all of this. This will really help out my film-making journey. If there are no character arcs, there is nothing that would be considered beneficial after a film. This is so great to see what characters arcs are composed of in its raw form. Amazing work!
In whiplash I think fletcher was the truth but a corrupted version. and the guy was willing to go, but then fletcher tried to put him down, so the guy shows fletcher that he is wrong on the lie or corrupted truth. the father and the family are a comfortable appealing lie, stay home babe, you can stay with us, give up your dreams, spend time with family, we love you and we support you. that's the lie, because we know how they put him down, that's the truth, a twisted love for family, and a twisted love for music, he finds out his love for music is more important, and he also finds out that fletcher at some point started to lie, to crush him down, so he has himself and the music.
I didn't realise that Kate Macer was following a disillusionment arc. but now you've shown it, it sounds rather simple: the world turns out to be more complicated than Kate initially thought. In other words; she was disillusionalised about it.
@@ghostofdeath663 This should've been obvious from the beginning, the actor is just that, an actor, they may contribute to a story but why we credit them with the quality of a story has always been beyond me.
@@sdprz7893 yeah I always say this good performance doesn't equal a good character both performance and writing are completely two seperate things people are dumbed down to think that the actors wrote down the whole thing but it's mostly up to the writer than is to the actor in other words the director and writers make and finish the character and the actor comes very last, no matter how well you act the character maybe decent at best depends on how you are written acting doesn't work for this argument........
In a flat arc you can do something that Christopher Nolan did in the Dark Knight Trilogy. Batman's villains challenge his rule of no kill by being psychopaths, the worst kind of humans, Bane has a goal and the Joker has a goal. But Joker's dialogue is delicious and soo accurate for his character that most of us only watch The Dark Knight instead of the entire trilogy
the "seeing an extreme of himself is what got him to finally change" part reminded me of my own "character" arc lol... but I can't really put mine in fiction bc it's kinda a tired trope
Thanks for putting out great content with each video. Would love to see your analysis of plot development and character arc of Amy Adams in The Woman in the Window
I've just subscribed today, but these videos have already helped me a lot. I can't belive how much about writing I was able to learn in such a short time. And subject of character arcs is probably my favorite. When I listen about it I can't help, but think "Death Note". It's actually a manga/anime. (There are a few movie adaptations, but I do not recommend them) The character arc of the protagonist is probably the best I've ever seen and the philosophical conflict is a masterpiece. It's so nice to see these concept explained. I think like I'm so much closer to finishing my script. Sorry if my English is bad.
@James Lucas Sorry for a long answer, but Yeah - Light started using death note because he believed that killing bad people is the right thing to do if they wanted to reach world where good people can life peacefully. And it did work, but not everyone shared his opinions. Some people say the opposite side of conflict was represented by L, but I don't really agree. We don't know if L was doing it for justice or Maybe just from boredom. I think it's the task force. It' obvious that they considered Kira's actions evil and did not support fighting crimes with crimes. And as the story progressed Light lost the sight from his original motivations to kill, but he was still doing it and the world have been already split in two groups. First- carrying on his beliefs and second- thinking he's a Monster. So conflict stays the same. To put it simply I belive it's about using any means to reach the goal. Is it morally right to break the law if the goal is noble?
Also there's Matsuda who was just confused. I just thaught that I should add this since I didn't specify that not every one in task force fully disagreed with Kira.
Also, I don't think Whiplash works as a negative fall arc. The supposed worse lie isn't that much worse than the original lie you say he believed. He got what he wanted and no one around him went down in flames with him because of his actions. Everyone is happy, really. There is nothing wrong with believing that "achieving greatness will make him feel fulfilled," depending on what one's definition of greatness is. In his case it involves him being a great drummer. There really isn't anything wrong with that, is there? It might work better as what you christened the open arc ending. I would even say that it works best as a negative corruption arc even though he won his goal in the end.
Yeah, but he gave up people who actually cared for him, to sell his soul to a guy who only wanted this from him. Sure, it works out in the short term, but how far do you actually go like this? Remember how this other great student committed suicide and Fletcher lied about why it happened? He seemed like he was sad that he lost this rare find, not about the actual person he drove into suicide. Detaching yourself from people who actually care for you only gets you so far.
Hey Tyler, what makes your screenwriting course different from others? I’m thinking about take your course, but I want to know what sets you apart from other online courses?
If you want to take any course like this, you don't ask the person selling you it, you will obviously get a biased answer. You do your own research and make an informed decision. You follow this principle, not just in this scenario but in every situation where you have to buy anything from anyone, you will save yourself both time and money, as well as protect yourself from scams(Not saying he is, he's very informative)
@@activelifetransformation no good deed goes unpunished. Your reply was wonderful and useful for any reader to evaluate choices. Thank you for what you wrote. Know at least someone thanks you, even if you didn't write it in order to be thanked.
GREAT video. I realize I tend to write Positive Change arcs, and don't like most movies with Negative Change arcs. I enjoy Flat Arc characters (aka Traveling Angels) in comedies.
I really like this video but something about it has been bothering me. You say that Katniss is a flat arc character but wouldn't her arc be more like a hero's journey? I also love the way you give two perspectives on Whiplash but it made me think about what makes something a "lie" and "the truth". Personal opinions?
@François Whyte thanks for this! Between this and reading the book he talks about it's so much clearer. There is a stark difference between those two journeys. I guess it's just interesting how even tho the arcs are different there's much overlap between the heros journey and what Katniss goes through
Isn't Disillusionment Arc and Corruption Arc the same? I think it is. In both, the character tries to hold high moral ground at the beginning and ends up with accepting the more piratical way.
I wouldn't say so. As in the disillusionment arc, the character does not necessarily become corrupt themselves, they just understand that they may have to let bad things happen for good things to happen. Ie: killing cartel boss in a non legal way.
Write what the character wants as the external story. See Raiders of the Lost Ark. Jones wants to covet artifacts. He is a man without love. Towards the end, he must choose between the ark and Marion, the woman he abandoned. Write what the character needs (inside) to change his beliefs as the internal story with the character arc, as seen in the video. Then, just after the end of Act II, the character will encounter the revelation where he realizes his beliefs are wrong and changes for the better (positive arc) by giving up the foolish outer material pursuit. This scene is known as the obligatory scene. On the other hand, if the character comes across the truth and refuses to change, the worst befalls him (negative arc) Watch some movies that are nearly two hours long. You will see and feel the obligatory scene at around an hour and thirty-five to thirty-seven minutes into the film.
This is incredible. I don’t know if you agree but, as a huge Star Wars fan, I believe Rey (the main protagonists of the most recent, Sequel Trilogy) has a really great, under-appreciated and misunderstood positive change arc. Rey’s ‘Lie’ - unconsciously believing she is inherently worthless - someone born unable to be valuable or worthy. Rey’s ‘Want’ - To become a Jedi, defeat the dark side and bring peace to the Galaxy. Rey’s ‘Need’ - To acknowledge, confront and overcome her irrational belief that she is innately worthless and not worthy of being anything - especially a Jedi. Rey’s ‘Arc’ - Rey confronts Palpatine (the personification and symbol of Rey’s ‘Lie’) within the bowels of Exegol (the symbol of the depths of Rey’s unconscious mind) and rejects his exclamations - “You are NOTHING! A scavenger girl is no match for the power in me” (again, the representation of Rey’s ‘Lie’) and, instead, embraces the new truth, that she isn’t an inherently worthless person and, in fact, is worthy of being a Jedi and has value after all.
I love Tyler's videos and get a lot out of them, but I just wanted to point out something about Hunger Games. Katniss isn't a flat arc character. She starts believing that *Cooperation with tyranny is the only way to survive.* She believes that there is NO way to prevail against the Capitol. She scoffs at Gale's wish to run away and again the idea of having kids - to the point of anger. Dreams are stupid. In Pinch 1 she tells Peeta that they are, in fact, only pawns in the Capitol's game - implying that there is no way to show them otherwise and at least die as themselves. She tells the team that the only reason she shot the pig was they made her mad - it wasn't rebellious. Rue's death again makes her angry and she acts out - but in the book you see that THAT is her first act of rebellion - ever. In the past she was too afraid to even speak, lest Prim copy her and die. In the book she's so angry about Rue that she finally lifts her eyes off the tributes as antagonist and thinks about the Capitol that way. The funeral is an act of rebellion and the Berry Trick is as well. Both times she has premeditation about what it will mean and does it anyway. She's acting out Peeta's wish with Rue and in the Berry Trick she has learned that *Cooperation with tyranny is death.*
Hey Tyler. I am a filmmaker, and I have written a screenplay as this will be my second (short) film. So is there any way that you can review it and share some ideas?
"characters arcs are ultimately the whole point of fiction" Lou Bloom has entered chat You don't need a character to change, you can have him/her stay the same and it can be just as compelling like nightcrawler
Get Practical Tools to Write Your Great Screenplay: www.practicalscreenwriting.com
Whiplash may actually be challenging the whole storytelling premise of choice/free will on a philosophical level where compulsion consumes choice and compels greatness even as loss and self-destruction mount.
I thought this video had a million views or something, it's quality was spectacular, thank you for this.
A good lie a character believes in is like a drop of blood a shark cannot resist. Viewers are hungry to see to the end if that lie is compelling and relatable!
This is some Tarantino-like analogy
Do you have an example of a lie like this?
@@Author_SoftwareDesigner donald trump is orange
@@notverypogfanticy is better then reality,because reality hert me,so im chooseing fanticy?...
Its still about trump,but different.
@thatonscreen does mine count as a example or not?...
For anyone who has seen Matt Reeves' The Batman, it's not only visual style and genre that is lifted from Se7en - Batman's entire character arc mirrors Somerset's, with The Riddler representing John Doe's exaggeration of this core belief. Super interesting!
This is an extremely relevant tutorial on making character arcs. It simplifies the task of tracing characters in the story without complicating the ideas.
I have to give it to you man, after reading dozens of books on screenwriting and taking other online courses yours has absolutely been the most informative. Where other books and courses try to lock you into a constrictive structure, or just lack the info of what actions to take to move the story along, yours has an entirely different and eye opening approach. Your method really gives the power back to the writer and has inspired me to stop worrying so much about structure and just write the darn thing. Thank you for making this openly available to all creatives and sharing your knowledge with the masses. You're doing a huge service to us all.
some good stuff here - the importance of the midpoint cannot be overstated. The midpoint MUST be a choice - not an external event - by making that choice, they can NEVER go back to who they were at the beginning of the story
hey rick
Probably the clearest, piece by piece breakdown of character arc construction I've found for beginners. Thanks for the video
Your comment seems a little condescending.
@@Mitch-nx2ic How?
This is the first time I hear an explanation like this, it's eye opening to me. Thanks!
Captain Willard is a flat arc character. He knows from the beginning that the meek shall inherit the earth, and he causes a change in Kurtz. Although Willard's introspection at the beginning of the film brings him to an unresolved conflict without a method, and he knows that he is a ghost who can never go home again, he postpones his inner turmoil by being occupied. He has a mission.
Notice how Willard is the only one who had it together, on the mission. All of the others on the boat would die, except Lance. Each one had a kind of incompleteness and frustration, as in Chief and Chef. Clean was too immature, though Lance is the searching meek who will inherit the earth. On the journey, Willard explores how Col. Kurtz descended into darkness, resulting in Kurts being marked for death by his superiors, and Willard's mission. However, in the end, a changed Kurtz is merciful. He spares Williard's life. Although Kurtz murdered many, he wouldn't kill one of his own who is that remarkable soldier that Kurtz wished he had, in order to win the war (Go to Kurtz's monologue about the inoculations and the VC's courage to chop off the children's arms). Therefore, Kurtz is the one who changes.
Willard goes out of the story, the way he came in -- another mission completed, and how he would come to terms with his own inner demons, remains a mystery, and perhaps, another story.
this is beyond helpful. In our filmschool, we just read mckee`s book and that was it. thank you so much for these videos, it really gives me the medium in which to make my ideas come alive.
You inspire me so much, dude. I really appreciate all your work! 🙋🏻♂️ You're AWESOME
Denis Alcantara
Are you looking for a love heart there man?
One of the best screenwriting channels on youtube
Omg... this is plot guys.. Character arc is the STORY and plot is what happens for the arc to come true, damn it! XD how did I NOT see this all this year's..
My mind is blown.. and then he goes:"but a character arc can be even more interesting than this."
Me:"yes, teach me sensei."
Thank you man. I've been doing a lot of this subconscious as probably many people are, but this gives me a true direction.
Man, I have been stuck with my script for a few weeks already (its my first time writing a script for my scriptwriting class) and I just gotta say your videos really are helping in moving forward with my storytelling. Thank you and keep it up!!!
Daniel Plainview. I think something remarkable about this character is the relationship he has with childrens (HW and also the blond girl) this gives him another dimension and a layer above the fact that he is moved almost only by power and ambition. Is like a compassionate side of him.
Yeah absolutely, it's such a great piece of writing IMO. Even though Daniel is a reprehensible character he still has some humanity in him, but I think what makes it really great is that it isn't really explored in depth. The writing presents the complexity of humans; he's not truly evil and isn't an archetype, but we don't get to hear his tragic backstory and why he defends the blonde girl so fiercely, , and we don't get anything to overly humanize him. The writing just presents this complex, multilayered character and let's the audience come up with their own moral judgment of who he is
Let’s be real, we knew he would cover Michael Corleone in the corruption arc.
Every single video about it does lol. It's such a great film
this is literally the most useful and the clearest video i'v seen on internet thank you so much a lot of love
I really love Jack Thompson's s Character arc in the Peggy Carter series...the gradual change he has in his life due to Carter was amazing.
The best part is that they don't change him from a so-called bad guy to a good guy...
They add more depth to his already layered character...
I love characters who're neither completely good nor completely bad...
By the way...thanks Tyler for helping me out!!!
absolute stunning work thank you so much for this, you're videos are not just informative but inspiring too
I would love to see an "Apocalypse Now" analysis from you about character arc and how the story moves deeper into the darkness.
So a "ghost" is a traumatic event in a characters past that haunts them and is a pivotal reason for the lie they hold throughout the story? its great to learn about stories haha movies are crazy
dude you need more subs. This is criminally underrated...
gotta love that the ad i got on this Tyler Mowery video was an ad for a Tyler Mowery video.
I dont want to become a writer or something but I love your channel because Its super interesting to looking for the pattern you explain in the movies series novel I like
What a masterpiece of a video! Great analysis, more of this please!
Nice video for anyone who doesn't know this stuff already. Good of you to share to them.
Good point about Plainview.
My favorite flat character arcs:
Gladiator
Rudy
Forrest Gump
Uncut Gems
12 Years A Slave
Ratatouille
To Kill A Mockingbird
Philadelphia
Glory
Rocky
I'm not normally a fan of flat character arcs but when they work for me, they work big time.
Wow, thank you for putting in all of this work. I learned so much from this as character arcs have been my biggest struggle.
Great information!!! I have watched a few of these channels and you dig in deeper and have better instruction than most. Much appreciated!!!!!!!
Tommy Lee Jones in No Country for Old Men is a good negative arc example.
Do you think it's a Disillusionment arc?
@@zaianmiguel Yeah.
@@TomEyeTheSFMguy The np country for old men arc? Yes?
@@zaianmiguel yeah.
I'm loving your videos and started binge watching them, so glad I found this channel. Keep up the fantastic work!
Aside from the fact that this was extremely helpful, I especially appreciate the fact that my man kept in all of plainview's iconic lines.
Thank you for all of these videos, great job, they have been so helpfull. I've started to analyze all the people around me, friends and family under these arches and it's amazing how organic it is. Each could be a perfectly written character.
These videos are always top notch, great stuff!
Thank you, Tyler. You're such a blessing.
This has to be the most rewound video on screenwriting. Thanks man!
I just want to say thank you, your videos are really helpfull. Unfortunaly I can't afford your course (the dolar in Brazil is six time more expensive), but one day I'll. Continue doing this wonderful work!
This is packed with so much educational content, thank you so much!
Whenever i get stuck in a story, i always told myself to watch this guy's channel and see if it works
So insightful. Brilliantly done. Thank you very much!
Thank you so MUCH!!! This is an important part I overlooked on my first draft. You are sharing great information!
Brilliant video! Loved it,Subscribed and pressed the bell icon. Cheers!
in love with your videos, it help me so much to outline my screenplay!!! keep it up Tyler!
Hi, Tyler. I really love your videos. I think you should see Abbie Emmons, another author in UA-cam. She too talks about internal conflict in her videos. I think you both will learn a lot from each other.
Another example of _Flat Arc Character_ is in the movie *The Shawshank Redemption* .
Thanks for the tips will sure use them in the future and keep doing your good work cause you've helped me
An example of the flat arc character is Sam from the movie Charly based on the book by Jack Weyland. His truth is the teachings of repentance and eternal marriage. Charly challenges his belief in the truth. She changes throughout the story by her conversion. I guess that would make hers a change arc.
Your videos are helping me so much! Great job man 👌
Thank you, thank you, thank you! You realy endevour in this explaining. Calm voice, and great insights into the subjectmatter. I am at the beginning of my writting / scenario / director carrier. And am watching videos of such sort. Your this one was exceptional. I will watch more of your content. Keep up the good work man. You are heaven sent for people like us, the beginners. :)
Im actually a fan of the flat character arc. Those stories are more compelling. Thanks for your videos. They are very informative.
I would say SEVEN is very poetic. It may be a gross movie,yet, it's a great story.
As an Indian, the Western World is relatively easy for me to cope with because the World view there (my belief) is largely black or white.
As we move Eastwards, we struggle to make peace between between profound truth and blatant lies.
.Life is a mass of grey; neither black nor white.
Do you have an archetype (arc) that deals with the ironies of life where the jury is still out?
Something that can resolve an open ended arc? Thanks for a thought provoking video.
What do you think about RRR? Ram is a ruthless fellow who can do anything to get on his goals, be it beating the shit out of anyone, sacrificing people like a goat, even betraying his best friend. All these are negative traits of a character. But the movie justified them with his past story as how as a child he has to watch his family die due to britishers and even has to sacrifice his father to save the village. So now he is fulfilling his father's dream to start a revolution- A hero here.
So these 2 traits makes him an anti hero and a character with shades of gray.
Wow. This is so helpful. I am taking note of all of this. This will really help out my film-making journey. If there are no character arcs, there is nothing that would be considered beneficial after a film. This is so great to see what characters arcs are composed of in its raw form. Amazing work!
I know I’ve said this like twenty times but you just keep showing up on different channels
Yep. I love movies
Yep. Character arcs are so important.
True examples of flat arc i can think of : Forrest Gump and Paddington Bear.
This video is perfect. It's one of those videos that I'll have to revisit from time to time. Great work man!
In whiplash I think fletcher was the truth but a corrupted version. and the guy was willing to go, but then fletcher tried to put him down, so the guy shows fletcher that he is wrong on the lie or corrupted truth. the father and the family are a comfortable appealing lie, stay home babe, you can stay with us, give up your dreams, spend time with family, we love you and we support you. that's the lie, because we know how they put him down, that's the truth, a twisted love for family, and a twisted love for music, he finds out his love for music is more important, and he also finds out that fletcher at some point started to lie, to crush him down, so he has himself and the music.
Yeah, he stop playing for fletcher and starts playing for himself.
Incredible job, man. Please, keep going.
Best video on character arcs I ever came across!
The music you use in your videos is very soothing. I love it.
@Tyler Mowery You are amazing in your understanding and articulation of the higher levels of story, script structure at a A List level.
I didn't realise that Kate Macer was following a disillusionment arc. but now you've shown it, it sounds rather simple: the world turns out to be more complicated than Kate initially thought. In other words; she was disillusionalised about it.
Can’t wait to watch this once I’m done working! Had to drop a quick like though.
Just came across this channel today. What an incredible resource. 👏 Bravo!
character arks: the narrative you want to enforce
BINGO
So in other words the quality of the character is mostly up to the writer than is to the actor......
@@ghostofdeath663 This should've been obvious from the beginning, the actor is just that, an actor, they may contribute to a story but why we credit them with the quality of a story has always been beyond me.
@@sdprz7893 yeah I always say this good performance doesn't equal a good character both performance and writing are completely two seperate things people are dumbed down to think that the actors wrote down the whole thing but it's mostly up to the writer than is to the actor in other words the director and writers make and finish the character and the actor comes very last, no matter how well you act the character maybe decent at best depends on how you are written acting doesn't work for this argument........
@@ghostofdeath663 Agreed
Wow! throughout my viewings of video essays on film and TV, this helped a bunch. Thank you!
In a flat arc you can do something that Christopher Nolan did in the Dark Knight Trilogy. Batman's villains challenge his rule of no kill by being psychopaths, the worst kind of humans, Bane has a goal and the Joker has a goal. But Joker's dialogue is delicious and soo accurate for his character that most of us only watch The Dark Knight instead of the entire trilogy
K.M. Weiland's book is pretty much the Bible of writing characters and character arcs.
the "seeing an extreme of himself is what got him to finally change" part reminded me of my own "character" arc lol... but I can't really put mine in fiction bc it's kinda a tired trope
Most powerful video about Character Arc explained. Thank You Tyler..:)
John Murphy from the 100 has the best character arc I’ve ever seen
I believe character arch is about change. In other words it's learning. Thank you Tyler
This is so helpful! You're doing amazing work.
Thanks for putting out great content with each video. Would love to see your analysis of plot development and character arc of Amy Adams in The Woman in the Window
Tyler, you are sooooo young, to be so "story wise". Better than many execs at the major studios.
I've just subscribed today, but these videos have already helped me a lot. I can't belive how much about writing I was able to learn in such a short time. And subject of character arcs is probably my favorite. When I listen about it I can't help, but think "Death Note". It's actually a manga/anime. (There are a few movie adaptations, but I do not recommend them) The character arc of the protagonist is probably the best I've ever seen and the philosophical conflict is a masterpiece. It's so nice to see these concept explained. I think like I'm so much closer to finishing my script.
Sorry if my English is bad.
@James Lucas Oh, That's nice to know and I mean both of that. I'm so glad people know Death Note.
@James Lucas Sorry for a long answer, but Yeah - Light started using death note because he believed that killing bad people is the right thing to do if they wanted to reach world where good people can life peacefully. And it did work, but not everyone shared his opinions. Some people say the opposite side of conflict was represented by L, but I don't really agree. We don't know if L was doing it for justice or Maybe just from boredom. I think it's the task force. It' obvious that they considered Kira's actions evil and did not support fighting crimes with crimes. And as the story progressed Light lost the sight from his original motivations to kill, but he was still doing it and the world have been already split in two groups. First- carrying on his beliefs and second- thinking he's a Monster. So conflict stays the same. To put it simply I belive it's about using any means to reach the goal. Is it morally right to break the law if the goal is noble?
Also there's Matsuda who was just confused. I just thaught that I should add this since I didn't specify that not every one in task force fully disagreed with Kira.
@James Lucas I will wach it. Also I recommend Death Note the Musical. It's so underappreciated. and no proplem.
you are amazing!!! Great video. Thank you!!!!!
Awesome videos man
12:52 When I left my Tomagachi at school.
😂😂😂
Also, I don't think Whiplash works as a negative fall arc. The supposed worse lie isn't that much worse than the original lie you say he believed. He got what he wanted and no one around him went down in flames with him because of his actions. Everyone is happy, really.
There is nothing wrong with believing that "achieving greatness will make him feel fulfilled," depending on what one's definition of greatness is. In his case it involves him being a great drummer. There really isn't anything wrong with that, is there?
It might work better as what you christened the open arc ending. I would even say that it works best as a negative corruption arc even though he won his goal in the end.
Yeah, but he gave up people who actually cared for him, to sell his soul to a guy who only wanted this from him. Sure, it works out in the short term, but how far do you actually go like this? Remember how this other great student committed suicide and Fletcher lied about why it happened? He seemed like he was sad that he lost this rare find, not about the actual person he drove into suicide. Detaching yourself from people who actually care for you only gets you so far.
Hey Tyler, what makes your screenwriting course different from others? I’m thinking about take your course, but I want to know what sets you apart from other online courses?
If you want to take any course like this, you don't ask the person selling you it, you will obviously get a biased answer. You do your own research and make an informed decision.
You follow this principle, not just in this scenario but in every situation where you have to buy anything from anyone, you will save yourself both time and money, as well as protect yourself from scams(Not saying he is, he's very informative)
@@activelifetransformation Why are you responding to my comment that was made 2 months ago?
@@TheMainMan364 Because my reply is not just for you, but anybody else who's also gonna read it.
Did you manage to get a course good for you?
@@activelifetransformation no good deed goes unpunished. Your reply was wonderful and useful for any reader to evaluate choices. Thank you for what you wrote. Know at least someone thanks you, even if you didn't write it in order to be thanked.
Pretty excellent masterclass on character arc with examples... spiffy!!
GREAT video. I realize I tend to write Positive Change arcs, and don't like most movies with Negative Change arcs. I enjoy Flat Arc characters (aka Traveling Angels) in comedies.
Thank you so much for sharing this insightful and very beneficial information. May God bless you all
thank you once again for annother insightful video. now i have to adjust my templates and incorporate.
I really like this video but something about it has been bothering me. You say that Katniss is a flat arc character but wouldn't her arc be more like a hero's journey? I also love the way you give two perspectives on Whiplash but it made me think about what makes something a "lie" and "the truth". Personal opinions?
@François Whyte thanks for this! Between this and reading the book he talks about it's so much clearer. There is a stark difference between those two journeys. I guess it's just interesting how even tho the arcs are different there's much overlap between the heros journey and what Katniss goes through
Isn't Disillusionment Arc and Corruption Arc the same? I think it is.
In both, the character tries to hold high moral ground at the beginning and ends up with accepting the more piratical way.
I wouldn't say so. As in the disillusionment arc, the character does not necessarily become corrupt themselves, they just understand that they may have to let bad things happen for good things to happen. Ie: killing cartel boss in a non legal way.
Just subscribed. This video is really helpful, keep up the good work 👍
Excellent video. I would love to know if you can illuminate on character arc in relation to story structure...!
Write what the character wants as the external story. See Raiders of the Lost Ark. Jones wants to covet artifacts. He is a man without love. Towards the end, he must choose between the ark and Marion, the woman he abandoned.
Write what the character needs (inside) to change his beliefs as the internal story with the character arc, as seen in the video. Then, just after the end of Act II, the character will encounter the revelation where he realizes his beliefs are wrong and changes for the better (positive arc) by giving up the foolish outer material pursuit. This scene is known as the obligatory scene.
On the other hand, if the character comes across the truth and refuses to change, the worst befalls him (negative arc) Watch some movies that are nearly two hours long. You will see and feel the obligatory scene at around an hour and thirty-five to thirty-seven minutes into the film.
Really great lecture Tyler.
Amazing underrated videos.
But how would you distinguish Beliefs, the Lie, & Want. And compared to Need & Truth?
Great video luv it
This is incredible. I don’t know if you agree but, as a huge Star Wars fan, I believe Rey (the main protagonists of the most recent, Sequel Trilogy) has a really great, under-appreciated and misunderstood positive change arc.
Rey’s ‘Lie’ - unconsciously believing she is inherently worthless - someone born unable to be valuable or worthy.
Rey’s ‘Want’ - To become a Jedi, defeat the dark side and bring peace to the Galaxy.
Rey’s ‘Need’ - To acknowledge, confront and overcome her irrational belief that she is innately worthless and not worthy of being anything - especially a Jedi.
Rey’s ‘Arc’ - Rey confronts Palpatine (the personification and symbol of Rey’s ‘Lie’) within the bowels of Exegol (the symbol of the depths of Rey’s unconscious mind) and rejects his exclamations - “You are NOTHING! A scavenger girl is no match for the power in me” (again, the representation of Rey’s ‘Lie’) and, instead, embraces the new truth, that she isn’t an inherently worthless person and, in fact, is worthy of being a Jedi and has value after all.
13:40 for the negative change arcs, just making a note for myself
Tyler, don't you think Daniel Plainview has a negative arc?
another excellent Video. Well done!
New upload, new motivation
Thanks
Really love your videos.
I love Tyler's videos and get a lot out of them, but I just wanted to point out something about Hunger Games.
Katniss isn't a flat arc character. She starts believing that *Cooperation with tyranny is the only way to survive.* She believes that there is NO way to prevail against the Capitol. She scoffs at Gale's wish to run away and again the idea of having kids - to the point of anger. Dreams are stupid. In Pinch 1 she tells Peeta that they are, in fact, only pawns in the Capitol's game - implying that there is no way to show them otherwise and at least die as themselves. She tells the team that the only reason she shot the pig was they made her mad - it wasn't rebellious. Rue's death again makes her angry and she acts out - but in the book you see that THAT is her first act of rebellion - ever. In the past she was too afraid to even speak, lest Prim copy her and die. In the book she's so angry about Rue that she finally lifts her eyes off the tributes as antagonist and thinks about the Capitol that way. The funeral is an act of rebellion and the Berry Trick is as well. Both times she has premeditation about what it will mean and does it anyway. She's acting out Peeta's wish with Rue and in the Berry Trick she has learned that *Cooperation with tyranny is death.*
This was informative and well done.
Hey Tyler. I am a filmmaker, and I have written a screenplay as this will be my second (short) film. So is there any way that you can review it and share some ideas?
"characters arcs are ultimately the whole point of fiction"
Lou Bloom has entered chat
You don't need a character to change, you can have him/her stay the same and it can be just as compelling like nightcrawler
Lmao the video literally talks about the flat character arc
Rewatch the video mate, he addresses this
Thanks for this video. Are there a series of movies you can recommend with a negative fall arc? I find them hard to come by.
Not many around. Desire fulfillment appears more attractive, hence such scripts going up the ladder, to production.