Screenwriting : Ask Me Anything (AMA) Wednesday 9/25 to Thursday 9/26- Writing Strong Protagonists & Antagonists by Brian Herskowitz

Hi, Brian Herskowitz. Hope you had a great summer! Thanks for having this AMA! I've been looking forward to it! What's one way to make a hero resonate with the audience?

Hi Brian Herskowitz how to best portray a high-functioning protagonist who is slightly neuro-divergent, to create empathy but not overdo it? Is it necessary to remind the reader/viewer in every scene?

Hi Lynette, it's a matter of consistency, research, and the character's makeup (and not the kind you brush on; I mean his physiological, physical, emotional, and mental makeup). If you want to see a good example of a neurodivergent hero, take a look at Rainman and Motehrless Brooklyn. It's only necessary to remind the audience if that's how this person would behave in the given situation illustrated on the screen. I hope that helps!

Hello Brian Herskowitz, thanks for taking time out to do this. Will sneak two questions in! Q1: From your perspective, what films spring to mind where you think there is a good balance/tension between what the hero and the villain are trying to achieve? 'The Dark Knight' is often cited as an interesting example.

Q2: Presumably the best way to make a villain stand out is for a writer to treat them the same as the hero i.e. a want and a need, an obstacle in their path, then how they deal with the obstacle? Thank you!

Thanks Brian Herskowitz Another question if I may, Do you have any tips for writing character descriptions that do not involve physical traits?

Hi, @Maurice Vaughan; I have mixed feelings about Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat," but that particular sentiment can be very helpful. Behavior—what the character does speaks volumes more than what they say. Take the big Villain from the MCU, Thanos. Sure, he just murdered half the planet, including Gamora's parents, but when he's gentle with her and wipes her tears, we can't help but think he's not entirely evil. That's his "Save the Cat" moment. Audiences resonate with characters they can relate to. Even if they say, "That's not me, no way, no how... but I can see why THAT person made those choices." That goes a long way to creating understanding, and with understanding comes empathy.

Hi Brian, do you still know mayim bialik? I loved her comeback in the big bang theory and jeopardy

That is the reason books and movies are identical and boring most of the time. Too many school rules. Writing is creativity, and apart from grammar and story telling skills, the rest is personal harvest.

Great answer, Brian Herskowitz! "Take the big Villain from the MCU, Thanos. Sure, he just murdered half the planet, including Gamora's parents, but when he's gentle with her and wipes her tears, we can't help but think he's not entirely evil." That's how I felt. Thanks for the answer!

Hi Mark Giacomin , I think the Dark Night handled it well, and I think the MCU Avengers did a good job with that balance. In other genres, Mean Girls found a solid balance between the heroine and Regina George's villain.

As to your second question, yes, I believe the villain should have needs and desires and be as much of a well-rounded character as your hero. It's not so much what they want or their motivation but the ethics and morality behind the path they choose to achieve their desire.

@Lynette Willoughby, there are few things that stand out. First is environmental - where they were born, where they grew up, how they were raised. Rituals and spirituality (or lack thereof) can be important as well. Then there's the mental and emotional. Mental being their innate intelligence and how they perceive the world around them. Emotional is mental acuity and health. I try to focus on the elements that will affect the way a character behaves and what choices they make in their lives when faced with a problem.

@Billy Kwack, no, sadly, I haven't seen Mayim since the days of Blossom. I did try to assist her in her directorial debut recently, and I received a kind "thank you" in the credits.

@Edo Van Hasselt, I partly agree; however, knowing the school rules allows you to bend or break them without alienating your audience. That's a fairly big risk when you allow imagination to run rampant without the knowledge of what are considered "conventional wisdom."

Gotta book it for a bit, but keep those questions coming, and I promise I will get to everybody in the time allotted to us.

Hi Brian Herskowitz, I'm currently working on an antagonist who is so roundly evil I am struggling to find a redeeming feature. Do you have any suggestions for how to find that one thing that will gain some audience empathy?

Hi @Ingrid Wren, this is an issue that many writers struggle with. One device that I think works is giving the villain a strong motivation that is relatable. By way of example Col Quartritch in Avatar is pretty much a basic evil guy, but his sense of duty and his patriotism clearly motivates the choices he makes. He may not be likeable, but he is relatable. His loyalty can be looked on as something to be admired.

In the class I am teaching currently I use Thanos from the Avengers End Game as another example. I mention a specific moment in my reply to Maurice earlier. A other technique is to give them human frailty.

In The Kingsmen Samuel L. Jackson's villain Valletine cannot stand the sight of blood. So much so that in one of his most shocking moments, when he shoots Harry Hart he immediately vomits. A comic .one t in a very violent t situation, but also a very HUMAN response to violence. Jackson also chose to give Vallentine a prominent lisp, again, making him relatable and human.

I hope those examples help.

Thank you Brian Herskowitz for sharing your knowledge and experience with us. Since often times the line between good and evil is a matter of perspective, a revolutionary to one is a traitor to another. What do you think separates a villain from a hero, if anything?

Hi Brian Herskowitz - thanks so much for having this AMA and spending your day with us. Question: how do you design the adversarial relationship between good guy and villain? Are there traits in each that are complemented in the other? Thanks in advance!

Thanks Brian Herskowitz for doing the AMA. I'm thrilled that you are here with us today.

Mine's a simple question (or two!) about our antagonist characters sometime being too 'on the nose' when we write dialogue or to OTT; almost like we are trying to convince the audience that they're evil. How do you correct that impulse when you are writing those types of characters? What puts the breaks on? What gives you insight to rewrite it differently?

Hi Brian,

Thanks for this "ask me anything"!!

I have a screenplay based on the following logline:

"When a former Homeland security agent learns of a planned terrorist attack on the US President-elect, he must stop the suicide-bomber -- his estranged daughter."

People who read the logline or movie were like "interesting story, but can you make it a story that, in whatever way, is not related to the Israel/Palestin/America situation. Let the female terrorist be from a 'save to write about county,' like for instance Libia." I mean, we don't want an other " The Interview" /Sony situation. Or for publicity, do we?

SO, MY QUESTION:

Do you think political thrillers with balls are dead, and are we only going to watch tamer than tame political thrillers from now on?!

Hi everyone. Welcome to the first official day of the a.M a. I will be answering your questions. As quickly as I can, please be patient. I promise I will get to everyone.

@Jill Godley, it is my opinion that what separates a hero from a villain is the intent and the way that they pursue their goal. While your hero will try and do things " the right way.", a a villain will choose to be ruthless, immoral, unethical, and cruel.

Certainly, there are heroes who act unethically and immorally. But rarely is that combined with cruelty. Specifically i'm thinking of Deadpool who is a hero with dubious ethical compass.

@Leonardo Ramirez, much of the answer to your question depends upon the specific project. Sometimes, the goal of the villain and the goal of the hero are in direct opposition. For example, in a James Bond film you may have a villain who is looking to destroy the world, and it is Bond whose goal is created by that action. Bond wants to stop the villain.

In Raiders of the lost Ark, Indy and Belloq have the same goal?They are both looking for the ark.

In the former case, they may or may not have complementary characteristics. In the latter, Belloq is a dark reflection of Indy. They are both brilliant archaeologists. Both extremely intelligent. Speech motivationso are quite different.. Belloq wants to help the Germans when the war by any means necessary. He sees this from a selfish perspective. Indy is working to stop him yes, but also to achieve a goal of locating a great archaeological, find.

It is more "moral and ethical alignment" that separates the good and the evil in Raiders. I hope that is clear.

Geoff Hall in my opinion, good dialogue comes from clear character.definition. If you look at The Kingsmen in the examples above Vallentines dialogue is 100% appropriate for who he is, how he was raised, and his intellect...

One tip: try to avoid exposition, which often leads to characters to speaking " on the nose." Try to stick to having characters speak when they must speak because they cannot remain quiet. This can allow the character, whether it's the villain or the hero to stay with, the realm of "need to know" or. " I need to tell." The trick there is to emphasize the need.

My other suggestion is that you make sure that anything the character says is said in their own unique voice. Some characters can speak florally and get away with it. Others can have massive monologues and make it feel natural. Check out Paddy Chaevsky's Network.

Hi Brian! If you’re writing a future hero character who starts out in your story a bit apathetic and depressed about the world he lives in and the the relationships he has, how do use nuance and stylization to make sure that the character is still interesting and doesn’t come across as flat?

@Rutger Oosterhoff, that's a good question. I certainly hope that the answer is no, that there will be stories the tackle difficult subject matters and do so with veracity and honesty.

But one thing you have to understand while Steven Spielberg can do a film like Munich where he tackles the tragic Palestinian attack at the Munich summer Olympics and the revenge that Israel exacted upon those involved... he's Freaking Steven Spielberg.

He can do a film that no studio would allow you or me to do. So, now whst? Well, several things come to mind. You can wait until you are as powerful as Mr. Spielberg, you can make the more watered down version of your story, or you can plunge full speed ahead.

I beleive that talent wins in the end. Clearly, I don't know the details of your movie, but if it is a great story brilliantly told it will find a way.

The last way, and the hardest, do it yourself. Raise the funds and go make the movie.

Some controversies make films difficult to bring to the public. Years ago, someone I worked with did a movie about kids who went to space camp and ended up accidentally launched in the space on the space shuttle.

That movie came out around the time of the space shuttle disaster and was immediately buried. There was nothing controversial about the film. It was simply a bad timing.

On the other hand The China Syndrome about a disaster at a nuclear power plant, it came out about the time that the three mile island disaster took place and that catapulted it into the public spotlight.

Another film that comes to mind is Dead Man Walking, which did an amazing job tackling the controversy that surrounds the death penalty.

Where we are at the moment in our society, with regards to Israel and the palestinians.

Is an open wound. It may be the perfect film in two or three years but at the moment I think emotions are raw and that is why you are getting those reactions.

Studios and executives often ask for changes because of the zeitgeist. I know that maybe a long winded answer without much substance, but I hope it gives you some comfort to know that if the script is great, it should find a way.

No, it is a great answer! Thanks!!

Rutger Oosterhoff good to hear that. Thanks.

It is clear Brian Herskowitz - thanks a ton!

Hi Brian! I very much appreciate this AMA session and your participation in it. Your experience and knowledge can only make us better at our craft. I have two questions. First can you give your opinion on how the movie industry views/receives projects with female leads? I have heard that those sort of projects can be a harder sell in most genres. Secondly, (and I know this is rather vague) can an audience tolerate the arc of an initially likable protagonist becoming border-line villainous after the story beats are revealed? Or does that concept break all literary norms and make the project unmarketable? Thanks!

Jody Parker it can be a challenge to make an apathetic character feel interesting, but let me use a kids film as an example. Shrek is neither apathetic nor depressed, but he does want to be left alone. he wants to be isolated BECAUSE of his world view.

The situation this character finds himself in forces to confront an internal need... the need for love and companionship... something he didn't think was possible.

So, by extrapolation, if you can take your apathetic and depressed character, prove him wrong, make him work to try to hold onto his worldview, and in the process discover that his worldview is imperfect, then you can keep the audience engaged. Does that make sense?

That makes sense, thanks for your insight Brian Herskowitz!

@Joanne Malone, I don't think that's necessarily the case anymore. I am seeing more and more requests from producers and production companies for female-driven narratives. Horror often revolves around the "last girl," and movies like Bruise and The Old Guard have been very successful. I think it's more of a case-by-case basis, but generally, I don't see an issue with female-driven content. This is just my personal opinion.

As to the second question, it's been done successfully, and it's more a question of execution than of watching someone devolve from good guy to bad guy (Breaking Bad anyone?) Walllstreet was about a naive, idealistic stock broker who, in essence, sells his soul to become a success and then eventually sees the errors of his way.

So, it's either the origin story of a villain or a story of redemption. It will ultimately come down to your execution and how you tell that story.

Thanks for asking!

Thanks Brian! I had forgotten about the movie Wallstreet and you are so right. I am indeed up for the challenge!!

@Joanne Malone excellent.

I am signing off for tonight. Thank you for all the great questions.

Thank you Brian Herskowitz. Fabulous examples and advice... which gives me something more to think about. I hope the course is going well, and I'm sorry I wasn't able to participate this time. Best wishes from the antipodes, Ingrid

Thank you everyone. I will continue to take questions until 5 pm Los Angeles time. Feel free to ask me... well, anything.

Thank you all again.

Thanks again for having this AMA, Brian Herskowitz! Fantastic AMA! Hope you have an incredible weekend!