OK, I understand the techniques that are used to introduce a protagonist's outer goal in a script, but is there a technique to introduce his/her inner goal? And should it be introduced after the outer goal is outlined? And then resolved before the outer goal is resolved? (That order would make sense to me) I know there's no hard fast rule, but in general....?
Introducing an inner goal?
- Thread starter Media Hero
- Start date
Think of the Protagonist's inner goal to coincide with the THEME of your story... In fact, what better way to introduce theme than to show your Protagonist's major FLAW i.e., what he or she NEEDS to win out in the end.
For instance, maybe your Protagonist is greedy. Show that greed as his or her major flaw... It's usually best or at the very least, more understandable to the audience if another character points this out to the Protagonist...
When I say "point this out," I don't mean through on-the-nose dialogue... It should be slightly vague... Can be accomplished through exposition or action... If through expository dialogue, then it should be in the SUBTEXT of that dialogue and not spoken literally...
This way, your audience "senses" the theme right away as well as your Protagonist's flaw, thereby revealing the inner goal or "character arc" and your Protagonist gets to spend the rest of the story acquiring his or her inner need by way of exploiting the theme of your story.
When I say "acquiring" his or her inner need, I mean of course that you structure your story so that your Protagonist acquires what he or she NEEDS through dealing with the story obstacles you've thrown in their way... Each obstacle overcome or NOT overcome should cause your Protagonist to "learn" just a little bit more about himself or herself...
By the end of the story, all the pieces are acquired and if that still isn't enough, have someone the Protagonist now trusts POINT it out to him or her so that they immediately understand what's been their problem all along... i.e., "DUH!"
Hope that makes sense... Don't hesitate to ask questions...
filmy
For instance, maybe your Protagonist is greedy. Show that greed as his or her major flaw... It's usually best or at the very least, more understandable to the audience if another character points this out to the Protagonist...
When I say "point this out," I don't mean through on-the-nose dialogue... It should be slightly vague... Can be accomplished through exposition or action... If through expository dialogue, then it should be in the SUBTEXT of that dialogue and not spoken literally...
This way, your audience "senses" the theme right away as well as your Protagonist's flaw, thereby revealing the inner goal or "character arc" and your Protagonist gets to spend the rest of the story acquiring his or her inner need by way of exploiting the theme of your story.
When I say "acquiring" his or her inner need, I mean of course that you structure your story so that your Protagonist acquires what he or she NEEDS through dealing with the story obstacles you've thrown in their way... Each obstacle overcome or NOT overcome should cause your Protagonist to "learn" just a little bit more about himself or herself...
By the end of the story, all the pieces are acquired and if that still isn't enough, have someone the Protagonist now trusts POINT it out to him or her so that they immediately understand what's been their problem all along... i.e., "DUH!"
Hope that makes sense... Don't hesitate to ask questions...
filmy
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Oh, filmy - I'm surprised you're advocating using exposition to reveal anything. Action is better. And incorporating a physical object that represents the goal is better. Everything else is good, I understand.
But still, does it matter when the protag resolves the inner goal - is it dependent upon when the idea was introduced structurally, i.e, with major plot/gaol, subplot A or subplot B. Diagramed like this:
Goal (outer) / Sub A (inner goal) / Sub B / Sub C ......... Sub C resolved / Sub B resolved / Sub A (inner goal) resolved / Goal (outer) reached
Does this make sense? Or should the inner goal be protracted and resolved at the very end - the icing on the cake?
Of course, there's always the theory - if it feels good, do it
To heck with rules of structure!
But still, does it matter when the protag resolves the inner goal - is it dependent upon when the idea was introduced structurally, i.e, with major plot/gaol, subplot A or subplot B. Diagramed like this:
Goal (outer) / Sub A (inner goal) / Sub B / Sub C ......... Sub C resolved / Sub B resolved / Sub A (inner goal) resolved / Goal (outer) reached
Does this make sense? Or should the inner goal be protracted and resolved at the very end - the icing on the cake?
Of course, there's always the theory - if it feels good, do it
To heck with rules of structure!
Visuals are always better but...
When your characters interact through dialogue, they should be revealing things to each other and thus, to us, the audience...
You simply do not have enough time to reveal EVERYTHING via action... LOL.
For instance... Take TRAINING DAY...
Alonzo meets with other head honchos of the LAPD to discuss his problem i.e., he beat a Russion mobster to death in Las Vegas and now he must deal with them...
The screenwriter didn't show the beating to us, he had the characters discuss it to reveal it to us...
I use this as an example because it's an outstanding example of how to reveal backstory... But you can do the same exact thing to reveal your Protagonist's inner goal...
Not saying it's the only way to do it but it is one of the best... And, I disagree with your take of the physical object to represent the Protagonist's inner goal...
Your Protagonist's action should reveal his or her inner goal but your original question was HOW DO YOU INTRODUCE IT?
Again, in TRAINING DAY, what is Jake's inner goal? It's not a physical object although eventually getting the money away from Alonzo is symbolic of his ACHIEVING his inner goal... The money was his OUTER GOAL, the goal we all as an audience immediately understand...
Jake's INNER goal or NEED was NOT TO BE A DIRTY COP. To stay moral and honest.
Jake's inner goal was finally introduced when Alonzo demands that he kill someone. BAM! That was done through exposition but action obviously led up to it.
We had hints of it earlier in the film i.e., THEME when Alonzo baby steps him into corruption...
filmy
Maybe I wasn't clear...Media Hero said:
When your characters interact through dialogue, they should be revealing things to each other and thus, to us, the audience...
You simply do not have enough time to reveal EVERYTHING via action... LOL.
For instance... Take TRAINING DAY...
Alonzo meets with other head honchos of the LAPD to discuss his problem i.e., he beat a Russion mobster to death in Las Vegas and now he must deal with them...
The screenwriter didn't show the beating to us, he had the characters discuss it to reveal it to us...
I use this as an example because it's an outstanding example of how to reveal backstory... But you can do the same exact thing to reveal your Protagonist's inner goal...
Not saying it's the only way to do it but it is one of the best... And, I disagree with your take of the physical object to represent the Protagonist's inner goal...
Your Protagonist's action should reveal his or her inner goal but your original question was HOW DO YOU INTRODUCE IT?
Again, in TRAINING DAY, what is Jake's inner goal? It's not a physical object although eventually getting the money away from Alonzo is symbolic of his ACHIEVING his inner goal... The money was his OUTER GOAL, the goal we all as an audience immediately understand...
Jake's INNER goal or NEED was NOT TO BE A DIRTY COP. To stay moral and honest.
Jake's inner goal was finally introduced when Alonzo demands that he kill someone. BAM! That was done through exposition but action obviously led up to it.
We had hints of it earlier in the film i.e., THEME when Alonzo baby steps him into corruption...
filmy
I just realized...
In your Protagonist's quest for the outer goal, he or she should slowly but surely realize the unrealized emotional need i.e., his or her inner goal.
And finally, the inner goal should be realized AFTER the outer goal is acquired.
Hope that helps...
filmy
Whether we agree or agree to disagree, I thought that I would also add that it's better to introduce the Protagonist's inner goal or NEED before establishing the outer goal. The outer goal is tangible... The inner goal is not... It's an unrealized emotion that needs to be realized.Media Hero said:
In your Protagonist's quest for the outer goal, he or she should slowly but surely realize the unrealized emotional need i.e., his or her inner goal.
And finally, the inner goal should be realized AFTER the outer goal is acquired.
Hope that helps...
filmy
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Excellent information. Again, thanks. The Training Day example is great. I need to read that script. Once I started thinking about it, of course, it makes sense. The inner goal usually represents something from the protag's past that needs to be changed, strengthened, overcome, acknowledged. Hence, exposition. The physical object is a metaphorical representation of a goal that allows us to visualize the protag achieving/realizing it (or not), yes? So couldn't the inner goal be representated with an object just as well as the outer goal?
The distinction...
If however, in what I call, the VISUAL EPILOGUE of the screenplay where you show the Protagonist in his or her NEW WORLD with the new job, the new life, the new whatever, then I can see what you're saying... For instance, if we take the example of a greedy Protagonist who's character arc is that she needs to no longer be greedy and SHARE, then in the Visual Epilogue you might show her doing something EXACTLY OPPOSITE of what you showed to make him or her greedy.
Hope that makes sense...
filmy
I think I see what you're getting at but I still disagree with the physical, tangible object... Unless you make the object an actual person, job, or some accomplishment that is a result of accomplishing the OUTER GOAL, then no, I don't think the object idea works...Media Hero said:
If however, in what I call, the VISUAL EPILOGUE of the screenplay where you show the Protagonist in his or her NEW WORLD with the new job, the new life, the new whatever, then I can see what you're saying... For instance, if we take the example of a greedy Protagonist who's character arc is that she needs to no longer be greedy and SHARE, then in the Visual Epilogue you might show her doing something EXACTLY OPPOSITE of what you showed to make him or her greedy.
Hope that makes sense...
filmy
I don't know if this will help, but one thing to remember is that as the protagonist's inner goal is more than often formed in their back story, it doesn't need introducing per se. It's the core of the film and runs throughout.
This is because the inner goal or defining emotional drive informs all their decisions when faced with a choice. So every single scene revolves around the inner need.
Now, where this gets interesting is that often the protagonist's central question in the film relates to resolving this inner need. So actually the inner need is woven into the protagonist journey to answer the central question.
I agree with Filmy that the first time we see the protagonist we have to see this inner goal in action -- their opening scene needs to show them undertaking a decision that defines them as a character. So, if the character's inner need is to prove themselves to their Father, then the opening scene will probably show them making a rash decision because it's driven by this need and not by good sense.
This is the reason that so much character prep is needed prior to plotting the film, because the story is always essentially the inner need in of the protagonist in conflict with the plot. Or in other words the plot only becomes a story because the situations the protagonist finds himself in creates specific dilemmas/challenges for their particular inner need.
The other thing to remember is that all your other characters have inner needs as well -- plot is often formed out of conflicts between character's inner goals.
This is because the inner goal or defining emotional drive informs all their decisions when faced with a choice. So every single scene revolves around the inner need.
Now, where this gets interesting is that often the protagonist's central question in the film relates to resolving this inner need. So actually the inner need is woven into the protagonist journey to answer the central question.
I agree with Filmy that the first time we see the protagonist we have to see this inner goal in action -- their opening scene needs to show them undertaking a decision that defines them as a character. So, if the character's inner need is to prove themselves to their Father, then the opening scene will probably show them making a rash decision because it's driven by this need and not by good sense.
This is the reason that so much character prep is needed prior to plotting the film, because the story is always essentially the inner need in of the protagonist in conflict with the plot. Or in other words the plot only becomes a story because the situations the protagonist finds himself in creates specific dilemmas/challenges for their particular inner need.
The other thing to remember is that all your other characters have inner needs as well -- plot is often formed out of conflicts between character's inner goals.
clive said:
As in.... the first scene should be a mini-re-enactment of the entire film? Take, for instance, the first scene of the brilliant 'Squid and the Whale.' I thought it was perfect to show the family playing tennis together, the parents competing and manipulating the kids. Jeff Daniel's character (the protag, I think?) inner goal was to learn how to stop manipulating his kids to satisfy his immature needs (?). So the first scene shows him in action, manipulating away.
...because the story is always essentially the inner need in of the protagonist in conflict with the plot
GENIUS!
Thanks, Clive and Filmy!
In a sense...
It shows you the oldest son's loyalty to the father (Daniels, the Protagonist). It shows the younger son's loyalty to the Mother (Linney, the Antagonist). The tennis match prepares us for the upcoming BATTLE between all these characters... i.e., we know the players, their loyalties, their willingness to get dirty if need be... Everything we need to know to set up the rest of the story...
Not quite sure if THE SQUID AND THE WHALE shows us Daniels' inner goal... It does introduce us to the character and does a great job... I think his inner goal is revealed as we go through the story...
If you take just about any scene and work your Protagonist through the 4 MODES:
LONER
EXPLORER
ACTIVIST
DEATH
But on a much smaller story scale, then yes, in a sense it's like a mini-movie... Which is like the fractal we've discussed before...
My 4 Act Structure works exactly that way... Each Act, each Sequence, each Scene basically takes the Protagonist through the 4 MODES within the CONTEXT of that Act, Sequence, and Scene... As a matter of fact, you can go even deeper and take your Protagonist through the 4 MODES within each beat within every scene...
As long as each Act, Sequence, Scene, and Beat has DOES IT'S SPECIFIC JOB.
Hope that's not too confusing... LOL.
filmy
In a "sense" you are correct but I think the first scene... What I call the VISUAL PROLOGUE is more of a setting of the stage... More of a WHAT WE ARE IN FOR with this story... THE SQUID AND THE WHALE does this perfectly...Media Hero said:
It shows you the oldest son's loyalty to the father (Daniels, the Protagonist). It shows the younger son's loyalty to the Mother (Linney, the Antagonist). The tennis match prepares us for the upcoming BATTLE between all these characters... i.e., we know the players, their loyalties, their willingness to get dirty if need be... Everything we need to know to set up the rest of the story...
Not quite sure if THE SQUID AND THE WHALE shows us Daniels' inner goal... It does introduce us to the character and does a great job... I think his inner goal is revealed as we go through the story...
If you take just about any scene and work your Protagonist through the 4 MODES:
LONER
EXPLORER
ACTIVIST
DEATH
But on a much smaller story scale, then yes, in a sense it's like a mini-movie... Which is like the fractal we've discussed before...
My 4 Act Structure works exactly that way... Each Act, each Sequence, each Scene basically takes the Protagonist through the 4 MODES within the CONTEXT of that Act, Sequence, and Scene... As a matter of fact, you can go even deeper and take your Protagonist through the 4 MODES within each beat within every scene...
As long as each Act, Sequence, Scene, and Beat has DOES IT'S SPECIFIC JOB.
Hope that's not too confusing... LOL.
filmy
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