This afternoon I had this email conversation about an aspect of my Screenwriting Goldmine book.
I thought it might be interesting to post it on here.
Question:
One thing I want to ask: When developing my Hero, your advice is to think of the worst thing that could happen to him, then make sure the Villain is responsible for making that happen. Problem is, the worst thing that could happen to any Hero is a terminal illness and death.
How do I come up with a dramatic “worst thing that could happen to my Hero” scenario when death is the universal worst for any character? How do you work this out?
Answer:
I know what you mean, but actually, I’m not sure I agree. I think there are things far worse than death. It depends what you value most in the world.
Certainly, as a parent I’d lay down my life for my children, which means I must consider their death to be a worst event than my own.
And then there’s the idea of a living hell that anyone can drop into depending on their temperament.
Remember those Greek myths, where the hell was designed explicitly for the person? That’s what I’m talking about here.
Have a look at Camus on The Myth of Sisyphus
Of course, the severity of the Hell you plunge the character in will be defined by, and define, the genre of the piece you are writing.
The worst thing that could happen in Pretty Woman, say, was for Richard Gere to continue in his cold isolation.
The worst thing that can happen in Frasier would be humiliation in front of the high status guests.
The worst thing that could happen in a horror film is to have your family and friends torn apart in front of you and to know you are next.
The worst thing in a ghost story is that you will be terrified into insanity, and eventually made one of their own by the ghosts.
Question:
But … using the Pretty Woman example, Gere’s “worst” scenario is internal. Is this a good thing? Should I be coming up with something internal? For Frasier, humiliation is external. Is an external “worst” better?
Answer:
I reckon internal is good, so long as we can see it. You just need to find a strong, clear image to represent what is happening.
Frasier sweating bullets in an embarrassing interrogation by an important guest would be kind of OK, but Niles hiding in the kitchen from his dinner party because he has a live parakeet stuck to his head is in a different league another. Pure genius.
TS Eliot was talking about this when he mentioned his ‘objective correlative’.
(Some interesting comments about Hamlet in there too…)
(Thanks for the conversation Mark)
How To Write A Screenplay