Quoted from eldave1 This thread is way to antagonistic!

lol, whatever do you mean?

It's a cool question. In a strict sense, the antagonist is always oppositional to the protagonist, so they definitely can't be the protagonist. That doesn't mean they can't be the lead character, if "lead character" means something different than "protagonist."

Iago is the antagonist of Othello but also the lead character in having by far the most lines. The Joker is the antagonist of The Dark Knight but I think a strong case could be made that he's the lead character in driving the movie's plot and themes.

I guess there's also the Usual Suspects type trick, in which the antagonist is technically the lead character, but that's really only true in the abstract, and doesn't affect the story thorughout.

And maybe films like Psycho and Death Proof (or Wolf Creek 2!), which shift protagonists partway through while keeping the same antagonist, might be an argument for antagonist as lead character.

Hi All,

Not sure where to put this, however, it seems to fit in here… for now. Anyways, this is a question for the mods, I think.

1) I’ve never started a thread, I’m not sure how to do that actually and, do I need permission to start a new thread? Any bit of feedback on that would be greatly appreciated, as well…

2) I see George Willson is listed as the mod for this section of the board. Would I ‘PM’ him to inquire about potential thread content, whether it would be construed as relevant to a screenwriting class or not?

I’m somewhat curious about character and script development in a different light, a different way of approaching it that is and, how others might approach their character development outside of the actual writing process. Perhaps inspiration is the key theme. Thanks in advance.

Quoted from Gum Hi All, Not sure where to put this, however, it seems to fit in here… for now. Anyways, this is a question for the mods, I think. 1) I’ve never started a thread, I’m not sure how to do that actually and, do I need permission to start a new thread? Any bit of feedback on that would be greatly appreciated, as well… 2) I see George Willson is listed as the mod for this section of the board. Would I ‘PM’ him to inquire about potential thread content, whether it would be construed as relevant to a screenwriting class or not? I’m somewhat curious about character and script development in a different light, a different way of approaching it that is and, how others might approach their character development outside of the actual writing process. Perhaps inspiration is the key theme. Thanks in advance.

Not a mod - but I think the Screenwriting Class Thread is just fine for that topic. All you need to do is to go to that category on the discussion board. When you do - on the far right hand side of the screen (near the top) you will see a button "NEW THREAD". Just click it and you are on your way.

Ah yes… I wasn’t aware of the that button, seems intuitive enough, thanks

No problem

Let's boil this down to one simple rule, the ultimate goal of a main character is to break the isolation between this "new world" and the audience, to pull them into the story and make them care so the story is no longer impenetrable.

This does NOT mean you have to sympathize with him, or cry for him when tragedy hits, or even think he's a decent human being. In fact he could be a deplorable horrible person. Daniel Plainview is an example of this. One way or another, a well written character makes the audience think "I want to know more about you and your story." You can do this by making them likable and sympathetic, which, admittedly is an easier way to do it, or you can can make them horrible people, that you can still empathize with in some way, and still fascinates you on some cerebral level. Either way, just make the audience want to know him.

Ultimately I'd say going the traditional former route is easier, but do what works for you.

My favorite anti-hero lead in a film: Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) in There Will Be Blood

I got to go with McMurphy in Cuckoo's Nest

Zach, there are tons of film where the main is the antagonist.  If you want you can pm me and I'll give you my opinion.

In the right circumstances, I think the main character could be protagonist and antagonist.  

I haven't seen Split, but isn't he both?  One character is good and another character within the same man is evil.

What is Godzilla?  Or Galactus?  Are they evil?  As Jeff pointed out, some villains get cheered all the time.

Different medium, but the Undertaker in wrestling was supposed to be evil but at his matches people were cheering when he'd put people in the morgue bags.  So Vince and him altered his character to be  more  of an antihero.  

I wouldn't mind seeing a villain lead movie/reading a villain lead script, but I usually do not fall in with the popular oppinion. Sad to say.

It's all about the audience having someone to root for.

Someone mentioned 'There will be blood', it has been a while since I saw it, if I remember right Plainview did a character decline and he had opposition  (Paul Dano). Bad guy vs. Bad guy and a character arc.

My biggest piece of advice is: write with a low budget in mind.

Quoted from WritingScripts I wouldn't mind seeing a villain lead movie/reading a villain lead script

A villain can definitely be the lead, but s/he still needs to have a goal and obstacles in the way. If the lead is a serial killer hell bent on killing as many people as possible before beer time,   , then the person trying to stop the serial killer will be the antagonist. Just role reversals. IMHO.  

In The Devil's Rejects, we follow a trio of nasty criminals. One of them, Otis, is a necrophiliac, serial-killing rapist, and one could argue he's the movie's protagonist.

The term "protagonist" is sometimes considered to be synonymous with "hero" only because protagonists have so often been heroic in the past. But times change.

Protagonist: This is the character we follow. We see the movie through this character's perspective. The movie's journey is his/hers.

Antagonist: This is simply a character that defies the protagonist and blocks the protagonist's goals.

Neither definition necessitates any dogmatic definition of "hero" or "villain."

I think Pia and the others are right on this one.

-Julio