14 Movie Characters Writers Should Know - Eric Edson [Full Version - Screenwriting Masterclass]

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  • Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
  • In the first two weeks of the Fall semester, California State University, Northridge screenwriting professor Eric Edson presents PowerPoint lessons to the entering first year grad MFA class. In the second class he covers 6 of the 14 character types. Here is the full inside look at the lecture.
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Комментарии • 457

  • @filmcourage
    @filmcourage  3 года назад +31

    **WATCH** Eric Edson’s first class ‘Learning Screenplay Story Structure’ - ruclips.net/video/iywvNIWKbPI/видео.html

  • @juju10683
    @juju10683 Год назад +12

    just told my wife that a Spouse is not a valid love interest, which has transformed her into my unbeatable adversary and me a tragic hero.

  • @SuperIrish98
    @SuperIrish98 4 года назад +77

    He's the best lecturer on screenwriting and this is the best channel for filmmaking. Thank you!

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  4 года назад +11

      Cheers!

    • @poeticalgore6500
      @poeticalgore6500 4 года назад +1

      Jill Chamberlain is much better (she has videos on here) and she makes a great case for what she says.

    • @satioOeinas
      @satioOeinas 7 месяцев назад

      @@poeticalgore6500what does she do better?

  • @kristine8338
    @kristine8338 Год назад

    Music plays an unbelievably additional role in any movie.

  • @princeprasad8272
    @princeprasad8272 4 года назад

    Film courage thankyou so much for providing great lectures from the masters ....

  • @chriswest8389
    @chriswest8389 Год назад

    Start with the 4 humors. Irish setter: " can't we all just along here?". 2. The great Dane. The boss man: " my way or the hi way." 3. The standard poddle. Things have to be done the right way.: "No. I think that picture is a little crooked". For good measure, 2 and 3 are often at odds. The 3rd, The Yorkie: The mischive maker, who puts 2 and 3 together so he can watch the fur fly.

  • @renatoaraujinho
    @renatoaraujinho Год назад

    I'm just starting, but one day everyone will watch my stories.

  • @CynthiaMoon23
    @CynthiaMoon23 3 года назад +1

    That was true with Les Miserables. The book is long and has more descriptions and tangents. It begins with the bishop and you don’t need ValJean until about 70 pages in. Hugo is also painstakingly verbose and detailed about character backstories, including for minor characters such as Gavroche and the bishop. The backdrop is not just France - it’s French history from the Napoleonic wars to one of their revolutions. It’s a rich experience to read the book, but I see where that would make a very long and boring movie 🎥.

    • @Sarah_in_London
      @Sarah_in_London 2 года назад

      I fell asleep in the cinema watching Les Mis

  • @michaelgoncharov2075
    @michaelgoncharov2075 4 года назад +508

    25:42 Adversary. Personification of unbeatable opposition for the Hero.
    51:25 Love interest. Pushes the Hero into character growth through sexual conquest.
    1:13:05 Sidekick. Remains loyal and provides counsel.
    1:22:17 Mentor. Passes skills, wisdom or life-saving gift.
    1:33:28 Endangered innocent. Provides strong subplot with the goal and the ticking clock.
    Other 9 categories: the Hero, gate guardian, adversary agent, independent troublemaker, comparison ally, comic ally, hopeful savior, cheerleader ally, helper-follower ally.
    All characters contribute to the story, except atmosphere ones. Characters never change category, only hide intent.

    • @severussin
      @severussin 4 года назад +13

      Michael Goncharov thank you

    • @aminahisra4410
      @aminahisra4410 3 года назад +2

      Thank you

    • @nelsonsavage4635
      @nelsonsavage4635 3 года назад +2

      Cheers lad

    • @hnttakata713
      @hnttakata713 3 года назад +1

      Thanks for notes

    • @suningchen
      @suningchen 3 года назад +1

      Is there a diagram or a picture for these 14 characters? Because I can't find any online.

  • @memebharatiofficial5224
    @memebharatiofficial5224 2 года назад +98

    0:00 👉 14 Characters
    17:27👉 5 hero traits
    25:42👉 writing the antagonist
    51:25👉 Love interest
    1:13:05👉Writing the sidekick
    1:22:17👉 Writing the mentor
    1:33:28👉 Endangered innocent

  • @ЭмильАлиев-ж8ф
    @ЭмильАлиев-ж8ф 4 года назад +178

    This channel is seriously awesome! FULL lectures from masters of screenwriting is not just usefull, its honestly motivating. Especially during those "stay home" times. Thanks for that

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  4 года назад +29

      Thanks, we appreciate you spending time on this channel. Stay safe and keep creating!

    • @citycrusher9308
      @citycrusher9308 3 года назад +1

      @@filmcourage @36 - 50 - Sideways was a depressing film. The whole premise - Guys, when you are dumped, get over it.
      The closest thing to the female version would be ''The Upside of anger'' - only the ex husband doesn't get a happy ending

    • @citycrusher9308
      @citycrusher9308 3 года назад +1

      @@filmcourage @57:00 - the wife is the endangered innocent? When the men are the ones in danger? For you to even suggest that is sad (with a capital P and a small ''athetic'')

    • @oldepersonne
      @oldepersonne 3 года назад +1

      @@citycrusher9308 So are you saying that the wife/kids will hardly notice if their husband/father are killed in space?

    • @EDAYBABY
      @EDAYBABY 3 года назад +1

      I’m really learning so much

  • @filmcourage
    @filmcourage  4 года назад +35

    Which part of this lecture was most helpful to you?

    • @vitorbalbino8024
      @vitorbalbino8024 4 года назад +10

      You know, You know, from beginning to end!

    • @DBSG1976
      @DBSG1976 4 года назад +5

      The first part alone made me eliminate several characters from a story I'm working on. I thought that principal characters served the plot and that supporting characters fleshed out the world. Since every character must serve the plot...the list of characters has shrunk by quite a few. Thanks for the vid!

    • @Wearethemakerss
      @Wearethemakerss 4 года назад

      story structure

    • @AnastaciaMary
      @AnastaciaMary 4 года назад +1

      The types and purposes of the characters, the traits that must exist to properly create them, and the examples given for each.

    • @mohammadrezasafari2957
      @mohammadrezasafari2957 3 года назад

      Cannot wait to watch the other categories features🌹❤️ hope for it!

  • @eskildsen2873
    @eskildsen2873 2 года назад +14

    I would watch Eric Edson's classes for hours! He is so humble and smart. I would like to see him more often in Film Courage.

  • @tekannon7803
    @tekannon7803 3 года назад +40

    Good teachers are things we all cherish and remember from our days in class, but Professor Edson brings teaching to an entirely new level. This is real teaching.

    • @petergreen5337
      @petergreen5337 Год назад

      Agreed

    • @arzabael
      @arzabael 9 месяцев назад

      Is this information right though? Or is it right now? There are surely fixed Aristotelian laws being described, but essentially conventional teaching on writing will always be a matter of the mentors preceding the instructor. In a small town where many have had the same mentors, something that’s simply right now, can be perceived as something that is right.
      We can’t do any of the same things in movies. Everything has to be subverted at some point, so the rules will always change, and we are living in a window of time where the rules are the way they are. Rigidity toward them though is surely the easiest way to crack.

  • @thezenviking8191
    @thezenviking8191 2 года назад +13

    Incredible watching this for free. Every field of study at universities should have a certain percentage of lectures be digital. For example 1 for each course, before being in the classroom. Bringing competition and raising the standard, and giving everyone some shared knowledge

  • @daichimax
    @daichimax 2 года назад +10

    Thanks for Sharing Eric's invaluable knowledge. This video is a Master Class!!!

  • @frankjames8278
    @frankjames8278 4 года назад +25

    Great lecture. Character is everything. Will really have to dig into this book more. Get the character right and the rest will follow. Hopefully was successful in my current web series. Keep up the great videos

    • @DBSG1976
      @DBSG1976 4 года назад +1

      Are you writing a web series or writing/in production of one? How many pages are you writing per episode?

    • @frankjames8278
      @frankjames8278 4 года назад +1

      @@DBSG1976 Already filmed two episodes. Looking to shoot more as soon as all this mess is over. Check out my channel. Each episode is about 7 to 9 minutes which is about 5 to 7 pages. And character still matters.

  • @kevintheagle
    @kevintheagle 4 года назад +19

    This channel keeps giving me so much to work with.

  • @NathanMcMasters
    @NathanMcMasters 3 года назад +13

    Interesting point he made about character categories not changing. I wonder if that is specifically true for stand alone feature films and not TV shows. I've seen several TV shows where an adversary agent joins the heros side and it felt really good. Perhaps because TV shows allow deeper character development of several characters over the course of many episodes. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

    • @techscw
      @techscw 3 года назад +4

      I think he would say the role(adversary/ally) might change on the surface, the capability of that role change would need to be foreshadowed well. E.g, an adversary is an honorable enemy that is being lied to or manipulated, core interests aren’t diametrically opposed, but social circumstances are the obstacles, not the core characters.

    • @NathanMcMasters
      @NathanMcMasters 3 года назад

      @@techscw thank you so much for the reply. I've just started to learn more about writing films. I just need to Google all those terms to try and understand what that means. The example I'm thinking about is in the walking dead during the negan seasons, if you've ever seen those.

    • @elinannestad5320
      @elinannestad5320 2 года назад

      I too have a question mark hanging over that statement, partly because of stories I brought myself up on, and partly because of real life. Techscw has got to be right, in that any change has to be foreshadowed. I think of the Wizard of Oz, where the wizard turned out to be a little guy hiding behind a curtain. And most powerfully in my life, of my mother who appeared totally potent but now, 30 years after she died, I see as a beautiful lonely girl who did her utmost in a hard world. Neither really changed, but certainly seemed to. Life, hey.

  • @PeterStawicki
    @PeterStawicki 3 года назад +23

    First and foremost this man is a fantastic professor and secondarily it would be really nice if they gathered up all the people in Hollywood and force them to actually take his class

    • @incognitomcde1360
      @incognitomcde1360 3 года назад +1

      The last thing we want is those lunatics to insinuate their propaganda subtlety in a competent story.

    • @michaelvoorhees7812
      @michaelvoorhees7812 3 года назад

      @@incognitomcde1360 XD

    • @poulwinther
      @poulwinther 2 года назад +1

      You think more than 10% of them are clever enough to learn anything?

  • @reelscreenwriting8940
    @reelscreenwriting8940 4 года назад +10

    Screenwriting Lectures are my guilty pleasure, thank you for this :)

  • @cultoay0utube
    @cultoay0utube 3 года назад +177

    LOL Every time that Eric asks "have you ever seen this movie?" the students are like ??? They must be in their first semester... or maybe he confused the classroom for the cinema studies with the driving school.

    • @bootsthecat6718
      @bootsthecat6718 3 года назад +14

      I would love to hear him transition into going over traffic regulations after the first hour

    • @RichardHannay
      @RichardHannay 3 года назад +22

      “Uh, sir, this is an AA meeting”

    • @anavonrebeur6121
      @anavonrebeur6121 3 года назад +4

      Shameful how illiterate and icinemated they aré.

    • @brianregan75
      @brianregan75 3 года назад +13

      @@anavonrebeur6121 yeah you would think for a screenwriting “masterclass” they would know their classic films. Should be a prerequisite lol

    • @anavonrebeur6121
      @anavonrebeur6121 3 года назад +2

      @@brianregan75 its torture for the teacher haaa

  • @Youthist
    @Youthist 3 года назад +8

    That's more than a masterclass! Thanks for sharing! I took notes of each tips. I will specially thank to you and Eric Edson for the insights in my first published story :)

  • @janejohnson1750
    @janejohnson1750 Год назад +1

    I was a Hemingway fan too in my teens but remember Pilar younger. All his books very full of imagery

  • @ChrisKtheHealthGuy
    @ChrisKtheHealthGuy Год назад +3

    I'm so glad to be able to hear this wisdom since this quality of teaching was not available in my liberal arts College.

  • @NY_LA
    @NY_LA 3 года назад +6

    I can not articulate how valuable these videos are. Thank you so much. For anyone else reading, Keep Creating! Tell your stories like only you can

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  3 года назад +1

      Great to see you finding value here Amira! Also great to see that we aren't the only ones who enjoyed this class!

  • @Username-o6zf
    @Username-o6zf 11 месяцев назад +1

    After getting my diploma, my next agenda on the plan is to go to Toronto Film School and get that degree.
    Maybe work in Gaming as a Scriptwriter or become a Screenplay writer

  • @HarryVoyager
    @HarryVoyager Год назад +1

    10:27 And that deluge of information is an amazingly double edged sword. On the one hand, you can fill it with so much sidebar information that you simply cannot put in a novel: it will be far too slow, and you can hide clues and layers in it that you could never do in a novel (the minute you spend words on it, everyone will notice it), but at the same time, you've got this massive channel of information that may or may not actually be usefull to telling the story that still has to be filled with stuff that is both reasonable, consistent and costs time and money to put in.
    A novelist can just about get away with saying the manor was an old imposing monolith festooned with peaks and lacy motifs along its eaves, that might have seemed elegant had they a fresh coat of paint.
    Boom, done!
    For a movie, someone has to find or build the cursed thing, and it will never be quite what you pictured in your head.

  • @ZekiLaurentSadic
    @ZekiLaurentSadic 3 года назад +9

    So a character can't change category? Huh? There are plenty of great movies where a bad guy, henchman or ally turns from bad to good, or vice versa.

    • @ScribblebytesWorldwide
      @ScribblebytesWorldwide 3 года назад

      Like what?

    • @cjdotexe3586
      @cjdotexe3586 3 года назад +1

      @@ScribblebytesWorldwide Darth Vader

    • @uberZanneth
      @uberZanneth 3 года назад +1

      @@ScribblebytesWorldwide zuko

    • @ZekiLaurentSadic
      @ZekiLaurentSadic 3 года назад +2

      @@ScribblebytesWorldwide Snake from Harry Potter. He constantly changes. Magneto in X-men, Harvey Dent in 'Dark Knight', Jack Nicholson in The Shining, the winter soldier in 'Captain America' etc etc.

    • @roofkat
      @roofkat 3 года назад +2

      (I'm making the mistake of answering you while only being 20 minutes into the lecture, so I'll delete this if Eric raises more points about characters never changing category - just wanted to write this out)
      I agree there are plenty of characters changing from category / alignment in great movies, but the issue that's raised here is specifically the hero changing mid-movie. It might not be impossible to pull off, but logically it is a lot trickier to change such an important person as the hero, than e.g. changing an ally to a villain. All the emotional build-up you've done for the main hero is hard to transfer over to a different person all of a sudden.
      None (except perhaps Jack) of the characters mentioned in this thread so far are the main hero of the movie they're in.
      Darth Vader: the transition from hero to villain doesn't happen within one of the initial three movies, and I'm not sure the prequels count as movies that connected very well with an audience in the way Eric describes them.
      Zuko: Absolutely amazing character and change from villain to ally, but it's not in a feature film. This doesn't happen over the course of 2 hours, but over numerous seasons of a series.
      Snake, Harvey Dent and the winter soldier are not "the main hero" changing into a villain or the hero seat being swapped with someone else, which is why I think they work just fine.
      I don't fully recall how Magneto's change in X-men is played out, but I again don't think he was the main hero.
      Jack Nicholson is a very interesting example. I haven't seen the Shining (blasphemy, I know) but that one might be a good case for a hero going through a categorical change... although of course I can't tell till I've watched it.

  • @AaronBreezeComposer
    @AaronBreezeComposer 4 года назад +84

    Eric Edson is everything you want in an educator! Fantastic!

  • @SARbeaver1
    @SARbeaver1 11 месяцев назад +1

    Only 1 person had read "For Whom the Bell Tolls." I can feel his inward groan.

  • @AnastaciaMary
    @AnastaciaMary 4 года назад +9

    Professor Edson is such an excellent teacher! All of the examples make the theory so clear. Thank you for this!

  • @BionicDance
    @BionicDance Год назад

    I only got 11 minutes in before I had to turn it off.
    Every time he'd describe things you can't do in film that you can do in prose, buttloads--nay, _double-wide_ buttloads_ of movies that do exactly that would come to mind.
    I think the last straw was when he said we don't bring our own imagination to a film, but...yes, we do!
    George Miller would often show the lead-up to violence...and then not show the violence, leaving the audience to picture what happened from its aftermath. Spielberg did the same thing with "Jaws". And it works; what we picture happening off-screen often hits harder than what we don't.
    If using our imagination didn't happen with film, there wouldn't be so many arguments among Trekkies. And Warsies. Heck, so much of the sci-fi/fantasy fandom if people what-iffing about stuff only implied on screen, in the script.
    Tarantino takes side-trips to tell us about a character's history constantly, jumping all over in time to give us these little character insights. "Reservoir Dogs" made great use of this, for example.
    I just couldn't keep watching cuz the dude is all kinds of full of it.

  • @LDEPOV
    @LDEPOV 4 года назад +6

    Awsome lecture! I'm Hooked. In the story whether good or bad, write each character with a purpose. It has to move the story.

  • @wattpadusergeek342
    @wattpadusergeek342 4 года назад +4

    I really like how he described the difference between novels and visual storytelling at the beginning. As a novelist using Film Courage videos as part of my self-made creative writing curriculum (thanks for the opportunity Covid19) it was important to hear this in order to avoid becoming rigid in my writing by taking the screenwriting concepts as the only gospel truth for writing. The human mind is funny that way, preferring to filter down information as much as possible to a specific category (why social media works like a charm) and it’s important to realize this and not get stuck in a bubble of specific teachings (why the current academic system doesn’t work as well, generally).

  • @robertdufour2456
    @robertdufour2456 3 года назад +5

    Thank you, professor. I thoroughly enjoyed your lecture. I will be watching it again and again.

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  3 года назад

      Thanks for posting Robert, we are glad you discovered this one.

  • @camronchlarson3767
    @camronchlarson3767 4 года назад +53

    I love these full lectures! :)

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  4 года назад +7

      Cheers Camron! This is the last of what we have for now. Hopefully we'll sit in on some other classes in the future.

    • @SchoolToEmbassyProject
      @SchoolToEmbassyProject 4 года назад

      Absolutely, I'm addicted to ALL this knowledge #BingeWatching

    • @iraqiraq1950
      @iraqiraq1950 4 года назад

      Me too .. i hope I can study there 😫 🙏

    • @malin943
      @malin943 4 года назад

      Me too! 😍

  • @mgtogno
    @mgtogno 4 года назад +1

    wtf the people in this lecture...they are studying movies and HAVENT WATCHED ANY MOVIE wtfffff how can they study film and not watched any of the films he mentions??? I hvent studied that, but studied medieval literature...and i watched most movies he mentions...makes no sense, im not even american also GREAT LECTURE really interesting hahaha

  • @hnttakata713
    @hnttakata713 3 года назад +12

    Mahalo. I learn more from these Film Courage lectures, than the six years spent in traditional college. Very specific. My character development is based upon experiences of heroines that I have spent time with, and these traits are apparent.

  • @william5159
    @william5159 4 года назад +11

    “No side trips”, except in The Godfather Part II. And, therein lies the danger of ‘rules’. Great lecture though and a great teacher. Great series!

    • @william5159
      @william5159 4 года назад +2

      @Jessie Robert DeNiro

    • @derrickdd
      @derrickdd 4 года назад +7

      @@william5159 Its not a side-trip... Its two stories mirroring eachother simultaneously.

    • @william5159
      @william5159 4 года назад +1

      @@derrickdd Good point. Perhaps I misunderstood the original point. Cheers, I will re-watch the video.

    • @droneeye2618
      @droneeye2618 3 года назад

      Films have evolved though to be more like episodic novels in the last few decades and seasons of series have become the norm

  • @jimsizzle5288
    @jimsizzle5288 3 года назад +5

    This video has helped me more than words describe......

  • @crazyneonate8626
    @crazyneonate8626 3 года назад +2

    Awesome lecture, although I laughed at 10:20 when he says that cinema is the ''most overwhelming and personally involving art form so far'' - the poor man never played videogames XD

    • @diersteinjulien6773
      @diersteinjulien6773 3 года назад

      No, he is right.
      Like he says, a movie has two hours to throw a full story, from character introduction to a satisfying end, at you.
      You just can't do that in a videogame. Players will play at their own pace. Gameplay sequences will contribute to the tone, style and feel. A movie doesn't have that luxury. That's why it's the most overwhelming medium: it must do everything at once in a very short time

    • @crazyneonate8626
      @crazyneonate8626 3 года назад

      @@diersteinjulien6773 Oh I misunderstood, I thought he was talking about the audience (or player) not the creator. And in that sense videogames certainly destroys movies in that regard (or at least the great ones)

    • @diersteinjulien6773
      @diersteinjulien6773 3 года назад

      @@crazyneonate8626 he's, in my opinion, talking about both sides. Movies are the most concentrated medium, because they have to deliver everything fast, and it has to be received equally fast, meaning both sides have to deal with an overwhelming amount of stuff at once, and nothing can be wasted.
      A good videogame can certainly get you also very invested, but the experience is much more diluted. It's more comparable to a TV serie, where you can explore side characters in more details, with side-quests and optional routes.
      If you compare a movie to a videogame, it's basicaly "only the main quest's cutscenes, no gameplay, no side content, no playable boss fight". And it still has to be good and enjoyable.

    • @crazyneonate8626
      @crazyneonate8626 3 года назад

      Alright I get what he meant and within those parameters it's true. As far as your comment, it could be argued that the best videogames don't tell their stories with cutscenes but with the gameplay itself though. Again, not all or even most videogames but there a slew of games where experiencing it is the story, and how you feel about it is intimately linked to the fact that YOU were the protagonist. A couple of great examples are Soma, What remains of Edith Finch, Gone Home, The walking Dead, Frost punk, Firewatch and others. Those games don't have sidequests or bossfight and very very little storytelling outside what you do (except The Walking Dead)

    • @diersteinjulien6773
      @diersteinjulien6773 3 года назад

      @@crazyneonate8626 Out of those, I only played two:
      What remained of Edith Finch.... which I really didn't like. I want my games to have gameplay, but it was just a super linear walking simulator with different "worlds" that really were just gimmicks with minimal gameplay. Interesting in a way, but very quickly repetitive. I much preferred Obra Dihn or Painscreek Killings, which required you to think.
      And Frostpunk... which I also didn't like. And when you think about it, Frostpunk has no story, it's basicaly "survive" at the beginning, and "well... you survived" at the end. It's only you VS the setting of the game, no characters or anything.
      So... the storytelling of games and movies is radicaly different. It's really hard to compare the two.

  • @by_katrin
    @by_katrin Год назад +1

    Eric Edson has no idea what he's talking about. He said "Thank you for your patience" He is so humble and has no clue that I would hang on his lips for hours! 😀 Best wishes from Switzerland and thank you a thousand times for this Masterclass for free on RUclips) ♥

    • @brandsintel
      @brandsintel 8 месяцев назад

      No clue at all. For hours and hours and hours ❤👌

  • @brandsintel
    @brandsintel 8 месяцев назад +1

    I could listen to this Prof throughout the day. Made me miss class all over again ❤🙏👌

  • @zerocells
    @zerocells 2 года назад +3

    The passion this guy exudes makes me want to listen to him all day.

  • @whengrapespop5728
    @whengrapespop5728 3 года назад +2

    Good Will Hunting doesn’t have an adversary person, I believe, but correct me if I’m wrong. The antagonistic force in that movie is fear of rejection. However, there are people Will perceives as adversary figures, even though the audience understand that they only want the best for him. I believe this is why people have started saying “antagonistic force” instead of “antagonist”.

    • @LLMAXG
      @LLMAXG 3 года назад

      I'm currently attempting a script that is an "antagonist force". It feels like there's not much advice about it, its all about a physical entity being the antagonist.

  • @wendillasfam
    @wendillasfam 2 года назад +2

    the most useful knowledge for writers, what a great teacher! I need the list of the movies, as his students I haven't watched no even half of them! but I will buy the book because it is all so interesting, thank you!

  • @Brandon.manga.
    @Brandon.manga. 3 года назад +4

    Thank you to everyone involved in allowing me access to this video. I just learned so much I will be rewatching this over and over!

  • @mebleusiste
    @mebleusiste 3 года назад +2

    Can you please provide video with slide show as you did with the story structure lecture ?
    Thank you

  • @KootFloris
    @KootFloris 3 года назад +2

    This is both nice and mmm, isn't this education why all Hollywood movies are so alike?
    Here kids, use these tricks and everyone will get this movie.
    And it'll look like all others too. Choose a great story over a fitting mechanical puzzle that'll please producers.
    It's about added value or others layers that make a movie. Take Heat of the Night, in its time, the movie was also a confrontation in itself with many establishments.

    • @allanredhill8682
      @allanredhill8682 3 года назад +1

      No, these are more like guidelines. Learn the rules so you can break them. Its like learning art - many great artists may have painted in a very abstract way but they got there by still learning the fundamentals like anatomy or composition. The same goes for screenwriting. In order to create something unique you need to really understand your craft and many of these rules exist because they are very effective tools to create cohesive and engaging stories.

    • @KootFloris
      @KootFloris 3 года назад

      @@allanredhill8682 Ha, good point, but remember Picasso, "it took me five years of art education to paint like an artist, and the rest of my life to unlearn and work as a child again."

  • @davywilliams8048
    @davywilliams8048 2 года назад

    35:41 Sideways correction: Budget $16 million. Opening weekend $207,000. US gross $72M. Worldwide gross $110 million. (IMDB Pro)

  • @ShekarRangarajan
    @ShekarRangarajan 3 года назад +6

    Brilliant thought provoking teacher par excellence. He is so encyclopaedic and graphical in describing the nuances of every scene from a range of movies.

  • @AB-ii8st
    @AB-ii8st 3 года назад +30

    Regarding the personification of the antagonist: I always hated when Star Trek introduced the Borg Queen to personify the Borg. They had been a cool concept, having no individuals and a collective mind. But with the queen it became cheap and boring.

    • @leodouskyron5671
      @leodouskyron5671 3 года назад +2

      I hear you and largely agree but when they first met the borg they spoke with an effect that hinted at all those in the borg speaking with one voice. A bit spooky if we was the borg inside all talking but with out that it felt like a congregation speaking scriptures and that felt more holy and Democratic. The one Queen thus felt more of a lateral move.

    • @w1ck3dz0d1ac
      @w1ck3dz0d1ac 3 года назад +2

      Locutus was the better adversary. If Picard remained that way it would have had more impact. Especially in the aftermath of Wolf 359, as the setup for Benjamin Sisko.
      This idea later got revisited in StarCraft's Kerrigan storyline. Hive mind but a single Antagonist for Jim Raynor. The love interest as the adversary drove that plot in the early games. Later on it was kind of drug out, but as a concept it was great storytelling.

    • @RonJohn63
      @RonJohn63 3 года назад

      I wouldn't say "cheap and boring", but it definitely did not make sense.

    • @Antonio_DG
      @Antonio_DG 3 года назад

      If the queen is useless and irrational in the Borg "social" system, it must be said that the Borg themselves make no sense, because basing their species on biological organisms with an expiration date and then clearing the biological characteristics with electronic components, another criticism because stopping only at bipedal creatures, given the abilities of a Borg, even a mouse or an insect could have done the same by expanding the strategies of the community thanks to units with different characteristics.

    • @w1ck3dz0d1ac
      @w1ck3dz0d1ac 3 года назад +1

      @@Antonio_DG I agree, they are just Star Treks version of Dr. Who's Cybermen.

  • @arzabael
    @arzabael 9 месяцев назад +1

    A great man analyzing great films with great insight into them, is a truly great thing. I almost feel like tearing up during each film summary.

  • @TimMaxShift
    @TimMaxShift Год назад

    9:50 I'm sorry, but he's wrong. Everyone sees completely differently. What one sees when watching a movie is also subjective.
    "Everyone only hears what he understands" Plautus.
    You can show a person an idea, but he will understand it in his own way, because of his level of education and knowledge. It's like Rorschach stains.
    Also, if there are a lot of details on the screen, one person will look at some details and another person will look at other details.

  • @shireitalians
    @shireitalians Год назад +1

    This is gold! Thank you for helping!

  • @PranavBhave
    @PranavBhave 4 года назад +3

    Thank you so much Film Courage for these lectures. Looking forward to seeing more of these classes. His explanation is clear and precise. Guess I've found my online screenwriting Guru🙏 🙂
    Respect!

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  4 года назад +1

      Glad you like them! You are very welcome. We are honored to have sat in on Professor Edson's CSUN class. Appreciate the compliment.

  • @troglodytezero1697
    @troglodytezero1697 Год назад

    This doesn't work completely with GOT, you can have solid characters in a bad movie and boring characters in something that could have been good.

  • @arzabael
    @arzabael 9 месяцев назад

    One of the greatest monologues of all time was in Sideways. When he likened himself through the subtext of the delicate and weak nature of Pinot grapes. 😊

  • @FlipArt57
    @FlipArt57 2 года назад +1

    Although I watch other interviews from Film Courage, Eric Edson I can say I learned the most. I recorded all of his lectures and listen to em fanatically. Not a dull moment. I wish he was here in San Diego where Writing Classes are $$$, but I'd PAY for his classes.

  • @SVAFnemesis
    @SVAFnemesis 4 года назад +13

    Tywin Lannister teaches screen writing

  • @sunildingankar8657
    @sunildingankar8657 9 месяцев назад

    Good lecture. One question, in a movie like Forest Gump who is the adversary character?

  • @LeeCarlson
    @LeeCarlson 8 месяцев назад

    The lecturer has obviously never experienced a story written in "Third-person camera view."

  • @wombledtv390
    @wombledtv390 3 года назад +1

    Where’s the second part to this?

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  3 года назад +1

      We were only with Professor Edson and his class for the first two classes of the semester. (Here is the first class in case you haven't seen it - ruclips.net/video/iywvNIWKbPI/видео.html). The way it was explained to us is that he lectures for the first two classes and then the format of the class changes. It becomes more interactive and they watch more scenes from movies and discuss them.

  • @LazlosPlane
    @LazlosPlane 3 года назад

    Dectective Tibbs was NOT from New York but Philadelphia.

  • @Truthshallsety0ufree
    @Truthshallsety0ufree 6 месяцев назад

    All these student writers haven't watched any movies if they're over 5 years old. Movies are doomed.

  • @justinallen169
    @justinallen169 10 месяцев назад

    It boggles my mind how anyone attempting to be in any cinematic feild can NOT have seen most of these movies….

  • @brienlongobardi2599
    @brienlongobardi2599 2 года назад

    the professor talks about the character categories at 12:58 in the video and what they are.....What book is he talking about?

  • @sirjamesfancy
    @sirjamesfancy 11 месяцев назад

    1:41:00 When you say must be sympathetic, the endangered one must be sympathetic or the audience must be sympathetic for them?

  • @rainyfeathers9148
    @rainyfeathers9148 2 года назад

    I had a whole affair, then you remarried. Does this mean~ we can get back together🕺🏼

  • @dragonchr15
    @dragonchr15 2 года назад

    After watching this, I hope people can forgive why certain movies are not "like the book."
    The formula for a successful movie is not the same as one for a successful novel.
    An author of a novel can get away with not having many of these character types, or breaking these rules....a screenwriter cannot.

  • @grazygoutam354
    @grazygoutam354 4 года назад +2

    I wanna thankyou guys for uploading
    This on youtube for free
    I finished it in one sitting
    amazing teacher
    Keep doing the good work

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  4 года назад

      Hi Babu, Mr. Edson has a book he wrote entitled "The Story Solution" (link in the description) where he goes into detail on everything he highlights here.. We believe you will find all your answers there.

  • @nicolearetz2703
    @nicolearetz2703 2 года назад +1

    I learn so much here! Thank you! Without you, I would never have the chance to listen to Prof. Edson.

  • @j-new6278
    @j-new6278 4 года назад +3

    So great, excellent job Eric Edson!!!!

  • @n1lknarf
    @n1lknarf Год назад

    1:43 philosophers relied heavily on astrology back in the ancient world

  • @anaginc
    @anaginc 2 года назад

    One thing also that is a must is to see irish shorts and know Eamonn Owens movies. It opens your mind really

  • @joeygonzo
    @joeygonzo 4 года назад +2

    watch MONEY HEIST on Netflix and pay attention to the characters

  • @renatabaume3584
    @renatabaume3584 2 года назад

    i am surprised how those students who are supposed to write new screen scripts dont know the cinema nor literature classics...

  • @leodouskyron5671
    @leodouskyron5671 3 года назад +2

    OMG I have a list of movies to watch after this!

  • @llcinemaofficial
    @llcinemaofficial 3 года назад +1

    Where are the next 7 characters?

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  3 года назад +1

      Hi, Eric mentions all 14 characters at the beginning of this lecture but doesn't cover them all here. Sorry. Believe he goes in depth on the 14 characters in his book.

  • @ai-man212
    @ai-man212 3 года назад +1

    Jarmush and Tarantino always do sidetracks in their movies. A series of vignettes, so I take issue with that one.

  • @bonym371
    @bonym371 4 года назад +1

    How is that none of these student screenwriters have no knowledge about classic movies? I can understand a young "Joe Bloggs" not knowing but a Screenwriter student??

  • @TheNefastor
    @TheNefastor 3 года назад +2

    Yo, somebody forward those videos to Disney. They can use an education.

    • @southlondon86
      @southlondon86 3 года назад

      Marvel films?

    • @TheNefastor
      @TheNefastor 3 года назад

      @@southlondon86 how about you write at least one full sentence ? Because it sounds to me like you're implying the MCU is the pinnacle of movie-making.

    • @southlondon86
      @southlondon86 3 года назад +1

      @@TheNefastor Hahaha. My man I HATE superhero films with a burning passion. They have ruined cinema for me. I am merely asking if you were referring to them too.

  • @cristinawilligs
    @cristinawilligs Год назад

    in the several versions of war and peace there is this character called Petya Rostov that changes role at the end

  • @Matthew-pf9mj
    @Matthew-pf9mj Год назад

    Great stuff! What if the adversary is alcoholism?

  • @allanredhill8682
    @allanredhill8682 3 года назад +1

    Great lecture - its also very helpful for comic scripts, as Im writing it similar to a screenplay

  • @Thoracius
    @Thoracius 2 года назад

    25:06 I call total BS on this. While it's easy to cherry-pick a few examples to support this argument, it's just as easy to find counter-examples. You don't have to look further than one of Charlie Kaufman's earlier works, "Being John Malcovich," to find a film with no sympathetic hero that was both a commercial and critical success. It's a fantastic film. Also, Waterworld did $264 million at the box office, which was great at the time. The problem wasn't Cosner's character, it's that they spent too much on production. Plenty of cookie-cutter scripts with sympathetic heroes also lose money at the box office.

  • @gerardovitale81
    @gerardovitale81 2 года назад +1

    The best part is from 00:00 to 1:48:36
    Thank you so much!

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  2 года назад +1

      Cheers Gerardo! Thanks for watching!

  • @FlyingOverTr0ut
    @FlyingOverTr0ut 4 года назад +2

    Just finished reading Eric Edson's book for the third time in three years. Still very informative and entertaining.

    • @DanielEndy2
      @DanielEndy2 3 года назад

      @@babumurugesan6977
      Helper-follower ally is an ally who follows the hero and assists them. Think Trinity in the Matrix.

    • @DanielEndy2
      @DanielEndy2 3 года назад

      Cheerleader ally is a person who cheers the hero on. They provide encouragement but not much else.

    • @DanielEndy2
      @DanielEndy2 3 года назад

      A hopeful savior is a an ally who provides hope. Think the Oracle in the Matrix. She is in disguise at first and seems to be discouraging.

    • @DanielEndy2
      @DanielEndy2 3 года назад

      The comic ally is a friend of the hero who provides comic relief.

    • @DanielEndy2
      @DanielEndy2 3 года назад

      He has a book you should buy.

  • @carriek7993
    @carriek7993 2 года назад

    Are the 14 character categories presented in his book?

  • @Tubeflux
    @Tubeflux 3 года назад +1

    Great lesson. Very charismatic and motivating professor. That's the way!

  • @PipRap
    @PipRap 3 года назад

    Sorry, but big parts this guy's teaching could be read as the reason for what's basically wrong with the majority of movies.
    This should be called "Generic Screenwriting Class" ...
    PS: I didn't watch the whole talk, since when I started to realize how generic and antioriginal his teachings seem to be, I pretty much skipped through the rest.

    • @ahmadrausyan9585
      @ahmadrausyan9585 3 года назад

      how could you say that without watching the whole vid? this is why our society so fckd up. ppl jump to conclusion without reading the whole things.
      And In a matter of fact, you should know the basic framework before u r great enough to break it.

    • @PipRap
      @PipRap 3 года назад

      Basically, you're right.
      And that's exactly why I included my "PS".
      Nonetheless, after quite a while (plus the parts I skipped through) I was unable to find anything worth listening to in this talk - even quiet some harmfull remarks and views in regards to culture and creativity -, which left me at unease.
      Regardless, I do not wish to spoil the experience for anyone who enjoys this talk - even though I find it somewhat 'dulling' ....

  • @brofelixthecat8233
    @brofelixthecat8233 3 года назад +1

    What’s interesting is that Up can all be seen as either a way of letting go of the past, or as a metaphor in Russell taking or inciting Carl to the afterlife, in that Carl let’s go of all that had been keeping him from moving forward, and he finally leaves the house behind.

  • @jeremybarnes7873
    @jeremybarnes7873 3 года назад +1

    Thoroughly enjoying these lectures. Delighted to have found them. Thank you.

  • @ComicPower
    @ComicPower 3 года назад +2

    This is awesome. I learned so much.

  • @sameershrshakli8703
    @sameershrshakli8703 2 года назад

    i was just wondering what is the book ? he is saying everything is in the book, dose anyone knows the book name ?

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  2 года назад +1

      Story Solution- link in the description

  • @Wartooth6
    @Wartooth6 3 года назад +1

    video games fill in a lot of what he's talking about what movies cannot do but novels can.

    • @Dapturner
      @Dapturner 3 года назад +1

      When he said you can't suddenly switch an adversary into a hero, I immediately thought of Last of Us 2.

  • @JMaynardGelinas
    @JMaynardGelinas 4 года назад +1

    The interviews are good. But actual course lectures and syllabi would be a great addition to this channel.

  • @jordankit1648
    @jordankit1648 Год назад +1

    What a gem. This is golden content from Prof Edson. Thank you.

  • @V.G.Toledo
    @V.G.Toledo 2 года назад

    Does Edson have an online course?