How to Write a Character Arc — "Positive Change" Character Arcs Explained

in the hundred plus years of filmmaking and thousands of years of storytelling there are really only four ways to end a story we're going to dissect one of these endings using an oscar-winning screenplay with a true genius behind the wheel and at the end of this video we'll provide a free downloadable worksheet to help you plot out your ending [Music] this is part three of the four endings in every film the semi-sweet ending traditional protagonists typically need two things a want and a need [Music] once our external goals that are known to the character specific to them and drive the plot forward in onward ian's want is to meet his deceased father i sure do wish i could spend the day with you sometime i know well there's so many things we could do i bet it'd be really fun and with the help of a little magic ian and his brother barley set off on a quest to bring him back we have to find another phoenix gem you hear that dad we're going on a quest [Applause] but needs are internal goals that are often unknown to the character universal to us all and drive the character through their arc ian's need is to realize that even though he may not see his father again the hole in his heart has been filled with his brother's love and guidance all along i had someone who looked out for me someone who pushed me to be more than i ever thought i could be i never had a dad but i always had you and at the end of most stories the protagonists will attain some combination of their wants and needs and you can map every type of ending on a quadrant like this sweet achieving their wants and needs bittersweet achieving their wants but not their needs semi-sweet not achieving their wants but achieving their needs and lastly bitter achieving neither in the last episode we followed michael corleone's tragic fall from grace i'm with you now i'm with you it's not personal sonny it's strictly business in a bitter ending but this time i'm entitled to that our focus is charlie babbitt's evolution from selfish there is a hell sir my father's in it and he is looking up right now and he is laughing his ass off you're selfless you're dancing this is it in a rather touching semi-sweet ending a semi-sweet ending gives the protagonist what they need but not what they want of the four types of endings most movies use some variation of the semi-sweet ending because it typically follows a positive change character arc which writer km weiland describes as a protagonist with varying levels of personal unfulfillment and denial will be forced to challenge his beliefs about himself until he conquers his inner demons and ends his art having changed in a positive way so we've imported the rain man screenplay into studio binder so we can map out the necessary plot and character beats that created such a cathartic ending now charlie babbitt is materialistic an importer of foreign sports cars and an a-hole epa whole world is choking on smog and they're going to correct the situation by keeping my four cars off the road well of course in other words he's perfectly set up to follow a positive change arc but how did he become this way what's charlie's problem on page nine charlie is indifferent to some devastating news yeah charlie this is lenny i got a call a long-distance call from mr mooney you know your father's lawyer he's been trying to reach you your father has died charlie charlie anything else we learn all about the personal unfulfillment related to his father look i told you before we had a falling out a long time ago my mother died when i was two it was just him and me you know we just didn't get along this strained relationship is charlie's ghost a character's ghost as described by violent is something in the character's past that haunts them this could be an event look at me a breakup i think we should stop seeing each other a betrayal guards please don't fight maximus write until dawn and then execute them in a way this past trauma has shaped this character for better or worse remove your helmet and tell me your name name is maximus desmus meridius commander of the armies of the north father to a murdered son husband to a murdered wife and i will have my vengeance in this life or the next and no matter what your character's ghost is it is ultimately the thing they must overcome to achieve a positive change arc my name is tom nice to meet you i'm adam because of his personal unfulfillment tied to his father charlie doesn't care about his father's death he only cares for the money he assumes he'll get in the inheritance that is charlie's want instead he gets rose bushes outright title to my prize-winning hybrid rose bushes may they remind him of the value of excellence and the possibility of perfection as for my home and all of the property real and personal these shall be placed in trust in accordance with the terms of that certain instrument executed concurrently here with what does that mean last part what does that mean it means that the estate in excess of three million dollars after expenses and taxes will go into a trust fund for a beneficiary to be named in this document who who is that he's called a trustee what is that how does that work how does that work forgive me but there's nothing more i can say this wallbrook charlie tracks down this mysterious trustee how do you know this car raymond 1949 buick roadmaster straight a fireball eight only 8095 production models dad lets me drive slow on a driveway but not on monday definitely not on monday who's your dad stanford babbitt sanford and on page 26 charlie discovers their true connection that's my address i mean what is it with this guy hey who's your mother eleanor babbitt eleanor died january 5th 1965 after short who the hell are you oh hey i'm talking to you penny california bruner court who is this guy raymond is your brother instead of a heartfelt reunion with his long-lost brother charlie holds him for ransom don't worry ray we'll bring you right back charlie's plan b is to get the money by becoming raymond's legal guardian so they hit the road back to california in a positive change arc you'll often need an impact character while describes the impact character someone who slams into your protagonist catalyzes him into change and has a major impact on his life raymond is the perfect impact character for charlie don't make a scene his connection to charlie's past and charlie's ghost points directly to charlie's need remember a character's need is often unknown to them sometimes until the very end and the need is usually revealed through a moment of cathartic realization [Music] on page 97 charlie has this moment when i say stop why don't you stop it why you always have to act like an idiot huh yeah first yeah you think that's funny yeah funny raining out on your teeth what'd you say hi t rinse why'd you say funny teeth what's that funny teeth funny rain man rain man i said rainbow yeah funny rain man was i trying to say raymond and it came out rain man yeah funny brain man you there's a rain man can you live with us yeah 10961 beach crest street cincinnati ohio when uh when did when did you leave january 21st 1965. you you remember this thursday very snowy out 7.2 inches of snow that day jesus just after mom died new year's yeah mom died january 5th 1965. and you remember that day you remember that day that you were short and sudden illness you remember that day yeah but was i there where was i where you where what you were in the window you waved to me bye-bye rain man bye-bye man and this is charlie's need to purge the resentment tied to his father and re-establish a meaningful connection to his family giving him an opportunity to grow and change yeah lenny it's me listen charlie where the hell have you been i've been sitting by this phone for three hours just take it take it easy take it easy i'm in to come carry i'll be there in a few years to pay off the loan the cars are gone charlie gone beeping wants his down payment back they all do that's 80 thou charlie 80 000. i don't have it what am i gonna tell them i don't know are you paying attention yeah okay now what what do i have left two jacks one eight one king one six two aces one ten one nine one five one five you are beautiful man [Music] [Music] um there you go ray yeah it's a high roller suite big date gonna go dancing have to have to go to the date with iris at the bar damn you have to dance i don't know all right stand over there now watching a character grow and change for the better is the foundation of storytelling when i tell you to once you just just look up real slow just keep moving okay you ready yeah all right start looking up yeah a little more keep moving just a little more one more ring all the way up there you go ray yeah you're dancing this is it yeah dancing this occurs when charlie learns to put raymond's needs ahead of his own on page 162 charlie has offered his original want money and i happen to care about your brother's life when the treatment receives i made a commitment to your father-son 20 years ago and i'm not willing to to gamble with that what is this it's a very big check all he has to do is walk away 250 000 and no strings attached just walk away charlie it's funny i just realized i'm not pissed off anymore my father cut me out of his will and you were his friend you probably knew he tried to contact me a few times over the years i never called him back it was a prick well hey if it was my son didn't return my calls had a written mouth it's not about the money anymore it's it's you know i just don't understand why didn't he tell me i had a brother why didn't you tell me i had a brother why didn't anyone ever tell me that i had a brother because it'd been nice to know him for more than just the past six days at this point charlie firmly establishes a new want to take care of his brother unfortunately soon after charlie faces a hard truth that he is ill-equipped to do so right come on it stopped it's all right i had a father i hardly knew a mother i didn't know it all i find out a few days ago that i have a brother and i want to be with him and i'm supposed to give him up no one is saying anything and there's no need to be that i didn't hurt him he's not hurting me we're not hurting you now why are you interfering this is my family not interesting my family do you understand that i understand that yes you do have a brother but the point is he's not capable of having a relationship with you i think it's very admirable that you made a connection but i think the purpose of this meeting is to determine what is best for raymond raymond you want to stay with your brother charlie here in los angeles yeah or do you want to go back to walbrook yeah [Music] despite all his good intentions charlie finally understands and accepts what's best for raymond [Music] charlie gave up his want for a greater good raymond's well-being i don't know if i'm going to have a chance to talk to you again because you see these uh dr bruno really likes you a lot and he's probably gonna want to take you back with him you know yeah charlie's ghost or the anger and resentment of his father turned him into a selfish liar but the discovery of his long lost brother repairs and resolves that inner turmoil i like having it for my big brother charlie achieved his need but not his want to pull off your own semi-sweet ending you must consider all the criteria for both wants and needs for maximum emotional impact so in the description you'll find a free downloadable worksheet where you can plot these out for your characters in the final episode of this series we'll look at the social network to find out what happens when a character gets everything they want but fails to get what they really need [Applause] right i'll see you soon yeah if you enjoyed this video get what you want and what you need by hitting subscribe and ringing the bell for notifications and that will end this video we'll see you in the next one [Music] [Music]

Channel: StudioBinder

Views: 193,035

Keywords: Rain man, character arc, character arcs, writing character arcs, how to write a character arc, creating character arcs, how to write character arcs, how to write good character arcs, how to create character arcs, script, filmmaking, how to write a character, how to write characters, writing characters, want vs need, need vs want, what is a character arc, screenwriting techniques, km weiland, want and need in film, km weiland character arc, want versus need, tyler mowery

Id: CS1QkWSnP_o

Length: 16min 44sec (1004 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 19 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/othersbeforeus]

It’s been a while since I’ve seen Rain Man, but is his arc actually positive? To memory, Tom Cruise just sorta takes advantage of his brother’s counting skills and then resigns to the fact that he can’t take care of him. Is it worth a rewatch?

[u/[deleted]]

[removed]

[u/hahahoudini]

I'm disappointed no one else on earth ever notices that Rain Man is a glossy Hollywood remake of Paris, TX.

[u/Vaeon]

Just watched this in class today.