Say Hello to the Bad Guy: 5 Keys to Creating an Effective Antagonist

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I recently had the pleasure of watching Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics, a documentary about the origins and motivations of the “bad guys” who battle the various superhero icons of the DC Comics Universe. The film uses interviews with writers, actors and directors to examine the motivations behind such memorable characters as Lex Luthor, the Joker and Sinestro.

Regardless of if you're writing a superhero action epic, an  intimate family drama, or an over-the-top slapstick comedy, you need a strong antagonist. While some films use larger entities (Mother Nature, the Devil, the System) as a barrier in the protagonist's quest, most scripts employ a personification of these forces to stand in the hero's way.

However, your antagonist needs more than a black hat and a spindly mustache to be truly memorable. Here are some keys to creating the characters that audiences love to hate.

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Opposing Forces

The saying “opposites attract” may not always in relationships, but it does for audiences. Moviegoers want to see two contrasting characters clash in intense and fascinating ways. If your protagonist breaks the rules to achieve a just outcome, then your antagonist must employ the rules almost solely for his own benefit. In The Heat, by-the-book FBI Agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) confronts Boston Police Detective Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy) on her lack of procedural compliance, fashion sense and personal hygiene.

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Lack of Responsibility

Audiences admire the protagonist who will take responsibility for his own mistakes, while they heap disdain on those who point fingers and avoid blame. You can create some interesting conflicts when your protagonist tries to get your antagonist to fix the damage he's caused, while the antagonist blames everyone else around him. In Thor, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) blames both Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) for his villainous ways and refuses to take responsibility for his actions.

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Unjust Actions

From childhood, we're told, “life isn't fair”. While real life is rarely fair, audiences expect movies to address obvious injustices. Your antagonist must create unjust situations that force the protagonist to overcome them – and the audience to root for him to do so. In The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) continually institutes unjust changes in the rules of the Hunger Games to keep Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) from addressing the injustices of the Panem government.

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Doubling Down

As your protagonist gets closer to his goal, your antagonist should double down on his efforts to stop him. These efforts raise the stakes for the hero and emphasize the ruthlessness of the villain. The antagonist's renewed efforts often become less subtle, more violent or more unreasonable. In Machete Kills, the efforts of billionaire Luther Vos (Mel Gibson) to stop Mexican agent Machete (Danny Trejo) escalate all the way to launching a nuclear weapon and escaping in his own private spaceship.

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Villain as Hero

If you were to switch the roles of the protagonist and antagonist, would your script still make sense? The answer to this question can turn your antagonist from a plot device into a fully-formed character. Each of your characters must function as if they have their own story to tell. This idea is especially true for the main antagonist most of all, as the villain's story serves to highlight the hero's qualities. In Captain Phillips, the pirate leader (Barkhad Abdi) takes over a cargo ship captained by Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks), not because he's an evil terrorist, but because he needs the money from the theft to feed his family.

If you need help in creating a powerful villain in your script, contact us at StoryIntoScreenplayBlog [at] gmail [dot] com. We provide one-on-one consultations for newbie screenwriters and can help you get your script ready for pitches, contests or direct sales. You can also Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and purchase home videos through our Amazon links.

NOTE: You can also find me at the Texas International Comic Convention (aka Comicpalooza) in Houston Memorial Day weekend. I'll be there along with a truly legendary writer who knows a little something about creating memorable villains.

If you'd like to discuss your project, and if you'll be attending the convention, please send an e-mail with the subject “Comicpalooza” and a method of contacting you. Hope to see you there!

Screenplay Subtext: Don't Say What You Mean

Subtext in screenplays is much like obscenity in media. As Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart put it in the landmark 1973 decision Jacobellis v. Ohio, “I know it when I see it.”

Most rookie screenwriters undervalue the use of subtext. They often favor telling the story in a manner as blunt and straightforward as possible to ensure that the script delivers their message. They often fail to see that the most effective way to deliver a message comes from their characters avoiding the core message like the proverbial elephant in the room.

What is Subtext?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "subtext" as "the implicit or metaphorical meaning (as in a literary text)". While your written dialogue and actions carry one meaning, the deeper - and often contradictory - meanings behind those words and actions arise from the subtext. Your effective use of subtext can place you in the ranks of the true professional storytellers and separate you from the amateurs content to ride along the surface of the story.

Actions Speak Differently Than Words

You can often use the character's actions to illustrate subtext. These actions can either reinforce or, more frequently, contradict the character's dialogue. In the British film Locke, a construction site manager (Tom Hardy) talks with his wife, sons, boss and co-workers in an honest and conscientious manner. However, his actions on a car ride to London show that he's willing to throw it all away to make up for one mistake.

Denial: More than a River in Egypt

Another great source of subtext comes from how your main character deals with his major flaws. As in real life, most characters don't reach a full understanding of their weaknesses until the worst happens. The character can be in denial, like the alcoholic who says he can hold his liquor. She can persevere and bull-rush her way through the obvious obstacles, like keeping a broken relationship together for the sake of her children. All of these can reveal aspects of the character and the story through subtext.

Subtext and Conflict

As you've seen in an earlier post, any scene involving one or more actors must include some conflict. You can make this conflict a loud, boisterous argument, a tense, whispered conversation or an apparently agreeable exchange. The “surface conflict” comes from the content, tone and volume the actor uses to deliver the lines. The “subtext conflict” comes from the goals each character wants to achieve in the conversation and how they navigate the obstacles between them and that goal.

Read Between the Lines

Contrary to popular opinion (as fueled by some less-than-stellar efforts), actors do more than stand in place, look pretty and read lines on a page. Actors rely on subtext to deliver effective performances. They use subtext to determine the character's motives, goals, and fears. When your script has rich subtext, the actor's job turns from a recitation of lines into an embodiment of your character.

If you need help in finding, building or enhancing the subtext in your script, contact us at StoryIntoScreenplayBlog [at] gmail [dot] com. We offer individual consultations for aspiring screenwriters, which can give you the tools to get your script noticed by directors, producers and agents. You can also Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more updates.

May The Force Be With You: 5 Ways to Create Force-ful Screenplay Dialogue

"You can type this stuff, George, but you can't say it."
- Harrison Ford to George Lucas on the set of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, 1976

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Between yesterday's celebration of “Star Wars Day” and the recent news on the casting for the upcoming Episode VII, the Star Wars franchise has captured the imagination of millions of moviegoers for generations. While most viewers allow themselves to be caught up in the action, adventure and magic of the story, even the most ardent Star Wars fans will admit that Lucas's dialogue often induced more painful reactions than a session with an Imperial interrogation droid.

So how do you stop your characters from sounding as annoying as Jar-Jar Binks or as pedantic as C-3PO? How do prevent them from becoming roaring, one-note anger machines like Chewbacca or indecipherable fountains of pseudo-wisdom like Yoda? The best way to prevent your character's dialogue from grating on the ears of the audience is to examine the purposes that dialogue serves in your script.

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Jump into Hyperspace: Move the Story Forward

Many new writers misinterpret the purpose of dialogue. They often use dialogue to tell the story, rather than use it to move the story forward. Audiences want to see what the characters want and what they'll do to get it, rather than hear them talk about it incessantly. While you may need some dialogue for exposition, especially if your story-world that does not directly correspond to the here-and-now, find ways to include how these facts and figures have a direct impact on the characters and their actions.

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Master and Apprentice: Define Character Relationships

You can also use dialogue to establish the relationships between characters. Your main character will inevitably use different language, tones and approaches with the other characters in relation to their roles in his life. An effective script would have the main character speak differently to his secret wife than to his mentor and friend.

Your dialogue should also change as the relationships between those characters change. The protagonist would speak with more deference to a mentor as his student, then turn more familiar as the relationship evolves, then become more confrontational as the student's ambition destroys the relationship.

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Do or Do Not: Focus on Character VOTE

In a previous post, we discussed the VOTE approach. This approach summarizes each character's Victories, Obstacles, Tactics and Energy. Each of these factors also determines how the characters will speak to each other. Every line of your dialogue should answer these questions wherever possible:

• What does that character want out of that conversation?
• Which subjects will they avoid?
• Which conversational tactics will they use to reach their objectives?
• How will they show the energy that drives them toward that desired outcome?

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Lightsabers and Turbolasers: Define the Character's Speech Patterns

Just as a Harvard professor will often employ a more extensive vocabulary and more precise grammar than a third-grade dropout, you must define the level of vocabulary and speech patterns that fit your characters. A virtuous character may refrain from profanity when calm and sober, but turn the air blue with curse words when upset or intoxicated. An educated character may be erudite and witty with colleagues, but revert to immature and crass humor with childhood friends.

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Feel the Force: Use Minimal Dialogue

The key factor to remember about dialogue is “Show, Don't Tell”. If you have the option to tell the story through action rather than through dialogue, take the action option. Unlike novels, which require the writer to spell out every facet of the story in detail, screenplays serve as a blueprint for the story. The story itself unfolds in front of the audience on the screen; the images, sounds and action carry the story, which reduces the need for long stretches of dialogue.

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If you want your dialogue to ignite a producer's interest like a lightsaber blade, contact us at StoryIntoScreenplayBlog [at] gmail [dot] com. We can help you create memorable characters with sharp dialogue, unique phrasing and unforgettable voices. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates.

Good luck, and may the Force be with you!