Donald L. Vasicek

Tag: hero

  • Juxtaposing in Writing

    by
    Donald L. Vasicek

    Don Vasicek

    Juxtaposing in writing and screenwriting is most effective if you think in terms of what film is. Film is a visual medium. Therefore, the writer/screenwriter must write visually. Writing visually includes striving to “show” rather than “tell” the story and the characters. The most powerful way to do this is to utilize the mingling of opposites or a dichotomy.

    For example, if you have a character who represents evil in your story, then juxtaposing your “hero” or main character in your story to this kind of “villain” [in fiction, villains do not have any redeeming characteristics while the antagonist in your story should have, at least, 1 redeeming characteristic) should represent good, the opposite of evil, and thus, a dichotomy.

    In summary, the most effective use of juxtaposing in movies, is what is totally opposite of each other, whether that is characters, objects, locations, etc. This kind of juxtaposing creates conflict, and in fiction, if there is no conflict, there is no drama, and the resulting effect of that is a flat story with no energy. Some would call this kind of story/film/movie, boring.

    I hope this is of help to you.

    Best Regards,
    Don Vasicek
    Olympus Films+, LLC/The Zen of Writing

    http://www.donvasicek.com

  • “The Protagonist’s Journey”

    In Robert Kosberg’s “How to Sell Your Idea to Hollywood”,
    he discusses some of Chris Volger’s ideas on Joseph
    Campbell’s “The Hero With a Thousand Faces.”

    Volger’s outline shows, and what many movie studios
    urge their readers to understand, the steps of a
    protagonist (the classic Hollywood-hero-type) should
    take.

    In Act 1:

    Step 1, is the protagonist’s ordinary world which will
    contrast sharply with the strange new world he/she will
    be entering.

    Step 2, is the call to adventure where the hero is
    presented with a problem or challenge that will
    change his/her destiny. This sets up and demands
    that he attain a specific goal.

    In Step 3, the “reluctant” hero experiences fear
    of the unknown or fear of outside forces. The
    hero hasn’t completely committed to the
    mission. Whatever the fear is, this will land the
    hero in a state of no return.

    Step 4, is where a mentor gives guidance and
    support to the hero. The purpose of the mentor
    is to assist the hero in his/her transition to the
    other world.

    In Step 5, the adventure gets going; the first time
    the hero has fully made the decision to accept
    the challenge. It is usually the turning point into
    Act II.

    Step 6 is when new challenges arise as the hero
    learns the rules of the other world. He/she
    encounters both favorable and unfavorable
    consequences of his decision to act.

    In Step 7, the hero comes to a dangerous place;
    the villain’s den or the arena where he/she will
    find the object of his/her quest. This can also
    be the hero’s moment of truth.

    The Supreme Ordeal is Step 8 where the hero
    hits rock bottom and all appears to be lost.
    This often marks the second part of Act II and
    can be the appearance of what the hero realizes
    he/she fears most.

    In Step 9, the hero having barely survived, takes
    possession of the prize he/she has been seeking. Now,
    he/she must apply his/her wisdom or power before he/she can
    travel back to safety.

    The hero deals with the consequences of having
    seized the prize in Step 10. Hostile forces will be
    confronted and it is at this stage that the hero
    will proclaim his/her desire to bring the journey to an
    end and return to the ordinary world.

    The resurrection marks Step 11 and Act III where the
    evil forces are given one last opportunity before
    being defeated. Transformed, the hero will triumph
    and return to his/her ordinary life changed by some new
    insight.

    In coming back, Step 12, he/she brings a token of his
    journey, a prize or a lesson or he/she is doomed to repeat
    his dangerous adventure. Because of this possession,
    the hero’s ordinary world as he once knew it, is
    changed by his/her new knowledge.

    These steps can be seen in “The African Queen”,
    “The Hurt Locker”, “Star Wars”, “Crazy Heart”,
    “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Chinatown”, “E. T.”,
    “Romancing the Stone”, “Witness”, “The Hunt for
    Red October”, “Aladdin”, “High Noon”, and a host
    other movies.