The Power of Character Transformation
A few weeks ago I heard a fascinating question at a story workshop: what can your protagonist do by the end of the film that they couldn’t do at the beginning?
The question was asked by Dara Marks, #1 rated screenwriting consultant and author of Inside Story: The Power of the Transformation Arc. Speaking at the Esalen Inspirational Film Festival, Marks gave the example of a screenplay about an alcoholic detective involved in a murder case.
“An inner transformation is required,” said Marks, “Without his sobriety, we aren’t going to find the killer.”
Marks works with screenwriters of fiction films. So how are we to apply the power of character transformation to documentary films? That’s the topic of my 4-part newsletter on the power of character transformation.
In today’s Part 1, let’s begin by considering one of the protagonists in the Academy award-winning documentary Undefeated. Without his learning to check his temper, this underprivileged student is not going to help his team win the football championship. Fortunately, he evolves and grows.
Protagonist Bobby Fischer was not so lucky.
In HBO’s tragic tale of the late chess prodigy, Bobby Fischer Against the World shows how a single personality trait can propel a character to success and then drive them to defeat.
According to one reviewer on IMDB, “chess” was not Bobby’s problem; rather, it was “his obsessive immersion into all things chess.”
Obsession is a classic fatal flaw, as is hubris–both explored by Werner Herzog in Grizzly Man.
At the workshop, Marx gave the most psychologically astute definition of a fatal flaw that I’ve ever heard: “the protagonist’s struggle to maintain a survival system that has outlived its usefulness.”
If all this sounds too daunting to apply to your documentary, remember that character transformation does not require a fatal flaw. Come back to Mark’s story test: what can your protagonist do by the end of the film that they couldn’t do at the beginning?
If you can answer that question, you’ve likely got a robust narrative arc on your hands. Stay tuned for Part 2 next week, when we explore the protagonist’s “moment of enlightenment”.
A few quick announcements: Submissions for the 2017 Big Sky Documentary Festival are now open, and the early bird deadline is July 1. You might also consider submitting to UNAFF; this year the focus in on human rights and sustainable development.
Finally, if you’re still working on your doc, I’m accepting two more directors into my Finish Your Film program. Email me today as applications end May 15th.
