DZ-129: Steadfast Character Arcs - Agents of Change

Listen to learn how to move an audience with a character who never changes.

Do characters need to change for you to have a satisfying story? That's a question we've been asking since, like, episode five of this podcast. And we're finally talking about them - whatever you call 'em: steadfast, resilent, or flat arcs.

To that end, we breakdown MOANA, APOLLO 13, and THE DRESSMAKER to work out what carries a story when a character arc doesn't. If your protagonist isn't going to change, the drama has to come from what they do to everyone else.

We develop some tools that we reckon carry a steadfast story:

doubt and wobble (a character with no doubt isn't steadfast, they're a psychopath)

emotional events between characters

additive rewards (something is gained) versus subtractive ones (something is taken away) - a distinction we've borrowed borrowed from operant conditioning;

and how that difference changes the emotional tone of an ending.

The subtractive reward is why a happy ending can still feel like loss... and it's the thing we reckon that'll matter most when we get to negative arcs.

Chas, Mel and Stu also wibble-wobble over WILLOW, TAKEN, FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF, THE MARTIAN, PROJECT HAIL MARY, THE GREY, ALL IS LOST, STAR WARS (as always), GREY GARDENS, PRISCILLA, and how many tampons NASA sent to space.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

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→ Read the transcript for this episode.

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"If your characters are not going to arc, if they are going to remain steadfast, then creating multiple smaller emotional events is really important to keep the story dynamic." — Mel Killingsworth @ 02:32:01

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CHAPTERS

00:00:00 – Cold Open

00:00:18 – What Is a Steadfast Character Arc?

00:04:24 – › Character as habitual action defines change

00:06:11 – › Operant conditioning reframes reward and punishment beats

00:09:14 – › Steadfast characters still need emotional stakes and impact

00:10:33 – The Questionnaire for Analysing Character Arcs

00:12:18 – MOANA

00:16:12 – › The I Want song and being pulled versus pushed

00:18:19 – › Doubt as necessary proof of steadfast resilience

00:26:54 – › Distinguishing upskilling and reward from true character change

00:27:25 – › Maui's full arc contrasts with Moana's steadfastness

00:41:15 – › Genre expectations teach the audience to predict steadfastness

00:45:10 – › Tracking Maui's and Moana's dramatized moments of change

00:53:08 – APOLLO 13

00:58:52 – › Riveting problem solving without character values changing

01:01:07 – › Jim and jack relationship as substitute emotional arc

01:12:12 – › Comparing disaster films that punish or reward steadfastness

01:20:02 – › Working through the arc questionnaire for the film

01:33:53 – THE DRESSMAKER

01:38:14 – › Debating whether THE DRESSMAKER is steadfast or positive

01:44:54 – › Tracking Tilly's three objectives and mystery of the curse

01:50:37 – › Teddy's death as subtractive reward and negative punishment

01:57:00 – › GREY GARDENS parallels and the town as social environment

02:03:10 – › How Tilly's steadfastness transforms the town around her

02:16:37 – › Testing audience expectations for change versus subversion

02:24:48 – › Values of beauty, love, and vengeance in the story world

02:31:45 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up

FILMS

MOANA (2016) — (w) Jared Bush, Ron Clements, John Musker, Chris Williams, Don Hall, Pamela Ribon, Aaron Kandell, Jordan Kandell (d) John Musker, Ron Clements

THE DRESSMAKER (2015) — (w) Jocelyn Moorhouse, Pj Hogan, Rosalie Ham (d) Jocelyn Moorhouse

APOLLO 13 (1995) — (w) William Broyles Jr, Al Reinert, Jeffrey Kluger, Jim Lovell (d)