DZ-130: Positive Character Arcs

Listen to understand how to dramatize a character's internal change.

Welcome to our third entry in our character arc series; and the first where we talk about characters that actually change. And positively, too.

We deep dive into BARBIE, WIDOWS and ALL OF US STRANGERS to work out what makes an arc feel positive -- even if the film itself is heartbreaking. All three films are "positive arcs" that feel wildly different. We speculate whether that's due to the nature of the relationship questions, the use of additive/subtractive rewards; and whether it's do with the connection of the characters needs and their goals.

We further crystalize two tools we've been kicking around:

The relationship question — take a character question ("will she learn to connect?") and pose it as a relationship problem ("will these two grow closer or further apart?").

Additive vs subtractive rewards — We continue buildling on this idea from our Steadfast episodes. Does the story give the character something or take something away? And is that a good or a bad thing?

And Mel brings up a third:

Repeating a beat from a different angle so we can trace a character's gradual evolution.

We also debate whether Barbie's void scene is a producer's note personified — a director going into the endless nothing to spell the themes out one more time.

All this and more on DZ-130!

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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"A relationship question is taking what we think is an internal question about a character and defining it in terms of the relationship. Will Moana grow closer to their village coming back or will they'll grow further apart?" — Stu Willis @ 00:06:09

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CHAPTERS

00:00:00 – Cold Open

00:00:21 – Positive Character Arcs

00:04:47 – › Relationship questions as the key to dramatizing arcs

00:09:00 – Followup Questions

00:12:12 – Zero Context Insights

00:13:01 – BARBIE

00:17:16 – › The void scene with Barbie's creator

00:23:13 – › Immortality versus death as the real choice

00:27:02 – › Debating the lie the character believes

00:44:26 – › Gain versus loss framing the ending

00:52:34 – › Contrast and affinity

00:59:47 – WIDOWS

01:05:47 – › Establishing character patterns before the heist begins

01:09:37 – › Do the widows have values before the story starts

01:18:42 – › Skills and goals tightly tied to character growth

01:21:04 – › Alice's escalating value shift through the sugar daddy scene

01:25:04 – › Linda's grief scene and steadfast versus positive arcs

01:27:12 – › Veronica's arc through Harry's betrayal and revenge

01:39:33 – › Comparing ensemble arcs to OCEAN'S ELEVEN and THE TOWN

01:46:46 – › Relationship questions as emotional engine of ensemble films

01:49:36 – ALL OF US STRANGERS

01:55:38 – › Rebuffing Harry sets up the positive arc

02:02:15 – › Isolation to connectedness as the emotional throughline

02:07:24 – › Contrasting coming out scenes with mom and dad

02:11:26 – › The low point as emotional violence not distance

02:18:48 – › Dream logic and touch as physical arc tracking

02:23:20 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up

02:26:20 – › Additive versus subtractive rewards in character arcs

02:29:58 – › Patreon shoutouts and next episode preview

FILMS

BARBIE (2023) — (w) Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig (d) Greta Gerwig

WIDOWS (2018) — (w) Gillian Flynn, Steve Mcqueen (d) Steve Mcqueen

ALL OF US STRANGERS (2023) — (w) Andrew Haigh, Taichi Yamada (d) Andrew Haigh

SCRIPTS

Study the script: BARBIE (2023) — Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig

Study the script: ALL OF US STRANGERS (2023) — Andrew Haigh, Taichi Yamada

SHOT ZERO DEEP DIVES

What You Don't See: WIDOWS

Frames within Frames: AL