A character arc is the transformation or inner journey of a
character over the course of a story. If a story has a character arc, the
character begins as one sort of person and gradually transforms into a
different sort of person in response to changing developments in the story.
Since the change is often substantive and in the opposite direction, the
geometric term arc is often used to describe the sweeping change. In most
stories, lead characters and protagonists are the characters most likely to
experience character arcs, although it is possible for lesser characters to
change as well. A driving element of the plots of many stories is that the main
character seems initially unable to overcome opposing forces, possibly because he
or she lacks skills or knowledge or resources or friends. To overcome such
obstacles, the protagonist must change, possibly by learning new skills, to
arrive at a higher sense of self-awareness or capability. Protagonists can
achieve such self-awareness by interacting with their environment, by enlisting
the help of mentors, by changing their viewpoint, or by some other method.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_arc
Definitely
one of the most basic principles in screenwriting is character arc – the notion
that characters must evolve, grow, learn, or change as the plot unfolds. The
audience in general expects a character to finish the movie in a higher
position than that in which he started. Life is often like that.
The
arc doesn’t imply that characters will always be richer, smarter, or get the
girl at the conclusion. Perhaps a greedy person would end up in jail for
embezzlement and confess his misdeeds to a priest as an attempt to receive
God’s pardon.
For
instance, in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster)
starts out as a student of the FBI Academy, who’s assigned a special mission.
At the movie’s resolution, Clarice has improved her investigation skills and
gun technique, both of which allow her to complete her mission.
An
elaborate arc will present growth in many aspects of a character’s life. In The
Graduate (1967), Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) starts as an awkward,
introverted, 20-year-old young man who lives by his parent’s rules and wishes.
As the story unfolds, Benjamin begins making his own choices, often against his
parents’. Furthermore, through an early exposition, it is implied that Benjamin
is a virgin, which changes after his affair with Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft).
And by the movie’s end, he also gets the girl he wanted, already wearing a
wedding gown.
This
is not the norm, but one powerful version of character arc is when the
character arcs "down the hill." In Gone With the Wind (1939), Scarlet
O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) never gives away to Rhett’s (Clark Gabble) unrelenting
courtship. Rhett, in the other hand, arcs as he realizes Scarlet will never
want him, so he leaves her, saying the famous line: “Frankly, my dear, I don’t
give a damn!” In her despair, Scarlet denies her fate and utters: “Tara. Home.
I’ll go home, and I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow
is another day.”
A
character arc can also be sad or somber. In the highly acclaimed Billy Wilder
picture Sunset Blvd. (1950), one of the two main characters die, and the other
one is arrested.
Character
arc will not save a terrible screenplay, but will make a bad story better. Keep
in mind that the audience expects it in all narrative films. There’s no magic
formula to it. A fantastic a plot built in a solid structure will bring about
the character arc.
More
examples...
“Up-the-hill”
arcs
In
Matrix (1999), after learning that he's the One, Neo uses his recent-acquired
skills to vanquish Agent Smith.
In
Rocky (1976), small-time boxer Rocky Balboa trains hard and “goes the distance”
with heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed.
In 12
Angry Men (1957), Juror #8 convinces his fellow jurors that the case they are
debating has room for “reasonable doubt.”
In The
Shawshank Redemption (1994), Andy Dufresne escapes from the Shawshank Prison and
unveils the corrupt warden's money laundry operation to the authorities.
“Down-the-hill”
arcs
In
Shattered Glass (2003), journalist Stephen Glass's lies are uncovered and he
gets fired from the newspaper.
In Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Butch and
Sundande are cornered by the Bolivian army and ultimately fusilladed.
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