Peggy is jilted at the beginning. We covered two obvious arcs, so let's dive into nuance and subtly for a minute. And who he has been in the past. Is there a way to do it funny? “You’re Stronger Than You Think You Are.” How is he going to do that? I’m not going to go into as much detail for the next examples, but here are some more examples of character arcs from movies and books! The first is called the "Le Menu." the world around them, and that's also very interesting. Writers must pour their heart and soul into the love interest because they expect the protagonist to do exactly that. Mulan impersonates a young man to take her father’s place in the army, undergoes difficult military training, and distinguishes herself in battle—but her true gender is revealed. If the love interest is the heart of your protagonist’s goal, then character number four is the brain. In When Harry Met Sally, it's Harry that triggers the story's escalations. A love interest is so much more than six-pack abs or a writer's conceived ideal amount of cleavage (which the director will change to their own ideal when casting anyway). What final test are they given? This is why the love interest is so often the character tied to the proverbial railroad tracks (or worse). I think it's one of the greatest movie lessons of all time. Simply put, the definition of a character arc is the way the character grows and changes over the course of a story. Of course, his character arc doesn’t happen all in the first movie, but over the series (something to consider, if you’re writing a fantasy, scifi, dystopian, or other type of series yourself.) A stern and well-deserved reproof from Mr. Knightley, a longtime friend she very much respects, helps her learn a little bit of humility. Now she is in the hands of gang 2 leader, he filed a case against gang 1 leader keeping heroine within his security. If you’re watching these movies as a practice in building character arcs, ask yourself these questions as you watch: Read more about Character Arcs, Characters, Plot. Kate Reynolds is the wife Jack Campbell needed to teach him about priorities in The Family Man. Except instead of populating the U.S. with those who are blind, the writers created a ridiculous dystopian earth run by idiots. There are four distinct kinds of character arcs. When the other toys turn on him, we see Woody forced to become a better person as he tries to save Buzz. The court has postponed hearing for next month. Examples of Great Character Arcs in Movies, Examples of Great Character Arcs in Television, How to Develop and Outline a Character Arc, What's Next After Writing Captivating Character Arcs in Your Screenplays, character arc work in True Detective Season One, Discoveries that made a difference in my life, Decisions that made a difference in my life. Where We Go From Here - Show us the world in a new light, hint what’s next. They can grow, regress or stagnate, which is no development at all. Gandalf teaches Frodo that all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. – be a long-time inhabitant of the village who has grown tired of the gangs and hopes this situation will take both out These naturally lend themselves to a story about a father looking for his son and make the journey more identifiable with the humans watching. Besides, there’s plenty of other things to laugh at in this fun and wacky tale. While I'd argue you might have an alteration arc in the movie, it's clear that Indy is the same at the end as he was at the beginning. So when we actually watch movies wherein characters achieve something simply by just walking through a door, It's Rocky. The First Leg -  Put your character in situations where they learn to be different - ease them into it. Writers can't wait to sink their teeth into that nasty antagonist that's inspired by a person we've been dying to fight from the safety of sitting behind our laptops. It's a great character arc. I have your master list and treat it like my bible but I’ve been writing my book(s) for five years. Please do help and answer my question sir…. That said, alas, it is so wonderful and satisfying when it does. They are going to cast someone in this role that looks great next to the protagonist. When we first meet Bridget, she has many resolutions: to drink less, to exercise and lose weight, to stop smoking, to stop getting crushes on the wrong men, and so on. The man they believe he is capable of becoming. Willow’s arc is about gaining confidence and courage. Examples of Great Character Arcs in Movies We've covered the different types of character arcs, but I wanted to focus on a few great character arcs in movies that I think move the needle with most writers. She's a professional sex surrogate in an unsatisfying marriage being paid to help an amazing, romantic, paralyzed man make love for the first time. Without this love interest, the hero(ine) can never be happy, content, or fulfilled. Help us produce quality content for as low as $1/month. Learn how your comment data is processed. Most extreme examples in Film and TV history: Murphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life Darth Vader in Star Wars Sarah Connor in The Terminator Films Walter White in Breaking Bad Michael Corleone in The Godfather Films Roland Pryzbylewski in The Wire An alteration arc is not the wholesale shift in beliefs and actions the way we see in a maturation. It's a movie that has everyone arc except the lead character. Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is a strong example of this. Zodiac Traits — Write a Pisces Character! Race To the Finish - They’re up and running no matter what. when she replays a memory, she realizes that the only reason that Riley actually is happy is because she actually goes through But he's always that guy, just a better version. They both understand who they are to one another, and they both come to terms with who they are themselves. The romantic interest serves the protagonist’s journey by highlighting how much better off they will be if they succeed in their goal and earn the love (or save the life) of the one person who completes them emotionally. Obviously, the arc plays into the right love interest, while the anti-love interest is where our hero might wind up if they do not stay the proper course and achieve their arc. Your wanderer has none of those motivations, he’s just a drifter. - So all stories have some Well, the character arcs presented are incredible. you won't value it. Gladiator Check out this spectacular character arc image that follows Woody in the first Toy Story movie. We all know how Hollywood works. As a bonus, the characteristics of Santa Claus and the Easter Rabbit are subversions of their typical depictions – Santa is lean and mean, not fat and jolly. Characters will find their strengths and weaknesses tested over the course of the story — so that by the time they arrive at the story's end, they are a changed person.