What does your protagonist want, and what are they doing to get it?
It sounds simple, but this two-part question will help you figure out what goes into that 50 or so pages in the middle of your screenplay. Because what we’re really getting at with that question? Story Goal and Method.
One of the challenges I see screenwriters grapple with is translating the great movie idea in their head into the actual pages of a screenplay. Coming up with the scene-by-scene that adds up to that finished movie they envision. And very often they get lost along the way because they haven’t thought about both what they’re aiming for and how they’ll get there.
The Goal and the Method are your North Star and map of the territory
When you know where you’re trying to go and the route you’ll take to get there, it makes the journey feel less daunting. You just have to show up and do it.
Sure you’ll have to overcome obstacles along the way. But that’s what makes it an adventure. (Much like for your protagonist.)
What many writers seem to do instead is:
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- Come up with a great idea
- Get lost in the weeds as they write it
- Panic when it feels like they don’t know what should happen next
- Realize their concept might not be enough to sustain a whole movie
- Veer off in random directions
- Throw in scenes that don’t belong
- (Possibly give up)
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When you haven’t thought about both the Goal and the Method, it’s easy to go down unproductive rabbit holes in your screenplay. Let’s talk about how to avoid that.
The Goal is the North Star to aim for
We’re talking about the story goal. The specific, external goal that is the focus of the story. The pursuit of this goal is what moves the plot. It forms the spine of the story and it’s what the structure is built on.
In Jungle Cruise, the protagonists’ story goal is to find the Tree of Life.
In The Devil Wears Prada, Andy’s story goal is to survive one year as assistant to the editor-in-chief of the world’s most important fashion magazine
In Gremlins, Billy’s goal is to stop the gremlins from taking over.
You might be thinking that this sounds very basic. And it is fundamental. Foundational. But the process of identifying the story goal can be more complicated than you expect. Especially when you’re in the middle of the development process and your head’s swirling with all the elements, details, and possibilities.
Screenwriting guru Michael Hauge says that almost all movie goals fall into one of four categories: To Win, To Stop, To Escape, or To Retrieve. I’d add one more: To Deliver.
If you’re having trouble defining your protagonist’s goal, try starting with one of those 5 general categories. Then you might brainstorm more specific versions of the general to help narrow in on the most effective goal for your story – what it is that the protagonist is pursuing.
Remember that when all is said and done, when the movie is over – this goal is the thing that will be achieved or not. This is what the audience is waiting for. In most cases, your protagonist is going to be aiming at this target for the duration of the movie.
The Method is a map of the territory
The Method is how your protagonist goes about achieving the Story Goal in Act 2. It helps us get a more specific handle on exactly what is happening in those pages.
Every story is different, and sometimes the goal itself implies the action we’ll be watching in Act 2. Other times, the method for achieving the goal is separate and distinct, though integral to the concept.
In Hell or High Water the story goal is to stop the foreclosure. But the method that the characters use to pursue it is separate: by robbing $40k from a series of small Texas Midlands bank branches.
In The Silence of the Lambs the story goal is to stop an active serial killer. The method she uses is befriending an incarcerated psychopath and using his knowledge.
In School of Rock the story goal is to win the Battle of the Bands contest. And the Method he uses is teaching a bunch of prep school kids how to be a rock band.
Sometimes the Method (or plan, if it’s easier to think of it that way) is implied by the goal. But sometimes the unique way your protagonist goes about achieving the goal is what sets your movie apart from other, similar ones. And it can be one of the main entertainment hooks of your movie, too.
When you’ve thought about the Method (and especially if it’s separate from the goal itself), then you know the type of action your protagonist will take in Act 2. This building block helps you figure out what to write scene by scene.
If you feel stuck in Act 2, come back to Goal and Method
It may sound obvious, but it’s enormously useful to look at the relationship between these two elements. Both to clarify how your story works, and to make sure there’s enough potential action to support the 50-60 pages at the center of the script.
If you understand this two-prong approach, you’ll have a North Star to aim for and a map of the territory. That’s what the Goal and the Method provide to your writing process. Which makes showing up and doing it a little more manageable.