How to Write Betrayals in Stories (Writing Advice)

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Learn how to write betrayal scenes. Examples from Game of Thrones, Star Wars, 24, Jurassic Park, and more!
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0:00 Intro
0:33 What is a Betrayal?
1:21 Creating Surprising Betrayals
2:30 Indiana Jones Example
3:38 Creating Impact
4:11 24 Example
5:13 Tip 1
5:34 Game of Thrones Example
5:59 Tip 2
6:09 Metal Gear Solid 3 Example
6:44 Tip 3
6:55 Jurassic Park Example
7:21 Tip 4
7:37 Star Wars Example
8:13 Outro
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25 июн 2024

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@WriterBrandonMcNulty 6 месяцев назад

I got a new microphone and would love to hear your thoughts on the audio in today's video. Any feedback at all is appreciated. Thanks!

@mystic8704 6 месяцев назад

Audio sounds great!

@reubenmanzo2054 6 месяцев назад

To be honest, I didn't notice a difference.

@SteveJubs 6 месяцев назад

Luscious

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 6 месяцев назад

@@mystic8704 Thanks!

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 6 месяцев назад

@@reubenmanzo2054 Thanks! It might depend on your speakers/headphones. With my laptop speakers, it's hard to tell. With my headphones, the audio sounds cleaner.

@BooTheJudge 6 месяцев назад

I like how the plot of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies is pretty much entirely driven by characters constantly betraying each other. I think it makes the rare moments of honesty between them much more impactful. Another thing worth mentioning is that a betrayal can provide positive emotions to the viewer if it's the villain who gets betrayed. A classic example is Vader turning against the Emperor to defend Luke.

@MetalloDevasto 6 месяцев назад

Good points, you made me remember of when jack sparrow says with open heart to barbossa "the world's still the same. There's just less in it" because they either fight or lie to each other but are honest on a core idea they feel

@guicaldo7164 6 месяцев назад

I see you are a fellow OSP enjoyer

@winz35 6 месяцев назад

That is exactly why I son't like Dead man's chest. Characters constantly betraying each others. I cannot get attached to them.

@LendriMujina 6 месяцев назад

For how *not* to do betrayals, look no further than _several_ things in the Disney animated Canon after 2012. They have a bad habit of hiding the traitor character *too* well. As a result, when the moment of betrayal happens, it doesn't feel like a shocking breach of trust, but a rather convenient breach of characterization.

@grkpektis 6 месяцев назад

The Jurassic Park betrayal is done really well in the book too where you hear the conversation but you don't know who is talking so the betrayer can be anyone building tension. They couldn't do that in the movie (nothing wrong with that) but still made it a great scene

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 6 месяцев назад

I really need to read the book. I got it for $1 at a flea market years ago but never read it because I'd seen the movie so many times.

@lukesmith1818 6 месяцев назад

@WriterBrandonMcNulty it surpasses the movie in many ways. Characters are much more interesting

@TheZetaKai 6 месяцев назад

The book and the film are very different experiences. The book is far more technical about the science, with pages and pages of math and bleeding-edge research (for the time), trying to make the premise more plausible, which impacts the pacing. The characters are also very different in their motivations and personalities. Overall, I prefer the movie, which has stronger themes, a tighter narrative, and John Williams' sublime score.

@CoachP3_ 6 месяцев назад

I love how, in the movie, they basically swap the physical appearances of Hammond and Grant from the book

@lukesmith1818 6 месяцев назад

It's been a while since I read it but loved how much more of an egomaniac Hammond was and how he descended into self pity as the park collapsed. It's a nice bit of hubris with a satisfying payoff

@teafollet5361 6 месяцев назад

My favorite betrayal scene (by far) was in Attack on Titan. The way it was revealed was so unconventional yet so impactful.

@dragonmaster909 5 месяцев назад

Mine's in Berserk

@Mattiasalexandee 4 месяца назад

Which one? Annie?

@teafollet5361 4 месяца назад

@@Mattiasalexandee The revelation of the warriors in season 2

@tusaniabigby9715 3 месяца назад

Yes , i was just thinking about that

@SuperCockinballs 7 дней назад

That was nuts

@DoorNumber3Films 6 месяцев назад

Berserk has THE best betrayal I have ever read.

@enterthebruce91 2 месяца назад

That moment when Pachanga betrays Carlito...

@calamity7068 6 месяцев назад

One thing this video didnt touch on that i have a major problem with is obvious betrayal characters, a character is introduced, constantly reffered to as reliable and wins over everyone instantly just to go: "surprise im evil! !!" This removes any and all tension from stories, my guess is its usually caused by a writer not willing to put in the work to characterize someone 2 seperate times so it just defaults to "reliable", but i wonder if there are any other reasons

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 6 месяцев назад

Yeah, those always a bummer. Sometimes you can play around with the "obvious betrayal characterization" but having the character be a surprise hero, but when it leads to the expected betrayal it's a letdown

@AnyaC.Rawlins-vz3dl 6 месяцев назад

May a future video could be, how not to write a betrayal.

@JohnBradford14 6 месяцев назад

Remember when Disney did this, like, five times in a row?

@Cellistandpianist 6 месяцев назад

I hate it when authors overly use emotions that it becomes obvious how things really are. I read The Girl Who Dared series… YA dystopian series. It has serious potential, but the author was garbage. The author tried to force extreme emotions which made them super weak and predictable.

@jasonhobbs2405 6 месяцев назад

I’ve been working on this for years. The name Nina Myers used to send me into a frothing rage. All that happens now is my left lower eyelid twitches.

@ParticleBomb 6 месяцев назад

The most memorable betrayal that comes to mind is **spoilers beyond this point** Scar's betrayal in The Lion King. Like all Disney movies, he was the obvious villain and he made it clear during his scene with the hyenas that he wants to become king. His betrayal creates emotional impact precisely for the three reasons you stated. 1. Amount of trust. Simba and Mufasa trusted Scar because he was a blood relative and up until the middle of the movie he hadn't done anything to break that trust. There was that argument the two brothers had at the beginning of the movie, but not much came from that. And Scar feigned his love for Simba so the latter would trust him, and despite planting the idea of the Elephant Graveyard in him, he managed to keep himself blameless by forcing Simba to never go there, knowing fully well the cub would disobey him. 2. Timing of the betrayal. Scar takes Simba to a gorge under the pretense that his father had a surprise for him, and as a result the cub gets caught in the middle of the stampede. Simba is rescued from the stampede once Mufasa arrived, but the king ends up needing to be rescued. Still trusting Scar, Mufasa pleads for his brother to help him. But Scar breaks that trust by tossing Mufasa into the stampede, killing him. All out of Simba's line of sight. "Long live the king." 3. Immediate consequences. Simba feels responsible for his father's death, fully unaware that Scar had killed him. Without seeing the full picture and during a moment of sadness, Simba is exiled and Scar takes over the throne.

@landrypierce9942 5 месяцев назад

You’re kind of supposed to say what you’re spoiling before the spoiler, otherwise you’re kind of just taking a gamble. Either way, I think basically everyone has seen the Lion King.

@calculanz8399 6 месяцев назад

Make a video about how to create a plot full of characters outsmarting each other. Or just basically genres that involve using their brains. That would be awesome

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 6 месяцев назад

I'll add this to my list--thanks!

@DavidCaissy 6 месяцев назад

Something like Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty? Good idea!

@luciusnguyen2449 6 месяцев назад

I think the person who's able to write this type of plot easily deserve an Oscar

@QuinoLising 6 месяцев назад

Death Note is just crazy good at this

@moocowp4970 6 месяцев назад

@@QuinoLisingyeah, I think Death Note is the best example of this I could think of too.

@FisherBros 6 месяцев назад

Atlantis: the Lost Empire. I wish not to spoil it for some people but it’s an excellent, underrated movie with a pretty good betrayal scene.

@juliegolick 6 месяцев назад

But also, even if the betrayal is a surprise, we should be able to look back after and say "ah, yes, I see now how the author laid the pieces for this surprising twist - I wish I'd caught them earlier." In your Game of Thrones example, it wouldn't have made sense for, say, Arya to betray her father. There was no groundwork for that. But Littlefinger was already set up as a shifty guy. In fact, his line when betraying Ned was "I told you not to trust me" (or something like that).

@j-rey- 6 месяцев назад

The best I've ever read or seen is the Red Wedding in A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones. I probably don't have to explain why.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 6 месяцев назад

Yep, absolutely gut-wrenching. I wandered around my living room in a daze after watching that episode

@bobpeterson7182 6 месяцев назад

Audio sounds great! My best example of a betrayal is when we thought Anthem was gonna be anything like the first trailer we were shown. Thanks a lot bioware.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 6 месяцев назад

Hahaha we'll always have KotoR 1/2 and ME 1-3 at least

@YagoFierceDeity 6 месяцев назад

🤣

@JohnBradford14 6 месяцев назад

For me it was Bioshock Infinite.

@bobpeterson7182 6 месяцев назад

@@JohnBradford14 another good choice

@jesustyronechrist2330 6 месяцев назад

Cyberpunk 2077 lmao

@ScrambledAndBenedict 6 месяцев назад

Spoilers for Agents of Shield: Grant Ward's betrayal and revelation as an agent of HYDRA was really damned well done. Even if you like nothing else about that show, and it does begin to drag as the seasons go on, Grant's betrayal was good.

@HypnotizedAndHappy 6 месяцев назад

I was searching for comment about AoS. Grant Ward is an amazing character and his betrayal was incredibly written

@ScrambledAndBenedict 6 месяцев назад

@@HypnotizedAndHappy It's very rare to see a hero, who has sympathetic qualities, turn evil and not get redeemed. In fact, Grant is the only protagonist I can think of who a) betrays the team and becomes a villain, b) has sympathetic qualities, c) doesn't get redeemed, and d) has his character stay intact the entire time. I think the show falls off as soon as The Watchdogs show up and it gets heavy into the Inhumans, but it's definitely really good right up until the end of the Hive arc.

@catreecemacleod7556 6 месяцев назад

There are so many "writing advice" videos like these, and so often they're full of terrible advice or extremely iffy stuff that only applies in certain circumstances, and yet the videos go on for half an hour while providing so little of value. I was honestly going through this expecting much the same, and actively looking for the obvious flaws and... I don't see them. It's a fairly short and concise, well-laid out set of explanations of what is needed, why it's needed, and how to pull it off, with quick examples that explain the relevant parts of why they're relevant even if you have or haven't seen the source material. Honestly I'm impressed, so great job. It's not a super complex topic, but it was handled extremely well, so thank you as well!

@Augustus087 6 месяцев назад

One betrayal that many might not consider is the Wizard from the Wizard of Oz. He sends Dorothy and her friends on a suicide quest to get the broom of the Wicked Witch, then offers them sham rewards when they accomplish the impossible.

@eliben4066 6 месяцев назад

*SPOILERS FOR SQUID GAME* The best betrayal I’ve ever seen… Sang Woo misusing Ali’s too-good-for-this-world nature to throw him under the bus so he himself can survive. I knew exactly what Ali was feeling at every moment, and how his heart guided him to his death… it was heart-wrenching. At the same time, I’ve seen so many people say they would have done what Sang Woo did. This is a clear betrayal but it’s so dividing. That’s what makes it a good betrayal to me. Not a villain betraying a hero, but one human betraying another

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 6 месяцев назад

Loved that one. Brutal and dynamic. I almost included it in the video but ran out of time. The "death game" genre has a lot of good betrayals

@ricardowashington4447 6 месяцев назад

"Not a villain betraying a hero, but one human betraying another" Well said! Without that it is just one archetype betraying another.

@stevensandersauthor 6 месяцев назад

*SPOILER ALERT FOR CASINO ROYALE* Vesper’s betrayal of Bond works well because the writers took the time to develop her character from her first scene to her last. She starts wary and suspicious of Bond, yet after she betrays him in the end, we can believe she actually loved him because of that sorrowful look she gives him as she’s trapped underwater in the elevator. That she betrayed him AND loved him makes her death twice as devastating.

@murphybnn-ninja1808 6 месяцев назад

I have more respect for this now after reading that. Good points!

@Flmmkr7 6 месяцев назад

Braveheart is a great example. Keeping it spoiler free, I’d say this one hit the gut really hard.

@pehpunkthahpunkt4179 3 месяца назад

oh yeah 👌

@madmartigan21 6 месяцев назад

The Fugitive; Dr Nichols is the one who set up Richard Kimble. That hits home because he was helping him while Richard was on the run.

@squadhoodie8895 6 месяцев назад

I liked the betrayal in a clockwork orange, as it’s meets all three criteria, the main guy after spending the first third of the movie with them is betrayed by his three gang members and left beaten to be found by the police a couple scenes after he asserted his dominance over them making it a bit unexpected, it happened at a good time where the cops are unexpectedly arriving at the house where he accidentally killed a woman, and it sets in motion the rest of the story about him going to prison and getting the Ludwig treatment.

@KrampusVlogandDumpsterfi-kr4ic 5 месяцев назад

i read the book, i really liked that sequence too.

@R.senals_Arsenal 6 месяцев назад

My first thought was the ending of Revenge of the Sith, the confrontation between Obiwan and Annakin. One of the best moments in the whole prequel trilogy IMO. Another one would be in Agents of SHIELD when Grant Ward has his little revelation. The Red Wedding comes to mind too. I like when a story does the whole series of betrayal related plotting, (or also good for a WhoDoneIt). 1: Someone has betrayed hero/done evil thing. 2: We know but the hero doesn't know yet. 3: The hero finds out/The Reveal. 4: The chase/retribution/resolution.

@ryanbradley3293 6 месяцев назад

I love the betrayal in Percy Jackson that forms the entire series. ***spoilers beyond this point*** I absolutely love Luke’s betrayal in Percy Jackson because he just seems like a friend and mentor to Percy at first, but because the betrayal is at the very end of the book, it makes the first book feel like it wasn’t actually a victory and sets up the rest of the series with Luke as the main servant and eventual host of Kronos. The entire plot of the series is based off of his betrayal and the effect it has on almost every character is phenomenal and makes Luke one of the most interesting characters in the entire series, with his arc stretching from the first couple chapters to the climax of the series, which is also all about him

@GoeTeeks 6 месяцев назад

I had him pegged as the actual Lightning Thief when he said he stole Hermes's Sandals. It was pretty obvious they weren't the only things he stole from the Gods.

@joshidejj 6 месяцев назад

It's from an Anime series adapting a Korean Manhwa called Tower of God, there's a pair called Rachel and Twenty-Fifth Baam. The main goal in the entire plot is to beat each floor's challenge and reach the 100th floor, but no one knows what's the reward inside, not even the people organizing the floors. I don't want to spoil everything from the betrayal because it was out of nowhere.

@saganitesh 6 месяцев назад

I request you to watch 'Attack on Titan' there is an episode in which there is a betrayal by our protagonist's allies and it shocked me entirely I guarantee you will love this story

@madmartigan21 6 месяцев назад

LA Confidential; Dudley Smith turns around while making the tea and shoots Jack Vincennes.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 6 месяцев назад

Just rewatched LA Confidential last year. Great movie and great twist. Also please mark your spoilers ahead of time in the future. If I hadn't already seen LAC, I'd be upset right now haha

@johnburke6332 4 месяца назад

@@WriterBrandonMcNultyYeah, total Rollo Tamassi behaviour.

@tylerharvey997 6 месяцев назад

The get out betrayal. Not going to spoil who it is or what happens but my god what a twist ending and twist betrayal

@Jacob-gm4hq 6 месяцев назад

Underrated answer.

@thijmen5295 6 месяцев назад

Could you perhaps do a video on the best villain tropes / best villain motivations? (I.e: can “destroying the world” work in some stories?)

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 6 месяцев назад

Way ahead of you: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RWiZVsFFd58.html

@ludovico6890 6 месяцев назад

Most memorable betrayals: Tessio in The Godfather and Fredo in Godfather 2. Also, Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale.

@lindildeev5721 6 месяцев назад

She didn't really have the choice, she was playing a very dangerous game (in the movie, at least).

@ludovico6890 6 месяцев назад

@lindildeev5721 That's what I love about it. Vesper betrays because she's the object of a blackmail. You rewatch the film, and you see everything in a new light, knowing she's a double agent. Yet it makes perfect sense.

@ellennewth6305 6 месяцев назад

In "The Devil Wears Prada," Miranda Priestly betrays her friend Nigel in order to retain her prominent position at "Runway" magazine. Nigel fully expects to be the publication's new creative director, but Miranda, knowing of the plot to replace her, selects Jacqueline (her competitor) instead. With Jacqueline no longer a threat, Miranda holds on to her influential job. This sleazy move is one of many reasons Andi quits her job as Miranda's assistant.

@deckardcanine 6 месяцев назад

"Tales of Monkey Island" is unusual in that, more than once, a character who was previously an obvious antagonist gains the hero's trust before betrayal. I for one got surprised each time, perhaps in part because I was rooting for their redemption.

@TatsatJha0 3 месяца назад

Bioshock(2007) has by far THE best betrayal I've ever seen, Truly its one of the betrayals that the players don't even see remotely coming, It makes up for the best plot twist and betrayal in Video Games as a whole.

@wildbard4112 6 месяцев назад

MGS spoilers Master Miller turning out to be Liquid was great. Also Ocelot just playing everyone is amazing.

@mathieuleader8601 6 месяцев назад

I always love Macbeth being a traitor to Banquo it's always amazing to see the intense paranoia becoming firmly embedded in King Macbeth's mind and him becoming more and more frantic getting more magical assistance from the Weird Sisters.

@TheDeezy250 6 месяцев назад

I appreciate the 24 acknowledgement. Definitely one of my fav betrayals

@ZwiekszoneRyzyko 6 месяцев назад

One of the most memorable betrayals I've known about comes from my Polish heritage. There is this classic narrative poem by Adam Mickiewicz, titled "Konrad Wallenrod". It takes place in 14-th century Europe. The protagonist's family gets killed, he's captured and forcefully reared as a Christian by Teutonic Knights. Over the years he manages to become a free man, gains power and raises in the order's ranks to eventually become the Grand Master. And then he takes his vengeance by betraying the order and deliberately leading knights into a major military defeat. Fascinating take on justified betrayal that is. Here's Wikipedia article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konrad_Wallenrod

@Yearofthebows24 6 месяцев назад

My favorite betrayal is from a little game (adapted from a comic book) called Rogue Trooper. Rogue, a super soldier, has all of his friends killed due to a defector leaking battle plans. The whole game is revolved around getting revenge and has a competent villian as well

@homesteadhelper9126 6 месяцев назад

I'm working on a new story and this video helped with the betrayal character arc.

@shikishinobi 6 месяцев назад

Some very good betrayals come from the game “Tenchu 2; Birth of the Stealth Assassins”. *Spoilers* The main story begins with the Daimyo dying and his son Gohda stepping up, but the brother/uncle (Motohide) wanted the throne. He begins a coup with a siege on the castle (betrayal 1). This leads him to murdering Lady Kei (Gohda’s wife) and their kidnapping of their daughter. It is then revealed Motohide is working with the neighbouring Daimyo Toda, and during the drive Toda has invaded the boarders. Motohide returns to Toda, unsuccessful in murdering his nephew, and it is revealed Toda used Motohide to weaken Gohda so the following siege would be easier (betrayl 3). During this conflict, Tatsumaru (ally and playable character) loses his memory and joins an uprising ninja revolt (unintentional betrayl 4). Later in the story he regains his memory, but chooses to stay with the revolt because he honestly agrees with them (shock betrayl 5) *End Spoilers* Another plot twist of betrayl is in Lara Croft Tomb Raider. When the Illuminati get the artefact and the main villain has them all executed so he can have the artefact for himself. While this betrayl is inconsequential, it is still an unexpected one. Lastly, I am now reading Entry Wounds and I am really enjoying it (am around chapter 11}. My kindle also said you have a 3rd book coming/out. Will you share with us what you got going on there?

@roguecraft8456 2 месяца назад

I love the betrayal in the game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The character in question is very likeable, and his motivations for betrayal are surprisingly understandable. It has major plot implications, too.

@createdsoicancomment2833 6 месяцев назад

You are awesome. As always, great analysis and writing advice. That twist in 24 was LEGENDARY. I did not see that coming.

@shannonshan 5 месяцев назад

i love the betrayal motivations you loudly say you would never do but know deep down you would cause just like the character you do care bout your spouse or kids, or know that random kid that has a bad home or no mom/dad and views you as a mom/dad

@RL.RachelLaurin 6 месяцев назад

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and encouragement with writers!

@adulthumanfemale8666 6 месяцев назад

Sickest betrayal was Primal Fear. I did not expect it.

@VileSyndicxte 6 месяцев назад

That was a fcvk3d up twist. Kinda "meh" movie until the VERY end, like 😳

@goodgulfgas 6 месяцев назад

SPOILERS. Speaking of betrayal in video games, in Red Dead Redemption 2, the Van Der Linde gang is betrayed by one of its members, Micah Bell (who is dislikeable to begin with). Then later on, the main character, Arthur Morgan, is betrayed by his long time mentor Dutch Van Der Linde. RDR2 is a great story by the way. Would make a great TV series. Lots of plot twists and character depth.

@alexgassent9146 6 месяцев назад

Every single betrayal in Attack on Titan is just PERFECT

@552porotogym 6 месяцев назад

Facts. Imo the best one is how Eren tricked Zeke, even with him being already prepared for a him to betray him but never expecting Eren's manipulating of Grisha across the memories. Incredible tension, dialogue and delivery in two episodes.

@futuredc1640 6 месяцев назад

Recently discover this channel, and I'm really interested on your videos. You deserve more attention 🙏

@jamesaorrauthor 6 месяцев назад

Great tip about the timing.

@Ruthie888 6 месяцев назад

Really good tips. Thank you.

@rsj2877 6 месяцев назад

This is sort of a betrayal plot i imagined and see how it is, A is best friends with B, C And D, among many things on the group, is that D dreams a lot, of making it big, and the squad living the big life, and with it is that he isn't afraid of going into shady deals if it means big bucks, sited as well that he isn't exactly bright and his friends often tell them to cut it off. However in the first betrayal comes as A then discovers while going to an event his friends were invited that D has been making deals unbeknownst to all of them, and it relating to that event turning out that it leads to an attack plotted by a main villain. A is utterly shocked by it, especially as the villain confirmed his worst fear on it, at one point he directly confronts D, D is excited to tell all the green he made but is then bewildered at how agitated A is, however when A explains it, he tries to make sense of it, that he just saw a good deal and knowing he ain't the brightest, didn't think the repercussions, even as A calls out that it put him and his friends and mamy others in danger, he then gets very agressive at D, even threathening him by aiming a pistol at him and D soon flees the scene as a coward. And the final betrayal comes after a while, where D then sends a message to A where he says that he actually has been thinking of the Screw up he has made and hopes he and A could talks about it alongside B and C, however A is suspicious of it, at the location though, waiting D to come, (he never comes) soon learn that below the table they would sit at there was a bomb but it comes as another character goes near it, and then it sets off, that character either dies or is left in a critical near-death state and or many innocent people are caught up in the blast, there the betrayal was absolute, and D had crossed the line to being Irredeemable, Since D seeing A threathen him, he feeled betrayed himself, thinking that now his best friends now were after him and ended concluding that he "Couldn't take any chances this time" What do you say?

@overwhelmingtelevisionstatic 6 месяцев назад

Oooh, I needed this. Thanks Brandon!

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 6 месяцев назад

Glad it helped!

@kaelynnelsonvideography4073 6 месяцев назад

This is helpful! Thanks!

@KrampusVlogandDumpsterfi-kr4ic 5 месяцев назад

this is super helpful to me. I have a betrayal in my story to the MC that was *importnant*, a scene and arc that i really liked but had but not majorly plot shaking. I want my story to be as 'streamlined' and 'effective' as possible so i'm cutting out alot of inbetween in the Acts after the betrayal and making it so it has major effects on the MC's mental state and goals,so it is as dramatic and tense as possible. Thanks McNulty

@Redmeteor200 6 месяцев назад

My favorate betrayal is in Inkheart when Dustfinger turns Mo and Meggie over to Capricorn. It had huge emotional impact too because you knew that dustfinger only did it to get back to the Inkworld.

@blitzbypowell7183 6 месяцев назад

Attack on titan has the best betrayal scene I’ve ever witnessed. Season 2. Episode Warrior. Also Griffith from the Berserk Manga. Written wonderfully and makes your heartache for the main character.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 6 месяцев назад

***MARK FOR SPOILERS*** What's the most memorable betrayal you've come across in a story? Let us know!

@neiketa525 6 месяцев назад

Scar's betrayal in the Lion King was great because of the dramatic irony. Also, *SPOILER* Halloween (2018) Dr. Sartain's betrayal is something I'll never forget, despite my feelings on the film's shortcomings. It wasn't smart for him to do it (obviously), but the idea of letting Michael loose for an experiment is actually a really cool villain idea. I only wish they left us in the dark a bit longer. It's complicated writing a decent "twist villain" that is conveniently revealed with a betrayal scene. I can't think of many twist villains that weren't revealed that way. Of course, not ALL betrayers are villains.

@neiketa525 6 месяцев назад

Question for a future vid: How do you write stories with MULTIPLE villains? I wanna know how this narrative choice is used by other authors since I'm struggling with whether or not I should only keep a few or only one villain. In other words, is it possible to write them without them accidentally stealing each other's thunder or making them seem shallow?

@neiketa525 6 месяцев назад

@LordBaktor 6 месяцев назад

First one that comes to mind is from the Matrix. It is pretty easy to see coming, but the betrayer really wreaks havoc on the team and creates a pretty desperate situation.

@matthewbradberry6626 6 месяцев назад

One of my favorites is Crossroads of Destiny in Avatar the Last Airbender…they set up Zuko the whole season to change sides, and it was a gut punch when he attacked Aang. Such a great show 😄

@MetalloDevasto 6 месяцев назад

This was interesting, i would like to see more about doing betrayal the right way!

@nikitaaverin 6 месяцев назад

I wrote this very twisty script a few years ago. Thing I did was more or less set up pleasant/harmless characters. Who all eventually turned out to be sinister. Two of them ended up alive. It was a fun write.

@bellatorpoeta 6 месяцев назад

Another good moment of betrayal is supposed victory or success. Really pulls the rug out from under the reader/viewer. An example is the Red Wedding in GoT.

@JustACactus616 6 месяцев назад

My example is Ikarus from Eternals- actually a pretty good movie until ruined by the last 20 minutes

@florianfussl3769 6 месяцев назад

Idea for the next Video: Disloyality of the Hero towards other Characters

@JonathanMoffat 6 месяцев назад

Another element of betrayal I like to consider is whether it is a true betrayal (i.e. the character was truly on the hero's side, then switched allegiance for whatever reason) or whether they were never a true ally (e.g. an enemy mole who was working against the hero from the beginning). In my mind, these aren't really betrayals as their support was never genuine in the first place (they're loyal to their true team), but the effect on the protagonist and narrative is the same. Add to the mix a snake like Littlefinger in GOT, who I always assumed only betrayed Ned because it benefitted his own goals at the time (and by happy coincidence was against his 'romantic rival'), and he would have worked with the Starks against the Lannisters if that were more convenient to him.

@GoeTeeks 6 месяцев назад

Oh he wanted to work with the Starks against the Lannisters. His whole plan from assassinating Jon Aryn was to get Ned Stark on the throne so that he could arrange Ned's "accidental" death, swoop in to comfort Kat, eventually marry her and take the Iron Throne for himself. If you really think about it, the first book his plan was put full into motion but was halted when Ned decided that Stannis should become the next king.

@JonathanMoffat 6 месяцев назад

@@GoeTeeks very good points. The guy was basically the personification of pivoting 👍

@camera-is-me2606 6 месяцев назад

It’s from an anime series called attack on titan, which I know is pretty well known, but it has some of the most memorable plot twists I’ve ever seen and all I’ll say is “warrior”(if you know you know)

@lukesmith1818 6 месяцев назад

My wip has a betrayal at the climax. Two characters bond after a life or death struggle and it seems one "stuffed shirt" is able to relax only to break his oath. The unforeseen consequences of that lead the hero into an even worse life or death struggle. Great timing. Always love your stuff

@SequentiallyCompact 24 дня назад

The one I enjoyed the most is a bit layered and comes from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Spoilers) . . . . . After being raised as Vader's secret apprentice, Vader kills you in front of the Emperor, then revives you, and you awaken months later after having your organs cybernetically rebuilt. You 'pretend to defect' and start a Rebellion on Vader's instruction (a way more interesting story than what is currently canon IMO) and act as Vader's agent provocateur, only to find that he has an even greater deception built deeper into the layers and that the goal was to weed out the Empire's enemies. I like it because of how Vader keeps you in the dark about his plans the entire time, while using an earlier action to trick you into thinking he's pretending to have betrayed you prior to that. I may not have summed it up well, but it works well enough in the game.

@rheograham1870 Месяц назад

Ooh! Great one that comes to mind is in Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey. It’s written in 1st person POV so limited POV of the betrayer is no problem. It's also the key turning point to launch the plot forward. Even through the betrayer is set up as being somewhat menacing and untrustworthy, the timing of the betrayl and how the scene plays out is still effective as far as maintaining suspense, if not outright shock. Thanks for all the great content! 😄👍

@richardglady3009 4 месяца назад

Great and useful video. Thank you.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 4 месяца назад

Glad it was helpful!

@Drawrandom2187 6 месяцев назад

My favourite betrayal is from the video game star wars: jedi survivor, where (spoilers:) cal kestis is betrayed by his friend bode. It is a shocking moment and was done beautifully. Loved your video❤ it was very helpful

@Insaniquangrybirds 6 месяцев назад

Ooh! I can spice up a betrayal or two! I do wonder if I can do it in any of my arcs.

@super-luckabsol4834 6 месяцев назад

Some of my favorite character tropes hinge on betrayal as a plot device. I love the manipulator/mastermind trope, where the betrayer is a trusted mentor or colleague that is revealed to have been deconstructing a hero's psyche or is otherwise responsible for arranging the scenarios pushing the hero to the brink of moral collapse. Sometimes they aren't masked - that is, they aren't betraying the audience's expectations so much as other characters - but exploring them achieve their goals by manipulating events and characters is a fascinating way to pave a plot. Heathcliff from _Wuthering Heights_ or Iago from _Othello_ follow this idea. Another great trope is the troubled conscience, which is portrayed as tenuously heroic for a time, but pining for something slowly closes and undoes virtue as treachery is embraced; the character's motivation revolves around one thing and one perspective to obtain it, and they resort to betrayal at the opportunity. Gollum from _The Lord of the Rings_ and MacBeth are pinnacle examples. Similarly, it's an equally intriguing twist when a troubled character stays true to their morals, but their attitude concludes on regret, wistfulness, or disappointment *because* they did the right thing.

@fenrir_unchained1951 6 месяцев назад

Would you be able to do a video on writing "perceived betrayal" while also avoiding idiot plots and other similar tropes that just irritate the reader?

@h.ar.2937 6 месяцев назад

I think the best (or at least one of the better) betrayals is Attack on Titan. I won’t spoil it, but that just shook me just as much as it shook the character. One interesting “reverse” betrayal is Breaking Bad. Where we follow along Walter’s actions but only get confronted with the reality of being a traitor after a very long time

@Capricorntiger6 6 месяцев назад

Big Smoke. How the writers kept you in mystery and his basic motivation.

@5BBassist4Christ 6 месяцев назад

Probably the greatest betrayal of all time: The scene from Avatar: The Last Airbender. I will not spoil it. Those who know, know. Those who don't know should go watch the show.

@5BBassist4Christ 6 месяцев назад

I will actually say that Judas' kiss really is a betrayal that I only recently have been thinking about it's narrative impact. It is hard to have a more intimate betrayal, it issues in a devastating plot-twist which involves the ultimate repercussion on the hero (Jesus), brings about the sudden climatic finale of the narrative, but in the end results in ultimate triumph.

@tommywhite3894 6 месяцев назад

After having seen how incredibly well-made movies like Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus-One are, I would love to see a video from you on the role a monster can fit into a story, good and bad examples making use of a monster, etc.

@Skids0800 6 месяцев назад

I like to ask would you ever make a video on how to write different types of relationships? Whether romantic or non romantic?

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 6 месяцев назад

Yes! I did one on non-romantic relationships last year: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vizizPObNA8.html

@massimoborghi5504 6 месяцев назад

One of the best betrayals I've seen: Sarah Kerrigan betrayed by Mengsk in Starcraft

@DARRENKAIRNS-fv7yl Месяц назад

Your channel is fantastic!

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Месяц назад

Thank you! Glad it's helping

@Asodym 6 месяцев назад

I came to watch this video because of a betrayal in my own story but it's made me realise it's a bit of a weird example. Instead of a character sabotaging their team, it's simply a case of them leaving and joining another side, this other side not even being the main villains. The character also does this not out of a desire for something like power, but instead for belonging. This means that there's less of a question of redemption as the morality is more grey and the impact is mostly the heroes missing a teammate.

@donalddickerson206 3 месяца назад

Most memorable betrayal---Arthas in Warcraft 3. In fact, he has like 4 memorable betrayals: 1. Uther, 2. Muradin, 3. King Terenas, and 4. The Legion. Hands down. Best betrayal ever. Secondarily, Sadeas in Stormlight Archive. Though Snape's fake betrayal is pretty memorable, too.

@KutWrite 6 месяцев назад

I like an unreliable, rascally mentor who betrays, but later is found to be working to help the protag. The apparent betrayal was under duress, but was done as a setup to be trusted by the bad guy(s) for a final, redeeming move that saves the day and cooks the villain's goose for good. I did that in a previous novel.

@DreamingTruth.author 6 месяцев назад

The audio is good

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 6 месяцев назад

Awesome, thanks!

@createdsoicancomment2833 6 месяцев назад

*Spoiler Alert* I loved the betrayal in Training Day. Denzel's character, Lonzo, his betrayal was both to the main character as well as to the audience watching. Denzel has always been known for playing inspirational, good guy kind of characters and it threw us for a loop when you discovered he was a dirty cop. Even after the reveal of his hidden motives, as a movie watcher I was still waiting for him to reveal that he was indeed a good cop. It wasn't until his demise did we come to grips with the truth. I love love love it!!!

@anon_y_mousse 6 месяцев назад

I think that's more of an assumption that he won't really be bad because the actor had always played good guys, but within the movie he was definitely bad the whole time. I think a more surprising betrayal would be in the movie Fallen, and the betrayal also came from the writers, but it was still a great movie, IMO.

@user-ev8qw6bw2e 6 месяцев назад

My most memorable betrayal scene is that of Dennis Nedry from Jurassic Park. He is perhaps the best villain of the franchise. I kind of wished you included bad betrayal scenes as well. I kind of have a dislike for spy twist scenes that are not foreshadowed. Suddenly during the climax, a major character is revealed to by a spy working for the villain and we are shown flashbacks of conversations between the caharcter and the villain. And then the character having no more use to the plot is killed off.

@aritrachoudhuri6716 6 месяцев назад

Speaking of betrayals. Berserk volume 13 has the best betrayal in fiction . Periodt .

@JustACactus616 6 месяцев назад

Can you do a video on how to give side characters full character development in movies or books. As if you wanna give them almost as much character development as the main character

@GoeTeeks 6 месяцев назад

One piece of advice I can give you is that if you want to give your side characters full development, make sure that their development becomes relevant to the plot. Get the main character involved in some way and it'll really flesh some stuff out, too.

@giovdb 5 месяцев назад

It’s hard to top the Littlefinger betrayal. The 1999 film, Double Jeopardy had a great one, if I remember correctly. It’s the inciting incident of the whole story. A lot of the old Film Noirs of the 40s had some great betrayals too. Oh, man, Vertigo by Hitchcock. That one was wild.

@Terastas 5 месяцев назад

I don't know if it's the most memorable betrayal, but one that definitely caught me off guard was Big Smoke in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Three things that make it good. #1: Big Smoke was, up until that point, your best friend in the Grove Street Families, especially compared to ball-buster Sweet and obviously-going-to-betray-you Ryder. #2: As mentioned, there was one character who was much more obviously going to betray you. It genuinely didn't occur to me that there might be two betrayals at once. #3: The evidence was right there. I assumed Smoke's house was outside of the Grove because his missions were much harder than Sweet's and Ryder's. Then, after the betrayal, Kendl asks how it is that he thought he bought that house outside of the Grove.

@jamesjensen4938 6 месяцев назад

I was able to use a major betrayal in my writing, due to three seperate plot points I was having difficulty reconciling. I also want to keep up the pressure on my protagonist, and this character's betrayal really checked all of the boxes. I'll be honest, although I knew it was the right way to go, plot-wise, I'm personally devastated--really--by the betrayal, because of how well I'd loved the depth of two characters' relationship. (I'm aiming for redemption of a sort, but it might not happen.) Killing your darlings--sometimes necessary, but not frickin' easy, not at all.

@Disgruntled_Grunt 6 месяцев назад

I have a bit of a dilemma in a scene I'm writing. Here's my question: I'm working on a conversation between 2 characters that is pivotal to the overall plot and the relation between these 2 characters. For context: one character (let's call him Guy A) is trying to convince the another (Guy B) to participate in an extremely risky plan of action. Guy B is staunchly opposed to the plan. He claims he won't join because it is impossible and will likely get everyone killed. In truth, he doesn't really care about any of them. His reason for trying to talk Guy A out of it is that, if their plan succeeds, it'll interfere with Guy B's actual objectives (he's a traitor in their midst, go figure). Anyway, the trouble arises when Guy B calls Guy A's plan and his allies "quixotic." The problem is that this is a fantasy setting, set on a planet which is distinctly NOT Earth, in which the novel _Don Quixote_ does not exist. I've tried swapping "quixotic" with various synonyms, but it really seems like the ONLY word that perfectly matches the meaning AND tone of the conversation. And yet, "quixotic" has become a common adjective independent of the character's name. So, do you have any advice on using culture-specific words that technically shouldn't exist within a setting? Is there some writer/worldbuilding trick that would allow me to handwave the discrepancy away, or should it be avoided outright? Edit: One possible solution actually comes from the source of the problem: these people aren't on Earth, and therefore they aren't speaking English. Readers would kind of just have to accept that what they're reading has been magically translated into English, so it could be that this planet had an author who wrote a novel thematically-identical to Don Quixote, and _that_ character's name has also been adapted as a common word, which was translated to quixotic. It still seems like a flimsy explanation, so any other ideas are welcome.

@anon_y_mousse 6 месяцев назад

I'd definitely go with the translation angle. You might even make the narrator someone who is a traveler that is space-faring.

@vandaken3612 6 месяцев назад

Albert Wesker betraying the stars team in resident evil 1, Vesper Lynd betraying James Bond in casino royal, Anna betraying Lara Croft in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

@Ebelon 6 месяцев назад

Hey Brandon, have you read Berserk? Definitely belongs on this list.

@akgwriting9481 6 месяцев назад

Could you make a video about a cast if characters, the chemistry of them and how to make them interact believable, bounce off each other and balance one another well?

@1314special 4 месяца назад

"Good, that's one less loose end." General Sheperd.

@felixkask3916 6 месяцев назад

I know you highlight successes and failures of movies throughout your regular videos, but I would love to see a series that specifically talks about why certain movies or TV shows are successful.

@casabak6757 6 месяцев назад

Attack on Titan might just have the most memorable betrayal scene. After rewatching the show I realized how brilliantly the foreshadowing is written to that moment of no return for these characters. Where it takes these characters later in the story is also incredible.

@austrociking4345 6 месяцев назад

Can we get a video on enemies to lovers?

@errantwinds-up8uu 6 месяцев назад

Spoiler for the anime The Rising of the Shield Hero. I like the unexpectedness of this one. You have a setup where you're expecting a typical adventure story, then almost immediately the MC experiences a betrayal, his reputation is ruined, and he's essentially banished. It drives his whole character arc where he's outwardly bitter and cruel but inwardly maintains some decency that develops through the show.