Introduction To The 14 Types Of Movie Characters - Eric Edson [Screenwriting Masterclass]

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In the first two weeks of the Fall semester, California State University, Northridge screenwriting professor Eric Edson presents PowerPoint lessons to the entering first year grad MFA class. In the second class he covers 6 of the 14 character types. Here is an inside look at a portion of the lecture.
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In the first two weeks of the Fall semester, California State University, Northridge screenwriting professor Eric Edson presents PowerPoint lessons to the entering first year grad MFA class. He begins with the Hero Goal Sequences story structure paradigm. His second lecture is about the 14 character types found in movies. Here is the opening 17 minutes of that lecture.
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20 окт 2019

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@filmcourage 4 года назад

Here is the full lecture, "14 Movie Characters Writers Should Know" - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-d85qzE6V38E.html

@FlyingOverTr0ut 4 года назад

Just finished my second reading of The Story Solution, great read. I'm sure I'll read it several more times throughout my life.

@Sophia-wv6yf 4 года назад

Eric Edson is the best teacher for screenwriters! 🥰

@alexispapageorgiou72 4 года назад

He's great but I think he's too absolute with some things. Like the last part with characters not allowed to change their category. One of the best examples I can think of from the top of my head is Harvey Dent in The Dark Night. That switch was masterful and it shows that every movie is different. Unless this isn't a masterclass and he's basically talking to students who are just getting familiarized with the craft. Another example would be an endangered innocent becoming a helper-follower ally or comic-ally or whatever. This is actually a pretty cool side story for an adventure film or mystery or whatever. Especially between those secondary categories, it's actually a pretty good idea to make switches. Obviously changing the main hero like in the movie he mentioned is very dangerous but all these little switches ... Personally, I'm a big fan.

@incompletesentience 4 года назад

To fully understand poetry, we must first be fluent with its meter, rhyme and figures of speech. Then ask two questions: 1) How artfully has the objective of the poem been rendered and 2) How important is that objective? Question 1 rates the poem’s perfection; question 2 rates its importance. And once these questions have been answered, determining the poem’s greatness becomes a relatively simple matter. If the poem’s score for perfection is plotted on the horizontal of a graph and its importance is plotted on the vertical, then calculating the total area of the poem yields the measure of its greatness. A sonnet by Byron might score high on the vertical but only average on the horizontal. A Shakespearean sonnet, on the other hand, would score high both horizontally and vertically, yielding a massive total area, thereby revealing the poem to be truly great. As you proceed through the poetry in this book, practice this rating method. As your ability to evaluate poems in this matter grows, so will your enjoyment and understanding of poetry.

@givelove6400 4 года назад

I received some great advice from this video. Thank you Film Courage!

@thebicycleman8062 2 года назад

Professor at 8:43 " You cannot do that in visual story telling, that is a quality only available in novel. Tarantino: Hold my lens

@Damacles9 4 года назад

Thank you for all your hard work and generosity in posting your videos! Will there be a part 2? As always, I buy your guests' books.

@filmcourage 4 года назад

In the full lecture Eric goes over 6 character types. Not sure yet how we will release the lecture. Early thinking is to release one video for each of the 6 character types that he covers. We may end up combining some toward the end. We appreciate your comment and support.

@howardkoor2796 4 года назад

In some of my favorite movies, the protagonist is the antagonist as well. Examples: Ground Hog Day, Rain Man, Good Will Hunting

@adorablegodzilla5628 4 года назад

No side trips. (Witcher writers) "Hold my beer!"

@camronchlarson3767 4 года назад

Part two please 😊

@howardkoor2796 4 года назад

Great talk

@nickhinrichs3252 Год назад

Does someone by chance at all have the “definitions” for the other character types he didn’t talk about? I would appreciate it greatly if someone had that info

@animetrip18 4 года назад

Great!

@enerzise3161 4 года назад

It is quite obvious some people miss the great value in these videos.

@filmcourage 4 года назад

We keep doing our best each day to get a little better. We're glad it's finding you. Appreciate your support.

@GridironMasters 4 года назад

If folks want to hear that they don't have to follow any rules or principles then they should stop listening to writing teachers and just write what they want. Structure, convention, expectation, repetition and pattern are all around us in the arts and in other areas. How close you follow these or how far is up to you but know that there will be consequences and limitations because of your decisions. Learn the conventions and the patterns and learn to be intuitive and organic. It will serve you all well.

@cinemar 4 года назад

I'm working on a fifteenth.

@jacksp8de 4 года назад

I wonder what he thinks about TV series, because you can definitely take side journeys and develop several characters

@curtisnewton895 3 года назад

I thought about the same...his course is way too rigid

@bethspring4755 2 года назад

He is only talking about successful Hollywood movies from the past and what he thought made these movies work. So perhaps not everything or rule will work forever. But interesting stuff to listen to. I was easily bored by Hollywood movies and this foreseeable storytelling and now I know exactly why.

@CornerTalker Год назад

Atmosphere Characters: "You wanna buy some death-sticks?"

@thereccher8746 4 года назад

Hhhm, what about search and rescue plots? The characters that they have to rescue pretty much kick start the plot when they get in trouble. Do they help or hurt the hero?

@camronchlarson3767 4 года назад

One of the categories is endangered innocent. I think I recall him talking about this type giving the hero the opportunity to prove him/herself by saving them.

@howardkoor2796 4 года назад

TheReccher it depends. Any examples please?

@justinhunt4767 Год назад

Good stuff

@Sketching4Sanity Год назад

One Love ✊🏿

@siddharthsharma1423 4 года назад

Where is the other part ?

@filmcourage 4 года назад

Here is the full lecture - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-d85qzE6V38E.html

@poffilms 2 года назад

Why is it that a hero must be there??? In real life every character is grey. Who came up with concept of a hero?

@jaguarazul 3 года назад

👏👏👏

@charlespeterson3798 4 года назад

The Spanish Civil War. The rebels were the loyalists. Franco came from Morocco, as I remember, a Republican, fighting to reestablish The Republic. In any case, I am sure you write better screen plays than I.

@stupidpol 2 года назад

?! Nope. Franco was not a Republican. He was a Nationalist supported by fascists, conservatives and liberals. Rebels were loyalists - means, they were loyal to the Second Republic. the Second Republic consisted of "the Reds". communists and anarchists.

@robotempire 3 года назад

How can movies be objective? Of course we bring our own experiences and thoughts into a movie! We bring our own experiences & feelings into a movie, and these help shape what the movie “means” to them. For example, I’m a single dad to a teenaged daughter. I can tell you two movies that hit differently for me because of my particular emotional experience of them: “interstellar” and “inside out”. Both of these films spoke to parts of my life and my kid’s life I’ve never seen on film before. And I’m sure there ar loads of people with similar stories. Of course movies are as subjective, in the same sense of the word, as novels. Come now.

@curtisnewton895 3 года назад

yeah, the guy is full of shit

@taran5747 3 года назад

ਬਿੱਲੋ ਬੱਗੇ ਬਿਲਿਆ ਦਾ ਕੀ ਕਰੇਂਗੀ? 😳

@futurestoryteller 4 года назад

The main character of "Psycho" changes twice, once literally to a different character, and once functionally within the story, and this is in part because of their subjective viewpoints, being conveyed selectively to the audience. So that one movie kind of flies in the face of most of the things he teaches here. The problem with the movie he's describing seems to revolve more around the possibility that characters' roles change for no reason. If the mom just stops trying then the audience is left to wonder why she would give up now. Often the most logical reason for a character to change roles is somebody dies.

@lonjohnson5161 4 года назад

I was just about to say the same thing.

@yhwh988 4 года назад

after reading the comments idk if i should watch this

@filmcourage 4 года назад

Feel the same about most movie critics, but I watch the film anyway. Usually pleasantly surprised! :) We loved being a guest in Professor Edson's class. Feel the video is definitely worth your time. There's a full version, too.

@stupidpol 2 года назад

"Rebels" fighting for "democracy"? "For whom bells toll" was not about "rebels" fighting for "democracy". Jordan was a loyalist. And loyalists were fighting *against* the military rebellion. The military rebellion was supported by liberals and conservatives. The loyalists were of left-leaning ideology - communists and anarchists. It is strange to observe how modern political discourse erased the political essence of Hemingway's work and replaced it with our modern political rhetorics. The very ideals characters of the book were fighting and dying for somehow became... meaningless to the modern reader.

@nick31111111 4 года назад

yeah nah mate.

@qbookstudios1492 Год назад

Sitting in that class is So boring. Learn everything on internet . Lie down on your bed. Drink. Fart. Smoke. And skip the boringness.

@curtisnewton895 3 года назад

14 characters types to make nowadays dumb holywood movies indeed

@curtisnewton895 3 года назад

hopefully not every movie maker follows his dumb rules

@danbee998 4 года назад

I borrowed his book from my public library, just to see if it was worthy for new screenwriters. It's designed for new screenwriters, but incomplete. For example, he doesn't mention when components, such as subplots, must be concluded to tell of character transformation of the MC. This is critical. He uses alternate verbiage for things described other ways. You can look like a fool calling plot points hero sequence goals to professionals. He does this to sell books and get people to sign up for his classes (to differentiate his information for sale). There are extraordinary resources online, if you take the time to hunt them out. They are free.

@danbee998 4 года назад

@@dex208 You can learn a lot about screenwriting through learning by novelists (who tell the same types of stories). Check out RU-vidrs: Abbie Emmons and Vivien Reis. Abbie has a Blog too (lots of worksheets where she double posts in her video descriptions as well). Tons or worksheets for worldbuilding, character building, and so forth here: www.eadeverell.com/worksheets/ --- Bottom line, don't limit yourself to screenwriting for learning. Brandon Sanderson has numerous videos, all free, of his teaching novel writing. They are all on RU-vid. They are very lengthy. Neither of these resources, in and of themselves, offer a complete education. Combining elements from each, complete. You need to read free, online scripts and watch movies for the craft component. Want to start a series bible (if doing a screenplay series / saga)? www.authorbrittanywang.com/writingtips

@danbee998 4 года назад

If anyone wants an alternative to Edson's 14 character types, run a simple Google search. MBTI character charts provide 16. You can take it further.... Read about the 4 Tempermants: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_temperaments#Four_fundamental_personality_types --- After, read about the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_interpersonal_relations_orientation#Description (scroll down to the table with 5 columns to get some character types associated with the 4 Tempermants). If you want to see all 14 of Edson's character types, go to Amazon. Search "The Story Solution Edson" and click on the book image (top left). Scroll to page 89. You can scroll to previous pages to see some of them in detail, but not all.

@danbee998 4 года назад

If anyone wants info on how to generalize leaders in their screenplays (but I think it works for general populations as well of students, work forces, whatever), draw yourself a Punnet square (stupid and clever on the sides; diligent and lazy on the top). Fill out the data on the following Web site with the information provided: en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kurt_von_Hammerstein-Equord --- After, you can start a new Punnet square with the same headings and dump your characters into the mix. I'd probably do 3% for each clever,diligent and stupid, diligent (as these make for great MCs, protagonist clique / antagonist clique) and 4% for clever,lazy. There's your 100% of characters. You'll notice diligence and laziness (i.e. sloth) are opposites. One is a 7 Heavenly Virtue. The other, one of the 7 deadly sins. You can make other Punnet squares using the clever and stupid elements on the sides. Swap out opposing sins/virtues per square. See what your imagination can cook up by filling out the boxes (e.g. who are the criminals, philanthropists, and so forth). You can use this to create character types (24 in total) as well.

@Ruylopez778 4 года назад

He comes up with 'alternate verbiage' in order to trick innocent people into buying his book, or he simply has his own take on screenwriting, and writes a book about it? He's primarily a teacher right? He's said before he always wanted to teach. He obviously felt he had something to contribute. People buy books (of any kind) to save time over discovering info by themselves through trial and error. It's up to them whether the book is worth the money or not. Not everyone is looking for the same answers you are. But you throw opinions around as fact. "It's incomplete" is your opinion. I agree there's a lot of free content online, and often that's people recycling the same ideas, in order to build up their blog/subscribers *for their own benefit* - just like an author. They aren't altruistic. If you're going to be cynical, please apply it to everyone. I would add 'Writing Excuses' to your list of resources, but again, they are using that platform to increase their own exposure also. It's also a bit bad taste that you're recommending other RU-vid channels with similar content, while watching this video and criticising his material. And it isn't the first time you've done this.

@danbee998 4 года назад

@@Ruylopez778 I was asked for the resources by dex208. Someone wanted help, and I provided it. Some people cannot afford to buy numerous books on screenwriting, nor do they have public libraries they can get the books from. I find it bad taste that you find someone trying to help another who asked for it to be "bad taste." Perhaps people cannot afford books. My links serve to show that people can hunt the information themselves. It's out there. Did I ever suggest not to buy the gentleman's book or to boycott anything he says or does? No. I provided an opinion. Your word, "trick;" don't try to put words in anything I never wrote. That goes for "writing excuses" and your declaration that I am being cynical is your hangup. My opinion of his book being incomplete is my opinion, like I noted in other videos of his video teachings. If you think this is being cynical, that is your hangup. I'd be offended (using the author's information) if I had a screenplay for sale and I had a meeting with potential buyers and used hero sequences instead of plot points. There might be some confusion between myself and those who never read his book, right? My comment of this is not cynicism, more concern. You appear to be easily riled by others, as well as quick to formulate an emotion that morphs to opinion then to some public display of commandoing a cause of your emotion. Feel free to ignore my posts if you have nothing pleasant to say, as I shall ignore your posts in the future (unless I am addressed). This is my only response to your opinion.

@gabedonovan3318 4 года назад

There is literally no such thing as an objective movie. Even the way you make a documentary puts your subconscious point of view on it

@StefanTravis 4 года назад

Different sense of "objective", obviously. He's saying novels tell, movies show.

@GridironMasters 4 года назад

The novel tells you about the tree but the reader draws from their memory to picture that in their head. The movie just shows you the actual tree. You can't imagine it anymore it's right there.

@therealjchiavetta 3 года назад

you only take the pov of the camera lens, is the point being made. You don't have access to any character's inner world.

@gabedonovan3318 4 года назад

This man is saying film isnt subjective???? Boy what???????

@gabedonovan3318 4 года назад

Movies can 100% take side trips also? How many movies has the guy seen

@evennot 4 года назад

He uses the wrong word, but the idea kinda makes sense. However, you can write a novel that consists of objective reports. Like the reports sent by a smart house systems that will show a personal story of someone living there. Contrasting their bluntness and simplicity with what the user goes through. Movies goes out of their way to show subjective meaning through camera work, sound design, etc. So they are generally working from the point of an objective video feed that captures everything indiscriminately. Novels are generally trying to hide the fact that it's just a limited perspective of an author.

@Ruylopez778 4 года назад

@@gabedonovan3318 He's talking about the frame through which the audience experience the characters - the delivery, as it were. Not the intention of filmmaker, or the reaction of the viewer. We are presented with an objective view of what the characters are doing and feeling. In most movies, generally, it's what people DO that helps us form an opinion (with the except of VO or 4th wall breaks) of what they think and how they feel. Even Shawshank for example, is mostly us learning about Red based on what he says and does, rather than VO. In novels, we usually know exactly what one or all of the characters are thinking and feeling, most of the time. The frame is through their own internal thoughts experiencing what is happening. A novel might have a chapter entirely in the mind of the main character. It's the subjective view of the character we are presented with. As for side trips, I think most successful mainstream movies always have scenes doing at least one thing, and every scene should advance the plot or describe the character. So it really depends how we define a side trip. A scene that doesn't do either or both of the those things will likely make the audience wonder why it's in the movie - and possibly frustrate them. It's a different mindset for the consumer, because a movie is usually a more concise experience. If you can think of a mainstream, successful movie with a scene where it didn't advance the plot or develop the characters, it was probably a scene that viewers didn't particularly like. In a novel, there's more freedom to explore ideas and go off on tangents. Of course you can find exceptions to every rule. He's talking about writing a commercial, successful screenplay. So, internal monologues for example, are often red flagged as cliche.

@ernststravoblofeld 4 года назад

Use a good dictionary, and it will all become clear.

@alexclark9386 4 года назад

You are misunderstanding how he uses subjective and objective.

@griffinh21 4 года назад

Disagree that category types can’t change over the course of a story. It’s a common trope for the perceived mentor to wind up being the ‘behind-the-curtain’ adversary

@MusicalPlayground717 4 года назад

Griffin Hicks I agree with your premise, but wouldn’t that just be an example of a character hiding his/her true category type (as Eric Edson mentioned they could), instead of truly changing? I think perhaps a better example is a villain’s henchman who decides to help the hero near the end of the story - like Darth Vader. Supporting characters can definitely have redemption arcs. Then again, that only happens after 3 movies, and Edson’s talking about keeping things unified within one 2-hr film, so perhaps that doesn’t prove our point either.

@Ruylopez778 4 года назад

I think Truby would describe them under the ally-opponent / opponent-ally category. It's the twist when the true intention of a character is revealed. We are simply encouraged to misunderstand who the character really is at the start.

@StefanTravis 4 года назад

Yeah, Edson weasels out of his own rule that character categories can't change, by saying their true categories can be hidden.

@Ruylopez778 4 года назад

@@StefanTravis He's not weaseling out of anything. Take the mentor is actually the villain trope; Spider-man 2, Doc Ock is the villain. He's arrogant, even if his plan for sustainable fuel is admirable. He continues on a destructive path, to prove himself right. He's portrayed sympathetically at the start of the movie, just like all villains are the hero of their own story. If a character changes from one category to another it is confusing for the audience. There are always clues (unless badly written). Doc Ock might fulfil the function of a mentor early on, but he is not a mentor. Same with Ra's al Ghul in Batman begins.

@StefanTravis 4 года назад

@@Ruylopez778 _"There are always clues (unless badly written)."_ Oh look, more weaseling.

@FreeJerusalemFilm 4 года назад

Don’t listen to him he is ruining your creativity. Americans should relrean film making

@evennot 4 года назад

I disagree with him completely, however, his perspective is very useful. He describes how things are in the "mainstream". If you want to go beyond that, it might be helpful to see what to avoid. For instance, if your characters fall into one of these 14 categories, you might reconsider it. If your want to know what makes authors assign immutable roles to characters, etc. It's a kind of a dialogue of cultures. To make a new statement you'd better hear what was said before and think why you don't accept it

@camronchlarson3767 4 года назад

Okay but tell me why though

@FreeJerusalemFilm 4 года назад

Camron Chlarson Receipts and rules never make a good film. It’s better not to know the rules, or types of characters.

@camronchlarson3767 4 года назад

@@FreeJerusalemFilm I would argue that 'rules' are formed FROM good films. In other words, these aren't just arbitrary concepts and formulas Edson has made up. These are tried and true methods which he has taken from studying all the best modern films out there that have connected and resonated with people. You have to know the rules to break the rules. You have to know what works and what people respond to. You can follow your own compass if you want and I hope that works for you but don't try to make others believe they don't have to study and learn and hone their craft. He's not "ruining anyone's creativity", he's teaching basic narritive principles that ENHANCE creativity by demystifying areas that often hold storytellers back.

@evennot 4 года назад

@@FreeJerusalemFilm everything, from camerawork to sound design, requires understanding of rules and established technics. Same goes for scripts. It's up to creator to decide how to evolve, expand and break these rules. I agree, that modern US cinema mindlessly follows established rules (even including subversion of expectations, metacommentary and such. Even these matters are very predictable). However it doesn't make learning these rules less valuable. Thorough comprehension could allow you to see what's lacking, to find new ways to contribute in this form of art.

@nm-com 4 года назад

honestly? if a system has 14 components, its not an efficient system. unless theres a reason why its exactly 14, and how they crucially depend on each other its just wiseassing about storytelling. bye!

@Ruylopez778 4 года назад

Classifying every story character in history by their function into 14 categories is pretty efficient, I would say. If they can be classified into fewer they begin to lose nuance and then the classification becomes meaningless. We could just classify everyone into help or hinder. Doesn't really go into enough depth though does it? A mentor and a follower would then be in the same category.

@nm-com 4 года назад

@@Ruylopez778 kid there are so many "systems" out there. in storytelling every writer wants to be the new joseph campbell. its ridiculous. so again: bye!

@Ruylopez778 4 года назад

@@nm-com Isn't he saying these characters were identified in ancient Greece? So the problem is this system, or the fact there are so many? In every industry there are books recycling the same ideas.

@nm-com 4 года назад

@@Ruylopez778 so you are agreeing. the best way to improve your writing is stop watching videos about how to write, and start to write. especially if they have such dull content.

@Ruylopez778 4 года назад

@@nm-com "Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own" 1. It's an art, which is why some of the greatest writers couldn't replicate their greatest works. Possibly I'm not even capable of great work. Obviously art can't be taught, but craft can. Experimentation might take a long time, a life time, to come to the same broad conclusions as the consensus of the craft. Sometimes a little talent and a lot of craft gets as far as natural talent. 2. In order to produce art at the professional level, it's necessary to have an understanding of the craft, no? Unless we are a genius (which I'm not). Better to cover the basics, with an open mind and take what we want from it. Also, even the greatest artists are open to new ideas aren't they? They never think they've finished learning. If the artist is too close to work to see the faults that lie within it, sometimes a basic principle of the craft can act as a refresher or inspiration, no? When we get feedback about our work, are they not expressing opinions about the craft? 3. I agree the best way to write something great is to keep writing. Buying a book doesn't guarantee anything. We should also study closely the work we love. But when we study things we love, we will probably find their components can be broken down into systems, no? 4. Sometimes we need to hear a concept in a particular way for it to click. That's why there are a 10,000 books about a golf swing. 5. There are different learning styles. Some people enjoy learning different ideas and comparing them. Some people want the answer as efficiently as possible. Some people enjoy the detail. Some people want to come to their own conclusions. 6. Not everyone who is writing is doing it at the professional level. It can be a hobby, which makes different learning styles even more relevant. For some the learning is the journey. 7. Complaining about videos doesn't help others. Telling other people they don't need books, or giving advice might be helpful. But some enjoy the structure of textbooks and tools. Yeah, you might save some people some time and money... you don't really know what their process is though. I agree with Kaufman and many others that you can't teach people to write great work with systems. They should find their own way. But that doesn't exclude buying books and going to workshops. Perhaps the best advice for a writer is; try what works for you, keep an open mind, and don't get hung up on what others tell you to do. But Bruce's quote is far more eloquent.