Psychology for Screenwriters
Page 26
THE WILLING LAMB
Development for the narcissistic hero must resolve in a reversal of character, in which he sacrifices himself for others. By placing the collective in front of the individual, the hero renounces his individualism and independence and dedicates himself completely to the needs of the whole. So, while Shane rides off as a loner in the end, he demonstrates his dedication to the whole by sacrificing his dreams of a new life to help the homesteaders. Mythological heroes like Wallace in Braveheart and Maximus in Gladiator are willing lambs in the last stages of their journeys, sacrificing their own lives for the freedom of their people.
The literal sacrifice theme is often played out by the hero’s mentor. In Star Wars, Obi Won puts down his light saber and dies willingly at the hand of Darth Vader, becoming an even stronger inspiration for Luke. The mentor’s ultimate sacrifice inspires the hero to renounce his own needs and dedicate himself completely to others. The hero does not have to die in order to display the ultimate heroic quality of sacrifice – he only has to be inspired by the sacrifice of another – and then put himself in harm’s way to defend the holy cause. In this way, every hero’s journey is a recasting of the quintessential hero stories, such as the stories of Moses, Jesus, and Arthur… heroes and mentors who sacrificed themselves in order to inspire their people.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN SUMMARY POINTS
Rollo May referred to 20th Century America as the “Age of Narcissism.” He was referring in large part to the archetype of the narcissistic American hero, who embodies the qualities of fierce independence, rugged individualism, and unabashed isolationism.
The American hero archetype appears most predominantly in the landscape of American mythology – the movie screen – especially in Westerns.
The cowboy hero is a lone crusader who upholds his personal code of honor, typically using extreme violence.
The renegade cop archetype in films represents the traditional American hero, transplanted into an urban setting.
Gangster heroes and gumshoe detectives in film noir movies are also traditional American antiheroes in urban settings.
The mad scientist archetype is an isolated genius who must reintegrate into society in order to redeem himself.
The mad scientist is a particularly resonant archetype for the age of narcissism, because he arrogantly plays God to further his unholy experiments, he isolates himself from loved ones in a haze of self-centered workaholism, and his megalomaniacal schemes endanger himself and the innocent people around him.
The mad scientist’s hapless creature is a poignant symbol for modern man. The creature is an exploited automaton manipulated by an irresponsible master.
The creature’s dilemma symbolizes the alienation of the exploited masses in a post-Industrial age, and the disillusionment of an increasingly faithless society in a modern age of science.
In the resolution of the mad scientist’s story, the creator encounters and integrates his creature, symbolically uniting the masses with the master, and the mortals with the immortal.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN EXERCISES
1. Using your knowledge of film, identify five movie characters who embody the cowboy hero type.
2. Identify five movie characters who embody the renegade cop type.
3. Identify four movie characters who embody the gangster hero type.
4. Identify three movie characters who embody the gumshoe detective type.
5. Identify five movie characters who embody the mad scientist type.
6. How do the stories of your mad scientist characters’ resolve? Do they in some way encounter and integrate their mad creations?
ADDRESSING MODERN ARCHETYPES IN YOUR SCRIPT
1. Would you define the hero in your script as an American hero? Why, or why not?
2. Which elements of narcissism does your hero portray? Do these narcissistic character elements represent strengths or weakness in your hero’s character? If they are weaknesses, does you hero overcome his narcissism at one point in your script?
3. Rebellion against a narcissistic character is also an archetypal theme in movies. For example, Ethan (John Wayne) in The Searchers is an archetypal narcissist – a lone crusader cowboy hero. Martin (Jeffrey Hunter) is his young squire, who is always bristling under Ethan’s narcissistic mastery. Is there a character in your script who stands up to a narcissistic hero, villain, mentor, love interest, or supporting character? If not, think of how you can add an element of narcissism into one of the aforementioned characters in your script. Then add an element of rebellion in a contrasting character to create conflict.
MODERN ARCHETYPES AT A GLANCE
ARCHETYPES
PLOT DEVICES & CHARACTERS
EXAMPLES
American
Hero
The independent individualist
Scarlet O’Hara in Gone With the Wind
Cowboy Hero
The wandering knight with a
personal code of honor
The title character in Shane
Ethan in The Searchers
Lone
Crusader
The violent man who stands up
alone against evil & corruption
Marshal Kane in High Noon
Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront
Renegade Cop
Breaking the police rules in
order to be a good policeman
Sgt. Riggs in Lethal Weapon
Inspector Callahan in Dirty Harry
Gangster
The big city outlaw anti-hero
Tony in Scarf ace
Gumshoe
Detective
Two parts renegade cop, one
part gangster hero
Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese
Falcon and The Big Sleep
Conflicted
Cop
The good cop who doesn’t go
“on the take,” and doesn’t want
to inform on the bad cops
The title character in Serpico
Sheriff Heflin in Cop Land
Daniel Ciello in Prince of the City
Mad Scientist/Creator
Isolated Genius who plays god
and creates an unholy creature
The title character in Frankenstein
Title character Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
Monsters/Creations
Exploited automatons created
by an irresponsible creator
The workers in Metropolis
The mutants in Island of Lost Souls
CONCLUSION
“Whoever speaks in primordial images speaks with a thousand voices;
he enthralls and overpowers, while at the same time he lifts the idea
he is seeking to express out of the occasional and the transitory
into the realm of the ever-enduring…
That is the secret of great art and its effect upon us.
The creative process… consists in the unconscious activation of an archetypal image,
and in elaborating and shaping this image into the finished work.
By giving it shape, the artist translates it into the language of the present,
and so makes it possible for us to find our way back to the deepest springs of life.”
— Carl Gustav Jung
“On the Relation of Analytical Psychology to Poetry,” (1922)
As with any creative endeavor, screenwriting is a largely unconscious process. Where do our ideas for stories and characters come from? They come from within… from the dark recesses of unconscious memory, emotion, and experience that we may be only partially aware of on a conscious level. Some writers and artists believe that a rational understanding of the unconscious functions behind image making and storytelling could be detrimental to the creative process. This author cannot disagree more strongly!
Personally, I have found that a thorough knowledge and appreciation of the psychological principles behind the creative act have helped me tremendously
and offered me guidance, structure, ideas, and support for every sentence I’ve ever written. The psychological theories explained in this book are invaluable wellsprings for both my work, and my life, and I can only hope that the ideas I’ve laid out in the preceding chapters can offer the same kind of inspiration to you. Each theory in this book provides a somewhat different approach to creating conflict, plot structure, and character development in your script. This was my intention. The old saying, “there’s more than one way to skin a cat,” is especially relevant to screenwriting – a field that’s plagued with formulaic plots, hackneyed character types, trite dialogue, and tired, overused scenarios. I structured this book to offer many different psychological perspectives on screenwriting, in order to offer you a variety of approaches to your work. The wider your palette as a writer, the more freedom you will have in your creativity.
In a sense, structure and creativity are both complementary and antagonistic elements in the screenwriting process. While you need structure to organize your ideas about character and plot into a cohesive story, too much structure can stifle your creativity, closing the doors to original or unique characters and plots. That’s why you, as a writer, should always be on the look out for new ways to approach your art. If you discover and apply a different perspective or structure to your writing, then (in Joseph Campbell’s words), “doors will open where there were no doors before.” This book, I hope, will offer not just one, but many doors of creativity to working screenwriters.
It is important to note that none of the theories in this book is a rigid template for conflict, plot structure, or character development within a screenplay. This is because such a template – a “cookie-cutter” for movie scripts – simply does not exist. Yes, there are formulas for structure, as well as established character types and plot lines, but simply cranking out formulas and types will get you nowhere fast. Screenwriting is a creative process, and in order to be even minimally successful in the field, you must offer producers new, inventive, original, and unique stories and characters. So, while this book provides psychological analyses of most of the basic formulas for structure, plot lines, and character types found in the major movie genres, the analyses are intended to increase your ability to understand these elements as a springboard for creating original and unique stories and characters. If you’re not interested in the creative process of screenwriting, a deeper understanding of its psychological elements will not help you.
As a final thought, I’d like to offer an answer to a question that’s been asked of me many times: “Which psychological approach should I take for the specific character and story that I’m writing now?” As a developmental psychologist, I learned early on in my work that the basic answer to any question about individual psychology or human development is the same basic answer to the question asked above. Unfortunately, it’s not a very satisfying answer. The answer is: “It depends.” The best approach to writing your character and story depends on the individual character and story that you’re writing. Every character is an individual, just as every human being is an individual. And every story is unique, just as every human being’s life story is unique. I can’t tell you which approach is best, because there are billions and billions of characters and stories, and only you know the true nature of the beast.
To recall an old architectural adage: ‘form follows function.” Your approach to the character and plot that you’re writing depends entirely on the function they have in your particular story. If you impose a theory or form onto your characters and plot without carefully fitting it to their function in your story, then the script will simply not be as good as it could be. The purpose of this book is to supply you with a variety of psychologically resonant and compelling forms, and the understanding to apply these forms in order to create a story that functions in the way you want it to function. In the end, the story is inside of you. The theories of the master psychologists in this book are merely tools to help you reveal the story that you, yourself, have hidden in your mind.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
William Indick earned his bachelors degree in psychology (1993) and masters degree in music therapy (1996) from New York University. After working as a special education teacher and as a creative arts therapist, he earned his Ph.D. in developmental psychology (2001) from Cornell University. Dr. Indick is an active screenwriter, author, screenwriting consultant, and an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Dowling College in Oakdale, New York, where his courses include: “Psychology in Film,” “The Western,” “Identity Issues in Film,” and “Construction of Personal Identity.” He is also the author of the upcoming, Analyzing Film: Revealing the Psychological Symbolism in Movies. You may contact Dr. Indick through his Web site at: http://dowling.edu/faculty/Indick/.
ILLUSTRATIONS
The author acknowledges the copyright owners of the following motion pictures from which single frames have been used in this book for purposes of commentary, criticism, and scholarship under the Fair Use Doctrine. No endorsement or sponsorship of this book by the copyright owners is claimed or implied.
CHAPTER ONE
Harold & Maude, © 1971 Paramount Studios
CHAPTER TWO
Star Wars, © 1977 Twentieth Century Fox
CHAPTER THREE
Citizen Kane, © 1941 Warner Home Video
Psycho, © 1960 Universal Studios
CHAPTER FOUR
The Searchers, © 1956 Warner Brothers Studios
CHAPTER SEVEN
Ikiru, © 1952 The Criterion Collection
CHAPTER EIGHT
Blazing Saddles, © 1974 Warner Brothers Studios
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
East of Eden, © 1955 Warner Home Video
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Searchers, © 1956 Warner Brothers Studios
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, © 1920 Gotham Distribution
FILMOGRAPHY
101 Dalmatians (1961). Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske (as Hamilton S. Luske), Wolfgang Reitherman. Writing Credits: Dodie Smith (novel The One Hundred and One Dalmatians), Bill Peet (story). Starring: Rod Taylor (voice), Betty Lou Gerson (voice), Gate Bauer (voice).
101 Dalmatians (1996). Directed by Stephen Herek. Writing Credits: Dodie Smith (novel), John Hughes (screenplay). Starring: Glenn Close, Jeff Daniels, Joely Richardson.
About Schmidt (2002). Directed by Alexander Payne. Writing Credits: Louis Begley (novel), Alexander Payne (screenplay) &Jim Taylor (screenplay). Starring: Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney, Kathy Bates.
African Queen, The (1951). Directed by John Huston. Writing Credits: G. S. Forester (novel) & James Agee (adaptation). Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley. Academy Awards: Humphrey Bogart (Best Actor in a Leading Role).
Age of Innocence, The (1993). Directed by Martin Scorsese. Writing Credits: Edith Wharton (novel), Jay Cocks (screenplay) & Martin Scorsese (screenplay). Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder, Alexis Smith, Geraldine Chaplin.
Alice in Wonderland (1951). Directed by Clyde Geronimi & Wilfred Jackson. Writing Credits: Lewis Carroll (novels) & Winston Hibler. Starring: Kathryn Beaumont (voice), Ed Wynn (voice), Richard Haydn (voice).
Alice (1990). Directed by Woody Allen. Writing Credits: Woody Allen (written by). Starring: Joe Mantegna, Mia Farrow, William Hurt.
All the King’s Men (1949). Directed by Robert Rossen. Writing Credits: Robert Rossen & Robert Penn Warren (novel). Starring: Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Joanne Dru, John Derek. Academy Awards: Broderick Crawford (Best Actor in a Leading Role), Mercedes McCambridge (Best Actress in a Supporting Role).
Altered States (1980). Directed by Ken Russell. Writing Credits: Paddy Chayefsky (novel) & Paddy Chayefsky. Starring: William Hurt, Blair Brown, Bob Balaban.
American Beauty (1999). Directed by Sam Mendes. Writing Credits: Alan Ball (written by). Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, Pet
er Gallagher, Allison Janney, Chris Cooper, Scott Bakula. Academy Awards: Kevin Spacey (Best Actor in a Leading Role), Conrad L. Hall (Best Cinematography), Sam Mendes (Best Director), Bruce Cohen & Dan Jinks (Best Picture), Alan Ball (Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen)
American Pie (1999). Directed by Paul Weitz & Chris Weitz. Writing Credits: Adam Herz (written by). Starring: Jason Biggs & Chris Klein.
Angel Heart (1987). Directed by Alan Parker. Writing Credits: William Hjortsberg (novel) & Alan Parker. Starring: Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, Charlotte Rampling.
Animal House (1978). Directed by John Landis. Writing Credits: Harold Ramis (written by), Douglas Kenney (written by) & Chris Miller (written by). Starring: John Belushi, Tim Matheson, Tom Hulce, Stephen Furst, Mark Metcalf.
Annie Hall (1977). Directed by Woody Allen. Writing Credits: Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman. Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Shelley Duvall. Academy Awards: Diane Keaton (Best Actress in a Leading Role), Woody Allen (Best Director), Charles H. Joffe (Best Picture), Woody Allen & Marshall Brickman (Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen).
Babe (1995). Directed by Chris Noonan. Writing Credits: Dick King-Smith (novel), George Miller (screenplay) & Chris Noonan (screenplay). Starring: Christine Cavanaugh (voice), James Cromwell & Miriam Margolyes (voice).
Baby Boom (1987). Directed by Charles Shyer. Writing Credits: Nancy Meyers (written by) & Charles Shyer (written by). Starring: Diane Keaton, Sam Shepard, Harold Ramis.