How To Write A Great Antagonist - Eric Edson [Screenwriting Masterclass]

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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#writing #screenwriting #screenplay

[SuperIrish]

He's the best teacher I've found on screenwriting, thank you!

[Damacles]

Love Edson's style and manner of breaking down structure in layman's terms. A big heap of gratefulness to Film Courage for giving us videos and for all their efforts too!!

[xianthegaian]

I love the way he teaches... Thank you for posting this for free I'm grateful for you all

[Sophia-wvyf]

Eric you are my hero! Thank you for this wonderful peek into your classroom and all your wisdom. Your book THE STORY SOLUTION: 23 ACTIONS ALL GREAT HEROES MUST TAKE is the best thing I ever bought 🥰

[yerabbit]

i never thought i'd hear such an excellent story lecture that included talking about a super shark.

[paulinarieloff]

I ve seen Michael Clayton like three times One of my favorites also I saw Waiting for Godot

[einsteindarwin]

He makes it fun I wish I could go back to school and take his class.

[AaronAox]

“Sideways” going to check this out and study these storytelling components, Thankyou Eric and FC !

[Delicashilous]

What I Like is an Overpowerd, smart Antagonist with style, who has a GOOD Goal, but can only be reaching if he does HORRIBLE Things like sacreficing 1000 or millions of People to save for Example the whole World.

2 Things are certain:

1. His done Damage and Reputation as Antagonist is MORE than succeful
2. It makes him controverse, and that is one of the best things you can create

[howardkoor]

I believe that Miles was the Protagonist and Antagonist. The ex wife is there to represent His shortcomings. He realizes that he needed to grow, and didn’t grow enough to hold up his end of the marriage.

[thereccher]

This appears pretty formeulic. I can think of several films off the top of my head that don't adhere to these rules. The Martian, Inside Out, Once Upon a Time in America, Castaway, The Innocents, Green Mile, A Tale of Two Sisters, The Haunting, The Lighthouse, Hereditary.

[jackspde]

Does every movie have a person as an antagonist? 
What about comedy? Who is the Antagonist in something like Knocked Up?

[keithrideout]

The loneliest cowboy zombie says I created an emotional roller coaster ride that becomes the adversary to the main character in action poetry

[ccwoodlands]

Who was the nemesis in Dances with Wolves? It wasn’t one person. There were several, I believe. There was a Pawnee warrior. There was the US Army who captures Costner at the end. And what about Glory with Matthew Broderick? Who was the one person nemesis in that Oscar winning movie? They were both Oscar winners. “Who” was the single person nemesis?

[howardkoor]

Sideways is one of my favorite movies..

[chriswest]

The writer of little Miss Sunshine talks about the Antagonist aria. The Graduate. Prelude. His Father: " plastics". Mr. Robinson the full course. His philosophy of life. Get it while you can or something.

[_Braised]

I wish he'd go a bit deeper into why the adversary needs to be personified. Why can't the adversary be time, like in Apollo 13, approval like in Kiki's Delivery Service, or an iceberg, like in A Night to Remember?

[Project]

i'd be interested in film courage doing a video of a villain lead character and how they can work for example American Psycho

[GideonGrimmGaming]

What about organizations as adversaries? Maybe a series focuses on a different member of said organization?

[Sunshine-zmfx]

The second I saw that Paul Giamatti was in the movie "Sideways", I knew I was going to watch it.