Is my script big enough to be a movie, Part 4: Conflict
Is my script big enough to be a movie?” A fundamental question a screenwriter needs to ask every time they start a writing project. I’ve put together 10 questions re the subject. Here are the first three we’ve already posed:
Does my script have a big enough story concept?
Does my script have big enough characters?
Does my script have big enough set pieces?
Today another question:
DOES MY SCRIPT HAVE BIG ENOUGH CONFLICT?
This is a direct transition from the previous point as conflict is the central ‘stuff’ of a story’s emotional world. I’m sure you’ve heard this countless times, but I read so many scripts with little, let alone good, conflict, that it bears repeating: Without conflict, you have no drama, no spark, no intensity. And without those dynamics, you’re not going to have much in the way of a movie.
The apex of conflict in most scripts is the struggle between the Protagonist and Nemesis. Almost always, they have a contested end point — that is, P and N share a goal, each with their own version of how that goal should be realized, each version not leaving room for the other. One of them will win, the other will lose.
Again, it’s easy to see how in a movie with huge stakes, like Star Wars, where a struggle between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader can translate into a visceral battle. But what about smaller movies? Can their conflict be ‘big’? Of course, if, as noted above, the dynamics of the players in the story’s emotional world are crafted well, played out with imagination, and the human ‘stuff’ they’re confronting and dealing with is something with which the reader / audience can resonate.
Adaptation is a ‘small’ story: A screenwriter adapting a book. But look at the some of the conflict subplots therein:
* Charlie vs. Donald — different screenwriting world views
* Charlie vs. Donald — sibling rivalry
* Charlie vs. Donald — misunderstood past and present
* Charlie vs. Charlie — screenwriting as art vs. commerce
* Charlie vs. Charlie — shadow self loathes everyday Charlie
* Charlie vs. Charlie — undermines his ability for romance
* Charlie vs. “The Orchid Thief” — writer’s block
* Charlie vs. Susan — who the hell is she
* Charlie vs. agent — when the hell will the script be ready
And that’s just conflict centering around Charlie. None of these is particularly ‘big’ and yet, each of them provides an emotional touch point for the reader / audience, so that both individually and collectively, they end up feeling big. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to throw in a gator attack!
A good exercise: Go through your script and determine each area of conflict. Are they big enough individually? Collectively? Are they big enough to be a movie?
Next time: Does my script have big enough stakes?