Heart

[Charli]

Re: Heart

ta son - is your story detached from you? Maybe you've not made it personal enough, with some of your own likes/dislikes, experiences, etc. The closer it hits home, the more 'heart' you'll find in your story.

[umo]

Re: Heart

Just my .02...

May I try a simplistic answer to a difficult question?

Heart can only come AFTER your character comes alive...

Try using tiny, almost imperceptible character traits and pepper them through the first act. Your character should grow on the reader as a result. As the character develops, so does "heart".

[Popcorntreect]

Re: Heart

What a great thread.

I think of it as the story of Sisyphus where he is the protag, the hill is the unfaltering internal goal and the rock is your theme.

If all three resonate, you've got yourself some heart.

Has the audience felt the weight of your rock? Can they relate to that?

Can the audience understand the height of your hill? Can they relate to that?

Does your protag explore the explore the universal light and dark sides of Wiley Coyote? (ylekot).

Slumdog, Rudy, Little Miss Sunshine...they all got it.

That was my biggest problem with the movie. I couldn't feel for any of the characters. As soon as that kid landed in sh!t, any emotional ties went out the window.

Heart is a good thing but there are a lot of great movies where you don't feel for any of the characters.

[qualitycontrol]

Re: Heart

When I was developing my pilot into a web-series with a producer, the note I kept getting, was "heart." I finally got it broken down into, he wanted more emotional relationships, like instead of having a Maulder/Scully sexual tension, why not just do it? I disagree but I did follow every single note he gave me. It was a lot and it was specific into making there be more emotional purpose behind their actions, the only one suggestion I rejected out right was the notion of giving the protagonist a son he has to get back. I felt it sounded way too over the top and cliche. 5 drafts later, producer didn't "feel passionate" about the material anymore, I suggested he re-read the original draft to see it as a more subtle piece of work and not the over-blown comedic melodrama it had become.

[Biohazard]

Re: Heart

If by Heart you mean emotional connection to the protagonist, you need to make sure he or she struggles with something emotionally universal. Something that I understand and might have even gone through myself. Then I care. Then my heart is invested in this character.

[sc111]

Re: Heart

It's a balancing act infusing "heart" into a script without lapsing into melodrama.

It's a struggle sometimes.