Regarding external/outside goal for a character...

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  • Regarding external/outside goal for a character...

    Hi all,

    I am a little confused at this point about whether or not I have a valid external goal for my protagonist. She wants to escape the clutches of her step-father's controlling nature - is this to be considered more of an external or internal goal?

    In order for her to do it - she needs to be able to raise the money in order to buy a ticket out of town... Should this be her external goal instead or are they both valid?

    Thanks in advance...

    EDIT - Escape is an internal goal - that's what I was confused about - I didn't know how to define this particular goal... I've got it now --- mods can delete this thread.

  • #2
    Freedom in general is an internal goal, it needs to be anchored to something external. The father's "controlling nature" is a bit vague, though.

    Examples:

    Let's say he won't let her persue her goal to sing, he thinks it will lead to a druggy lifestyle.

    1. External goal: Her goal is to sing professional (but Dad stops her because he thinks it will lead to a druggy lifestyle). She wants to enter a talent contest in another city & needs to raise the money to get there. Internal goal: freedom from Dad.


    2. External goal: Go to college (but Dad wants to stop her, he believes college is a waste of money). She has to raise money for school and/or get a scholarship. Internal Goal: freedom from Dad.

    And so on.... hope that helps.

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    • #3
      The external goal would be what she wants in that big city, her dream. escaping her abuse is the antagonistic element.

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      • #4
        I disagree. I see no problem with the primary motivation being escape from the abuse. She has to find a way out, where to go, get through a kind of co-dependency because she may not have any skills. All answers she must find on her own.

        The abuse, itself, is a conflictual element. Her father, the antagonist. She MUST escape.

        Escape.

        Perhaps you have a dark ending where her dreams are shattered when that escape takes the form of, lets say, shooting her father.

        The freedom comes in the form of his death but she has incarceration now to deal with.

        There's a million ways to play it out and every one of them may be right.

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        • #5
          I am a little confused at this point about whether or not I have a valid external goal for my protagonist. She wants to escape the clutches of her step-father's controlling nature - is this to be considered more of an external or internal goal?
          The way you describe it it's external. Anything that the audience can see is a problem for the character is external anything that requires the audience to read in between the lines is internal.

          In order for her to do it - she needs to be able to raise the money in order to buy a ticket out of town... Should this be her external goal instead or are they both valid?
          It's plainly obvious that the character wants to leave her father and buying a bus out of hells vill is the only way to do it. You are describing an external desire.

          When the desires of the protagonist is in some way influenced by and external force then what every action that protagonist makes will be external.

          Consequently, when the desires of the protagonist is in some way influenced by the protagonist himself then it is internal. Internal meaning that the main motivation comes form the protagonist an no one else.

          Do you get what I mean?

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          • #6
            Escape is an external goal only if she is PHYSICALLY being prevented from escaping.

            In your scenario, buying the ticket is the external goal (or raising the money to buy the ticket) and that seems a bit dull for a movie. How do you make those things exciting? And where's the conflict in the external goal?

            My standard advice: make a list of recent films you've seen in the cinema with stories like yours, see how they did it.

            - Bill

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            • #7
              I think two very different things are getting confused here.

              First, there are personal goals (or objectives) and story goals (or objectives). It is not necessary to have both, but many movies do. Example: The protag may want to escape her father but first must save her grandmother's house from the wrecking ball. The "escape" goal may be enough to carry the movie if there is the right mixture of ... (which brings me to the second thing) ...

              Second, internal and external obstacles (or opposition). If the protag wants to escape her father and all she does is struggle with her internal fears and doubts then she is her own antagonist. (May make a good book, but not a very interesting movie.) Once the protag decides to actively do something about it, and every attempt is opposed by an antagonist, then her struggle becomes external.

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              • #8
                Re: you're not out of here, fella

                I agree with TwoBrad... There has to be momentum that keeps it all movin' along to keep it "visual".

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                • #9
                  Hmm...

                  Thank you all for the contributions... I really need to sit down and think - I was adamant for a long time that I had a valid external goal and finished the treatment and have almost finished my scene breakdown but it wasn't until I thought long and hard (not hard enough!) about this that I thought it apt to run it past you people...

                  The following is how things stand at the moment:
                  My hero has the goal of determining who left him on a path in a strange town and meets the love interest - who is in many ways, my protagonist - their meeting is the catalyst for her to commit to his need also - I guess I have answered my own question...

                  Thoughts?

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                  • #10
                    Love in a strange town...

                    Again, My standard advice: make a list of recent films you've seen in the cinema with stories like yours, see how they did it.

                    It seems like the story isn't the protagonist's story - they're just a hanger-oner. And "determining who left him on a path in a strange town" - Why does the character need to know this? What are the stakes? What happens if they fail? And what *physically* does this search entail? Do they knock on doors until they find the person? If they don't find the person, will they die? If not - why is finding this person the most important thing that will ever happen in the character's life - and the most amazing thing an audience will pay $10 experience in the cinema this year?

                    - Bill

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Ta.

                      Yes, you're right...
                      As much as I hate to admit it, there really isn't a protagonist there. I've sort of fused two stories and they're just really parallel plots which isn't a function of a screenplay, but a teleplay and therein lies the biggest problem. I need to think about this a lot more - and yes, I shall watch five films relating to this story, thanks.
                      Love the tips!

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