Loved this and agree for sure. For me, I also think one of the biggest antagonist's of the film is the idea that childhood doesn't last forever. Maybe that's more of the theme, but I feel like Jo just wants everything to stay the same and it's the passage of time/the fact that they can't remain children forever and live in that house is the biggest antagonist of all.
I clicked so fast!! I’ve been studying Gerwig’s Little Women to help me with a screenplay I’m writing, especially in regard to the themes, characters, and the fact that it has abstract antagonists rather than a “bad guy.” Thank you so much!!!!
hey Tyler I have written an 88 page screenplay and I was stuck a lot on a few pages but because of your lesson I finished it and the ending felt for my protagonist
Great way in explaining the central moral problem of the story and how each character is a variation of it. Your videos just get better and better. Keep up the good work.
This is a girl power movie. For a period of time, 2017-2021 lot of examples exist. This one was interesting in that it includes other points of views outside the echo chamber. Without acknowledging this, the title of this video is moot. Who are the bad actors - not a pun on the acting, but the "society" or men in the movie. Jo vs men: ex-boyfriend, newspaper boss, traditional man seeking a woman... Aunt March is classic post-girlpower advocate - no man, lots of money, post-clarity : marry a dude and don't be like me. As a writer, notice that this girl power movie includes all the waves of girl power : first, second and third wave Jo. Keep writing!
Thanks for the video, very useful advice as I'm writing a screenplay that also has no clear antagonist. I am curious though - how would you see films such as Science of Sleep, The Dreamers, Sideways, or even maybe Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind - in terms of antagonists? These films are all similar in structure to my screenplay, and I've been looking around for any more analysis/advice on how such stories can/are/should be structured/presented to make sure they work and resonate with viewers.
I feel like the antagonist in this film was actually Jo’s entire family because they all want different things for her and them bringing hardships to her life.
Man V. Society is one of the 6 universal types of conflict. The conflict can be pretty abstract which is why it needs to manifest itself in the mind of the protagonist and/or other people the protagonist encounters along their journey.
For me, if a story's main antagonist is really more a thematic idea than a traditional antagonist, then that thematic idea should at least be facilitated by some kind of force in some way. Like, in _Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban_ (my favorite _Harry Potter_ film), there's really no conventional antagonist. We're told Sirius Black is a dangerous escaped convict who betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort, so he was an antagonist from Harry's point of view. But then the truth is revealed that Sirius was innocent and Ron's rat turned out to be an Animangus (I think that's how it's spelt) and the true culprit behind the betrayal of Harry's parents, but only did so out of being a coward who cared more for himself. And because Remus Lupin is the newest Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher and a werewolf, we automatically think he's a bad guy (due to that teaching position's track record), but really, he's just a guy who has been burdened with this curse and has been shunned by society for it. So, thematically, the main antagonistic force of _Prisoner of Azkaban_ is fear itself. And the only beings who facilitate that fear are the Dementors, seeing as they make Harry relive his worst memories while feeding on his happiest ones. And even then, the Dementors are really more forces of nature rather than just an antagonist.
No offense intended - but I think you're completely wrong. HP series has a very traditional story structure, it very clearly pins good against evil. I'd have to rewatch/reread the book/movie to comment specifically on Sirius black, but first off - being a bad guy and being the antagonist are two very different things. And secondly - the opposing force (ie. the antagonist) turning out to be not who we thought they were, is simple story progression. Doesn't mean they weren't the antagonist - but could merely mean that the main char grew through the story to see a bigger truth (and he wouldn't grow to that point, if it wasn't for that very opposing force represented by the antagonist). Just my 2 cents.
@@heyarnold7256 idk where you’re getting that from. Most people really liked the movie. It’s highly rated on critic sites like Rotten tomatoes and Metacritic as well as on audience sites like IMDB and Letterboxd. I suggest you look at these kinds of things before making claims like that
@@heyarnold7256 A book/movie based on things that were literally the norm at the time, but sure, it's just "nonsense". There's many female authors of that era that all complained about the exact same thing.
Louisa May Alcott is the original author, Gerwig is the screenplay writer. She had fantastic source material. I’ll also add that it’s not simply Joe’s dilemma that matters here. A key part of the pleasure of Little Women is the up-and-down relationships between loving sisters and their mother. So, conflict centers around that dynamic more so than Joe’s individual conflict.
I think the TRUE Villain in the film or book is MARMEE. 1. Marmee wants Jo to easily forgive Amy for Burning her Books 😤😤😤 2. Jo sacrifice her Hair for her father, and moves to New York to support Beth and Amy 3. Aunt March first offer Jo to go with her in Europe but difficult deciding because of her family and then come amy accept offer right away and Marmee doesn't do anything 4. Marmee knows that Jo also love Teddy back but Shes just right there and AGAIN SHE don't do anything. Jo wants to be a writer but it doesn't mean she doesn't want someone. I YOU HATE MARMEE SO MUCH 😤😤😤
I don't thunk it works like this For example marmee wanting Jo to forgive amy is not something bad Yeah not easily but Jo would have eventually forgiven her And also many of the other points don't make her antagonist
I believe there's an abstract/conceptual conflict apart from the plot/concrete conflict. A movie can have one of them, or both. The concrete conflict is based on character objectives, and the abstract conflict is based on ideals/concepts that fight each other, and as it is abstract it's more dificult to identify it. Sometimes it is a group of abstract things that are related, more than just a specific word. That's why some films that only have conceptual conflict can seem boring and also empty, if you don't catch it (for example Alexander; Network; The Social Network). Concrete conflict entertains. Conceptual conflict gives the depth to the story and makes you have a reflection or a philosophical message. Sometimes both conflicts are kind of appart from each other. Sometimes they are directly connected. But of course i believe a film is much more powerful if it has both conflicts.
The heroine asks: who am I? Is it okay to be me? Where is my place among my people? The hero asks: what am I made of? Is that enough? If not, can I change?
![[TH] FS vs BME - VCT Ascension Pacific - Lower Bracket Final](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wnygqsR2Fig/mqdefault.jpg)
Get Practical Tools to Write Your Great Screenplay: www.practicalscreenwriting.com
Loved this and agree for sure. For me, I also think one of the biggest antagonist's of the film is the idea that childhood doesn't last forever. Maybe that's more of the theme, but I feel like Jo just wants everything to stay the same and it's the passage of time/the fact that they can't remain children forever and live in that house is the biggest antagonist of all.
I clicked so fast!! I’ve been studying Gerwig’s Little Women to help me with a screenplay I’m writing, especially in regard to the themes, characters, and the fact that it has abstract antagonists rather than a “bad guy.” Thank you so much!!!!
So refreshing to see a domestic drama analyzed here! I'd love to hear your thoughts on The Hours, American Beauty, Ordinary People, etc.
hey Tyler I have written an 88 page screenplay and I was stuck a lot on a few pages but because of your lesson I finished it and the ending felt for my protagonist
That's awesome! I'm glad to hear it!
Good analysis. I love it, but Meg is the oldest.
Great way in explaining the central moral problem of the story and how each character is a variation of it. Your videos just get better and better. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much for this video! I posted a comment about this exact thing in your last video!
This is a girl power movie. For a period of time, 2017-2021 lot of examples exist. This one was interesting in that it includes other points of views outside the echo chamber. Without acknowledging this, the title of this video is moot.
Who are the bad actors - not a pun on the acting, but the "society" or men in the movie. Jo vs men: ex-boyfriend, newspaper boss, traditional man seeking a woman...
Aunt March is classic post-girlpower advocate - no man, lots of money, post-clarity : marry a dude and don't be like me.
As a writer, notice that this girl power movie includes all the waves of girl power : first, second and third wave Jo.
Keep writing!
Meg is Jo’s older sister. ;)
AMAZING video !!! You're Awesome !
Thanks for the video, very useful advice as I'm writing a screenplay that also has no clear antagonist.
I am curious though - how would you see films such as Science of Sleep, The Dreamers, Sideways, or even maybe Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind - in terms of antagonists?
These films are all similar in structure to my screenplay, and I've been looking around for any more analysis/advice on how such stories can/are/should be structured/presented to make sure they work and resonate with viewers.
What happend to reading scripts live
The antagonist of Little Women = the patriarchy.
No it’s
@@mjolninja9358 IT'S WHAT?!
Bro i from indian....so please add full substitle on your video
Ok
I feel like the antagonist in this film was actually Jo’s entire family because they all want different things for her and them bringing hardships to her life.
Man V. Society is one of the 6 universal types of conflict.
The conflict can be pretty abstract which is why it needs to manifest itself in the mind of the protagonist and/or other people the protagonist encounters along their journey.
actually my favourite film of 2019. the more i watch it the better it gets. parasite is obviously even better, but little women is very special to me
For me, if a story's main antagonist is really more a thematic idea than a traditional antagonist, then that thematic idea should at least be facilitated by some kind of force in some way.
Like, in _Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban_ (my favorite _Harry Potter_ film), there's really no conventional antagonist. We're told Sirius Black is a dangerous escaped convict who betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort, so he was an antagonist from Harry's point of view. But then the truth is revealed that Sirius was innocent and Ron's rat turned out to be an Animangus (I think that's how it's spelt) and the true culprit behind the betrayal of Harry's parents, but only did so out of being a coward who cared more for himself. And because Remus Lupin is the newest Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher and a werewolf, we automatically think he's a bad guy (due to that teaching position's track record), but really, he's just a guy who has been burdened with this curse and has been shunned by society for it.
So, thematically, the main antagonistic force of _Prisoner of Azkaban_ is fear itself. And the only beings who facilitate that fear are the Dementors, seeing as they make Harry relive his worst memories while feeding on his happiest ones. And even then, the Dementors are really more forces of nature rather than just an antagonist.
No offense intended - but I think you're completely wrong. HP series has a very traditional story structure, it very clearly pins good against evil.
I'd have to rewatch/reread the book/movie to comment specifically on Sirius black, but first off - being a bad guy and being the antagonist are two very different things. And secondly - the opposing force (ie. the antagonist) turning out to be not who we thought they were, is simple story progression. Doesn't mean they weren't the antagonist - but could merely mean that the main char grew through the story to see a bigger truth (and he wouldn't grow to that point, if it wasn't for that very opposing force represented by the antagonist).
Just my 2 cents.
Hey Tyler,
Can you do a video on how to Subvert Expectations in Film or Tv.
The Channel "The Closer Look" has a very good Video on that. It's called "How to do a Plot twist". It uses Knives Out and Game Of Thrones
I think the antagonist is the patriarchy, simplified at best by amy's speech in Paris(In the movie version, not the novel)
that is the society that I'm about.
Ah. No wonder nobody liked this movie. It's just more of that "men are evil patriarchy bad" nonsense. lol.
@@heyarnold7256 idk where you’re getting that from. Most people really liked the movie. It’s highly rated on critic sites like Rotten tomatoes and Metacritic as well as on audience sites like IMDB and Letterboxd. I suggest you look at these kinds of things before making claims like that
Hey Arnold probably hasn’t seen the film
@@heyarnold7256 A book/movie based on things that were literally the norm at the time, but sure, it's just "nonsense". There's many female authors of that era that all complained about the exact same thing.
I'll do you one better. Why is the antagonist in Little Women?
Joe lives in a society
@@donovanwiebe2495 *Sets location in Society
Louisa May Alcott is the original author, Gerwig is the screenplay writer. She had fantastic source material. I’ll also add that it’s not simply Joe’s dilemma that matters here. A key part of the pleasure of Little Women is the up-and-down relationships between loving sisters and their mother. So, conflict centers around that dynamic more so than Joe’s individual conflict.
I think the TRUE Villain in the film or book is MARMEE.
1. Marmee wants Jo to easily forgive Amy for Burning her Books 😤😤😤
2. Jo sacrifice her Hair for her father, and moves to New York to support Beth and Amy
3. Aunt March first offer Jo to go with her in Europe but difficult deciding because of her family and then come amy accept offer right away and Marmee doesn't do anything
4. Marmee knows that Jo also love Teddy back but Shes just right there and AGAIN SHE don't do anything.
Jo wants to be a writer but it doesn't mean she doesn't want someone.
I YOU HATE MARMEE SO MUCH 😤😤😤
I don't thunk it works like this
For example marmee wanting Jo to forgive amy is not something bad
Yeah not easily but Jo would have eventually forgiven her
And also many of the other points don't make her antagonist
Given that there is no 'society acting as an antagonist' in Good Will Hunting, does that mean Will is the antagonist of the story?
Could you make that argument that Stellan Skarsgaards character and the life path he represents for Will is the antagonist of that story?
Society? Isn’t that the point?
great stuff Tyler as always! Much love
I think you need to go in skill share while i still have it, 😀😀😀
Saoirse Ronan’s character is the antagonist
Society
I believe there's an abstract/conceptual conflict apart from the plot/concrete conflict. A movie can have one of them, or both. The concrete conflict is based on character objectives, and the abstract conflict is based on ideals/concepts that fight each other, and as it is abstract it's more dificult to identify it. Sometimes it is a group of abstract things that are related, more than just a specific word. That's why some films that only have conceptual conflict can seem boring and also empty, if you don't catch it (for example Alexander; Network; The Social Network). Concrete conflict entertains. Conceptual conflict gives the depth to the story and makes you have a reflection or a philosophical message. Sometimes both conflicts are kind of appart from each other. Sometimes they are directly connected. But of course i believe a film is much more powerful if it has both conflicts.
I think the difficulty in writing such stories is because heroine stories are fundamentally different from the hero cycle.
The heroine asks: who am I? Is it okay to be me? Where is my place among my people?
The hero asks: what am I made of? Is that enough? If not, can I change?
Worst movie ever!
Sure. Even calling it a Movie while also calling the cinematic masterpiece Birdemic a Movie is the biggest insult the latter can receive
@@malfoyuh grande latte tell me you're a woman without telling me you're a woman.
Your opinion.
@@TomEyeTheSFMguy It's factual.
@@udinelumbu2351 nope. No matter what you say, art is subjective. And it always will be.