“To catch a character in trouble and to tell about it is the basis for almost any story.”
Novelist and screenwriter Jesse Hill Ford
H/T Dan O’Bannon’s Guide to Screenplay Structure
P.S. Love the simplicity of “a character in trouble.” True of Juno, Hans Solo, Maximus, Karen Silkwood, Rocky, Indiana Jones, Tom Joad, Butch Cassidy (and the Sundance Kid), James Bond, John McClane, Clarice, Nemo, Norman Bates and Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant on the run in North by Northwest). Of course, trouble is just another word for conflict.
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Everything I Learned in Film School (Tip #1)
What’s at Stake (Tip #9)