Characters research

 Character development is the process of creating a character for a work of fiction such as a feature film, television show, or novel. As mentioned, it’s often broken down to two kinds of characters: Static character development and dynamic character development. 

Protagonist Explanation

The concept of a protagonist comes from Ancient Greek drama, where the term originally meant, “the player of the first part or the chief actor.” In film today, the protagonist is the character who drives the plot, pursues the main goal of the story, and usually changes or grows over the course of the film. A protagonist enters the film with a goal and by the end of the film, they either achieved that goal or did not. The protagonist’s character arch is defined by the pursuit of that goal. For example, Luke Skywalker from Star Wars.

                                                        

There are three types of protagonists: heroes, anti-heroes, and villain protagonists. A hero is someone we can all relate to, and his downfall will fill us with pity and fear. The hero is the “good guy”—the type of virtuous protagonist the audience roots for and wants to succeed. An anti-hero is an unlikely protagonist who does not necessarily have virtuous or villainous qualities but who is able to behave heroically if the opportunity arises. The villain protagonist is the villain, an undeniable “bad guy,” is also driving the plot as the central character.

The main character is a central character who acts as the audience surrogate—we experience the story through their eyes. The main character is involved in the story, interacts with the secondary characters, and is personally impacted by the plot’s main conflict. The main character and the protagonist are often, but not always the same character.