YOUR PROTAGONIST DOES NOT HAVE TO WIN

A lesson on externalizing internal goals in your screenplay. Case Study: CREED #SpoilerAlert

Adonis Creed has an already existing need - acceptance. He needs to be accepted by the public as a Creed, but further, he needs to accept his own name. 

Because he was abandoned as a child and never knew his father, he prides himself in making his own way in boxing. But when he's outed, he has to choose to take on the name in order to fight. He reluctantly does so with a goal to win the championship belt. 

Adonis gives everything he has in the ring, but he doesn't win. In story terms, he does not achieve his goal. But the audience is not disappointed. Why?

Because the goal of winning = the journey of fighting, which is an externalization of proving and accepting himself. He does not take the belt, but his opponent acknowledges him, and the crowd cheers for him.

Further, and of much more significance, when asked about his father, he expresses his love for the man he never knew and takes pride in wearing (honoring) his name.

Lesson: Your protagonist does not have to win. They do, however, need to fulfill their inner needs. Simply put, they must grow. 

WATCH THE SCENE

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author

Shannan E. Johnson is a former creative executive at The Syfy Channel turned CEO + Head Consultant of The Professional Pen, a script consultancy that develops screenwriters from idea to pitch to become more confident storytellers ready for a professional screenwriting career, and consults with scripted development teams at entertainment companies to streamline their notes process to get to pre-production more efficiently.