Chapter_2_AbigailH

 In this chapter of the text, we start to discuss one of my favorite aspects of film, the story. As someone who wants to ultimately work in publishing, learning and understanding stories is my cup of tea. However, I think some of the talking points in this chapter point to a potential weakness of mine when creating the film projects for this class. Where, in a book, you can basically spell out a character's traits or intentions, in a movie, you have to show it. There is some overlap, but a scriptwriter for a film has to generally be a lot more intentional about not saying and instead showing. This chapter made me start to contemplate my own favorite characters and how the film was crafted for me to grow my attachment to them. One character comes to mind at first, Amy March, from Little Women. Amy March is never explicitly explained, but we are shown her character flaws, how she battles the feeling of inadequacy, not only because of the lack of women's recognition at the time but also because she is the youngest sister. Even when Amy March does something objectively bad, like burning Jo's writing when she is angry, you still can't help but feel affection for her because of how she is written. I feel like it takes an excellent story for the viewer to still be rooting for the character even when they do something objectively bad. They touch on that in the chapter, like in this line: "Another important thing to remember with protagonists is ensuring that the audience connects with them. This is especially true when creating a protagonist who does bad things."

The article I have linked below is a great exploration of how the main story might have painted Amy March as a bit overbearing at times, yet relatable to the audience and worthy of defending by a loyal fanbase:

Yes, I’m defending Little Women’s Amy March –and you should too