Impossible-Mission. Festival / Screenplay 3: The Hero
I’m on a roll, this scenario is starting to flesh out my head. It’s horrible, I’ve got to get it out of there.
So the hero.
What hero to stand up to the monster I first imagined?
If I ask the question like that, I can’t find anyone.
Yes, a ready-made hero. A hero whose name I can’t even remember at the end of the story.
So -no.
The best characters are the ones who look like us – the ones we really met, not five minutes.
The ones we understand.
So would I be a good hero?
No, I wouldn’t.
I see the bad guy coming and I run away.
It’s a normal reaction. I hope.
What strange reasons would it take for me to decide not to run away?
If I’ve been hurt because of him.
If someone I love is hurt or in danger because of him.
It has to be someone I really like.
I could be a “professional hero”; it’s true. All the Impossible Missions are on there. But they’re too good, I can’t write better – so I have to go on another level.
If I get stuck.
If I can’t run away, obviously, I’m not running away.
That still doesn’t make me a hero.
On the other hand, I’m starting to get a little sympathetic. Everyone who looks at me says: oh poor thing!
That’s the basis of heroes like Ian Solo or the whole Die Hard series, where the hero is there when he shouldn’t be. There’s also the great Edge of Tomorrow, where the hero learns every day to be a hero, man, you erase the day and try again.
If I take the guy from Edge of Tomorrow, without the game of : are you dying ? never mind, let’s do it again (which is great when you’re on a video game theme), I’ve got a character I can work on.
A hero is nice (and that’s the goal) when he’s a bit bad – when he’s not as strong as the bad guy – when he’s wondering every 6 seconds what he’s doing in this mess – and when he’s surrounded by secondary characters who rely only on him to save them.
It’s harder to run away with a whole frightened crowd. You can try – but you’re sure to miss.
Now I go back to my frame.
Well, it’s the day of the Premiere of Altair’s Impossible Festival, I hear it’s going to be so great – and besides, I was able to get cheap tickets – I’m too resourceful a guy.
And the best part is that my girlfriend, you know the pro-gamer? – she’s gonna be on Altair Twin at the same time.
So, my character is stuck. He is in the walls. He is happy.
It takes a few qualities to be my hero, though.
He’s in my story – and it’s a story where there will be “impossible” artists: the best in every category.
So he’ll have to be pretty athletic my hero, because I’m not going to let him get depressed in his chair.
He’ll have to be not too stupid – because he’ll need his head to understand and above all to anticipate.
David wins against Goliath because he is smarter.
I’d be so sorry if my hero was less intelligent!
It’s not good yet. He’s not yet the way I want him.
I need Epic to hold my three festivals – And I love Epic.
Let me see :
- I’m taking him on the road like a normal person.
- I give him a “Yare Yare Daze” as a maxim: he is calm.
- He’s athletic – which goes very well with Epic.
- I give him a stupid secondary character – because it amuses me.
- I put a lover on his arm – he’s not quite free.
It doesn’t suit me. He still looks too much like the others.
I’ll get him when I get the “little thing” that makes him original.
I’ve got a lead with the secondary character I want to put in his feet.
For the moment they all are just big masses, but here they are, slowly they come to my mind, these characters.
But the opening scene, I got it.
I’m gonna spoiler it in a few hours. It’s okay, nothing’s there yet.
Once I write it, they’re gonna exist for me: the villain and the hero. And the theatre with my spectators unknowingly on board – and without me giving them the keys.
I hope, if you had the courage to read me, you’re not too disappointed.
In the beginning, a story is about badly formed intuitions and a strong desire for a scene.
Featured Image : Perseus and Medusa
ALTAIR - Concepts 