Characters and Story

Many films normally stick to having very generic characters as it gives you a sense of who is good and bad and this can be good in very particular positions, however, to create a truly in depth character is incredibly difficult and can require a lot of work and discussion. Sheets providing many questions into who the character is and what they do are given out and the team gets together to discuss these questions, starting out easily with questions like gender and name and slowly moving onto far more in depth questions like what is their cousins name or their long term aspirations. There are many sites offering insight into the process, here is one example: http://writeworld.tumblr.com/private/25825848476/tumblr_m65jd5nLbY1rnl2v3

The Seven Original Stories

Stories, despite how varied they can be, all rely on a base premise, these are the original seven stories that all plots are based upon:

Overcoming the Monster
This is the plot in which the protagonist sets out to defeat a specific villain or creature, a good example of this would be The Hobbit film in which the protagonists go out to slay a dragon which has now made his home in their city.

Rags to Riches
This is the process in which the protagonist starts out with everything they could have wished for before suddenly losing everything only to gain it back or gain something else in exchange for this, many Disney films go along this same plot.

The Quest
This is the story in which a group of characters set out to accomplish a certain task and they must deal with the many trials that this journey will present to them. A good example of this would be Lord of the Rings, in which the protagonists set out to destroy a ring and find themselves going through many trials and events in the process,

Voyage and Return
This is the story of a character heading off to distance lands or even universes and going through a life changing experience. A good example of this would be Jurassic Park, in which the protagonists head off to a small island and inhabited by dinosaurs.

Comedy
This can go along any sort of plot, however it provides comical situations or dialogue to create humor. A good example of this would be the large collection of Romantic Comedies.

Tragedy
Tragedy is the story arc in which all of the characters either pass away or find themselves in a position where they cannot continue, a good example of this would be 47 Ronin, in which the protagonists find themselves partly absolved of their crimes but as payment for this, they must all commit seppuku.

Rebirth
This is the story in which characters find themselves changed men over a certain experience or event, this normally starts out with the protagonist as a grumpy and vile character but over the course of the plot, they become joyful and carefree. The best example of this would be Christmas Carol, in a cruel man who hates Christmas goes through the plot being shown his mistakes, this obviously changes the man and by the end, he is loving and kind.

Character Origins

Characters also span from seven original ideas much like the plot, these are the eight examples:

The Villain
This is a character who intends to stop the hero performing good or just accomplishing his goal.

The Hero
He is commonly the protagonist and is normally very caring and always goes out of his way to help others.

The False Hero
This character normally starts out as a hero but slowly transforms into the villain.

The Donor
This is the character who provides the protagonist with the tools and skills to accomplish his quest.

The Assistant
This character normally stands by the protagonist and provides help.

The Princess
This is normally the goal of the protagonist and is either is possession of the villain or is just an overall target.

The Dispatcher
This is normally the man who provides the protagonist with a quest.

The Anti-Hero
This can be a hero who accidentally causes evil or a villain who transforms into the hero.