What is a Foil Character - How to Make Your Protagonist Shine

What is a Foil Character - breaking down character foils and how they work, including the various types and how they enhance your protagonist and your storytelling.
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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to Foil Characters
00:45 - Foil Characters Defined
01:56 - Chapter 1: Types of Foil Characters
09:00 - Chapter 2: How To Write Foil Characters
10:07 - Foil Study: Toy Story
10:55 - Foil Study: The Great Gatsby
13:05 - Foil Study: Finding Nemo
14:49 - Takeaways
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CHARACTER FOILS EXPLAINED
If you’ve ever noticed that some pairs of characters complement each other perfectly, you might actually be dealing “foil characters.” But what is a foil character? In this video, we’re going to break down how character foils are used in storytelling. We’ll also look at some examples of foil characters in popular movies like Star Wars, Inside Out, and The Great Gatsby.
WHAT IS A FOIL CHARACTER
A foil is anything in a story that reflects or brings out another aspect of the story. This could be a setting or subplot but more often than not it refers to a character. A foil character exhibits traits that illuminate or reinforce contrasting aspects of another character, usually the protagonist. For example, Dr. Watson is a foil character for Sherlock Holmes - Watson’s penchant for following the rules contrasts with Holmes’ more rebellious approach.
TYPES AND EXAMPLES OF FOIL CHARACTERS IN MOVIES
There are countless examples of foil characters in movies and they can be broken down into some general subtypes. First is the mentor foil, like Mr. Miyagi for Daniel, who exhibits certain attributes that the apprentice aspires to emulate. Then there are ethical foils, like Black Panther and Killmonger, who have contrasting views of right and wrong. Emotional foils, like Sadness and Joy in Inside Out, who possess emotional depth or aspects the protagonist is missing. There are even class foils, like Bob Cratchit and Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, where social classes become integral for the character development and/or theme of the story.
When you sit down to write a foil character, think about opposites and how they help define and enhance your characters and their character arcs. Or use your foil characters to speak to the larger ideas at the core of the story. Whatever the purpose, good writers know that the main objective of foil characters is to help give their protagonists more depth and complexity.
#FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking
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♬ SONGS USED:
“Beetlejuice (Main Theme)” - Danny Elfman
“Meet the Bodhisattva” - Mark Isham
“Humiliation” - Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken
“Break on Through” - The Doors
“Uncut Gems” - Daniel Lopatin
“Bow Whisk Orchestra” - Don Davis
“The Wampas Lair” - John Williams
“A Suite (The Karate Kid)” - Bill Conti
“Breaking Bad Main Theme” - Dave Porter
“Royal Talon Fighter” - Ludwig Göransson
“The Oprah Shot” - Michael Abels
“Oh Yeah” - Yellow
“Bundle of Joy” - Michael Giacchino
“Arabian Nights” - Alan Menkin
“He’s A Pirate” - Hans Zimmer
“Small Disruption” - Junkie XL
“Staff Meeting” - Randy Newman
“Andy’s Birthday” - Randy Newman
“Buchanan Mansion And Daisy Suite” - Craig Armstrong
“Hotel Sayre” - Craig Armstrong
“You Kept My Letters” - Craig Armstrong
“Cello Theme” - Craig Armstrong
“Wow” - Thomas Newman
“Jellyfish” - Thomas Newman
“Men In Black” - Will Smith
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[@Z-Strike026]

I like how this channel treats you as a filmmaker, not a film student.

[@태이씨]

Exactly!

[@Firegen1]

The software is even better

[@CarletonTorpin]

That could be their new company tagline.

[@ODwyreArtWorld]

You've described why its the best film-maker's guide on youtube.

[@idanlewenhoff2295]

Very true Its motivates and teaches you

[@Warrior1Spartan]

I just realized something about "Finding Nemo": Marlin was cautious because he was always thinking about the past and what happened then (his wife's death), but Dory was more open to taking risks because she couldn't remember the past at all.

[@laranich]

Appreciate the history lesson on the etymology of ‘foil.’ Never would have made the connection between gems and film (writing). 💎🎞️

[@idanlewenhoff2295]

The explanation makes it more clear in the head for me

[@abouthisbiz4330]

You made me think about something very interesting. The TIME movie with Justin Timberlake, even though they established he was entering another town by taking the long limo ride along the tollway, a town that one can't even visit unless you have lots of time. But the waitress gave the reflection. Made him take a look at his own behavior, regardless to the nice suit and glowing arm. Her line is as old as cinema, seen in westerns as the stranger arrives to the saloon, silhouette spurs clanking on hollow wood. Thank you again, you opened up another path.

[@szabolcsjobbagy30]

I never knew why my favourite movies was so good :), but now I know one of the reasons: the good chemistry and interactions between the protagonist and their Foil character, and of course a memorable, competent antagonist is necessary, who causes tension and worry throughout the movie, and whose fall in the end leads to a catartic moment.

[@valiantines3390]

i love you studiobinder thank you for keeping my love for filmmaking alive 🙂

[@josephsun7711]

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[@josephsun7711]

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[@josephsun7711]

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[@kal-elmusic]

If this isn't the best film-education channel on youtube, i don't know what is!

[@nadiasemprini8459]

Book writers don't often talk about foil characters, they explain only the "Influence Protagonist" (he doesn't change in his character arc, but he influences the ones around). It's always interesting to find the ability of Studio Binder authors to mix and extend the knowledge, they are so great, I watched most of the videos, the quality is top and I always come here to have a fresh overview on topics (not copy and paste). Being Italian and having no subtitles available, I missed some words this time, but it's ok, the new voice is very good and appropriate, the speaker is in many aspects better than the previous, the problem is only mine, I must improve (a British accent may sound pretentious and out of place, but it's much easier to understand for the international viewers).

[@androssteague]

Influence protagonists are sometimes called flat arc protagonists in film.

[@liimlsan3]

​@@androssteague I called them Mary Poppins Characters before I knew there was a term. Stargirl, Wall.e, Forrest...

[@matthiasweidmann8135]

The britisch narrator is a must....please!! The foil character is essential- thanks for this one! But why no captions??

[@grantmccoy6739]

Some characters like Ferris Buehler and Andy Dufresne represent fantasy, whereas their foils represent reality. Cameron skips school because he wants to sleep in, Red is in prison because he's a criminal. But honestly, many different characters are "foils" for different reasons. In Ferris Buehlers day off, his sister is a foil in the sense that she gets treated way differently, while Ferris gets away with everything. Rooney is also uptight and overzealous over petty truancy, while Ferris is very carefree and casual about it. Similarly, the warden in Shawshank is corrupt and powerful, while Andy is innocent and powerless. The "get busy living or get busy dying" line contrasts the difference between Red and Andy.

[@dirtybird311]

Studio Binder videos are my favorite way to start a week!!

[@syriagrapher]

StudioBinder is the greatest ❤

[@chinchy5545]

Finally, someone explains the origin of the term. I always forget what "foil character" refers to, because I thought it meant "foil" as in "undermine". Now that I know where the term came from, it's gonna be a LOT easier for me to remember.

[@therealseanw.stewart2071]

Wow, I've seen all of these movies. The foil character will always be one of my favorite storytelling tools. This trope will be a staple in my future writing endeavors. Excellent video.

[@glennac]

I always assumed the term Foil was derived from the sport of fencing. 🤔 Thanks❣️

[@rayancedrichaddad1197]

I never knew what is a Foil Character. Now I understand. Thanks StudioBinder for this Inspiring video.

[@BobLobster-fo9zw]

Aluminium Man is the ultimate foil. Iron Man might stop the bad guys, but Aluminium Man foils their plans.

[@EthanBurgers]

But didn't Tungsten Man take out Aluminum Man in the Battle of the Mans?

[@sergeiegorkin7873]

Great vid, StudioBinder. New narrator, well done, brother. Keep it up

[@StoryTeller796]

Sometimes a foil can be more diamond than the character they're foiling. This is kind of the crux of my character's everyday usage. To foil every other character/person both in fiction and in reality in the Animated projects involving him.

[@adarkerstormishere]

That opening was amazing. I like your channel, SB.

[@user-bu2et9ie3l]

Congragts! This channel is very good and complete, and ,as I love cinema in general, I like to learn about all its areas. Also the subtitles in the videos are very usefull, because I am not a native english speaker and the subititles help a lot to understend the content. I just want that the are more videos talking about classic movies directors and styles like Fellini, Truffat, Godard, Chaplin, etc. And also good Latin America, Japonese, European movies. But in general, this is the best movie chanel I know in KZbin, I hope you continue like that!

[@SomewhatAbnormal]

Yahoo! It’s always a great day when I wake up to a new StudioBinder video!

[@jessebbedwell]

I think one of the single most detrimental things a writer can do is to set up their story like a chess board. Human beings are one day the villain, and the next day a hero. They are both cowardly and brave, and work to a great degree as their own antagonist. The world may be a stage, but within the story of our lives, we have multiple roles to play, and the meaning of it all will only ever be found in the reflection of that life lived.

[@idanlewenhoff2295]

That is so wise and true The generalization of people hurts the story a lot and the complexity of humans

[@pranavagarwal2927]

Beautifully expressed. :)

[@scrabdusanproductions2104]

I understand what you're getting at, but some writers are gardeners and some are architects. Some writers like to let the story guide itself, and some like to plan out the arcs. Both ways are fine.

[@jessebbedwell]

@@scrabdusanproductions2104 I agree. It is absolutely imperative that there be a plethora of writers and writing styles.

[@abhishekkireels]

Once again, Studiobinder to the rescue!! 🦸‍♂️

[@ashleylodewyk7454]

Great video, as usual. Thanx.

[@RomaFlix]

well thank you for this valuable information Studiobinder

[@cyberbot2709]

I love studiobinder

[@derekchatman2595]

This is freaking awesome!

[@iainmc9859]

No, you've got it all wrong. The only foil character in the whole of the movies is the Tin Man in 'The Wizard of Oz' 😁

[@ViKash-ke7qj]

Awesome video about a very less spoken but vital topic. Kung fu panda is a movie/series that gives you several types of foils, shifu, tigress, the father, master oogway and more!

[@alice0269]

Congrats! It's always interesting 😁

[@AstroAkash]

Love this channel

[@HunterHogan]

On production: I like the new(?) inset transition titles. They reinforce the transition and the current subtopic.

[@ActorswithStrings]

this is why all my movies don't seem to work - I don't have a good foil - great eye opener of lesson - thanks

[@johandrytenias1725]

So weird the last example was Finding Nemo, because the whole time I was thinking about the movie that made me aware of this technique, and it was actually its sequel Finding Doris, where now it is her who gets her own foil character in the form of someone with PTSD, making an ironic contrast: she can't remember her past and he can't forget his

[@UddinBat]

love this channel 🔥

[@FloydTaylor]

bring back the old guy with the voice

[@idanlewenhoff2295]

First of all great video as usual Second, maybe my perspective is off, but at some point isn't it becoming a kind of a character trope? Like the character's purpose is to fuel others around him, and guide to the right direction? Also, it's interesting to me at least to see how you can distinguish between this kind of characters by seeing the antagonist usually react to them, and also the color and music difrences between them. I love movies that make you question if the foil character's intentions are for good or evil. It can lead to a very good plot twist.

[@idanlewenhoff2295]

Btw your website is great And I love your love for the animation side of film As it should be

[@chadjones1266]

Thanks again

[@ice2chillzz257]

Wow I’ve been this character for many in my life lol

[@SirButterlegs]

Another classic foil character combination is Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock. Kirk is charsimatic, bold, breaks the rules, and doesn't believe in a no win scenario. Spock is intelligent, logical, and calculated.

[@blshouse]

McCoy is emotion, Spock is logic, Kirk is rationality.

[@bollywoodfightactionreacti9189]

Superb 😃

[@gnlpupol]

Can we have the video on how the dialogue delivery affects the structure of of character? how the pauses make the dialogues more effective instead of one complete flow?

[@Danny_unknown]

The movies kgf : part 1 and 2 has the most exaggerated yet also the most immersive use of foil characters

[@akachan34]

Title content such as these should be heralded and narrated by recognizable and likeable voices. Bring him back for legacy and title content.

[@madhusudankhandare6302]

Great 👍

[@Dismythed]

If there is all this love, why not give this video a thumbs up?

[@LiamVisciglio]

0:00-2:06 and 10:07-13:05

[@DOSENTELADAN]

07:00 great

[@Rocketman1292]

Do next, what is a Dark Comedy? And what makes them different from regular comedies?

[@TayWoode]

I always thought it’s comedy about uncomfortable or taboo subjects we don’t normally laugh at, like death or murder, but it’d be good to see a video explaining it in more depth

[@shastacola3064]

Question maybe already answered but short attention span lol... when authors were writing classics like the Great Gatsby do you think it was a cognitive thought that they needed a foil or was is just something that happened naturally and we later labeled it? Also be kind my first introduction to story writing/film theory :)

[@doan.n]

Can you have topic as props in film such as orange? The meaning placing orange in movies

[@juliusgracious3182]

Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis. Got it.

[@UberBman]

Great informative video. This narrator sounds an awful lot like Jerry Rigs Everything. And yes, they’ve said repeatedly the other guy is still working with them on other videos.

[@jamesbevan9939]

Think you could take a look at magical realism and what differentiates it from standard fantasy?

[@valhatan3907]

I always called this "Watsonian character", because y'know, Sherlock og story was taken from Watson's pov although the true mc is Sherlock.

[@lexc1560]

I thought foil was a reference to fencing, like a character riposte.

[@truehexproof]

14:46 I thought Nemo just got fucking shot

[@saedkhazae]

Where is the English subtitle? Please also upload English subtitles. Thankful

[@asphiego23ani]

Master Shifu from Kung Fu Panda It's a wise foil too.

[@osere6432]

Great video, however there's only one correct version of Christmas Carol, the Muppets one

[@chelseawhite7117]

I appreciate all the Disney references in this one

[@Kutsushita_yukino]

bleach from bleach named yachiru kusajishi. That battle junk guy who doesn’t even know his swords name in contrast to the ichigo who got to know more of zangetsu through the whole fight scene. Great foil character.

[@SwelihleMvelase-ct8qq]

Yachiru was actually part of kenpachi's zanpakto spirit...but yeah

[@Macrography_347]

dear StudioBinder, where is the subtitles

[@mikequintero4748]

Pretty funny the first person I thought of was Shooter then a happy Gilmore clip popped up

[@OmegaRejectz]

Does this channel still have the narrator Paul Gregory?

[@madhusudankhandare6302]

Plz uploaded stream of consciousness writing..topics videos

[@hermask815]

So if the foil is a living being it’s the Oscar category: an actor/actress in a supporting role? Right? I came here because of Foil, Arms and Hog. 😊

[@NucleusMediaMalayalam]

Sir please add subtitle👏🏻

[@SirGrit]

have you guys talked about the Sicilian scene in True Romace 1993? should be in how to write a great scene, or anatomy of a scene. things i remember that are minute. is the music only starts to play as Clifford comes to the realization the he will not speak... of course not speak of his sons whereabouts. but speaks about different "things" the conflict of interest and dynamic between Walken and Hopper is nuts and deserves a breakdown, preferably with the british narrator

[@pirbhusdots1247]

Please add the subtitles

[@fahmyfadhilah624]

why is the syd field explanation deleted???

[@dingus6276]

Intro Music?

[@abhishekab8554]

Directing style of Satoshi Kon

[@Firegen1]

Seconded

[@Firegen1]

Seconded

[@Kangazooka]

I miss the "this is - what is - yadda yadda". It's dumb but that second pause was great and rhythmic and now I feel a little deflation every time it's not there.

[@mr.apartment]

british narrator is 1/2 the reason i watch these

[@va_team]

why dont have a subtitle ????

[@c4arts]

👍

[@michaelthomas1614]

Can you PLEASE make a playlist for all your videos on lighting??

[@byadrianzaions]

Ponganle subtitulos en español, please.

[@Mbsviews]

Studio Binder is a film school.

[@jjbenavidez6]

That Forget Me Nots instrumental at the end I see you StudioBinder 😎🎶

[@blaiseandthebambina]

Can I say that I LOVE your content. But I have a challenge for you. For the next 10 videos, you have to use movies that you haven't used before. I've binged for 48hrs now on your page and you use the same movies over and over. Give us something fresh and new please?!?

[@ventanaestudiocreativo4694]

Activate the English subtitles please

[@sreeramsri4286]

What is russian expressionism and how it's been used in films. Can u explain?❤

[@chadjones1266]

Colossus is literal foil.

[@CarletonTorpin]

This narrator is great, but I have to commend Will Smith for summarizing the entire video in two sentences. 15:18 (Also, the editor of these videos is a subtle genius; watch how Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones faces seem to "react" to the click sound)

[@jodimaclean6530]

Best foil character ever: Barney Stinson. Go to any episode of How I Met Your Mother. Barney will go do the opposite of whatever Ted Mosby is doing. Barney is Ted's unlived life.

[@lilbuggers3]

The naked guy in A Knights Tale.

[@smarth1997]

ohhhh like krishna and arjuna's relation in bhagwatgita

[@Alexe_arte]

In Lord of the Rings, How could Sam be a foil character for Frodo?

[@MrMaa2007]

What is the name of this movie? 8:01

[@glennac]

You can see the title in the lower left corner. Elysium (2013).

[@Krish-10]

#2 is a foil character to #1 and opposites attract

[@chapablo]

I was hoping to see the best foil, Toph Beifong, make an appearance. Alas…

[@cary_domiii]

not to discredit the narrator here, but I do miss the British one in previous videoss~

[@semma88]

Im crying laughing here; in the thumbnail Morpheus his eyes look like googly eyes because of the reflection 😂

[@dougsinthailand7176]

What iz SUBTITLES?

[@sanojderu4711]

No voice

[@parthualex3746]

Captions

[@poncoyogapurnomo3517]

Subtitle please