The #1 Secret to Writing Iconic Characters

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When you watch a film, you’ll notice that while there is usually a main protagonist and main antagonist, the conflict is more dense than this. Other characters are present in the story to challenge the protagonist in different ways.
Creating a simple Protagonist vs. Antagonist story is why many stories end up feeling formulaic. As if the story is painted by numbers. But there’s a better way to flesh out the conflict within your story: Four Corner Opposition.
Today I am going to show you how to implement Four Corner Opposition using a Film Example and a Television Example.

[@TylerMowery]

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[@miggseye]

What a fantastic demonstration of how to simplify yet deepen the thematic conflicts of one’s stories. I’d love to see a whole series of these 4 character analyses. Cheers.

[@TylerMowery]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@victorase]

My dream was always be a writer, unfortunately, in my country we don´t have a strong cinema industry, and only a few people (rich people) can actually have some success in this field. But, i still wanting to tell stories, and that's why i thank you for your videos, and specially for your bibliographie, it's been really useful for me. Greetings from Colombia!

[@alpha8here]

Keep at it, dude. It is people like you that have unique stories that people yearn for. Hold out, and go through it

[@maf7742]

Same here, but thanks to the internet, it's not impossible for us anymore, even if it's harder than average. You can do it!

[@antigrav6004]

Books exist and are easier than ever to publish yourself. Don't let yourself be limited by medium.

[@alpha8here]

@@antigrav6004 True words! There are different ways/mediums to tell stories.

[@gristlevonraben]

Do you have any samples of your writing online? I have poetry on a site called allpoetry. I would love to read some of your writings. I would like to do movies one day too.

[@sacha7958]

When you started talking about four corner opposition I thought the characters would have been: Protagonist, Externally and philosophically in conflict (Antagonist), Externally in conflict but philosophically in agreement, External ally but philosophically in conflict. Despite this not being what the video was about I do think it does still hold some merit as a useful way create or analyze characters.

[@TylerMowery]

You are essentially saying the same thing. And it can definitely work that way. - Whiplash works exactly how you have laid out

[@paulkanja]

then you have arcane and its lack of a clear protagonist (still follows a version of tho with "eight" corners instead)

[@ASmartNameForMe]

@@paulkanja Arcanes protagonist is pretty clearly Vi. Yes were not seeing her pov 100% of the time but it starts and ends with her and almost all of the conflict one way or another started with her and Silco, the antagonist. The philosophical views are 2 opposing beliefs here: Silco believing in a lack of trust and running away from pain vs Vi who defiantly faces that pain and uses it to make reality better. All of the characters even not connected share some take on this view. Jayce tries to face the disaster that Zaun is in and make things right whereas Heimerdinger is too afriad of the past to try and make anything better. Jinx is the only one who really goes back and forth.

[@paulkanja]

@@ASmartNameForMe It's actually doesn't have a protagonist per se,, or rather, the role of protagonist is filled by different characters at different times. Vi, Jinx, Pretty Boy, and Silco pop up most of the time, but some other characters like Victor, Ekko, Mel, and Caitlyn do get their moments The conflicts we experience in the story are varied,, from Jinx's internal breakdown, to Mel's division on her stance on warfare: the entire plot is sitting on the Zaun-Piltover conflict All these characters grow as well (yeah except Jinx, but that's kinda the point seeing as how she's still mentally a child) Professor Snuffles sees there can be beauty in the present, Jayce understands that science can also harm, Vi learns to deal with her loss, Mel gets to resolve her family trauma, Catelyn learns to put aside wealth and look past the cover, Sevika grows into her character and shows this in her sadly misplaced loyalty, even Silco's understanding of family deepens (also Ekko doesn't grow, but again kinda the point since we meet him after he is already grown) {I'd say that Vi and Jinx are definitely the protagonists for the first series, though other series may have something different to say :)}

[@ComplexAce]

@@paulkanja any info about that 8 corners version and the formula of Arcane? I'm more interested in that dynamic than the clear protagonist antagonist plot

[@fatgonzo]

Not many shows have nailed their finales but Last Kingdom didn't disappoint, hard not to get emotional when the rain starts (that shouldn't really spoil anything)..all the more potent if you have been following Uthred's journey, great character.

[@MuhammadAli-qh8tg]

He is written incredibly well. Amazing arc

[@azrulashraf00]

I only watch 2 season and I don't like it

[@sunriseparrabellum5505]

@@azrulashraf00 damn that’s crazy, who asked?

[@handle3210]

So true. I highly recommend the books.

[@jonherron7418]

Cant wait for the movie to close it out

[@rasko125]

I honestly think Brida should be there instead of Ragnar. She is the negative view of that world. Ragnar has been far more tolerant than her.

[@yemiisthebest1]

I would agree if he didn't specify season 3 because Ragnar was the head of the army who would be fighting the Saxons, so when Uhtred left, it felt like he was mostly betraying Ragnar especially after he proclaimed him as the head of the army that would be directly opposing Alfred and the Saxons

[@micotellsart]

I think this video has literally saved the story I'm going to write for the NaNoWriMo Challenge hehe. I had a protagonist with viewpoint A (Control and Security) Positive, the antagonist (who is also his partner) with viewpoint A Negative, and another antagonist with viewpoint B (Liberty even with risks) Negative, and I also had a lot of characters that only reiterated in a more extreme way those 3 viewpoints and KINDA make the protagonist view that neither of those viewpoints was correct, but I didn't have a character that actually showed the protagonist what the positive side of viewpoint B (Liberty even with risks) could be, but after seeing this video, I could make a strong 4th main character and eliminate some characters that didn't add up to much to the 4 viewpoints. Thank you so much!

[@TylerMowery]

Great to hear!

[@XX-sp3tt]

While this makes for epic story telling. Not every conflict NEEDS to be this. You can tell a great story with a duet as much as a quartet.

[@badconnection4383]

The most important thing is to have good contrasts not just to morals and philosophy but personality as well. This is why buddy-cop duos always consist of a loudmouth jokester and a stoic professional. The two ideas bounce off each other, and this leads to very interesting character interactions.

[@aarkmish8087]

Thank you for sharing this

[@sirukural4338]

Actually when the guy with popcorn hits Jim at his intro scene, Jim never says sorry. But we can see the normalcy of Jim as he didn’t react to it.

[@GomteshUpadhye]

Watch again. He does say Sorry.

[@yasutakeuchi]

seriously, this is one of the most helpful, inspiring videos I've yet seen pertaining to how to write a compelling story. Got my sub.

[@inaede]

This was incredible! Ideas that I’d had in bits and pieces for some time coalesced and flooded my mind as I watched the video

[@Ahill57]

Great video. Seeing a way to dive deeper into the pros/cons of a protagonists drive and how it affects the world around them makes for much deeper storytelling.

[@allanreele8352]

Thanks for this video, it really helped me start to get my acts together better! I've got a bunch more ideas to add to my characters now

[@johngammon963]

Proper respect to Tyler for creating such an epic channel.

[@PuppetSquid]

I'm sure this has been mentioned but Netflix's Daredevil has this (or something very similar) across almost every member of its core cast. There's probably even a seperate quad for DD and Murdock by the time you reach the final season (Fisk, Punisher, Elektra/Bullseye; Foggy, Karen, Misty) and I think that's a large part of why so many people love the show. Falcon and The Winter Soldier actually also had this, with basically every supersoldier Sam interacts with showing a different aspect of Cap's legacy. The show isn't handled as well, i'm sure, but it was something I very much appreciated and part of why I think it's either under-rated or just in need of a slight polish.

[@alexmaloney2144]

This is a great video, thank you for making it! I’m trying to implement this concept with a dnd party, and using this 4 corners concept to create interesting faction leaders they can choose to help or harm. I’m still grappling with which 2 opposing ideologies I want, but I’m very excited to keep thinking about it!

[@SheegogProductions]

Thank you so much for this! I've been enjoying your content for a few years, and I love the way you break down these concepts to make them so easy to digest. I have a question: Does this structure only work for if the protagonist's view will not change through the course of the story? Or can this work with an arc if he ends up siding with one of the other three corners?

[@BhaiyaGamingTX]

Love how your first shot in the video was dark knight. When I read your title/thumbnail my immediate thought was the 4 character structure of Batman begins. Great video. Best wishes to you ✌🏼❤️

[@caseycoker1051]

Just picked up anatomy of a story last week. This was a nice view into what I can expect out of it.

[@birdvatcher7424]

holy shit, what a fascinating video. will take some annotation and rewatches to work with. really great content. seen your vids before on other topics but this one really struck a chord with me. new sub. good shit

[@IkennaVisuals]

Damn, this was such a valuable video Tyler. I learned so much, thank you!

[@KutWrite]

Wow! This is a great help for my sci-fi novel. Thanks!

[@odotawaissaku3755]

Wow! This was a fantastic video and will probably be a massive help for my own stories

[@felicebritton8881]

This is brilliant!

[@esterahavristiuc7774]

Wow! Amazing! Keep going Tyler!

[@TylerMowery]

Thank you

[@yasutakeuchi]

Fantastic video. Thank you so much!

[@iNostraD]

The Last Kingdom thumbnail? Instant like & subscribe.

[@dnnkay855]

This was hugely helpful to be to grok what Truby was saying in his book. Thank you!!

[@Jack_OLanterns]

This reminds me of two other 4 corner story structures (for lack of a better term.) One being the value system proposed by Robert McKee. Which is almost verbatim this, I love how it works actually the same way as this video essay. The other one being Dramatica, a very in depth and supposedly complete desconstruction of story theory, that goes into a granularity that makes beach sand look like boulders.

[@carverkain5226]

I really like this. My only question is should a character stick to one corner? Like let’s say your character starts off as Normal- then becomes the embodiment of Success+ but bumps their head and experiences Success- and then back ultimately make it back to Success+ would that still be considered good writing if don’t correctly?

[@squali1930]

Bro plz write a book, going over all this in as much detail as you can. I will buy it.

[@BKPrice]

Very interesting. I have been writing a novel for a while now without knowledge of this technique. Almost immediately I was able to pair up opposites on both sides, although the pairing wasn't what I would have initially thought.

[@38kdoncorleone]

These video's are extremely underrated

[@AStarlessReader]

just found your channel, thanks for sharing your insights!

[@SilverDragonAcademy]

Finally! Someone is talking about my favorite show. Destiny is all!

[@macmcleod1188]

Jk. Simmons is just so damn good on actor. And he never looks it. The man just burns with talent and charisma for some reason. He can project confidence and then turn it off completely and be a nebish. He can be the most serious dramatic actor and then turn into a total goofball. That aside, this is a really well made, thoughtful, engaging video. I can see why you have 250k subscribers. I just wonder why you don't have a million yet. But you will.

[@Shka_maru]

Okay. Beautiful video. I had read Truby's book before and thought the method was interesting but would have liked more examples of its use. PLEASE do a follow up applying what you did here to a couple other films/series (maybe more widely viewed ones....Star Wars, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad..). I'd rather love to see it to help drive this method (tool) home.

[@mrgreenskypiano]

For Star Wars, the viewpoints seem to be around hope and believing in what you can't see, but Star Wars doesn't really do it that way. Luke would be on the positive "hope" side and Vader on the negative "no hope" side, but most, if not all, of the other characters also fall into one of those two, like Leia, Ben, and Han.

[@jjhh320]

What a cool concept. Great way to structure character and thematic conflicts already swimming in my head for my story. Love the Last Kingdom too!

[@thescreenchronicles]

Great video! Some if TLK names you got wrong, most notably confusing Aethelflaed and Aethelwold around 17:00 but great video highlighting TLK

[@ahmedtarekhassan6562]

Epic bro ❤❤

[@spiderman9]

Thank your for this very helpful video

[@TylerMowery]

You’re welcome!

[@HeroicPlights]

Love this concept! Although, I notice your examples here apply to characters whose viewpoints and beliefs stay pretty static throughout their respective stories (which is fine in itself; I've seen and enjoyed both!). I'm trying to apply this concept to characters in my story whose viewpoints and beliefs change over time, and so I'm finding the process of nailing down who goes where a bit difficult. I would love to see some examples explained by you using characters who really arc and change over the course of the story. Thanks!

[@deckerjake438]

Great video🎉🎉 thank you

[@krypto-s-olus]

I'm a simple man, I see Uhtred and I click! Great video!

[@emmanuelgonzalezcaseira9141]

I have to say, while with the first example I was a bit lost, the second clarified a TON of stuff. It was pretty clear the cause and effect between all characters and a true example of an inciting incident that kickstarts the story. It also helped understand a bit more the first example, but I have a question: While explaining the 4 corner opposition at first, you mention that your protagonist is in the PRO side of Viewpoint 1, and the antagonist is in the CON of Viewpoint 2, but with the first example both the Protagonist and the Antagonist are on the same Viewpoint 1, but on opposite sides. Does this mean that I don't need to give my main Antagonist the other Viewpoint of the story as long as it is on an opposite side to my Protagonist? if so, the first explanation is for the sake of simplicity? Know you have your stuff to do, so I'm grateful if you spare me a little time to answer this. Either way, this video has clarified me something that I was trying to grasp about stories that I quite didn't know how to put into words. Great video.

[@mrgreenskypiano]

The antagonist in Whiplash has the same viewpoint as the protagonist, so Tyler clearly sees this as an ok move (I think so as well) but make sure they're still different sides of that viewpoint so you get that juicy conflict! But yeah, if you want to have them have the same viewpoint go ahead -M

[@juju10683]

This is amazing

[@JacobPatrick1]

I've recently watched "Everwood," (Saw Whiplash years ago) They share a theme/conflict that's similar. What could've happened if Ephram got in to Juilliard and Amy went with him to New York...

[@nafi8567]

So my question is: in which corner I place the protagonist when his belive is wrong? Because in the beginning of the story my protagonist belives in the lie. Only at the end he learns the truth.

[@antigrav6004]

Sounds like you'd just be flipping their place to the negative of their perspective

[@JuanluMorales]

this is gold

[@MegaMistermo]

Hello thanks for this video. How would it work with more than four characters. Like you had a film like Magnolia? Would more than one character fit in each corner?

[@mintee8638]

One idea I would like to explore further is if you have 2 philosophical conflicts with this 4 corner method, are there configurations that would add to the overall quality.

[@xXESproductionsXx]

I'm loving this video. I'm studying it closely for a story I'm writing. One thing I don't get is, why is Ragnar a con of loyalty? It sounds similar to Alfred, just for the Danes instead of Saxons

[@RustBrand777]

It’s interesting to think about because technically speaking a antagonist can fall anywhere along the spectrum.

[@guesstime6445]

Great video

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

I don't know why, but I thought Fargo (1996) would be an example in this video.

[@hotsauce7124]

Very cool

[@TheRedBrain]

Very interesting! I'm not a writer or anything in that direction but you had my undivided attention! Also very glad that The Last Kingdom gets more recognition, as it truly deserves it Cheers!

[@tevaleetvtev7073]

thanks a lot!!!!1

[@ChumblesMumbles]

I guess viewing the protagonist in the last kingdom as a representation of a viewpoint makes sense - my biggest gripe with the show is that he wasn't behaving like a rational human being, but if he's not meant to be one, then that works.

[@adjutantreflex9406]

Having read Truby's 'Anatomy' more than once, I'm familiar with this technique. But I can't help but think it really backfired in the Hobbit movies. Building opposition in characters like Elrond, Thranduil, and Laketown (where the book did not have it) really just ended up bloating the movie and hindering our ability to connect with these side characters. And in ROP, it seems to have just made everyone an a-hole and utterly unlikable.

[@dileephr844]

@TylerMowery please suggest books ok writing

[@suryakanth8443]

I wonder why can't Tyler mowery writes Hollywood movie scripts he has great knowlege

[@AntoniyoGreenwood]

Im doing a manga but im only with the main bullet points, would I still be able to get help with its pacing and what not?

[@raminagrobis6112]

I don't need such videos. I am studying the scripts for "Rings of Power" as models of exquisite subtlety. Thanks anyway! 😁

[@LeviPhotenhauer]

Literally as you were describing 4 corner opposition I thought, Whiplash does that!

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

Better yet, write absolutely powerful, yet still mysteriously intriguing themes. Reflection is key. Humanity should dare to look deep within, but it should also understand that more than the mere physical aspect of such Reflection is required for true, celestial enlightenment. "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind's journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul's fate revealed. In Time, all points converge; hope's strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the Universe's endless refrain, we must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)

[@dangeradams58240]

damn good video, thanks

[@thewritingsoff.c.williams830]

I am working on a project and would love assistance, as I believe that the topic of this video would aid in makingmy idea soooo much better. I look forward to hearing back from you oat your earliest convenience

[@user-microburst]

Was that a fragment of my beloved District 9??

[@TylerMowery]

I have a whole video on District 9. Check my channel!

[@yourpalthepadawan3839]

At 17:14 mixed up aethelflaed and aethelwold a couple times (forgive misspelling)

[@DerrickVanderspoon]

My favorite part of this video about creating iconic characters is that I have not a clue who anyone in the thumbnail even is.

[@kayag8]

Well yeah. You arent gonna know about every succesfull thing

[@DerrickVanderspoon]

@@kayag8 but you know what I am going to know?

[@TylerMowery]

Then you have a fantastic show ahead of you!

[@DerrickVanderspoon]

@@TylerMowery perfect! Lemme just sit back in my reclining chair with a cup of tea and a pocket pvssy so I can shart into said pocket pvssy and use it’s rubbery structure as a slingshot in order fling the shart at the computer screen

[@woodsmokedrasher1577]

@@DerrickVanderspoon 💀💀💀

[@faaf4950]

Existing elswith in the show is great sometimes she frustrates me and sometimes she is right, she is a good example of pro and cons of a character, I like edward for the same reason sometimes he is good and sometimes very bad

[@pinakichakraborty8759]

❤

[@phxJohn2010]

Good analysis. My only critique is that at the 17 minute mark you keep saying "Ethylfled" when you mean "Aethelwold" Ethylfled is the Lady of Mercia.

[@dohlecarnett1866]

While I think that is a great video to a great method I think the 2nd example of The Last Kingdom is flawed. The whole problem of the series the writing. True, you can see the different viewpoints here. But the big difference to whiplash is that there is no real conflict within these characters that makes them develop their viewpoints. I haven't even watched season 3 yet (I'm at the beginning of season 2 and might leave it there) and this video here showed me that really nothing changed for anyone. Uthred is still the same as he was at the beginning of season 1. He doesn't get challenged. And all this is wrapped up in an inconsequential world with plot armor for most of the characters and especially Uthred. All the interesting viewpoints don't make for any quality if there is no progress, no character development and no consequences.

[@stephenlambros3286]

I have a question! What if my protagonist doesn’t take one of the four corners? What if other supporting characters take the four corners, and over the course of the story, the protagonist must choose which corner to fall into? Would this still be compelling?

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

It's my own personal belief that your protagonist HAS to be in one of the four corners, for the sake of starting simple. I believe these corners are for where the characters start off in the story, not how they end up.

[@robbieshand6139]

17:04 "Uhtred notices that Aethelflaed is with them." Me: wait, when did Aethelflaed join this scenario?? Oh right, you mean Aethelwold. I get it, Saxon names are easily mixed up, too many Aethels

[@jakariashafin8685]

Huh this kind of reminds me of fate stay night however the protagonist was on the conside of the view point and simultaneously on every other side of the argument I quess I mean it is a story involving alternate timelines.

[@timflatus]

I totally get the four cornered opposition idea. I shan't waste my time with your examples, thanks for watching them so I don't have to :D I can just imagine Ginger Baker putting up with any of that nonsense. Not.

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

Man, why are you here, then?

[@dileephr844]

You stopping marking videos is my biggest nightmare

[@tarvoc746]

You suddenly start refering to Aethelwold as Aethelflaed about half-way through your analysis of The Last Kingdom.

[@Dewydidit]

I noticed that as well but acknowledge I suffer from the same dyslexia with the anglo-saxon name/ surname structure. An understandable mistake, but one made and should have been avoided.

[@carnacthemagnificent2498]

Yes. Aethelflaed is a completely different character but she has her own complex relationship with Uhtred. For much of the story she is an unquestioned ally and friend but her overwhelming sense of duty forces her at times to turn her back on Uhtred when he needs her most, which emotionally crushes him. The original author got 13 or 14 books out of Uhtred because of how he wrote the guy winning all the time but never quite getting what he wanted out of the victory. Those books are really well done, and the show is very good.

[@tarvoc746]

@@Dewydidit It takes a while to get used to it.

[@coffeeabernethy2823]

Funny thing though... the Danes and the Saxons were two branches off of the same tree... culturally, linguistically.. they were as similar as, say... Texans and Oklahomans. The Last Kingdom made them so alien to each other, but in the historical context they were not. To further complicate things, Wessex was not uniformly Christian, and Denmark was not uniformly pagan. I realize the video is about writing compelling characters, not historical accuracy, but hey...if you're doing historical drama, please also keep in mind that some historians might actually watch or read it.

[@idiotengineer3925]

I miss king Alfred so much on the last kingdom

[@SSNewberry]

The first script has a deus ex machina car crash, an annulus of boar's heads!

[@Maitch3000]

Isn't The Dark Knight a 4 corner template: Batman, Gordon, Harvey and Joker. What about Rachel?

[@zethstar3475]

>realizing this applies to gurren lagann damn

[@ogodo]

So it is displaying villainy in the protagonist and empathy in the antagonist to a minimal extent...making the characters feel more realistic, more organic?

[@carlbernard7615]

why did you randomly start calling Aethelwold - Aethelflaed around 17:40, stating that Uhtred hated Aethelflaed. I can assure you, he definitely loved her lol

[@playronestudios7574]

“Traumatize and monetize” normalizing torment and abuse for “greatness”.

[@jadenthakur5440]

Cool concept, but when u said uthred hates aethelflead I broke my neck to see what u were talking about only to see aethelwold 😂

[@tjreed7797]

As someone who's trying to get into writing for tv/games, what kind of practices should I do?

[@AN-zl9rq]

But if the protagonist is on the PROS side of a Philosophical debate, how can we handle his WRONG BELIEF at the beginning of a story? Isn't that contradictory?

[@angelmurphy6832]

They’ll learn that they were wrong and they’ll change like Morgan Freeman’s character in Se7en.

[@AN-zl9rq]

@@angelmurphy6832 Thanks for the reply. But if they have to learn this, they're not on the Pros side at beginning.

[@angelmurphy6832]

@@AN-zl9rq read John Truby’s book. That should sort out your confusion.

[@maggyfrog]

george rr martin's style of conflict would probably look like a pretzel instead of a 4-corner diagram 😸

[@horrorfying2884]

what if i only have 2 characters

[@m0L3ify]

As someone who majored in music, and even stood up to a bully professor and started a department rebellion against him, it's super hard for me to sit through this plot line without laughing. I'm super grateful for the writing advice, but what a ridiculous plot. This isn't how being a musician works. At all. 😂 Gave him the wrong music at the performance? That's how he's going to sabotage him? Really? 😂

[@abigfavor]

Kingdom seems like a confusing show, I was lost after whiplash

[@TylerMowery]

It’s not! It’s very clean and clear. Give it a watch!

[@sanketvaria9734]

outside from story writing. It doesn't makes sense to why andrew left nicole. she wasn't forcing him to quit or something. Today's generation has a false notion that if they get into a relationship then the partner will ask to abandon their dreams and ambitions. lmao...

[@horacionivar2869]

yo is this The Masked Man? lol

[@TimMaxShift]

5:22 No, Nicole should be on the bottom right, too. She is pulling the main character into a normal life just the same, just clouding his mind with hormones. I mean, he just doesn't realize that she's his adversary. She does it in such a way that he doesn't notice it. What matters in this matter is not his feelings, but his original purpose and his beliefs.