What Screenwriters Get Wrong About Meaningful Conflict - Erik Bork

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In this Film Courage video interview, Author/Screenwriter Erik Bork on What Screenwriters Get Wrong About Meaningful Conflict.
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[@sohndustin]

He forgot to mention that external conflict has to be specifically designed to propel your character’s internal journey. If you just put your character through arbitrarily terrible events, they become a punching bag. Audiences don't connect as well to plot-driven characters as they do to character-driven plots.

[@anavonrebeur6121]

Brilliant

[@OlgaKuznetsova]

I think starting off as an actor really helps with this lesson. As an actor, you have to find your motivation in each scene, your goal, and there is always a conflict that stands in your way. You want x, your partner wants y. And the conflict doesn't have to be a huge fight. And all that conflict needs to be tied to the bigger picture. Finding how that ties together is so fun!!

[@RodMartinJr]

Excellent! *_Motivation_* is also the key to understanding and appreciating history. The one teacher in high school who understood this turned a dry subject into something vivid and meaningful.

[@Mr.Monta77]

We want Putin's fascist Russia out of Ukraine. That's a really meaningful conflict right there.

[@jhordyjimenez6283]

@@Mr.Monta77 wrong we want russia to liberate ukraine from fascist

[@Mr.Monta77]

@@jhordyjimenez6283 FSB 🤮🤮🤮

[@jhordyjimenez6283]

@@Mr.Monta77 "everyone that disagrees with me is russian government"

[@ahosein909]

I really enjoy the interviews you post on this channel--thank you! Mr. Bork makes some valid points but I think it's important to note the difference between conflict and tension. If you keep throwing conflict after conflict at the audience, you can exhaust or lose them. Tension, especially in scenes where we're getting to know character(s), builds up anticipation so the overall conflict of the story matters. We often use conflict and tension interchangeably but if storytellers understand the difference and are conscious of how and where to place them, it'll help with pacing among other things.

[@RodMartinJr]

Thank you for pointing this out. There are a number of truisms in writing that are not the whole picture. "Show, don't tell" is one. In a book on revising fiction, the author pointed out that implication can be even more powerful than showing. He used a Chekhov short story as an example. He could have sworn that Chekhov explicitly mentioned the Moon, but he had merely implied the Moon by mentioning its light glinting off a piece of glass in the road.

[@natm5224]

@@RodMartinJr but that is showing. Because we're seeing the moon from the point of view of the character. Maybe the character can't see the moon in the sky because a building or something is blocking his/her view. So how do they see the moon or know that the moon has risen? Because they can see the light glinting off a piece of glass on the road. That is showing. Telling, in this case, would be: the character looked up at the sky but couldn't seee the moon because a building was blocking his view. So I just told the reader that the moon has risen in the sky but the character can't see it because his view is blocked. The reason for the rule is that showing allows the reader to become engaged in a story because they use their imagination to see the story unfold. Telling allows the reader to read passively. It's like reading your history school book. You're reading the text but you're not absorbing the information. And believe me, you don't want anyone comparing your fiction story to a school textbook. 😅

[@RodMartinJr]

@@natm5224 No, it's implication... deeper and more sexy than merely showing. It gets the reader to think!

[@natm5224]

@@RodMartinJr dude lmao The opposite of implicit is explicit, which would be Telling. Showing doesn't mean showing everything, every little teeny tiny detail. Even if you imply in Showing, the reader can finish the thought. That's what makes Showing so impactful. Think of poems.

[@RodMartinJr]

@@natm5224 Dude, showing is also explicit -- description of explicit details!

[@pipmcniven]

This is so good. My writers' group talks about your videos almost every week!

[@filmcourage]

We really love listening to Erik talk about the craft of writing. He's excellent. That is pretty wild to hear about your writers group. Where is your group located?

[@NIKONGUY1960]

“Conflict for the sake of conflict.” My coworkers. Every. Damn. Day.!!

[@juliewochholz1629]

This video was useful. But I like a slow seduction in a film now and then. Some of my favorite openings do this - they tease me with something at the very beginning, but slowly seduce me into the plot. It's like writing foreplay. I'd love to hear some writer's talk about that. One example would be The Crying Game.

[@miniro9159]

Love that term "Writing Foreplay"

[@joeygonzo]

Or just watch Breaking Bad . Watch all seasons and learn . Or there has to be a stake in every conflict . What resolving the conflict gets is important .

[@darknightofthesoul7628]

This is the most helpful video I've seen yet regarding conflict and how to make it work. Thank you!

[@brunayamaguchi9664]

I always find myself revisiting this video again and again when I'm outlining, it's so insightful. Hopefully I'll be able to get a read on his book when this Covid19 thing is over.

[@A1D3NA1D3N]

This was extremely helpful thank you so much!!!!!!!!

[@smokydogy]

I still come back and rewatch this

[@RodMartinJr]

I can't remember any film without meaningful conflict or juicy tension. "A day in the life" type stories could be an example, but even there, a skillful writer could even make string interesting (de Maupassant, for instance). One of my favorite movies -- and one of the very few with a downer ending -- was *_Das Boot._* There was even one scene where the writer, director and actors make *_boredom_* look interesting -- palpable tension -- conflict with time and nature itself.

[@mvhighlights9295]

I think meaningful conflict is when two or more characters have differing worldviews/beliefs and that creates external conflict

[@tobymaltby6036]

*WE ARE BORK. RESISTANCE IS.....* ...a versatile, useful and productive plot mechanism.

[@jag5798]

My best type of conflict is the increasing tension just before the big physical fight.

[@filmcourage]

What genre are you writing in?

[@Alex-kv4wg]

"Batman vs Joker in the dark knight" kind of tension ?

[@reelscreenwriting8940]

Awesome video, keep up the good content.

[@WhatGrenadeWhere]

And that's why my opening scene(s) just fall flat. I started with a bang on page 1. I always thought the main conflict had to be established by page 10, not shortly after.

[@Alex-kv4wg]

That's not definitely true… Star wars 4 opens with an action scene and yet you're completely engaged in the story. If your opening scene only consists in shots and guns, then ok we all know what is a gun shot, and our mind is so accustomed to this that no emotion comes from this. But you can surely add meaning to this. A recent example is the short movie Ballistic (from film riot). It's not perfect but it begins with action and it completely engage the audience.

[@the7thseven873]

As long as the action scene has a meaning and solid purpose to the overall story, then yes. You can start with an action scene. Just be careful not to put action scene for the sake of just having action. Need to know why it is there, why is this scene so important?... If you got the answer to that then, go ahead. Action start it is. 👍🏾

[@Crazy_Rich_Asian]

My conflict doesn't start until page 25 really, when the first face-off between protagonist and antagonist takes place. Until then the audience doesn't really know there's even a conflict between the two, although there's a well foreshowing hint thrown into the audience in the very beginning of the script (pages 1-2).

[@jakovtucak5550]

Can you tell what's it about. Not to worry I wont steal your idea I just want to hear it

[@dariusmorgan5343]

Okay but ive seen and heard people say the exact opposite, they start out big and people still follow and still gain interest. Especially when you're writing the pilot for a tv show.

[@JohnDoe-uf2wn]

A good example of conflict without strong meaning is Han Solo and Kylo Ren

[@lonjohnson5161]

I'm not sure I agree. Admittedly, the movie asks us to remember the other movies and make inferences beyond the scope of the one movie, but if you give yourself over to the experience, I think the conflict works. (That's not to say I'm 100% on board with the direction of the franchise, but they never asked me.)

[@atomicdancer]

The first time those two characters even *meet* onscreen is also the last time.

[@IcyDeadPeople]

i cri evrytiem

[@kamuelalee]

I wholeheartedly agree...never FELT that connection between those characters at all. Didn't work for me.

[@Alex-kv4wg]

Luke vs Kylo is much more engaging to me. Don't know why they did not expand this one

[@Evanderj]

I don’t think conflict is equivalent to a problem. A conflict is when two or more characters’ desires are diametrically opposed to one another. A problem is an external or internal obstacle.

[@harikadevineni3303]

Nice one

[@letsdiscussit1]

Add conflicts

[@nelsonje9635]

So conflict is anything that is a challenge...

[@grantgreyguda]

👍 👍

[@tymkoc3293]

Is there any meaningful conflict in "Two Weeks Notice"? I guess so, but the movie isn't worth the watch, at least in my opinion. I was told my pacing is great, inciting event is where it should be, however, my protagonist isn't flawed enough and lacks a clear and defined goal.

[@animated_anna]

I love Two Weeks Notice!! The meaningful conflict is that the male lead is a terrible boss and a selfish jerk who makes questionable moral decisions in his business and the protagonist is a hard working, conscientious, intelligent activist who feels compelled to work for this guy despite the fact that she hates him and everything he does.

[@jepgasalao5114]

I dont have a problem with a story starting with a catalyst... Sometimes it could be awesome.

[@1995yuda]

Didn't Breaking Bad starts off blazing with zero time to connect to anyone? I find it hard to reconcile this advice with many TV shows/movies even though I understand the logic.

[@haynesrobert2830]

Protagonist is the source of easy pilot

[@KingKhan-fc3dj]

I think he is simply confused between 'character's wants, story goal, and conflicts". All of these are three different things.

[@Kurzula5150]

So many of the writers on Film Courage begin their sentences with 'so'.

[@JustSayin993]

I like your observation! I think So is a kind word in that it indicates interviewer has taken on board the interviewee’s point and has interest in interpretation and extrapolation.

[@Reggie2000]

Allow me to invalidate some of what this guy says while he is correct if you want to write a really great screen play that you should first get us invested with the lead character, that's great and all, but it will probably get your script landed on the pass pile. If you want to sell your screen play, especially as a new screenwriter, you'd better have a big huge moment on page 1 and 2.

[@JohnMoseley]

I watched Wim Wenders' Kings of the Road Last Night, a very long, very slow film. There are a number of 'meaningful conflicts' in the sense of 'problems' but great chunks of time go by without them being directly addressed. There's certainly no overall big problem and very little is resolved. For all that, I loved it and will watch it again at some point. EDIT: Another interesting example is Eric Rohmer's film Claire's Knee, where the protagonist's only real problem is that he has no problems: he's rich, handsome and about to get married to a woman with whom he expects to be happy. But in order for him to accept this, his novelist friend has to set him off on one last pursuit, almost meaningless except from a symbolic point of view; a sort of game.

[@danielsarn3823]

If you want conflict just watch the news media that's trashy enough - As for "inciting incidents" and "a call to action" thats formulaic nonsense, a lot of great films don't have Hollywood formula nonsense, make your own films, tell your own stories, don't copy lazy writing with forced outcomes because of "rules".

[@Sweet_Karma]

I kinda agree about your 'inciting incident' and 'call to action' statement but to an extent. I think every screenwriter should at least learn how they work lol a screenplay can't be considered an unconventional story if the screenwriter doesn't know how conventions work in the first place lol that's just ignorant of them

[@danielsarn3823]

@@Sweet_Karma Like I said, a lot of great films don't have conventional stories which is probably why they are great...no use copying what everyone else does then it will never stand out, I can understand all the superhero silliness having formula but they usually fail miserably when recycling it for sequels and so on.

[@Hot18Shot]

They're guidelines, not rules.

[@Sweet_Karma]

@@danielsarn3823 I feel like you missed my point lol I never said copy them. I said learn them so you can then break conventions

[@norm3844]

Orson Welles made Citizen Kane because he was ignorant of what a 'normal' film looked like. Ignorance, when combined with passion and skill, can lead to ingenuity

[@SamuraiJonez]

A movie leaving meaningful conflict? Matrix Resurrection.

[@iCyFlaMeZ96]

Why we doin reuploads fam

[@filmcourage]

What do you mean?

[@iCyFlaMeZ96]

I'm pretty sure this clip was uploaded before a longer time ago. I remember that same meaningful conflict banner on the thumbnail too

[@filmcourage]

This is a brand new interview with someone we have interviewed previously. This is the first segment we have published from our second interview with Erik. Not sure if we have used "meaningful conflict" before. We didn't use it for any of Erik's previous segments.

[@iCyFlaMeZ96]

@@filmcourage interesting. I must be mistaken then. I only watched the first 10 or so seconds of it and thought it sounded familiar, so that on top of me finding the title and thumbnail familiar caused me to stop watching. Looks like I will watch through this after all. Thanks for the responses.

[@filmcourage]

@@iCyFlaMeZ96 Cheers, hope it sparks ideas for you. Another new Erik Bork segment will be published tonight.

[@tedcarr]

How do you make people care about the main character at the start when you're writing about yourself? How do u not come across as braggadocios or like a victim?

[@jessegoonerage3999]

If you're writing about yourself then be humble and be honest. If you want the audience to care, then ask yourself "Why should they care?"

[@Felix-mp2vj]

His accent is incomprehensible at time...

[@bluenetmarketing]

Could we, as adults, please stop using the childish phrases "basically", "kind of", and "sort of"? These are the verbal toys of children. Grow up.

[@theamazingbrokenman]

Nonsense. You shouldn't use them all the time, sure, but 'verbal toys of children?' No, you're being silly. Kind of.

[@bluenetmarketing]

@@theamazingbrokenman It is childish and silly to use them even once. Gag me with a spoon - remember that one. These are silly childish verbal crutches that pass through society over the decades. I have seen many of them, and they are tiresome.

[@kamuelalee]

Or something like that...I guess!

[@Crazy_Rich_Asian]

You seem to be making up unnecessary rules and principles out of thin air)

[@bluenetmarketing]

@@Crazy_Rich_Asian You are rudderless and unmoored, or you would know.