Writing Great Villains - Three Character Archetypes to Create Memorable Villains

[@bonzobonanza]

This is why I love the "Bully" type of villain. Bullies have room for more character development, which makes them more likeable in the end.

[@StudioBinder]

That's a good point. There's not much redemption for psychopaths!

[@snugpig]

Like Dudley!

[@peterkalyabe7553]

"Until next time, fear away from villainy". Top-notch stuff as always.

[@StudioBinder]

(takes a bow)

[@chriswright4677]

That shot of De Niro on the wall with the fireworks is absolute magic.

[@StudioBinder]

Totally agree!

[@spinsandneedles]

I saw it in the theater. I don't think De Niro ever freaked out an audience as much as he did in Cape Fear. It was wild.

[@rayancedrichaddad1197]

"The More Successful A Villain. The More Powerful the Story." - Alfred Hitchcock. My Favorite Villains/antagonists are : -Dr. Hannibal Lecter -The Joker -Carnage -Xenomorph/Alien -John Doe -Pennywise the Dancing Clown -Count Dracula -Judge Doom -Darth Vader -Michael Myers -Freddy Krueger -Max Cady -Emperor Palpatine -Hans Gruber -Keyser Söze And many others... The list is incomplete.😅

[@StudioBinder]

That's a fantastic list!

[@tyroneross2433]

I think the best villain (or hero for that matter) are those characters that stick to the cause they believe is the best path for them. Their methods may change, but their goal is the one commitment they will keep. Although there are times when the villain can be seen as a victim and may align themselves with the hero. The interesting point is to see if hero and villain align or continue the conflict. We see this in Star Trek DS9 with Damar, leader of the Cardassian people. He goes from being a brutal second officer of Gul Dukat, then leader of the Cardassians and then rebel leader. When he is cut down quickly and brutally, he doesn't get a chance to make the famous "last words of a hero speech". He dies in mid sentence and the shock of his character arc is felt by the audience. Another wonderful lesson STUDIOBINDER!!! Thank you and as always, Stay Safe.

[@kartarbhogal]

Could you do a new series where you take great iconic scenes and analyse them and break them down to understand how and why they work. For instance you could touch upon how the cinematography compliments the lighting to enhance the performance of the actors/actresses, etc.

[@StudioBinder]

We've done videos with a similar focus in our Director's Playbook series (kzbin.info/aero/PLEzQZpmbzckWr3rtbgNXgWEIqviKid_jU&si=R6gdTpCH1M5gM_bH) but we're always looking for new ways of approach. Which scene(s) would you suggest we do?

[@kartarbhogal]

@StudioBinder ah that's great thank you! I'll check them out. Ooooooo, so many great scenes come to mind. I think one in particular could be the interrogation scene between Batman & The Joker in The Dark Knight. There's so many ways in each aspect of filmmaking which make that scene tick. For instance Hans Zimmer's use of the shepard tone increases the tension. The way the camera breaks the 180 degree rule during the conversion. Heath Ledger's and Christian Bale's performances. The way the script was written to show Joker was in control and Batman was powerless without even telling the audience directly. The pacing of editing, etc...

[@Zed-fq3lj]

''live long enough as a hero and see yourself becoming the villain''...A hero can also become the villain by the end of the movie as Harvey Dent, Anakin Skywalker, maybe Michael Corleone, or some similar tormented character driven to the point of insanity or simply blackmailed into villainy (for example a father killing a person for the money he needs for his child's operation, something like John Q)....those characters who usually have the line ''what have I done'' or something of that ilk.

[@StudioBinder]

That's a good point. We should do a follow up about characters who become villains throughout the story.

[@Pixelpro1234-h6v]

I think the quote is wrong. It should be-You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. I like to think Antagonists are basically protagonists in their stories. A conversation in Jurassic World between Dr. Henry Vu and Simon Masrani reflect on the villainous nature of I-Rex: Masrani: I never asked for a monster Henry Vu: Monster is a relative term. To a canary, a cat is a monster. We're just used to being the cat.

[@MrJHDK]

Leonard from Memento is a good one for this. For different reasons though

[@BriannadaSilva]

​@@StudioBinder As someone who is working on a story like this and has been studying the topic in depth, I would *love* to hear StudioBinder's take on it!

[@lloydlim]

Helpful video on an important topic for writers. To the planning mastermind, there is this issue: the best laid plans going astray. Also, sometimes a comprehensible motive helps a villain be more interesting.

[@StudioBinder]

That's a great tip! Motive is very important.

[@NathTsion7705]

Do a video about : how to created the perfect antagonist in a tv show ( like prison break , Games Of Thrones , Dexter , The Sopranos … )

[@Pixelpro1234-h6v]

Now we're gonna need "How to write a good female antagonist". It'd be good to see a female antagonist establish themselves as a worthy opponent who uses their cleverness and mastermind planning instead of using the typical Strong-Female-Character physical aggressiveness or the sexual provocation of Femme Fatales!

[@Tarnished-bn5gq]

Cersei Lannister

[@funnyvalentine9705]

I think the critical issue is that people think it harder to apply the usual techniques to female characters. Why couldnt any of this just be written with a woman?

[@liebertjohann8524]

Cersei lannister and more recently Sofia gigante in the penguin tv show came directly to my mind

[@Tarnished-bn5gq]

@ Sofia Gigante seems to be a mix of the Mastermind and Psychopath villain tropes. However, almost every character in that show is a villain tbh.

[@wadewilson8011]

Cersei Lannister "GoT." Julianne Moore's character in "Kingsman Golden Circle." Amy Dunne "Gone Girl." Nurse Ratchet "On Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Alex Forrest "Fatal Attraction." Pearl "Pearl" Annie Wilkes "Misery." You obviously haven't seen enough movies.

[@spinsandneedles]

Jamie Campbell Bower in Horizon: An American Saga. Bully and psychopath. Thanks for the video!

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@MYTHOS4L]

As always, we appreciate the vids SB

[@StudioBinder]

We appreciate you watching!

[@NathTsion7705]

Do a video about the analyse of the screenplay of the fugitive , very good movie and a perfect one .

[@jason5388]

Iceman was not a bully. He was absolutely right

[@StudioBinder]

Fair point!

[@NathTsion7705]

A video about great directors like : Ridley Scoot, Richard Donner, William Friedkin …

[@StudioBinder]

Great suggestions!

[@desmondprabhakar2275]

Video starts with Goat Director name thanks SB ❤

[@StudioBinder]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@desmondprabhakar2275]

@ yes of course whenever I see notifications of your channel feels happy 🫣

[@rayancedrichaddad1197]

Very Inspiring and Instructive. How to write Great Villains in Movies is one of the Key elements in Movies Success. Thanks StudioBinder.

[@StudioBinder]

You're most welcome!

[@MrYodaone902]

Could you do a video on why now? How stories are relevant to their time?

[@ViKash-ke7qj]

Amazing chapter in the film textbook! Kudos. 2 points 1) Which bucket do you think Gone Girl villan will fall under? 2) next mat be you could cover stational villains such as society (12 angry men or tonsillitis mocking bird), horror ( the others, or 1408), power equations (wars or elections) and surviL dramas ( twister godzilla, or 48 hours) and how-to make them interesting. Also could you please cover a separate video on how to make biopics interesting and not monotonous

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks! Amy in Gone Girl would maybe be a Mastermind with a touch of Psychopath. Those are great suggestions! We did do a Biopic video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4bLqGCFlLasraMsi=IR7IU-ji0NFdk1Gm

[@stephenwilliams3807]

So many good choices in the movies you referenced for this, Studio Binder. The problem I've always had with The Usual Suspects is that the final reveal, that Koze is making it all up, deconstructs the entire film. It really doesn't make any sense.

[@StudioBinder]

That was Ebert's issue too.

[@rickmastenbroek5447]

Seing Dr Evil being catagorised as The Mastermind made me chuckle.. maniacally! "BUWAHAHAHA..!" **puts pinkie to corner of mouth** 😂

[@StudioBinder]

We're trying to find a way to include Dr. Evil in every video from now on.

[@NathTsion7705]

Do a video about the saga alien ( 1,2,3,4…)

[@NathTsion7705]

Do a video about the sci-fi horror movies like Aliens , The Fly …

[@NathTsion7705]

Do a video about all the movies : Lethal Weapon( 1,2,3,4 ).

[@NathTsion7705]

That can be very interesting, and i like ( like many others peoples ) all this greats films .

[@douglasrigby6100]

Love Billy Zane being in 2 clips in the Bully Sequence, background character in the Back to the Future clip and the Bully in the Titanic clip 😂😂

[@NathTsion7705]

It’s a great video, thank you but in my opinion do more video about the antagonist and bad guys in the film ( in different categories of film ) because the main character in the film is the villain . And I think you can do more analyse about the villain and characterisation.

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@Tarnished-bn5gq]

ASoIaF does a really great job with its mastermind and psychopath villains, and often they’re a mix of both, as well as other archetypes.

[@StudioBinder]

Hybrid examples are often super interesting!

[@CarletonTorpin]

This is exhaustively great.

[@NathTsion7705]

Great video !!! 🎉😊 Can you do a video about the extraterrestres (E.T) in films , like : Alien’s saga , Predator , x files ( the tv show ) E.T the extraterrestrial, Nope … That can be very good 👍

[@NathTsion7705]

Do a video about James Cameron and he’s art .

[@MaryEllenHorgan]

Realistic! Informative, Engaging, 😊 Excellent Presentation

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@NathTsion7705]

Can you do a video about the analysing of a TV show and the different category of TV show?

[@StudioBinder]

Good idea! We'll look into it.

[@wadewilson8011]

I have told people several times that my top three villains are: Anton Chigurh Hannibal Lecter Max Cady I love how you cover them in your psychopath section. I can't wait for the day that the most diabolical of them all will be made live action. Judge Holden from Blood Meridian. But you left off the greatest psychopath of them all: Michael Myers. The one psychopath in movie history that is displayed as a true force of nature and evil personified. He is who we have until we get Judge Holden on the big screen.

[@StudioBinder]

Myers is up there for sure. We'll have to do a horror genre version of this series.

[@NathTsion7705]

Do a video about the perfect horror movie .

[@robertobuatti7226]

I could write a story on how I got bullied in high school in the 90's for being overweight, but it wouldn't be that interesting to people, maybe I could write a story on how bullies effects the lives of people who are vulnerable and makes their lives a living hell.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

That could do both good and bad. Been on the bad side of bullying myself and yes, it might have been a good thing to see someone like me on the page. However, some bullies get a kick out of knowing how much people suffer at their hands. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@robertobuatti7226]

@@y_fam_goeglyd Definitely, they do. The school system shouldn't allow anyone to be bullied, my school failed me and kept saying it will brush over but it didn't and only got worse and I had to change high school.

[@StudioBinder]

There's definitely potential there! And don't worry about what may or may not be interesting to other people. Write something honest and people will be interested.

[@robertobuatti7226]

@@StudioBinder Oh thank you for the kind words, I truly appreciate it.

[@guillermorodriguezdomingue274]

I would have mentioned Witchfinder General/The Conqueror Worm in the Psychopath section because Matthew Hopkins has those 3 steps.

[@StudioBinder]

We're not as familiar with that example but that sounds pretty promising.

[@NathTsion7705]

Can you do a video about the effect in the movie like squib effect , stunts…

[@StudioBinder]

Squibs would be a really fun video to do!

[@NathTsion7705]

I think a video about the character of T-Bag in prison break i’ts a good idea , a lot of comments think like me .

[@StudioBinder]

T-Bag is on the list! Stay tuned.

[@morganleanderblake678]

the Soze twist really laid a stinky one for disabled people. it's even a slang in some spheres, calling someone a Soze if you think they're faking their disability for some reason.

[@StudioBinder]

Oh, wow. Never heard of that but I can definitely see that being troublesome to deal with.

[@MelIssa-rb9mq]

Made my day🎉

[@StudioBinder]

That's nice to hear! Thanks for watching.

[@imammarcocahyono3537]

Where did it says that channels agreed to have their videos littered with ads at every minute? I'm very confused about the total runtime, cause it says 22 minutes but it ended up at 28 minutes instead. Please fix

[@erikbihari3625]

Speaking the karate kid, part two furthered that catharsis when miagi defended johhny! Noble?

[@StudioBinder]

That's true. Johnny's arc took a major turn after the first film.

[@erikbihari3625]

@StudioBinder . Fare that the secons movie itself was concerned. However, the show's insistance that daniel must make peace with All his rivals, including the one from his second cinematic outing who tried Killing him, got little too mutch! Surely forgiveness and teaching that quite important, especially for our modern more selfish world, but some lines should still remain, indeed?

[@HarvestStore]

Great video.

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks!

[@hyperunboxing9304]

Great example of a villian who inhabits the last two types is Gustavo fring. He is a precise and yet savage on his enemies

[@StudioBinder]

Excellent example! One of the best in recent memory.

[@hyperunboxing9304]

@StudioBinder thanks

[@AhlquistMediaLab]

No "Impersonal Force of Nature" as villain?

[@StudioBinder]

That could be a type we cover in the next episode!

[@bananatiergod]

An amazing example of the Psychopath archetype is actually not from a movie but a TV show: Abijah Fowler from Blue Eyed Samurai. He is an evil, EVIL bastard who treats violence and bloodshed like a business and has plans to colonize Japan from the inside, but he's also incredibly articulate, ambitious and has a very tragic background in the form of going through a horrible famine with his sister, making him swear that he'll have control over his destiny and make his own. That doesn't make him any less of a ruthless sadist and manipulator, but adds a whole new layer to why he became the power hungry monster he is today.

[@StudioBinder]

Sounds fascinating!

[@Bobywan75]

Currently watching The Mentalist TV show with a looming psychopath mastermind.

[@StudioBinder]

Ooh, a hybrid!

[@chickrepelant]

the ally/hero TURNED villain, or the "heel turn"

[@kirillbach6298]

Thanks

[@StudioBinder]

You're welcome!

[@joshingaround2699]

MY MASTERCLASS

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks!

[@a-yamraj]

can you make a video about eisenstein 's five montage ?

[@thomasdarrah9943]

First time I have seen all of the movies on the spoils list

[@StudioBinder]

Yay!

[@rickmastenbroek5447]

I have a feeling the Narrator of StudioBinder ends up being a MasterMind Villain trying to control and influence our thoughts...😮

[@StudioBinder]

Maybe... 👽

[@lowenherz0057]

The greatest master mind is Moriarty, imo. Best performed by Andrew Scott

[@StudioBinder]

Yes, totally agree!

[@randomrey002]

Agreed

[@StudioBinder]

Same!

[@undertrace]

I could just be hearing things, but were there multiple uses of an AI voice in the "The Psychopath" section?

[@StudioBinder]

Time to get the ears checked!

[@SeemoreDunkan]

Crazy how we all know to to treat a bully except when it comes down to geopolitics and people's actual safety.. then everyone get's whipped

[@geoffrygo]

Oh no oh no I love this channel and have learned so much from it but I would literally never watch a film discussion video with CIVIL WAR in its icon. That's like discussing "nutrition and dieting" with shredded cardboard as a primary meal.

[@StudioBinder]

Granted, it was a divisive movie. Sorry you'll miss out on this one but we'll see you in the next one!

[@gonzalogolpe]

17:23 👌🙂

[@StudioBinder]

👍

[@humaniodalien]

Tyler Durden

[@StudioBinder]

We thought about it but considered it a little too specific and complicated based on the twist.

[@almost_harmless]

I just write "Muahahaha!" when my villains laugh. You telling me that's wrong?! 😵

[@StudioBinder]

That works!

[@almost_harmless]

@@StudioBinder 😅❤

[@alfredwang7607]

Bro, the last episode is like …2 years ago

[@StudioBinder]

Better late than never!

[@thatemeraldphotographer6003]

3rd comment’s a charm

[@StudioBinder]

Indeed! Congrats!

[@AScreenwritersJourney]

The narrator to this video sounds different - A.I. English-accented narrator?

[@StudioBinder]

Nope, he's a real person!

[@Shahwezz]

Johnny Lawrence is no bully !!!!

[@StudioBinder]

Not even a little bit?

[@ConsecrationChronicles]

11:25

[@warriorclassmedia]

🔥

[@StudioBinder]

❤

[@docstockandbarrel]

👍🏻

[@StudioBinder]

👍

[@achunaryan3418]

There are no villains.

[@StudioBinder]

🤔

[@TheRetroPerspective]

Am I seriously the only one that figured out the twist in Usual Suspects immediately? xD

[@StudioBinder]

Possibly, it fooled a lot of people on their first watch.

[@ablazedark]

"good" villains are the ones that can make you symphatize with them, no matter how evil they are. like donald trump. (ba-dum tss!!)

[@StudioBinder]

That's a compelling definition!

[@ablazedark]

@@StudioBinder 🤣 I was kinda waiting for my comment to be deleted, to be honest. We are living in strange times, after all. Hats off to you sir, for still allowing free speech.

[@erikbihari3625]

Wow algea rythm, such forgettable and weak antagonist that his quoting training day! Not?

[@StudioBinder]

Not a Training Day fan?

[@erikbihari3625]

@StudioBinder . Never even seen the movie, just that appearently green lantern first flight and zootopia barrowed from them heavily. And now, seems like space jam new legacy has joined that club! Because for being completely honest, you won't hear mutch about this movie anymore like heath from cinema efficionatos.

[@guytzubery8647]

I’m first!

[@StudioBinder]

🏅