If You Don’t Have Structure You Don’t Have Character — Paul Chitlik
Film Courage: Why do you say that we can’t discuss character without discussing structure?
Paul Chitlik, Author/Writer: That’s an interesting question. I have to think about that for a second. We can discuss character without structure but we can’t discuss a movie without structure.
If the central issue of every movie is the growth of the character, so how the character grows is structured and so that’s how they’re interlaced. If we understand how the structure works with the character and the character works with the structure, then we understand what the process of the movie is going to be.
The character overcoming a flaw and overcoming a barrier to his goal that’s what creates the structure of the movie, so they can’t be torn apart for a movie. I mean you can build a character without a movie but you can’t build a movie without a character.
Film Courage: You say that we go to the movies to see characters, that we want to see people go through changes and fight against all odds?
