SWRT 290 | Heroes with Screenwriter Tim Auld

Story Works Round Table | Conversations About Craft

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Kathryn welcome screenwriter Tim Auld back to the round table to discuss heroes.

What makes a hero resonate with an audience? Tim Auld introduces us to the concept of ordinary heroism, a principle that suggests heroes should be inherently inadequate to the challenges they face. It's this inadequacy, this underdog status, that endears them to us and makes their journey emotionally gripping. He illustrates this point with a powerful image: an orangutan striking a crane with a stick, a futile yet emotionally charged act of defiance. It's a metaphor for the kind of heroism that Tim believes should be at the heart of storytelling.

Throughout the conversation, Tim emphasizes the importance of allowing heroes to fail and suffer. It's through their trials and tribulations that we, the audience, find a piece of ourselves, empathizing with their struggle and rooting for their success. He also touches on the current trends in storytelling, where characters are often portrayed as too perfect, too idealized, which can disconnect them from the audience.

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