Movies and Motives
Using characters’ motives to craft plausible stories
The beautiful thing about contemplating stories and storytelling is that there is always something new to uncover, a nuance that adds texture to the narrative. Being a writer is infinitely rewarding and, to be fair, is equally as treacherous as rock climbing.
A cliche criticism—cliche because true, and not a mere redundant quip—towards Nollywood films is its lack of compelling, coherent stories.
The plot often plunges halfway through the movie, either because the story lacks direction or—and this is what this post seeks to address—there is a mismatch between the characters and their actions.
Sure, there are many ways to solve this problem: pacing can be reworked; tension can be tweaked; and plot devices could be utilized to great effect. However, I want to zero in on something I think solves most of these problems: motive.
In most criminal proceedings, the prosecutor almost always seeks to establish motive—the why, the reason behind the criminal act, or the philosophy Chu h who the character has embodied to the point of murder.
Working backwards it’s easy to see that motive leads to action. When we have a good-enough reason, we act. Another interesting thing about motives is they give the audience something to weigh the character’s response and chosen method to achieve their overarching goal.
Motives drive movies.
Different genres provide the protagonist with baseline motives which can be customized according to the story the writer chooses to tell. A detective in a mystery has a crime to uncover, better if it ties somehow into her emotional state or if the victim is related to a previous case. In revenge stories, the aggrieved are already justified in their quest for blood.
Establishing motives early in the story immerses the audience in the character. Once a good why is put in place, we start to judge the ‘how’.
As simple as it is: motives drive movies.