StudioBinder.com presents the essential filmmaking techniques behind creating the ultimate antagonist, based on The Joker from "The Dark Knight." This presentation was inspired by a video from the Youtube channel "Lessons from the Screenplay."

1. BASED ON THE DARK KNIGHT
4 ESSENTIAL
PRINCIPLES
FOR CREATING
THE ULTIMATE
ANTAGONIST

2. FILM PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE FILM PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
A POWERFUL
ANTAGONIST IS
UNIQUELY ADEPT
AT ATTACKING THE
HERO’S GREATEST
WEAKNESS.
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3. FILM PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE FILM PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
In The Dark Knight, the Joker is
able to target Batman’s biggest
vulnerability — his morality —
in a way no other villain can.

4. FILM PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE FILM PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
John Truby
Author, The Anatomy of a Story
“Create an opponent... who
is exceptionally good at
attacking your hero’s
greatest weakness.”

5. Batman refuses to kill. The
Joker, who does not fear
death, and in fact, wants
Batman to kill him. He throws
Gotham into chaos, pressuring
Batman to compromise his
moral code.
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6. Robert McKee
Author, Story
“A protagonist, and his story,
can only be as intellectually
fascinating and emotionally
compelling as the forces of
antagonism make them.”

7. THE ANTAGONIST
PRESSURES THE
PROTAGONIST
INTO MAKING
DIFFICULT
CHOICES.
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8. FILM PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE FILM PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
In the second act, the Joker
poses an ultimatum: for every
day that Batman does not
turn himself in, people will die.
By refusing, Batman ups the
ante, but must cope with the
guilt as innocent lives are lost.
The pressure increases as
more people die, and the city
turns against him.

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10. Robert McKee
Author, Story
“TRUE CHARACTER is revealed
in the choices a human being
makes under pressure — the
greater the pressure, the
deeper the revelation, the truer
the choice to the character’s
essential nature.”

11. THE ANTAGONIST
COMPETES FOR
THE SAME GOAL
AS THE
PROTAGONIST
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12. FILM PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE FILM PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
“Gotham’s Soul”
Both Batman and the Joker are vying for
i n fl u e n c e o v e r G o t h a m , w h i c h i s
repeatedly referred to as Gotham’s
“soul.” While Batman defends law &
order, the Joker battles for chaos. Since
each of these men are totally dedicated
to their beliefs and principles, their fight
becomes a highly personal one. Why and
how they go about achieving this goal is
what defines the them.

13. FILM PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE FILM PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
John Truby
Author, The Anatomy of a Story
“It is only by competing for
the same goal that the hero
and the opponent are forced
to come into direct conflict,
and to do so again and again
throughout the story.”

14. A POWERFUL
ANTAGONIST
CAUSES THE
HERO TO
GROW.
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15. FILM PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE FILM PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
In the beginning of the film,
Batman believes that criminal
bosses seek money and power
and are driven by logic, order,
and self-interest. As a result,
they can be defeated with
force and incentive.

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In the battle for “Gotham’s Soul,” he
faces an opponent who operates
outside these limits.
As a result, he is forced to make
progressively more difficult choices
that puts his strengths to the test.

17. By the end, Batman develops a
deeper understanding of heroism
and sacrifice. No longer infatuated
with manufacturing Gotham’s
“hero,” he grows wiser.
He grows because of the Joker.
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18. THANKS FOR READING!
VISUALIZED & WRITTEN BY
StudioBinder
CONCEPTED BY
Lessons from the Screenplay

19. Read the full article here:
bit.ly/2cznF5v
Want to learn more about crafting the
ultimate antagonist?

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