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.
VIDEO
AUDIO
Tim Auld
A writer/director whose veteran action film, Minotaur, won 5 screenplay competitions and has now been optioned.
Tim’s short films have been selected for various festivals, most notably Palm Springs International, and in 2022 he directed a pilot for a 6-part television series set in London.
Tim is determined to make meaningful action films that his wife and daughter would watch over and over again.
SHOW NOTES
What we talked about:
Coming soon
LINKS
Things we mentioned:
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About Your Hosts
Kathryn Arnold writes fantasy and anything else that sparks her creativity from her home in Kingston, Washington. She currently earns her living as an insurance underwriting assistant, where she also creates marketing and web copy. When not writing, she plays (and teaches) piano and keyboard in a band (or two), and is working on starting a ministry team with her husband. You can find Kathryn at www.skyfirewords.com.
Robert Scanlon was born in Australia, but whisked off to England when only a baby. After many years complaining about the weather, he did the sensible thing and moved back to Australia. Despite a career in the music industry, followed by decades teaching public speaking, Robert is an introvert who adores reading. Robert grew up on a diet of sci-fi masters, eventually discovering he had read the library’s entire science fiction section. Now he has to write his own. Robert is the author of Constellation, book one of the Blood Empire space opera series. Find out more at www.RobertScanlon.com
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