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image of One viable protagonist, one viable choice: Resisting contradictory character change while writing an interactive film

Abstract

Narrative conventions draw the screenwriter repeatedly to singular and permanent character change as an essential component of a dramatic film. When writing an interactive film with a multi-linear branching narrative, the concept of character change was problematized. Opportunities emerged for the protagonist of the resultant interactive film to change in contradictory ways depending on the choices the audience made at key intervals. These contradictions led to a dilemma: if the protagonist of a film is effectively realized, then how can multiple character choices and consequential character changes remain viable? Using screenwriting as a mode of inquiry, I reflect on the process of writing multiple drafts of an interactive film and consider how the protagonist of a dramatic narrative might change in ways not usually prescribed by narrative conventions – especially when one considers how the protagonist often weathers a crisis which leaves them vulnerable to unauthorized impulses. However, in the process of writing an interactive film, I continually resisted this possibility, removed the protagonist from the story altogether and embraced an ill-fitting meta-narrative rather than face this potential plurality. This suggests that screenwriting pedagogy might account for the power of internalized narrative conventions which could misdirect creativity when one is deliberately experimenting with the form.

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2025-12-28
2026-02-10
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