Finding Character Motivations

While writing the outline for my film opening, I started to become blank on what exactly to jot down. My basic idea of the film opening was of an unstable celebrity, the protagonist, acting distressed on either a talk show or an interview. After some time thinking, I linked this problem to the fact that I did not myself understand what was the cause of the celebrity’s self-destructive behavior. These motives are crucial to the entire story’s development and to create the interaction between the host and the celebrity. For this reason, I have researched character motivations in a story.

The Research

From my research, it turns out motivation is not only a core element of any character, but it also is a fantastic method for a writer to enter the mind of a character and understand them better. This was exactly what I needed! Without any prior context of the celebrity’s actions, I could never properly create a meaningful opening. Motivation is not defined by what a character wants, but instead what they need, no matter how absurd or chaotic it might be. Character motivations can be split up into three categories based off of psychologist Abraham Maslow’s theory of the “Hierarchy of Need”, which models human motivation by needs on different levels. Here is what it looks like:

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

In terms of storytelling, we can apply these same three categories in determining motivations within a character:

• Basic needs refer to what is required for human survival and overall safety                 (examples: food, water, and sleep)

• Psychological needs refer to self-esteem, affection, and a sense of belonging               (examples: romantic and friendly relationships, respect, and success)

• Self-fulfillment needs derive from the process of self-actualization, or reaching a state of fulfilled potential.

After taking observation of the pyramid, I reflected on what would be the perfect motivation based on the information and the conflict my group settled on a couple of days ago.

Constructing Motivation

Since the protagonist is a celebrity, it would not make sense for the motivation to be a basic need due to their wealth and status. It also would not make sense for the achievement to be of self-fulfillment when going through a destructive episode, unless his ultimate goal is to live an extremely callous and careless life. This is why I am most likely going to implement a psychological need. I think that the celebrity could have a sense of inner-loneliness, which as a result creates a juxtaposition to how most would generally view someone who is popular. With the attention constantly on him, a sense of immense pressure and isolation from the rest of the world could begin to dig deep into his thoughts. By being the only one in the spotlight, the celebrity would be separated from everyone else socially and in terms of lifestyle. These depressing emotions could result in him needing a place where he can truly belong and genuine human connection. The celebrity could then attempt to supplement these needs through coping mechanisms such as frequent drug and alcohol abuse that is rampant in the entertainment industry. This will be the beginning of his descent into rock bottom.

Conclusion

Today’s research should help get me back on track writing the outline for the film opening. I’ll update you guys shortly with what I came up with. Take care!

Sources:

Reedsy. “Character Motivation: How to Write Believable Characters.” Reedsy, 17 Aug. 2018, blog.reedsy.com/character-motivation/. Accessed 22 Feb. 2020.

Scottsdale Recovery Center. “Drug Abuse in Hollywood.” Scottsdale Recovery Center, 12 Jan. 2019, scottsdalerecovery.com/drug-abuse-in-hollywood/. Accessed 22 Feb. 2020.

Mcleod, Saul. “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” Simply Psychology, Simply Psychology, 5 Feb. 2007, www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html. Accessed 22 Feb. 2020.

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