One quote from McKee that struck me as odd was that “a story cannot be told about a protagonist who doesn’t want anything.” As I started to deconstruct it quickly became incredibly philosophical. It isn’t possible for a character to not want anything. By not wanting anything do they purely want their life to remain the same? There are plenty of films in which the protagonist wants nothing more than their life to remain exactly as it has always been. Vertigo is one and there a plethora of other films which share an un-driven and disinterested protagonist. I guess this notion falls apart when the characters that wish for no change have to make decisions in order to continue their lives of no change.
McKee thinking about scripts.
Source: www.mckeestory.com
McKee also got me thinking about films in which the protagonist fails their conscious goal. I can’t think of a salient example as I write this but I’m positive there are films in which the protagonist falls short unable to fulfil what they set out to do. In these films would McKee suggest that the protagonist exhibits an unconscious goal of finding their physical limit? Could this unconscious goal instead be the protagonist wishing to change their attitude or behaviour? By failing to fulfil their conscious goal their subconscious goal is fulfilled and once again McKee wins at screenwriting.
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