Film StudiesMain Characters

Professor: Aaron Glascock

Main Characters

•Protagonist•Antagonist•Sidekick•Mentor•Love Interest

Warm Up Activity

The movie Sky High is about a high school for super heroes. On the first day of school, students are tested for their super power. If your power is “super” you will study with heroes. If your power is not so super, you will study with sidekicks. So, for example, if you can glow brightly, you might have to be a sidekick. But if you can fly faster than an airplane you will study with the heroes.

Work together with a partner or a group to make a list of super powers. Try to list at least 10. Next, debate these powers with your group. Which powers are the best? Rank them from 1-to-10. Which power would you want the most? You can only have one!

Ex: Super intelligence is more useful than super strength.

Protagonist/Hero

•The Protagonist is the main character of a story. Usually the “Hero,” (but not always). •You can usually tell who the protagonist is because the story is about them. •We see major character development from beginning-to-end.•They never succeed in the beginning. They must fail (many times) before they win in the end.

Thinking Task

What are some traits (characteristics) of a hero? Example: Brave

Work together in your groups to list as many traits of a hero as you can.

Which one is most important?

Ex: Being compassionate is more important than being able to fly.

Antagonist

•The Antagonist is totally dependent on the Hero. That means they need each other.•Think of a battery. It has a positive end and a negative end. The battery doesn’t work without both sides. Same with a story—both good and bad are needed. •This is because the antagonist lives only to go against the protagonist/hero. •They don't have to be a bad guy (though they usually are); they only have to oppose the protagonist. •The antagonist usually provides the conflict.

Thinking Task

An antagonist is somebody that goes against you and forces you to do something different.In real life, you might consider a few people that work against you as your antagonist.

Talk in your groups to identify some real life antagonists (possibly from your life). What’s something that you do different becauseof them?

Ex: I pay more attention to fashion and try to look better than my antagonist.

Thinking Task

Most antagonist are bad or evil, but not all of them. In fact, some of them are good, but maybe they want the same thing that you do.

Talk in your groups to identify some antagonists in real life that are good people. What situation can you think of where a good guy goes against you? Try to think of at least two possibilities.

Hint: Think about the classroom and think about sports.

The Sports Antagonist

Two Heroes

One Championship

Grammar Task

Comparative AdjectivesSome adjectives are irregular and change when comparing things (good > better), but most adjectives follow the patterns below. If the adjective has one syllable (sound) you should try to remember these rules: • If the adjective ends in ‘e’ (cute), just add ‘r’ (cuter)Example: Aaron is cuter than me. • If the adjective ends in a consonant (any letter other than a-e-i-o-

u), e.g. ‘sad’ you should double the consonant and add –er: ‘sadder.’

Example: I am madder than Aaron. • For other regular adjectives (bright) you should add ‘er’ (brighter)Example: The sun is brighter than the moon.

Grammar Task

Comparative Adjectives (Cont.)If the adjective has two syllables (sounds) you should try to remember these rules: • If the adjective ends in ‘y’ (happy), you should change the ‘y’ to ‘ier’

(happier)Example: The teacher is never happier than his students. • If the adjective doesn’t end in ‘y’ (modern), you should use

more/less before the adjective (more modern)Example: Shanghai is more modern than Los Angeles. If the adjective has three syllables (sounds) you should try to remember this rule: • If the adjective has three syllables (expensive), you should use

more/less (more expensive)Example: Los Angeles is more expensive than Shanghai.

Sidekick

•Sidekicks are friends and helpers of the hero. •They play a secondary role, or a goofy friend for some comic-relief (or sometimes both). •Sidekicks always get into trouble, and the hero must come and save them. •They also give the hero someone to explain things to. •Sidekicks are almost never older than the hero. •A sidekick will be loyal and support the hero, even if the hero is doing something wrong.

Ex comparison: Sidekicks are more supportive than protagonists.

Mentor

•A more experienced teacher or friend to a young, inexperienced character like a young hero. •Think of the relationship between a teacher and student, or athlete and coach. •They will often die so the hero must face the evil by himself. •They will often be killed so the hero has a reason for revenge.

Ex comparison: Mentors are more experienced than protagonists.

Thinking Task

In movies, a mentor teaches a young hero how to fight (or protect himself), or how to survive in the wild with only a glass of water and a small knife. But that’s the movies.

What about our mentors in real life? What do real life mentors teacher us?

Ex: Mentors teach us that studying is more important that playing computer games.

Love Interest

•The love interest isn’t always a girl (he can be a boy, too), but usually she is the princess that needs to be rescued. •She forces the protagonist to do things differently than he normally would. •This person has sex appeal and is called beautiful, sexy, hot, handsome, desirableand even cute.

Ex comparison: Love Interests are more thoughtful than protagonists.

Thinking Task

Movie love interests have sex appeal,or are handsome, but those are only physical qualities.

Are there other qualities people fall in love with? What are some non-physical qualities a hero might be interested in when looking for love?

Ex: Being funny is more important than being beautiful.

Thinking Task

In movies, heroes will do many things for love (ex: quit smoking).

What about real life? What will the biggest change somebody has made for you? What changes would you be willing to make?

Ex: A loving relationship is more important than spending time with friends.

Vocabulary Homework

TraitsCharacter DevelopmentConflictDependentOppose

GoofyComic ReliefSilly vs. StupidSex AppealDesirable