A good story is important when trying to engage an audience, whether we’re trying to share an idea, teach a lesson, or entertain, and every good story involves a want. When the characters in a story are passionate about what they want, it draws the audience in, but if they don’t seem to really care about anything, then why would anyone else? A good story will trigger emotional response which could range from sympathy, excitement, joy, inspiration, hilarity, to disgust, horror, shock, sadness, and anger. When it comes to storytelling, the only truly bad response would be no response at all.
The list of basic wants can be a helpful reference when trying to create a story or characters that people will find interesting.
From looking over various lists of “the best movies of all time”, the five (5) most commonly used wants used for the stories are: Fairness (tales of justice or revenge), Freedom (overcoming oppression, or the feeling of being trapped in one’s current life), Respect (the journey to reaching one’s potential after being looked down on), Family (unorthodox relationships or dealing with the disapproval of others), and Information (learning there are things we don’t know or uncovering secrets from the past).
To see how all wants can be foundations for great movies, I listed off the basic wants and gave myself 10 seconds for each one to write down the first movie that came to mind. Some of them may not be great examples, but it was whatever came to mind first (except for Intimates, the first thought was a little on the inappropriate side for some/most audiences).
What a Film Wants:
Thinking about different wants can help deal with writer’s block and construct a meaningful narrative that will engage an audience, even if we are our own audience (reflect on that for a second).
Please feel free to use the list at any time to help generate ideas. No royalties are necessary if using the list leads to the next big blockbuster film, but a friendly shout-out would be appreciated.
Have fun telling your tales!