005 - Objective and Stakes in a Screenplay

Over the course of a feature screenplay, all of the protagonist's actions are in pursuit of their tangible objective. But what happens if they don't get it? What are the stakes? In this episode, NYU Film Professor John Warren and professional screenwriters Adam Schaller and Alexie Basil analyze the relationship between objective and stakes. They discuss how to ensure your objective has strong enough stakes that it drives your protagonist to act and motivates your audience to care.