Screenplay.com Forums

I would like to have my OS story problem (as well as the MC problem) be something along the lines of "a house divided". It has to do with a city that is literally divided (a la the Berlin Wall), and a main character who struggles with highly conflicting inner desires.

It just is not clear to me where in the possible problems list this would fall. Any thoughts?

Thank you!

"A House Divided" is a thematic subject. To figure out the OS Problem, you need to ask yourself, "What is the CAUSE of a house divided? What drives them apart? Why are they divided?" (OS Problem) And conversely, "What would reunite them?" (OS Solution).

Here are some random examples of OS Problems, in no particular order:

CHANGE: Radical changes after the loss of a leader have torn apart the stability of a country.

INERTIA: Moral stagnation and outdated policies radicalize a country's youth against the status quo.

PURSUE: A son's pursuit of a career in theater divides his conservative, Mid-Western family.

TRUST: A parent's decision to make a non-family member the trustee of the family's fortune creates a divide that threatens to tear apart the family.

And so on... The more obvious choices are Avoidance, or Non-Acceptance, or Chaos, but frankly, any element works given the proper context.

BTW, the way to have the OS and MC have the same type of problem element is to make the MC a Change character.

That's great, thanks for the prompt response, Chris.