How often should you introduce a villain that is the main character throughout a serial drama. I was wanting to know should it be as often as possible or sparingly?
-Al
-Al
Each story has a different arc - some need to use the villain sparingly to create one kind of suspense and surprise, some need to keep the villain at the for front to create another kind of dread and fear.
You should do what's best for your story and not follow any formula.
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
I think a really good way is to have the villiany mentioned prior to the actual introduction of the villian (perhaps through dialogue, or perhaps the minions were stopped).
If we know this guy slaughtered everyone at an orphanage we will have a built in opinion that the screenwriter can work with. If he looks like Woody Allen and drinks wine it serves a different purpose than if he looks like Danny Trejo swigging tequilla but either way the foundation is there before we even see the guy so less becomes more.
If you are talking a serial drama like an ongoing tv or radio show I would use the villians name a lot, use the minions and lackeys a lot, but rarely show the villian. Especially at first. Make the hero defeat layers of Lackeys before they even get near the real villian.
RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA
RJSchwarz
