cinta (2006) - plural/multi protagonist? (pt.2)

*sila baca my previous posting!!! (pt.1)

Kumpulan Kecil (pasangan masing2)

Generally, the protagonist is a single character. A story, however, could be driven by a duo, a trio, more, an entire class of people, create a massive Plural-Protagonist.

For two or more characters to form a Plural-Protagonist, two conditions must be met:

1. all individuals in the group share the same desire - setiap pasangan dlm 'cinta' berkongsi kehendak yg sama iaitu utk 'mendptkan/mengenali erti cinta'

2. in the struggle to achieve this desire, they mutually suffer & benefit; if one has a success, all benefit, if one has a setback, all suffer. within a Plural-Protagonist, motivation, action, and consequence are communal - setiap pasangan dlm 'cinta' akan melaui kronologi ke arah 'kebahagiaan'/'kegagalan' bersama-sama

Kumpulan Besar (nisbah 3:2)

A story, may on the other, be Multi-Protagonist. Here, unlike the Plural-Protagonist, characters pursue separate & individual desires, suffering & benefiting independently. Multi-Protagonist stories become Multi-Plot stories. Rather than driving the telling through the focused desire of a protagonist, either single or plural, these works weave a number of smaller stories, each with its own protagonist, to create a dynamic portrait of a specific society.

ref: Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting by Robert Mckee (pg136 & 137)

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In films like these, Multiple Protagonists/Antagonists take in turns to fulfil the structural tasks carried out in the normal 3-act structure by one character alone. This is why there is no sense of disjunction in films like these when suddenly a character (kisah cinta pasangan masing2) whom we have been following as protagonist steps out of the limelight & another takes its place.

Films employing multiple protagonists or charismatic antagonists have 2 aims:

1. they explore versions of the same social role which display different approaches, concerns, and solutions - kisah sebahagian masyarakat KL (2 sebuah kump. besar) menangani konflik cinta

2. they study the dynamics & story of the group itself - kisah cinta pasangan masing2 yg berkaitan (secara langsung/tidak sengaja) melalui karier/lokasi sesama kump. kecil

ref: Screenwriting Updated: New (and Conventional) Ways of Writing for the Screen by Linda Aronson (pg. 221 & 222)

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Kelima-lima pasangan dlm 'cinta' adalah kump. kecil yg bercerita secara berasingan dimana mempunyai act1/act/act3 atau set-up/confrontation/solution atau beginning/middle/end atau kepala/badan/ekor masing2 TANPA terikat sbg 'sub-plot' kpd mana2 cerita kump. kecil yg lain. Kesemua cerita adalah MAIN-PLOT yg berkongsi screening-time.

Kelima-limanya bergiliran utk bercerita dlm 'putaran' yg mudah difahami tanpa penonton merasa jemu atau keliru utk mengikuti cerita yg mana satu? Kepandaian suntingan filem ini misalnya melalui kesamaan lokasi di restoren Rubiah dan pejabat arkitek memudahkan pertukaran giliran cerita dr satu kump.kecil >> kump.kecil yg seterusnya dilakukan dgn lancar tanpa jump-cut atau mengelirukan penonton.

*next posting: masalah & risiko penulisan skrip ensemble film.

ajami hashim