What is a Foil Character — How to Make Your Protagonist Shine

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What is a Foil Character — breaking down character foils and how they work, including the various types and how they enhance your protagonist and your storytelling.

What is a Foil Character? ►►
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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to Foil Characters
00:45 - Foil Characters Defined
01:56 - Chapter 1: Types of Foil Characters
09:00 - Chapter 2: How To Write Foil Characters
10:07 - Foil Study: Toy Story
10:55 - Foil Study: The Great Gatsby
13:05 - Foil Study: Finding Nemo
14:49 - Takeaways

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CHARACTER FOILS EXPLAINED

If you’ve ever noticed that some pairs of characters complement each other perfectly, you might actually be dealing “foil characters.” But what is a foil character? In this video, we’re going to break down how character foils are used in storytelling. We’ll also look at some examples of foil characters in popular movies like Star Wars, Inside Out, and The Great Gatsby.

WHAT IS A FOIL CHARACTER

A foil is anything in a story that reflects or brings out another aspect of the story. This could be a setting or subplot but more often than not it refers to a character. A foil character exhibits traits that illuminate or reinforce contrasting aspects of another character, usually the protagonist. For example, Dr. Watson is a foil character for Sherlock Holmes — Watson’s penchant for following the rules contrasts with Holmes’ more rebellious approach.

TYPES AND EXAMPLES OF FOIL CHARACTERS IN MOVIES

There are countless examples of foil characters in movies and they can be broken down into some general subtypes. First is the mentor foil, like Mr. Miyagi for Daniel, who exhibits certain attributes that the apprentice aspires to emulate. Then there are ethical foils, like Black Panther and Killmonger, who have contrasting views of right and wrong. Emotional foils, like Sadness and Joy in Inside Out, who possess emotional depth or aspects the protagonist is missing. There are even class foils, like Bob Cratchit and Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, where social classes become integral for the character development and/or theme of the story.

When you sit down to write a foil character, think about opposites and how they help define and enhance your characters and their character arcs. Or use your foil characters to speak to the larger ideas at the core of the story. Whatever the purpose, good writers know that the main objective of foil characters is to help give their protagonists more depth and complexity.


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♬ SONGS USED:

“Beetlejuice (Main Theme)” - Danny Elfman
“Meet the Bodhisattva” - Mark Isham
“Humiliation” - Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken
“Break on Through” - The Doors
“Uncut Gems” - Daniel Lopatin
“Bow Whisk Orchestra” - Don Davis
“The Wampas Lair” - John Williams
“A Suite (The Karate Kid)” - Bill Conti
“Breaking Bad Main Theme” - Dave Porter
“Royal Talon Fighter” - Ludwig Göransson
“The Oprah Shot” - Michael Abels
“Oh Yeah” - Yellow
“Bundle of Joy” - Michael Giacchino
“Arabian Nights” - Alan Menkin
“He’s A Pirate” - Hans Zimmer
“Small Disruption” - Junkie XL
“Staff Meeting” - Randy Newman
“Andy’s Birthday” - Randy Newman
“Buchanan Mansion And Daisy Suite” - Craig Armstrong
“Hotel Sayre” - Craig Armstrong
“You Kept My Letters” - Craig Armstrong
“Cello Theme” - Craig Armstrong
“Wow” - Thomas Newman
“Jellyfish” - Thomas Newman
“Men In Black” - Will Smith

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