Defintiion of Protagonist- Information from Wikipedia:
A protagonist (one who plays the first part, chief actor") is the main character (the central or primary personal figure) of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify.The terms protagonist, main character and hero are variously defined and, depending on the source, may denote different concepts. In fiction, the story of the protagonist may be told from the perspective of a different character (who may also, but not necessarily, be the narrator).
Defintion of Antagonist- Information from Wikipedia:
An antagonist (opponent, competitor, rival") is a character, group of characters, or an institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend. In other words, 'A person, or a group of people who oppose the main character, or the main characters.' In the classic style of story where in the action consists of a hero fighting a villain, the two can be regarded as protagonist and antagonist, respectively.The antagonist may also represent a major threat or obstacle to the main character by their very existence, without necessarily deliberately targeting him or her. Examples in both film and theatre include Voldemort, the main antagonist in the Harry Potter series, who constantly battles the series' protagonist, Harry Potter, and Tybalt, an antagonist of Romeo and Juliet, who slays Mercutio and whose later death results in the exilation of the play's protagonist, Romeo.
Thriller films use a protagonist and an antagonist in order for the film to have a motive and progress. Sometimes the protagonist and antagonist are not immediately obvious, making the story all the more interesting, this is common in thrillers. For example the antagonist could be something supernaturual, not obvious or visible. The protagonist isn't always obvious either for example in 'Salt' Angelina Jolie's character is hard to place as we are not sure who's side she is on till the very end, as it turns out she was attempting to save countries from danger and not harm them.
Antagonists, similar to protagonists, often have troubled past. They feel everyone owes them something for the suffering they endured, either as a child or currently. This results in psychological problems, this often makes them seem more frightening or powerful, for example, 'The Joker'. His background is never really described properly, however there are some conclusions which can be drawn judging on his appearence and personality. For example the scar across his mouth shows he was victimized.
However, like some other antagonists in thrillers, he shares a strange relationship with the antagonist- Batman. It's not uncommon for the two opposing characters to share certain characteristics in thrillers, for example, Batman and The Joker share a theatrical film as they hide their identity. The Joker wears make up, messily thrown on, whilst Batman opts for a superhero look of all black mask and cape. Secondly, they both work outside the law to achieve their goals, the only difference being that Batman aims to restore order and law whilst The Joker aims to free it.
The scene where The Joker reveals the truth about his alcoholic father.
The protagonists in films are often men, who are acustomed to danger in their jobs, like policemen, or spies. However they can simply be ordinairy men who have found themselves in the middle of danger by accident, however many thrillers have used females, for example; The silence of the lambs and Salt.
The antagonists in thrillers are also typically men, well built and sometimes have a psychical deformity. For example, The Joker has a very visible scar across his mouth, which he explains in the video above. The rest of his costume and make up is also very significant in telling the audience about his character. He wears dark purple clothing, dark costumes are generally used in film to signify 'the baddie.' This dark clothing and messy make up create a character who looks visually frightening, this is coupled with a contrasting 'smart look', this is referring to his suit and tie. Another interesting yet creepy aspect of his look is the fact that his make up mimics a clown. Funnily enough, many people find clowns terrifying, despite their supposedly humorous nature. I think this tells the audience, a lot about his character; like his jokes, with a humorous edge, making him all the more creepy.
Strangely, Batman doesn't look like the average protagonist, wearing all black including a mask, makes him seem cold and unfamiliar. However this is only to make him seem more powerful, without making the two characters look similar. The difference is Batman presents himself in a different way, he appears more handsome and clean cut.
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