What's More Important For a Story: Characterization or The Overall Plot?

[Timothy Hunter]

There are many elements that make a story well told, but I ask you dear poster, what is the more important part of a story: it's characters or it's plot?

[DrNewGod]

I think it takes both.

[C_Miller]

It certainly takes both, but me it's all about the characters. I think you can have a plot without great, well developed characters, but it's hard to have well developed characters without a good plot. So when you focus on the characters, a plot will fall into place.

[Timothy Hunter]

I think it takes both.

Obviously there needs to be a balance, I am simply asking of the too, which is more fundamental to a film being of high quality or not. Let me ask you this, would you prefer a movie with a great, well crafted narrative, but with lackluster characters, or a movie with terrific characters in expense of the overarching plot?

[KyCoo]

I believe that characters once they get their persona, pave the way and give direction to the plot.

[CaptCleghorn]

The mistake is believing that one is more important than the other all of the time. In some cases, characterization takes more importance. In others, plot does.

[DrNewGod]

Obviously there needs to be a balance, I am simply asking of the too, which is more fundamental to a film being of high quality or not. Let me ask you this, would you prefer a movie with a great, well crafted narrative, but with lackluster characters, or a movie with terrific characters in expense of the overarching plot?

IMO, there's not a universal formula about which is more important. Some stories can be more plot driven, with the characterization providing a framework in which to define most likely reactions, and others can be all about character exploration with the plot serving merely as a mcguffin to move things along.

[Reb]

depends. both is the right answer tho lol

[Kusanagi]

As others have state both is the correct answer, but gun to my head I feel once you've established endearing/interesting characters, you'll far more likely to wade through a meh story. On the other side of the coin I've given up on plots that were incredibly fascinating but had completely dull or outright hateable leads.

[Starter Set]

You need to have at least one of the two for a good story, which one is more important is only up to your personal preference. Story driven, character driven, i can think of lot of excellent examples for both.

But for me it's story first.