characters

[michaelvorhees666]

When I write, I always have problems developing my characters. Do you guys have any tips or suggestions?

Thanks,

Sam

[armagecko]

Hey, Sam. It's difficult to accurately explain character development without writing a book-length post. (Although some would say that has never stopped me before. It would be easier to help if I knew which part of development is giving you trouble.

If your characters don't seem to progress, then you may have a problem with theme. If they don't seem realistic, you may be having problems with identity. Also, your problems may lie with other aspects of screenwriting rather than character development. If you could be more precise, it would help. Or, if you want to let me know your specific problem in a script, I can try to point you in the right direction.

I would suggest also checking with your local library, or ebay, or amazon.com and finding a good book that addresses this. (Any good screnwriting book should have a chapter or two on character development). If you're having trouble creating believeable characters, there's a book titled, The Writer's Guide to Character Traits by Linda Edelstein, that you might find useful.

[michaelvorhees666]

my story is about these four teenagers trapped in a school - the stories called "Blackout". Check the section "Writing" under the post "Is this idea any good parts 1 & 2" for more info on the movie.

I just need to know how to show them different and how to effectively portray who they're supposed to be. I started with basic stereotypes just so I could write it, but I would like more in-depth and 3 dimensional characters.

Leslie - band student, nice, puts others before herself, cares too much what other people think of her.

Karen - cheerleader, dresses slu*ish, full of herself, selfish

Kyle - track star, jock, c*cky

Dave - "goth", quiet, smokes

Those are just basic character traits I gave them so I could just write the story to see if it would work. Well, I did write it and it does work, I just now want more in-depth characters. Any ideas?

Thanks

Sam

[armagecko]

Hmmmm. Well, if you've already written the script and "it works," then why would you need any more character development? I guess what I mean is, if you think you can write a script and then go back and plug in "character development," you're on the wrong track. "Conflict comes from character." This is an often-quoted adage among authors. Think of any conflict that you know, like the Middle East problem. Some would say it's a clash of religions. But religions don't kill people. So, it's really a clash of people who believe different things. These sacred beliefs are the very things that allow these people (characters) to kill, lie, and justify. Their beliefs and religions are part of their character and influence their actions and reactions.

Now, let's look at your story. The first 15 pages of your 100-page script should be showing us who your main characters are. That's 15 minutes to show us 4 individuals and how they think. The best way to do this is to show us a conflict. A school fight, a classroom discussion, a homecoming parade, a trip to the movies - anything that brings these 4 folks together and shows us what kinds of people they are. Maybe some of them don't like each other. That's conflict. Remember, you only have 15 minutes (pages). That's not a long time, so you must be quick.

Also, if you want to write a clever script, you will give your audience a clue, in the beginning, as to how these people will win (over the aliens). Of course, the audience won't know it as a clue, but after the end credits roll, it will be obvious.

Other things to think about: Each character needs a weakness. You gave Leslie one already: She cares too much about what people think. Why? She's trying to live up to her popular big sister's reputation? Her dad is a wealthy diplomat who sent her to "obedience school" as a young girl? She wants to be class president next year? See, these things will affect this character throughout the story and determine how she reacts in certain circumstances. Figure out why she is who she is. Uncover the psychology of your characters, then find the best way to reveal them to your audience. To add depth to your story you might want to show that, by the end of the story, each character has managed to overcome (or at least, confront) his, or her, weakness.

For a strong script, however, all of this must be done before you write your final draft. It's kind of like a mystery novel: You think Agatha Christie didn't know the ending to her story before she began writing? Of course, she did. How else could she have left such wonderfully precise, yet hidden, clues? Take Shyamalan's Sixth Sense, for example. His first draft was a totally different kind of story, but he realized the possibilities later and wrote his final draft with total knowledge of how he wanted the story to play and end. That's why his script and his movie are so "tight." He set us up, then carefully led us down the trail, revealing just enough clues along the way, before knocking us out at the end.

It sounds like you came up with your plot first (Alien/School Kids encounter), and then figured out some necessary characters to fill the roles of students. That's exactly how I write, as well. The trick is in figuring out WHO would make the BEST characters. Why is your "goth" character a guy instead of a girl? Why are there four students, instead of three? There should be solid answers to these questions. If you decided to have four just because it sounded like a good number, then you might want to re-think that, because one or more of them may turn out to be "filler" - or undeveloped characters - because they don't serve any function necessary to the plot. Give each of your heroes a part in the solution to the situation, and make their part special and specific to their character. (Maybe Dave's knowledge of Goth music helps him communicate with or confuse the aliens.) This will make every character necessary to the plot, and will help in your character development.

So, as you can see, there's a lot of stuff to think about before you actually "put the pen to the paper." That's why I said earlier, if you've already written the script, adding a little character development might be next to impossible without changing the story considerably. Well, as I said in the last post, it's hard to discuss these things without writing a novel-sized post, but maybe some of these words will prove helpful. Good luck with your script!

[michaelvorhees666]

Thank you SOOO much for those tips. I already started re-writing the whole script. I know it's going to take longer, but if it's going to make it stronger, you should do it. I really liked all your suggestions and I appreciate you replying so....abundently to my question. I like hearing from experienced writers.

Thanks again,

Sam

[DAD]

Just one comment about undeveloped 'filler' characters. These are the ones that you kill early on in a horror fill. Every horror film needs filler characters to do nasty things to so that your heroes have a chance to figure everything out and survive the day. Don't discount or get rid of a character just because he/she isn't fully developed ... use them as cannon fodder.

[armagecko]

That's an interesting comment, DAD, but I don't entirely agree. I don't disagree that we see tons of "filler" characters killed off in most horror flicks that grace the silver screen, but I assumed, in my reply, that Sam wanted to write a GOOD script Seriously though, I think Sam was speaking in terms of main characters needing development, and main characters should NEVER be "filler."

However, you're right, you don't need to give backstory for every face that appears in your script. But, if your character has more than a couple of lines, you need to develop them appropriately.

[sightsunseen]

I usually start out with the "I am" page for each character...before I write or sometimes as I go along.

"I am"
1.) Trained in martial arts but don't like violence
2.) The victim of two failed marriages
3.) Grieving the loss of my first born
etc....

Then I pin these sheets on the walls around the area
where I write...

Once the character is setup like this, it's really easy
to write the story because the "I am" sheets pretty
much get you into the character and you know what
their reactions would be to the situation(s) based
on who they are on the inside.

Most of the "I am" sheet can contain stuff that isn't
even explained in the story or may not be in the story
at all. But the details that will help you write about
the character will always make them "feel" more real,
and that's what it's all about.

[michaelvorhees666]

Thanks for taking the time out to reply. I really appreciate it.

Sam

[Hellraiser]

usually i develop the characters when i am writing. I do the same thing with the plot and theme.

When i write i start with a very BASIC idea, ex. a boy sees dead people (sixth sense)... then i start writing the story with that idea in my mind. Whilst i write the story, i start developing the plot and characters.

Usually i don't have a clue how the story is going to end until the first 30 pages or so. But it works. I never have the whole sory in my mind then start writing it. i start writing a script as soon as i have a really basic and simple idea. So the development of the charaters starts when i start writing the story.