RITERS ORKSHOP CHARACTER

What are the terms we use for characters in screenwriting? . What are the terms we use for characters in screenwriting? Protagonist- The character that is the main focus of your film. The hero or heroine of the film. Antagonist- A character that opposes or stands in the way of the protagonist. Ensemble Cast- A cast of characters that share an equal amount of focus in the film. Round characters- Characters that can change significantly over time. Flat characters- Characters with few traits that don’t change much throughout the film. Character Arc- The transformation that a character goes through over the course of the story.

What is a character? Characters- are the beings that drive your story to be told This can be… a human an animal a robot …or anything else you can add personification to. BUT, as a film student, your characters are probably going to be human.

Character cont. You can find all types of characters in different genres… Westerns have Gunslingers (typically) Romances have the hopeless romantics (typically) Horrors have the “resourceful heroine” (typically)

BUT There are things that you should keep in mind with making any type of character. Let’s look at ‘em

What to think about when creating characters You want your character to be ACTIVE. This means giving them the freedom to make choices in the story. Audience can have trouble connecting if things just HAPPEN to the character, Put your character in a position where they have to make a decisions that push the story forward. Imagine your character as a driver and your story as a car. A driver dictates where a car is going to go, just like your character should dictate where your story goes. Just like the protagonist drives the story, something should drive your character. This is your character’s desire. This desire should be specific to the character in a way that reflects their values. We should know what your character wants most, why they want it, and what they’ll do to get it.

HOW DO YOU DO THIS? Think about the story you’re trying to tell? How does your character fuel it? Their external conflict Their internal conflict What is your character like? What makes us like or dislike the character? Their strengths Their weaknesses Psychological weaknesses- a character weakness that only hurts themselves Moral weaknesses- a character weakness that hurts others as well (The psychological and moral weaknesses are usually tied together in some way) Ex. A character being paranoid would be a psychological weakness. That same character being antagonistic to people they cares about, due to their paranoia would be a moral weakness.

Cont. In a feature film, a character could have many obstacles that they are tasked with facing. Short films typically don’t allow for long, drawn out character arcs so it’s a good idea to give your character one major goal to pursue. Your character doesn’t always have to succeed in their goal BUT you do want to make sure they’ve changed in some way. You should challenge your character through your writing. They should struggle to get what they want, forcing them to leave their comfort zone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncz4BnaDlb4

Cont. Having an antagonist is a great way to challenge your main character. Develop your antagonist with the same amount of care that you develop your protagonist. It’s ideal for your protagonist and antagonist to have opposing values. This will naturally create conflicts that you can build upon. The best antagonist is one that can successfully feed into the protagonist’s weakness. While he and Batman are both battling for the soul of Gotham, they value different things. This Results in them using extremely different tactics to get what they want. The Joker knows that Batman refuses to kill, so he creates situations to challenge this value.

NOW LET’S WATCH A SHORT FILM

Look out for: What is the character like? (Traits, Strengths/Weaknesses) What does the character want? (Internal/External conflicts) What will they do to reach their goal? Does the character overcome their conflicts? How does the character change by the end of the film? https://vimeo.com/169644402

ACTIVITY Create a protagonist Then make a conflict that involves either a gun or a box REMEMBER TO INCLUDE: The strengths and weaknesses of the character. Their goals and what choices they make to reach them. The change that each character goes through by the end.