What's Your Problem? Introducing Characters in Screenplays

By: Robb Auspitz - [writing]
A lot of hair is pulled out before our computers as we search for the right words to introduce our beloved characters. The fact is that doing this well is both simpler and more complex than you might think.

The very first thing to understand about introducing characters is that there are two issues: one is mechanical, simply a matter of getting the information on the page; the other is more complex, a structural challenge related to the development of character and story.

Most beginning writers kill themselves trying to figure out the first problem, which is simply how to get the information on the page. They know from books and seminars that they should name the character, put the age, and list some sort of description. Often this leads to clunky paragraphs full of details that don't serve the story, or things that are impossible for an actor to play without being put into action.

Examples of the former are descriptions of beauty, clothing, facial expressions, hairstyles and notable scars, unless they are details we must know, and would not expect. For example, for a Mafia character, it's enough to know he's a 'Wiseguy.' We don't need to know what he's wearing, unless he doesn't dress like a Wiseguy.

Examples of the latter are traits like, 'shy,' 'heart of gold,' 'dry sense of humor,' 'guy who no one wants to be around.' They also might be likes and dislikes, political attitudes or temperament. In order to know those things about the character, we need to see them interact with other characters. They aren't qualities as much as actions. You know the saying, 'love is a verb.' All feelings are, in fact, verbs in dramatic writing. All qualities and character traits are verbs. Remember, the viewer is not going to read your script. So if the character doesn't say it or act it out, it isn't real. Furthermore, if a character does not actually embody a trait and act on it, the reader will forget the description.

Read, read, and read some more.

The best recommendation I can offer to discover what you need and don't need is to go right to the source. Start with twenty movies you think are well-written. By well-written, I don't mean 'intellectual.' Dumb and Dumber is well-written. You know if a movie is well-written, because you were engaged from beginning to end, you didn't see huge story holes, you didn't contemplate the scenery. A well-written movie is a good movie.

Pick your movies from different genres and different scopes, from broad comedies to adventures to tiny dramas. Think X-2 as well as Lost In Translation. Look at how the writing conveys the tone (which inevitably affects how the character is perceived), and how, exactly, characters are introduced.

You might be surprised by how many people try to write screenplays without having read them. They figure they've seen a lot of movies in their time, so there's no need to read the script. Sure, you can see how stories are put together by watching movies. But you cannot figure out how to get the story on the page without studying excellent writers. Look at every detail they reveal. Look at what they leave out. Look at the pacing of how they mete out details. How much physical description comes right away? If any? Or are there other elements that actually define and describe the character? Often the environment the writer puts the character in, the context, can better describe the character and what he faces than physical traits. If a white man goes strolling through the hood, for instance, you've got context. Then you can dial in details. Is he a businessman whose car broke down? Is he a wannabe gangsta? Is he a Narc? Your description would paint who he is within this context, and what he faces. His situation and the struggle within it will define him more completely than a page of character traits could.

Dumb and Dumber, Adaptation, American Pie

Let's look at some real examples from screenplays available free online.

Take a look at the screenplay for Dumb and Dumber, written by the incredibly incisive Farrelly Brothers. Before you actually meet Lloyd Christmas, you meet a pretty young girl on the street corner. A limo drives by, slams on its brakes. The window rolls down. Now we get our only physical description of Lloyd Christmas, 'age 30, pleasant-enough looking guy, if a little shaggy. He's wearing a dark suit.' He seems to be a doctor looking for a hospital, but the complete idiocy of his statements makes it clear he could be no doctor. We're not surprised, though we enjoy it, when he turns out to be the chauffeur, not the client (hence the dark suit).

In a page of simple action, we meet a guy who is classless enough to slam on the brakes in front of a pretty woman. It could be endearing, but it's a little desperate. Then he proves he is the kind of guy to pretend to be someone else, but he's too much of a nitwit to pull that off. The good doctor makes a complete ass of himself, and is blissfully ignorant of that fact by the time the scene ends.

The writers could have said he was 'stupid-looking,' 'had big buck teeth' or was 'the kind of guy no girl would take seriously.' Instead, they use action to tell us more about Lloyd than a few phrases ever could.

Or check out an early draft of Adapation by Charlie and Donald Kaufman. The writers first set a cheeky tone by establishing a barren, amoebic earth which smash cuts to Hollywood after a title card 'Forty Million Years Later.' Then they introduce us to Charlie via a birthday card from his parents wishing him a happy 40th birthday. The entire physical description is 'a fat balding man in a purple sweater with tags still attached.' And he's pacing. This is a clear and simple way of conveying Charlie's pathetic life. He's an unlikely hero, we know that. He's not having a swank bachelor party for his fortieth. He doesn't know to dress, and it wouldn't help anyway. After all, he's home alone reading cards on the mantle from his mommy.

The opening of the movie changes by production time, but its essence remains. Notice how economical it is and how each detail defines him as a unique character in unique circumstances, yet still as someone with whom we can identify.

Or look at American Pie. In this case, the writer actually breaks in with an editorial voice, explaining that most high school guys know, but won't admit, that pay channels can be watched while scrambled, if they have enough imagination. This is an unusual tactic, but it does two things very well: it sets the tone of the piece, and establishes Jim as a character with imagination.

We then meet Jim, described simply as 17, short and horny. He grabs a tube sock to, uh, take care of things. His mom enters. In one of the truly great and painful screen moments, he has to give his mom a kiss in his condition. Then dad is in on the scene, and it just gets worse. A brief comedy of errors sets the tone of the movie, introduces three characters, a lead character's goal (he needs a real girl), and his caring parents as obstacles. It does this with only two adjectives to describe Jim. The rest is action.

The real stuff of character introduction takes place in the action of the story. You need to establish, in one swift picture, your character, his place in the world, and what he'll be up against. Looking back we must know why we entered the character's life just then. His plight should continue to peel open as the setup continues.

If you aren't able to produce brilliant introductions just yet, don't be discouraged. The setup might be the most difficult task of the screenwriter. Soon you will begin to see that it isn't the actual words that are holding you back from introducing your characters, it's the accomplishment of clarity and focus for your story.

The Ladykillers and Bend It Like Beckham

Let's look at a couple of films, one in recent release, and one recently out on DVD.

The Ladykillers, by Joel and Ethan Coen, wasn't universally loved, but the Coens are masters at introducing characters. Think about the three convicts popping up in the field in O Brother Where Art Thou? Or Hi's expression of love toward Edwina as his mugshot is taken in Raising Arizona. The Coens always find a way to make things fresh, and to give you an immediate sense of what their characters are up against. They're also masters at making us root for unlikable characters, often beyond our comfort level.

In The Ladykillers, I'm going to skip the protagonist and look at the introduction of the minor characters. The Coens break a lot of rules, and spend more time doing so than most writers could get away with. But they also keep your interest, and they do this because they understand what's driving the character, and what his role is in the story.

Look at the introduction of 'Lump,' whose football helmet we live inside of for a few beats. The Coens completely break point of view and put the audience inside Lump's head, which is, apparently, quite empty. This we learn from his actions. Lump makes no attempt to adjust his movements, for example, when a linebacker flattens him time and again, telling us something of his intellect. But he gets up, which tells us something of his strength. He's shocked (he grunts a question) when the quarterback informs him the ball will come to him, which tells us he's not used to being trusted. When the ball finally does come, it hits him, and us, in the facemask, which tells us he really needs a new line of work. This is a man who will follow an undeserving leader into a foolish scheme.

What the rest of the recruits ultimately have in common is that they all need new lines of work, and they have nothing to lose. We meet a weapons expert who accidentally kills his charge (a dog). We meet a Vietnamese General, who quickly proves himself both unflappable and in need of a challenge as he stops the onslaught of two donut shop thugs with quick thrusts into their nasal orifices. The writers nicely tie in the gangsta-in-the-donut-shop theme (they introduced the gangsta rap thread in the opening sequence) when they bring in the dreadlocked casino janitor with rap ambitions. Clearly the janitorial route is a dead-end job, but it's clear that this slacker isn't going to keep his job without some greater motivation, like being the mole for a heist into a casino.

In understanding exactly where the characters need to go, the writers are able to create fresh and creative introductions. In this story, the minor characters have multiple functions. They need to help Tom Hanks' character pull off his heist, they need to get us in their corner so we're rooting for the heist, they need to fill the functions of the henchmen imperfectly, but not beyond hope, and they need to be the type of people we won't miss much if something should, say, go wrong.

In Bend It Like Beckham, the writers introduce our heroine in quick, vivid strokes. We begin in a professional men's soccer match following superstar, David Beckham. Suddenly, a young Indian girl materializes onscreen, becoming the star. Short cuts of hyperbolic newscasts continue the charade, until the girl's mother sends the fantasy crashing down. Interviewed, she tells the audience she isn't proud of her daughter; on the contrary, she's ashamed to have a daughter running around with bare legs and making a fool of herself. Then the story smashes to the girl's bedroom, a shrine to Beckham, and the movie swiftly dissolves into the world of her sister's wedding. In minutes, we learn exactly who this protagonist is, how badly she wants to play, what will stop her, and what will pull her away from her heart's desire. It's sweet, funny, and incredibly economical.

I could go on with these descriptions, but I hope you can see what's happening. The writers introduce the characters with a snapshot. They give them context, and give them something to want, and something to do. Then they develop from there, unpeeling and layering.

Once you understand who your characters really are in your story, their introductions will flow from the keys.

Now, get on with those stories!

Sheila

Article title: What's Your Problem? Introducing Characters in Screenplays

Author: Sheila Gallien

Word count: 2119

Copyright date: May, 2004

URL: http://www.sheilagallien.com

Mailto: sgallien@earthlink.net

>>Reprint/Distribution Source : ArticleWareHouse.com