Initial Character Creation
In the past I’ve written a number of articles on the finer points of creating a character. This article covers initial character creation. Think of the following loose guidelines as the skeleton of the character, while such issues as background, psychology and relationships flesh out the character and help them become unique and memorable.
Kick Start My Heart
There are plenty of media and artistic outlets these days which can help greatly when looking for inspiration for a character. This is why you should make it a mission to take in as much of this as you possibly can. Watch movies, read scripts, read books, listen to music, view art and go out and meet new people. All of these things can spark off an idea for a character. You might watch a movie and find a character you like that can be amalgamated with a person you know to make a great character for your script.
Once you’ve found the basic premise for your character (the heartbeat) then you might like to write out a character sheet.
Character Sheet
A character sheet is a rudimentary list of physical and background traits that your character has. At this stage you don’t have to be too in depth, you just want an idea of who the character is. While I advise that you write down physical traits in a character sheet you should avoid describing a character’s appearance in your screenplay unless there is a particularly unusual physical feature. Instead you should use your written physical description so you have a visual image in your head of the character.
Below you will find a sample character sheet –
Close family:
Close friends:
Occupation:
Social status:
Finances:
Hobbies:
Appearance:
Age:
Place of birth:
Current location:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Biggest accomplishment/failure:
Hopes and fears:
Other notes:
Name:
If you can fill a character sheet like this you have everything you need to know about a character to make them a viable commodity. You might notice that I’ve put the choice of name last. This is because I like to know about the character before choosing a name that I think fits them. It can be the very last thing I do when creating a character. For more on choosing a character name click here.
Finding The Character Concept
A character means nothing if they have nothing to do. Now that you know quite a lot about your character you have to find a reasoning behind them. You don’t need to write a lot, just a sentence or two about who the character is and what they’re trying to do.
“Pike Herring refused to work at the family fishing tackle shop. He left home at a young age and turned to a life of crime. With the police hot on his heels Pike is determined to avoid the net closing in on him.”
As jokey as this particular character concept is you should be able to see the potential for character growth and potential storylines and subplots.
Side note: FilmScriptWriting does not endorse bad fish pun based movies. They are cod awful.
Character Introduction
As the saying goes, you only get one chance to make a first impression. That is why it is important to spend a good amount of time on introducing your character into your script. In films characters are generally introduced either in their own short scenes or by meeting a pre-existing character. This means that the first scene of your movie should usually introduce your main character and do so in a dynamic way so the person reading your script is instantly hooked. You could also include a friend of the main character which gives you more leeway in introducing future characters.
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The most important thing in character creation is to take your time with it and enjoy it. A rushed character is all too easy to spot. Make it your goal over the next couple of weeks to put together one character and see how rich and deep you can make them. This character could be the one starring in a future blockbuster!
Have fun.
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