Useful Stuff for Screenwriters

Showing category "Characters" (Show all posts)

Make Your Characters More Human

Posted by Julie Stewart on Friday, October 23, 2009, In : Characters 

The Essence of Character by Linda Cowgill

Just like real people, characters are defined by their actions more than their words. Linda Seger gives you three rules that will help your characters become more human.

Great movies constantly replay in our imaginations, on the same bill with other memories, fantasies, and dreams. How do they get there? What makes us include them in that highest of personal repertories? Unlike other memories, we haven't directly experienced "the plot" of the mo...


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Create Character Depth

Posted by on Monday, April 20, 2009, In : Characters 

As screenwriters we are are often told to layer our scripts with subtext, reversals, etc. This is important because it adds ‘depth’ to the characters and the plot bringing thee story alive on the page and screen. Yet layering is a technique which often eludes even the best screenwriters.

This post focusses on creating character depth via reflection techniques because these ‘techniques’ often create layering without much effort on the screenwriter’s part. A screenwriter who masters...


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Characters Checklist

Posted by Julie Stewart on Friday, March 27, 2009, In : Characters 
Re-read your screenplay and ask yourself these questions :

1. Are the parts castable? Does the film have roles that stars will want to play?

2. Action and humor should emanate from the characters, and not just thrown in for the sake of a laugh. Comedy which violates the integrity of the characters or oversteps the reality-world of the film may get a laugh, but it will ultimately unravel the picture. Don't break the fourth wall, no matter how tempting.

3. Audiences want to see characters who car...
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