Tips to build the perfect character for your next film
Tips to build the perfect character for your next film
Anjum Rajabali, HOD Screenwriting quoted in WWI Virtual Academy’s Certificate Program in Screenwriting – “The most interesting and therefore the most vital element in your screenwriting effort are going to be your character”. a personality tells the story through his or her experiences within the film, which is directly proportional to the viewer’s experience hence making it an important part during a scriptwriter’s journey to developing the script. However, writing an interesting character is simpler said than done.
We have previously spoken about the steps to visual storytelling, today let’s explore Character building in filmmaking:
What is Character Building?
Character building is that the process of making a personality of fiction by fueling it with emotional depth in order that the audience can relate thereto . The traits of a personality are often distinguished because the fundamental characteristics – meaning the central goals and motivations, and therefore the transformative experiences that shape the character because the story advances.
How to build the right character for your next film to #MakeTheCut:
1. Build your character from your premise
A premise may be a character during a situation, which is a suggestion not just for the character itself but also for the plots, sub-plots, and secondary characters. Get clarity on how you would like the script to travel , find out the dramatic aspects of your story, and build your character from there by asking what are the qualities that your character would require so as to satisfy these tasks. Having a transparent premise will make your task easier by 50%.
2. Create your character’s personality
Once you've got the premise in situ , start building the personality of the protagonist. To bring the foremost out of the character, it's important for you as a scriptwriter to step into your character’s shoes and think as he or she would. you'll use character archetypes to create the inspiration for your character, and from there go underneath the visible layers of the character, for instance , his beliefs, psyche, fears, then on which can reveal themselves because the plot proceeds.
3. Define the antagonist forces
An antagonist force might be as important during a film as a protagonist sometimes . this might be an individual , a situation, or the issues within the character itself that the protagonist gets to beat or fight against so as to rise because the Hero with the progression of the story. The greater the struggles, the more chances for you to interestingly develop the character of your protagonist and antagonist further.