Reel Expression

Anyone can fiddle with plot, structure and even dialogue, but the creation of a living, breathing, viable character in which we have a vested interest in is mostly a mystery. The more you understand everything about your character, the better you will write him/her in a more human way.

A good trick to use for this is something we call the complete character generator. It’s a series of 38 questions that I’ve typed out below. Answer these questions for every character in your story, not just the mains.

All of this information shouldn’t come out in the script, but the better you know your character the more true to them you can write. Their subtext. How they react to every situation depends on who they are as a person. If you write your character doing something out of character for no reason other than to further the plot, the audience will know.

1. Who is your main character?
Gender?
Age?
Religion?
Politics?
Race?
Place of birth?
Birthplace of parents?
Birthplace of grandparents?
Siblings - how many? How old?

2. What does he/she look like?
Appearance?
Body type?
Hair colour and eye colour?
Vision - glasses or contact lens
Style of dress
Personal hygiene - immaculate, needs a bath, haircut
Style of movement - graceful (former dancer), awkward - put on weight, never lost it after the baby, slow?

Speech:
Accent? Affected?
Style of speech? Breathy? Girly? Campy? Fast? Soft? Loud?

Financial category?
Low income?
Lower middle class?
Middle class?
Well off?
Incredibly wealthy - privileged?

3. What does he/she want?
Money
Power
Respect
High social status
Awards
Love
Justice
Freedom
To own a home?
To become a partner?
To get married?
To own a business?
Get a new job?
Live abroad?

4. What is she/he most afraid of?
Money
Power
Respect
Freedom
A new job, ect

5. How far will he/she go to get it?
Lie?
Cheat?
Steal?
Betray? Who, spouse? Friend? Employer? Government?
Sabotage?
Kill?

6. What does the character need?
Food? Shelter? Clothes?
Love? Companionship? Social status?

7. What will the character do to fill that need?
Lie?
Cheat?
Steal?
Betray? Who, spouse? Friend? Employer? Government?
Sabotage?
Kill?

8. For whom would he/she break the law?
Spouse?
Child?
Parents?
Siblings?
Friends?
Lovers?
No one?

9. How far would your character go to hide his/her deepest secret?
Lie
Steal
Bribe
Betray a stranger
Betray a friend
Betray God
Betray a loved on - who?
Give up material possessions
Leave everyone familiar and assume another name and life?
Kill?
Sacrifice…what?

10. How does your character evolve?
What does he learn in the course of the story?
How does he change because of what is learned/experienced?
Does this knowledge add to his happiness? Self-worth?
Does the knowledge have a negative effect?

11. What obstacles are in the path of the character’s objectives?
The law
Social customs
Morals
Ethics
People

12. For whom or what will your character make sacrifices?
A friend, lover, child, parent, principle, religion, self?

13. What does your character sacrifice?
Material wealth/possession?
Personal safety?
Status?
Honor?
Respect of others?
Freedom?
His or her life?

14. Why does your character make this sacrifice?

15. Is your character inspired by a real person?
Someone in your own life?
Past life?
A historical figure you’ve studied?
The image of an actor or actress?
A character in a book, film, play?
The public persona of somebody in the news?
Yourself, or aspects of yourself?
The “you” you wished you were?

16. Who is the most important person in your character’s present life?
Spouse, child, parent, boss, friend, lover?

17. Is that person in the story?

18. Who is the most important person in your character’s back story?
Parents, authority figure, teacher, priest, object of character’s passion? Object of character’s obsession? Wife or husband? A child?

19. Is that person in your story?

20. What’s your character’s religion?
Does he go to services?
Regular or just High holidays?
Is religion important to his/her behavior? Praying before meals, missionary, ect?

21. What difficult decision must your character make?

22. Has your character been labeled by others?

23. Does your character have a sense of humour?
Practical jokester?
Quick verbal wit?
What strikes him as funny?
Who’s your character faviourite comedian?
Does he have a favourite cartoon? Cartoon character?

24. Who’s your character’s best friend? Is he/she in the story?

25. Does your character keep up friendships?
Writing letters, email, phone, gifts?

26. Has your character ever been the victim of a crime?

27. What kind of car?
How it’s taken care of? Bumper stickers, ect
Who taught him how to drive?
What’s in the trunk?
Does he pick up hitchhikers?
Does he eat/drink in the car? Shave?

28. Does your character have a pet?

29. What makes your character vulnerable?
Plight of loved ones? Pets?
Strangers?
Appeals to sense of honor?
Appeals to sense of gilt?

30. Do they act on that vulnerability?

31. List your characters favourite leisure activities.

32. What accidents has your character been in?

33. What does your character feel guilty about?
Act cruelly in the past? A lie? A betrayal? Not being able to prevent a tragedy? Not believing somebody til a tragedy happened?

34. What is your character’s career or job?

35. How much money do they have?

36. What would they do with an unexpected windfall?

37. What would his/her friends like to change about the character?
Stubborn? Judgmental? Unreliable? Temper? What makes him angry? What makes him happy? Impetuous? Form opinions quickly? Impatient? Swearing to excess? Over exaggeration? Unfocussed? Spacey? Indecisive?

38. What kind of trouble does he/she get into?
Romantic trouble?
Legal trouble?
Mortal danger?
Takes on someone else’s troubles?
Big risks?
Plunges into danger?