Stavros Stavrides | Cyber Film School

3. Character Development

A valuable exercise in the development of your story is getting to know your characters. The definition and development of character is one of the central concerns of the writer. Their motivations are what drive the story forward. If you don’t know who your characters are, you don’t know why anything in your story is happening, and you are lost.

Contributed By Glen Berry, Edited By Stavros C. Stavrides

Important Concepts

Create “Real” Characters
Find your character’s motivation
Character Arc is the heart of the story

The Back Story

In a feature-length project, we have some time to develop character. In a short film, it is much more challenging. We must be very utilitarian with the words on the page to draw out an interesting character.

Often, the details about your characters may not even be exposed onscreen, but are the most important factor in making them rich and full and believable. Ask yourself:

What do they look like?
Into what social standing were they born?
What is their philosophical position?
Are they religious?
What phase of life are they in?
What events have shaped their lives up to this point?
Have they led an extraordinary life? Have they travelled the world?
Do they take risks?
Can they maintain a long-term relationship?
What are their personal quirks and traits?

Answering these kinds of questions is the background work necessary to create a complete character. You need to know many things about your character outside the framework of the story (the back story) to understand what happens inside the story. A clear idea of the character will translate to the page. It will be easily understood by a competent director or actor. If your idea of the character is unclear, it will also be unclear to the actors when they try to work through the lines and understand who it is that they are portraying.

The Environment

Research is the key to finding the details to wrap around your characters to make them three-dimensional people. Know your setting, the environment in which this person lives, even if it is imaginary.

The environment will shape the person and allow you to dig into the development of their psyche. Think about the actor that will have to portray this character, to be believable in these imaginary circumstances you set up. It must be clear who the characters are and what drives them forward.

The Protagonist

Every story has a protagonist, the main character, and usually a hero.

If a person stands in the way of the protagonist, they are called the antagonist. In the classic sense, the antagonist is the ‘bad guy’. It is the differences between the antagonist and the protagonist that provide telling information about the protagonist’s character.

The antagonist and the protagonist maneuver in a push-and-pull dynamic that results in conflict, which drives our plot forward. We have many types of conflicts that drive our story forward, it could be human vs. human, human vs. society, human vs. nature, human vs. the supernatural or human vs. him/herself.

No matter what the approach, you must still identify the protagonist and what motivates them to discover the heart of your story.

This post is a reformatted section from the chapter “Screenwriting” in
Cyber Film School’s Multi-Touch Filmmaking Textbook.

The Character Arc

The protagonist has an objective to obtain and an internal drive to obtain it. The way we learn about the protagonist is what they are seeking, how they go about the search and how they handle obstacles put in their path.

This is commonly described as a character arc. Like the dramatic curve, characters go through a transformation over the course of our three acts.

The protagonist, in particular, is going to have highs and lows as they move through their struggles to overcome obstacles and resolve the conflict that they face. By the end of the story, the protagonist will be changed in some way by the events that transpire.

We ourselves are shaped by the events of our lives, and so are our characters.

Such changes can be positive or negative but it is the effect that events have on the behavior of our character that demonstrates to the audience what it is that we are trying to say.

If the protagonist meets with failure, why do they meet with failure:

How does it affect them?
Does it destroy them or make them stronger?
Does success yield happiness?
If it does not, why not?

And if the main character does not change at all, what does that say about them and their life? In these questions, we will find the heart of our story.

The Hero’s Not Always Good!

A common mistake in character development is to assign the protagonist all good traits and the antagonist all bad traits. This is a device of comic books and Kung Fu movies and although entertaining, it does not make for a believable character.

We all have weaknesses (as we dare to admit). Our frailty, or dark side, makes us more human, and more believable. If you do not have a believable character, there is little authenticity for the actor to grab onto.

Real life is not so simple – there is no such thing as all-good guys and all-bad guys. Although difficult, introduce some vices to your knight in shining armour and some virtues to your wicked stepmother.

It is the natural tendency of the audience to identify with the protagonist. Giving him or her some flaws will make that character more sympathetic, particularly if the antagonist exploits those weaknesses. Have no fear; your protagonist can absorb a great deal of trashing before he or she is sullied in the eyes of your audience.

The Anti-Hero

This interesting effect gave rise to the anti-hero popularized in several of the Spaghetti Western Clint Eastwood films where the protagonist is nearly indistinguishable from the antagonist in character.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is an excellent example of the anti-hero. In one scene, the protagonist dissolves his partnership by leaving his companion in the middle of the desert without water to die or be captured and executed.

What makes a protagonist that would behave in such a way the ‘good guy’? That’s the kind of question that draws in the viewer instead of boring them with clichés.

The distinction between good and evil can be so subtle as to be nearly indistinguishable. It is in those small differences we find the difference between a good person drawn into the evils of the world and a person who has given themselves over to evil acts.

It is a fine line to ride. Strive to create an imperfect and real character that challenges the viewer’s notions of right and wrong, yet allows them sufficient justification to believe in their good traits and intentions.

The audience will identify with the main character if you give them half a chance and they will excuse his or her flaws and sympathize with their struggle.

The Foil

A story-telling device that often proves useful is that of the foil. The foil is the friend or companion of the protagonist that is great, but not that great.

The purpose of the foil is to make the protagonist look good. The foil is often a likeable and charismatic sidekick.

The foil is never far from the protagonist’s side but lives constantly in his shadow. The death of the foil at the hands of the antagonist is commonly used as the spark that sets the protagonist in motion to the final confrontation, which we will discuss in more detail later.

Less is More

When establishing your cast of characters, remember that less is more. You only have enough time to develop so many characters who have a meaningful role in your story.

The audience will only care about a few, so make your choices well. Combine characters where possible to focus your attention and the attention of the audience on as few people as possible. It’s no mistake that films with large casts tend to be sweeping epics. Character development takes time.

When you are creating a short film, you have very limited time to introduce characters and develop them. Focus on your protagonist. They will be the star of your film and the agent of your concept. Be very mindful of any character development that does not revolve around your protagonist.

Summary

The concept of your screenplay should be reducible to a few sentences. Without this clarity, you cannot build a story.
Invest time in determining how your concept is different from others and how it might be the same. This will save you from unwittingly remaking another film.
Many independent films suffer from a lack of clarity, which can almost always be traced to poor structure. Breaking from convention is encouraged but if the result is confusion, look at your story structure.

NEXT>>>
SCREENPLAY FORMAT
The importance of a properly formatted screenplay

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STORY STRUCTURE
The importance of a property formatted screenplay

Make Cinema Your Language

Cinema is a language we all understand, but not everyone ‘speaks’ it–directors do.

This interactive, self-guided textbook is a director’s toolbox, made for Apple Books.

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Gain practical, adaptable creative skills and insight that transcend technological changes, be it a camera, mobile device, or AI.

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2. Story Structure Clarifies The Concept

Films that suffer from a lack of clarity and confuse an audience can usually trace their problem to poor story structure.

If you have trouble shaping your film’s concept into a narrative, think of how your screenplay should be structured and what you’re trying to say. If we still can’t get to the end of the story – that’s likely a structural problem.

Contributed By Glen Berry, Edited by Stavros C. Stavrides

Important Concepts

Start with a premise
Do your Research
Structure Clarifies the Concept

Although there are different schools of thought on the sections in a story, we will be discussing Aristotle’s Three Act Structure. This structure dictates that every story has three acts: a beginning, middle and end. I know this sounds elementary but each act has particular properties.

This structure can be described with a diagram called The Dramatic Curve.

The Three Acts

In the First Act, the main character, or protagonist, is introduced and the location is set. This description of the character and the setting is called Exposition.

Bridging the First and Second Act, the protagonist is confronted with some kind of obstacle. The presentation of this obstacle, or conflict, is the inciting moment or incident.

This second act is mainly comprised of the protagonist’s attempts to overcome this obstacle. The protagonist cannot accomplish their objective easily, for if they did, there would be no story. Complications arise, and tension increases as the protagonist attempts to overcome this obstacle. This rising action is what drives our story forward.

The Third Act contains the climax of the story, where this conflict is resolved and final obstacles overcome. If the story works out in favor of the protagonist, it is comedy. If it works out against the protagonist, it is a tragedy. Denouement is a French term that literally translates to the unravelling of a knot. In the denouement, we see the aftermath of the resolution and how it affects the characters in the story.

It is in the resolution of this conflict that we find whatever it is that we are trying to say. Most times, writers have difficulty with how their story ends. They may have an interesting setting or conflict but it is in the resolution that we find the content of the story. If you do not know how the story ends, you do not know your story.

This post is a support article from Cyber Film School’s
Multi-Touch Learning System, 2022 Edition

Contract With Your Audience

What do we want the audience to leave the theater with?

We do not have to create works that will change the world but we should know what idea we want to put forward. It doesn’t really matter what the content is of the story you decide to make but you do have an obligation to tell a story.

You cannot ask the audience to sit and spend time with you if you do not deliver something that will engage them. You have a contract with the audience. They spend time with you, you will entertain them. The subject matter can be serious, it can be odd, it can be comic, or it can be sad. It doesn’t matter what it is but you must deliver.

You must say something or you are wasting your time and energy.

Find an idea that intrigues you and then find what about it is important to you. Then you can build a story around communicating that idea to others.

Summary

• The concept of your screenplay should be reducible to a few sentences. Without this clarity, you cannot build a story.

• Invest time in determining how your concept is different from others and how it might be the same. This will save you from unwittingly remaking another film.

• Many independent films suffer from a lack of clarity, which can almost always be traced to poor structure. Breaking from the convention is encouraged but if the result is confusion, look at your story structure.

NEXT>>>
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Protagonists, antagonists, anti-heroes and their relationship to the story

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PREMISE & ORIGINALITY
The most powerful weapon of the independent filmmaker.

Make Cinema Your Language

Cinema is a language we all understand, but not everyone ‘speaks’ it–directors do.

This interactive, self-guided textbook is a director’s toolbox, made for Apple Books.

Embrace a solid foundation with a future-proof, classic combo of theory, technique, history, and critical thinking.

Gain practical, adaptable creative skills and insight that transcend technological changes, be it a camera, mobile device, or AI.

Visit the Book Page Now

Writing Is Rewriting: Being Bad is Legit

Writing is a process and what beginning writers often forget, blinded by their insecure craft and fragile egos, is that “being bad” is a legitimate part of that process.

What beginning writers often forget, blinded by their insecure craft, is that “being bad” is a legitimate part of that process. Even first drafts from famous authors like Faulkner, Steinbeck, and Hemingway were ‘bad’. It’s liberating to know that the best writers in the land wrote drafts that needed tons of rewriting.

by Charles Deemer
Edited bt Stavros C. Stavrides

Read with a fixed eye on flow & character
The chainsaw is your friend
Crank it up

Reading with a Fixed Eye

The rewriting process begins with careful re-readings of your draft. I suggest a quick read first, just to see how the story flows, and then a series of more careful readings, each focusing on a particular aspect of the draft.

Begin the careful readings with a focus on the main character. Is, in fact, the protagonist ALWAYS the focus of the story?

Often in beginning scripts the main character “disappears” in Act Two. The character simply may be absent for pages at a time – I get nervous when my protagonist is not in a scene for five consecutive pages.

Other times the protagonist is around but too passive, others are doing everything. At still other times some other character proves to be far more interesting than the main character (evil characters often steal the stage this way).

Make sure your script follows the main character on “a journey” through the story: that the protagonist is always front and central, that the journey moves into situations of increasing jeopardy, that the pace quickens into a rush through Act Three, and that the protagonist grows from the journey.

This is a free support article for Cyber Film School’s Multi-Touch Filmmaking Textbook

The Chainsaw is Your Friend

The next thing to look at is script economy.

First, look at your scene design: when do scenes begin? when do scenes end? Typically, in a first draft, there will be scenes that begin too early, using a setup that is not necessary and only slows down the story.

Also, there will be scenes that end too late, dragging on with meaningless chat after the point of the scene has been made.

Look at the dialogue. Most six-line speeches can be trimmed to two or three lines without losing anything. Look for idle chat — nothing slows down a story narrative more than chatter. Look for expository dialogue (talk that is primarily informational) and find visual ways to present the same information.

Sometimes a beginner will improve the economy so much that the pagination of a script slips below minimum standards (about 90 pages today). If this happens to you, then you need to find ways to beef up your story and make it more complex, requiring new scenes to bring the pagination up.

This is a conceptual change, not an exercise in padding! If you don’t add story elements, you will be padding, which is the opposite of your rewriting charge to make the script tighter.

I tell my students that “the chainsaw is your friend.” Therefore, use it! This becomes a mantra in my screenwriting classes.

Make sure to read our related article for a deeper look into streamlining your draft:
Minimalist Screenplay Tips for Maximum Punch

Crank It Up

Look for ways to crank up your story, making everything matter more.

For example, a student of mine wrote a scene in which a husband moves out after believing (wrongly, it turns out) that his wife is having an affair. The wife, who is the protagonist, has been flirting with her old high school boyfriend, who has appeared out of nowhere. The story is about how the wife comes to appreciate, after a marital crisis, how good her marriage really is.

On rewrite, the student “cranked up” the scene above by having the husband take the children with him when he left. Suddenly the stakes are much higher! This is one way to crank up a scene to make it matter more.

Take your time during the rewriting process. Now is the time to let things spin around in your head; there’s no hurry. If you strengthen the focus on the protagonist, make the script tighter and more efficient, and raise the stakes in the story, you’ll be on your way toward a much improved second draft.

<<<BACK TO
‘LEARN SCREENWRITING‘

Make Cinema Your Language

Cinema is a language we all understand, but not everyone ‘speaks’ it–directors do.

This interactive, self-guided textbook is a director’s toolbox, made for Apple Books.

Embrace a solid foundation with a future-proof, classic combo of theory, technique, history, and critical thinking.

Gain practical, adaptable creative skills and insight that transcend technological changes, be it a camera, mobile device, or AI.

Visit the Book Page Now