A few weeks ago, a kind reader re-posted something I’d written awhile back about character. Here’s what I/he said:
“You must know how to plot, how to structure a story. But if you really want to make it as a screenwriter, learn character. Learn how to make a character likable. Learn how to make a character interesting. Learn how to arc a character. Learn how to create unresolved backstories for characters. Learn how to create unresolved relationships between characters. Because the truth is, anybody can learn how to plot a script with enough practice. So the pool of competition in that arena is endless. But the number of writers who understand (and I mean TRULY understand) character is far fewer. So if you can master that skill, you will be in very high demand in this town.”
This might seem narcissistic, but the whole time I was reading this, I was nodding my head, going, “Oh my God, that’s sooooo true.” And it is true. Character is what separates the raccoons from the squirrels. Studios can come up with their own concepts. It’s not difficult to say, “How bout Robots versus Monsters?!” They can get great actors. They can add A++ production design. They can market the shit out of anything. They can even cobble together a storyline if need be. But the one thing they can’t do? Come up with compelling characters that an audience cares about. It’s the one thing THEY NEED YOU for. This is why the skill of character creation is so valuable. It really is something that only a tiny percentage of writers can pull off. Want to join that percentage? Join me as I go into each of my five points.
1) Learn how to make a character likable.
It’s one of the first things that you hear when you start your screenwriting journey. “Make your main character likable.” This used to be easier. Have your hero save a cat or toss a hobo a dollar and you were set for the next two hours. But audiences have gotten keen to manipulation. Which means you need to be more sophisticated in your approach. The first step is to stop thinking of characters in terms of “likability” (one-dimensional) and instead, think of them in terms of “sympathy” (three-dimensional). Ask yourself, “How can I make the reader feel sympathy for this character?” One way is to show your character being taken advantage of. Such as in The Force Awakens. That asshole junk dealer would constantly rip Rey off, underpaying her for the immense amount of work she did all day. Who doesn’t feel sympathy for Rey in that moment? And it doesn’t even have to be that straightforward. Ozark gave us a hero who worked above and beyond to provide for his family, only to watch him come home and get ignored or taken for granted by that very family. Why do we sympathize with him? Cause it’s not fair! We want his family to acknowledge everything he does for them. To find out what makes people sympathetic, write down a list of all the people you like, in your personal life and in the public eye, and write down what makes you like those people (“Cause they’re hot” is not an acceptable answer). That’s a great starting point for creating sympathy in your own characters.
2) Learn how to make a character interesting.
Boring people don’t cut it in movies. You’ll notice that even the characters written to be “boring” are interesting in some way. Boring boils down to one thing – generic: A ho-hum individual who does and says the predictable obvious thing. Movies are bigger than real life, so characters need to be exaggerated in some way. That could mean over-the-top energy like Tony Stark or Lloyd Dobler (Say Anything). It could mean an insane drive to succeed (Tom Cruise in The Firm), it could be the exaggeration of a key character trait (Han Solo being selfish), it could be that they’re really passionate about or great at something (Matt Damon is the best botanist in the universe in The Martian, Keanu Reeves a 5-star killer in John Wick). But where most writers get tripped up in the “interesting” department is the main character. Since main characters have to be grounded in some way, it’s tough to make them super-interesting. How do you overcome this? Create conflict WITHIN the character. So Walter White. He wants to do the right thing. Help his family. But he has to do the wrong thing to achieve that (make and sell drugs). This makes a “normal” guy fascinating, since he’s constantly at war with himself. Same thing with Luke Skywalker in Empire and Jedi. Same thing with Michael Corleone in The Godfather. Jason Bourne always seemed to be at odds with what he was capable of. We’ll see it with Jason Bateman’s character in Ozark. It’s not the only way to make your hero interesting, but it’s one of the best ways. So if it fits your story (note: it’s not a given that it will), use it.
3) Learn how to arc a character.
There’s been some debate in recent years about whether arcing a character is necessary or not. “In real life, people don’t change!” is the battle cry against the practice. Yeah, but movies aren’t real life. And seeing a character evolve and change is one of the most powerful things the audience can experience while watching a movie. Because we all want to change. We all want to overcome that thing that holds us back. Think about it. Right now. What’s the thing holding you back from getting the girl, getting the promotion, getting the script sale, succeeding in life? Chances are, you know what it is. And you want to conquer it. But it’s hard. So you struggle with it every day. Well, movies allow you to explore this. And even better, they allow you (or your character) to overcome it. Arcing a character requires you to identify the limiting trait (flaw) within your hero. You then use your story to challenge that trait, and finally, show your hero overcome it in the end. In Inside Out, Joy’s (the yellow character) limiting trait (or “flaw”) is her obsession with everything being happy and perfect and ideal. She has to learn that not everything has to be happy and perfect all the time, and that the darker moments are what make the lighter moments shine brighter. Watching her finally realize this (and CHANGE) was one of the script’s highlights. Not every character will be perfect for arcing. But movies are more emotionally satisfying when you pull a great character arc off.
4) Learn how to create unresolved backstories for characters.
One of the quickest ways to make a character feel one-dimensional is to make him only exist within the two hours of the movie you’ve written. If you make that mistake, we will not connect with the character because we do not see him as a real person who has lived a real life. The way to fix this is to create an unresolved backstory. An unresolved backstory goes beyond traditional backstory because it includes the past in a way where it has to be dealt with in the present. For example, if a character says, “I dated this girl from Europe and it didn’t work out,” that’s normal backstory. Unresolved backstory is, “I was in love with this girl, but she had to move back to Europe after college and I always wondered what would’ve happened if we’d stayed together.” That’s unresolved as it means our character won’t find peace until he addresses this issue. An unresolved backstory can be physical or psychological. Physical is the example I just used. Psychological is something a character must overcome internally. Pixar’s “Up” is a good example of this. Carl Fredrickson (the old man) has to stop mourning for his dead wife. He has to accept her passing so he can start living a fulfilling life again. You’ll see unresolved backstory in a lot of Westerns as well. A man who’s family was killed needs to get revenge on the killer. Also, it doesn’t always have to be a huge thing. In Star Wars, Han Solo skipped on paying Jabba the Hut, and now Jabba has put a bounty out on him. So Han has to deal with Gweedo (Han shot first!) and Jabba himself in the Special Editions.
5) Learn how to create unresolved relationships between characters.
In screenwriting, relationships that are perfect are boring. Read that sentence again. Because if you ever write a relationship (marriage, best friends, brother-sister, work partners) that’s perfect, you are boring the audience to FUCKING DEATH. So, you need to create an issue in the relationship that will serve as the “unresolved” component, which the audience can now observe in the hopes that the characters will fix it by the end of the movie. Inside Out – Joy is always excited. Sadness is always sad. They never see eye to eye as a result. Luke and Han. Luke wants to help others. Han only wants to help himself. Ozark. Marty believes in being fiscally responsible and frugal. His best friend Bruce thinks you should spend your money and have as much fun as possible. Creed. Adonis wants to go go go, fight fight fight. Rocky wants to slow down, learn the basics, crawl before you can walk. You need something that creates a push-pull in the relationship, even if it’s as simple as seeing the world differently.
Beyond everything here, get to know your characters as much as possible. Write huge character bios if you can. A lot of writers will counter, “What’s the point? None of that stuff ends up in the script.” That’s true for the most part. But the more you know about a character, the more details you can add to their story. And readers feel that. They know when a writer knows their character and they know it when they’re bullshitting. Because when you’re bullshitting, your character’s life is consumed by generalities. Instead of a character working at a macaroon shop (unique, detailed) they’ll work at a coffee shop (obvious, generic). The more you know about someone, the more unique you can write them, and that’s going to set your characters apart. So take that knowledge and go give us some characters we’ll never forget!
