Screenwriting : Today's Wish and Creative Tip by Laurie Ashbourne

Character Traits A common judging criteria of scripts is whether or not the characters feel individual and unique. We are often told that each character should have a distinct voice, that if we were to cover up the name on the page and just read the dialogue, we should be able to tell them apart. Character introductions are even more scrutinized. One of my biggest pet peeves here is when a writer gives a laundry list of what the character is wearing and what they do for a living and who they are related to. Clothing rarely matters unless it is integral to the story or to further deepen a character’s situation, (ie.: an orphan in tattered shoes can’t keep up in gym class). If a character is an insurance salesman (and it’s important), SHOW him working there -- in action, not in an editorial comment. To be sure, depicting character traits that stand out on the page is an art form unto itself and one that takes an adept eye at observation to develop. Working in an animation studio, the crew spends upwards of 16 hours a day, 6 days a week for at least 6 months a year – so they get to know each others' traits extremely well. Every one is always doodling whether they should be or not, so every film generates piles of caricatures. So many that, at Disney, they have an annual caricature show. Take a look at these examples I pulled out of the MULAN yearbook. While they are all funny, you can see clearly the different personalities. Look at the faces and the enlarge dialogue bubbles, how they talk defines the image we see just as much as the image. There is no doubt that Joey and Brian’s dialogue would be distinguishable if their names were covered up. When introducing these people in a script, who dumped them in 2nd grade or what they are wearing would be the last thing we care about (except maybe for my grass skirt). Film is a heightened sense of awareness and imagery on all levels. Every personality SHOULD be as if it were a caricature of the personality you are trying to base it on. PUSH those traits to the point of exaggeration – in all genres. That is what will make them stand out and become bait to talent. If you want something you’ve never had before, you must do something you’ve never done. Go.