Hello, guys! How's everyone's week going so far?
I may have already asked this question, but the answer is sitll unclear.
In my script, my characters are going from young kids to teenagers. I know I have to introduce them again as TEENAGER (CHARACTER'S NAME) or something of the sort. But my question is, do I have to use that name when describing their actions as well or is the plain character's name enough?
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I would find scripts for movies that do what you’re describing and see how they did it.
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Unless there are flashbacks peppered throughout then just use the action to describe they have aged. "John, now 25. His hair has grown out and his acne is gone, but the penetrating blue eyes are the same."
If you are peppering flashbacks then most I've seen have the characters be "YOUNG JOHN" and then just "JOHN" or something that delineates the current vs. past versions.
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If you have KID JOE and TEENAGE JOE they would be played by different different actors so you need to treat them like two different characters so the answer is yes. Also it will effect the breakdown if the script sells.
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Once established you should be okay. The only rule is “is it clear in the readers mind”? If not fix it.
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I have one character that appears as 7 years old, 17 years old and 27 years old. Obviously 3 actors, same name, different wardrobe appearance. I would say character name is enough. The age/wardrobe changes - the name does not.