Character Background refers to the history, upbringing, and life experiences that have shaped a character's personality, motivations, and actions. It includes details about the character's family, upbringing, education, relationships, and significant life events. This information is often implied or referenced rather than explicitly stated in the script or dialogue, but it helps to provide depth and complexity to the characters, making them more relatable and believable to the audience.
A good screenwriter must fully understand each character's background to discover what "really motivates their behavior". As a director, you will probably never have access to the screenwriter's Character Background information unless you also wrote the script.
NOTE: If you did not write the script, I suggest you create a simple personal background histories for all your characters to help ensure that each character’s behavior remains consistent throughout the film.
1. What is the character’s background? A character's background refers to their personal history, including their upbringing, family, education, and life experiences. Understanding a character's background provides context for their actions and motivations and reveals insights into their personality and behavior. This background can include significant events that shaped their outlook and the relationships that influenced their development. It also helps to explain their current status and the choices they make throughout the story.
2. What does the writer say about this character? The writer's description of the character provides important clues about their personality, appearance, and behavior. This “factual” information shapes initial impressions of each character and their development throughout the story. The writer's portrayal includes physical descriptions, mannerisms, and key traits that distinguish the character. It also includes the character’s role in the story and their importance to the overall plot.
3. What do other characters say about this character? Other characters can provide additional insights, opinions, and perceptions of the main character's personality and behavior. This can include positive and negative feedback, as well as rumors or gossip that may reveal hidden aspects of the character's life. These perspectives add depth to the characters by showing how they are viewed by those around them. The interactions and dialogue with other characters can highlight different facets of the character’s personality and reveal social factors and conflicts.
4. What does the character say about themself? The character's own words and actions provide valuable insights into their personality, motivations, and beliefs and help to reveal their internal conflicts and desires. This includes what the character says directly (dialogue) and how they behave (actions) in different situations. Self-reflection and internal monologues can also provide a window into the character’s thoughts and feelings. These self-expressions help to build a comprehensive understanding of the character’s inner world and their perspective on the events of the story.
5. What were their actions just before every scene? What was the character doing immediately before the current scene? Knowing the character's previous actions can provide valuable information about their state of mind, emotions, and intentions in the current scene. This context can explain their behavior and decisions in the present moment. Understanding what happened earlier can highlight the continuity and flow of the story, ensuring that the character's actions are consistent. This information can also foreshadow future developments or reveal underlying motivations.
NEXT ARTICLE: 25 Essential Personal Background Facts (pt1)
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Really great thoughts on characters. When directing what are some of your favorite easy, fun ways to convey character background in simple frames?
Hi Pat. I'm not sure what you mean by "simple frames." Please elaborate. :)