• A true story is not necessarily a good story.

Good stories have to be worked and re-worked.

• True life stories do not offer neat and relevant endings.
• Life predictable, anything and everything can happen.
• In a story, we can and must control the events and sequences so that it gives the appearance of being like life.
• Every story must have a character.
• The character is the heart, the soul, the nervous system.
• It is through your characters that viewers experience emotions.

WITHOUT A CHARACTER, THERE IS NO ACTION.

WITHOUT ACTION, YOU HAVE NO CONFLICT.

WITHOUT CONFLICT, YOU HAVE NO STORY.

WITHOUT A STORY, YOU HAVE NO SCREENPLAY.

When developing a character, ask yourself:

• Who is your character?
• What does he want? (Little wants and needs)
• What is his quest? (bigger scale than his desires)
• What drives him to the resolution of the story?

1. Establish your main character.

Characters should have a 3 Dimensional Structure.

-Physiology

(Gender, age, height & weight, colour of the hair, eyes, skin, posture, appearance, defects, abnormalities, deformities, birth marks, diseases, heredity)

-Sociology

(standing in society, status

class : lower, middle, upper

occupation: type of work, hours of work, income, condition of work, attitude towards organization, suitability of work

education: amount, kind of schools, marks, favourite subjects, poorest subject, aptitudes

home life: parents living, earning power, orphan, parents separated/divorced, parents’ habits/mental development/vices, neglect, character’s marital status

Religion

Race, nationality

Place in the community: leader among friends, clubs, sports

Political affiliations

Amusements: hobbies, books, newspapers, magazines he/she reads)

-Psychology

(Sex life, moral standards, personal premise, ambition, frustrations chief disappointments,

Temperament: choleric, easy-going, pessimistic, optimistic,

Attitude towards lifeL resigned, militant, defeatist,

Complexes: obsessions, inhibitions, superstitions, phobias

Personality: extrovert, introvert

Abilities: language, talents

Qualities: Imagination, judgement, taste, poise

IQ, EQ – emotional quotient

What is the deep and personal secret this character has which he is desperate to protect/hide?)

Separate the components of the his life into 2 basic categories:

• Interior – Anything we don’t see on screen, his background. (Takes place from birth until the moment the story begins) (Process that forms the character: when you start formulating your character from birth, you see your character build in body and form) (How old he is when the story begins, where does he live, does he have siblings, what kind of childhood did he have. what was his relationship to his parents, what kind of child was he, is he married, single, widowed, separated or divorced?)
• Exterior – Everything we see in the film. (Takes place the moment your story begins to it’s conclusion) (Process that reveals character) (Who are they and what do they do, are they sad or happy with their life, do they wish their life was different, another job, another wife?)

You must create your characters in relationship to other people or things.

All dramatic characteristics interact in 3 ways:

• They EXPERIENCE CONFLICT in achieving their dramatic need. (need money – rob bank, store, person)
• They INTERACT with other CHARACTERS. (either in an antagonistic, friendly or indifferent way)
• They INTERACT with THEMSELVES. (he overcame his fear of being caught by pulling off the robbery successfully)

How do you invent characteristics? – Try turning them[world] upside them. A monk who is devoted to his religion, but is a football fanatic. A serial kill whose obsession is to kill other serial killers. A common street rat who loves to eat and cook only fine food.

3 storytelling tools: MEMORY, OBSERVATION, EXPERIENCE

Aristotle’s storytelling techniques

Developing 3 Dimensional characters

Writing for an audience