COLUMN: 6 Tips to Write Great Movie Characters

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6 Tips to Write Great Movie Character Descriptions

by Dorian Martin

Writing a screenplay is one thing and creating the characters to carry it is another. We can all close our eyes and think of our favorite movies, but we’ll actually be thinking about our favorite movie characters. And this is exactly why writing a great movie character description can be crucial for a screenplay.

But, what happens if you’re not good at writing movie character descriptions? Or you simply don’t know how to do it? Luckily, we’ve got you covered. Here's what you need to know about writing a character description that is effective, attention-grabbing, and memorable.

Let’s break it down together.

1. Define Your Vision

Before you start writing the movie character description, you have to be certain you know what you’re doing. That means that your idea about this character needs to be completely formed inside your mind.

To make sure you’ve got this right, you need to:

• visualize the character

• know every detail of his physical appearance as well as his personality

• imagine him in action

If you’ve got this step covered, you’re ready to start writing about the character and bring him or her closer to the audience.

2. Physical Appearance

Describing the physical appearance of a character is important and carries a certain weight for those reading the screenplay and later watching the movie.

Describing what the character looks like will include the basic information:

• age

• skin color

• wardrobe

But, this description should not be overly technical. It should add spice to the character and reveal something more deep and specific about his.

Consider the following examples:

• ROBIN GREEN (mid-40s) blue eyes, blond hair picked up in a bun, dressed in a business suit.

• ROBIN GREEN (mid-40s) decisive blue eyes, blond hair picked up in a perfect bun, wearing a suit with a confidence of a lion ready to pick his prey.

The second description mainly focuses on the physical appearance but it reveals so much about the personality of this character. We learn that she’s from the corporate world, fearless and determined to succeed.

So, instead of purely giving technical information about the character’s physical appearance, make it more descriptive, engaging, and interesting.

3. Use Action

It’s always better to introduce the characters doing some kind of action instead of depicting them as static images you’re purely describing.

That means that you should include the following information in your description:

• What are they doing?

• Where are they going?

• How are they doing it?

Even the seemingly most insignificant action can tell a lot about the character and help the readers understand them better from this first encounter.

Here’s an example:

• NICHOLAS SLOUN (19) walks quietly inside the room not revealing his presence to anyone nearby, moves his hair off his face, and nervously closes the door behind him.

We can sense that this character is mysterious, potentially frightened, and definitely trying to hide something.

This short description creates an aura around the character and tells us just enough to make as interested in him.

In case you need some extra help with writing, you can check out this service that gives help writing a personal statement or writing tools such as Grammarly or Hemingway App.

4. Use Sounds

When you’re describing a character, especially introducing one, you have to awake all the senses of the members of the audience.

That means that they need a full picture in front of their eyes, enhanced by sounds as supporting elements.

“Introduce sounds into your movie character descriptions to make it more original and unique. Sounds will make the description more vivid, authentic, and credible,” says Mariah Pearson, a movie critic and a writer at Best Writing Advisor, a writing services review site.

Use sounds such as:

• background noises

• sound of the character’s voice

• the music they’re listening

Whatever it is make sure you tailor it to fit the character’s description:

• NOAH AULDREN (33) moves silently from one storage room to the other, stopping only to briefly search each one. As he reaches the final room, his eyes light up from satisfaction and his piercing voice breaks the deadly silence as he gasps with contentment.

Sounds can create a whole new dimension and give the characters anew layer of authenticity.

5. Show Peculiarities

Think about the most memorable movie characters you know. Most of them have some kind of peculiarity tied to their personality or physical appearance.

These unique little traits can make a character truly stand out.

Let’s consider some of the most renowned movie characters of all times:

• Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter movies)- snake-like, has no nose

• Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of The Caribbean)- walks in a funny, disarming manner

• Don Vito Corleone (The Godfather)- talks quietly, almost like a whisper

All these peculiarities are what we remember the characters for and what makes them so unique and special.

Make sure you include your characters' unique and strange traits into your description to make it fascinating and remarkable.

6. Choose the Right Moment

Another important question when introducing a character is what is the best moment to do it?

You should wait for the right moment to do it, but not for too long since the audience might get anxious. Therefore, make sure that you choose the best moment for introducing a character.

Here’s what to consider:

• the perfect setting for your character

• the moment in the storyline

• the action that is happening

So, here’s what we have in mind:

• introduce Lara Croft in the middle of an action scene

• introduce Albus Dumbledore in a quiet, mysterious scene

• introduce Cruela De Vil in a spectacular, grandiose setting

Introduce the characters in the right moment and you'll boost the effect they leave on the audience.

Final Thoughts

Writing great movie character descriptions is more than just telling your audience about these fictional people. On the contrary, it's about helping the audience understand the character and embrace them with their minds wide open.

Use the tips listed above to improve your character writing skills and create a new strategy for creating brilliant movie character descriptions. 

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