Creating dynamic characters is essential to a screenplay’s success. Your protagonist has to be likeable and compelling in order for the script reader or a movie-going audience to want to follow him through the story’s journey. Not only do characters have to be engaging, they need to evolve. Your protagonist must evolve in some way in order to achieve their outer goal or why bother watching the film? Learn how to create compelling characters and evolve them to new levels to enhance your screenplay.
The latest women in action at the box office would share enthralling stories if we asked, “What do you do?” Go beyond a character’s career and explore what she does in the plot to develop complex female characters actors want to play—and audiences want to watch.
Script reader and story consultant, Stewart Farquhar, gives advice on how to engage a reader by creating an emotional connection with the characters and story.
Jen Grisanti shares the storytelling and character development lessons learned from attending Mindvalley Reunion. Meditation and exploration of wound can help you create more compelling characters and story.
Jen Grisanti examines how the character wound in this year's Oscar-nominated films help the audience connect on a deeper level to the films' protagonists.
If you're writing about disabled characters and you are not disabled, develop these characters beyond their abilities to tell an authentic story. Consider a disability part of a character's makeup, not the driving engine for your screenplay.
When adapting a true story, like The Post, Paul Joseph Gulino examines the need to be willing to explore the main character beyond the facts and into a level of growth in order to tell a more complex and compelling story.
Great screenplay writing has strongly defined characters that attract financiers, studios, actors, and directors. Wendy Kram gives advice on creating memorable characters.
Likability alone will not make your protagonist appealing. But, never fear. Staton Rabin shares specific techniques you can learn for making your heroes engaging.
Paul Peditto examines famous movies with great character arcs to explore where the character arc begins, where does the character change, and where does he/she end up by the end of the story.
We screenwriters love to write these roles because through creating them, we exorcise our own demons. Staton Rabin explores writing movie villains and antagonists.