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Screenwriting and the Character Map Questions |
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Great screenwriting demands that the writer ask endless questions about his or her characters.
Who is this person-- really? What drives him or her through the script? How do you start to build a compelling film or television character in a script? The following six questions create the foundation for any character in screenplay or teleplay. Start by mapping yourself to test the process and then use the map for all your fictional characters.
Write the answers to the six questions below. Note the initial two or three words that come into your mind. Don’t dwell on your response. The first answers are the right answers. Trust your instincts and be as honest as you can.
Question One: Among people who know you but do not know you well—what is the biggest misconception about who you are? What do people say about you in the loo or bathroom if they want to dismiss or belittle you?
Question Two: What was your greatest childhood fear? This is a non-specific generalized fear. What would keep you awake at night as a kid if you thought about it too much?
Question Three: What are your strongest traits? What is your crutch in hard times? What personal traits get you through when the going gets tough? What traits do you lean on?
Question Four: These are traits you do not have. They are, however, traits you really admire in someone else. When you see these traits in someone else your heart leaps a bit and you wish you could have these wonderful traits yourself.
Question Five: What are the traits that get you in trouble? Sometimes, when things are going reasonably well, this is what will muck it up. This is the way you most often get yourself in hot water with loved ones, co-workers, authority figures or friends.
Question Six: Think of someone you cannot abide. This is someone you know well or someone you’ve observed briefly—it is a person who has actually passed through your life and not an historical or celebrity figure. When you met or observed this person, the hackles on your neck rose and you had a visceral response of intense dislike. What were the traits that this person had that set your teeth on edge?
Click Here for Tips on Answering the Questions
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