Character Introductions – How The Best Writers Reveal Their Protagonists
One of the main things new writers struggle with when writing a script is the ‘visual storytelling’ element. An over reliance on writing objective truths can (and does) frequently make writing appear bland and purely functional. This is never more evident than when introducing protagonists for the first time.
There’s no ‘right’ way to introduce your character, but there are some things you can do to really showcase in their first few moments on screen / stage who they are and how they fit into the larger narrative.
First, though. Here’s some of the major mistakes I’ve noticed while reading some early-career scripts.
DON’T INTRODUCE YOUR PROTAGONIST THIS WAY
Forget to introduce them
You’d be amazed, looking back at your old work, how many characters just sort of ‘show up’ in a scene. Always remember that characters need to be introduced. For one thing, it makes casting easier.
No characteristics
Very skilled writers (as we will later see) are able to introduce characters by name alone, and somehow we just… know them. It’s an amazing skill developed through years of building a style of writing using context clues, building their protagonist before they’re ever seen. It’s also not easily mastered. Early on in your career, you’d do well to provide a little context to the character. Without it, your reader is lost, and once they’re lost it’ll take a miracle to get them back.
Too much
Sort of the opposite to the previous two. This isn’t a novel. You don’t have time to get into the minutiae of a costume, posture, and star sign when introducing your characters for the first time. Time is precious in scriptwriting. Every page is a minute of screentime.
Are you really going to linger on this character for as long as you’ve suggested? No? Right, get cutting!
Focus on the wrong character
A mix of the above. If you’ve introduced your protagonist as NAME, but given a one-scene character a NAME (age) Occupation, build, species, and more. You can understand why a reader might be a little confused.
LEARN FROM THE BEST
Here’s a few extracts from some of my favourite scripts, and a bit about why I love them. Hopefully, by reading these, you’ll be inspired to go out and write the best damn character introductions since Shakespeare!
THE SUBSTANCE
In the foreground of this fluorescent group, high on vitamins, ELISABETH SPARKLE, now close to fifty, leads the class, with a wide, bright smile.
I love the opening to ‘The Substance’ for a number of reasons. The main one is the fact that we get pages of pure context before Elisabeth Sparkle is physically introduced. From the life cycle of the star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, we get to truly know Elisabeth. So, when she does eventually turn up, we’re already inside her head. All we need is a few brief words to contextualise her, and we’re off!
DUNKIRK
One Tommy plucks paper from the air… Propaganda leaflets showing their position… ‘YOU ARE SURROUNDED’…
The whole point of ‘Dunkirk’ is that the main character could be anyone. Hundreds of boots were on the ground (or sand) at Dunkirk, and what matters isn’t who the protagonist is, but what they go through. Not even giving the character a proper name really drives this home and sets the tone for the script (and film) to come.
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
A tall, blond, forty-year-old concierge stands patiently alone surveying the room. He is tranquil, perfectly composed, waiting. He wears the faintest hint of mascara. He is M. Gustave.
My favourite Wes Anderson film. The introduction of M Gustave may seem brief, but in the script this takes up almost three full lines. But that’s okay. His introduction is the most detailed of all the characters introduced at that point. Why? Because of all the characters introduced so far, he is distinct. Taking the time to absorb this distinctness allows the reader and the audience to truly appreciate that, while this is the ‘other’ world of the mind of Wes Anderson, M Gustave is ‘other’ even to them.
HAPPY VALLEY
SGT. CATHERINE CAWOOD (48, unassailably pleasant) strides into the shop. She’s all tooled up; truncheon and cuffs hanging off her belt, radio, bullet-proof vest. We see the three stripes. She looks like she’s made of gadgets. Robocop. But there’s something reassuring and feminine about her manner, despite her no-nonsense appearance. She’s probably smiling politely as she asks –
Honestly, this isn’t even the moment that sets Catherine up as one of the best protagonists of modern drama, but it does set the stage for that scene with perfection. Sure, Sally Wainwright could have written “SGT. CATHERINE CAWOOD (48, a police officer but nice) walks into the shop” and then move on, but this description gives the reader a much clearer idea of what “police” means in this fictional world, and what “nice” looks like within it. Never assume that the rules of your story are the same as the real world.
IN THE FLESH
She looks up at the person she’s bumped into… A YOUNG MALE ZOMBIE. Teeth bared. Hunger in his pin prick eyes.
&
KIEREN WALKER (18), the Young Male Zombie from the previous scene, now dressed in a standard hospital uniform, JUMPS back out of his chair.
I would die to bring this series back for a third instalment, even if the actors have probably aged out of being able to play un-ageing zombies. What this script does so brilliantly with its character introductions is IT DOES IT TWICE. We’re introduced to Kieren Walker first as a typical zombie, and then again a scene later as… a recovering zombie? The shift is so shocking that we don’t need any further information. We move on. Why? Because what do you mean he’s getting better?
LONDON SPY
Danny emerges. Pupils huge. Skin sweaty. Re-presented with the world, he seems cowed by it.
His swagger gone, Danny appears gaunt rather than lean. His clothes are club-grimed. His hair dishevelled.
Man walks out of a bar, squinting into the morning sun. He’s sweaty and high. BORING. This introduction to Ben Whishaw’s character is brief, visual, and masterfully sets the tone for his character arc. This is impactful economy in action.
ANCHORMAN
Smash cut to RON BURGUNDY, 38, walking through the heart of Portland with clear blue sky overhead. He has a commanding presence with an affable smile and perfectly parted hair. He’s a cross between Chuck Woolery and Chuck’s brother Sean Woolery/ As he strolls down the street, all of Portland seems to embrace him.
This could well be one of the most iconic introductions to a comedy character ever. Anyone who has seen Anchorman remembers this scene. Just one problem… it’s not how Ron’s introduced in the film. This is just one of the showcases of a great scene that captures the audiences imagination on the page but, in the edit, must be tragically left behind for something better.
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
ELIO, 17, barefoot and in his bathing suit, is in the process of moving his clothes from his room to the adjacent room – a wardrobe somehow refurbished into a single bedroom.
In a similar way to Anchorman’s opener, this scene is adapted to work for the finished film. If you’ve seen Call Me By Your Name, you’ll probably be wondering where this ‘wardrobe’ is. The house they actually filmed in had two perfectly normal sized bedrooms. On the page, it was important that Elio’s new room be smaller, to help the reader envisage the theme of the character’s journey. A weedy king being ousted from his castle. Would you turn down a house that beautiful simply because the bedroom was the wrong size?
A FINAL NOTE
You’ll see from the above examples that there’s only two rules when it comes to introducing the characters in your script. Mastery of craft and Confidence. When you truly know who your characters are, the world they live in, and the story they inhabit, you’ll be able to write a character introduction that excites your reader.
It doesn’t need to be flashy, it just needs to be… well… not boring.
