In the last article, I talked about the first, and most important, part of a Directors job - understanding the code : what the story is about; the themes; the story points; and the characters. In this article, I will focus on Character Development and Analysis.

After reading the program and working through the code structure and scene analysis, its instant to figure out the development and objectives of the characters.

1) Character Functions

Each character has at least one function (or role) in any story, such as:

a) protagonist

b) antagonist

c) best friend

d) love interest

e) confidante

f) partner

g) catalyst

h) mentor

i) comic relief

There are many more, but this is a basic list for you to start with.

2) Character Emotions

Here are the three main character emotions:

a) Sympathy - the audience IDENTIFIES with the characters problems and triumphs

b) Empathy - the audience UNDERSTANDS the emotions that drive the character

c) Antipathy - the audience desire the character to "GET WHAT THEY DESERVE"

3) Character Components

These are the Internal and External factors that shape each character:

a) Interior - form character

b) Exterior - reveal character

4) Character Background

a) where is the character from (background)

b) what was he doing just before this scene

c) what does the writer say about this character

d) what do others say about this character

e) what does the character say about himself

5) Character Objectives (Most Important!)

These are the main needs and target of a character (what many people want out of life)

a) SUPER OBJECTIVE (example: "Power over People") - what is the primal motivation of the character - what are the main needs of the character

b) OBJECTIVES (example: "Wants to Dominate Character A") - what does the character want (motives) - what are the active choices to achieve the Super Objective

c) MAIN ACTIONS (example: "What they DO to Character A") - what the character DOES... - to get what he WANTS... - to fulfill his NEEDS

NOTES ON OBJECTIVES:

a) there might only be one objective per character - per scene

b) the simpler the objective, the easier it is for an actor to play it

c) objectives rise out of the characters needs and feelings

d) objectives help actors react to each other - rather than just "say the lines"

e) an objective should be an active choice for an actor

f) an actor should always play their objective in every scene

When coming up with character objectives, ask yourself: what does each Character want in this story - in this scene?

a) look at the characters behavior (what he does)

b) look at what the character talks about (what he says)

c) remember: Motive (inner life ) Determines Behavior (outer life)!

6) Character Breakdown

Go through your code and write down all the characters. You should list the main characters first and the secondary characters last and then assign them a function. Your first character should be the main character - or the protagonist.

NOTE: if you are doing a TV Series, the main characters will already be established for you. They are usually numbered "1,2,3