One of the major issues I have encountered in reading
screenplays from new writers, and sometimes not so new writers, is their
inability to flesh out secondary characters.
Actors like to, well – act. It is
only in your words that the actor can reflect their performance. Give secondary characters something to
do. Or, believe me they will find
something to do.
A noted character actor from the 1930s and 1940s had a
habit of doing something with his hands during scenes where it was required
that he stand and listen to the main characters do their lines. His minor action of just playing with a
pocket watch made all the viewers zero in on his character regardless of what
the main characters were saying. Yes, he
was scene stealing. However, his actions
bespeak of a professional who was trying to make the scene interesting
regardless of his lack of lines.
What you as a writer need to do is replicate this kind of
action in your writing. I am not
suggesting that you make every character ‘live,’ but you need to give them a
sense of ‘being’ on the page. Many
inexperienced screenwriters; I know because I did this, make characters such as
COP 1 and COP 2 and give them bland lines to say. Better yet, the infamous WAITER and his “Can
I take your order?” line. If a minor or
secondary does not have anything to say that moves the story ahead, do not give
them anything to say. If you give them
something to say, make it meaningful within the context of the story and make
the dialog move the story forward.
Richard Lester in his brilliantly directed Musketeer
series movies used secondary characters in a sneaky way to add context to the
ongoing main character movement. Many of
the secondary characters have little asides they would say that added texture
to would have been otherwise an obligatory scene of actors racing away on
horses.
So, I am giving you three techniques by which you can
make your secondary characters more interesting.
Technique 1: Private Drama
When we meet a minor character, immediately introduce us
to their private drama(s). Doing this
makes a character seem more real, for we get a feeling that person has a past,
ongoing dramas, and a network of relationships.
Technique 2: No
Bland or Cliché Dialogue
No cliché secondary character dialogue. Avoid the WAITRESS/WAITER “Can I take your
order?” line. If you want the secondary
character to interact with your main character, make the interaction meaningful
and move the story forward.
Technique 3: No
Cliché Characters
If a cliché character is one who has a combination of
familiar traits, to make a character non-cliché, make sure that he or she has,
at his or her core, a combination of traits that we are not used to seeing in
combination.
Please note you do not need to make each and every minor
character have major lines, but some sort of interaction would be good. Real interactions between characters add
texture and depth to a story.
Robert Newton, in his very short but talented life, was a
character actor who played mainly secondary but memorable roles. Using his own West County, England accent, he
performed the role of Long John Silver and taught the world that pirates say,
“Arrgh, matey.” Sometimes playing the
lead, he played villains, ruffians, detectives, and had comedic roles. He died in 1956 in Beverly Hills, CA.
7. Speaking
Ability
In this discussion about speaking ability, I am not
talking about public speaking, although you may be called upon to talk to large
groups of people, nor am I writing about sales, although you are in effect
trying to sell something. What I am
writing about is ability to speak in a structured, deliberate manner that informs,
influences, or entertains the agent, producer, whomever you are trying to get
to buy your script. Perhaps this manner
is better described as eloquence. All of
us writers are called upon to pitch our ideas to various members of the motion
picture and TV industries. What I
suppose each of these classes is missing is an explanation of not only what to
say but how to say it.
Eloquence is fluent, forcible, elegant, and persuasive
speaking. It is primarily the power of
expressing strong emotions in striking and appropriate language, producing
conviction or persuasion. Remember,
your agent gets you the meeting. You do
the pitching. Therefore, it would
behoove the writer to develop a sense of eloquence to present your ideas gracefully,
combining thought and reason in a powerful way, so as to persuade these folks
to your point of view. At the very core
of your presentation is the use of graceful style, clear concise grammar and
usage, insertion of rational and emotional arguments to be able to win over the
agents, producers, et al.
A suggestion for writers interested in pitching – Learn,
practice, and develop your skills in:
·
Voice
register – Not speaking too loudly or too softly
·
Controlled
use of gestures
·
Developing
a relationship with your audience – This is by far the hardest part, but
worthwhile (I will have more on this area in a future blog.)
Why are you reading this?
Go write!
John still practices screenwriting
in King County, WA along with a small rat dog, a mortgage, and a great view of
the valley.
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