The magic of watching a great film lies in the characters portrayed by the actors. People often resonate with these characters because of the way they are written into the story. This connection is established through character development, which is an essential aspect of screenwriting. Understanding what character development is, and how it can be achieved, is critical for any aspiring screenwriter or film lover. In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at the concept of character development in film and explore some of the techniques that professional screenwriters use to achieve successful character arcs.
What is character development in film?
Before diving into the techniques that professional screenwriters use, let’s start by defining character development. Essentially, character development is how the writer builds a character’s personality and values throughout a story. It refers to how a character changes throughout the narrative, often as a result of the conflicts they face and their reactions to them. An effective character arc will make an audience care about a character and their journey.
Establishing a character’s backstory
One of the crucial components of character development is a character’s backstory. Establishing a character’s backstory allows us to understand why they act in specific ways and gives them depth. This could be as simple as where the character grew up, or it could be a more profound and complex exploration of their emotional history. Creating this backstory allows a character to have more authenticity and feel like a real person.
Using Dialogue for character development
One of the most effective techniques for character development is through dialogue. The things a character says and how they say them can reveal a lot about their personality, values, and beliefs. By paying attention to a character’s words, a writer can establish crucial information about their backstory without explanation.
Making a character relatable
One of the most important things about character development is to make the characters relatable to the audience. Regardless of how fantastic a character’s social position or situation might be, audiences relate more to human people. Reactions to events or conflicts that feel genuine to us make the characters believable and more likely to be rooted for.
Using character actions to impact the plot
Effective character development should impact the story’s overall plot. When a character’s actions, decisions, and personality change throughout the story, it should feed back into the narrative. In other words, a well-developed character creates a ripple effect that drives the story forward in new and engaging ways.
Character development is crucial for creating compelling narratives on the big screen. To build characters that resonate with the audience, it’s essential to create a backstory, craft believable dialogue, establish relatability, and impact the plot with character actions. A successful character arc takes the viewer on an emotional journey that increases their emotional investment in the story. When done well, character development in film can transform a film into something truly unforgettable.