FRIDAY'S SCRIPT TIP:

3-D CHARACTERS

Are your characters flat? I'm not talking about a problem that can be solved by implants or padded bras, this is something much more serious... a depth of character issue. The character is two dimensional, thin, unrealistic. If you can cast a cardboard cut out of Tom Cruise in your movie, why spend $25 million for the real Tom Cruise? If you give Tom Cruise a flat character to play, he can smile, he can look pretty, but there's no room to act. When a development exec reads our scripts, we don't even have Tom's smile and charm to make the character come alive... so we need to create 3-D characters that jump off the page.

Contrast is the tool behind a character creation method I call 3-D Characters. Three is a magic number - there's the "Rule Of Three" in comedy (first time establishes, second time confirms, third time breaks the pattern), triangles are the strongest shapes in geometry, there's "three on a match", and the always popular Three Stooges. We can use the magic number three to create strong characters in our screenplays. Come up with three different dimensions for your character. The third element is what makes the character three dimensional. What makes them jump off the page and come alive.

WHAT DO YOU DO?

So let's start with two elements that create a basic character. Often these two elements will be a character's personal life and their occupation. If they are in contrast, we already have something interesting to start with. The cowardly war hero in ROYAL FLASH, the brutal cop who hates wife beaters in L.A. CONFIDENTIAL. Each character is given substance because of the conflict within them. I have a friend who is the most organized businessman I know, but his personal life is a mess. That contrast is interesting. These two opposing dimensions create a character that makes them somewhat interesting... but when you add a third element you're adding another dimension to the character.

MARRIED? KIDS?

The dancing district attorney in Lawrence Kasdan's BODY HEAT is also the protagonist's best friend. So we have a character who is a very competent district attorney trying to find and convict a killer... and the opposing second element is that he is the best friend of the prime suspect. That gives us a great character, filled with internal conflict, but when we add the dancing part it adds another dimension... a hobby that's at odds with both of the other aspects of his character. Though your third element doesn't have to be something as quirky as dancing like Fred Astaire, the third character element is usually what makes a character stand out... what gives them that third dimension.

WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE?

Though there are suddenly a bunch of folks who question why Jennifer Aniston is a star, few years ago she got Oscar buzz for her role in THE GOOD GIRL... and the film won several festival awards. She played a Texas housewife who lives a calm, orderly life at home. "I'm just this woman who moved to Texas when I was eleven, my daddy was in the Air Force." She is a good girl, married to her high school sweet-heart, she keeps her house neat, she packs her husband's lunch every morning, and has dinner waiting for him when he gets home. She's living the June Cleaver ideal. That's one dimension of her character - her personal life.

The second dimension - her professional life. She works at Retail Rodeo, where she's independent... she doesn't like to play store politics. She does her job, but doesn't kiss up to the boss. She isn't part of the Bible Study group that other employees are part of. She's her own person. So her home life and her work life are in contrast - subservient at home, independent at work. She even flirts with a new co-worker, Holden (Jake Gyllenhaal), which leads to a casual affair. Her work life and home life are on opposite ends of her life. The workplace independence is connected to the subservient wife trait - she needs someplace in her life to be in charge. For the second dimension to work, it has to be different than the first but still be logical for the character. The more different the better! If two elements of your three dimensions are too close, your character will be out of balance.

Now we come to the third dimension - that eccentricity or quirk or unusual character trait that makes her like no other character you've ever seen. We have seen loyal wives who have workplace affairs before on film... so we need that third dimension to be the defining characteristic of her life. What is Jennifer's third dimension in THE GOOD GIRL? Early on she tells Holden, "I saw in your eyes that you hate the world... I hate it, too." She may be smiling on the outside, but she's frowning on the inside! This woman is filled with anger and despair.

She's the perfect lower-middle class suburban wife, she's an independent (but hard working) employee... those are two things which make her seem like a positive person - someone who is an optimist. But she's really this dark person driven by anger and despair - and that's unusual for someone who is either a perfect wife or the independent thinker at her work place. The reason for her despair is that no matter how hard she tries to be the perfect wife - it isn't fulfilling. No matter how hard she works at being independent at work - nothing ever changes. So the darkness is connected to the other two traits.

Your third character element needs to be something strong enough to balance the other two - something powerful enough to keep those other two elements in their corners. A wimpy third dimension means your triangle will likely be out of balance. Find a great angle for your character that really turns them into an individual.

Using the magic number three is a great way to create the kind of 3-D characters that jump off the page... and attract $25 million stars to sign on to play the role. What are your character's three dimensions?

Your Screenplay Checklist:
1) How is your character's job connected to the story?
2) How does their job explore the character?
3) How is the character's family connected to the story?
4) How do their relationships define the character?
5) What makes the character unique - unlike any other character?

COMING SOON!

How Do I do That?

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OUTLINES & THE THEMATIC!

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