How to Create Three Dimensional Real Characters!
Scott McConnell
Story consultant and former producer helping screenwriters and producers to develop resonant scripts. Book a Story Consult now. Screenwriter.
A critical part of creating a character in a story is to develop his or her main premise and then to concretize it with logically related traits and actions.
Remember that in motivation a premise is a belief that a person chooses to act on. And a trait is an ethical or personality attribute of a person.
Let’s look briefly at Rick Blaine, the protagonist in the classic film Casablanca, to see how to create layered and believable characters. We will examine Rick’s dominant premise and trait, and their key actions:
Rick’s main premise is that because he believes he has been betrayed by the woman he loves, he rejects his ideals and values of freedom and love (while in part secretly still wanting them.)
Flowing from this premise, Rick’s dominant trait is that he is cynical and bitter about the world and love. (He has repressed his love of freedom and need to love.)
Flowing from that trait, Rick’s main action (and choice) is to isolate himself from people and World War Two.
Rick therefore runs a saloon in faraway Casablanca during the height of the war, sticks his neck out for no one, and won’t fight the Nazis or ever love a woman.
Rick’s looks, behaviors, and mannerisms are logical expressions of his traits and attitudes. He has a grim face, cynical wit, and plays chess against himself, for example. (But he is also lonely, does secretly care for some people, and still loves Ilsa, the woman who “betrayed” him.) ?
Because Rick has clear and logically related premises, traits, key actions, and emotional attitudes and looks, he is a layered and captivating character. He jumps from the screen and we feel for him. We all have been betrayed, been hurt by lovers, felt bitter and cynical. And have all deeply wished for a grand love or great cause to be our best selves, even if we hide them under a mass of silent hurt.
Here is one scene of Rick Blaine from Casablanca. When watching it, see that this visual and sound expression of Rick Blaine is only possible because his soul has been captured on the page.
Actionable Creative Takeaway
The key point here about Rick Blaine as a 3D character is that all his attributes flow logically from his main premise of him cynically and bitterly believing he’s been betrayed. That is the principle of his soul and his motivation. All the concrete expressions of his soul that we see and hear onscreen flow from that principle.
The great lesson here for creatives is that revealing a character’s main premise and then concretizing it with its most logical and expressive layers creates a memorable and real character.
The opposite (naturalistic) method of character creation so often espoused in writing guides is for the writer to create lists and lists of unrelated facts about the character. That is not essential nor helpful. And certainly not logical.
Also note that it is three dimensional “real” characters who speak in engaging, revealing, and individualized voices. Read more about that here and here.
To emphasise in a different way the main premise of this article:
You the creative must work expertly on the deepest level of human motivation: A character’s basic ideas or premises. Then you will have defined that character and can logically create the realistic and compelling layers that flow from this!
That is how you can create three-dimensional characters and more marketable and memorable stories.
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Scott McConnell is a story coach who helps his clients create layered characters and compelling plots.???
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About Scott McConnell & His Story Services
Scott McConnell started in the film and television business in Los Angeles performing script analysis for Samuel Goldwyn, Sundance, Hallmark, Nu Image, Roger Corman, and others. He ended his producing work in Los Angeles as a showrunner. Scott is now a story consultant, writer, teacher, and mentor.?He supports producers, writers, and directors, as well as production and publishing companies, to develop and improve all forms of stories, but especially scripts and novels. Besides developing and editing individual stories, Scott offers a Mentorship Program, where he supports creatives to write a story from concept to first draft, while teaching them a writing process of all the key stages of crafting a story. He is also a lecturer/teacher of screenwriting. To discuss your story, class, business or podcasting needs write to Scott?here.?
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Author, Adjunct Professor of Technical Communication and College Composition
3 个月Good advice with examples.
Gate Gourmet - Author - Screenwriter
1 年Thanks for explaining three dimensional characters through "Casablanca". I would propose Rick gave up on freedom first. He fought on the side of the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. He was living in Paris when France fell. That's enough to give him the idea "nice guys finish last." There's also the untold back story that he could never return to America. Is he a fugitive from a justice system that wronged him?
Global Energy Projects Business Developer. Fiction writer. Poet. Thinker.
1 年Very useful article Scott McConnell. Writing comes easy to me. But character development is always a challenge.
Author & Screenwriter
1 年Beautifully explained.?
Business Owner at AWL Media Services
1 年Great insights, Scott. Thank you!