The Secrets of Compelling Character Creation
Great films linger in our minds long after we’ve watched them, thanks to their captivating characters. The most memorable movies are those where we form an emotional connection with the characters, understanding and empathizing with their beliefs, wants, and needs. So how do filmmakers craft these unforgettable characters that stay with us? Today, we’ll explore the fundamental building blocks of creating dramatic characters that resonate with audiences.
The Core: Beliefs and Value Systems
At their core, characters are defined by their beliefs and value systems – their worldviews that shape everything else about them. A character’s beliefs inform what they want, how they pursue those goals, and reveal their strengths and weaknesses within the story.
Take Neo from The Matrix, for instance. He doesn’t believe in fate or destiny, yet he’s searching for Morpheus because he seeks the truth. Morpheus, on the other hand, believes Neo is the prophesied One destined to save humanity from the machines. He’s willing to sacrifice everything to help Neo achieve this goal.
In There Will Be Blood, Daniel Plainview’s driving belief is that wealth and power can be attained by any means necessary, even if it means trampling over others. His ruthlessness stems from this core value system.
Beliefs serve as the foundation for your characters, creating the meaning and deeper themes of your story. When you understand what your characters believe about themselves and the world around them, you can start building their desires and needs.
The Want: External Goals and Visible Pursuits
A character’s “want” is their outward, visible goal that drives the main plot events. This want stems directly from their beliefs about themselves and the world.
Neo wants to aid the fight against the machines once he encounters Morpheus, aligning with his desire to find purpose and truth. Daniel Plainview wants riches, believing it will give him power and control over others he despises.
These wants create clear, external goals that propel the story forward and generate conflict when opposed by antagonistic forces. In The Matrix, the agents and machines work to stop Neo, while in There Will Be Blood, Daniel faces opposition from the preacher Eli Sunday.
The Need: Internal Struggles and Growth
While a character’s want represents their external goal, their need deals with an internal struggle – the deeper truth they must discover about themselves or the world to become whole.
This need often stems from a false belief or “lie” the character believes, preventing them from achieving fulfillment. Neo struggles to believe he is the One, holding him back from fully embracing his potential. Kate Macer in Sicario falsely believes the legal system works perfectly in practice, blinding her to the harsh realities of the drug war.
As these characters pursue their external wants, they encounter adversity that forces them to question their beliefs, ultimately leading them to fulfill their needs by learning the truth about themselves and the world.
However, not all characters have internal needs to fulfill. Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games is already whole, using her story to open others’ eyes to the truth of their oppression. Likewise, Daniel Plainview remains steadfast in his beliefs, never changing his ruthless pursuit of wealth and power.
Creating Empathy: Understanding Drives Connection
To truly engage audiences, your characters must evoke empathy – an understanding of their beliefs and motivations, even if we don’t agree with them.
One way to foster empathy is to give characters traits or elements we admire or secretly wish we could embody. Sherlock Holmes’ competence and emotional detachment, while unhealthy, can be aspirational qualities for some viewers. The power and status of mobsters like Don Corleone or Henry Hill hold a certain allure, regardless of their methods.
Even villainous characters like the Joker can capture our empathy by tapping into relatable sentiments. His indifference to societal norms and questioning of moral codes resonate with our darker, cynical impulses.
Ultimately, empathy is about understanding why characters do what they do, even if we don’t condone their actions. By creating honest, complex characters with comprehensible beliefs and motivations, we forge a connection that keeps audiences engaged throughout the story.
The Essence of Memorable Characters
Great characters are built upon a solid foundation of beliefs, wants, and needs. By understanding your characters’ core values, visible goals, and internal struggles, you can craft compelling arcs that resonate with audiences on a deeper level.
Whether you’re writing an outline or diving straight into the script, taking the time to define your characters’ beliefs and motivations is crucial to creating memorable, empathetic figures that will leave a lasting impact on your viewers.
In our next article, we’ll explore the different types of character arcs and how to utilize them to build characters that evolve and grow throughout your story.