Characters

Definition

Characters are the individuals or entities that drive the narrative in any screen language, embodying the themes, emotions, and motivations within a story. They serve as the bridge between the audience and the narrative, providing relatability and depth while influencing the plot's progression through their actions and decisions.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Characters can be complex with multi-dimensional personalities, or they can be archetypal, fitting into recognizable categories that serve specific roles within a story.
2. Screenwriters often use character traits and backstories to create depth, making characters relatable and engaging for audiences.
3. Dialogue is a key element that reveals character, providing insight into their motivations, relationships, and conflicts through what they say and how they say it.
4. Characters can also be symbolic, representing broader themes or societal issues that resonate beyond the individual narrative.
5. In screen language, visual storytelling techniques such as camera angles and lighting can enhance a character's presence and influence how the audience perceives them.

Review Questions

• How do characters contribute to the overall narrative structure in screen language?
  • Characters are essential to the narrative structure as they drive the plot through their actions and interactions. The choices they make and the conflicts they face create tension and interest, guiding viewers through the story. Additionally, characters' relationships with one another reveal underlying themes and emotional stakes, making them crucial for audience engagement.
• Evaluate the role of dialogue in developing character depth within screen narratives.
  • Dialogue plays a critical role in developing character depth as it reveals motivations, thoughts, and emotions. Through dialogue, characters express their desires and conflicts, allowing audiences to connect with them on a personal level. The way characters communicate—whether through tone, word choice, or style—provides insight into their personalities and drives their relationships with others in the story.
• Critically analyze how visual storytelling techniques affect character representation and audience perception.
  • Visual storytelling techniques significantly impact character representation and how audiences perceive them by utilizing elements like camera angles, lighting, and color palettes. For instance, low lighting can create a sense of mystery or danger surrounding a character, while bright lighting might suggest innocence or purity. Camera angles can also manipulate perceptions; a low angle shot can make a character appear powerful and imposing, whereas a high angle can make them seem vulnerable. These choices shape not just how characters are seen but also how their emotional journeys resonate with viewers.

Related terms

Protagonist: The main character around whom the story revolves, typically facing challenges and undergoing significant development throughout the narrative.

Antagonist: The character or force that opposes the protagonist, creating conflict and driving the plot forward.

Character Arc: The transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of a story, showcasing their growth, change, or development in response to experiences.