Character Introductions: Part 9

Think there’s nothing to introducing characters in a script? Think again!

Over the next few weeks, I’m doing a deep dive into character introductions. Why the hell would I do that? For an explanation, check out Part 1.

Part 2 here.

Part 3 here.

Part 4 here.

Part 5 here.

Part 6 here.

Part 7 here.

Part 8 here.

Part 9: Introduction Through Action

You may think of “action writing” as what a writer does when they work on an action script. I have a broader interpretation. Action Writing refers to the writing we engage in when we describe any movement. That movement can be seen through the influence of physical events, either manmade (e.g., traffic, air flight) or natural (e.g., earthquakes, quicksand), or more pointedly for this course — the activities of characters.

Action Writing also carries with it an awareness that movies by and large are a visual medium. One way to augment a story’s visuality is to put people on the move. The old saying “show it, don’t say it” is still in use today in Hollywood development circles because there is an inherent truth to it. Whenever we can carry the story ahead through action accompanying or instead of dialogue, almost invariably that is a preferable choice.

Obviously if you write dialogue like Aaron Sorkin, you can play to your strength and use it perhaps more than mere mortal writers. And yet it’s instructive that the director of Sorkin’s script for The Social Network David Fincher says he shot the movie “like an action film.” Supplementing all that scintillating rapid-fire dialogue are characters in almost constant movement. It’s like nobody walks in the movie — they run, stagger, hustle, and jump. Even when they are seated as in all those deposition scenes, they shift in their seats, lean forward, fall back, point fingers, chop the air with their hands, etc.

So properly understood, Action Writing not only refers to writing about any movement, it also embraces the visual nature of movies and how movement is a key contributor to the visuality of the stories we tell.

In terms of character introductions, action can be a terrific tack to take because conjuring up an image of a figure in motion, especially engaged in something notable, is a great way to make an impression on a reader.

Examples of Character Introductions Through Action

One of my favorite scripts for action writing is The Matrix [written by the Wachowskis]. The introduction of Trinity [Carrie-Anne Moss] is instructive. Police enter an abandoned hotel to find this:

“A woman in black leather.” Physical description, but no real insight into the character. Then this:

Trinity goes from “a woman in black leather” to “a leather-clad ghost,” one who also can kick with the force of a “wrecking ball.” It’s a terrific, visual introduction, not only of this character, but also one of the story’s central conceits: How participants in the Matrix can display superhuman capabilities.

In Romancing the Stone [written Diane Thomas], the Protagonist’s literary alter-ego Angelina gets introduced this way:

This is how the script starts, a nifty opening paragraph. Grogan threatens Angelina’s life:

Another great use of action to introduce a character. Note the difference in Narrative Voice between The Matrix, which feels like serious science fiction, and Romancing the Stone which sets the story’s whimsical action-adventure tone.

Not all action has to be over-the-top and violent. In Back to the Future, the Protagonist Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is introduced first by images of his Nike tennis shoes, then his skateboard as he enters Doc Brown’s office. Following that:

This not only uses action to introduce Marty — all the movements he makes in setting up the guitar to play — but also objects [e.g., tennis shoes, skateboard, guitar, amp, speaker] which serves as a nice segue to our next lecture.

Summary

Action is an excellent approach when introducing characters because it plays to the visual nature of movies and can be a most effective way of cementing an opening image in the mind of a reader.

Tomorrow: Introduction Through Objects.