Script Analysis: “Joker” — Part 3: Characters

Read and analyze the script for the Award-winning film.

Reading scripts. Absolutely critical to learn the craft of screenwriting. The focus of this bi-weekly series is a deep structural and thematic analysis of each script we read. Our daily schedule:

Monday: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown
Tuesday: Plot
Wednesday: Characters
Thursday: Themes
Friday: Dialogue
Saturday: Takeaways

Today: Characters.

Characters are the players in our stories. They participate in scenes, move the plot forward through action and dialogue, influence each other, evolve and change. Each has their own distinct backstory, personality, world view, and voice. When a writer does their best, digging deep into their characters, tapping into their souls, the players in our stories magically lift up off the printed page and come to life in a reader’s imagination.

But there’s this: In a screenplay, characters exist for a reason. Hence my principle: Character = Function. Writers can shade and shape a story’s character in limitless ways. But if you dig down deep enough, you can find each character’s narrative function, and that can become a lens through which you develop the players in your stories.

Same thing with script and movie analysis: Look at each character and think about why they exist and what their function is.

Today we discuss the characters in the script for Joker. You can download the script here.

A list of the key players:

Arthur Flick

Social Worker

Penny

Thomas Wayne

Murray Franklin

Randall

Hoyt

Gary

Sophie

Gigi

Wall Street Three

Bruce Wayne

Alfred Pennyworth

Dr. Sally

Written by Todd Phillips & Scott Silver, based on characters created by Bob Kane & Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson.

Plot summary: In Gotham City, mentally troubled comedian Arthur Fleck is disregarded and mistreated by society. He then embarks on a downward spiral of revolution and bloody crime. This path brings him face-to-face with his alter-ego: the Joker.

Writing Exercise: Think about each character. What’s their function?

Major kudos to Rebecca Sapolsky for doing this week’s scene-by-scene breakdown.

To download a PDF of the breakdown for Joker, click here.

For Part 1, to read the Scene-By-Scene Breakdown discussion, go here.

For Part 2, to read the Plot discussion, go here.

To access over 70 analyses of previous movie scripts we have read and discussed at Go Into The Story, go here.

I hope to see you in the RESPONSE section about this week’s script: Joker.