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Before diving into my screenwriting advice, a word of caution - No one knows anything and every script is different. My advice is what has helped me & my scripts. Maybe it’ll help your script too, or maybe it’ll be a step backwards. Take what works for you and throw out the rest.
So Writer Fam, let’s talk TOO MANY CHARACTERS. Firstly there’s no “magic number” for how many chars a script needs. A show like Lost needed more than usual, others needed less. As a barometer, count how many SPEAKING ROLES are in the next script you read or show you watch.
Something newer writers do is give every character a name. Names have “weight”, they tell a reader that a character is important to the story. But not all characters are, some are only important to the scene. If a char is only in a scene or two, marginal to the larger...
...story, and only has a few lines, you can just call them by an identifier - DOCTOR or TEEN GIRL or AXE WIELDING MURDERER. Or (if appropriate) AXE WIELDING TEEN DOCTOR MURDERESS. Hey, I don’t know what you’re writing!
More likely, what having too many characters means is you’re not going deep enough into the chars you do have so that each one stands out. I’ve noticed three important elements in differentiating - CHARACTER TRAITS/POV, DIALOGUE, and UTILITY.
You want to build opposing traits into your different chars: cynic vs optimist, rich vs poor, high IQ vs low IQ, high EQ vs low EQ. The more opposites the better! This gives layers of interpersonal conflict. When everyone talks from the same POV things can feel one sided & stale.
And make sure all that interpersonal conflict rears its head in your story! Maybe it’s a big fight about what to do next or just simmering tension. We want to see the characters arguing from their different viewpoints. Why are they fighting and why are they both right?
Next, how does their character inform their dialogue? Are they long winded or speak in short, clipped sentences? Do they have a large vocabulary or small? Do they speak with authority or are they stumbling over their words? There’s much value in not using the expected choice too.
UTILITY is crucial - What’s each char’s “SUPERPOWER”? What can they do that no one else in your script can? Can they hack a computer? Can they give a motivating speech? Can they teach someone to give a motivating speech? Watch how heist movies highlight each char’s unique skill.
Do you need one char who is good with guns and another good with knives? Can you cut one? Or can you merge those two characters into one good at weapons in general? With a few less characters you can add more depth to the ones you do have. Remember - QUALITY OVER QUANTITY.
Next Saturday we’ll talk about PLOT DRIVES CHARACTER. But let me know - What tricks do you use to help differentiate your characters and make them stand out in your script?
