📝TV Writing Unit 3 – Character development

What is Character Development?

• Process of creating and revealing the personalities, motivations, and growth of characters in a story
• Involves crafting a character's background, traits, goals, and challenges they face throughout the narrative
• Aims to make characters feel authentic, relatable, and engaging to the audience
• Requires a deep understanding of human psychology, behavior, and emotions
• Character development often follows a structured arc (introduction, conflict, growth, resolution)
• Well-developed characters undergo meaningful changes and learn valuable lessons by the end of the story
• Effective character development keeps the audience invested in the characters' journeys and rooting for their success

Key Elements of Strong Characters

• Unique personality traits that set them apart from other characters (quirks, habits, strengths, flaws)
• Clear motivations and goals that drive their actions and decisions throughout the story
  • These motivations can be external (tangible objectives) or internal (emotional needs or desires)
• Believable flaws, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities that make them relatable and human
• Consistent behavior and decision-making that aligns with their established personality and background
• Compelling backstory that shapes their worldview, relationships, and current circumstances
• Capacity for growth and change as they face challenges and learn from their experiences
• Distinct voice and communication style that reflects their personality, background, and emotional state
• Meaningful relationships and interactions with other characters that reveal different facets of their personality

Character Archetypes in TV

• Common character types that appear across various TV genres and serve specific narrative functions
• Protagonist: The main character whose journey and growth are the focus of the story (Walter White in "Breaking Bad")
• Antagonist: The character who opposes or challenges the protagonist, creating conflict and obstacles (Gustavo Fring in "Breaking Bad")
• Mentor: An experienced character who guides and advises the protagonist (Mr. Miyagi in "Cobra Kai")
• Sidekick: A loyal companion who supports and assists the protagonist (Dr. John Watson in "Sherlock")
• Love Interest: A character who serves as a romantic partner or potential partner for the protagonist (Pam Beesly in "The Office")
• Comic Relief: A character who provides humor and levity to balance dramatic or tense moments (Chandler Bing in "Friends")
• Everyman: A relatable, ordinary character that the audience can easily identify with (Jim Halpert in "The Office")

Creating Character Backstories

• The history and background of a character that shaped their personality, beliefs, and current circumstances
• Includes key events, relationships, and experiences from the character's past
  • Family background and upbringing
  • Education and career path
  • Significant relationships (friends, romantic partners, mentors)
  • Traumatic experiences or personal struggles
• Helps to justify and explain a character's motivations, fears, and behavior in the present story
• Provides opportunities for character development as they confront and overcome past issues
• Can be revealed gradually throughout the story through dialogue, flashbacks, or character actions
• Ensures consistency and depth in a character's portrayal, making them feel more authentic and well-rounded
• Allows writers to create connections and parallels between a character's past and present circumstances

Developing Character Arcs

• The journey of change and growth a character undergoes throughout the story
• Typically involves a character confronting their flaws, fears, or limiting beliefs and learning to overcome them
• Can be positive (hero's journey) or negative (tragic downfall) depending on the story's themes and genre
• Often follows a three-act structure: setup, confrontation, and resolution
  • Setup: Establishes the character's status quo, flaws, and desires
  • Confrontation: Presents challenges and obstacles that force the character to confront their issues
  • Resolution: Shows how the character has changed and grown as a result of their experiences
• Character arcs create a sense of progress and stakes, keeping the audience engaged and invested
• Allows characters to learn valuable lessons and gain new perspectives that reshape their worldview
• Provides a satisfying sense of catharsis and closure for the audience as they witness the character's transformation

Dialogue and Character Voice

• The unique way a character speaks and expresses themselves through language
• Reflects a character's personality, background, education, and emotional state
• Includes word choice, sentence structure, rhythm, and tone
• Helps to differentiate characters and make them feel distinct from one another
• Can reveal subtext and underlying emotions that a character may not express directly
• Allows characters to communicate their goals, fears, and desires to other characters and the audience
• Effective dialogue feels natural, authentic, and true to the character's established voice
• Can be used to create humor, tension, or intimacy between characters depending on the context and delivery

Character Relationships and Dynamics

• The ways in which characters interact, influence, and affect one another throughout the story
• Can be positive (friendship, romance, mentorship) or negative (rivalry, antagonism, betrayal)
• Reveals different aspects of a character's personality and motivations through their interactions with others
• Creates opportunities for conflict, growth, and emotional stakes as characters navigate complex relationships
• Allows characters to learn from and challenge one another, fostering personal growth and development
• Can evolve and change over time as characters grow and their circumstances change
• Provides a sense of continuity and history that makes the story world feel rich and lived-in
• Effective character relationships feel authentic, dynamic, and emotionally resonant for the audience

Balancing Characters in Ensemble Casts

• The process of ensuring that each character in a large cast has a distinct role, purpose, and development arc
• Involves giving each character a unique personality, backstory, and set of goals and challenges
• Requires careful distribution of screen time and narrative focus to ensure all characters feel well-developed
• Balancing character relationships and interactions to create a sense of cohesion and shared history
• Identifying central conflicts or themes that tie the ensemble together and give each character a stake in the outcome
• Providing opportunities for characters to interact in various combinations and contexts to explore different dynamics
• Ensuring that each character's development arc is satisfying and contributes to the overall narrative
• Maintaining consistency in character portrayals and voices across multiple episodes or seasons