FIL 2413 – SCREENWRITING 3
ASSIGNMENT 1 – CHARACTER CHART
PURPOSE: Upon completion of the assignment, you will have a clear understanding of
your main character, the protagonist. The character chart will align with Course
Competency 1: Students will understand characters for a feature length script.
KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS: The skills you will acquire through this assignment will assist
you in creating characters for feature length screenplays by defining the necessary
components needed. The knowledge will carry over to your profession in writing
screenplays for future sales or production.
TASK: Type your answer to each of the following questions based upon the feature
length story you are creating. Be succinct.
CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS: Answer each question completely and thoughtfully in
order to take the next step in creating scenarios/scenes to tell the complete story.
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Character Chart
1. Name
2. Age
3. Height
4. Weight
5. Birthdate
6. Birthplace
7. Hair Color
Texture:
curly
straight
thick
long
military
8. Characteristic Expression
pouty
sweet
impatient
silly
serious
9. Complexion
Color
Texture:
rough
satiny
baby-smooth
freckled
10. Eyes
Color
Expression:
glassy
innocent
cold
sparse
bald
stringy
medium
other
shining
dull
styled
short
eager
blank
tense
impenetrable
smiling
other
relaxed
pinched
open
scowling
cunning
wrinkled
pitted
tight
splotched
other
dry
greasy
loose
scarred
squinty
warm
beady
other
trusting
bright
shifty
blank
intense
suspicious
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11. Teeth
pearly
gleaming
missing
metal
bucked
yellowed
straight
capped
false
other
jagged
decayed
gold
gapped
long
thin
bulbous
hairy
button
bumpy
straight
pug
blue-veined
flat
hooked
pointy
red
cosmetically corrected
12. Nose
other
13. Body Shape
thin
round
squat
stretched
stooped
stiff
light
bony
delicate
solid
bent
other
muscular
paunchy
slight
gravity-settled
crippled
shapeless
dowdy
prim
tight
careful
youthful
neat
layered
other
disheveled
stylish
bizarre
cheap
loud
soft
hesitant
foreign accent
methodical
clipped
smooth
stutter
other
nervous
ranting
fluent
regional accent
14. Dress
15. Speech
16. What is the character’s secret?
What is it that s/he thinks about often but never talks about?
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17. What is the character’s greatest fear?
Is the secret related to this?
Why?
18. Does the character have scars or handicaps (physical, mental, emotional)?
19. What is the educational background?
20. Military service?
21. What is the character’s marital status?
How many times married?
If divorce exists, what caused them?
22. What does the character smell like (honey, soap, lemon, etc.)?
23. What is the character’s biggest strength?
24. Does the character have a physical tic (twisting hair, licking lips, etc.)?
What are they?
25. Does the character have a dialogue tag (“uh, you know, ahh,” never finishes a sentence)?
What are they?
26. What foods does the character like and dislike?
Why?
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27. Does the character smoke?
If so, what?
If s/he does not, what is the attitude toward those who do?
Why this attitude?
28. Does the character drink?
To what degree?
Why?
29. Does the character do drugs?
What is the attitude toward drugs?
Why this attitude?
30. What is the character’s work experience?
31. Who is the character’s best friend?
Why this person?
If there is no best friend, why not?
32. Who are the character’s men/women friends?
Why these people?
Do they create a type or pattern?
If so, what pattern? And what does this tell us about the character?
33. Does the character have enemies?
If so, who and why?
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34. Who are the character’s parents?
What impact have they had upon the character?
Are they alive or dead? Where do they live, or, if dead, where are they buried?
35. Does the character have children?
What is the relationship to these children?
If there are children, where do they live?
If there are no children, why not?
36. What is the character’s present problem?
37. How will this problem get worse?
38. What are the strongest and weakest traits of the character?
39. What is the character’s perception of himself/herself?
40. How do other people view this character?
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41. Does the character have a sense of humor?
What kind?
42. What is the basic personality of the character?
43. What are the ambitions of this character?
Why these ambitions?
44. What is the character’s philosophy of life? Why this philosophy?
45. If the character has hobbies, what are they?
Why these?
If the character has no hobbies, why not?
46. What kinds of music, art, and reading material does the character prefer?
Why these particular kinds?
47. What are the character’s favorite colors?
Why these particular colors?
If the character has no favorite color, why not?
48. What pastimes does the character have?
Why these particular ones?
Have pastimes changed recently? Why?
49. Describe the character’s home (physical, mental, emotional atmosphere).
50. What is the most important thing to know about this character?
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51. Give a one-line characterization of the character.
52. What trait will make this character come alive?
Why will it do this?
53. Do I like or dislike this character? Why?
54. Will readers like or dislike this character? Why?
55. Characters who are remembered are those who are strong in some way, saints, sinners, or
combination of both. Why will this character be remembered?
56. Character’s personality profile:
achieving
rigid
apprehensive
striving
talkative
optimistic
quiet
responsible
ambitious
secretive
suspicious
nurturing
unconventional
wary
other
adventuresome
sarcastic
carefree
meticulous
trusting
passive
pessimistic