ID CHARACTERS BY NAME

[Enigma]

I have three characters in an opening scene who briefly appear, then appear again later on and are then identified by name.

When is the name to appear over his/her speech - as soon as they appear or when they are identified by name?

[Joe Calabrese]

If your talking about a situation where an unknown man appears and then later we know him as BOB, then there are two schools of thought.

1. Always have the name of the person, i.e.. BOB, regardless of whether or not he is to be a secret until one point.

2. When first intro'd use something like MAN IN SHADOWS and later when revealed and we want to know who it realy is use BOB.

Personally, I think that unless it is crucial that we do not know who is until some revelation otherwise ruin the story, then use BOB throughout. But if suspense or mystery is your goal, then do it by all means, but make it clear so when you do the big reveal it gives the reader an "Ah Hah" instead of a "Huh?".

In the case however of a Wizard of OZ, where the Wizard is really the guy from the Fair caught in a balloon, I would keep it a secret as they did in that film until he came out from behind the curtain. Even if that case however, I would imagine the script kept referring him as THE WIZARD, even after we knew who he really was.

That adds a 3rd school of thought. Always use the name when 1st intro'd, like in my suspicions about the Wizard of Oz. Use a reveal of real name in Dialog and Action only, but continue with the name used when first intro'd. So, THE WIZARD would always be THE WIZARD, even when we know his name to be BOB.

As I said before. Just keep it clear and consitant.

[Enigma]

Your advice was right on point, Joe, and for that I thank you. I now know what I probably should do, and I've done it.

As for...


As I said before. Just keep it clear and consitant.

... well, for once in my life, I was tryin' to go by friggin' "rules!" Gimme a break. I'm new! http://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/icons/icon12.gif Turns out, the seat of my pants still works pretty good.

In this instance, their appearance at the intro was intended to be "bait," a/k/a a "teaser." What All it said was that two pretty boring bureaucrats, and one that's a really, really deadly field agent, with the CIA are involved in the caper and the three are in it up to their eye-balls. If it's on the books or a black-op, or, and probably, they're free-lancing, well, the viewer knows he/she might - read; probably - find out if they stay awake, sober or tuned.