character development?

msome45 said:

I have recently had some producers request one of my screenplays. Along with the script, some of them have asked that I include a "character development." Does anyone know if there is a specific format or length they are looking for and what the essential elements of this document are?

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There is no specific length, preferably keep it pertinent and to the point. If your script is a one-off drama, include brief details of backstory on main characters. Who they were/are up to the point story kicks off. What moulded them, motivates them, etc. If a TV pilot, same criteria, but also include a brief summary of how you see characters developing as series progresses.

msome45 said:

xhouseboy,

Thanks for the tip. Anything special I should know for a feature film comedy?

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Not specifically, I shouldn't think. There should be plenty of ongoing character development within the script, and ultimately the script will decide whether they option or not. Notes on character development are, in my opinion, filler at an early stage. Some producers, film, TV companies, etc, might require them, others won't. Have you already made prior contact with these producers, perhaps in the form of a treatment or synopsis, and they then requested the script? If so, good sign. Just talk your characters up, add in little personal nuances about them. Joe has a tendency to ignore the advice of others, and as a result often finds himself in situations that could have been so easily avoided, etc. You'll know these characters, know what make them tick.

There will come a stage when you'll be required to write brief biogs of your characters, a different thing entirely. They'll be used for casting purposes, and when that happens (not if - always think positve) you'll just about be there, barring any major mishaps.

Hope it happens for you. Good luck with the submissions.

msome45 said:

again--thanks. my initial contacts have been through submitting a synopsis or a query letter. then some have requested a copy of the script or both the character development and the script. I know where my characters come from and I really know what makes them tick. should I just list the major characters in bullet form and describe them? or should it be in a letter form? where do I cut off the characters? Just go with the major players?

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Just the major players that drive the story. I haven't done it for a while, and only ever very rarely, but if memory serves me i used to define them something like this.

JOE SMITH

Yadda-ya.

SANDRA BLOGGS



For me, it was never so much the description as such, as that came in the script. It was more an 'under-the-skin' expo of the characters. A paragraph or so on each. It can also be used to further define their relationships, little things about them that we haven't seen, but which may have been crucial developments relating to their backstory.