What name do I give this woman?

Maybe there is a simple answer for this problem that came up writing my screenplay.

In the first act or the beginning I have a person that I just call 'woman', but later on in the middle of the screenplay she must come back for a single shot. She has no dialog but it must be clear for the reader/viewer that it is the same women from the beginning. How must I name her, cause in this way it could be any woman.

A friend from the Netherlands,
Kees Rozemeijer

you don't have to give her a real name. you can call her by what she is, does, or wears or has. ie: Police Woman, or Curious Woman, or Woman in Green, or Woman with Dog

Call her Sheela !

You really shouldn't call any character just "woman" or "man". How boring is that? These characters exist in your script for a reason, so don't short-change them by giving them no unique qualities.

For clarity's sake, it might also help to indicate in the action line that this is the same woman from the earlier scene.

My understanding is that you call minor characters by their function.

Passer by

Hotel clerk

Shopkeeper

Person who is going to get killed before the scene is over


Something descriptive like that.

I agree.
One of the worst things I find in newbie scripts is MAN 1 or WOMAN 2.

Try and name the character by job, PATROLMAN, or by trait, JERK.

It makes for a better understanding of the character, even minor ones.

roze


if the woman is a completely generic char, you can call her 'woman 1'. but, if this char returns later for one shot, she is probably not completely generic. so, you might want to give her a name and some characteristic which will add depth to the script


zilla

I have a female beagle named BB in my screenplay. They say to use capital letters on first reference. Trouble is, she's already capitalized.

(BTW, BB is actually my pet beagle)

Snoopy alert!

Friends, parents, and children have sued for less.

Could be the first case in history of a beagle suing its owner for invasion of privacy.