How to Craft Character Transformation
I met with my very engaging Inner Circle group last night and thoroughly enjoyed myself! These filmmakers are passionate and courageous. FYI, I’ll be forming a new Inner Circle in a few months.
Meanwhile, I’d like to share with you excerpts from our discussion about character transformation. If you have a character-driven documentary, you’ll find this very helpful.
In addition to having a concrete goal, a protagonist may also have a so-called “need”, which is a subconscious psychological desire to embrace a character trait that they are lacking. Maybe they are lacking courage, or kindness, or in the case of the character Thelma in the Hollywood classic “Thelma and Louise”, a sense of independence.
The first step in creating a character transformation is to define the polarity shift. In other words, how will your character change? From aggressive to passive? From self-absorbed to generous? In the case of Thelma, she moved from passive housewife to assertive outlaw.
The second step is to set up the midpoint scene. Screenwriters use the term “midpoint” to mean many things; I am referring to a crisis that brings forth the first sign of character transformation. As screenwriting teacher Louise Rafkin has pointed out, at the midpoint of “Thelma and Louise”, Louise sleeps with a hooker (played by Brad Pitt) who steals her money. This causes her to take control of her life and leads to her first bold robbery.
The third step, going back to the polarity concept, is to define that initial character trait, that is, the early “self”, in one to three scenes that happen prior to the midpoint. For example, you may recall Thelma cowing to her husband’s demands in a phone call.
The fourth step is to then craft a couple scenes after the midpoint that show incremental change toward the new character trait. By the end of the film, your protagonist should face their most daunting task, one that calls forth a supreme effort and solidifies the “new self” they have been creating.
For more information on crafting character-driven documentaries, check out my most popular online seminar “Editing the Character-Driven Documentary” (https://newdocediting.com/products/) or email me at Karen@newdocediting.com.
