Filmmakers Network
Character Questions by Allanah Brookes
A successful film has to have believable and interesting characters that an audience can get involved with and relate to. One way in which to add realism to your characters is to add depth to their personality and history. Here is a list of 50, yes 50 questions to ask yourself when creating convincing characters.
1. What about your character is heroic/dastardly?
2. What does your character like/dislike about people?
3. What is your character’s favourite food?
4. What is your character’s real birth name? What name do they go by?
5. Does your character have a nickname? What is it and how did they get it?
6. How does your character dress most of the time?
7. How does your character “dress up”?
8. In your opinion what is your character’s most redeeming feature?
9. What is your character’s prized mundane possession? Why is it valued?
10. What one word best describes your character?
11. Where does your character live?
12. Who was your character’s father, and what was he like?
13. Who was your character’ mother, and what was she like?
14. What was your character’s parents’ relationship like? Were they married? Did they remain married?
15. Does your character have siblings? What are their names? What are they like?
16. What us the worst thing one of your character’s siblings did to them? What was the worst thing your character did to their siblings?
17. When was the last time your character saw any member of their family? Where are they now?
18. Does your character have other family members? Who are they? What did your character think of them?
19. What is your character’s first memory?
20. What was your character’s favourite toy?
21. What was your character’s favourite game?
22. Any non-family member adults stick out in your character’s mind? Who were they, and why do they stick out?
23. Who was your character’s best friend growing up?
24. What is your character’s fondest childhood memory?
25. What is your character’s worst childhood memory?
26. What is your character’s view of authority?
27. Who was your character’s idol when they were growing up?
28. Does your character have a job? What is it? Do they like it? If no job where does their money come from?
29. Who are your character’s closest friends?
30. Does your character tend to save or spend their money? Why?
31. What annoys your character more than anything else?
32. What would be the perfect gift for your character?
33. Does your character wear any jewellery?
34. What kind of things embarrass your character and why?
35. What kind of day is your character’s favourite?
36. How far will your character go to achieve their goals and who will help them?
37. What is one thing your character dislikes about their self?
38. What one act in your character’s past are they most ashamed of?
39. What one act in your character’s past are they most proud of?
40. Is your character a better leader or a follower and why?
41. What is the thing that has frightened your character the most?
42. Do they think that there is anything out there that’s scarier than that? What is it?
43. Has anyone close to your character died? What happened?
44. How private a person is your character and why?
45. What is the one thing your character is a sucker for and why?
46. Does your character have any bad habits?
47. What would your character do if they won the lottery?
48. Does your character believe in fate?
49. What are your character’s immediate goals?
50. What are your character’s long-term goals?
Phew…and this is by no means an exhaustive list! One useful and perhaps more fun way to answer these questions is to rope in a friend and perform a role playing exercise where you become the character and they ask you the questions. You never know, it may reveal more about your character than you thought. Good luck!
About The Author
Allanah is currently studying for an MA Screenwriting at Screen Academy Scotland and is aiming to start her career in film development while she hones her scriptwriting skills. Right now she is using her time at Raindance as an introduction to the film industry and to keep up with her writing by helping out with the newsletter and film reviews.
www.raindance.co.uk
1. What about your character is heroic/dastardly?
2. What does your character like/dislike about people?
3. What is your character’s favourite food?
4. What is your character’s real birth name? What name do they go by?
5. Does your character have a nickname? What is it and how did they get it?
6. How does your character dress most of the time?
7. How does your character “dress up”?
8. In your opinion what is your character’s most redeeming feature?
9. What is your character’s prized mundane possession? Why is it valued?
10. What one word best describes your character?
11. Where does your character live?
12. Who was your character’s father, and what was he like?
13. Who was your character’ mother, and what was she like?
14. What was your character’s parents’ relationship like? Were they married? Did they remain married?
15. Does your character have siblings? What are their names? What are they like?
16. What us the worst thing one of your character’s siblings did to them? What was the worst thing your character did to their siblings?
17. When was the last time your character saw any member of their family? Where are they now?
18. Does your character have other family members? Who are they? What did your character think of them?
19. What is your character’s first memory?
20. What was your character’s favourite toy?
21. What was your character’s favourite game?
22. Any non-family member adults stick out in your character’s mind? Who were they, and why do they stick out?
23. Who was your character’s best friend growing up?
24. What is your character’s fondest childhood memory?
25. What is your character’s worst childhood memory?
26. What is your character’s view of authority?
27. Who was your character’s idol when they were growing up?
28. Does your character have a job? What is it? Do they like it? If no job where does their money come from?
29. Who are your character’s closest friends?
30. Does your character tend to save or spend their money? Why?
31. What annoys your character more than anything else?
32. What would be the perfect gift for your character?
33. Does your character wear any jewellery?
34. What kind of things embarrass your character and why?
35. What kind of day is your character’s favourite?
36. How far will your character go to achieve their goals and who will help them?
37. What is one thing your character dislikes about their self?
38. What one act in your character’s past are they most ashamed of?
39. What one act in your character’s past are they most proud of?
40. Is your character a better leader or a follower and why?
41. What is the thing that has frightened your character the most?
42. Do they think that there is anything out there that’s scarier than that? What is it?
43. Has anyone close to your character died? What happened?
44. How private a person is your character and why?
45. What is the one thing your character is a sucker for and why?
46. Does your character have any bad habits?
47. What would your character do if they won the lottery?
48. Does your character believe in fate?
49. What are your character’s immediate goals?
50. What are your character’s long-term goals?
Phew…and this is by no means an exhaustive list! One useful and perhaps more fun way to answer these questions is to rope in a friend and perform a role playing exercise where you become the character and they ask you the questions. You never know, it may reveal more about your character than you thought. Good luck!
About The Author
Allanah is currently studying for an MA Screenwriting at Screen Academy Scotland and is aiming to start her career in film development while she hones her scriptwriting skills. Right now she is using her time at Raindance as an introduction to the film industry and to keep up with her writing by helping out with the newsletter and film reviews.www.raindance.co.uk
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