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Give it a name…

Give It A Name...

First a quote:

Going to call him ‘William’? What kind of a name is that? Every Tom, Dick, and Harry is called William. Why not call him Bill? - Samuel Goldwyn

Naming characters is often a very personal thing with screenwriters… Some writers give it SO MUCH THOUGHT that you can immediately pick that up when you read the script. Others seem to open up a random page from the phone book and simply pick a name.

I’ve done both and guess what?

They both work.

I don’t think there’s necessarily a right way or a wrong way to name your characters… Do what your gut tells you is probably the best advice I would give someone but before asking your gut what your character’s name is, you just might want to ponder the following…

YOU’VE GOT TO KNOW YOUR CHARACTER(S).

I think too often, many of us jump right into a character name without really knowing the character. I know I’ve been guilty of that in the past. Sometimes we just KNOW the character’s name before we know anything about the character.

I’ll eventually end this rant on characters with a final post that includes all the demographics and questions I ask of my characters as well as what I refer to “backstory bits.” For now however, let’s assume that you do SOMETHING to get to know your characters. It could be creating an extensive (or not) bio or it could be that you just think about your characters all the time and while there is no right or wrong, I for one can testify that my characters became a hell of a lot more authentic almost OVERNIGHT — simply by creating an extensive bio on them.

No matter what you do to name your characters, I think the one thing we can all agree on is that your characters gotta have a name even if the name is something forgettable.

Ah… Forgettable. Hmmm. Do we really want to give our characters forgettable names? We’re writing spec scripts aren’t we? I would think that creating a forgettable name is exactly what you DO NOT want to do to your characters and yes… Not even your minor characters.

I always prefer to read a character name like FAT COP instead COP #2. Give me an image!

I’ve managed to STUMBLE on names when doing extensive research on the utilities of my plot. I’ve seen screenwriters create bios on their characters that come right out of their imagination which is fine but I’ve seen many MORE AUTHENTIC characters come out of research for the utilities of the story plot.

More authentic because the bio of the character includes the research of the utilities… By utilities, I mean the world that your story plot consists of. There may be several different kinds of WORLDS that you’re blending together in your story… So instead of creating a character out of thin air and your imagination, consider creating your character out of the research you do on the worlds that will ultimately be in your script.

I know it may seem obvious and to many it is and that’s great… You already know what you’re doing. Outstanding! For others, it’s one of the mistakes I’ve seen quite a bit i.e., they more or less have the premise of their script and based on that crumb of a premise, they start creating characters.

Again, I would say there is no right or wrong way and certainly, one could come up with some outstanding characters this way but consider creating an “open bio” on your characters… Keep it open while you do research on the different worlds that will end up in your script. The more you research, the more you’ll find those interesting backstory bits as well as style of clothing, type of car, address, habits, etc. of real-life characters already inhabiting those worlds.

Something else to ponder and keep abreast of is people in the news… Especially with all our new and upcoming celebrity “socialites” that are always in the news these days, you might want to think twice before naming one of your main characters Lindsay or Paris. LOL. By the same token, watch out for names that might help DATE your script and please please please… If your script is a period piece, make sure that any name you use was actually a name that was in existence within that time period.

MAKE IT EASY TO PRONOUNCE

Wow. This seems so obvious yet I can’t tell you how many scripts I’ve read with character names where I’ve wondered if I was pronouncing the name correctly. Talk about something that will take you right out of a story while you’re reading… Often, it might even be better to phonically spell out your character’s name instead of the usual spelling. I remember a script I wrote a few years back where one of the main character’s last name was MOTACEK – pronounced MO-TAH-CHECK.

I had a couple of meetings and more than a few telephone calls where 90% of the powers that be that I spoke with pronounced the name as: MOT-A-SECK.

What did I do?

I immediately went through the script and respelled the character’s name: MOTACHEK and then even had another character call the guy MOTORCHECK just to make sure there was no confusion.

BE CONSISTENT EVEN IF YOU’RE INCONSISTENT

I’m not gonna get into ethnic names other than to say be consistent… Do the research of the world(s) you’re going to show us and give us realistic, consistent names but be sure you’re not infringing on the names of EXISTING PEOPLE or you’re sure to get yourself in trouble later on.

Read the following article to see what I mean:

What’s in a name?

In case you’re too busy to read right now, I’ll go ahead and quote a sentence from the article:

“If you can be shown, by using a real-life name, to have injured a real-life reputation, then you will pay.”

It’s just that simple and it happens all too frequently if, for no other reason, than when you’re talking MOVIES, you’re talking MONEY and people like money so they sue.

On the other hand, there’s no reason you can’t use a name inconsistent with ethnic background but be ready to explain such usage somewhere within your screenplay and try not to be too expository.

Consistency should also ring more or less true with the generation your character was raised in unless there’s a specific reason you choose not to and once again, be prepared to discuss it somewhere in the script without too much exposition.

Also consider the use of nicknames OTHER CHARACTERS might use for your main character. A nickname often suggests how other characters see the character with the nickname i.e., something about their personality or their past. I’ve always been amazed when I’ve visited friends when their families are visiting THEM and the nicknames are revealed… LOL. Nicknames that I would not have known about otherwise.

Good stuff.

Keep in mind that most readers and audience do in fact subconsciously PROFILE your characters as they get to know them and that almost always starts with the name you give them. It really depends on the story you’re trying to tell as to whether or not you should go with a cliché name based on ethnicity or demographics.

You could in fact give a character a cliché name based on ethnicity or demographics and then turn right around and flip that cliché upside down and surprise the hell out of us. Or, it may better serve your story to go with the cliché… Again, there is no right or wrong — it depends on your story.

Is your character powerful? If yes, should you then use a powerful name? Depends on your story and maybe even your character’s ARC. All I’m saying is there may be a little more to consider.

I’m usually able to name my own characters pretty fast and quite easily WHILE I’M WRITING. Then, when the script is completed, I go back to the beginning and read all the way through to see if it would better serve my character and my screenplay to rename the character. In the same script above, I took a less than major – more than minor character and renamed him GIO after having used the name FLEECE through all the rewrites. Fleece simply popped into my head and gave me an immediate visual and the character started out as a mild mannered con man who eventually moved up to “made man.”

By the time I finished all the drafts, FLEECE just didn’t work anymore… It didn’t even work as a nickname. I also didn’t want to use the usual cliché wise guy names like Tony, Pauly, Jimmy, Sonny, etc. but I still wanted a slight ethnic edge… One day I was driving behind a tiny Geo Metro and as soon as I said Geo, I knew I had my name… I just changed the “e” to an “i.”

The interesting part of that story is that the ONLY thing I changed in that script while marketing it was the above name… As soon as I made that change, I started getting more calls about the script. I’ll never know if it was because of that one simple name change but it’s gotta make you wonder…

ONLY ONE TO A BOX

Another interesting way to go is to mix ethnic names… Multiple middle names. Doing this almost always makes US wonder a little more about the character but beware of using TOO MANY unusual, bizarre, exotic, colorful, names in the same script. One is usually plenty. Two or more can get confusing to the reader unless there’s a specific reason to do so.

VARY THE ALPHABET AND THE PHONICS

I’m pretty sure most of us know that we should be extremely careful when giving characters names that use the same first letter… Most of the books talk about this. In addition however, be wary of naming characters that have names that SOUND ALIKE unless you have a specific reason to do so. I once read a script that had two characters named ZACK and JACK. Jack and Zack not only sounded the same when you said the name but they fucking sounded the same ON THE PAGE. Neither had their own unique way of speaking so of course, at some point during my initial read, I was taken completely out of the story because I got confused. I had to go back and reread certain areas to get them straight in my head again but guess what happened…

The fucking screenwriter also got confused toward the end and mixed them up all on his own! Are you fucking kidding me?

Shitcanned.

The script I was working on prior to the screenplay I’m currently rewriting had two characters that had the same name with different spellings. The main character was named ALEX and a minor character that gets killed in the middle of the script was named ALIX. Alex is a guy while Alix is a girl. I did that not to confuse anyone but because the play on the name was used in the story as a plot point of misdirection. Later on, I qualified it by another character clarifying the girl as Alix with an “i.” The use was short and sweet and thoroughly explained in the action/description as well as the dialogue so there would be no confusion but still, it’s a pain in the ass to have to do that extra work to MAKE SURE NOBODY GETS CONFUSED. LOL. And, had it not been for my use of the device of overhearing the name ALEX when in fact, the name that was overheard was ALIX, I wouldn’t have used it at all.

A couple of years ago I read a script where all the characters (even minor ones) had first and last names that started with the same letter or had the same sound at the beginning of each name. Consonantal alliteration? Vocalic alliteration? It ain’t cute unless there’s a FUCKING REASON to do it. Seriously, this script used names like, Sandy Sanderson, Timothy Timmons, Jeremiah Jerowski. LOL. So I’m reading this thing and wondering when are these names going to make sense? Where’s the fucking punch line?

There wasn’t any so I once again called on Shirley Shitcan. She never lets me down and besides, she loves scripts like that.

JUST DON’T DO IT TO YOUR DOG

Sorry. I can’t fucking stand it when somebody gets a new dog or puppy that already had a name prior to their receiving it and THEN, turn right around and give the animal a brand new name. To me, that’s like scratching a blackboard multiplied by 1000. In fact, just about every dog I’ve seen this happen to is never quite right in the long run…

So give the dog a break but go ahead and consider renaming any and all your characters. I’ve had scripts where, for some reason, the Protagonist just wasn’t working for me… I could never quite put my finger on the reason so I just fucking changed their name and BAM! Problem solved.

Yeah, it was just that easy.

I learned a long time ago not to ever love anything that couldn’t love me back and even then you can get screwed… Trust me. LOL. Yeah, I used to love my characters and for a couple of years, I thought they loved me… They didn’t.

In many ways, character names are no different than other parts of your screenplay. The RULE? There are no rules. Choose character names carefully only if there’s a reason to do so; if doing so will make a difference to your story. If not, relax… Give it a name and keep going because you can always come back and give it another name. It’s definitely more important to create an authentic, compelling, and interesting character than it is an authentic, compelling, and interesting character name…

It wasn’t until I started kicking the shit out of them, abandoning them, renaming them, killing them, fucking them over, etc. that the powers that be started taking them seriously.

Funny how that works.

Unk

Resources:

20,000+ Names From Around the World!

Seventh Sanctum Quick Name Generator

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Wednesday: 3 January 2007|0432|Under Uncategorized

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Comments

17 Responses to “Give it a name…”

  1. Tom on Wednesday: 3 January 2007|0753

    I have a script in which both the main characters’ names are Todd.

    Really forces you give the characters distinguishing characteristics and write them in a distinctive voice.

  2. Jutratest on Wednesday: 3 January 2007|1115

    I hate naming characters.

    “I always prefer to read a character name like FAT COP instead COP #2. Give me an image!” is the best advise I’ve heard all day!

  3. Webs on Wednesday: 3 January 2007|1134

    Re the script with the alliterative names. Was it a comic-book-style adventure? That’s a common thing to do in comics: Bruce Banner; Peter Parker; Lois Lane; Clark Kent; etc.

  4. caroline on Wednesday: 3 January 2007|1255

    Tom, I hope you are kidding. If not, I’ll step aside and let UNK take this one.

    OK, Jutra, put yourself down the line. What actor, even if he’s a big man, wants to read for FAT COP? It’s bad karma and bad psychology. And falling back on a physical description is just lazy in my book. Sure, give us an image but be clever about it.

    I like to play the name game. Lisa and Lola evoke two very different personalities …. Lisa lives in the suburbs, Lola has a walk-up in the meat packing district. You get the drill. Sometimes starting with the name can actually lead you to who your characters are and what their paths would be.

  5. Tom on Wednesday: 3 January 2007|1422

    No, I’m serious… though, I didn’t mention that I use their last names to differentiate their characters on the page. I sent it to a script consultant, and he didn’t mention it as a problem.

    The script also heavily involves the music of Led Zeppelin, which is probably about the biggest hindrance you can put on a film since they usually don’t allow their music to be used in films.

    But I feel confident that both the naming convention and Zeppelin songs are crucial to the story I wanted to tell, so that’s how I wrote it.

  6. caroline on Wednesday: 3 January 2007|1438

    Fair enough. You’re definitely a road less travelled kind of guy. Not a bad thing, just makes it a harder and bumpier road.

  7. Tom on Wednesday: 3 January 2007|1515

    “You’re definitely a road less travelled kind of guy. Not a bad thing, just makes it a harder and bumpier road.”

    I hear it makes all the difference…

  8. Unk on Wednesday: 3 January 2007|1809

    Tom,

    All I can say about having two characters with the same first name is that you might consider having some kind of reason for that otherwise, most professionals reading it are going to wonder and actually LOOK for that reason and if there is none, then they’ll wonder why. I would never tell anyone NOT to do it — just have a reason TO DO IT. You say that having the two Todds is crucial to the story so I’m assuming there’s a reason to do it that way… There’s always exceptions for any type of guidelines…

    Actors reading for FAT COP? Trust me, there would be a friggin’ line out the door of actors reading for such a part… But I was talking about even minor parts. Most of the people I know (myself included) would rather see a character name that gives us a visual image. A name like FAT COP tells us a couple of things… 1) The character is a fat cop. 2) It’s obviously a minor part that we really do not have to concern ourselves with remembering much about except what happens right then and there with the character. When you give a minor character an actual first name or first and last name, we can’t help but wonder how large a part this character has and we subconsciously search for him or her as we read on. Normally, when we see a character name that simply helps push an image into our mind’s eye, we instinctively know that this is a minor character and probably a very short part.

    Of course on the other hand, I’ve read scripts where a major character was given a visual image character name instead of an actual name and even though it worked, since the character was a major character, I would have just as soon seen him given a real name… First. First and last. A nickname.

    I guess what I’m saying is that normally, we’re used to seeing minor characters given names like COP #1, COP #2, FAT COP, VEGETARIAN COP, whatever… When we see that name, it’s kind of a cue that tells us not to worry too much about that character as opposed to giving a very minor character a real name… When that happens, we instinctively wonder when that character will return. Needless to say… It’s a thin line and we all have our preferences.

    Webs,

    No… the script with the alliteration had nothing to do with a comic book… If it had, that would have been fine… What it really comes down to is WHY include anything that MIGHT take a professional out of the story? Fine if there’s a reason… Make sure it’s CLEAR to whomever’s going to read it. If there’s no reason for it, why do it? Like I said in the post, I had to go back and see if there was something I missed. The names were so contrived that I couldn’t help but think I missed the reason for it.

    I didn’t because it wasn’t there… LOL.

    Unk

  9. Joshua James on Thursday: 4 January 2007|0753

    You can make two characters have the same name and it can work, but it definitely has to be a real choice (like the BOB’S in OFFICE SPACE) with thought behind it.

  10. Moviequill on Thursday: 4 January 2007|1112

    Go ahead and use two Todds (I have a vested interest in the outcome as that is my name ha!)… anyways, for names I have been writing down all the spam junk mail names I get into a folder, then search through them and see if one jumps out at me… kind of like going to the pound and wait for the first one of the litter to crawl toward you

  11. Unk on Thursday: 4 January 2007|1722

    Josh,

    It can absolutely work especially if you’re making it part of the story in some way… Like in DIE HARD we saw two Agent Johnsons. The comedic effect was perfect…

    MovieQuill/Todd,

    What happens when you go to the pound and they ALL come crawling to you?

    I just ask because it happens to me every time I go…

    Unk

  12. Eric on Thursday: 4 January 2007|1839

    I’m writing this spec script, and I’m going to call the main character Torcilious Meggamanny. What do you think?

    ;-)

    Just kidding. His name is Unk.

    - E.

  13. Unk on Thursday: 4 January 2007|1843

    I like TORCILIOUS better. How about TORCIE for short?

    Unk

  14. adam on Friday: 5 January 2007|2145

    I find character names to be the most fluid thing in my script. I often change names as I find a better fit or possibly a symbolic-type name that’s not too over-the-top. I’ve found this can be dangerous though if you do not edit with great care.

    I once changed a character’s name to JAKE, but must have had The Blues Brothers on my mind, because I inadvertently called the character ELWOOD several times. I ultimately liked ELWOOD better and changed all of the JAKEs.

  15. Unk on Friday: 5 January 2007|2243

    Adam,

    You bring up a good point… Which is always an outstanding reason to have at least two or three people you trust to read/proofread your scripts.

    Sometimes, you’re so CLOSE to the writing and the story that to some, those oh so obvious elements are no longer obvious.

    Unk

  16. NZ Protagonist » Blog Archive » Anyone care about character names? on Saturday: 6 January 2007|0640

    [...] Unknown Screenwriter has a post about character names. It basically goes on about advice for naming your characters. Here’s a few excerpts: “Naming characters is often a very personal thing with screenwriters… Some writers give it SO MUCH THOUGHT that you can immediately pick that up when you read the script. Others seem to open up a random page from the phone book and simply pick a name. [...]

  17. Sal on Sunday: 7 January 2007|1306

    I’m one of the agonisers - I spend ages searching for the right name for characters, and it is much more like a search than “thinking up”. It’s as if the character already knows his or her name, and I just have to work it out. When I discover it, then we are good to go.

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