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Quintessential characters…

Along with DILEMMA, I’ve also been noticing a concept called quintessentialism…

Here’s the definition of quintessential from Dictionary.com:

quin·tes·sen·tial adj

1. Representing the perfect example of a class or quality
2. Of, relating to, or having the nature of a quintessence; being the most typical.

What the hell is Unk talking about?

Your characters in your films… They should ideally be the QUINTESSENTIAL example of that type of character… If you have a bum as a character, he should be the quintessential bum.

If you have a rookie cop, he should be the quintessential rookie cop…

*NOTE: Quintessentialism doesn’t necessarily mean “the best” or “the most cliché.” It simply means the very best representation of that TYPE of character.

This should immediately tell you that RESEARCHING YOUR CHARACTERS is very important here.

In other words, you must reveal this characteristic of being quintessential in this person’s actions and dialogue as well as what other people think of them through dialogue.

I have yet to see a screenwriting book mention this but the very best movies I am watching lately seem to SCREAM this element.

For example, let’s take A FEW GOOD MEN.

Tom Cruise’s character is the quintessential plea bargaining Jag officer. This is revealed when Cruise meets Demi Moore’s character for the first time… i.e, “One more and I’ll win a set of steak knives…”

Demi Moore’s character is the quintessential rules of law attorney. She certainly knows the law but she doesn’t know how to use it in court… This is revealed by the two officers that ask her to leave the room… Through dialogue, they reveal that she dragged a case on for weeks when it could have been concluded a hell of a lot faster.

Jack Nicholson’s character is the quintessential commanding officer. Totally ego maniacal and expects to be treated with much more respect than is usually offered up in the military. Again, this is revealed through a lot of his own actions and dialogue where he acts as though he is beyond reproach.

I could go on but I hope you get the idea.

This is a big key in making your characters stand out and thus, making your screenplay and film stand out.

Unk




Tuesday: 20 June 2006|2029|Under Characters

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2 Responses to “Quintessential characters…”

  1. The Transformational Character Arc… Part 1 » The Unknown Screenwriter on Monday: 12 March 2007|1416

    [...] us main characters as big as life! Quintessential characters… Characters capable of being transformed by the end of your story. As audience members of [...]

  2. The Central Question | on Sunday: 20 July 2008|1452

    [...] way to present the central question is simply by creating the quintessential character… Remember, we’re not talking about the best of the best. Not the best cop. Not the best [...]

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