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Financial Challenges

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Film Production

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Portrayal

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Dictionary.com defines character as "the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing, including moral or ethical quality, reputation, and the qualities of honesty, courage, or the like; integrity."

The portrayal of a character in a movie can also be phrased by the formula: Dialogue + Physical Movement = C haracter.

This leads us to the main ingredient of a movie and why we watch movies: the characters. Identifying with the characters is a common reason people love a certain movie. The viewer wants to see the main character (protagonist) and the supporting characters develop like people do in real life.

In order for the movie to express this development, the character has to show growth in moral and ethical qualities, such as integrity, honesty, or courage, and by having a well-developed background, making the character three-dimensional.

In order to create a three-dimensional character with a well-developed background, the movie has to illustrate the character's sociology, psychology, and physiology. Since a movie is a visual experience, the sociology and psychology, along with the physiology, are subtly portrayed visually by the physical movements and the dialogue the character displays in any particular situation. Physiology is included in this portrayal because many movie characters are self-conscious of their physical appearances, like Cyrano de Bergerac who was self-conscious of his nose.

The physical actions and the dialogue of the character change from the exposition and conflict as he or she goes through the rising and falling action of the movie. Every shot or frame of a film has to count in order to accomplish the action and progress the story. In addition, the dialogue in these situations has to agree with the physical movements. For instance, the dialogue cannot be a ranting and raving of a particular situation while the character is standing calmly, looking out a window.

Let's draw upon the characters from Detour, Cyrano de Bergerac, and the hypothetical example, Wanderlust: The Beauty of Discovery, to see how character is or could be expressed. These examples will provide a good analysis of a character. What the character's mannerisms, movements, and dialogue are reveals aspects of the individual's personality and background and what actions will occur regarding the handling of the movie's conflict.

Character Physiology

The main physiology points of a character are the sex, age, height, weight, posture, appearance, defects, and heredity. A character's voice should also be part of the physiology because different parts of a person's anatomy, such as vocal folds (cords), throat, mouth cavity, nasal passages, the tongue, soft palate, and lips, create sound.

In Cyrano de Bergerac, the most prominent physiological characteristic is, obviously, Cyrano's nose. His nose affects both his physical and verbal actions. Would Cyrano de Bergerac have been involved in so many sword fights if his nose was of normal size? Considering his attitude, he might have, but overall probably not. Other characters in the movie that did not have such a pronounced nose were not involved in as many altercations as Cyrano.

Besides sword fighting, he is egotistical in the areas of writing and acting, which compensate for his large nose. The size of his nose affects his actions in life such as his love toward Roxane. Instead of expressing his love for Roxane near the beginning of the movie, he lives vicariously through Christian.

In Detour, actions that occur to Al Roberts slowly wear his body down to the point that exhaustion is evident in his physiology. Being a nightclub singer, Al's voice has to sound pleasing.

In the hypothetical example, Wanderlust: The Beauty of Discovery, since it is not an actual movie, how would Jack physically appear? From the above list, you can see some of the obvious physiological characteristics for Jack. He is a young male, since he just graduated from college. Throughout the movie, he does not age much as the movie takes place within several months or a year at the most. Most of the other areas, such as voice, height, weight, posture, appearance, defects, and heredity, do not play a significant role for the character Jack, like Cyrano's nose. The rest of his physiology can be nondescript.

Character Psychology

The main psychological points of a character are moral standards, personal premise, ambition, frustrations, chief disappointments, temperament, attitude toward life, complexes, extroversion, introversion; ambivalence, abilities, character qualities, and IQ. These psychological points form the background of a character and determine logically how he or she is going to act at the beginning of the movie, during the rising action of the conflict, and in the final action at the climax of the movie. Even though some of the psychological traits are not shown at the beginning of the movie, these traits are brought out by the conflict that arises and the situations that occur during the rising action of the movie.

In C yrano de Bergerac, Cyrano is frustrated by his belief that he is not desirable to Roxane because of his nose. This frustration is fueled throughout the movie, and it results in a temperament whereby he ridicules other people, such as he did the actor at the beginning of the movie. Cyrano's chief disappointment is that he never tells Roxane he loves her.

Cyrano is an ambivert. He is an extrovert to everyone except for Roxane. To Roxane, he is an introvert, because he keeps everything inside and does not pronounce his true love to her.

In Detour, Al Roberts' attitude toward life at the beginning of the movie is that he is satisfied playing piano in a nightclub and marrying Sue, the singer in the nightclub. Al's attitude toward life changes after he accidentally kills two people. He is frustrated and quick tempered by these two deaths, resulting in a changed attitude toward life.

In Wanderlust: The Beauty of Discovery, Jack has ambition as he wants to develop a career on his own. This becomes Jack's main attitude toward life. At the beginning of the movie, though, he has a temperament of frustration, because his family has planned his whole life up to the point of his graduation from college. What else would you add to the psychology of Jack?

Character Sociology

The main sociological points of a character are economic class, occupation, education, home life, religion, race, nationality, position in the community, political affiliation, amusements, and hobbies. Depending upon the story of the movie, the sociology may not play as big a part in the character portrayal as the psychology of the character. If a character is taken out, away from the way of living that he or she has adapted to and is familiar with, sociology may play a bigger part in the movie.

In C yrano de Bergerac, Cyrano is an accomplished swordsman and poet. He has an education and a favorable place in the community. His name is well-known.

In Detour, Al Roberts is a working class individual who is employed as a piano player. He is a middle-class individual with no home life. His religion, race, and nationality are immaterial to his situation.

In Wanderlust: The Beauty of Discovery, Jack has a sociological background with a specific economic class and home life that is symbolic of the well-to-do middle class. His family is a respected part of the community. Jack wants to change all that by searching for a future away from his family and home town. Social adjustment is going to be the biggest adaption that he has to go through in the movie.

Analysis of the Three-Dimensional Characters

Each of the three characters has a specific physiology, psychology, and sociology. These attributes are stronger in one of the three areas than the others. The one strong attribute helps to progress the story by showing how the protagonist deals with the conflict.

Cyrano de Bergerac's primary character dimension is physiology. How he deals with his physiology affects his psychological actions of love toward Roxane. This presents the conflict and rising action, including the forward progressions and the setbacks, in the movie.

Al Roberts' primary character dimension is psychology. His temperament changes throughout the movie because of the accidental deaths that have occurred. These deaths contributed to a developing temperament of hostility and helplessness, resulting in a fatalistic demeanor.

Jack's primary character dimension is sociology. He has built a whole life based on his family's place in the community and his education. Now he wants to reinvent himself by moving away and establishing a new sociological background. The idea of reinventing himself drives his actions. He becomes egotistical in the process because he is looking out for himself and what he wants to do rather than assisting anyone else. No matter if he likes it or not, he has become a product of his controlling family.

Visually Demonstrating the Three-Dimensional Character

We have looked at the physical and mental backgrounds of three different characters based on their physiology, psychology, and sociology. How are these characters brought to life on the screen where everything is visually expressed? Before the cameras role and the film is edited, what is done?

Mise-en-scene is defined as all of the elements or visual elements that are in a shot. These elements are setting, lighting, staging, costumes, and make-up. The set refers to furniture and props and everything that dresses the set or is contained in the décor of the set. Staging refers to the blocking and physical action of a character.

Previously, we saw photos of Al Roberts from Detour and Cyrano from Cyrano de Bergerac. Make-up was used to express their physiological traits, such as Cyrano's nose. It was also used to demonstrate what the character had been going through, such as the dirt on Al Roberts' face.

At the beginning of the movie, you get to know something about the character and the time period. In the beginning of Cyrano de Bergerac, the viewer sees the costume that Cyrano had on, along with what the interior setting of a theatre was like during the seventeenth century.

The interior setting at the beginning of Detour is a diner. The diner is small and confining, like Al's life, and he believes the police will eventually capture him. The diner is staged with the type of people, like truck drivers, who frequent that sort of restaurant when on the road travelling.

We will take a more in-depth follow-up look at mise-en-scene in the production chapters of directing (Chapter Five), cinematography (Chapter Six), and editing (Chapter Seven) to see how mise-en-scene is used by these areas of production to express a character and to further the story.

The Three-Dimensional Character Demonstrated Through Sound

Different aspects of sound enhance the character and story, making the movie a complete experience. Sound in a movie includes dialogue, music, sound effects, ambient noise, or background noise and soundtracks. Sound has always been around-even for silent movies. During the silent movie period, musical accompaniment was provided in theatres.

In the late 1920s movies began to "talk." Many students have indicated in the film courses that I have taught that sound was the biggest innovation to movies. Dialogue is a conversation between at least two characters in a movie to exchange ideas and resolve a problem.

Dialogue is an important aspect of the sound in the movie. Even during the silent movie period there was dialogue. However, the dialogue was written on silent movie dialogue cards.

Music, whether referring to the musical score at the beginning and end of the movie, along with background music to set the tone and atmosphere of a scene, assist in leading the viewer through a complete movie experience. The music may also be symbolic of the personality of the character and the action he or she is going through at any particular time in the movie.

Sound effects, according to dictionary.com, are any sound, other than music or speech, artificially reproduced to create an effect in a dramatic presentation, such as the sound of a storm or a creaking door. These sounds heighten the action of the movie, and it heightens the interest in the characters to see what will happen to them next.

Ambient noises provide realism to a scene, giving naturalism to the area that the character is in during a particular time of the movie.

Soundtracks are musical accompaniment for a movie, such as a popular song or songs and music from the movie. The soundtrack could have a song expressing the background or a specific characteristic of the character. The soundtrack could also have music that is expressive of the story.

With the different aspects of sound expressing different features of the characters and the situation the characters are in, sound progresses the story and plot.

We will take a more in-depth follow-up look at sound in the production chapters of directing (Chapter Five), editing (Chapter Seven), and sound (Chapter Eight) to see how sound is used by these areas of production to enhance the character and progress the story of the movie.

Further Character Dissection

This brief discussion of the character outlines the complexity in building and developing a character in a movie that is going to last on an average of 120 minutes.

As we have read in previous chapters, a lot of action occurs in a movie, and the characters have to stay consistent with the construction of the movie. This is why the exposition is a very delicate part, but an extremely important part, of the story, because the main characters and their backgrounds have to be introduced. But the introduction cannot take too long because the audience will lose interest in the movie.

Enough of the main characters' personalities have to be portrayed during the exposition so the rest of the movie has a logical progression as the audience gets to learn more and more about the characters. And, as the audience gets more and more involved with the characters and their story, the audience becomes more wrapped up in the movie resulting in an enjoyable experience for them.

Remember-with the theme, the purpose of the movie has been established. With the establishing of the purpose of the movie, the question has to be asked, "What is the best way to demonstrate the purpose of the movie?" Do the characters demonstrate this purpose?

The next question is: Do the characters work well together? Are the characters friends, enemies, or do they work together? Is this a good combination to form a good relationship and an interesting movie?

The last question is: Is the story different enough that the characters and their actions weave an interesting tapestry to make movie viewers interested in them for at least 90 minutes? This is a difficult question to answer but one that is left up to the viewer's preference. In this contemporary period, are the potential actions of the characters and the weaving of the story interesting enough in these movies? Did the movie follow the format in an interesting manner?

After taking a beginning look and discussing the characters, what stands out as being the most important: story, plot, narrative structure, setting, or characters? What stands out as being the most memorable? What do you go to the movies for? Are you interested enough in the characters that you want to see what happens to them?

If your response is "yes" to the above questions, then you were already hooked from the beginning of the movie. If you are interested in seeing what happens to the characters that is a positive sign too. If you are ready to leave the movie theatre, then the movie is not for you.

As previously outlined in an earlier chapter, the movie action between the conflict and the climax is referred to as rising action. The action between the climax and the resolution is the falling action. Rising action is not always rising. It is more of an up-and-down motion, because the main characters have setbacks and have to start over.

Summary of Character Portrayal

Characters are the essence of a movie. Good characters are three-dimensional based on the character's physiology, psychology, and sociology. One of the three areas may often be predominant over the others and is affected more by the story, but all have to be developed to give depth to the character.

The characters have to work well together to keep the audience interested, along with dialogue worth listening to and action worth watching. The story helps a great deal with bringing this to fruition, allowing the characters to interact with one another, and to develop logically to the climax and resolution of the movie. In this way, the audience gets caught up in the movie and wants to watch more. A good movie is like a good book; the characters have to be very satisfying. But unlike a book, a movie is a visual and audio experience. The character development has to be shown and heard.

Further Viewing

These movies are excellent examples of character portrayal:

Mrs. Miniver, 1942, directed by William Wyler, starring Greer Garson, Walter Pigeon, and Teresa Wright. The three stars portray people in England at the beginning of World War II and the struggles they persevered.

The Best Years of Our Lives, 1946, directed by William Wyler, starring Frederic March, Dana Andrews, and Harold Russell. This movie follows the efforts to adjust to civilian life for a soldier, airman, and sailor after World War II.

Ben-Hur, 1959, directed by William Wyler, starring Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, and Stephen Boyd. The main character, Judah Ben-Hur, is falsely convicted and sentenced to be a galley slave. Once freed, he seeks revenge. This is a movie of character growth and change.

Elmer Gantry, 1960, directed by Richard Brooks, starring Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, and Arthur Kennedy. This movie follows fast-talking salesman, Elmer Gantry, and his experiences with revivalism and a female lay preacher.

To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962, directed by Robert Mulligan, starring Gregory Peck, Frank Overton, and William Windom. This movie follows a lawyer in the Depression-Era South who defends a black man accused of raping a white girl.

Assignment

As Jack is finishing an undercover investigation case, he comes to realize, as he looks around his small motel room, that he is successful in another dead-end job and has no friends. He cannot have any friends, especially girlfriends, because he cannot bring them back to his place, because they may find out that he is an undercover investigator. Jack contemplates another career. His decision is to go back to college to major in his only interest, theatre. He quits his job and enrolls in college for the spring semester. Jack finds out he only has to go for one semester and take courses in his major. Upon hearing this, Jack believes his luck is changing.

On the first day of class, Jack is apprehensive because he does not know what to expect, and everybody will be younger than he. When he enters the class, which is in a theatre, he sees that it is worse than he expected, because everybody knows one another except for him. When class begins, though, all is forgotten when he listens to the professor, Alec Morgan. Jack is excited because he has Prof. Morgan for most of his classes. Jack heard that Alec had won a Tony Award, which initially interested him in enrolling in the college.

Hearing Alec speak about theatre, Jack becomes more interested in theatre, and wants to develop his talent to become successful in theatre. Jack has a tough schedule, as he obtained a job in the security department at the college working the midnight shift. Jack works all night, goes home, and changes for his 9:00 am class.

Do a character analysis of Jack based on the above information to make him a three-dimensional character.

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Exploring Movie Construction and Production

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Dictionary.com defines character as "the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing, including moral or ethical quality, reputation, and the qualities of honesty, courage, or the like; integrity." The portrayal of a character in a movie can also be phrased by the formula: Dialogue + Physical Movement = C haracter.

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Review

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Utilizing Resources

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Accuracy

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Initial Ideas

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Techniques

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A Short Guide for Film Techniques for HSC English | Project Academy

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Studying a film for HSC English? This one’s for you.

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Final Drafts

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Developing the plot and characters in a script

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Filmmaking Process

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You want to set your first film in motion.

You've got tons of creative ideas and you can't wait to see your vision come to life on-screen.

But first, you've got a journey ahead, one filled with challenges, triumphs and endless possibilities.

Which can come with a whole mixed bag of feelings.

Excitement.

Trepidation.

It's natural to feel a bit apprehensive-you've got high expectations. And the fire to succeed burns strong.

We've put together this blog post to help guide you through the process. We'll take a deep dive into the realm of indie filmmaking, explore the key stages of film production and get you prepped and prepared to take the filmmaking world by storm.

So grab your camera. Let's get this show on the road.

What is an "Indie Film"?

Requiem for a Dream. Little Miss Sunshine. Napoleon Dynamite.

These are just some of the most famous independent films of all time.

Wanna know the awesome thing about indie films? They're typically made with smaller budgets and rely on the artistic vision of the filmmaker-not restrained by commercial considerations.

Which means something pretty cool: creative freedom.

You can run wild with cinematography styles, unique storytelling techniques and niche subject matters. And challenge all the norms of conventional filmmaking.

The ultimate filmmaker's dream.

The 5 Stages of Film Production

When it comes to film production, you've got 5 key phases: development, pre-production, production, post-production and distribution.

Each stage is centered around a different purpose, with each one leading nicely onto the next.

Many films fall at the development and pre-production stages. That's why it's so important to make sure you've got a fully rounded vision of what the filmmaking process entails and what you need to make it happen.

Let's take a look at each stage in detail.

1. Development

You want your first filmmaking experience to run with minimal bumps in the road.

Which means you need to get meticulous with detail.

Let's break it down.

Planning
Filmmaking is built on creativity but it's also about getting yourself organized. During the development phase, you'll outline the film structure, create a script and develop a production plan.
This involves pinpointing shooting locations for each scene, securing permits, assembling a trustworthy and talented crew and putting a solid budget in place.

Take the time for this and you can expect a more streamlined process and smoother filmmaking experience.

Sure, it's often the most challenging aspect, but the truth is, your film will fall at the first hurdle without funding.
Which makes it all the more nerve-wracking when pitching your concept or script to investors.

But if you've got a spellbinding story, a rock-solid plan and a crystal-clear vision, you're in with a much better chance.

2. Pre-production

Around now, it's starting to feel a bit more real.

This is the step before production, so you need to take the opportunity to make your final adjustments and prep. And you don't want to rush it-some pre-production processes can last many months before the first "Action" gets shouted on set.

Set design and prop shopping

Budgeting

Casting and rehearsals

Location scouting

Costume design

Lighting and effects

Scriptwriting refinement

Here's what you need to think about at this stage:

Ideally, you want to have as much finalized as possible before you go into production on set. You might realize you need to hire some more staff. Or maybe your budget needs a revision, a thorough review of all of your costs to consider if cuts are needed or you can find a way to lower expenses.

But it's not all work and no play-this is also a time for some bonding between the crew, who are going to be working closely together during the creative process and journey.

3. Production

The production stage is a big deal for filmmaking first-timers.

It's an invaluable and major learning experience. You get to dive straight into the detail. Securing the best camera shots, lighting tricks, sound design and editing.

It's where your ideas go from mere thoughts to materializing on screen. And satisfyingly, the part where all your thorough planning and prep starts to pay off.

Setting up and organizing the technical equipment, such as cameras, lights and sound equipment.

Filming scenes according to the script and vision.

Directing the actors and providing guidance for their performances.

Capturing various camera angles and shots to convey the desired visual style.

Ensuring proper lighting and sound recording during filming.

Dealing with unexpected challenges and making on-the-spot creative decisions.

Coordinating with the costume designer to select and manage costumes for the characters.

Reviewing and discussing the filmed footage with the director and editor.

Conducting any necessary reshoots or pickup shots if required.

Documenting and organizing all footage and production-related materials.

Preparing for the post-production stage by handing off the footage to the editing team.

Here are some of the tasks you can expect at the production stage:

One thing to note: all steps may vary depending on the size and scale of the production.

4. Post-production

You've finished filming. Now it's time for post-production where the real magic happens.

Picture editing
Rough cut: organizing and arranging raw footage into a coherent structure.
Fine Cut: refining the rough cut, focusing on pacing, timing and overall flow.

Final Cut: completing the final version of the edited film.

Here are the parts at play for the post-production phase:

5. Marketing/Distribution

Your finished product is ready to roll.

Now it's time to bring it to the masses and ramp its visibility to the max.

By combining effective distribution strategies with targeted and innovative marketing efforts, indie filmmakers can increase their chances of reaching a wider audience, gaining recognition, and achieving commercial success for their films.

Distribution

Film festivals
Submitting the film to relevant film festivals can generate buzz, gain recognition and attract potential distributors or sales agents.

Theatrical release
Securing a limited theatrical release in independent cinemas or arthouse theaters can create awareness and generate word-of-mouth publicity.

Video-on-Demand (VOD) platforms
Distributing the film through popular platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu or Vimeo On Demand allows for wide accessibility and potential revenue streams.

Distribution methods can include:

Marketing

Trailer and promotional materialsCreating an engaging trailer and promotional materials (such as posters or stills) to capture the essence of the film and compel viewers to watch it.

Online presenceBuilding a strong online presence through a dedicated film website or social media channels.

Publicity and PREngaging with media outlets, journalists and influencers to generate press coverage, interviews and reviews of the film.

Screenings and Events
Organizing special screenings, Q&A sessions and other events to engage with the audience and build a loyal fanbase.

Marketing methods can include:

Lastly, Stay True to Yourself.

We get it, it's a lot of info.

Our advice? Research and plan as much as possible. But also remember your purpose. Your drive. Your dream.

Keep your creativity in mind, but keep level-headed, too.

Get that balance right, and you'll be calling "and that's a wrap" before you know it.

Good luck!

Love,

The L.A. Film School team

Are you looking to take your filmmaking skills to the next level? Film students at The L.A. Film School have the opportunity to explore directing, screenwriting, cinematography, editing, producing and more.

Learn more about our Film degree programs here.

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From Script to Screen: The 5 stages of indie film production

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Looking to make your first indie film? These are the key phases you need to come to grips with before you get started.

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Writers

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Professional Journeys

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Responsibilities

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Research

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What's Here

This section of the Film Studies Research Guide provides assistance in many of the particular subjects in Film Studies. The pages discuss particular issues and list key resources on those topics.

You can get to the topical pages from the main navigation bar above or from the links below. The links are listed alphabetically.

Critical Approaches and Problems: Theory, Methodology, Philosophy and Aesthetics

Directors, Actors, Writers, etc.

Filmmaking, Producing, etc.

Genres, Styles, Categories, Series

International Cinema

Literature & Film

The Movie Business & Studios

Music & Sound in Movies

Social & Other Aspects of Filmmaking

Themes, Subjects and Characters

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Yale University Library Research Guides: Film Studies Research Guide: Research Topics

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A guide to conducting research in Film Studies at Yale University, including key resources and crucial search strategies.

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The Producer-Director Relationship

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Compelling Scripts

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Tips for Screenwriters: How to Write a Script in 6 Basic Steps - 2023 - MasterClass

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All Hollywood movie magic starts with a first draft and evolves into a screenplay fit for the big screen. Writing a film script for a feature film is a long and challenging process that requires a degree of technical know-how. With sufficient study, practice, and familiarity with the standard script…

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Unique Challenges

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Producers

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Funding