Pitching a screenplay concept? It might be about character more than plot

Pitching a screenplay concept? 
It might be about character more than plot

By Ben Cahan

Recently, a good friend emailed me a synopsis of a script he was writing, wanting to get my opinion.  While the outline he sent over didn’t necessarily grab my full attention (for plot and stylistic reasons not germane here), I was curious about the locale, atmosphere and lifestyle of the main character…in this case a boat captain living and working on his boat in the Caribbean.  Brings to mind adventure, beaches, rum drinks, you get the idea.  And, of course, the hope for sandy, warm shooting locations!

As it turns out, I have myself crewed on numerous boats and yachts in recent years, including a week on this particular friend’s catamaran.  Thus he already knew I love the sea life and have always had an interest in developing and promoting boat-based stories. 

In a case like this, where the story world, from locale to time period, lifestyle or culture, might have inherent worth, getting an Industry contact interested in looking further can be about more than the plot, important as that may be.  It can be about properly selling your protagonist, about being clear why he or she might be someone you’d want to hang out with, or know more about, or come along with as they get caught up in whatever story you have stuck them in.  The adventure, mystery, romance, crime, heist, dilemma in the plot will be important, but probably more so if we are already sold on who it is happening to.

What I told him to do right away

The first takeaway is what I told him:  write a 1-2 page description of this Captain – his background (it is a he in this case), his wants and needs, the reason he does what he does, what he wants out of life, why he bought a boat and moved to a small, out of the way island, maybe a few of his foibles and insecurities.  (He hasn’t gotten that to me yet but I am expecting it at some point).

What I want to see from his protagonist sell-sheet is a reason to climb aboard.  Whether the story is a romance or mystery, has smugglers or the Feds, pirates or not, I already know I’m drawn to the setting (everyone loves exotic locales, right?), so if I can love (or love hating) the protagonist, the situation he gets stuck in can be worked and tweaked. 

What I hope I don’t see is a cliché boat slacker, a Captain Ron, a typical salty dog or even a wealthy retired divorcee.  Rather, I’d love a real person, with real issues and deeply personal reasons he left the mainland for small island life.  How has he fit in with the locals and even local cuisine and customs?  Is he a loner, or is he the life of the party?  Is he really just hiding from bigger problems from his former life that he hopes he has left behind?

The bigger picture, of course, is to get my buddy to be sure he has the best protagonist he can have, searching for the cliches and replacing them with characteristics, attitudes and traits that showcase creativity and depth. 

Remember, as screenwriting experts have said for decades, “Story is Character”.  And creative, well drawn characters often make selling the plot that much easier, if we can see them as real people and not cut-out stereotypes.

Which leads to a good exercise for all

Not all screenplays take place in exotic locales or are populated with odd, endearing, curmudgeonly or even tuned-out protagonists, but since scripts are stories, and stories are made up of characters doing things, making sure your main character is fully realized, with positives and also likely some negatives, is a great way to be sure your characters will grab readers, managers or producers, making them want to know more.

Thus, I recommend taking some time to write out a couple pages that flesh out your protagonist (and another for your main antagonist if they play a big part), even if not every detail or backstory item will make it into the finished screenplay.  You might not end up sharing that document with anyone other than yourself as you write the script, but even in that case it might help you write scenes that bring the character’s unique traits out.

Regardless, the more you know about them, where they come from and what they want, what they like and what they despise, their strengths and also some of their weaknesses, failings and insecurities, the more you will be able to make them pop, scene after scene. If you truly feel you know them, you can probably make others want to know them as well.

Think of the main characters you remember from a favorite movie, or TV show.  They so often end up being more memorable than even the plotline because it is their journey that we want to see, no matter what plot they are stuck in.

Remember, if you do all that and then someone who reads it is flat-lining, staring out into space with a blank look, you might have more work to do.  Maybe you feel your script is all about the plot, the danger, the chases, the fights, where characters aren’t so critical.  I would suggest that no matter the movie no matter the plot or genre, it is all about character.  If you take the time to think through your main characters, protagonist and antagonist alike, and then write what you ‘know’ of them clearly and plainly, the more likely you’ll end up with unique and interesting characters others will relate to, thus making them want to keep turning those pages. 

And getting readers, managers, agents and producers to the end is a good starting point.

Ben Cahan