FRIDAY'S SCRIPT
TIP:
VISUAL CHARACTER ARC
Changes in character are best when shown
through a change in actions. In Bill Kelly, Earl & Pamela
Wallace's WITNESS John Book begins as a violent Philadelphia cop
- he drags a suspect out of a bar, beats him up, and slams his
face against the police car window so the little boy can make an
identification. This action establishes his character... and sets
up his character arc. In order to show John Book's transformation
from violence to peaceful, we first must SHOW him as violent. If
the writers had opted to have fellow detectives TELL us how
violent Book is, we wouldn't believe it. Hey - that's Harrison
Ford. We know he's a nice guy. In order to make us believe Ford's
character is violent, we NEED to see him do something violent.
SEEING is believing.
After he's shot he goes to live among the Amish while he
recovers. Though he's on his best behavior, he picks a fight or
two - slugging an obnoxious tourist who taunts his Amish friends.
But we can SEE him struggling against his violent nature in these
scenes. We can SEE him changing. Each scene that forces Book to
decide between violence and a peaceful solution to the problem
SHOWS us the subtle changes in Book's character through his
actions.
By the end of the film, the villains invade Amish Country. The
opening scenes use contrast to show how out of place the peaceful
Amish are in violent Philadelphia - Rebecca and Samuel are at
odds with the others in the train station and later the police
station. In those scenes, Book's character matched the world he
lived in. Now contrast is used again - this time showing the
difference between the three killer cops and the peaceful Amish
countryside. Once again, Book's character matches the world he
lives in - he's been transformed from a violent cop to a simple
barn builder. This allows us to contrast Book to the characters
he used to be like, including his mentor Paul.
Contrast is a form of conflict, and conflict always brings
character to the surface.
Though the three cops use "Philadelphia methods" to attack
Book, he resolves this problem without violence - using "Amish
methods". Instead of killing the villain, he and the community
surround the villain and shun him. Book has learned to be part of
the non-violent community. We SEE his character growth through
his actions, he never SAYS it anywhere in the film.
You know where your lead starts out and you know where you
want them to end up. Make a list of the scenes tat SHOW the
change in your lead character through actions.
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