In my research into social groups, I came across an interesting method for exploring character. For Pen Densham in Riding the Alligator, an Oscar nominated filmmaker with 16 feature films and over 300 hours of TV to his credit, every writer and director should use a check list of questions to ask their characters when they develop their characters. It is like a questionnaire or interrogation in which the questions 'open up your understanding of who or what your characters might be. This is essential for motivating your character's choices, reactions and dialogue through the story'. I accessed this method through the Filmscape website here.
For the purposes of this exercise, we imagined that in the full-length feature film version of our production, our protagonist Sam the photographer would be driven to further acts of control. His aggression may well spill over into violence. If his frustration over his desire to exercise complete control over his fiancee spills over into violence and lands him in trouble with the police, he is likely to be subject to investigation and psychiatric assessment. This exercise helps us explore his character creatively.
Excellent You introduce this very clearly and your imaginative character development shows creativity. Please post the video interview which is the finished product at the end of this post.
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