Ron - a character biography, version 1

I wrote the opening scene just because I wanted to have something with a couple fighting. So I didn't have a premise, a plot, a backstory in mind. Also no character biography. That goes actually against my suggestion to be as clear as possible about who your characters are before you show them to the public.

However, that's the way the mind works. You have an idea, an inspiration and you have to do something about it, write it down, think it through, expand on it and see where it leads. One perfectly acceptable way - at least for me - is to write a piece of script. Others may just talk about it, think about it. One writer said 'I thought about my screenplay for a year then wrote it in a week.' Okay.

So, I frequently write before I think. Or while I think. Some ideas only come while I'm writing. However, I try to tell myself that nothing that I write spontaneously has any relevance just because it ended up on paper. Everything is object to change or cut if the need arises once backstory, story and plot mature.

That said, let's look at the opening scene and extract whatever we can from the behavior that I spontaneously gave to Ron and Martina.

In the opening scene Martina is mad. She is going ballistic over something, throwing expensive, fragile items at him.

How does Ron react?

First of all he stays calm, at least externally. He is so calm that he probably drives her crazy. He actually appears arrogant, cynical in his calmness. His choice of words indicate that he commands a decent vocabulary, has some grasp on financial concepts: steady inflow of cash, expensive shows of compassion - this is not language from the gutter.

He has some wits that catches her off guard: Somebody has to be boring around here.

And he has emotion. Deeply buried, may be, but he shows it:

He turns to her, eyes wide, lips tight. A deep breath.

...

Ron walks to the door.

A moment of hesitation.

He is out the room. The door closes silently.

He may not be able to show it or decides not to, but he has feelings that well up under the surface.

So why is he like this? What is his past?

His age: the script says 30s. So he is born in the seventies. Let's say 1975. Some things follow logically: He entered prime school in 1981, high school in 1985.

What about his parents? I'll make a decision: His father has is own business in the construction sector. His mother ... don't know, yet.

Ron has two children with Martina - a 9 year old daughter and a 6 year old son. The birth of the daughter actually caused him to ditch his aspirations as an artist and go into business.

Ron had aspirations for an artistic career and started a university study in creative writing. But financial obligations forced him to switch to law and later enter his father's business. His parents actually 'convinced' him it's all for his best, but he isn't convinced. Still, he has to stick to it to feed his family. He studies business part time, because he doesn't want to settle for the image of being the 'old man's son.' He still wants to do greater things, but balancing even his reduced aspirations with the demands from his family is difficult.

The conflict causes him a great amount of stress, both externally and internally. He is frustrated that things progress so slowly. He often wonders whether he was right to give up on his dreams. He is frustrated, doesn't feel understood, left alone with his concern about the financial needs of his family, especially the future needs.

That's enough for the moment. I'll add more when I need it. Actually, the biography may change once I visit the premise of the movie and fit Ron and Martina into it. Starting with writing script can have these consequences. Just remember - nothing is sacred, just because it's in the script.

But judge for yourself now. Is Ron's behavior in the opening scene consistent with his biography? Would a person with Ron's background and past behave this way?

Character Biographies

I consider character biographies part of a movie's backstory. They are the characters' personal contributions to backstory.

What is a character biography?

It's easy. You have a biography. You were born at a certain place, at a certain time. You grew up in a certain environment, went to schools, may be college. You worked or didn't, whatever. The sum of everything you did and everything that happened to you - that's your biography.

To a significant part you are a result of your past. I don't say that's all that defines you, but definitely our past - that includes the way we look at the world - strongly influences our actions and our aspirations of the future.

It's the same with the characters of your movies. Okay, they are invented. They will only be relevant for the length of the movie. And all in all - even the main characters will be seen for incredibly few minutes of screen time. So, why give them an education, parents, brothers and sisters, hobbies, a social environment, a driving record, a life insurance if that never shows up in the script?

Answer: these back issues may not be relevant for the script, but your characters are and they are a result of their biography. So, if the character is relevant, give him/her a biography. (Of course, that checkout clerk in the supermarket that only shows up in one scene doesn't need one.) What I said about backstory applies here. too: Most of it will never be told in the movie, but it will define your characters' behavior, their actions and their words.

For example, a character that is well educated, works in an executive position and is respected for his contribution to society will probably not habitually use foul language to express dissatisfaction. And if he does exhibit unusual behavior, there should be a good reason for it. And that reason would be part of the character's biography.

If you are fully aware who your fictional character is, it is likely that you give him a behavior and a language that fits that fictional background and as a result is consistent over the length of the script. Before his dialog will sound strange to the reader of a script, it will sound strange to you. As a result your characters will be solid, consistent, believable from the past.

That said, in the next few posts I'll give the fictional characters in the opening scene a character biography.