How to introduce a character in a screenplay: write their name in capitals on first appearance, as writers commonly do. Add a line or two of description, and show who they are through what they do.
Use the guide to writing screenplay characters to develop the person behind that entrance. Keep the introduction focused on what they do when we meet them.
How do you introduce a character on the page?
Introduce the character while they handle something that reveals a habit or priority. For example, let a roommate choose who gets the burnt toast.
- Action
- Also called Action lines
- Action is the description of what an audience sees and hears. Action lines commonly use present tense and short paragraphs.
Write a character introduction
- Write the name in capitals
Follow the common convention of capitalizing the character's name when they first appear in action.
- Choose a brief description
Give the reader a line or two they can picture, as introductions commonly do. Choose details that matter to this entrance.
- Show a revealing choice
Let the character respond to something happening now. Give them a choice that suggests what matters to them.
- Cut explanations the action already carries
Remove personality labels when the behavior makes them unnecessary. Keep the visible choice.
How do you show who a character is through action?
Give the character a choice the audience can watch. In this original example, Mara's breakfast choice replaces a description of her personality.
INT. APARTMENT KITCHEN - MORNING
MARA is generous and hides her own discomfort to keep other people happy. She makes toast.
Her ROOMMATE enters, dressed for work.
- The reader gets a personality label, but making toast doesn't demonstrate it.
INT. APARTMENT KITCHEN - MORNING
MARA, still in her work apron, scrapes burnt toast over the sink.
Her ROOMMATE enters, dressed for work. Mara slides the golden toast toward them.
She puts the burnt toast on her own plate, blackened side down.
- Giving away the better toast shows Mara putting her roommate first.
- Turning the toast over suggests she doesn't want her sacrifice noticed.
How do you introduce a large cast?
Give each entrance a distinct action rather than stacking names and descriptions. At a family dinner, let an arriving sister straighten the place settings. Let her brother move his chair away from their father. Introduce each person when their behavior gives the reader something to remember.