Celina's Notes About Characters and Treatment

A Note About Characters:

Characters are the most important part of any kind of drama that you write. People who watch movies don't remember the plot point for point. What makes an impression is the character. For example, can you describe, in detail, exactly what happens in "The Matrix"? I bet you can't, but you remember that guy Neo right? Then there's "The Sixth Sense." That was a complicated movie. How many people, even people who just finished watching it, could describe the plot accurately? Not many. But you remember that little kid don't you? So make your characters memorable and unique. Give them interesting little quirks and distinctive qualities. We don't always have to like them, but we do have to believe them, and you want the people who see your movie to remember them. That's why it's important to know exactly who you're writing about before you start writing.

A Note About The Treatment:

A lot of people can't stand to write treatments, especially for full-length screenplays, because they're so long, and because they're so eager to start writing the movie. Writing a treatment can seem like a lot of work, but you have to do it, because the treatment is like a road map. It's a map of what happens in the story, and if you follow it, even if you make some changes along the way, it will make writing your screenplay a lot easier. It's important to have this map, because if you don't know where you're going with your story, you'll end up somewhere else.