As I’ve mentioned before, I’m going to begin a new screenplay in January. Right now I’m working on the plot, fleshing it out, deciding on major beats, that kind of thing.
I’m also starting to think about what to name my characters. One thing I learned when I first started to write SP’s … I love names that begin with the letter “J”. But it would be really stupid to give every character a name that begins with that letter. Can you imagine how confused a reader could become. Jan, Jean, Joseph, Judy, Jeremiah, Janet, Jim, Jon, John, etc…
So the first thing I do is open a NAME file for my screenplay. The file is divided into two parts. The first part, a list of NAMED CHARACTERS, has the alphabet listed along the left side. As I decide on names for characters, I add the name to this list, making every effort not to duplicate any letters. The list might begin like this:
A Anne Gables
B
C Christopher Long
D Danielle Stevens (nicknamed “Duck”)
E
F Frank (Frankie) Lopez
This listing allows me to “glance” at all my character names and make sure that one letter is not overused.
The second part of this file is a listing of UNNAMED characters. These are minor characters who only appear for a short time in the screenplay. The listing might look like this.
Newspaper Delivery Boy
Policeman # 1
Policeman #2
Teacher
Traffic Guard
Utility Worker
Another thing to consider is the LENGTH of the name. If your main character has a very long name such as Bartholemew, the shear length of the name will increase the page length of your SP. Bart is a much shorter version of Bartholemew. Only you can decide which name to use, but it is a consideration.
Also, consider the character’s occupation A stripper will usually have a more flamboyant name than a librarian. Mike would be a great name for a welder, whereas a lawyer might be Michael.
The age of the character should play a factor. Matilda or Elsie might be a perfect name for an old lady. Mattie or Elly would be better for a teen-ager.
Where was your character born? Is he a Billy Bob or a William Robert? Is he Jose’ or Joseph?
And be aware of rhythm, too. Don’t give all your characters one syllable names. Everyone can’t be Joe, Ed, Tom, Ken, Bart, etc. Give some of the character’s names with two or more syllables. Joseph. Edward. Thomas. Kenneth. Bartholemew.
Or make the spelling unique for the reader. When the film is watched, the viewer won’t know that Deb is spelled Debb, but it might help the reader visualize your character better.
I enjoy the process of naming my characters. It is said that writing a screenplay is like giving birth to a baby. Well, you gotta name that baby! And in a screenplay, there are lots of characters who need names!
