
Introducing character names in a movie sucks. Screenwriters John August and Craig Mazin offer tips to make it suck less.
One of the most unnatural things a screenwriter does is find a way to introduce a character's name to the viewers of the film. This sounds like the most basic thing to do, but people who already know each other in real life don't keep repeating each other's names when they talk to each other. This is so basic that screenwriters John August and Craig Mazin had never even covered it in any of the 290 episodes of Scriptnotes until one listener finally tweeted this simple question:
Video is no longer available: twitter.com/ErinFMcomedy/status/836831250690224128
August and Mazin tackle this naming question in Episode 291 of Scriptnotes, which you can listen to below. Jump to 10:25 in the podcast to hear their discussion.
When it comes to introducing character names, Mazin can't stand it either: "Here’s the thing. It’s all annoying. I hate it. It’s one of my least liked parts of screenwriting because it always feels artificial."
So, the trick is to introduce a character's name to the audience in the most natural way possible. August and Mazin share seven ways you can introduce your character's name that don't feel incredibly fake.
1. Write a conversation with more than two people talking
When more than two people are talking to each other in a scene, take the opportunity to say a character's name to clarify who someone is addressing. This naturally points the audience's attention toward the character and will likely set up a cut to that character's face after the name is mentioned to underscore the direct address.
2. Show the audience the name
Character's names can appear on desk nameplates, office doors, business cards, even billboards if it makes sense for the character. Just be careful because showing a character's name can seem forced, too, so be creative.
3. Place characters in settings where their names get called out
Names are called out in waiting areas every day, so if your character needs to see a doctor or has an appointment for an audition, use these opportunities to introduce their names. But don't just write a scene in a waiting area purely to get the name out there. That's boring. And being boring is much worse than not revealing a character's name.
4. Use phone calls and text messages to say your character's name
Whenever you call someone new on the phone, you have to introduce yourself. Whenever you call a friend who has your number saved in their phone, they typically answer by saying your name. Phone call scenes in your script give you a great opportunity to introduce a character's name in a natural way. Your characters don't use the phone anymore because all they do is text? No problem. Character names can appear above incoming and outgoing text messages.
5. Have two characters talk about another character by name nearby
If having a character state her name outright in an introduction feels too clammy to you, concoct a scene where two characters talk about a third character nearby and use her name out loud as an alternative way to share the name with the audience. Again, when the name is mentioned, this will be a natural cut for the editor to show the third character out of earshot of the conversation, letting the audience make the connection between the name and the face.
"The truth is I have no problem writing a script where nobody ever knows somebody's name. In fact, I do it all the time. Here's the crazy part: usually, people don’t notice."
6. Never mention the character's name
Okay, maybe this suggestion doesn't actually accomplish the stated goal, but sometimes, you never have to mention a character's name because honestly, the audience doesn't really care. I struggle to remember the names of the main characters of most movies even right after I have seen them, but I can describe the character accurately enough to have a conversation about the film afterwards.
Mazin puts a finer point on it: "The truth is I have no problem writing a script where nobody ever knows somebody's name. In fact, I do it all the time. Here's the crazy part: usually, people don’t notice."
7. Write a memorable scene that is all about a character's unique name
Of course, if you give your character a truly memorable name, make a scene out of the character's introduction so no one can forget the character's name.
Do you have suggestions on how to introduce a character's name to the audience in a natural way? Do you have any favorite character name introductions? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
Your Comment
11 Comments
8. Let the character introduce himself as V.O.
LESTER (V.O.)
My name is Lester Burnham. This is
my neighborhood. This is my street. This... is my life. I'm forty-two years old. In less than a year, I'll be dead.
March 10, 2017 at 3:55PM
During a conflict, people is more likely to call other people by name because they want to put emphasis on their interlocutor:
- "You know what's wrong with you Michael? You don't care about anyone but yourself"
- "No, Jane, I didn't drop the damn Ming vase. Now excuse me but I have better things to do than listening to your hysterical ravings"
March 10, 2017 at 5:07PM
Start with characters who don't know each other. At some point, it will be natural for one of them to introduce herself. Or, as in Strangers on a Train, one of the characters can be a minor celebrity, and the other wants to get to know them. In that film, the antagonist is so weird that he has his name printed on his necktie.
March 11, 2017 at 7:31AM
How to introduce Character names: See Guy Ritchie.
March 11, 2017 at 7:39PM
10. Have two characters meet for the first time. When you're meeting someone for the first time of course you introduce your name.
March 13, 2017 at 5:57PM
How apt is Number 6. Watching Patrick McGoohan in "The Prisoner" last night, his character Number 6 escapes the Village (for a while) in "Many Happy Returns". He gets back to London and meets people who he knows very well, yet because of the premise of the show, they are unable to use his name.
See also Adrian Edmondson as "I'm Billy Balfour, the Man with No Name" in "A Fistful of Travellers' Cheques"
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January 9, 2020 at 8:48AM
Create a scene in which two characters meet for the first time. Of course, you introduce yourself when meeting someone for the first time
August 19, 2021 at 2:58AM, Edited August 19, 2:58AM