Coursework Research: Character

What is a character??
A character is the representation of a person within a film/book that depicts who they are within a narrative.

How important are characters in the opening 2 minutes of a film ??
Personally, I think this is dependant on the approach the film takes to draw the audience in the first few minutes. If it is an action film and the first two minutes are quite hectic and full of lots of different shots of different things going on, then the characters are less important as the main focus is on the plot and that is was intrigues the audience to keep on watching; such as in Amores Perros. However if the beginning of a film is more subtle, then the characters become much more important as it begins to rely on them to intrigue the audience. This doesn't have to mean that loads is revealed about them in the first 2 minutes, just enough to spark curiosity amongst the audience to convince them that they want to find out more about the character. For example, the opening scene to Forrest Gump reveals hardly anything at all about the character, but the way he handles himself creates a sense of curiosity that acts as an incentive for the audience to keep watching; as in the end it is the character that they are watching the film to find out about.

Character profiles:

The Breakfast Club: John Bender

John Bender is an iconic character because from the first second of the first scene he is in stands out as a unique character, even though he doesn't actually say anything or feature more than any of the other characters. He doesn't do much to add to the narrative than be other teenager who has a Saturday detention; but we learn a lot about him just from the way he behaves. He turns up on foot, unlike the other characters, instantly making him stand apart from the others; as well as suggesting perhaps he isn't as well off or his parents aren't so fussed about his whereabouts. He doesn't stop for the car, depicting him as arrogant which is furthered still in the opening when he makes someone else move out of a seat so he can sit down even though there are plenty of other chairs. As an audience we are not directly told anything about him, but we can decipher certain things from actions such as these and thus learn a fair amount about him in the first two minutes.

Peter Pan : Wendy Darling 

Wendy is iconic because she displays what is it is to be a growing child; she still believes in the fairytales yet believes she knows how to be adult. She represents that awkward phase of growing up when you think you know everything yet you are still naive to a lot of things ; thus she is relatable to both children and adults. She adds to the narrative because she is the lead story teller of Peter Pan, thus the majority of the plot unfolds due to the tales she tales and the belief she has in him. In the opening two minutes we learn that Wendy is a big Peter Pan fan, and that she acts maturely because she is not joining in with her brothers play fighting; yet she does not discourage the fantastical tale that they are telling, in fact she corrects them on the details, so she is obviously still in that child like sentiment. The audience doesn't find out  great deal more about her personally in the first two minutes, but we can infer from the other characters and setting that she is a middle class girl who believes in fairytales.

The Curse of the Black Pearl : Captain Jack Sparrow 

Captain Jack Sparrow is iconic because he is so recognisable and instantly comes across as a funny yet intriguing character. He aids the narrative because it mainly about him thus his character helps the telling of the story by revealing major parts of the plot. He doesn't actually say anything in the first 2 minutes of the film, yet he manages to get across a lot about his character; such as the fact he is a pirate who respects others like him and also is quirky as he proudly stood on the mast of his sinking ship and just stepped off of it like it didn't matter. This introduces the audience as to what a fun character he is; although he still maintains ambiguity as to what he is doing thus intriguing them to know more.