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How to handle a character changing names partway through the script?

escher

escher

I have a script I'm working on where a main character is identified by a single nickname for the first act, but will be switching over to a formal "real" name during his character arc in the second act. What's the best way to handle this in the dialog parts of the script? Right now the character is solely identified by his nickname and it would be very confusing to use his real name in the dialog at this point.

Do I just switch names in the dialog character line? Use both? I can't currently think of a way to make this not confusing.
 
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Good question. I've no good answer.

I think there will be a certain part of the audience that will always be confused no matter what you do. Outside a theater a lot of people multitask when watching movies . . . sometimes you got to hit them over their heads with a bat at key plot points.
 
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From the audience's point of view, the name switch is very obvious and easy to follow -- the character is leaving behind his mobster-ish lifestyle behind, along with his mobster name. There shouldn't be any confusion there, but it the script it's trickier if you just open up to a random page and aren't aware that the guy called "David" on page 78 is the same character as "Twinks" on page 3.
 
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I was thinking film festival screeners and film reviewers are "captured audiences" and they won't be confused with the name switch having sat through the entire film to that point.

Maybe other audience members will get confused, but if you're getting into festivals and getting great reviews, you'll have all the ammo for a great PR push and that's all that matters, right?
 
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Hmm... That is tricky.
It may be plain as pie in 20/20 after the screenplay is read, but to the casual Humpty-Dump reader I can easily see your point.

Somewhere in the screenplay for The Tourist the voice over for Alexander is made known that it's actually Frank.
http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Tourist,-The.html

Maybe with some digging through there you could see how the writer pulled it off.
(I turned off the movie myself after about 20min, so I couldn't say just when that happened, but I gather it's in the third act).

And I agree with GAngel that the audience (and the reader/director/audience are all completely different things) could be comfortably bludgeoned with the switch from "Twinks" to "David".

Audiences are funny.
They'll b!tch if you spoon feed them.
They'll b!tch if you lose them in subtleties.
Whatchagonnado?

Also, consider hunting down other screenplays where characters have both nicknames and given names. Anything with urban gangs comes to mind.

GL
 
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You will confuse the reader if you start referring to the character with more than one name. If you're going to switch over, do a bold note.

From now on we will refer to this person as such and such.

Right after the plot establishes the character's new name is revealed.
 
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I'll keep hammering away at it. The change hasn't happened yet (I'm only on page 17), but it's going to be coming up in 10-15 more pages.

The name change is explicitly done on-screen so again, I'm not worried about audience confusion.

For what it's worth, this is a screenplay I'll never actually get to make -- it's a writing exercise I jump over to whenever I get stuck while working on another script. If I ever finish it, about all I could do is try to sell it. It would be far too expensive for me to try to make on my own.

Since I've got you all here, anyone want to give my 17 pages a critique? Since it's just a writing excercise I'm open to any and all suggestions. I'd like to get good enough at screenplay writing to maybe try to sell a few at some point and after awhile it gets difficult to objectively judge my own work.

Screenplay is attached in .pdf format to this message.

Edit: 18.25 pages now -- had to finish that last sequence.
 

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Using One Name

I think it's best to use one name throughout the script to note when the character is talking. Early on in the script, I'd indicate to the reader that the character (real name ABC) will be referred to by other characters as nickname (XYZ) in their dialogue but will be identified by his/her real name when he/she speaks within the script. Hope that helps.
 
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How's about something like this...


***
YOUNG MAN
Remember, same as before, you're
crowd control, I handle the employees.

YOUNG WOMAN
Got it.

They both take out their .32-caliber pistols and lay them on
the table. He looks at her and she back at him.

YOUNG WOMAN
I love you, Pumpkin.

YOUNG MAN
I love you, Honey Bunny.

And with that, Pumpkin and Honey Bunny grab their weapons,
stand up and rob the restaurant. Pumpkin's robbery persona
is that of the in-control professional. Honey Bunny's is
that of the psychopathic, hair-triggered, loose cannon.

PUMPKIN
(yelling to all)
Everybody be cool this is a robbery!

HONEY BUNNY
Any of you fuckin' pricks move and
I'll execute every one of you
motherfuckers! Got that?
***


Simples... It works.

I think you need assume that the person reading the screenplay, or watching the finished movie, is captive... they want to be there, so they'll notice the name change, no matter how subtle.
 
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escher said:
I have a script I'm working on where a main character is identified by a single nickname for the first act, but will be switching over to a formal "real" name during his character arc in the second act. What's the best way to handle this in the dialog parts of the script? Right now the character is solely identified by his nickname and it would be very confusing to use his real name in the dialog at this point.

Do I just switch names in the dialog character line? Use both? I can't currently think of a way to make this not confusing.
Click to expand...

The accepted way is to use a crossover character name.
Code: 
                        CLARK
      .....

later

                        CLARK / SUPERMAN
       ....

later

                         SUPERMAN
        ....

This works for most common situations since the audience/reader meets the hero as Clark Kent at first. During the course of the action, we learn Clark is really SUPERMAN. There is a catch. Since Clark and Superman are different personae, when we see their names, we see them in different roles. If a reader now sees "Superman", they're thinking guy in cape.

If you have a character with a nickname, one way to handle it is to include that in the description and carry it along for a bit.

Code: 
Here is JAMES "TWIDDLES" THORNTON (20s) ...

                    JAMES "TWIDDLES" THORNTON
          ....

                    JAMES THORNTON / TWIDDLES
          ...

                   TWIDDLES
          ....

In a couple scripts, they've just kept the "slash" thing going throughout but I think that's overkill.

There was a script posted recently that had famous characters with common names. That can confuse the audience/reader. It's like watching a show and thinking "Oh, that's so-n-so from ....". In a similar vein, the reader gets confused.

"CURRENT" / "ALTERNATE" - provides the smoothest transition and usually the reader picks that up after seeing it a few times. And, again, it doesn't hurt to remind/help the reader by casual mention in the action/description after a long break.
Code: 
                     STINKY
        ....

Catching James "Twiddles" Thornton by surprise -

                     TWIDDLES
        .... !

Good luck!
 
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