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Making characters sound different

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Darkshrimp

Hi all, I'm currently writing a short film which involves mainly two people talking on a park bench. It's simple and short script. The problem i'm having is, i'm still new to this script writing business.

Since both characters involved are part of my imagination...they both sound like....me.

The problem is not that sounding like me is bad, but it's that the two characters sound like each other....

Any tips and tricks guys? Cheers
 
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I'm not sure if you talking about the wording and phrasing each character uses, or the actual sound of the voice.

Character development may help in finding a different "voice" for each of the two.

Work with one character at a time:

1. Where are they from? Where did they grow up? How were they brought up? Progessive, Conservative? What is their level of education? What events have brought this person to this particular place and time? What are their spiritual or religious beliefs?

2. What role does the character serve? Antagonist? Protagonist? Why is there person even there? What is the conflict? What role does the scene play in the story?

For every scene, there has to be motivation. If you can sum up the scene in one or two sentences, what does it say? Where are you leading the viewer?

Two things that have driven my writing skills when building characters:

1. Why should the viewer care about this character? What are the identifiable traits, personality, motives and have I expressed then enough to have the viewer form an opinion as to whether they like the person or not?

2. DO NOT allow the character to narrate the story. The dialog should support the visuals but not be a substitute for visual story telling.

Here's another quote which helps me a great deal in character development:

"First you decide what the characters are going to do, and then you provide them with enough characteristics to make it seem plausable that they should do it." Alfred Hitchcock



Darkshrimp said:
Hi all, I'm currently writing a short film which involves mainly two people talking on a park bench. It's simple and short script. The problem i'm having is, i'm still new to this script writing business.

Since both characters involved are part of my imagination...they both sound like....me.

The problem is not that sounding like me is bad, but it's that the two characters sound like each other....

Any tips and tricks guys? Cheers
Click to expand...
 
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Hmm I see. So you can't just picture the characters sounding diffferent? You know what I do, I take people that I know and imagine them as the characters I am writing. Like for example, there is a desirable damsel in distress for the hero in a script I wrote, and for her I pictured this cute girl at work, I have had a crush on. Imagining her voice talking for her and all. Picturing actors from other movies, I feel would play the part well, works for me too.
 
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The text book thing would be determine what each character wants and needs. Assuming their wants and needs are different, that should delineate them and separate personae should develop.
 
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"Action tells the story, your characters just live it". It's the action that is key. Your characters merely react. The story is an unexplained combination of the two.

Be aware of expository dialogue. Your characters can become fog-horns, bellowing the components and direction of the story with every chance. Narrating its every move. That is not for your characters to do. Be realistic. This will come with practice.

Listen to real people, having real conversations. This helps.

Distinction between characters should be as it is in real life. Traits, manner, composure, history, ambition. People are different. Your characters should be different, and it should be evident, and natural. It will be, like I said, it takes time.

Try writing "Character Bios" for each of your characters. Give them some backstory. Delve as far as you can. Create the individuality for your characters.

This will ease the transition. It will allow you, when writing dialogue, to render the depth of each character. You now have "circumstance". How he/she would react to certain situations based on their past, and their character.
 
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Papertwinproductions said:
"

Try writing "Character Bios" for each of your characters. Give them some backstory. Delve as far as you can. Create the individuality for your characters.
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Good advice. I think the OP doesn't know his characters well enough yet. Also, when you write the bio, you can make them as long as you want and with as much detail -- but don't ever feel that any of it needs to be indicated in the script, you can, depending, marble in certain things that help drive the story and define the character, but hte process of writing bios is mainly for the sake of the writer, not the person reading the script. I love that Tom Cruise character from COLLATERAL and yet we knew almost nothing about where he came from, but his actions defined him. It would have been so lame if he'd broken into a monologue saying "Yeah during my first tour in Afghanistan, I was captured and lived off cockroaches and urine, and it was there that I discovered Zen blah blah.."
 
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harmonica44 said:
I agree, it's the actions that define the character, but also give motives for those actions. I don't think a whole back story is necessary unless it's part of the story itself.
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In the situation that the OP is in, I'd suggest that back-stories (Within the Character Bios) are necessary. It's a tried and tested method.

Character bios are almost always necessary. From a Writers point of view, I want to learn more about my characters. Always. As a film-maker, I want to give the actor the best possible chance to portray that character.

A brief Bio can often be enough. A short film, a music video. It depends on what each person is comfortable with. The writer, the talent.

But a feature length production requires alot more thought. I'd always reccomend writing Character bios. Writing a feature, and having it ready for production, can take a very long time. You want nothing to get lost along the way.

Remember that a Bio consists of moments that define that character. Family, tradition, outlook, dreams, desires, successes, failures.

Preference again. I'm sure alot of other Writers have different approaches.
 
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Papertwinproductions said:
In the situation that the OP is in, I'd suggest that back-stories (Within the Character Bios) are necessary. It's a tried and tested method.

Character bios are almost always necessary. From a Writers point of view, I want to learn more about my characters. Always. As a film-maker, I want to give the actor the best possible chance to portray that character.

A brief Bio can often be enough. A short film, a music video. It depends on what each person is comfortable with. The writer, the talent.

But a feature length production requires alot more thought. I'd always reccomend writing Character bios. Writing a feature, and having it ready for production, can take a very long time. You want nothing to get lost along the way.

Preference again. I'm sure alot of other Writers have different approaches.
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I agree, you might not need to write the bio, but if you don't know your characters, I don't see how you can make them breathe on the page.
 
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It boils down to what others have said, character development.. what is the driving force behind each ? their beliefs, hobbies, tastes, opinions, prejudices, fears, loves????? that is what will make each sound "different" . You MUST have a guide for each other than that you are playing with a camera.
 
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Darkshrimp said:
Hi all, I'm currently writing a short film which involves mainly two people talking on a park bench. It's simple and short script. The problem i'm having is, i'm still new to this script writing business.

Since both characters involved are part of my imagination...they both sound like....me.

The problem is not that sounding like me is bad, but it's that the two characters sound like each other....

Any tips and tricks guys? Cheers
Click to expand...

Everyone has offered some good feedback. The only thing I would add is that a scene is driven by conflict. You don't want "talking heads". Yes, it's okay to have some sequences in a feature film, but a short should probably avoid it unless you can create conflict.

I was reminded of a cartoon with two chipmunks who were exceedingly polite and deferring to each other. Not funny in itself but the reactions of those listening to them was the source of the comedy. I could see two individuals talking very much alike and the birds, squirrels and passerby's collapsing on the sidewalk around them from boredom.

But to your point, they need to have at least something that they can disagree about, that polarizes them. It can be visual--fastidious vs. slob, old vs. young, etc. It could be ideological--conservative vs. liberal, religious vs. atheistic, etc. Avoid small talk and jump into the main points that build to your next scene. The dichotomy creates the energy and drives the scene.
 
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