1. How important are characters particularly in the opening 2 minutes of a film?
Characters are one of the most important things in filming and really help give a meaning to the plot or narrative but also to establish main characters or traits that will occur later on in the film. In the opening sequence, we may see only a few characters (some of which might not have anything to do with the main story or form a role as a main character at all) but other times, opening scenes will cast rather a lot of characters. This depends on the narrative or story itself but generally, opening scenes stage merely a couple of characters as to allow for the audience to become familiar with these people and establish a background to their personality.
If characters were not seen in the opening sequence, then the scene would lack that depth and ultimately the appeal to watch the film anyway. Without the characters, the audience may be confused on what the film is all about, likening the chance for them to disengage with the film entirely early on.
2.Character profiles of 3 existing feature film characters;
1.
Name: Indiana Jones
Nickname- None
Gender-Male
Age- around 40
Ethnicity-American
Appearance:
Eye colour- Brown
Hair colour- Brown
Height and build- Well built and average height
Clothing/style- tattered and in most cased worn or ripped clothing that is the result of intense violence or wounds.
Role:
character function- He is the main character in the film-he is our heroin who eventually solves the problem after a long and intense quest set out from the beginning of the film.
Character objective- His objective is to defeat the villain.
Characters personality- Intelligent, witty, crafty, educated.
What makes the characters so iconic?-
Indiana Jones is perhaps one of the most iconic action characters of all time. This is most likely down to his witty sayings and ability to resolve issues within the plot. His style also contributes to his popularity through his famous Stetson or cowboy hat and also his whip which he involves most commonly in chase scenes or to defend himself in scenes of intense violence.
What do they add to the narrative?-
How much does the audience find out about them in the opening 2 minutes?-
A the start of every Indiana Jones movie there is a clear understanding of the main character as we are able to develop character traits as they often begin with action chase scenes. Depending on which film, Indiana is known to exchange dialogue which hints on his background a little but also we get a better understanding merely from his clothing. However, in other films, Jones is not seen on screen for a while as other characters are introduced or prioritized to assist the entire narrative of the film.
2. Name: Cooper
Nickname- None
Gender-Male
Age- around 40
Ethnicity-American
Appearance:
Eye colour- Brown
Hair colour- Brown
Height and build- Well built and quite tall
Clothing/style- On earth- very casual, relaxed clothing with not much colour to show he is a rather serious person.
Space- Space equipment like helmet, gloves, safety jacket, underclothing
Role:
character function- Cooper is the main character of the film who is employed by NASA to help save the world/gain new information.
Character objective- To source reason and new information regarding space travel. He sees a sign that urges his travel to space.
Characters personality- Extremely intelligent, serious, emotional and loving towards family and close friends.
What makes the characters so iconic?
The fact the Cooper is this very ordinary man, with a normal background history and father of a family. He is also seemingly depressed and is obviously hard-working or at least appears to be meaning he is often stressful. He then becomes this very respectable or admirable character which is quite the opposite of this useless father figure that he is made out to be prior. He is seen with a great perseverance and love for his family ("Love transcends through time and space") but also ruthless in terms of benefiting the future planet whether that means leaving people behind or involving in heated arguments that ultimately make us feel great sympathy and also support to the character himself.
What do they add to the narrative?
How much does the audience find out about them in the opening 2 minutes?-
We don't actually see Cooper in the first opening 2 minutes of film because we are introduced to the setting indirectly by elderly people talking. This is somewhat boring at first but it actually helps give us a better understanding of the setting and background information on Cooper or the environment he lives in.
3.
3. Name- Martin Mcfly
Nickname- Marty
Gender- Male
Age- 18
Ethnicity- White American
Appearance:
Eye colour- Brown
Hair colour- Brown
Height and build- Quite small, slim.
Clothing/style- Stylish clothing of the time (1985), colourful and clashing colours seen by the orange gilet, denim jacket, patterned shirt and jeans.
Role:
character function- One of the main characters.
Character objective- To travel with Doc back in time or in the future and win over the villain - Biff.
Characters personality- Intelligent, witty, caring to family.
What makes the characters so iconic?
Marty is a very well-know character perhaps mainly because of his very peculiar clothing style as he wears these very contrasting clothing and the all-famous orange gilet. He is also know for sayings and his involvement with the travelling back in time with Doc Brown.
What do they add to the narrative?
How much does the audience find out about them in the opening 2 minutes?
We actually find out abut marty from the very beginning as their is dialogue when Marty is seen on the phone to Doc explaining how he is late to school. We then follow Marty as he travels to school on his skateboard. As he is moving we develop a better understanding of his personality or appearance. For instance, we know he is popular with women as he waves to the gym class as he rides behind the truck but the entire journey is somewhat risky suggesting that Marty is one to take risks.
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