How To Assert Complete Control Over Your Character’s Perspective In Screenwriting

Creating a compelling screenplay demands mastery over your character’s perspective. Controlling this viewpoint is essential for the writer for deep storytelling.

Character perspective refers to the unique viewpoint or lens through which a character experiences and interprets the world around them. It reflects their beliefs, values, emotions, and past experiences that influence how they perceive situations, interact with others, and make decisions.

These perspectives shape the character’s behavior and responses within the whole story, providing depth and authenticity to their personality. It also affects how the audience connects with and understands the character’s motivations and actions.

In this blog, we’ll look at how to fully control your character’s perspective by focusing on accuracy, creativity, and careful attention to detail.

Define Core Beliefs for Character’s Perspective

Every character is driven by core beliefs and desires. These are the foundational elements that shape their worldview. Start by identifying what your character believes in and what they yearn for.

Decide if your protagonist seeks justice, revenge, love, power, or redemption. Understanding these motivations is crucial. These beliefs and desires will color every decision they make.

For example, a character who values loyalty above all else will react differently to betrayal. Consequently, their perspectives on every event will be filtered through this core belief. By defining these aspects, you ensure that every action and thought aligns with who they are.

Dive into the Backstory for the Character’s Perspective

A character’s backstory is pivotal in shaping one character’s perspective. Exploring the character’s experiences, traumas, and key life events provides insight into their motivations and reactions. For instance, a character who faced betrayal in their youth might develop a distrustful outlook.

Integrating these elements not only adds depth but also grounds their actions and decisions throughout the story. This rich backstory makes the character’s point of view more authentic and relatable.

Use Consistent Language and Tone

Character traits and perspective (point of view)

Language and tone are powerful tools in asserting character perspective. The way your character speaks, thinks, and narrates should be consistent. Their vocabulary, sentence structure, and even the rhythm of their speech reflect their inner world.

A cynical character might use sarcastic, cutting language. A hopeful character might speak in uplifting, optimistic tones. Maintaining consistency in language strengthens the character’s voice and ultimately their point of view.

Moreover, consider their inner monologue. Consider the words your main character as well as the other characters use when talking to themselves. This internal monologue is a direct window into the first-person narrative. Use the first-person point of view to reveal the character’s thoughts and feelings.

Craft Situations That Challenge Character’s Perspective

External conflict is the heart of storytelling. To assert control over your character’s point of view, place them in situations that challenge their beliefs. This tension forces them to react, revealing their true nature.

Testing a character’s worldview defines their point of view more clearly. They might cling to their beliefs or undergo a transformation. Either way, the audience gains insight into who they are.

For instance, a character who believes in the goodness of humanity might face a situation that challenges this belief. Their reactions to such situations showcase the strength or fragility of their perspectives.

Internal conflicts are also crucial in defining a character’s viewpoint. These arise from competing desires, conflicting beliefs, or deep-seated fears. For instance, a character torn between ambition and moral values provides a nuanced portrayal of their internal struggle.

Illustrating how these conflicts influence their decisions and interactions adds complexity to their perspectives, driving both character development and plot progression.

The Role of Supporting Characters for Character’s Perspective

The supporting perspective character significantly impacts the perspective of the protagonist. Their relationships can reinforce or challenge the viewpoint of the main character.

A mentor might validate their ideals, while an antagonist might force them to confront their flaws. These dynamics add layers to the narrative structure, making the viewpoint of the protagonist richer and more engaging.

Show, Don’t Tell

One of the oldest adages in writing is “Show, don’t tell.” This principle is vital when controlling the first-person point of view. Instead of telling the audience how your character feels, show it through actions and reactions in the same scene.

The character perspective in screenwriting is often revealed in subtle ways. A hesitant glance, a clenched fist, or a hesitant pause can speak volumes. These small actions convey their internal state without the need for explicit explanation.

Visual cues and body language are especially powerful in screenwriting. They add depth to dialogue and narration, enhancing the character’s point of view.

Symbolism and metaphor are also effective tools for enhancing the first-person point of view. Symbols can represent internal states or thematic elements, providing a deeper understanding of the character’s worldview. For instance, a recurring symbol like a broken mirror might represent a character’s fractured self-image.

Metaphors can also convey complex feelings or conflicts more tangibly. Incorporate these elements to add layers of meaning to the perspective. This approach enriches the narrative and invites the audience to engage more deeply with the stories.

Visual and Auditory Elements for Character’s Perspective

Screenwriting isn’t just about words; it’s also about what the audience sees and hears. Visual and auditory elements greatly influence how the character’s perspective is conveyed.

Consider the camera angles, lighting, and soundtrack. A low-angle shot can make a character appear powerful, while dim lighting can create a sense of mystery. Music can evoke specific emotions, aligning the audience with the character’s feelings.

These elements work together to reinforce the character’s perspective. They craft a unified experience that fully immerses the audience in the character’s life.

Control the Narrative Structure for the Character’s Perspective

The structure of the stories can control how the audience sees the perspective of a particular character. Non-linear timelines, flashbacks, and dream sequences are tools that can be used for perspective shifts.

Deciding when and how you reveal information guides the audience’s understanding. This technique can create suspense, evoke empathy, or even mislead the viewer, depending on the viewpoint of the characters.

For example, revealing a crucial backstory element late in the film contributes to perspective shifts for the audience. It allows you to control how and when you understand the character’s true perspective.

POV shots in movies are a direct way to put the audience in the character’s shoes. These shots align the viewer’s visual experience with the characters’ perspectives, making it personal and immediate.

Using one character’s POV shots effectively heightens tension and intimacy. The audience sees exactly what the characters see, experiencing the world through their eyes. This technique is particularly effective in thrillers and horror films, where the perspective of one character is key to building suspense.

Also, an unreliable narrator adds complexity to the character’s perspective. By distorting the truth, you create a layered narrative that challenges the audience’s perceptions.

This technique can be used to explore themes of memory, truth, and deception. Specifically, an unreliable narrator forces the audience to question what they see and hear. As a result, the audience aligns more closely with the first-person point of view.

The key to using this technique is subtlety; therefore, the character’s unreliability should be hinted at rather than immediately obvious. Consequently, this approach keeps the audience engaged by constantly reassessing the character’s perspective.

Examples from Movies

To illustrate these techniques, let’s explore how they’re applied in well-known films. These notable examples highlight different methods of asserting control over the character’s perspectives.

Taxi Driver (1976)

In “Taxi Driver”, one perspective is shaped by Travis Bickle’s isolation and paranoia. The film conveys his internal monologue, filled with disjointed, obsessive thoughts. The dark, gritty visuals and haunting soundtrack further reinforce his distorted view of the world. The film draws the audience into Travis’s troubled mind, allowing them to experience the city’s chaos through his eyes. POV shots emphasize Travis’s perspective, making the viewer complicit in his descent into madness.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Joel Barish in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” provides an example of showing character perspective through the first person narrative structure. Specifically, the film employs a non-linear timeline, reflecting Joel’s fragmented memories. As a result, the audience experiences the disorientation and emotional turmoil that Joel feels. Furthermore, the filmmakers use visuals and transitions between scenes creatively to blur the lines between reality and memory. Consequently, the film’s structure aligns the audience with Joel’s journey, making the one perspective of Joel the focal point.

Fight Club (1999)

In “Fight Club”, the unreliable narration is key to understanding the perspective of the protagonist. The narrator’s point of view is skewed by his mental state, leading the audience to believe in a false reality. The film’s twist is a masterclass in manipulating perspective. Through subtle hints, such as distorted imagery and contradictory dialogue, the audience is gradually clued to the truth. The Narrator’s changing perspective keeps the audience on edge, questioning what is real.

Requiem for a Dream (2000)

“Requiem for a Dream” employs visual and auditory elements to control everyone’s perspective. Each character’s descent into addiction is portrayed through specific visual styles and sound effects. The film uses rapid cuts, extreme close-ups, and distorted visuals to convey the characters’ altered states of mind. These techniques create a visceral experience, immersing the audience in the characters’ perspectives. The different perspectives of the characters are unified by the film’s intense, chaotic style.

Conclusion

Controlling your character’s perspective is a powerful tool in screenwriting. It allows the writer to shape the audience’s experience, guiding them through their stories in a way that is deeply personal and impactful.

Understand your character’s core beliefs, use consistent language, and craft challenging situations to assert complete control over their perspectives. Employ visual and auditory elements to further enhance this control.

The examples from the movies demonstrate how these techniques can be effectively applied. Moreover, each film offers a unique approach to controlling the point of view. As a result, they provide valuable lessons for screenwriters.

Ultimately, mastering perspective is about immersing your audience in your character’s world. When done well, it creates a narrative that resonates, lingers, and compels viewers to see the world through your character’s eyes.

– What did you think of this article? Share It, Like It, give it a rating, and let us know your thoughts in the comments box further down…

– Struggling with a script or book? Story analysis is what we do, all day, every day… check out our range of script coverage services for writers & filmmakers.