How do you give your audience access to a lot of characters?
In Part 2 of our exploration into ensemble stories, Stu, Chas and Mel examine films whose plot and genre require a lot of characters. Thus we tackle a team sports film (PITCH PERFECT), a murder mystery (GLASS ONION), a slasher (SCREAM 2022) and a family holiday flick (THE FAMILY STONE).
By looking at these films, we discover tools for writers to service characters and give them more dimension. These tools include: shifting group dynamics; the spectrum of private to public behaviour; breaking POV, and quintessential group introductions.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND
Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.
CHAPTERS
- 00:00:00 – Cold Open
- 00:01:46 – Intro: Servicing Characters
- 00:14:40 – Pitch Perfect
- 00:37:54 – Glass Onion
- 01:09:20 – Scream 5
- 01:32:17 – The Family Stone
- 02:13:22 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up
RELATED EPISODES
- DZ-96: Ensembles 1 – What do we mean by an ensemble?
- DZ-43: Driving Sequences – Character and Plot Intensity
- DZ-09: Characterising Introductions
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