When characters have multiple names
In screenwriting classes they say not to introduce a character by one name only to switch it later on. For example, introducing a character as BARTENDER only to change it to BOB two pages later for no reason. However this feels like a different situation than my problem.
In my script there is a character that, for the sake of an important reveal later on, lies about his identity to the protagonist. In the script right now, the character introduction has his real name, while in the dialog he is referred to by his fake name. This ruins the important reveal later for someone reading the script.
The best example from a movie I can think of is the movie Charade. In Charade, Cary Grant’s character goes through at least three or four names.
How is this handled format-wise?
– J. Jovel
via imdb
In general, treat your reader like an audience member. As much as possible, you want to give readers the same information on the page that they would get on the screen. So if the character is introducing himself as “Mr. Truefake,” that’s what you should call him in the script.
In the third act, when it’s revealed that his real name is actually Ichabod Donnweather, it’s up to you whether you want to change his name in the scene description. If he’s only going to be sticking around for a page or two, you might consider using both names, like Truefake/Donnweather.
Another option is a quick explanatory note: “For clarity, we’ll continue to refer to him as Truefake.”
Either way, I’d advise you to keep using the original name in some form. Readers often lose track of characters, and changing up the names will generally make the situation worse.
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October 18th, 2006 at 12:52 pm
John, how do you feel about superhero characters or other characters with alter egos, where they constantly switch back and forth? Characters like Batman and Spider-man, who go back and forth between Peter Parker and Bruce Wayne. While these are two heavily-established characters so a reader probably wouldn’t be confused by a back and forth, what of a new character who does the same? Or is it the same use of an explanatory note — “When in costume, we will refer to Jim as ‘Super Lemur.”
October 18th, 2006 at 6:47 pm
While this is true for reader scripts — which is what it sounds like the question was referring to — actors, UPMs, 1st A.D.’s and scripties breathe a sigh of relief if shooting scripts use only one name throughout both to plan when certain characters are needed to shoot, but also to allow the printing of 1 set of sides for 1 character, not two.
That said, my own script slated for production in the spring uses two names for many main characters. When we get closer to production, I’ll change all that for the shooting script, but listing what people generically until they are called by name is a way to respect the reader’s depth of knowledge about your story as they learn it, as if you were telling a blind person what a cathedral looks like — you wouldn’t say “it’s beautiful” because that’s subjective and cheating. Rather, you’d describe the cathedral objectively without interpreting for the blind person whether it is or isn’t beautiful.
October 19th, 2006 at 11:45 am
In my spec scripts, I sometimes have characters that may appear to be unimportant until later in the story or are not introduced to the another character right away. For instance, I have a thug chasing the hero. Eventually the hero turns the tables and captures the thug. Until the thug is captured, I refer to him as THUG or something a little more descriptive. After he is captured and gives up his name, I refer to him by his name.
Is this correct?
October 19th, 2006 at 12:02 pm
If I remember the arguments about white-washing correctly, Mark, the correct way to name your thug character would be to use an ethnic prefix.
What Pruden says about having more clarity (and less neat-story-telling-description) in the shooting draft makes a lot of sense.
October 19th, 2006 at 3:07 pm
Blair–I don’t know if this is correct, but I once wrote a superhero script, and I just wrote something like: “Clyde pulls on his spandex mask and becomes–THE SQUID!” From then on I just referred to him as the Squid when he was in costume, and as Clyde the rest of the time.
December 29th, 2007 at 12:07 am
Multiple names can be a fantastic tool in the right context…
They imply an actor change, or a change in demeanor if you do it right.
Couple examples that went well for me: (names changed for anonymity)
LIEUTENANT KALE became COMMANDANT KALE
YOUNG PARIS after the “growing up” sequence became “A fully decorated ADULT PARIS, standing before the stanchion pedestals.
It can be very cool.
-Synthian