Character

How Important are Characters in Film?
Involving in depth characters in a film is vital in order to engage and captivate the audience. Developing a character creates a realistic and relatable figure the audience are able to empathise with or relate to. Creating an in-depth, realistic and relatable character is fairly important as the audience have a figure they can emotionally invest themselves in, making them more inclined to enjoy the film because of the memorable character. Moreover, characters can help invoke a particular emotion in the audience as well as alter their perspective and opinion on the character. For example, characters portrayed with 'likeable' traits are more likely to engage the audience as they find themselves grow fond of that particular character. Characters with 'dislikeable' traits may anger or frustrate the audience - using 'dislikeable' traits for the villain is a good way to establish the clear opposites between good and bad (binary opposites narrative theory) often featured in a film narrative and help them choose sides between the good and bad characters. Using basic, plain characters will not be relatable or even likeable for that matter. This is because they appear inhuman or robotic (not in a sci-fi sense) because they are seen as boring. If the audience cannot engage with a character it will make a film less entertaining and people will be less inclined to watch it or enjoy it. A character used merely as a plot device can't engage the audience solely, therefore don't really bring much to the film besides aiding the plot (this is particularly bad if the plot isn't strong either because then there are no good fallback features). Moreover, characters with certain personality traits - particularly a fatal flaw - can impact what happens in the story because of their nature. This, therefore, makes the plot more in-depth, thought out and realistic.

How Important are Characters in the Opening Sequence of a Film? 
Character introduction is fairly important in regards to the opening sequence of a film. Firstly, introducing a character early on creates consistency and also allows the audience to become familiar with the characters so they're engaged with them even before they follow them on their journey through the narrative. Moreover, introducing the key character early on allows the audience to engage with them before any other characters. This is because humans will instinctually take to the character introduced first as they are familiarised with them and therefore will stay loyal to that particular character - perhaps out of fear of change or another reason. This idea can be seen in many films and even TV shows, for example, in Game of Thrones, the audience will typically like the Stark household as these are the characters they are familiarised with first. Introducing a character may invoke emotion in the audience - triggering an emotion early on is helpful to set the tone of the film and make the audience inclined to keep watching and enjoy the film that early on. Another reason characters are quite important in an opening sequence is that it allows exposition information to be conveyed regarding the character. Because this is covered early on, there is no need to do it later in the film and therefore the film can focus more on the narrative than revealing exposition information about the character. It allows the audience to receive a sense of character too, this is done by creating a first impression on the audience. How the audience interprets the character at this point in the film may help set the tone and mood for the film and establish any themes. Introducing a character - particularly one designed to be liked by the audience - helps engage the audience and therefore want to watch the rest. This being said it can be argued that key characters do not have to be introduced in the opening sequence. This is because it is fairly common to involve preliminary sequences before getting to the main events and characters. These preliminary sequences set the mood for the film or may even give background information necessary for the character to be introduced. A character's essence may be left even without introducing the character - the concept of this character is introduced however their influence and mental presence may remain. This character may be talked about by other characters, notifying the audience the importance of the character without physically introducing them. This also is effective as it sets up anticipation and even creates a first impression as the audience can see the importance and influence they have over the other characters without even being there. An example of this is in The Sound of Music, where the main character is spoken about before being introduced properly. Overall, I think it is important to introduce a character yet isn't necessary. In planning my coursework I think I will definitely introduce the key characters first to make if interesting as well as conform to the standards of an exposition. Characters themselves help set the scene too; the way they're dressed and their habits and mannerisms may suggest what era/region/culture they're from.

Character Profiles 
In the next few parts, I will be creating character profiles for iconic or famous film characters. Doing this will show the significance of character development in Cinema, as it shows that all main characters in Hollywood are in-depth and well developed. It is common that successful films have in-depth and realistic characters.

To read my previous, in-depth analysis and profile for the character of Tyler Durden from Fight Club, click here.

Doctor King Schultz (Django Unchained - 2012, Quentin Tarantino) 
Warning! - Spoilers Ahead
Dr King Schultz is a character from Tarantino's 2012 Western film, 'Django Unchained', portrayed by German actor Christoph Waltz. It is noted that Schultz is a fictional reflection of Christoph's own personality. Although he is not the protagonist of the film, he is still a significant and iconic character. He originated from Germany, however, moved to America. His precise age is unknown but it can be assumed that he is fairly old (perhaps middle aged, ranging from the late forties to early fifties during the events of the film) based on his mature appearance; greying hair and subtle wrinkles. His occupation prior to the film's plot was a Dentist, however, in 1853 he adopted bounty hunting for his occupation. He's good-natured, generous and has very strong and good morals, however, is rather arrogant and is aware of his intellectual and moral superiority over all the other characters in the film.

What Makes Dr Schultz so Iconic? 
His German customs are more liberal than Americans, and he exhibits this throughout the entire film, pointing it out himself as well as other characters pointing it out. This makes the audience like him because he has ahead-of-his-time (modern) ideals in a world full of hate and racism. Not only are his culture's habits and ideals particularly peculiar in contrast to other characters in the film, his overall demeanour is too - the way he speaks and the way he dresses expresses his dislike for American culture and customs and his embrace of his own culture and ideals - he completely disassociates himself with Americans in every aspect. Living in a time when slavery was a norm to absolutely everyone, Dr Schultz's peculiarity is heightened when he expresses his hate for slavery and advocates racial equality, He treats Django like an equal - opening his 'civilised' cultural norms to Django - for example, he offers Django a drink, something all civilised societies would expect of people (good hospitality and civilised habits), except of course to those who are treated as lesser - in this case people of colour. He is openly inviting someone who (at that time) is not accepted into their culture.

Dr Schultz kills people for a living - he's a bounty hunter. However, throughout the film, he expresses disgust, horror and heartbreak at the brutal killings of slaves - despite being a professional killer himself. This is because he strongly opposes unjustified murder, this idea is strongly enforced when he witnesses the the murder of a slave who is torn apart by dogs. This plays on his mind, particularly in his last scene when signing the deal with Calvin Candie. He remembers the scene and realises that evil has won over good, which leads him to perform his final act as a last rejection of societies disgusting ways. He's passionate, and adores drama - this is seen in the scene where he murders the sheriff to create a crowd to watch him deliver the warrant. He's so iconic because of his peculiar mannerisms and huge heart - he's the character the audience feels affection for. His cocky character and huge morals make him lovable and the audience root for him all the way. He's admired for his ideals, he's admired for his actions and he's even admired for his appearance and fantastic beard - even his enemy expresses his fondness of his beard.

What Do They Add to the Narrative?
Dr Schultz is almost the main driving force in the narrative. If he wasn't present then literally none of the events that occurred in the film would have happened. Django is an iconic and extraordinarily famous character - after all, the film is named after him, but he wouldn't be if it wasn't for Dr Schultz. It's Dr Schultz who does everything to move the narrative forward before his demise - he unshackles Django and takes him on as his companion bounty hunter. He teaches him the tricks of the trade and he even eventually locates Broomhilda for Django. Everything significant in the narrative is triggered by him and his actions, even after his death. Django wouldn't have engaged in a gun fight, he wouldn't have been recaptured as a slave, he wouldn't have freed himself and he wouldn't have gone back for Broomhilda and for the Candyland staff in vengeance. Without Dr Schultz, literally nothing in the narrative would have occurred. Not only does he drive the narrative forward, but his personality engages the audience, making the narrative just that more enjoyable.

How Much is Revealed About Them in the Opening Sequence?
Although he is not introduced in first opening two minutes because it is a theme song and montage sequence as opposed to an actual scene - he is introduced very early on, even before Django is named (he has already been seen, but hasn't been officially introduced by name). I will be analysing the scene in which Dr Schultz is introduced, along with Django (officially).

The audience hears the trot of a horse and carriage up ahead with a faint light jutting around - there's distant movement and the light forms around what can be assumed to be a horse and carriage however who exactly is ahead the audience cannot see yet. One of the Speck Brothers (the now-former owners of Django) calls out angrily yet clearly threatened - cocking his gun at the moving figures. This creates suspense and tension and leaves the audience anticipating something exciting - only heightening the drama of his introduction. This reflects his love for any form of social drama mentioned previously. The audience sees him and his wagon and horse in full light now and are already intrigued by the peculiarity of the sight; a huge, stocky and built horse tugging a tiny cart with a large, model tooth connected by a spring on top of the vehicle - it dances erratically as the cart moves forward, creating a humorous sight. This suggests to the audience his unorthodox and peculiar nature, and perhaps even his occupation. He looks completely harmless. This is reinforced when he ensures the men he means no harm. He introduces himself and as he introduces his horse it bows his head along with him - heightening the humour and peculiarity he adds to the scene. The audience can immediately hear that he has a German accent, suggesting an upbringing elsewhere which may explain the unorthodox (to American culture) style. The Speck Brothers ask what type of doctor he is and replies Dentist, perhaps revealing his occupation to the audience. He straight away gets to business and begins interrogating the Speck Brothers. This shows that despite his casual and peculiar demeanour he is still dedicated to work and business - he can be serious. He converses with the brothers about the slaves they own, however, they tell him to 'speak English' when they can't understand him. This suggests that he's more civilised and has a more intellectual vocabulary than them as well as a different dialect to them. He gets frustrated with the Brother's ignorance so addresses the slaves instead - this suggests that, given the historical context - he deemed the men less competent than slaves, which was unheard of during this time period. He calls them 'poor devils', showing to the audience that he is very 'awakened' as he acknowledges the hardships and misfortune slaves have to endure. When he asks if any come from a particular plantation and hears Django's reply, his voice suddenly becomes serious as he knows he's getting down to business. Now that he's adopted a more serious attitude, he holds the lantern above to glare at the slaves, getting up in their faces and intimidating. I believe this is the directors way of tricking the audience and making them think that he has bad or wicked intentions for the slaves so they then feel relief when they find out otherwise, however for the time being the audience now see him in a mysterious way - they're anticipating what's going to happen anxiously. When he finally speaks, his voice is slightly sympathetic, which may slightly falter the audience's worry, however, he still maintains the intimidating glare. When Django reveals his name, he says 'you are exactly the one I'm looking for', revealing to the audience a portion of what he's doing there. Overall, a lot about the character in terms of personality and background is revealed. What the audience doesn't know is what role he plays - good or bad? However, the overall opinion formed based on his casual and odd personality suggests that he's most probably likeable, as he's humorous and enjoyable to watch. We aren't informed about his full intentions, so overall we're given a taster as to what the character might be like - there's still an element of mystery.

Amy Dunne (Gone Girl - 2014, David Fincher) 
Warning! - Spoilers Ahead
Amy Dunne is the antagonist in David Fincher's psychological thriller 'Gone Girl'. She's the wife of the protagonist/anti-hero, Nick, and portrayed by Rosamund Pike, whom won and was nominated for multiple 'Best Actress' awards because of the role. Amy Dunne's precise age isn't revealed, however, based on her appearance, occupation and status in society, it can be assumed she is in her thirties. She worked as a quiz writer for a magazine, however, lost her job in the 2008 recession, causing her and her husband's once 'perfect' marriage to begin to splinter. Amy witnessed her husband cheating on her with a student he teaches after they move out to a sleepy, suburban town. This triggers her to plot against him and frame him for her fake murder.

What Makes Amy Dunne so Iconic?
Amy Dunne is a twisted woman - she's one of the most vicious and evil villains in the history of film - arguably the worst female villain ever. The reason she's such a successful villain is because she's realistic - she's not overly exaggerated and the fact that she's so realistic terrifies the audience because anyone can encounter a person like her. But when the film begins, you almost find yourself siding with her. simply because she's portrayed as the 'perfect female'. She's smart, she's funny, she's exceptionally attractive, she doesn't get jealous, and she's willing to engage in 'masculine' activities. Her 'perfection' is heightened as the audience finds out she's the inspiration for the extremely successful (fictional) book series titled 'Amazing Amy'. She's basically the ideal partner from a stereotypical male's perspective; females want to be her and males want her.

The audience and characters are captivated by her flawless being, however, this illusion is completely shattered when it is revealed to the audience her account. She reveals that everything she was was a facade - she was not the Amazing Amy the books made out her to be. She describes what she pretended to be as 'the cool girl' - a facade put on by every seemingly 'cool' female ever to impress a male. The sudden shattering of this perfect image not only thoroughly shocks the audience but also makes them think. A male audience would suddenly feel paranoid - it plays on the concept of gender themes as it suddenly makes an accusation about an entire gender. A singular character being able to shift people's feelings towards an entire gender is a might power they possess and proves just how much of an amazing villain. Although she's wicked and manipulative, she still somehow manages to make the audience slightly root for her - simply because she plays the victim well and she makes out that her husband is the villain because of all the bad things he's done. As extreme as she is, she still had a justification for her doings - her husband cheated on her and was just a generally terrible person. Now, of course, this doesn't justify completely what she did, but she still manages to blur the line between villain and victim, which shows the power she has as a villain. That's what makes her so iconic, she completely confuses the audience as they don't know who to root for - she blurred the audience's ideas on what's right and wrong. But regardless of this, the sheer terrifying and villainous nature she possesses is enough to make her iconic alone - she's absolutely terrifying in a completely unique way. She's so crazy, she goes to extremes to get revenge, including hurting herself (hitting herself in the face with a hammer) and losing a lot of blood. Like her dedication would be admiring if it wasn't so disturbing. She's smart, manipulative, and she's not a quitter. Even when she changes her mind, she goes to the extent of murdering someone just to make it right again. And even though there are major flaws in her end process, she knows how to play the media in her own favour. She not only, as a character, raises gender themes, but she also suggests the importance in socialising your child correctly, as the film makes it clear that she is the product of a negative parent-daughter relationship. Not in an abusive or neglecting way, but in a very subtle, psychological way. It suggests the complexities of the human brain. Clearly, as a character, she makes the audience think.

What Do They Add to the Narrative?
Amy is one of the main drivers of the narrative - she sets up everything that creates the main event in the narrative. Although it's Nick's actions that lead her to do this, it is arguable that she was as crazy as she is before - she falsely accused someone of rape and got away with it. So based on how twisted she was as a character it suggests that something large involving her would be inevitable. Without her, the film couldn't take place. Nick would be with someone else - someone probably saner than her, and the events wouldn't happen and therefore be boring. She's imperative in the narrative. Not only does she play a huge role in the plot, she also adds to the film because of her intensely villainous character. She invokes fear, paranoia and shock in the audience and they even look at it in regards to their own lives. She makes the film just that more thrilling.

How Much is Revealed About Them in The Opening Sequence?
This opening sequence is extremely short, however, a fair bit is learnt about Amy. The music is very ominous, which contrasts with the 'loving' nature of the scene. It creates a sense of tension. Firstly, she's referred to as 'my wife', therefore informing the audience her relationship status and that she's probably related to the protagonist otherwise who else would be narrating. The audience sees the back of Amy's head being stroked as she lays on someone's chest - presumably her husband. The fact that he is playing with her hair shows affection, which suggests that their relationship is pretty good and romantic. Her husband narrates; 'I picture cracking her lovely skull'... this abrupt and shocking line makes the audience see Amy as a potential victim because psychopathic imagery is created by the narrator. He then goes on to say... 'unspooling her brains... trying to get answers'. This suggests that she may be particularly aloof and mysterious, especially seeing as someone who is typically expected to know her best wants to know 'answers'. She turns to look up and we can see that she's very beautiful. Her expression looks as though she can hear the narrator - she looks innocent and wide-eyed, perhaps suggesting innocence of the character herself. However, when observed closely, it looks as though the glare is more calculating than the audience suspected - the audience may make a tiny assumption about how she is mysterious - as she's hiding this calculating expression with innocent. This may even suggest her manipulative character and, therefore, foreshadows the events of the film. Looking at the shot as a whole, the audience believes they are looking at it through a point-of-view shot, however, she doesn't look directly into the lens of the camera (her husband's eyes). This creates a sense of deception, as she refuses to make eye contact with both the audience and her husband; she's not direct, honest or open. She presses her head further into the stomach of her husband, suggesting intimacy between the couple. However, her glare becomes even more calculating and sinister, reversing the roles of the victim and therefore foreshadowing the events of the film again. Overall, a lot is revealed considering its less than a minute's worth of footage of her. The constant contradiction and contrast between how the audience is supposed to interpret the couple's relationship and Amy, herself, creates a sense of mystery - however, the erratic changes in tendancies may suggest Amy's mental insanity. Not much is revealed about her character unless you read between the lines.

Mufasa (The Lion King - 1995, Rob Minkoff & Roger Allars) 
Warning! - Spoilers Ahead
Mufasa is a unique character compared to the others analysed - as he's an animated lion, moreover he features in a children's film whereas the other characters were definitely not suited to children's film. However, he is still arguably one of the most iconic characters in cinema. Mufasa is an adult male lion in Africa and is the former king of Pride Rock in The Lion King. He is the mate of Sarabi, a lioness in the Pride Lands, and the father of Simba, the protagonist of the film. He is the brother of the central antagonist of the film and his murderer - Scar. He is the lion embodiment of Old King Hamlet, from Hamlet, and is arguably more iconic than the original character himself - though both are noble kings. He is voiced by James Earl Jones and it is noted that his low and mighty voice is one of the reasons he is so iconic. In the film, he is presented as wise, he constantly teaches Simba about the Circle of Life. He's very family oriented, expressing fear when his son finds himself in danger; he's very protective. Mufasa even willingly risks his own life to save Simba and winds up paying the ultimate price when his brother betrays him and sends him off a cliff to his death.

What Makes Mufasa So Iconic?
Mufasa is such a powerful and mighty character, he stands out among the other lions in terms of both his manner and even his appearance. He has strongly exaggerated anatomical features - broad shoulders and an overall stocky physique. He's gold - an eye-catching and majestic colour associated with luxury and royalty - he looks like a king. He looks so large compared to other lions, particularly his brother, Scar. Scar is bony and has more angled features, he looks sunken and unimpressive whereas Mufasa is powerful, muscular and broad. His overall presence is majestic - from his walk, to the way he speaks and his traits. Even for a cartoon lion, he is particularly admired by both audience and other characters because of his royal and admirable features. His low, grumbly voice is iconic in itself, and easily recognisable by almost anybody. He's dedicated, mature and regal - he puts his kingdom before himself and for that, he is an amazing kind, worthy of admiration. At the same time, he demands respect (and quite rightly deserves it), this is seen when he challenges Scar after Scar undermines him and doesn't attend his son's presentation. He appears tough and brave - like nothing could hurt him.
Mufasa has a playful side to him, too. This is often seen when he's playing with Simba or teasing Zazu. He's soft-hearted - treating Sarabi gently and respectfully and allowing Simba off gently when he puts himself in danger and disobeys his father. On the other hand, is also instructive, reasonable and responsible as both a father and a king. The audience can see the prosperity his kingdom lives in, which reflects how good of a king he is. He has a huge influence over most of the characters, even long after his death. He's just overall very admirable, part of the reason why he is so iconic.
Mufasa's death in itself is iconic too because the audience and the characters are so emotionally invested in his in-depth character - the occurrence is just heart wrenching. It's one of the most famous scenes in the film. His spirit remains in the Pride Lands, this slightly relieves the audience as he's still technically present. The relief the audience feels shows just how much the audience love him. Moreover, the fact that his spirit is there to guide the characters shows his overall influence and wisdom, adding to how iconic he is.

What Do They Add to the Narrative?
Mufasa's actions don't particularly drive the narrative forward, however, he is used as an instrument to by Scar. Moreover, his death triggers the emotional journey Simba endures and all of the events that occur afterwards. His presence leads Scar to perform the actions he does as well as have influence over Simba's character. He is one of the most loved characters because of how noble and good-natured he is, therefore making the narrative more enticing. Moreover, he leaves a long lasting chain effect in the narrative and the audience. The director uses him to invoke emotion in the audience as well as showing that once he dies everything goes bad - Simba disappears and the land wilts and dies.

How Much is Revealed About Them in the Opening Sequence?
The famous and iconic opening begins with a montage of scenic shots of the location; by the unique terrain and environment, the audience can clearly see that it's located in Africa - particularly African savannahs. This already shows where our character is based - their originality. Inspiring and emotional African style music is playing over the top, which adds a dramatic and inspiring introduction for Mufasa - this adds to the first impression the audience gets from him. The lyrics suggest that all of the characters are apart of something bigger than them; which suggests their insignificance. However, later on, when Mufasa is introduced, he still appears mighty and powerful which shows how might and powerful he is if he can completely cancel out the image the lyrics create. The many animals shown before Mufasa is introduced shows that it saves the best until last, as not only are they all going to see the King but what is about to happen is what the audience is anticipating most, creating excitement for Mufasa's introduction. The music dramatically intensifies as Pride Rock - Mufasa's home is suddenly shown. The dramatic change in volume etc. makes the sight overwhelming and shows how important this place is - even just the home of Mufasa is exceptional. It gradually zooms in and Mufasa becomes the focus of the frame, he's standing regally on the top of the rock observing all of the other animals coming to see him. The way he stands assertively shows how might and admiring he is - he looks very majestic. The Hornbill, Zazu, bows down to him, revealing to the audience that he is most likely a king. At first, he looks intimidatingly at Zazu, making him seem serious, however, his expression changes into a smile and he bows at Zazu in response - this shows that he is respectful, moreover the sudden change in expression displays his soft-at-heart nature, particularly to those close to him. He then greets Rafiki with a hug, reinforcing that idea. He nudges his wife Sarabi, and looks down lovingly at his son. The fact that he is surrounded by all these close friends and relatives shows that he is very family and friends oriented. His son then goes through some form of routine before being presented, this shows that he upholds traditions and customs of his kingdom. Simba is presented to the crowds and they all bow, this shows how respected Mufasa is because the crowd will bow down to a cub - something that has not earned this privilege. Overall, Mufasa is shown to be the mighty, strong, powerful and respectful King he is throughout the entire film - he's shown in a very positive light.