Screenwriting : Your opinions on character names when then there are no 'real' character names by Craig D Griffiths

If they are only referred to as a number then give them that number as their character name.

They could always refer to themselves by the last two numbers of their ten-number designation, too. That's pretty cool, actually. Not that I know such things...just imagining, 23 - I mean...Craig. Heh-heh.

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And you can refer to the story Anthem, by Ann Rand, to see how she did it. Or the movie We, which was based on a German novel whose name escapes me, but they were numbered, too, 23 - I mean...Craig.

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Hi Pierre thanks for the comment,

This is what I have done. But when [6] Tall guy 50's has two lines of dialogue and then we don't see him again for 15 pages. It is hard for the reader to remember age and gender when the only thing they see is [6].

I know a name is a name. But a name is evocative, a number is emotionless and bland, which is why they are used. To remove a person identity and reduce them to a commodity.

I can give visual queues. But that can get in the way, and when do I stop.

[6] walks towards [3] with the limp of a man twice his age. But who is [3]?

I have given some pages to someone to read for tone. I saw them flip back a few pages to see which character was which. I think this will really annoy some people. Trying to reduce the annoyance.

Thanks Bill

Sorry for the confusion. There are 10 actors, 1-10. Which is why it has been giving some confusion.

Craig:I think there were a bunch in We. And how many times do actors in films really call each other by name, anyway? And even in a film like Reservoir Dogs, which most writers probably admire, and which was popular, and whose main characters were named after colors...how many people do you think actually remember/needed to process who was Mr. Pink, who was Mr. White, and who was Mr. Blue? And Quentin Tarantino openly states that he ripped that from The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, where many of the bad guys had color names, too.

But I definitely hear you on your dilemma, and don't think that characters in films actually call themselves by their names much anyway, and wouldn't think too much about it, if I was doing something like that.. Here is a link to We for you, and best of luck to you on your endeavor:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0164234/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm

Actually named Wir...my apologies for my earlier mistakes.

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Numbers are a pain to break down in storyboards & shooting script/shot lists. Besides actors, the crew has to understand who from whom.

If you’re producing this script, give the characters simple names like Tall Guy, Blondie, Tattoo Man, etc. Something simple so the crew can do their jobs. For example, Wardrobe Dept needs to know how to dress each character. A bunch of numbers tagged on clothing is confusing.

I am not sure why having 10 is confusing. Most of my screenplays have a lot more than that and I give them names unless they play a real small role like WATER #2. Obviously if you are producing it and directing it yourself it might not matter but I still could confuse other people involved especially the actors. They might want to know who they are talking to when they are on camera.

Thanks everyone

10 characters isn’t confusing part. It’s more about readers not normally associating numbers with names. It is a bit like having two characters in a script called Jim and Jon or Stan and Steve. The similarities would produce confusion. Plus a name has some Gender reminders to it, Sue is probably a woman (unless in a Johny Cash song), but [7] is just an indicator.

I think my solution will be to give them names and number '[7] HARV'. No one will ever say "Harv" but it will be easier on the reader I think.

Craig. But you aren't writing a book for some one's amusement. People that read screenplays usually know how to read them and won't be confused. However it is better if you avoid having characters have the same first letters in their name like Jim and Jon or Stan and Steve. Anyway that is just my opinion.

Here is a small experiment. Write down 1 to 10. Then put character description beside them. Watch TV or read a book for 10 minutes. Now, without looking, reproduce the list. I think it may be harder than we think. That is effort on a reader I am trying to avoid. Trying to not break them from the story. I am trying to produce a reading experience that feels automatic so the reader finds it easier to be immersed.

Thanks everyone.

I've heard actors prefer having character names rather than "waiter." BUT I think for a reader when a name appears it seems like someone to keep track of mentally. Then if every minor character that appears has a name but never shows up again, it gets confusing.

I received feedback to trim the number of tertiary characters so as not to bog down the story for the reader. This is not a script I'm producing, but a spec. I combined a few of the characters, and un-named a few others.

I agree with Roxanne. "Gardener 1" and "Gardener 2" are fine for the garden scene and they may or may not reappear again. Name the people who really need to be remembered and sometimes reminders in the action text help, if we have not seen them for a while. Example: " Prisoner 5 ( works in Prison laundry) gets in line behind Prisoner 1"

Not sure, thought about The Island"", 2005; https://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/theisland.pdf

Keep it simple. Since you're dealing with inmates in a prison-type setting, using large font, easily seen tattoos on their hands or forearms such as M42 (male) or F23 (female) would suffice, similar to what the Nazis did in concentration camps.

If a character doesn't appear for a while it doesn't hurt to remind the reader who they are like say, "John who was the guy at the gas station" or whatever to remind the reader. I use names like the TALL WAITER or WAITER #3 but I certainly wouldn't just give them a number. A reader would never know who was even in the scene and if you had more than two or three characters interacting it would be really confusing for not only the reader but also the actors and the director. One thing I do is try to show whatever the character is doing before they say their lines because subconsciously it would help the reader anticipate who will be speaking next which makes the screenplay flow better. Anyway this is just my own personal opinion.

It’s an interesting reality in this screenplay. What about spelling out the numbers because we’re at least used to seeing letters, Two instead of 2. In character introductions maybe use a memory trick. Two is a pair of something, like shoes or gloves. Visually 2 looks like a swan in profile. Did the characters have names before being in prison? If so, they could reflect on their own numbers (that would probably be easiest). Another thought is communication between prisoners—tapping out their numbers. All of this said, and Dan mentioned, give the reader a reminder. Also, maybe give the long-absent character a memorable physical trait (sometimes referred to as the “limp and an eye-patch” trick).

Thanks all. Rutger, that is a good suggestion, but even on the Island it was "Luke3" etc. Even a visual clue, like waiter gives you context rather than:

[2] walks over and whispers to [3].

I would tend to agree that spelling out the numbers makes them into words which then can serve as names. But here is my big point - your characters should have unique voices. If you lined up ten of us here and had us each speak in our own way, a listener could start to tell after a few minutes who is speaking without knowing any of our names. I don’t mean by whether our voice is high-pitched or deep, I mean that people from different backgrounds, with different personalities, different levels of education, different ages / races / genders, etc. speak differently. When I read a really great script, I don’t look at the character names at all - I can tell which line belongs to whom from the way the characters speak, because they’re each a unique individual. If Seven has a scene and five pages later I can’t remember who Seven was, that speaks to Seven being a generic character, not to being named Seven instead of Steven.

Great point Anna...I'm having a closer look at my dialogue. I know the viewpoints are distinct but are the voices? Thanks so much for sharing.

I don't think it's a problem to have Number One, Number Two, Number Three, Number Nine. That can become their names in essence. Remember, Reservoir Dogs? Name me one character out of the bankrobbers? Mr. Black? Mr. Orange? Mr. White? How about Mr. Pink, who had a unique voice of his own. To me, this is no different.

Craig, would nicknames, based on traits or annoying behaviors, work for your story?

Thanks Paul and John.

The numbers are meant to remove any identity and therefore humanity from the characters reducing them to nothing but numbers. The characters understand that if they use anything other than "Ten", "Five" etc, that they will be punished for it.

They do, show their humanity through their actions, while complying to the rules.

I am going to give them names for the readers benefit [5] JOHN or [7] PAUL. I then get the benefit of what the name brings. I have a character called HARV, which I think starts creating a mental image completely different to the THOMAS.

I dont think the problem is actually to do with numbers, i think if you give a character a name like George on page 5 and we dont see them again to page 90, most of us would struggle to remember who they were unless they had been probably set up. So if a character is important enough to be in a script more than once, make them rememberable enough to ensure that we know who they are when we see them again... perhaps it might also be worth considering using foreign numbers instead of English ones. For instance Bir Iki uc, bes, dort, dirt, alti, yedi, sekiz,dokuz, on.

Some of you all are really riffing it pretty good. Metaphors are definitely your friends!

Big John - don't ever call someone "fiver" in the joint, if you know what I'm saying - unless they're serving five. That's the only reason you'd call someone "fiver" in the poke-a-loke.

Craig, I don't know how familiar you are with the works of one of my favorite old-school writers of all-time, Damon Runyon, but he wrote classics like Guys and Dolls, Johnny One-Eye, Lady for a Day, and Little Miss Marker. Many of his characters had colorful names, like Nathan Detroit, Harry the Horse, Nicely-Nicely, Hot Box, Dave the Dude, and Joy Boy. Shout out to Damon Runyon!

Guy Ritchie, like Damon Runyon, has some characters named One-Punch, the Russian, Mullet, Brick Top, Bullet-Tooth Tony, Soap, Bacon, Doug, and Hatchet. Shout out to Guy Ritchie!

Craig, your characters are in the yard. You're a smart guy. Give them colorful or symbolic/metaphorical names. Maybe even have a quick backstory scene in the boose that shows how their names originate. Maybe it's their city, or their favorite food. Maybe the warden is a lover of great literature, and gives them all a character name from his favorite classic works. Or names them after animals. Or insects. Or something else.

Unless the numbers have some symbolism attached, don't use numbers. And if you take the shortcut without symbolism, I'll sue you, Bull - I'll definitely sue you. Heh-heh.

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MAY THE HEAVENS HELP THE FAMILIES OF THE MERCY HOSPITAL SHOOTING.

I am 25 pages in at the moment.

Have given it to my wife for quick read. There is a sequence that will be repeated in the story and I need her thoughts on pace. I wont tell her that. Just ask, "what do you think".

The cast looks like this:

Mish[1]

Sue[2]

Rose[3]

Harv[4]

Allan[5]

Noah[6]

[7] - died in the opening scene - we never get to know him.

Jill[8]

Frank[9]

Bess[10]

They never are allowed to use names. "Hey five" or "I'll help four"

Doing this I get the images a Harv or Rose gives and the story works internally.

Thanks everyone again.

If you want to read the script. It will eventually be up at Script Revolution.

omg your spouse reads your material? So lucky!

I have to choose it carefully. I can’t give her everything, just the good stuff.

Craig, I have this to say. Ever see the British TV Series, 'The Prisoner'? It was on in the 60's. Pretty much answers this question. You should, if you haven't already, check it out.

Write on!

Could you preface a number with a color for the wards they are in, especially if they are divided by sex. Blue 1A Red2B