Screenwriting : Killing off characters by Daniel Smith

I remember hearing a writer from LA talk about a book that detailed the "Rules" to look out for when killing off a character....f.e around 70mins of screen time the protagonist must seem to be in grave danger....... "killing the cat" I think the books name is, hope this helps.

Killing the lead is very tricky. In a good movie, the audience identifies with the lead and becomes them for two hours. So you are killing the audience - they may not like that.

Killing any other character: when the story requires it.

You wanna get noticed, do something unexpected...take "Executive Decision" as an example...everyone thought spec. operator Seagal was to be our main hero, when all of the sudden it turned out to be a "goofy" analyst Russell...

You have to ask yourself, “Whose story am I telling?” Then, you have to ask yourself, “If I am telling this character’s story why am I killing them off?”

Also, bear in mind that your audience will associate with a particular character’s P.O.V. if that character dies midway, then you have to shift P.O.V. midway. That’s like telling two stories in one. It’s not impossible to achieve coherently, but it’s very difficult.

One of the best places to kill a character is at the end of act 1, especially in horror movies. It is usually used that the killer is real and is in fact killing. Also a lot of thrillers/action like to have another character death during the "All is Lost" moment - so then the character can learn from their death and use that pain to push forward into act 3.

that's a tough sell to an actor and their reps to take a hero part and be killed mid-point. Better have some sort of professional track record so they will trust you, not waste their time and career.

Happens in TV shows a lot. Kill off a main character and they pop up again out of nowhere with a perfectly plausible "I wasn't really dead" explanation.

I think Game of Thrones almost turned it into a fad. There was a rash of characters killed off on a number of shows after GoT made it a thing. To me, it always comes down to, "Does it serve the story?" If the story is better because of it, then yes. Do it. Killing simply for shock value feels cheap - except in a slasher film where it's expected.

Something to think about: killing off the hero, particularly if there's a vicious killer on the loose. This tactic can make the audience uncomfortable: nwo it's their job to solve the murder and bring the villain to justice!.

For a feature film (for example) no conversation about killing off important characters makes that much sense without an understanding of story structure, how those "rules" work, and therefore how to bend them or break them (ie there are no 100%-set rules). Without a good understanding of the mechanics involved, you're pretty much left with "does it feel right?" - which may not be a terrible barometer, depending on how good a writer's instincts are.

In The Guardian; I kill off the 'hero' on page 3... Obviously he wasn't the real hero after all. Actually he turned out to be the antagonist.

Check out To Live and Die in LA - also kills off a major character.

I may have everyone beat on this one - check out the original Aeon Flux in Liquid Television. The main character dies over and over and over. :)

True you can look at Groundhog Day, Edge of Tomorrow, etc... but those stories show the main characters as "not really dead" each time they die.

My rule of thumb is, kill off the character when the reader is affected by it the most. Let your reader fall in love with the character and break their heart. Let your reader hate your character, and let them revel in their death. Trust your 'muse' and if it doesn't suit you, rewrite it!

Hi Daniel,

Let your story sense/your story goals dictate who dies where/when/how/why. If it's believable and entertaining, then you've succeeded.

A few films off the top of my head where the protag dies early; or the story has a false protag; or where there really might be multiple linear stories (or non-linear story lines) happening:

Psycho - Marion seems to be the protag until.....

A Place Beyond the Pines - Luke seems to be the protag until....

Alien - Ripley doesn't seem to be the protag until....

Sicario - Kate (but she doesn't die) seems to be the protag until...

The Godfather - Vito Corleone seems to be the protag until...

Sometimes it's not such a straight line. Sometimes we might even debate who the main protag is (if there even is clearly just one), or if there are duel main protags. Let the story sense dictate how things happen.

Best fortunes in your creative endeavors, Daniel, and stay safe!

Hi Bill - re: "Let your story sense/your story goals dictate who dies where/when/how/why. If it's believable and entertaining, then you've succeeded." - seems to me that a high percentage of writers think their scripts are "believable and entertaining" no matter how partial down the road towards "believable and entertaining" they may actually be. This is why I said, "Without a good understanding of the mechanics involved, you're pretty much left with "does it feel right?" - which may not be a terrible barometer, depending on how good a writer's instincts are." (In other words, it may not be a terrible barometer, but it often is.)

Based on my experience, a larger number of writers can gauge how to make their features work about as well as non-doctors can gauge how to best make themselves feel better if they get sick. Sometimes yes, oftentimes no.

I write what my loving wife refers to as “blood soaked drama”.

I am finishing a script where it starts with two friends, one being the protagonist and the other the antagonist. About half way, the antagonist shoots the protagonist.

As the antagonist strives for more power a secondary character kills him, about 3/4 of the way through, leaving a minor character as the main character. For the remaining story.

I know we tell stories through the eyes of our characters. But sometimes we can take a omniscient view of the story. For this one “Drug King” the story is sort of being told from the city’s point of view.

It's tricky, but it can be done. The best example was Alfred Hitchcock killing off Janet Leigh's character at the end of the 1st act of "Psycho." Of course, that transformed the plot itself from a story about a woman stealing from her employer into a mystery about her own murder.

Leon dies in The Professional.

Richard Chance dies in To live and Die in L.A.

Others with leads dying...

Gladiator.

300

Carlito's Way.

Scarface

Heat

Reservoir Dogs

Thelma & Louise

Pulp Fiction

I can keep going...

Craig D. - Interesting comment about an "omniscient view" of the story. I personally believe that much of the success of any story derives from the difference between the view of the characters and the view of the audience.

Some very enlightening answers here, very creative. Thanks for all your replies! Feel free to add any other thoughts about it.

In Sunset Boulevard the narrator is killed off from the jump (only we don't find out the dead man's identity until the end, if I'm recalling correctly).

Joe Gillis is seen floating face down in the pool at the outset. The story flashes back from there to show how he came to this ignominious end.

I saw this on the internet and thought it was funny.

In Downtown Abbey, writer Julian Fellows had to kill two characters off, because the actors who played the parts, had been offered work in LA. Ever so English and considerate, the TV production company did let them go. Watching it now as a repeat on TV, it feels weird and unnatural to kill a character off midpoint, who had so much to give, would have given even more, if he had lived. On a deeper level, I believe a character will tell us when their time has come.

If a character is killed off so it leaves reader frustrated or with a question it can be okay in certain circumstances, as long as the answer/reason is given later on. Reader thinks "So that's why this happened, all makes sense now." But if a character is simply killed off it's both a cheese hole and void message, unless simply a case of wrong place wrong time scenario. (In which case wiser to kill off secondary/minor characters.) Particularly in thrillers readers invest time, thought and feeling in characters and it's unwise to kill off a major player unless a good reason for some final sting.

Debbie Croysdale I like to make the audience really love a character then kill them. Break the audiences heart. Especially if they could have saved themselves.

The character is there to serve the story. If a character's death contributes to the story, then do it. If it's just being done for shock value, it could leave the audience frustrated or questioning why it was done. Today's audiences are sophisticated. They have access to high quality story telling.