In the piece I am working on now I have a situation with identical twin sisters. In the very beginning of the script, the one dies and the other one takes her place. The reader will not know that right till the end of the feature where the twist will reveal just enough to keep you guessing. So there is no definitive, "This is where they switched" scenario, but more of a "Did they switch or not?" need to know in naming the characters, do I name them by the role that they play, or by whom they really are? I hope this makes sense. Looking forward to hear from you guys.
Screenwriting : Character swop by Surina Nel
Character swop
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Sounds interesting.
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Good luck on your project. Make it work!
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Too vague disposed to give some concrete notes. Why it needs to be un-definitive twist? I think purpose of it is to have something displayed as a definitive outcome to a suspected peripeteia. Also, leaving things hidden till the end is more to thing to save for the watcher instead of reader who'll most probably be potential director. He'll need to know what's he doing. Have a read at "Fight Club" see how's all this resolved in there with a pretty definitive twist at the end. As for the character swop u might just use / between the character name(s)
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Try to nickname the dead one by some detail, like a birthmark on the shoulder, which can be faked with makeup or hidden. So you can introduce the imposter by someone recognizing her as the dead.
I'd write the script like a mystery. Chris Nolan is great with wtf endings. The Prestige's end twist where one of the magicians has an identical twin helping him with magic tricks.
I would think to keep their correct names straight to the reader. The other characters would use the names they believe to be interacting with. Your premise would be clear to the reader quickly that way, but reveal the dilemma you desire for the reader. The audience won't know.