Below is an example of the emails you'll receive in the Great Writing Series. Each day, you'll receive an explanation of an important screenwriting skill, examples of the skill in use, and an assignment.

As you read "Character Relationships", imagine what difference it will make when you master this and other GWS screenwriting skills.

DAY FIVE: CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS
(From the Seducing Actors section)

Hollywood screams for unique premises, scenes, characters, dialogue, etc. One area that can easily be made unique is character relationships. Even though I've hardly seen it addressed in screenwriting classes or books, it is extremely important to actors. Why? Because it gives them another level they can express in their acting.

Like your characters, a relationship can have depth that will add drama to your script. In fact, many times it's the relationship between two characters that people really remember. That's chemistry. And it is a valuable way to make your script stand out.

Chemistry happens when characters share something meaningful. That could be a way of communicating, a goal, a fight, a common history, an admiration for each other or even a glance.

Let's divide character relationships into two areas: Discovering the chemistry in relationships and introducing the relationship.

DISCOVERING THE CHEMISTRY IN RELATIONSHIPS

The question is usually "How do you create chemistry between two characters?" If you consider who the characters are and what mutual experiences they've had, often you'll instantly discover their chemistry. You'll see how they mix and relate together. And keep in mind, chemistry is not just characters in love. You can have amazing chemistry between enemies as long as their relationship has certain aspects.

Here's a breakdown of different levels of chemistry.

LEVELS OF CHEMISTRY

1. Common Language/short cuts
2. Emotion
3. Playing the same game.
4. Need fulfillment

Here's a quick explanation of each.

1. Common Language/short cuts
People with chemistry often have a language of their own. Many times, one word may have years of meaning. Think about your close friends. Don't you communicate through a verbal form of shorthand?

2. Emotion Like/respect each other (Includes love, admiration, etc.)
Characters who show positive emotions toward each other often have chemistry. Those emotions could come in the form of respect, admiration, liking each other, love, consideration, etc.

Even enemies can respect or admire each other's talents. That provides a level of chemistry.

3. Playing the same game.
This one is best explained by looking at a scene from DIE HARD. In it, John McClane (the protagonist) and Hans (the antagonist) are about to talk for the first time. Even though these two are in opposition, there's a degree of respect and admiration for each other, along with a willingness to play with each other. They're playing a game together.

MCCLANE - 34th FLOOR - BOARD ROOM

He's got a CB on the table and his cop's notebook is out again. He's already upgraded the NUMBER OF TERRORISTS? to "12 minus 3 = 9" and added other information. As he speaks he takes ammo clips the dead men dropped, their sidearms, etc.

MCCLANE
(into CB)
Gee, I'm sorry, Hans, nobody gave me the message. You shoulda put it on the bulletin board. Anyway, I thought you and Franco and Karl and the other boys might be lonely, now that I waxed Tony and Marco and their buddy. So I invited some of the guys from my card game.

In the office, the terrorists REACT, startled, as McClane name-drops.

FRANCO
How...how does he know so much about --

HANS
(waving for silence)
Ah, how nice of you to call. I assume you are our mysterious party crasher. You are most troublesome for a...security guard?

INT. 34th FLOOR - ON MCCLANE - INTERCUT

Moving down the corridor. Now armed with Marco's machine gun and carrying Heinrich's kit bag, he seems more lethal.

MCLANE
(into CB)
BZZZ! Sorry, Hans, wrong guess. Would you like to go for Double Jeopardy, where the stakes are double and the scores really change?

He rolls Heinrich over and is delighted to find a pack of Gauloise's in the man's pocket. He takes them, pats the dead man's face.

MCLANE
(sotto, to the body)
Bad for your health anyway.

HANS
Who are you, then?

MCLANE
(into the CB)
Just the fly in the ointment, Hans. The monkey in the wrench, the pain in the ass -

They could be trashing each other or screaming obscenities or avoiding each other, but none of that would give them chemistry. Instead, the writer chose to have them engage in this cat and mouse game that provides a unique and engaging relationship that made the movie.

4. Need fulfillment

There are two types of need fulfillment:
A) Where two characters have similar needs and fulfill them as a team.
B) Where each has a strength that fulfills the other's weakness.

In JERRY MAGUIRE, Dorothy and Jerry are continually fulfilling each other's needs in many ways. When Jerry is fired and makes the scene in the office, only Dorothy stands up to join him in his new company. On the other hand, Jerry fulfills her need to be inspired. Both have a need for their small company to succeed and both love her son.

Throughout the movie, they alternate fulfilling each other's needs...until it becomes clear that Dorothy's most important need - to be loved for who she is - is not being taken care of. They separate and don't come back together until Jerry realizes that he loves her and expresses it in front of her "divorce support group."

SUGGESTION: Take the most important relationships in your script and search for ways to build each of the four levels of chemistry into those relationships.

INTRODUCING CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS

Just like a character should burst on the scene for the first time, a character relationship should also burst on the scene for the first time. By burst, I mean that the unique blend of these two characters should show up powerfully.

If the characters already know each other, let's see them in the utter glory of their unique form of banter. If they are just meeting, what unique method can you use to foreshadow their relationship? Consider this scene from LETHAL WEAPON in which Murtaugh and Riggs first meet.

In the scene, Roger Murtaugh, a detective, stands in an office talking with his boss. He has a clear view of the main room where the detective's desks are.

ACROSS the room, a detective takes off his gun and slings the holster across his chair. As he EXITS FRAME -- PAN to reveal: Martin Riggs as he enters the squad room. Shuffles from foot to foot, looking lost. Lights a smoke.

ACROSS ROOM

Murtaugh slings on a jacket. Turns to go. Notices Riggs.

MURTAUGH'S POV

Riggs resembles a bag person. Unshaven, limp dirty hair, grimy leather jacket.

BACK TO SCENE

He frowns, says:

MURTAUGH
McCaskey, if my wife calls, tell her late dinner.

BURKE
Ho, Rog- I'm not through yet. I'm supposed to tell you two more things.

MURTAUGH
Shoot.

He is still looking at Riggs, who is slowly wandering from desk to desk, smoking -- Stopping near the desk with the holstered gun.

BURKE
First, condition of the sheets and mattress indicate someone was in bed with Amanda Lloyd just before she died. That's A.

MURTAUGH
What's B?

BURKE
B is, I'm supposed to tell you you're breaking in a new partner on this.

Now Murtaugh is eyeballing Riggs. Cautious.

MURTAUGH
(distracted)
I don't work partners.

BURKE
You do now. C.I.T. transfer, some burnout they want you to keep on a leash.

MURTAUGH
Oh, perfect. Can I trade in my life for a new one?

At which point, across the room, Riggs removes the hol- stered gun and hefts it, curiously. Suddenly all hell breaks loose:

MURTAUGH
Gun!

He bolts like a cheetah.

Cops dive for cover, a secretary shrieks, and Murtaugh goes plowing through the squad room like an express train, blowing people out of the way -- Cops grabbing for their holsters -- Riggs, meanwhile, looking around frantically, he's trying to find the guy with the gun who is, of course, himself.

Murtaugh takes a flying leap sails across the desk, going for the glory. And Riggs, in the blink of an eye, simply ducks and flips Murtaugh neatly over one shoulder. There is a hideous crash of BREAKING GLASS and OVERTURNING FURNITURE. Ouch... McCaskey, meanwhile, screams to Burke:

McCASKEY
What the shit is going on?

Burke sighs, shakes his head:

BURKE
Roger just met his new partner.

That scene clearly and uniquely introduces the relationship these two guys will have. From that point on, we understand their relationship without anyone saying a word about how they relate.

To sum up, chemistry is something two people share. Even if they're on opposite sides. Even if they don't know each other yet. They're playing the same game...together and that can shown in a thousand ways. It can also be introduced powerfully and cause us to want to explore that relationship throughout the rest of the movie.

ASSIGNMENT

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Using the characters you've created, show a unique relationship between your characters and the chemistry they share. Try to express it on all four levels:

1. Common Language/short cuts
2. Emotion
3. Playing the same game.
4. Need fulfillment

Title: Chemistry. (Use in subject line)

Deadline: 24 hours

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I don't expect us to master this skill today. Just make an attempt to create a unique and interesting relationship between your characters and allow your unconscious to process this information about character relationships. Once you've completed writing the scene, go back through it and see if there are any other ways you can create chemistry between your characters.

I believe this is one of those techniques that will make a script stand out. After you've written your scene, read the others to see how they brought their character relationships to life.

Here's to amazing character relationships.

Hal

Would you like to make a huge jump in your writing?

The GREAT WRITING SERIES begins on April 25th.

Three 10-day programs that will change your writing.

• 1. Seducing Actors: Creating Characters and Dialogue Actors Love
• 2. Dramatic Devices: Building Fascinating Scenes
• 3. Writing With Boldness: Creating Anticipation, Expectation and Compelling Description

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