8
Characterization
A story tells about persons and their doings. Some people are more interested in “persons” — that is, in human characterization — while others are more interested in their “doings” — that is, in their actions. Some novelists are satisfied when they have given a complete description of a character in a few hundred pages of a novel. Some picture producers are solely interested in action and despise characterization as “psychological stuff.” Both elements, however, are necessary for the motion picture story.
Action by itself does not exist. Somebody must act. This somebody is the human being; consequently, we must be acquainted with the human being in order to follow and understand the action. On the other hand, it is not possible ...
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