Research: Character types

 Hi welcome back! Again, I have a lot to talk about today so let's get started! Character types are a crucial element that go into making films. It's important to know which character types fit my genre most, so for today's blog I will be exploring different character types found in film!

The Protagonist

The first and one of the most important character types that I researched was the protagonist. The protagonist is the main character. The whole story is centered around this person. The audience will usually know what this person is thinking and will know certain situations that are hidden from other characters in the film. It's important to make sure you're protagonist is relatable and has problems they can overcome throughout the film. Without a protagonist there isn't plot which is why it is the most important character. For my short film the protagonist will most likely be the "grunge girl."

Examples:  Noah in the notebook, Tyler in Waves, and Solene in The Idea of You

The Antagonist  

This character is the villain of the story. They are what make a lot of the problems that the antagonist has to overcome adding drama to the plot. Believe it or not the antagonist doesn't have to be a person. Things like nature, internal struggles, societal/systemic forces, technology/objects, and situations/circumstances can all be the antagonist of a story. In this case the antagonist is probably going to be a mixture of societal forces and internal struggles of how it's hard for them to except each other.

Example: In Waves the antagonist was an internal antagonist, in The Notebook and The Idea of You the antagonist was societal/systemic forces. 

The Deuteragonist

This character is the close second to the protagonist. They don't have all the spotlight like the protagonist and they aren't the main character, but the story focuses on them as well and they are crucial to the plot. In a romance the deuteragonist is usually the love interest. In the film opening I'm making, the deuteragonist will be the "rich guy" as he is the love interest of the story.

Example: August Moon- The Idea of You, Allie Hamilton- The Notebook, Alexis Lopez- Waves

Confidant

The "confidant" is the character that is very important in the main character's life. Usually the best friend, the confidant is someone that the main character shares their thoughts and emotions with even though they wouldn't want anyone else to know. Can also be someone the MC turns too not just because they want to but because they feel like have too. I think that both the protagonist and deuteragonist of my story will have a confidant.

After going through all of those character types, I finally have an idea of what characters will be included, and what type of characters they'll be! Thank you so much for reading, see you next time!

“12 Types of Characters Every Writer Should Know.” Reedsy Studio, 2025, reedsy.com/studio/resources/types-of-characters.

“The 7 Main Character Roles in Film: Ultimate Guide to Archetypes - Arc Studio Blog.” Www.arcstudiopro.com, www.arcstudiopro.com/blog/the-7-main-character-roles-in-film-ultimate-guide-to-archetypes.

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