Creating Characters

 Today is my 18th birthday.  Yay for me, but I'm going to explain why that's important.  Eighteen years ago, my parents gave me a name, something I wasn't really planning on doing for my characters in my film opening.  I never realized how important a name could be for a character, especially in horror.  

The first thing you think of when you think about a person, whether you realize it or not, is their name.  A name is what represents a person, and I also think a name adds vulnerability to a person.  A name can be something special to the parents.  For example, when my little sister was about to be born, my parents hadn't had a name picked out for her, until they heard the song Noelia by Nine Bravo playing on the radio.  They took the song as a sign, and named her after it.  

Considering my opening is going to be for a horror film, I need to find ways to make my main character vulnerable, and that starts with a name.  I believe this was used as the weakness for the demon nun in The Conjuring 2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wMYAHq-IQM

Before Lorraine starts trying to figure out what the nun's name was, she was picking a part a riddle from the old man haunting the house.  The riddle says "I am given and I am taken.  I was there are your first breath, but you didn't ask for me, but I will follow you till your death."  Your name sticks with you from the moment it's given to you, until forever.  Even after you pass, it's how people remember you.

With all of this in mind, now I have the task of giving my characters a name.  So far, I only have four names to think of: the female character, the mother of the female character, the father of the female character, and the name of the villain for the story.  I feel like once I have the names, then the rest of the characters' details will come to me.  

For the female character, I need a name that's sweet and simple, something that would work for a damsel in distress, as she's going to be the film's "final girl," this means that she's the one who our villain preys on and taunts throughout the film.  I think, a name that would be suitable for the character would maybe be Lilly.  The name Lilly is that of a flower, and flowers are beautiful and pure.  They blossom and grow, and generally people admire them.  Lilly, is a sweet girl, she's 16, and from Florida.  Florida comes from the the word flor which is Spanish for flower.  Lilly's life is pretty normal, she goes to school, gets good grades, has her nice group of friends, and has the perfect boyfriend.  She's an only child, who receives all the love in the world from her parents.  She's a poet, and likes to spend her days on the beach writing poetry in her journal or on her laptop.  She loves reading her poetry at open mic nights, and her friends always want to hear what she has to say.  All of that came from just thinking of the name.

For the flower theme to keep going, I think I want to name the mother Rosalie, after roses.  I don't think that the mother's name would be mentioned, but I think that if it were, maybe viewers would catch onto the correlation between the names.  The reason for a name to be inspired by roses is due to the fact that roses have thorns.  Roses are beautiful flowers, and to me, they symbolize love.  My mom always says that there is no love like the one a mother holds for her child.  There is no other bond like that of a mother to her baby.  Whatever the baby feels, the mom feels.  The worst fear that a mother holds is losing her baby, and that's what the thorns can symbolize here.  Considering that my film is going to be a horror movie, maybe Rosalie fears that with what's going on with her daughter, if she ever finds out, could be endangering her, and possibly cause Rosalie to lose Lilly.  Lilly is Rosalie's everything, and a life without Lilly for Rosalie, is a life that is not worth living for her.

Now, onto the father.  His name is going to be one that has more meaning to me rather than have any symbolism.  I decided to name the father after my dad, Jorge.   The reason for this is because every daughter needs her father, and without my dad, I don't know what I would do.  I've always looked up to him, and he's always been my number one supporter.  I feel like Lilly and Jorge would have that same bond with each other.  Lilly is his and always will be  his little girl.  He'll always support her biggest dreams, and be the first to read and enjoy her poetry.  Jorge's life is all about Lilly, and there is nothing in the world he wouldn't do for her.  He would go to the greatest lengths to protect his daughter, and when her life is being threatened, those lengths will be tested.  

Finally, onto the last character, our villain.  Much like their character, I really don't know much about them.  I don't know their name, their motive, or even why they choose to taunt and possibly attack Lilly.  They remain a mystery to me, which is fitting because for the majority of the film, their character is a mystery that needs to be solved.  One thing that I know for sure is that I want them to wear a mask.  Maybe something similar to that of Scream's "Ghostface".  The mask is simple, but it's scary, and stays imprinted in your mind.  We, as in the fans of the SCREAM franchise associate both the Ghostface and the Brandon James mask (from the series) with the franchise.  You see that mask, and you know that there is trouble ahead for Sydney and Emma, so I want to create something that is simple and scary, that also signals trouble ahead for Lilly.  

That's what I have for the characters at the moment, but I feel like as the plot develops, more of these characters will shine through.