RESEARCH - Character

Characters

How important are characters particularly in the opening 2 minutes of a film?
Movies tell stories about people. In every script, the writer has to create one character (or a set of characters) that the audience will root for or hate. This special character is known as the main character, often referred to as the protagonist. He or she will be the character with most obstacles and normally the one with most screen time.
Creating interesting, realistic characters is an art in itself. To find the right dose of believability and novelty to mix together and form an exciting, plausible character ranks as one of the hardest tasks in screenwriting. However characters in the first 2 minutes of a film are not too important as you could get a film opening of a setting, so overall characters are important for the film however are not essential in the first two minutes.  

 3 existing character profiles 
Mia Wallace (Pulp Fiction)
Before we even see her, Mia Wallace is the most talked about character in the film.

We know she's the big man's new wife, a "don't touch" person if there ever was one. But she's also beautiful and bored. So when Jules, and later the bartender, learn that Vincent has to "take her out" and "show her a good time," they think it's hilarious. She's the most dangerous character in the movie. Vincent needs to get high on heroin in order to go through with it.

Heath Ledger as The Joker (The dark knight) 

 Appearing to be the most evil, deranged, and flat out psychotic killer of all comic book villains, The Joker is the primary antagonist of Batman. He is the complete opposite of Batman, in everything from appearance (Batman tends to be a rather large and muscular man, while The Joker is typically a man of average height or even taller possessing a skinny frame), to ideals. The Joker views murder as sport, and will not hesitate to toy with his food before he eats it, even if said food are the men he has hired to work for him. As intimidating as he is psychotic, he still manages to recruit hordes of henchmen despite his maniacal insanity."The Joker's physical appearance is a polar opposite of that of Batman. Batman uses dark colours such as grey and black to intimidate criminals, while The Joker relies on bright colours, such as purple, green, and sometimes orange to do his bidding. The Joker also has a melted cliché clown face, the origins of which differ depending on the continuity he is used in. Some incarnations of The Joker see him wearing actual make up (such as in the film "The Dark Knight"), while others show his skin actually having been bleached (as in the 1989 "Batman"). He also traditionally has green hair and red lips, to complete the look of the psycho clown.

His methods are unpredictable and incalculable. He does things according to his own twisted sense of logic, and does not desire money. If there was one thing that he did desire, it would be the power to instil anarchy into Gotham by any means necessary, proving that organization is meaningless and futile. He is an exceptionally intelligent man, and this tends to be his greatest weapon against Batman, the police, and the District Attorney's office. He is often confronted by the authorities, but easily evades capture due to sick and twisted mind games he plays on them, all full of mystery. While Batman prefers to stay in the shadows, The Joker basks in the spotlight, often broadcasting himself to the public and media outlets."

 Renton - Ewan McGregor (trainspotting)

 

The main protagonist in Trainspotting, Mark Renton is the Scottish anti-hero who struggles with drug addiction in memorable scenes beginning with a scene in which he fishes a suppository from a blocked toilet to feed his habit. Later he overdoses on heroin and is subsequently held captive by his parents in an intervention where he experiences withdrawal hallucinations. Despite this, throughout the movie Renton remains the most sympathetic character as we occasionally hear his voiceover in the first person. Escaping to London Renton's old life catches up to him as "friends" get back in touch. The movie closes with Renton departing after stealing the proceeds of a drug deal from his associates.

All of the characters above are iconic because they are memorable characters from legendary films that everyone knows because of their clever ways of acting and the fact that each of these characters creates a relationship with the viewer even if they are a 'villain'.  They add excitement and the thrill factor to each film bringing emotions and feeling between the characters and the audience.