: Re: Possible To Introduce A Character Through A Dialogue? In a screenplay, would it be okay to introduce a character through a dialogue? The character in question isn't given a background (in the

@Kristi637

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A screenplay is an odd hybrid because you have two audiences, the reader of the screenplay, and the viewer of the film. Because of this, screenplays have a lot of strict conventions which you should never break (or only for EXTREMELY good reasons).

In general, anything that will appear on screen needs to be described the first time in appears, not in the dialog, but directly in the stage directions, so the reader can see the movie in her mind as she reads it. If, as you indicated, the character first appears in voice over, describe the auditory qualities of his voice, rather than his physical qualities, because that's what the final audience would experience at that point. When he appears on screen, however, the physical details must be provided right at the point that he appears, not a few lines later.

I can't tell from your question if you're generally following screenplay format, aside from this, but if not, you should take the time to research it --there are many good resources online (here's a decent one). No one in the industry will be willing to read an incorrectly formatted screenplay.

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