Drama Research: Characters

Week 2:

“Dialogue + Physical Movement = Character,” as stated by John Reich, is a formula used to develop a character.

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Drama films typically deal with relatable topics. Viewers can see themselves or people they know in the characters shown through their flaws and traits. This contributes to making the story more personal and moving to audiences.

Identifying with characters allows people to love a certain movie and the message the characters are trying to portray. Mise-en-scene and cinematography contribute to the illustration of those characters.

An analysis of how characters are portrayed in Drama films is shown below -

"Little Miss Sunshine (2006)" - Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris

This movie portrays the relatable side of drama.

This film stars the Hoover family determined to get their daughter, Olive, into the Little Miss Sunshine Beauty Pageant, taking a trip to California from Albuquerque in a beaten-down Volkswagen van. The family’s pent-up frustrations unravel throughout the way.

Richard, the arrogant father, hurts his family due to pride. Sheryl is the mother whose function is to hold the family together. She gets her brother Frank Ginsburg from the hospital after an attempted suicide and bears her son Dwayne’s silent vow. Sheryl also navigates to live with her cocaine-addict father-in-law, Edwin.

"Whiplash (2014)" - Directed by Damien Chazelle

This movie shows more extremist themes.

The movie follows Andrew Neiman, a young jazz drummer, as he strives to become the best at his music school. He catches the attention of Terence Fletcher, a renowned instructor known for his strict and intimidating methods, who invites him to join the school's jazz ensemble. However, as Fletcher pushes him to the limits, Andrew's pursuit of perfection turns into an unhealthy obsession.

Terence Fletcher is a controlling and abusive instructor. He believes his strict methods produce skilled students, even if it means compromising their mental well-being. Fletcher enjoys the power he holds, making them audition for hours or publicly humiliate them. Despite his harshness, he can be charming when he wants to be, using it as a tactic to make his students feel secure before pushing them beyond their limits. 

One of his students, Andrew Neiman, craves Fletcher's approval, leading to a toxic relationship between the two. Andrew spends countless hours practicing the drums with bloody fingers as a symbol of his unwavering dedication. His pursuit of perfection comes at the cost of his relationships with others, including a girl he liked. To emphasize his obsession, in one scene, Andrew gets into a car accident on his way to a show but still performs through the blood and pain to prove himself to Fletcher. Andrew disregards his own safety and relationships to achieve his goal.

Sources :

Reich, John. “4. How Are the Characters Portrayed?” Exploring Movie Construction and Production, Open SUNY Textbooks, 11 July 2017, https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/exploring-movie-construction-and-production/chapter/4-how-are-the-characters-portrayed/.


Delgado, Mariana. “The Ties That Bind Us: Hope and Family in 'Little Miss Sunshine' (2004).” Flip Screen, 23 Aug. 2021, https://flipscreened.com/2021/08/23/the-ties-that-bind-us-hope-and-family-in-little-miss-sunshine-2004/.


Sizemore, Grey. “Analysis of Andrew Neimann and Terence Fletcher in Whiplash.” Medium, Medium, 8 May 2020, https://medium.com/@greysizemore/analysis-of-andrew-neimann-and-terence-fletcher-in-whiplash-c6ac0858c22e.


Chornyi, Maksym. “Whiplash Character Analysis: A Price of Greatness.” Maksym Chornyi’s Movie Blog, 31 Dec. 2022, https://www.recenzent.org.ua/whiplash-movie-character-analysis/.