Why Character Development Is Important In Visual Media

The first lesson you learn about narrative writing is that your characters should be driving the plot. What draws people to a story is the relationship they form with the protagonists. I always had this in the back of my mind whenever I opened a word document. I started to realize that the same thing goes for visual media, from a writing perspective.

For starters, what is visual media? For the sake of this post, this form of media is anything you watch as opposed to reading. New technology and animation processes make it easier for storytellers to translate their plots to the audience with immersive and seamless special effects. I'll never deny that this is an intimating undertaking, requiring skillful artists and teams of people to see the end product into fruition. Still, that isn't enough in visual media.

Even if a piece has the best special effects, most successful performers, and realistic sets, without solid character development, it all falls through.

Let's talk about Netflix's Squid Games, which I'm sure most of you know. I had no background knowledge of Korean Culture. The plot was somewhat reminiscent of the Hunger Games, which I've already seen. It was hard for me to wrap my head around some of the sets and figure out the layout. Not to mention, it was in another language.

But none of that mattered. I was so enamored with the characters and their arcs that I didn't mind anything that would have turned me away if the protagonists had been cliche. This show invested so much time, energy, and money into the characters to get people to care about them, which is super impressive.

I have mentioned this on my page, but in my experience, audiences show less leniency towards characters in a survival story. That's hardly the case here. People empathized with a majority of the players because they felt connected to them.

So, why is this so important in visual media? I would say character development is so crucial in this category of storytelling because all the world-building is already done. In the final piece, the viewers don't need a detailed explanation of why characters wear certain clothes or why the rooms are designed the way they are.

Barring a few exceptions, stories like these are not told from the direct perspective of the main character. The scene is set for them (literally), which is why narration in movies can be off-putting.

Two-dimensional characters with tons of special effects dull the advantage of visual media in the first place. The best part about this form of storytelling is that you have more space to expand on character development in the final product. It's why movies, plays, and video games that focus on character dynamics are highly praised. Without the groundwork of personal growth, the piece is seen as an empty set with cast members.

That's not to say that world-building isn't necessary. Of course, it is, but if the audience doesn't see a meaningful connection between the environment and its inhabitants, why should they care?

Let's go back to Squid Games for a minute. The audience isn't really exposed to the world. During the red light green light scene, I had a hard time discerning whether or not the game was outside or meant to look like it was outside. The set pieces are beautifully designed, don't get me wrong, but because the focus was on the players, that's where my attention went. I mean, think about it.

At the end of the day, the viewers don't really need to know exactly where the games are or how they're laid out. The audience can see the players are wearing numbers, the burning bright lights, and the warehouse they sleep in. From there, the viewers can piece together a setting that most people agree on, a futuristic base on a remote island. We can assume that the antagonists have control of the environment based on the interactions the characters had.

I'm pretty sure we can all think of several blockbusters that had a stellar cast but struggled to gain cultural relevance. Sure, not every piece of visual media needs to have a super insightful message and make relevant commentary on society. Pieces are entertainment, after all, and should be given certain expectations depending on the goals of the storytellers. I guess what I'm trying to say is this, character development is vital to visual media because it gives the audience a reason to connect with the piece.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post.

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