This document provides guidance for analyzing character motivation and characterization in short films. It discusses exploring how characters are presented and motivated through their backgrounds, desires, and goals. It prompts analyzing two short film clips, focusing on impressions of different characters and interpreting clues about their true nature. It challenges the reader to compare a character between a poem and its film adaptation, unraveling what was added and why by the filmmaker.

1. IGCSE
Short Film - Character

2. Starter
Think of your favourite story. It could be a book, film, play or
narrative poem.
From the story, choose one character you think has good qualities
and one you think has bad qualities. Describe them in your books

3. Objectives
Explore how characterisation is presented in film
See how ideas, values and emotions are portrayed
Reflect on the motivation and behaviour of characters

4. Motivation
Think about: Where do the good and bad qualities come
from?

5. What about motivation…
It is difficult to talk about characters in stories without talking
about what does and doesn’t motivate them. Why are they
motivated to do certain things and not others?
We have all sat in a cinema and thought, “Why didn’t he just…”
or, “Yes, I think I’d have done that as well.” But that is seeing the
characters in relation to our own world. To understand
characters and characterisation properly we have to understand
them in their own worlds.
We have to start thinking about two things:
Where and what characters are coming from.
Where they are going to, in terms of what they want, what they
need and what they are trying to achieve in the story. Their
motivations.

6. Viewing
Two Cars One Night
There are two male characters and one female character.
What impression do we get of the two boys? How different
are their characters?
Is the young girl confident? Or is she just pretending to
be? What clues are there for either interpretation?
What is the significance of the ring?
Is there any way in which the characters reflect
stereotypes of particular kinds of children?

7. Viewing
Watch the extract from The Most Beautiful Man in the World.
Copy this accompanying grid into your books and give detailed
responses to the questions posed.

8. Text Detective
Read through the poem “The Man With the Beautiful
Eyes”
As you watch The Man with the Beautiful Eyes again,
notice that thingsappear in the film which don’t appear in
the poem.
As the detective, unravel the film-maker’s interpretation
and discover:
• What is in the original poem and what has been added
• Why the film-maker has added this element.

10. Extended writing
Explore the characterisation of the Man in The Man with
the Beautiful Eyes. Focus on the differences between the
character in the poem and the interpretation of him by the
film-maker.
Extension: remember to include as many sound and
technical elements from the film as you can.