[Archive] Status
11/12/2006Originally posted 5.18.05 as What Is Your Character’s Status?
If you’ve read enough books on screenwriting (and there are a lot out there) we always hear terms like conflict, arc and stakes. A term we don’t hear all that often is status. It refers to those who possess the most control in a given scene. The person who dominates a scene physically, sexually, professionally, intellectually or in some other way is in a position of high status. He or she controls the action. Those people he or she dominates are in, you guessed it, low status. Status is based on power and control, not necessarily on expected social rank or class structure.
More about status and other helpful information can be found in Screenwriting for Dummies. Don’t let the title fool you. It’s got some solid information for the beginner and veteran alike and serves as a good point of reference.
