Who, What, Where, When Journals

WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN JOURNALS
When you receive your script, one of the first things you do to personalize the character is to go through the script and create a back story about every person, place, thing or event that you and the other character in the scene refer to.

How do you feel about the other character in the scene? What is your relationship with this person? How long have you known this person? What do you want from this person – both moment to moment, but also in long terms (super objective)?

You need to make up a personal story that creates in you the same reaction that your character feels. For example: if your character is talking about an older brother or sister that s/he looks up to, find a person in your own life that you admire and look up to. If you don’t have anyone like that in your own life, then create someone or create a composite (from several different people, real or from books or films) of someone who you could admire. Write a minimum of half a page about this person. Describe how s/he looks. Describe how s/he acts. Create an anecdote (short story) that shows why this person is meaningful to you.

If your character or the other character in the scene mentions a place, then you must describe the place. You can either draw a picture or create a collage of the place. Then you must write why this place is significant to you. How do you feel about this place? Is it positive? Why? What event occurred here that makes it positive? Does this place remind you of something that is positive? Is it negative? Why? What event occurred here that makes it negative?
If there is an event that occurred in the past, then describe the event. How do you feel about this event? How did it affect you?

If there is an item in the scene, how do you feel about this item. What significance does this item have for you?