Module 4 · Lesson 3 of 5

Make a casting sheet for every character.

Casting is choosing who plays each person. A casting sheet writes down how each character looks, so they look the same in every shot.

The steps

If you are in your film, your face comes from a clear photo of you.
Nobody else’s face goes in without their written permission. Module 10 covers real people in full.
Never use a famous person’s face, not even as a joke.

Describe each one in plain words: age, skin, hair, build, clothes and style.
Be exact. “Late 50s, grey curls, reading glasses, a green cardigan” works. “Pretty” doesn’t.
When you make the character in Module 8, the studio shows you a few pictures. Pick the one that matches your sheet best.
Save that picture. From then on, that is what the character looks like.

Open the free Character Casting Sheet Builder. It suggests looks for your characters.
In Protagonist archetype, pick your main character’s type. Protagonist means the main character. Archetype means a kind of character, like a mentor.
In Antagonist archetype, pick the person in their way. Antagonist means the one who blocks them.
Delete the example words in the two boxes under them. Type one short line in each. Then tap Build sheet.
The first box asks what hurts your main character. The second asks what the other one is blocking.
Read the looks it suggests. Copy any that fit into your own sheet. The tool is optional: your own sheet below is what you’ll use.

Fill in a casting sheet below for each character in your film. The names from your one-page story are already here.

Fill it in here. It saves as you type, and later lessons use it.

Fill in one casting sheet for each character in your film.

Does every character have their own sheet?
If a real person is in your film, do you have their photo and their written yes?
Could a stranger picture each character from your sheet alone?

If any answer is no, go back over the steps, or look below.

The free tool’s words are confusing.: You don’t need it to finish. It only gives ideas. Fill in the casting sheet on this page in plain words. That is your casting sheet.
I want a famous actor to play my character.: You can’t use a famous person’s face or voice. Describe the look you like instead: age, hair, clothes and style.
My character looks different in my head every time.: Pick one outfit for the whole film and write it down exactly. The picture you choose in Module 8 settles the rest.

Still stuck? Email info@bookwriter.vip and say which lesson you’re on. A person reads every message and writes back.