HOW MY NEW HAT INSPIRED A NEW LOOK
FOR MY MAIN CHARACTER

I’m a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy.  It’s a style I’ve come to embrace and while I switch up the shirts everyday, there are two main stays in my fashion rotation.

A plain blue hat and my a Adidas Superstar shoes.  For at least the last 4 or 5 years, I’ve been purchasing variations of both.  The tradition of the blue hat started when I first began working for a Sports network.  When you’re surrounded by die hard sports fans every day, the logo on your hat is big.  I’m very particular when it comes to hats and went through a streak where I couldn’t find a Jays, Leafs or Raptors hat that suited me.

So I went plain blue and it worked for me.  It’s the same with my shoes.  Each year, I buy a new pair in the Spring and retire my old shoes.  The cycle restarts and I’m ready for another year of film and television work.

Recently, I was at a Blue Jays game and my girlfriend had me try on a few hats.  Out of the blue we both chose the same one and a white Blue Jays hat is now tops in my rotation.  It’s a big change for me.

What does this have to do with screenwriting?

Somehow, getting a new hat and rethinking my overall ‘style’ got me thinking about characters in my screenplays.  Specifically, a nerdy character that stars in my latest short.

Creating a character’s look can be extremely specific or simply general guidance for the costume designer.  There are examples of both everywhere but I tend to give general descriptions unless it’s really necessary.  Still, sometimes it is necessary to really describe a characters fashion sense in order to fully convey the person you imagined on the screen.

Getting a new hat made me rethink the character I’m in the midst of creating.  Perhaps this is an opportunity for me to add a little bit more depth to the character.  What if he wears a hat.  Is it old?  Is there a story behind it?

Mark Zuckerberg wears sandals in The Social Network and that adds a tiny but significant detail to the story.

Is there a way you can learn more about a character by dressing them in different ways?  Absolutely.  If it lends to the story, why not take the opportunity and add a couple layers to their story.

Getting a new hat caused me to think about how attached I was to my old one.  Whether I like it or not, my hat and shoes said something about me.  What would a change in style say about my character?  How would he react?

Obviously, I’m not going to waste screen time sending my character to the mall to buy new shoes but I did come up with a different look than my original plan.  It’s a look that better suites the story I want to tell.

It’s amazing what a few sentences can change.

It wouldn’t have been possible if I didn’t let go of my old hat.

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PS: The shoes stay.