Designing a cast of characters for a transmedia project is a complex task. These questions can serve as a guide.

  • What are the physical characteristics of the characters/class of characters? (Storyworld Level Design Tasks)
    • What is the character’s gender?
    • What is the character’s date of birth? What is the character’s age?
    • What is the character’s height and weight?
    • What is the character’s physical condition (i.e. highly fit, moderately fit, barely fit, moderately unfit, highly unfit, etc.)?
    • How would you describe the character?
    • Does the character have any distinguishing features, physical abnormalities, or disabilities?
    • What is the character’s race, ethnicity, species, etc.?
    • What is the character’s skin color (i.e. white, olive, black, green, etc.) and complexion (i.e. smooth, wrinkled, pimpled, weather-beaten, scarred, etc.)?
    • What is the character’s hair color, length, and style? Is the hair natural, dyed, a wig, etc.?
  • What are the psychological and behavioral characteristics of the characters/class of characters? (Storyworld Level Design Tasks)
  • What are the character’s psychological characteristics?
      • Values
      • Temperament
      • Fears and phobias
    • What are the motivating factors for the character’s actions?
      • Survival
      • Safety and security
      • Love and belonging
      • Esteem and self-respect
      • Need to know and understand
      • Aesthetic needs
      • Self-actualization
  • What is the character’s problem?
  • What is the character’s struggle?
  • What is the character’s transformation?
  • What is the character’s realization?
  • What are pivotal events in the character’s life? At what age?
  • What historic events occurred during the character’s life? At what age?
  • What actions does the character take that result in a judgment being made about that character?
  • What in the character’s past would result in a judgment being made about the character?
  • How can specific events reveal something about a character?
  • What is the character’s reputation among the other characters?
  • What are the different personalities the character shows in different situations and with different people?
  • What habits/patterns does the character have? What do they reveal? What would a change in habits mean?
  • What are the character’s tastes and preferences and dislikes? What do they reveal about the character?
  • What do the character’s talents and abilities reveal about the character? What do they conceal?
  • What relationships does the character have?
  • What are the character’s behavioral characteristics? Habits?
  • What are the social and socioeconomic characteristics of the characters/class of characters? (Storyworld Level Design Tasks)
    • What is the character’s birthplace?
    • What was the character’s economic status while growing up?
    • What is the character’s current economic status?
    • What was the character’s social status while growing up?
    • What is the character’s current social status?
    • What kind of accent does the character have?
    • What is the character’s citizenship?
    • What is the character’s national background (i.e. what nation did the character identify with while growing up)?
    • What is the character’s regional background (i.e. what region of the country did the character identify with while growing up)?
  • What are the character’s social characteristics?
    • Social status
    • Family
    • Friends
    • Enemies
  • What languages does the character speak? What is the primary language? What is the mother language?
  • What is the character’s educational background?
  • What is the character’s job background?
  • Does the character have any special skills?
  • How would the character’s progression in life be described? (Storyworld Level Design Tasks)
  • What would the chapters be in the character’s life? What would you title each chapter?
  • How would you describe the character’s life at each decade? What would you title each decade?