Introducing characters in a screenplay

As a screenplay writing exercise, I read through three different character introductions from the screenplays for The Usual Suspects, Taxi Driver and Clerks, then wrote my own character introduction in a screenplay:


INT. LIVING ROOM. DAY


A TV blares with the voice of a shopping channel presenter who is selling a vacuum cleaner. The paisley-pattered curtains are closed over the window, but light seeps through from outside. A frame sits on the mantelpiece, holding a photo of a cheerful, 60-something year old man with his arm round a similar-aged woman. A man, RICHARD, sits alone on a large sofa. He resembles the man in the photo, but his appearance has changed. The smiling face has been replaced by a stone-cold expression, and the creases in his face have deepened. His once-friendly demeanour has faded and bee replaced by a barrier between him and the outside world.

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