The essential element of any good story thought. Whether any story is dramatic, romantic, scary, or funny – they all need a piece of excitement to make it work.
There are numerous profoundly successful plot gadgets that producers can apply to expand that excitement. A single character movie can greatly impact combining sound, light, music, and framing with the latest technological approach.
The idea of a single-character movie may evoke an immediate response, as it hangs perfectly over the actor’s shoulders. The film figures out how to entertain just as illuminate, with just a single individual performing adequately on screen. Every production department can work at the top of their skills, but all their efforts will fail if only one person on camera can perform adequately.
Achieving such films is not easy. In writing, the story must be made in such a way as to attract the attention of the audience and invest in the character of the audience, their situation, and its consequences. It is no happenstance that a solitary character’s trap is generally ‘stuck character’ or ‘stuck in one spot.’
This, right off the bat, rearranges the possibility of the character being separated from everyone else, and furthermore, it enlarges the parts of pressure, dramatization, and confinement important to look after momentum.
Many great films use their own ‘single position’ plot device when displaying multiple characters, which can be very useful. The settings for single-character movies have almost their character. While such movies are somewhat unforgiving, they are sufficient to engage the audience. Let’s know about the top ten movies with only one character.
What is the Definition of one Character Movie?
A character movie is a film in which the protagonist’s perspective is used as the focal point for most scenes, and important information is revealed to both him/her and the audience. There are no scenes from an outside perspective (e.g., a scorned woman seeing her ex-boyfriend with another girl) or scenes that only show the protagonist’s actions before or after a certain event.
How to Make a Good One Character Movie?
This one is the hardest challenge for any movie director. Unfortunately it’s really hard to find good examples of that done right, because every time there are at least two main characters, or more.
I can’t say that it’s impossible to be done, even though you’ll have a lot less stuff to work with if there’s only one. A good one character movie is really about making the most out of our main protagonist. Of course there has to be a well written story, but it’s not enough for it to be interesting or engaging in some way.
It needs that main character that will make us care about what will happen to him/her, and carry us through the whole film. If you’ll be able to create this connection between them and us, then you will have enough material for an interesting story.
A good character is the one that challenges themselves in some way (physically or not), has flaws (not necessarily negative) which make him/her more realistic, and of course motivation for what they want to achieve.
Imagine this, if there’s no clear goal for the main character – why should we care about what will happen to him? Another thing is that our hero needs to evolve somehow during the story . He/she should feel some changes in their personality, which could be caused by events of course, but it has to make sense.
Top 10 Best Movies With Only One Character
1. Secret Honor (1984)
Mystery Honor is a 1984 film composed by Donald Fried and Arnold M. Stone. Coordinated by Robert Altman and featuring Philip Baker Hall, previous President Richard M. Nixon is an anecdotal story that looks to pick up understanding into his character through life, perspectives, and behavior.
The president recorded his ideas about his entire career on a tape recorder. He expresses his soul with deadly intensity because he suppresses these controversial secrets of his very quickly. He has expressed tragic speculations.
Baker Hall does not imitate the president, but only plays the role of a man who has done so much and can no longer manage. However, it was initially warned that what was written was essentially fiction.
- Directed by: Robert Altman
- Produce by: Robert Altman
- Written by: Donald Fried and Arnold M. Stone
- Starring: Philip Baker Hall
- Release Date: September 14, 1984 (Los Angeles)
- Running Time: 90 minutes.
2. Silent Running (1972)
This is perhaps the soonest case of a Hollywood component film depending on a solitary actor in a high-idea circumstance. Canadian Douglas Trumbull directs the movie.
When a man has completely depleted all the earth sources, and no growing plant remains, the cult sci-fi post is not set in the very distant future. Instead, inter-friendly greenhouses have been used – a few lonely spaceships with a limited crew around Saturn’s rings, always pointing at the sun.
Here, plants grow, small animals breathe, and greenhouse keeper Freeman Lowell (Bruce Darren) mourns for the earth’s dead soil. He gets confused and angry with his chromates and ordinary people because they don’t understand how important these trees are. One day, the earth sends them an order – to destroy the greenhouses and return – Freeman calmly takes the situation into his own hands and resists.
- Directed by: Douglas Trumbull
- Produce by: Michael Gruskoff, Marty Hornstein, Douglas Trumbull
- Written by: Deric Washburn, Michael Cimino, Steven Bochco
- Starring: Bruce Darren
- Release Date: 10 March, 1972
- Running Time: 89 minutes.
- Budget: $1 milion
3. Locke (2013)
Locke is a 2013 British-American show movie composed and coordinated by Steven Knight. Tom Hardy is the principle character in the film. She has included in a couple of speakerphone conversations with Olivia Coleman, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott, Ben Daniels, Tom Holland, and Bill Milner.
The film debuted in the UK on April 16, 2014, and grossed $ 58 million worldwide. Locke got essential commendation, especially for Hardy’s introduction, which earned him the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor.
In this drama, the construction foreman follows Evan Lock (Tom Hardy) while on his way to London. Although he has to oversee a large concrete in Birmingham, and his son and wife are currently waiting for him to watch an important football match at home.
Locke made the vital decision to take the unfortunate drive to London because of his colleague, Bethany, with whom he had a nightstand seven months ago before a premature delivery – with her baby. Knowing the situation of growing up without a father, he is determined not to repeat what has been done to him – which means telling him the truth, assuring Bethany that nothing will go wrong even if the baby was premature a month ago.
- Directed by: Steven Knight
- Written by: Steven Knight
- Starring: Tom Hardy
- Release Date: 2013
- Budget: $58 milion
4. All is Lost (2013)
J.C Chandor composed and and coordinated “All Is Lost” a 2013 survival show movie. In the movie, Robert Redford plays a man lost near the sea. All Is Lost is Chandor’s second component film, following her 2011 debut Margin Call. It emerged from the competition at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
The Survival Drama is based on an anonymous person (Robert Redford). Who was awake to look for water to flow into his boat after a collision with a passenger transport container. He tried to patch the hole and managed to free the water from the cabin – but it was already damaged.
The vessel’s navigational and correspondences frameworks have been harmed by saltwater intrusion. At the point when he climbs the pole to fix the receiving the antenna lead, he sees a looming typhoon in this play, only cool determination, desire to survive.
- Directed by: J.C. Chandor
- Produced by: Justin Nappi, Teddy Schwarzman, Neal Dodson
- Written by: J. C. Chandor
- Starring: Robert Redford
- Release Date: May 22, 2013 (Cannes), October 25, 2013 (North America)
- Running Time: 105 minutes.
- Budget: $8.5 million
5. The Man Who Sleeps (1974)
Bernard Quisney and Georges Perec direct the Man Who Sleeps. It is based on the critically acclaimed French play Perec’s own 1967 novel, A Man Escape. The guess of this movie is simple. It not only shows one actor more than the others – but the single hero is silent.
The film follows a strange young man (Jack Spicer). She decides to leave the world and, for this reason, wanders the streets of Paris, describing all the random women (Ludmila Mikal) most of her inner thoughts.
The preference for black-and-white use over color in this film emphasizes Quishani’s love of excessive exposure and contrast. Nothing in the film draws attention to itself so that the viewer pays attention to Spicer’s calm voice as he thinks of silent people and has ideas about life.
- Directed by: Georges Perec, Bernard Quisney
- Screenplay by: Georges Perec
- Starring: Jack Spicer
- Release Date: 1974
- Running Time: 77 minutes.
6. Gray’s Anatomy (1996)
Gray’s Anatomy is a television series. Steven Soderberg directed it in 1996, Produced by John Hard, written by Spalding Gray, by Renee Shafransky Starring Spalding Gray, Cliff Martinez Music, Cinematography edited by Elliott David, Susan Littenberg.
The monologist’s main character is Spalding Gray, diagnosed with a rare octopus condition called macular degeneration. Subsequent to finding out about Christian Science, Native American Sweat Lodges, and “Mystic Surgeons’ Elvis Presley” and what different risks medical surgery can bring.
He chooses to experience different drugs advertised. This has led her to travel around the world and push her away from further surgery for religious reasons, often due to her dramatic and ridiculous fashions.
- Directed by: Steven Soderberg
- Produce by: John Hardy
- Written by: Spalding Gray, renne shafransky
- Starring: Spalding Gray
- Release Date: September 11, 1996
- Running Time: 80 minutes.
- Budget: $350000
7. Buried (1996)
Rodrigo Cortes coordinated “Buried”which is a 2010 English-language Spanish suspenseful thril ride movie.Chris Sparling composed it and Reynolds stars in it.
The story identifies with Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds), an American regular citizen transporter situated in Iraq. Subsequent to being assaulted, he discovered alive in a wooden coffin with just a light, jar, electric lamp, blade, glasses, pen, pencil, and a cell phone.
Paul worked under agreement in Iraq. He lost consciousness during the attack and found himself buried in a wooden coffin a short time later. He had to endure an unimaginable number of horrific mental attacks and put in a lot of physical effort to fight for his life.
The film has gotten positive basic approval since its debut at the Sundance Film Festival.
- Directed by: Rodrigo Cortes
- Produce by: Adrian Guerra, Peter Safran
- Written by: Chris Sperling
- Starring: Ryan Reynolds
- Release Date: September 24, 2010
- Running Time: 95 minutes.
- Budget: $2 milion
8. The Telephone (1988)
The Telephone is a 1968 satire dramatization movie composed by Terry Southern and Harry Nielsen and coordinated by Rip Torn. In the film, Whoopi plays Goldberg as an active entertainer who starts settling prank phone calls that make a chain of occasions.
The film’s whole set will be set in the principle character’s loft and highlights a couple of actors other than Goldberg. Elliott Gold and John Heard appeared in support roles. The film received critical acclaim from New World Pictures on January 22, 1986.
- Directed by: Rip Torn
- Produce by: Robert katz, Moctesuma Esparza
- Written by: Terry Southern and Harry Nielsen
- Starring: Whoopi Goldberg and others
- Release Date: January 22, 1988
- Running Time: 78 minutes.
- Budget: $2.2 milion
9. Trapped (2016)
Vikramaditya Motwan coordinated “Trapped “is an Indian Hindi Language endurance dramatization movie. He produced it under the banner of Phantom Films with Anurag Kashyap, Bikash Bahl, and Madhu Montana. The film stars Rajkumar Rao as a welfare center employee trapped in his condo without food, water, power, and Gitanjali Thapa as the specialist’s sweetheart, Noori.
Alokananda Dasgupta created the music and foundation score of the film to the tune of Rajkeshwari Dasgupta. The cinematographer was Siddharth Diwan, and the editor was Nitin Baid. Motwan got the idea for the film from an email from author Amit Joshi.
It delivered in theaters on March 1 for positive reviews from critics, who lauded both the film’s idea and Rao’s presentation. At the 63rd Filmfare Awards, the film won a couple of praises, including the Best Actor Critics Award for Rao, Best Sound Design for Anis John, and Best Editing Award for Nitin Baid.
- Directed by: Vikramaditya Motwan
- Produce by: Vikramaditya Motwan, Anurag Kashyap, Bikash Bahl and Madhu Montana
- Written by: Amit joshi, Hardik Mehta
- Starring: Rajkumar Rao, Gitanjali Thapa
- Release Date: October 22, 2016
- Running Time: 105 minutes.
- Budget: $50 milion
10. Cast Away (2016)
Cast Away is a 2000 American survival dramatization movie coordinated and delivered by Robert Zemeckis. It stars Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, and Nick Cersi. Hanks plays a FedEx worker abandoned on a remote location after his plane slammed in the South Pacific. The film depicts his grammar efforts to survive and return to the country. The film delivered on December 22, 2000.
- Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
- Produce by: Robert Zemeckis, Tom Hanks, Steve Starkey
- Written by: William Broyles Jr.
- Starring: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, and Nick Cersi
- Release Date: December 22, 2000
- Running Time: 143 minutes.
- Budget: $90 milion
Frequently Asked Questions
1.Who Is The Inventor Of One Character Movie?
Ans: Unfortunately, Brendan Fraser is not the inventor of one character movie. That honor goes to George Nichols . His film ” One-Man Band ” is an 11 minute silent released in January 1905 and starring himself as a series of comically inept characters.
2.What Are Some Movies With Only One Actor?
Ans: One-Man Band (1905) – IMDB Title: One-Man Band Description: George Nichols stars in the silent short film. Playing Beatie Bow – 1988 is an another one.
3.Who Are The Greatest Movie Characters Of All Time?
Many movies have been made about characters from history, science fiction, animated characters and sports figures. Some of the most famous movie characters in film history include James Bond , Harry Potter , The Terminator and Rocky Balboa who are some famous fictional movie characters.
4.Are There Any Movies With No Female Characters?
Ans: Yes, there are many movies with no female characters. The movie was the first male only film since the late 19th century to be released in Malaysia. It was screened exclusively at all 16 UCI cinemas.
5.What Is The First Movie With Only One Actor?
Ans: The first movie with only one actor was called One-Man Band, released in 1905 and starring George Nichols as a series of comically inept characters. It’s a silent film.
Final Verdict
Although most screenplays count many characters and general principle, the story just spins around a couple of characters. Ordinary films have some notable characters without which the film cannot be self-contained. Bu, movies with only one character, is entirely different.
It only has one main character. In this kind of film, the primary character needs to confront physical and mental difficulties. In certain movies, the primary character is rapidly noticeable.
No matter from which point of view the story is told, each scene has a connection to the main character’s motives or his problems. In this type of movie, the protagonist is overwhelmed by the protagonist until the protagonist reaches his intended purpose.
