Cop #1

[Blender10011]

You first put COP #1 in caps when she's introduced.

What about in the description that follows.

COP#1 arrives on the scene. More police officers arrive on the scene. A baby drops from the building and Cop #1 catches it. OR is it: A baby dropms from the building and cop #1 catches it.

[dpaterso]

If you gave COP #1 a real name and called her ERICA instead, would you then refer to her as erica? Or would you capitalize her name to Erica? Apply the same logic to Cop #1 who is a person not an object. Likewise with Waitress, Doorman, Thug #1, etc. after they're introduced.

Having to ask questions like this for the rest of your life is your punishment for falling asleep in English class.

[TwoBrad Bradley]

I must have fallen asleep also on that day in English class.

So, when writing, you should cap the first letter (of waitress) after the person is introduced in all caps?

But if the person was not introduced in all caps it's okay to use lower case because the person is now an object and not a person??

[nickj]

Cop #1 is capitalized in text. "The cop" isn't.

[E J Pennypacker]

I think TALL COP (for example) looks and reads better than COP #1. Giving a very short description to something rather bland breathes life into an otherwise generic character role, and thus gets more away from telling a story by numbers (i.e. #2, #5 etc) and more towards creative expression (TALL COP, STOCKY COP etc).

EJ

[StRogue]

I dislike giving any character a #, not that it's wrong mind you,
just not how I write. If it were me, I'd say something like:

The YOUNG COP ... The FAT COP... The ATHLETIC COP...
The OLD COP...

It doesn't have to be a big deal, just give us something to
read other than COP #1.

Hope that helps - Charli

[pantalone]

I dislike giving any character a #

And I dislike getting credited as Hooligan #3 or Soccer Player #9.

[nickj]

Better than being credited as "Fat Hooligan".

[DUCPHO]

It has always been my understanding, and practice to "cap" all characters upon initial introduction, the caps cease at that point, naturally, with the exception of the first letter in a character's first and second name's.

You would also cap others who may appear visibly but have no dialogue such as;

SOLDIERS in the b.g.

INDIANS attacking.

The BARTENDER, drawing a draft.

If it's a character and it's the first time they're being introduced I believe they should be capped.

That's all I have. Good luck!

[ComicBent]

You guys are running around in circles and really raising the dust here.

The tradition is:

Speaking roles receive ALL CAPS when first introduced in the script. Therefore, if the character is identified only as a waitress, then she will be WAITRESS upon first mention.

Subsequent mentions in the action lines will be Waitress, since that is her name, just like the Erica/erica thing, just as derek - oops! I mean Derek - said.

Even a reference to "the Waitress clears the table" is better than "the waitress clears the table," since Waitress is being used as a generic character name.

That is all.

[Jeff Schechter]

Not to cause trouble, but I'm actually the original creator of COP #1 and nobody is allowed to use him without my express written permission.

Same for GUY AT BAR.

[dean461]

Okay but what about a group of characters. Lets say they have already been introduced as Marine 1, 2 and 3.

Would it be, the marines burst the through the door shooting?

OR

the Marines burst through the door shooting?

OR

Marines 1,2 and 3 burst through the door shooting?

OR

marines 1,2 and 3 burst through the door shooting?

[ComicBent]

Dean,

Marine 1, Marine 2, Marine 3.

But as a group they become 'marines', because 'marines' is just a noun, not a name of a specific character.