‘Character research is not improvisation’: report on the experience of training researchers for audiovisual products inspired by real stories

Abstract

A fundamental part of the country’s creative economy, generating R$70 billion in 2024 alone, the audiovisual market has seen a growing demand for products inspired by real stories — such as reality shows, true crime series, entertainment programs built around viewer stories, biographical documentaries, and even some fictional examples. In this type of product, the figure of the “character researcher” in the pre-production phase is essential. It is this person who will mediate the meeting of ordinary people, non-actors, with the direction of each product, meeting both the demands of the script and the needs of the character. The job, which requires extreme sensitivity and care in dealing with ordinary people, however, has no specific training, and is often performed in an improvised manner on the film set, by producers or assistant directors. Based on the authors’ experience in the Brazilian audiovisual market, this article describes the reasons that led them to conduct an introductory course on the craft of “character researcher for audiovisual media” in September 2025; it analyzes the content of the workshop and presents the conclusions of the experience with 36 students.