Screen Time Per Character - how long are your favorites really in the movie?

One of the things that has always fascinated me about movies is how visuals and characterizations in film can be so powerful that just a few minutes on the screen can have enormous impact on the audience.

I first became aware of this while reading a book on THE WIZARD OF OZ by Aljean Harmetz. In the book she mentioned that in that historic children's film Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West appears for approximately 11 minutes! That rocked my world! Eleven minutes? How many of you have ever seen that movie? Pretty much all of you, I'll bet.
Now I ask you WILL YOU EVER FORGET THAT WITCH or her LAUGH? Not likely. In less time that it takes to play a quarter of a game of football, that actress made an impression on you that will probably stay with you for a lifetime. In less time than it takes to watch an episode of Seinfeld she became a screen legend.

Screentime, as William Goldman says, is a mysterious thing.

Think of Brad Pitt in THELMA AND LOUISE. Brad had been a working actor for years, doing some minor movies and some TV stuff. Then a very small part in that film catapulted him to stardom. He's in that film less than 15 minutes, and yet he grabbed everyone's attention and his 15 minutes of fame has stretched into more than 15 years.

Now, let's apply this to STAR WARS.

I've never sat down with a stop watch and timed it, but you know what? I'll bet Yoda is not actually seen on screen in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK for more than 30 minutes. Yet think of the impact of those few brief scenes.

Here's another one for you.

Do you know how long Darth Vader is actually seen on screen in A NEW HOPE? I timed this one myself. I was shocked. For such an iconic character, he's really not in the movie that much. He just "seems" to be. His influence and impact are pervasive, yet he's offscreen more than he's on-screen. Villains don't actually need to be in the movie all that much, as
long as the "threat" is present.

And how about the Emperor in RETURN OF THE JEDI?
We all know what a powerful impression he made, right? But R2 and 3PO have far more screentime.

Maybe I have too much time on my hands,
but I enjoy editing and dissecting films
and it fascinates me how perception works
in films. Pick a favorite Star Wars character sometime and check how long they are actually in the film. You may be surprised. A little goes a long way.

 

My favorite character is frickin' Salacious Crumb. I think he's only in the movie for, what, six frames?


Rick McCallum loves you!

 

Yeah, Watto had about 10 to 15 minutes of screen time, and he was one of the most clearly defined characters in TPM.

 

Over Christmas, I watched all 5 SW movies in a row for the first time. I really noticed how Anakin/Vader kinda takes a back seat in the story in ANH, in comparison.

My favourites characters are Anakin/Vader and Luke though, so I know they have plenty of screen time

Outside of them, there are guys like Boba Fett and Plo Koon that I like despite no actually being on-screen that much...

 

Kit Fisto !!

 

my favorite character had about 10 seconds of screen time.

 

Yoda Yo Mama,

It's amazing how popular Kit Fisto is considering his limited screen time! Must be that smile.

 

Since she is in the EU, Mara Jade has no screen time...

 

lol, I had never thought about Salacious Crumb.
He wasn't in ROTJ very long...but he had his
moments.

 

My favourite is Saesee Tiin. In TPM he was in all the Council sessions. In AOTC he was in the Council shot, and on Geonosis he was in three shots, when the fight first starts when the Jedi are running toward the battle droids if you look really carefully you can see him, when the survivors are in the circle and Dooku is talking to Windu you can see him in the background, and you can see him boarding the dropship that Luminara Unduli and Shaak Ti were on.

 

Chewie!

He had lots of screen time and lines

 

Mon Mothma was onscreen for 2 minutes...

 

vader was really cool. he might not have been on screen for long but it feels like he's there.