Who are you? Let the character introductions begin!

When it comes to movie character introductions, it's really hard to beat the way Indiana Jones is brought into the light. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is perfect in this, and deserves to be studied. We are given the setting in establishing shots that tell a story of ancient, forgotten, civilizations. Then, there is an attempt at mutiny, and Indiana's trademark whip lashes out to disarm the ruffian. Only then does our hero show himself, with a shadow-into-sunlight face shot. It's instantly memorable. There's a rapid trap-laden treasure run, followed immediately by the reveal of the villain--who promptly takes the treasure from Indy.

I've noticed an alarming lack of introduction in many modern stories. One tactic is doing an interview (like in "Iron Man" or "San Andreas"), and it cheapens the effect. The last thing a story needs is forgettable main characters. In Tolkien's book, "The Hobbit," we're given a lot of information about hobbits and their comfortable existence, then directly shown Bilbo who is the paramount hobbit. Readers fall in love Bilbo immediately, because we understand him.

Sure, there's no rules about how to do anything regarding stories, but there are methods which work and ones which normally don't. I have no problem going against the grain, only make sure there's a reason to do it and not just because it's unusual. Fortunately, there's a huge number of fine examples to study. Pick one and let it be your guide.

- M