Character Playlists

Something I’ve taken notice of lately is the way my playlist-making differs from so many of my CY Radio friends. A lot of people make playlists for seasons, moods, holidays, etc., but the majority of my playlists are made for movies, shows, fictional characters, or fictional relationships. You know how when you see an amazing film at the theater, you walk out into the parking lot feeling like your favorite character? That’s the best way I can describe listening to the playlists. If you’re an avid TV and film fan like me, I highly recommend trying it!

I started doing this in 2019 when I was obsessed with American Horror Story and I now have over two dozen of these playlists. Some of them are short, maybe 10 songs or so, and then others are 40 songs or more. I find them so easy to keep adding to and listening to. I still add to the ones I made almost two years ago. That’s one of my favorite things about character and relationship playlists - they’re never finished. I always listen to new albums and figure out where in my playlists the songs should go. It makes new releases even more exciting.

The most recent character playlist of mine is for a character I’m actually writing a screenplay for. I’m in Rodney Roger’s screenwriting class (another recommendation from me) and one thing we talk about is how important it is to have a good grasp of your characters. I figured I should make a playlist for my main protagonist and it’s helped me so much while I’m writing. Not only are these character and relationship playlists fun to listen to, but they also can have a practical benefit. It’s a big bonus if you’re a writer!

It can seem like a pretty daunting task at first to find songs that are just right for your favorite character from a new show, but that’s one of the magical things about fictional characters. Everything is up for interpretation. If you hear a song that feels like them, start a playlist out of it and see where it goes. Please feel free to comment links to any character playlists you make, I would absolutely love to save them!