Hi, Kate, take a look at the post I wrote on how to introduce your characters to the reader, and then 2 examples of this with the protagonist for Hurt Locker and Erin Brockovich.

As you will note in the comments, everyone has a different preference in how much or what kind of information is best. However, if you look at Oscar screenplay material (and I would argue any well-written script), generally this follows the trend that when the characters hit the page, we meet them in a situation (anecdote) that communicates a ton of information about who they are as a person. It should be active and accurately capture something about the essence of that being.

What should be avoided in any case is unclear or generic information about a character so that it takes 10 pages to get a sense of who that character is. In both Hurt Locker and Erin Brockovich, from the minute these characters are on the page, we KNOW who these people are. We have a deep feeling for them. It is evocative. That is the goal.

“Your protagonist should be introduced alone and using an anecdote wherein I will get a clear understanding of who that individual is.”

What do you mean by using an anecdote?

kate