A true story is not necessarily a good story.
Good stories have to be worked and re-worked.
- True life stories do not offer neat and relevant endings.
- Life is unpredictable
- In a story, we can and must control the events and sequences so that it gives the appearance of being like life.
- Every story starts with a character(has a character)- the character is the heart,the soul and the nervous system of your story
- It is through your characters that the viewers experience emotions
-Without a character, there is no action.
-without action, you have no conflict.
-when developing a character, ask yourself:
- who is your character?
- what does he want?
- what is his quest?
- what drives him to the resolution of the story?
1. Establish your main character.
-character should have 3-dimensional structure
a) Physiology
-sex
-age
-height and weight
-color of hair, eyes, skin
-posture
-appearance
-defects, abnormalities, deformities, birthmarks, diseases
-heredity
b) Sociology
-class (lower, middle, upper)
-occupation: type of work, hours of work, income, condition of work, attitude towards organization, stability for work
-education: amount, kind of schools, marks, favorite subjects, poorest subjects, aptitudes
-Home life: parents living, earning power, orphan, parents separated/divorced, parents’ habits, parents’ mental development, parents’ vices, neglect, character’s marital status
-religion
-race , nationality
-Places in the community; leader among friends, clubs, sports
-political affiliations
-amusements: hobbies, books, newspapers, magazines he/she reads
c) Psychology
-sex life, moral standards
-personal premise, ambition
-frustration, chief disappointments
-temperament: choleric, easy-going, pessimistic, optimistic
-attitude towards life: resigned, militant, defeatist
-complexes: obsessions, inhibitions, superstitions, phobias
-personality: extrovert, introvert
-abilities: language, talents
-qualities: imagination, judgment, taste, poise
-I.Q./ E.Q.
-what is the deep and personal secret this character has which he is desperate to protect/ hide
Developing Characters
1. Separate the components of his life into 2 basic categories:
a)interior
-the interior life takes place from birth until the moment your story begins
-it is a process that forms character.[when you start formulating your character from birth, you see your character build in body and form]
- how old is he when the story begins
- where does he live
- does he have siblings
- what kind of childhood did he have
- what was his relationship with his parents
- what kind of child was he
- is he married single, widowed, separated or divorced
b)exterior
-the exterior life takes place the moment your story begins to it’s conclusion.
-it is a process that reveals character
- who are they and what do they do
- are they sad or happy with their life
- do they wish their life was different? another job, another wife?
2. You must create your characters in relationship to other people or things.
all dramatic characters interact in 3 ways:
1. they experience conflict in achieving their dramatic need.
[eg need money- rob bank,store, person]
2. they interact with other characters
[either in an antagonistic, friendly or indifferently way]
3. they interact with themselves
[eg. he overcame his fear of being caught by pulling off the robbery successfully]
How Do You Invent Characters?
- try turning them upside down
next week quiz
-3 story telling tools
-memory
-observation
-experience
-aristotle’s storytelling techniques
-developing 3 dimensional characters
-writing for an audience
