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True character is only revealed through emotional pressure or interaction, with something or someone, within their story-world.
And the first 'lesson' in the following video about Pixar's Character Development also points out that
every character should have a 'premise' or 'Spine,
every character should have a 'premise' or 'Spine,
"a dominant, unconscious goal...Wall-E's was to Find the Beauty...:
Director and Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats tweeted out 22 tips for storytelling:
You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
You gotta keep in mind what's interesting to you as an audience, not what's fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.
Trying for theme is important, but you won't see what the story is actually about until you're at the end of it. Now rewrite.
Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You'll feel like you're losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
Here's the rest of them...
Here's the rest of them...
Finish your story, let go even if it's not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
When you're stuck, make a list of what WOULDN'T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you've got to recognize it before you can use it.
Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you'll never share it with anyone.
Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it's poison to the audience.
Why must you tell THIS story? What's the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That's the heart of it.
If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don't succeed? Stack the odds against.
No work is ever wasted. If it's not working, let go and move on - it'll come back around to be useful later.
You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d'you rearrange them into what you DO like?
You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can't just write ‘cool'. What would make YOU act that way?
What's the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.
“What do you do for recreation? …
Oh, the usual. I bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback.”
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Base Characters on People That You Know
Base Characters on People That You Know
Cold Feet
Cold Feet
Cold Feet, ITV written by Mike Bullen
Cold Feet, ITV written by Mike Bullen
'Believing that there was little television aimed at people like them, Bullen and Langan (Producer) discussed their own lives and friends, using personal experiences to create the characters:
'Believing that there was little television aimed at people like them, Bullen and Langan (Producer) discussed their own lives and friends, using personal experiences to create the characters:
Adam was based on Bullen before he met his wife and Rachel was based on a combination of his ex-girlfriends and "the fantasy girlfriend".
Adam was based on Bullen before he met his wife and Rachel was based on a combination of his ex-girlfriends and "the fantasy girlfriend".
Smith, Rupert (2003). Cold Feet: The Complete Companion. London: Granada Media. ISBN 0-233-00999-X
Gavin & Stacey
Gavin & Stacey
Smithy's logic; It's funny because it's true.
Gavin & Stacey, BBC written by Ruth Jones & James Corden
Gavin & Stacey, BBC written by Ruth Jones & James Corden
It's a good idea to base your characters on people that you know, Mike Bullen the creator of Cold Feet based his characters on his group of friends and Ruth Jones and James Cordon based the characters in Gavin and Stacey on people they knew or had encountered, they wrote to type in the case of Alison Steadman and allowed the story to come out of the characters:
"This is the secret strength of Gavin & Stacey. Like all the best writing, the story comes from the characters, not the other way around. They wrote the part of Pamela specifically for Alison Steadman. They knew her from the TV show Fat Friends, and sent her the script.
"This is the secret strength of Gavin & Stacey. Like all the best writing, the story comes from the characters, not the other way around. They wrote the part of Pamela specifically for Alison Steadman. They knew her from the TV show Fat Friends, and sent her the script.
Corden had been to a wedding in Barry.
Corden had been to a wedding in Barry.
"Well, it wasn't actually in Barry, it was in St Mellons but all the guests were from Barry, and we just started talking about it, and it went on from there."
"Well, it wasn't actually in Barry, it was in St Mellons but all the guests were from Barry, and we just started talking about it, and it went on from there."
Gavin is called Gavin, Corden says, "because my mate Gavin met his future wife on the telephone, and now they're in America and they've got a baby."
Gavin is called Gavin, Corden says, "because my mate Gavin met his future wife on the telephone, and now they're in America and they've got a baby."
There's even a real Smithy.
There's even a real Smithy.
"He's my cousin Lee's best friend. Called Smithy."
"He's my cousin Lee's best friend. Called Smithy."
Don't forget, you may be BASING your fictional characters on people that you know, or have encountered but that is just a starting point.
Don't forget, you may be BASING your fictional characters on people that you know, or have encountered but that is just a starting point.
The characters that you are creating are there to serve a purpose, they are there to reflect aspects of ourselves, as humans.
The characters that you are creating are there to serve a purpose, they are there to reflect aspects of ourselves, as humans.
This is the case in all genres.
This is the case in all genres.
So again, remember, be aware of NOT making characters 'perfect' - there needs to be a range to each character (eg. we finally understand Voldemort's weakness/vulnerability, stemming from his childhood - this gives him dimension and teaches us something about extent of the damage that can result from being unloved as a child), just as there needs to be a range to the emotional journey in any good story.
So again, remember, be aware of NOT making characters 'perfect' - there needs to be a range to each character (eg. we finally understand Voldemort's weakness/vulnerability, stemming from his childhood - this gives him dimension and teaches us something about extent of the damage that can result from being unloved as a child), just as there needs to be a range to the emotional journey in any good story.
Light and shadow.
Light and shadow.
Sadness in comedy (pathos)
Sadness in comedy (pathos)
Comedy in horror.
Comedy in horror.
Your characters may be BASED on real people but they are NOT real people - they are, effectively, PUPPETS.
Your characters may be BASED on real people but they are NOT real people - they are, effectively, PUPPETS.
Composite human puppets...but you have to make them believable, they have to ring-true, to draw us into an emotional connection, or empathy with them.
Composite human puppets...but you have to make them believable, they have to ring-true, to draw us into an emotional connection, or empathy with them.
We have to recognise them as human, or as having humanity.
We have to recognise them as human, or as having humanity.
Like a Replicant...
Like a Replicant...
Blade Runner, Scott, 1982
Blade Runner 2049, Villeneuve, 2017
To start, you have to scavenge the 'real' person that you are BASING the character on - remove, save and list all of the useful CHARACTERISTICS that you are going to use.
To start, you have to scavenge the 'real' person that you are BASING the character on - remove, save and list all of the useful CHARACTERISTICS that you are going to use.
Then you can mentally return the 'real' person to their daily lives and they need never know that they were scavenged for one of your creations.
Then you can mentally return the 'real' person to their daily lives and they need never know that they were scavenged for one of your creations.
Note:
Note:
I suggest that you never tell people that you have based characters on them - they may be offended by the result!
I suggest that you never tell people that you have based characters on them - they may be offended by the result!
Task 9.
Task 9.
Answer the following questions for your main characters:
Answer the following questions for your main characters:
- What is your character’s desire, what do they want?
- How does this differ from what they need?
- What is stopping them from getting what they want?
- What is your story about, in ONE sentence? - This is the basis of your Premise.
- What is your story about, in ONE word? - This is your story’s THEME.
This is the point at which you start to develop a story that your audience will want to stay in.
This is the point at which you start to develop a story that your audience will want to stay in.
- Explore your THEME, it’s ASSOCIATIONS, and their relevance to your story, where it can be picked up throughout your story-world in...
Actions, Interactions, Occurrences, Objects,
Actions, Interactions, Occurrences, Objects,
Places, Sounds, Dialogue.
Places, Sounds, Dialogue.
The following page deals with THEMATIC ASSOCIATIONS & 'DOING'
The following page deals with THEMATIC ASSOCIATIONS & 'DOING'
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