Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Compelling Entertainment: Character

Last post, I spoke on the elements that make certain works compelling. These elements are Plot, Character, Diction, Music, Theme, and Spectacle. The previous post I focused the questions I ask concerning plot. I love a good plot… Some, however, are character people. All they need is characters they can latch onto, and they don’t care where the ride takes them. What is Character? Ultimately, Character is more than simply individuals. It is the personality of people, animals, settings, and even objects. But, what elements make compelling characters? It’s subjective, but these are questions I like to ask. 


Are the characters interesting? Yes. We all want are characters to be interesting. But what makes them interesting? It’s hard to know. Some want relatable characters. Ones they can identify with. Ones they can root for. While I do like relatable characters, relatability is particularly subjective. Just like in real life, individuals relate differently. So, I guess, I don’t need relatable characters in my story in order to catch my attention. In fact, at times writers try too hard to create relatable characters. In turn, they create formulaic characters. I mean... how many, down in the dumps, underdog, Rocky type characters invade our stories. (Not that there's anything wrong with those types.) On the other hand, nothing makes a character more uninteresting than the ideologically propped Mary Sue or Gary Stu. The character is so perfect with an unarguable ideology, it's a wonder they have to face any conflict at all. Only straw-mans dare face them.

Do the characters actions fit their personalities or are they props driving the plot? As opposed to the former question, this one can be quantified. Yes. Characters drive the plot. Their actions have consequences that drive the action, but at times, books and movies will have characters who do things that don’t fit their personalities. They simply make these choices because they need to in order to move onto the next scene. 

Do their emotions fit the nature of any given action? With both the questions before and this one, I look for consistency in characters’ behavior. And, different people react to various emotional stimuli different. Some are reserved and hold everything in. Some explode with emotion. And everything in between. One, such example of inconsistent emotional responses comes from the latest Jurassic World movie. When the Dinosaur doctor first gets to the new island, she stares wide-eyed at the creatures. The movie does this to create a certain emotional response. Then she says something akin to, “I never actually thought I’d get to see dinosaurs in real life.” What? Why would you think that you’d never get to see one? You went to school for it? In fact, you were brought in for your expertise, why haven’t you seen one already? 

What arcs do your characters have? As life goes on, events change us. As the plot goes on, characters change, and this change is called an arc. So, as trials, obstacles, losses and victories hit characters, how do they change? Do they grow smarter? Do they dig in and refuse to learn? Do they find peace? Are they overcome with despair? And above all are these arcs believable, and consistent with who the character is? A movie with a brilliant display of character arcs is Amadeus. Both Salieri and Mozart have quite compelling arcs. Salieri starts off striving for perfection, wanting to be the best, sacrificing everything in order to achieve his goals. He feels he’s doing relatively well, until a goofy little figure comes into his life. Surpassing him in talent, with little to no effort. Jealousy overcomes him. Envy turns into anger toward God. As the years roll on, bitterness and madness over take him. 

Mozart, on the other hand, rolls into the scene with a giddy child-like joy. Slowly, the shrewd, cutthroat culture of Vienna beats life out of him. Voices tell him to do this or that. They just want to use him for their benefits. Oblivious as to his obnoxiousness and wanting to please everyone, he often turns others off. Eventually, he retreats into himself. Tired and depressed, he can hardly find the energy to pursue his his passions, until he withers away and dies. 

So, yes… A great example of good arcs. And, the greatest thing about great arcs, they carry powerful life lessons.  

Do characters' dialogue feel natural and consistent? People talk. Characters talk. What characters say and how they say it is often one of the greatest mechanisms to illustrate a character’s personality. And, unnatural dialogue kills authenticity. What makes dialogue feel natural? I can’t always tell. Various people just talk differently. And, something that might not feel natural to me, may be how certain people actually talk. But, one thing for sure that kills natural conversation is expositional dialogue. Yes. Both books and movies need to explain things to us, but when dialogue between characters is more about telling the audience what’s going on than a natural conversation between people, it removes the natural flow. The biggest offender usually starts with, “As you know.” This is where a character begins to explain a gob of details that the other character already knows. It’s lazy writing to explain things to an audience. Or, another pet peeve of mine is when a character (or the narrator) goes on and on about how the audience is suppose to feel about a situation. A writer or actor or director, should simply show the actions and reactions, and let the audience determine how they should feel about the characters. My Dinner with Andre is a great example of free flowing natural dialogue, with two individuals truly considering and responding to each other. 

Next post… Diction.

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