In my screenwriting class last week, we talked about building character. [Of course, I mean building character in the sense of creating believable protagonists, antagonists, etc., not increasing your moral fiber.] Movie characters, like those who populate a novel, should be believable. [Honest. I'm not making this up.] Characters need to grow and change over the course of the story. They should seem real, with relationships, goals, and a past. And, in order to make them believable, there are three things you should know about a character:
- idea of fun
- pet peeve
- secret (something people would be surprised to know)
To these, I would add a fourth: what would make that character laugh? Would she lose bladder control over a knock-knock joke? Would the sight of an injured puppy bring on Peter Lorre giggles? What we laugh at reveals who we really are.
So this is my quiz for today:
- what is your idea of fun?
- what is your pet peeve?
- what would people be surprised to know about you? [caution: speaking as a lawyer, I have to say, NEVER CONFESS TO A CRIME UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE CAUGHT!]
- what makes you laugh?
For myself, I find it fun to go to court {honest}. I detest anyone talking during movies in the movie theater. People might be surprised to know that I was homeless and selling blood plasma to survive when I was younger -- well, I guess you folks who read my posts wouldn't be surprised by that. You've read all about it. And, I think this youtube video is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I only wish I could figure out how to embed it in this post.
