In week 5, we did character creation exercises. Character creation is the process of fleshing out fully formed dynamic characters with well-defined personality traits and a strong point of view. Character creation affects everything from a character’s name, physical attributes, backstory, and character profiles. In the first round, we created the protagonists based on 25 questions. In the second round, we further developed and expanded our protagonists based on 50 questions.
Sebastian says that in addition to writing well, it’s important to describe them as a person, not just a character. The first character that came to my mind was a girl named Brenda who suffered school violence after she transferred to her new high school. Because that was my high school experience, I already had a rough protagonist idea. Next, I tried to write a short “character sketch” based on 25 questions to get to know the character better. I think deeply about the desires, fears, strengths, weaknesses, motivations and reactions of the characters I create. I also created a fact that helped me define the character. For example, Brenda’s classmates give Brenda the nickname “Miss banana”, because they belittle her as priceless as a banana”. I am not sure to mention this fact in my scriptwriting, but it’s a fact that helps me refine my character’s identity or worldview. Then I shared my ideas with my classmates in the Breakout Room and listened to them carefully to further shape the characters. For example, a classmate asked me: How old is the main character? What does the main character want? What is the person’s main goal in the story? These questions help me to get to know the person better, but some detailed questions I cannot answer immediately. In this case, as creating a compelling storyline, I need to develop convincing characters.
Writing characters based on 25 questions and 50 questions inspired me a lot, and I enjoyed the environment in which I created them. I think this is a very meaningful attempt, because, in this process, I constantly have ideas and think about how to enrich the soul details of the characters, which is of great help to me as a director in shaping the characters.
Class notes:
