In films and plays, actors portray a range of characters, from heroes to villains and those in between. And they do so with varying degrees of believability. In this chapter, we will explore the process of character development along with the main considerations and principles that govern their creation and portrayal.
Many believe creating a character requires considerable experience. Actually, it's not that difficult once you understand the process and how it's done.
For the actor, the process begins with the script. After exploring the story, the character is interpreted and brought to life, giving it wants, desires, characteristic behaviors, business, speech patterns, etc. These should not only be appropriate to the acting style, they should also reveal the character's nature and psychological reactions to the situations in the story.
CHARACTERIZATION METHODS
The ability to bring this off will depend largely on how one approaches the problem of characterization. There are three methods: the objective, the subjective, and the combination of the two.
The objective method entails playing the external qualities of the character: movement, speech, and mannerisms. It's focused on creating the illusion through copying and imitating anything that comes from outside the actor. This includes following the director's instructions or working out the action of the scene for technical reasons. Reproducing elements of real life characters would, likewise, fall under this category as would portraying action directives found in the script.
Using the subjective method requires the actor to become the character, feeling his emotions, thinking his thoughts. This method appears perfect, yet it consumes an enormous amount of time and energy. It's likewise impractical for it's not enough to produce internal effects; they must be conveyed to the audience in a controlled dramatic manner.
An actor who identifies himself with the character to the point where dramatic principles are neglected is likely to find he is not reaching the audience. And while he may feel and think as the character, these aspects must be projected as readable qualities that the audience can comprehend.
Fortunately, when the objective and subjective methods are combined, each supplies the virtues the other lacks. For when the actor projects the technical or objective aspects of the character, then adds the subjective qualities, the thoughts and emotions, the character begins to emerge, one which serves both the story and the demands of the audience.
Creating the character by combining both methods requires being inventive and flexible. The process is similar to putting a puzzle together, finding the patterns and shapes, then placing them in their appropriate positions to make the picture complete. It's the same in drama; the elements of each role are explored and interchanged until they fall into place, creating characters, actions, and situations which make the story fulfilling.
The process requires a good amount of juggling as adjustments, modifications, even complete changes are required to make the character work. Your initial efforts will be mostly objective as you read the entire script to get a feel of the character, and how your particular role fits into the story. Try to define the broad strokes of the character, the things that stand out and make him or her a functional part of the play.
Many believe creating a character requires considerable experience. Actually, it's not that difficult once you understand the process and how it's done.
For the actor, the process begins with the script. After exploring the story, the character is interpreted and brought to life, giving it wants, desires, characteristic behaviors, business, speech patterns, etc. These should not only be appropriate to the acting style, they should also reveal the character's nature and psychological reactions to the situations in the story.
CHARACTERIZATION METHODS
The ability to bring this off will depend largely on how one approaches the problem of characterization. There are three methods: the objective, the subjective, and the combination of the two.
The objective method entails playing the external qualities of the character: movement, speech, and mannerisms. It's focused on creating the illusion through copying and imitating anything that comes from outside the actor. This includes following the director's instructions or working out the action of the scene for technical reasons. Reproducing elements of real life characters would, likewise, fall under this category as would portraying action directives found in the script.
Using the subjective method requires the actor to become the character, feeling his emotions, thinking his thoughts. This method appears perfect, yet it consumes an enormous amount of time and energy. It's likewise impractical for it's not enough to produce internal effects; they must be conveyed to the audience in a controlled dramatic manner.
An actor who identifies himself with the character to the point where dramatic principles are neglected is likely to find he is not reaching the audience. And while he may feel and think as the character, these aspects must be projected as readable qualities that the audience can comprehend.
Fortunately, when the objective and subjective methods are combined, each supplies the virtues the other lacks. For when the actor projects the technical or objective aspects of the character, then adds the subjective qualities, the thoughts and emotions, the character begins to emerge, one which serves both the story and the demands of the audience.
Creating the character by combining both methods requires being inventive and flexible. The process is similar to putting a puzzle together, finding the patterns and shapes, then placing them in their appropriate positions to make the picture complete. It's the same in drama; the elements of each role are explored and interchanged until they fall into place, creating characters, actions, and situations which make the story fulfilling.
The process requires a good amount of juggling as adjustments, modifications, even complete changes are required to make the character work. Your initial efforts will be mostly objective as you read the entire script to get a feel of the character, and how your particular role fits into the story. Try to define the broad strokes of the character, the things that stand out and make him or her a functional part of the play.
CHARACTER ELEMENTS
The next step is to find the core of the character, the personality that defines who they are and provides us expectations about how they will act. The core gives us a sense of their history, their code of honor, their ethics and view of the world. It, likewise, creates a consistency, a predictability that is appealing to the viewers.
However, the characters are more complex than a set of consistencies. They can also be illogical and unpredictable, surprising us and changing our preconceived ideas about them. These paradoxes often form the basis for creating fascinating and unique characters.
Paradoxes do not negate consistencies, they add to them. Characters are more interesting if they are made of mixed stuff, things that are out of line with what we expected. The writer may define these departures from the norm, especially with the main characters. If not, the actor may create these facets as they apply to the thrust of the story.
We are now to the point of searching out the emotions, intentions, values, and attitudes of the character. These qualities add depth and influence the character's credibility. Again, some of these choices may be evident from reading the script while others may evolve through the discussion/rehearsal process and/or the inventiveness of the actors.
Emotions and intentions deepen the character's humanity and help set up strong confrontations, rooting interests, and empathy. We, the audience, feel these emotions and identify with the motivation behind them. Inner conflict between the emotions and intentions will help produce an even more complex character.
Attitudes likewise deepen and define the character. They show us their opinions, their point of view, and how they look at life. The attitude that the character brings into the situation is often the force that sets up the scene's drama or comedy. And these attitudes can be self-reflective, or directed at a situation, a particular issue, or others in the scene.
Values are likewise a factor and offer an opportunity for the character to express concerns, philosophies, and belief systems. Many stories revolve around the character that is driven by what they value. During a crisis, they must make a moral choice, confronting their values and choosing those by which they will live.
There is yet another consideration that can make your character original and unique. That of adding the details, the behaviors, the distinguishing characteristics that make your character singular and special. They can be actions, a way of speaking, gestures, the clothes they wear, or the unusual approach they take to a given situation. Often they are the person's imperfections, their flaws.
All of these steps, and they are not in any particular order, can help create interesting, fascinating, and compelling characters, ones which have consistent qualities, a degree of intrigue, human depth, and unique behaviors.
These steps are the initial factors in exploring and shaping the character. Much of this information will be determined from the script and the interpretations of the director. Yet, many of the choices are left to the actor to form a character that best serves the story.
THE HIERARCHY
The hierarchy of the character is the next category and is another consideration in how the role is portrayed. Not all characters are created equal and the actor must somehow let the audience know which characters are worth following and caring about and which will quickly disappear. The exact importance is difficult to measure, but the following three general levels will offer some guidance.
1. Extras, walk-ons, and bit players. These parts are not well-developed and often generic types more so than well-drawn characters. They're the people in the background, the atmosphere, and meant to lend a touch of realism or perform a simple function and then disappear, forgotten. Usually, they are broadly drawn as to type and function so that they are instantly recognizable to the audience.
2. Minor characters. With these parts, the audience has limited emotional involvement. These roles may cause a twist in the story, but play no role in shaping its ongoing flow. Usually a minor character does one or two things in the story and then disappears. These roles have more character definition and clarity, but it's compressed into the most relevant terms. Much of the difference between minor and major roles is the amount of story time they receive. For this reason, character traits, motivations, attitudes, etc., of minor roles have to be more identifiable to be read by the audience in the shorter time span. And where the span is very brief, it's sometimes necessary to use character types or variations there of.
3. Major characters. This is the group we care about; we love them or hate them, fear them or hope they succeed. These are the reoccurring characters of the story and, to a degree or other; it is their choices and needs which drive the story forward, carrying it through all its twists and turns.
This group includes the supporting characters. They could be a catalyst figure, giving out information, helping convey the theme of the story, or those defining the role and importance of the protagonist.
Portrayal of major characters is likewise dependent on how much story time is made available to that particular character. It is not possible to reveal a lifetime when only five minutes is allotted. Again, one must be selective in bringing out the elements of the character that move the story forward.
Of these three categories, much of the actor's training focuses on playing the major characters. For the beginning actor, such preparation leaves a gap for the roles normally available to them are the minor characters, the bit players, or the walk-ons. As you can see, in creating the character, its importance within the hierarchy is a critical factor, determining their complexity, or lack thereof, and how they will be portrayed.
Other character considerations are covered in the article "Character Development Part II." Part II will cover character functions, story evolving from characters, and the roles of the protagonist and antagonist.
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