Character Development

                                 Character Development

 In this post, I will be talking about creating characters, and what makes strong, realistic characters in movies.

Names

Probably the most important part of creating a character is a name. Obviously. You spend hours, maybe days, months, whatever, creating a character and then call them " Hero Boy", and "Hero Girl".  Nobody does that. Oh wait, they do. The Polar Express, 2004. Seriously. "Hero Boy" and "Hero Girl." You don't go around calling people things like that in real life, so don't do that in a movie. "Hello Antagonist! I'm supposed to vanquish you! So, here we go, stab you in the stomach with my magical dagger that mysteriously glows!!!" No. To be fair, in The Polar Express, they don't use names. Names just never come up, and situations where you need to yell someones name never come up either. But usually, names are a good thing to have. Have you ever tried to name something? A doll, pet, or a made up character in a game you were playing outside with your friend and sisters in the summer of '17? (OK, that last one may only apply to me. 2017, by the way, not 1717,1817,1917, or 3017.) But whenever you think of a name, it doesn't seem right, isn't quite what you wanted? That happens all the time, to every person who has to think up a name. Why? Because names are incredibly unique. Think of someone you know well. Whats their name? What does that name make you think of, and how does it reflect their personality? For example, someone named Rose, I think of roses (obviously), and delicate things, fragile, small things, like flowers. In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the main characters little sisters name is Primrose, nicknamed Prim. Prim is someone Katniss feels she has to protect, someone who is not strong, who needs to be shielded from some things she may not be able to handle. Someone who is scared of the woods, and hates killing animals, even though that would mean starvation. Does that name sound like all those things to you? For me, that's exactly how it sounds, what kind of person it makes me think of. (I should mention Prim is a nurse of sorts, and in that area has no fear of blood or death.) Now, create a picture in your mind, of a person who looks like a Primrose to you. (And don't look at the picture below...)

















    



Did your idea of Primrose look anything like this? Describe your Primrose in the comments!
The reason I had you do this is to get this point across: You Are What Your Name Is.
So basically, the name should fit the person. Now, there
are exceptions to this. For example, a big wrestler named Tiny seems like a strange pairing. In way, it is. But, it goes against what we would think that persons name should be, which can be an interesting contrast, and draw more attention to it, making a more memorable character.

Now, naming a character can still be hard. Something I like to consider is how the name would sound if yelled from edge of the world. "Elle Belle Annana Liesl Elizabeth Maria Courtwa Darlan Minsuis!" Too long."Yepasothbaba!" Too hard to say. "Sa!" Too short, no ring to it. "Kace!" Good length, not too hard to say, and unique. Perfect. Even after finding a name of a good length, and that sounds good, there is still a problem. Your character doesn't look, act, or sound like a Kace. Or a Maria. Or a Brooke. But here's the thing, create the name, grow the character into it. You like the name, it sounds cool, but you feel as if your character doesn't strike you as a  Kace-like person.  Grow them into it. Create a personality that fits what you feel is a Kace. *Insert other characters name*

Character Traits: Internal vs. External

When creating a character, specifically for film, you will need to create how they look, and their personality. This is where character traits come in. External traits are what they are like on the outside, what they wear, how do their hair, etc. Internal traits are what they are like on the inside. No, not the heart, lungs and blood vessels, but their personality, how they think, and the emotion they feel most often. To help explain how this works when creating a character, I'm going to give you a few examples.

Example 1: Susan from the Chronicles Of Narnia

External: Dark hair pulled back from face, blue eyes, protective chain mail and armor, at least in this picture, bow and arrows. 

This can get more specific, detailing the way she stands, the way she holds her head, etc.

Internal: A leader, brave, kind, protective, wise.

This can also be very extensive, but I'm keeping it simple for now.

Example 2: Peeta Mellark

Yes, another Hunger Games reference. Sorry not sorry. 

External: Blond hair, brown eyes, In this picture, white Capitol suit. 

Internal: Kind, trusting, humble, loving, gentle.

Ok, so those are Character Traits: Internal vs. External.

I want to thank Khan Academy and the Pixar team for the amazing course, Pixar In A Box. I learned so much from that course, and that's where I get a lot, if not all of, my information from. You guys are awesome.