Finding Original Characters

Finding original characters is difficult. Immediately I start to think of ideas that are based upon characters I have been exposed to throughout my life. Thanks first level creativity! For the first assignment I took Joel's advice and googled interesting jobs. It really helped open my eyes to new characters that I would have never considered or come up with on my own. People want fresh and new not old and played out. That's why movies like Bridesmaids and The Hangover were successful. People hadn't seen those incarnations of characters before. It's also why The Hangover Part II wasn't successful. It was the exact same formula and characters but the setting changed. I still enjoyed it, but it didn't have that same "see it three different times in the theater and still laugh your ass off appeal." Another idea for finding characters is to explore different characters from other cultures. I didn't try that this time but I think it may be helpful in the future.

Kate

Character Sketches

Setting: A Midwestern high school. Present day.

The Jock: He is the captain of at least one sports team and a member of at least three. He is tall, muscular and handsome. He is either a complete moron and a tool, or he is secretly a sensitive soul and intellectual. He has high expectations from his coaches, family and the entire student body.

The Mean Girl: She is rich and entitled. She is tall, slender and considered the most beautiful girl in school. She gets a rush from being in control of others and will destroy anyone that gets in her way.

The Bad Boy: He comes from the wrong side of the tracks. He is a rebel who makes all of the girls swoon. He has a motorcycle and is often seen sporting a leather jacket. Deep down he really just wants to belong.

The Nerdy Girl: She is very intelligent and enjoys doing things that develop her mind and soul. She is beautiful but wears big glasses or braces that often distract people from this fact. She secretly pines for the bad boy and believes that she can change his ways.

Storytime

      Friday was storytime for the class. I had to go first and I was a little embarrassed of my story. It didn't turn out as badly as I thought it would. My favorite stories had to be the ones that the guys told about getting tattoos. Most of the stories were pretty funny and concise. Everyone did a great job and it gave a little insight into their personalities. I think it was a great way for us to practice our storytelling skills and grow closer as a class.

Kate

Story Composition

    Stories can be manufactured and are based on a recipe. That recipe calls for at least two characters, one conflict and one resolution to be successful. The story should also use the language that your audience uses. For example, a group of school children wouldn't have the same language as a group of neurosurgeons. Being concise helps tremendously because people are lazy and not very good at multitasking. One message per story allows your audience to grasp what you want them to understand, learn or change.
     Stories should be:
          *easy to remember
          *engaging
          *easy to understand
          *easy to believe
          *easy to share
          *attention-getting
   Remembering all of these things will help make stories successful and when your stories are successful your power and influence will grow.

Kate

UCA

You see a disheveled woman running down the streets in downtown Kansas City. You assume that she has fallen victim to the "walk of shame." However, this assumption is completely false. The woman was visiting her sick aunt. The power went out overnight and she is running late to a very important interview. She forgot to set the alarm on her cell phone as a safety net and now suffers the consequences. She manages to stop in a gas station bathroom to brush her teeth redo her makeup and fix her hair. She gets to the interview on time and ends up with a follow-up interview and survives for another day.

Kate

Recap

Things that have been discussed 1/9-1/13:
*Power
*Messages= over 5000 messages being forced on the average person every single day
*WIIFM barrier: What's in it for me?
*What is a story?

On Friday we discussed what makes a story. It boils down to a very specific recipe of 3 different ingredients. The ingredients are as follows: a minimum of two characters, at least one conflict and one resolution to go with that conflict.

First level creativity and UCA were also discussed. Basically everyone comes up with the same ideas all the time unless they work past the first few ideas that come to mind, but of course people are often too lazy for that.

Kate

Sex & Food

        Sex and food are two of America's favorite pastimes. Messages about them dominate magazines, commercials, and billboards. They are two things that no normal person can live without although, normal is pretty subjective. For example, there are thousands of nuns and numerous people that have developed eating disorders such as anorexia. Our animal instincts are not the only things that drive us but they do take precedence over anything else one desires. Unless, you fall into one of the aforementioned categories.

Kate

First Class

Wow! This class is going to be great. I'm excited to learn about using my power to influence people. The intros were nice and I'm looking forward to learning more about everyone else. Um... that's about it I guess.

Kate