2/8/12

Today I was absent but I know that we continued to cover the 3 act structure. We also covered beat sheets and started discussing a sequel to "The Three Little Pigs."

2/6/12

Today we learned about conflict. There are two different sources for conflict: external and internal. External conflict comes from the antagonist. Internal pressure comes from inside of the protagonist. The worst form of pressure is internal because your mind is always aware of it. All conflict is a struggle for some form of power. Fear is the greatest enemy and raisesd the questions "What if?" and "If only..." In order to grow the antagonist must be defeated. If they are not defeated they will come back bigger and stronger. In order to successful the protagonist can not be saved from a higher power or miracle.

Characters Cont'd

During the last few weeks I've learned the following about characters:
*they're essential
*characters communicate the message
*there is a difference between characters and characterization
*make them real and beliveable but not too much so
*unique
*your audience must connect to them
*all characters are looking for power
*find the motivation
*FACT CHECK!!!!!!!!!
*use correct lingo
*integrate proper methods
*Research!
*male your antagonist worthy

Joseph Campbell devised the Hero's Journey model that can be applied to stories from past and present. George Lucas created Star Wars using this model.

The give a shit gauge illustrates that you cannot give a character too many ups and downs before the audience turns on them or tunes out completely.

Spit is Death

Always be aware of your message.

Characters often struggle with the body vs. soul.
The body or "animal self" is lazy and self seeking
The soul is the "spirit self" it focuses on the mind, giving and aspirations

I would much rather read about someone who thinks about others and how his actions affect the rest of the worlod than someone who only cares about people when it can benefit him.

Characters vs. Characterization
characters are revealed once they are put into situations that involve pressure
characterization focuses on the exterior and clichés
with characterization there is no internal development the character is judged mostly by outward appearance and the audience has no insight into what drives them or makes them tick

Building Character 1/30

Characters can be one of two types active or passive. Active characters control the situation and passive characters let the situation control them. In order for the story to remain interesting the character must be active! They need motivation, purpose and a reason to exist.

Characters should follow the Maslow Hierarchy:



Characters can exist above or below the "love" line but when they exist below the love line the audiences prefers them to still think of others no matter what they have experienced.
You must always know what your character is going to do next otherwise you will lose control of your characters.