Building characters

G

gi-jones

Well-known member
Ok, so one thing I find that I'm having continous problems with is really defining characters. I'm talking about the stuff that should be done in cooporation with the actors before actual shooting begins.

What I would really like is some different opinions. How do you guys do it? I mean, you can do a read-through of the script, and talk about stuff, but I'm thinking more about defining the overall style of a character. Is he a shouter, does he move around a lot. All that stuff. Do people do some sorts of excersizes? Impro, maybe?
 
I think it depends on the actor. If the actor is a newb, (as most of mine are), I tell them to be themselves. What they would do in the situation, how they would say the line, etc. And if it means changing lines around, I will.

I think (this is only theory now) when you work with more experienced actors, there'll be two kinds.

1) Where they work with you (as the writer/director) to flesh out who the character is. Motivations, background, etc. You have a vision for who the character is and you need to impart it to the actor

or

2) The actor will build a character based on what's on the page and bring their own sensibility to it.

Again, I've only worked with amateurs, so my experience is limited.
 
I like to start by asking the actors what they think is the characters main objective or spine (the thing their character wants throughout the script that does not change)

Once we've identified a solid spine, then the other things fall into place and will reflect the spine.

Do your script work. The director should do all the work each actor has to do on their role, by searching the script for clues. Some actors like to do this work more on their own, but if they are willing I love talking backstory and create what isn't on the page.

I wanted to give an actor a hint that his character should be physically presented as an awkward poindexter type, so I asked him "How do you think this guy would throw a football?" The actor picked up on this hint and made it his own.

If I had been overly intrusive and asked him to do specific "nerdy behavior", his performance would have been like a caricature.

Good actors are easily persuaded. The power of suggestion is exactly that...power.
 
I think the more time you can spend playing with it, the better. You'll inevitably stumble across things if you have lots of rehearsals, as if you were putting on a stage-play.

Like AJ, I try to ask lots of questions, and try and lead an actor towards my vision of the character, but not TELL them, because they will usually come up with something better and different than what I was imagining, yet it will still have the element(s) that I wanted in the first place.

I agree that new actors should mostly be playing themselves in that certain situation, which really makes casting the right person even more important.

People-watching is another great place to pickup character traits. The bus, subway, and park are great places to meet (or just see from a distance) some unique characters.

Most new actors get nervous and can't just be natural, another good reason to work with them a lot. They want to ACT, and if you don't have a bunch of rehearsals and let them, they'll probably make you do a million takes when it comes time to shoot. The more comfortable they feel, the better, and I think the more you run through it with them the more they will start to forget that you're there and be in the moment of the scene. That's when you get the great character traits that sneak out.
 
gi-jones said:
Ok, so one thing I find that I'm having continous problems with is really defining characters. I'm talking about the stuff that should be done in cooporation with the actors before actual shooting begins.

What I would really like is some different opinions. How do you guys do it? I mean, you can do a read-through of the script, and talk about stuff, but I'm thinking more about defining the overall style of a character. Is he a shouter, does he move around a lot. All that stuff. Do people do some sorts of excersizes? Impro, maybe?
Click to expand...

Well, in a perfect world our story structure and characters would be well defined. Then we'd audition to get the best actors among the cast. Remember the TV show, "Perry Mason"? The guy who played Paul Drake (William Hooper) actually auditioned for the Perry Mason role but the decision makers preferred Raymond Burr. Still, they really liked William Hooper and so they gave him the role of the sexy private investigator. Quite a different paridgm, but then that's Hollywood.

In your case, it sounds like you have a hybrid model - the ability to significantly change the actor's personality, strengths, and acting performance requirements. So you'll know best how far to push, rehearse, and re-write the script. And to answer your question, some directors have emerged as former actors - thus able to coach the would-be actor. But going beyond Indie productions, no one has time for much coaching on set. So yes, by all means do lots of rehearsals and, if possible, give the actors DVDs that illustrate the performance you are seeking.

Regards, Michael
 
It's helpful to talk to your actors about what you think the character is trying to do in a particular scene - using action words, like "you want to shut him up" or "you really need to persuade him". Once everybody knows what you think needs to happen in a scene, it's easier to talk about the strategies the character employs to accomplish the particular action - shouting, being physically intrusive, whatever. It's from these strategies to accomplish an action that we get a sense of character, and it keeps the character discussion to what's important for the scene you're directing. It's too easy to lose a lot of time talking in general about character traits that'll never actually be seen on the screen, and some experienced actors with certain kinds of training are notorious for doing that.
 
Try taking them out to lunch in character. They learn who they are by being who they are supposed to be. If they don't have a back story, it's time they develop one, in order to understand why they are who they are.
 
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