GETTING INTO CHARACTER

HOW TO USE ACTING AND DIRECTING TECHNIQUESTO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING

In the Adirondack town of Schuyler Mills, playwright Jack Glynn may just be writing

the script to his own murder . . .

ACTING AND

WRITING

The “Method” & Writing

• Physical & Mental Relaxation (relaxation exercises key)

• Character bio’s (each actor writes a short biography of his character)

• Substitution (the actor uses something from his own life to reach the emotions of the character)

• Emotional & Sensory Recall (emotions and physical reactions remembered as part of Substitution)

You as the writer can use these too

The Character3 Dimensions:1. Body (age, height, weight, etc)2. Mindset (personality, attitude, goal)3. Environment (personal history, home,

class, family)

The writer needs to know these; theydon’t all have to be in the story Perhaps write this up for your characters, even if you don’t include it

Characters & Conflict

Protagonist plus Antagonist = Conflict(specific need) + (obstacle)

When writing, consider introducingthe conflict as soon as possible, with the Central Struggle (the point when the protagonist is put in the fight)

Character IndicatorsCharacters should change as individualsduring a play; their actions and dialoguedemonstrate that change

This is a good example of the “show vs. tell” idea; it lets the reader discern the change through indicators such as dialogue, mannerisms, and actions instead of being told how a character feels

Character Indicators

Dialogue: Verbal action, expressing the

conflicts and forces at work• Lets us in the characters’ minds• Stimulates the audience to think & feel

Give each character a clear, distinctive

voice (know who’s talking

without being told)

Character Indicators

Physicality reveals the character

Probably more true of the stage, where the visual is so important, but this is a good tool for

writers as well:– Posture – Athleticism – Grooming– Sense / absence of style

DIRECTING AND

WRITING

Director’s Concept

Director’s vision or understanding of a project, which brings every aspect of a production together to clearly express the inner meaning of the material to be performed

Do you have a vision for the book / story

you’re writing? Perhaps revisit this

question as the story emerges

Good “Director” Books

• John Jury’s Ideas For the Director

• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Amateur Theatricals

• How to Stage a Play, Make a Fortune, Win a Tony, and Become a Theatrical Icon by John Marowitz

Tips: Ideas for the Director by John Jury

Stanislavski’s Super Objective: What the character wants above all else

Do your characters have something like this?

If this applies to your story, does it show

through the entire telling of the tale?

Tips: Ideas for the Director by John Jury (2)

Circumstances: Objective (“It’s raining”)

and subjective (“I love you”) lead

to the actors’ behavior and reactions

(which in turn reveal their characters)

The circumstances are a big part of a scene: Without the Montague-Capulet feud, the balcony scene in “Romeo & Juliet” is just another date

Tips: Ideas for the Director by John Jury (3)

• Silence gives impact to sound, and stillness does the same for motion

Let your larger characters stand out from the crowd (Hannibal in “Silence of the Lambs”)

• Don’t let the play become too perfect or mechanical; let the actor find a fly in his drink

Don’t carry that too far; having the hero make a

mistake is one thing, but don’t clutter up the

story with too much realism

Tips: Ideas for the Director by John Jury (4)

• Letting it land: Allowing the audience tosee the impact on one actor of what theother actor says or doesIn writing, let a character demonstrate the effect of the words, or emphasize their importance with a pause

• Pay attention to the rhythm in speech; it shouldn’t all sound like rain on the roofInsert pauses or breaks by including an act (“he looked back down the hall”)

Tips: Ideas for the Director by John Jury (5)

Driving the scene: many actors are bynature reactive and will stand by waitingfor something or someone to move them,so it’s not a bad idea to have a driving,self-starting actor who gets them inmotionPerhaps add / modify a character to do thisfor your other characters; sidekicks and confidantes are good for this

Tips: Ideas for the Director by John Jury (6)

The director must describe the actors’opportunities and responsibilities inways that make them WANT to play thescene

Do the same thing with your characters.Imagine selling them to an actor: Describemotivation, characteristics that are attractiveand repellant, opportunities for big moments

Tips: Ideas for the Director by John Jury (7)

• Business: Any nonverbal stage act like dialing a phone

• The art of defining character or psychology, or revealing plot, through little things the actor does (the father-in-law snooping around the apartment while the daughter-in-law is in the kitchen)

Another very useful means of showing rather thantelling, and allowing the reader to figure things out

Tips: Ideas for the Director by John Jury (8)

Build: A series of lines (4-6) whereneither party wants the other to have thelast word or end up on top. Eachsuccessive line gets louder, capped bythe last one. It’s a minor explosion, evenwhen played for laughs

This can also reveal a close relationshipbetween characters (they finish each others’ sentences)

Rules of Writing a Play1. Show, don’t tell • Be careful with this one• Consider using dialogue or action instead of

explanation or declaration• Don’t miss chances for drama, character

revelation

2. Write about what you believe

Or at least something that you find interesting; if you’re not involved, the reader won’t be either

Rules of Writing a Play (2)

3. Save preaching for the pulpit

Nobody likes being lectured

4. Maintain tight focus (a few central characters and sets)

This applies more to the stage, but it’s a good point: don’t overwhelm the reader

Creative use of description to avoid providing too many character names (ex. “Tweedledum and Tweedledee” / “The bookends” for heavies)

Rules of Writing a Play (3)

5. Build to a climax (and end it right after that)

Again, this is more for the theater but it’s a good point; wrap things up after the

high point

6. Keep everything clear and logical; there is no re-wind button)

Readers can go back and read something again, but why make them?

Rules of Writing a Play (4)7. Use the mechanics of the stage• Think visually and dramatically: In “Basic”, there

is a scene the writer described as “SGT West walks in” which became a far more dramatic ripping-aside of a blanket blocking the bunker door

• Imagine the actions of your characters so that you don’t miss an opportunity like this one

8. Start in the middle of the story, not the beginning

• Goodfellas• Can also apply to non-fiction writing

Two Good “Director” Documentaries• “Lost in La Mancha” – Terry Gilliam’s efforts to

bring his Don Quixote movie to reality, despite natural disasters, uncooperative foreign militaries, and an ailing leading man

• “Hearts of Darkness” – Francis Ford Coppola’s efforts to bring his Vietnam movie to reality, despite natural disasters, uncooperative foreign militaries, and an ailing leading man

DVD Extras – French ConnectionDirector William Friedkin’s comments regarding the deleted scenes:

He referred to them as scaffolding that he’d used to build the main structure, and when he was done he took it down because it wasn’t needed anymore.

When editing, consider removing passages

that you consider ‘scaffolding’

DVD Extras - Basic

Director John McTiernan’s observationthat each successive telling of the taletakes the viewer deeper and deeper into thejungle

Review your storyline to see if it buildstoward its climax / conclusion; is there animage like the ‘deeper into the jungle’metaphor he uses?

DVD Extras - BasicWriter James Vanderbilt’s comment about ascene that had done a lot to establish acharacter, but occurred so late in themovie that it affected the story’s tempo

Be aware of how people read; the need forexplanation and description sometimesdecreases as the story progresses orreaches its climax / conclusion

How to Write A Book That Will Make a Good Movie

• High concept: Single-word image or one-sentence description (Jaws, The Hangover, “Bruce Almighty-the guy becomes God”)

• Castable: Sympathetic protagonist in right age range (can it attract a bankable star?)

• Clear 3-act structure that keeps us watching / reading (Hook, Twists & Turns, Big Climax / Happy Finale)

• Action (meaningful action moves the story forward)

• A mighty theme – larger than life

9 Elements of the Blockbuster Movie

1. Undeserved misfortune

2. Curiosity (“Don’t open that door!”)

3. Visible Villain

4. Hero or heroine who confronts overwhelming conflict in pursuit of an attainable goal

5. Jeopardy

6. Conflict (best if internal AND external)

7. Credibility

8. Humor

9. Love story

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