Today was a very informational class in which I learned some kickass ways to develop characters. A character goes way deeper than merely their outward appearance. A character is instead defined as what is revealed when the character is placed under pressure. We also applied the Abraham Maslow Hierarchy to the character development process to test out situations in which a character is under pressure. Basically everything boils down to one of two choices. In the worst of times does a character selflessly give and sacrifice or does it take in order to preserve itself.
After learning about these tools I again want to put my thesis under the microscope. Frank has a fear of being alone forever, this is his inner turmoil, his motivation. Acting against his nature to be lazy Frank invests his time into making these companions so that he won't have to face his fear of solitude. Frank has not achieved enlightnement as far as the Maslow Hierarchy is concerned. I would place him in the middle. He has his existence and security taken care of but what Frank now seeks is love or acceptance by at least one person. So my story is about Frank in pursuit of friendship, but does my story follow the 3 act structure? A few posts down is my animatic as it stands right now. I really want to get this story solid before I start production. Let me know what you think.
2 comments:
I agree: your character is at the second-stage of the hierarchy looking for level-3. His fear is of being alone.
Does sloth eventually kick in and he becomes too lazy to make new friends? Or, does he realize he's in a trap - constantly making new friends only to lose them - and decides to us his pens for something else?
Perhaps he turns the ink into words that attract people to him rather than selfishly drawing pictures to please just himself.
In a sense, he's creating life with the pens. It's what we do with that life - selfishly horde it, control it or share it to help others - that defines his spirit.
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