vig
03-18-2005, 04:06 AM
Quote:
the (only) way to give characters more depth is through backstory/motivation.
koj
characters are not static, they grow or digress before our eyes, that dynamic alone, works against the above statement.
and the only way to kill a man is use his wifes cooking. this is just silly. you can show depth of character by how they act in adversity.
in die hard all the characters show their internal insticts through action.
bruces chracter is framed within the backdrop of his struggling marriage, that is told to us,but as time goes on, each character from the cop, to the bad guys, to the the guy who snorts coke, their depth of personality is linked not to backstory, but to action and how specificialy they react.
what happens on screen tells us so much about characters. of course backstory is part of all the characters, and ifyou reallybreak it down,everything we do is from something - but depth is about conflict, and conflict and adversity is what backs the dog against the wall and how he reacts to that situation is depth. backtory motivations is about what the characters want. but how he or she deals with what he does, or doesn't get is part of his development and depth.
in taxi driver travis b's backstory motivation doesn't show us his depth, the interaction with the hooker, shows us his depth, how he grows, the nuturing aspects of his life, while his protective insticts heighten and work against the moral center of the movie. the idealogy of who the character is is rooted in backstory, but depth is activated by action.
backstory sets up character, adversity measurses depth, we see how far the character is willing to go.
koj, you have this gavel that you slam down, but what it comes down to is you talk like evagalist with a very myopic look at the craft. i'm a student of the craft, and you puke up more garbage than two stray dogs at the dump. you gotta lay back, cause you ain't 1-20th the craftperson you think you are., and william, you should be ashamed of yourself, you know better than that.
vig
the (only) way to give characters more depth is through backstory/motivation.
koj
characters are not static, they grow or digress before our eyes, that dynamic alone, works against the above statement.
and the only way to kill a man is use his wifes cooking. this is just silly. you can show depth of character by how they act in adversity.
in die hard all the characters show their internal insticts through action.
bruces chracter is framed within the backdrop of his struggling marriage, that is told to us,but as time goes on, each character from the cop, to the bad guys, to the the guy who snorts coke, their depth of personality is linked not to backstory, but to action and how specificialy they react.
what happens on screen tells us so much about characters. of course backstory is part of all the characters, and ifyou reallybreak it down,everything we do is from something - but depth is about conflict, and conflict and adversity is what backs the dog against the wall and how he reacts to that situation is depth. backtory motivations is about what the characters want. but how he or she deals with what he does, or doesn't get is part of his development and depth.
in taxi driver travis b's backstory motivation doesn't show us his depth, the interaction with the hooker, shows us his depth, how he grows, the nuturing aspects of his life, while his protective insticts heighten and work against the moral center of the movie. the idealogy of who the character is is rooted in backstory, but depth is activated by action.
backstory sets up character, adversity measurses depth, we see how far the character is willing to go.
koj, you have this gavel that you slam down, but what it comes down to is you talk like evagalist with a very myopic look at the craft. i'm a student of the craft, and you puke up more garbage than two stray dogs at the dump. you gotta lay back, cause you ain't 1-20th the craftperson you think you are., and william, you should be ashamed of yourself, you know better than that.
vig