On Truthfulness

Hey gang

I've been thinking about character development, and inspiration, and making the obvious choices. Certainly, it's one thing to pick a physical trait you exhibit and heighten it to make a character. This choice is a perfectly acceptable means of creating a character, as is any other character creation strategy. However, this strategy may lead to creating superficial characters, or characters that are hinged on one or two simple traits or ideas.

Now, this result isn't necessarily a bad thing. Creating a simple character is an easy way to jump right into a scene while making offers. We can try, however, to create more real and truthful characters, which will ultimately lead to a more satisfying experience for the audience.

It's been observed that I have a tendency to create superficial characters, so I'd like to try my hand at creating characters based on who I am

So, how can we do this? Consider again the 'physical trait' aspect of character creation. You take a trait and heighten it a little to make a unique character. Maybe you notice that you lead with your shoulders, so you heighten that trait a little and you end up with a character who hunches over and lurches about. There you have it! A new character. What if, though, instead of accentuating physical aspects, we pick personal aspects, such as opinions or views or abilities, and heighten those. Perhaps you view yourself as being very attractive, and you heighten that view to create a character who is self-centered and proud. Maybe you're uncertain of yourself, so you heighten your uncertainty to create an apprehensive, nervous character. Perhaps you know you take a little while to understand instructions, despite your best efforts. In this case, you could end up with a character who tries to learn and succeed, but takes a while. These characters are much more real and interesting, as they stem from a truthful core.

Here's the tricky part: it's tough to perform in front of people, demonstrating characters that are based on your own views, opinions, or even insecurities. I mean, damn, how much more real can you get? It's worthwhile, though, and can lead to better Improv.

Catch you all soon!

Cheers,

Cliff