Specificity in Character part 2
Feb 24th
Let’s elaborate on specificity in character. In my first post I said it wasn’t enough to just slap a lab coat on the rig and call him a doctor. He has to be a specific person. A specific doctor. A unique character.
This is not a concept exclusive to animation. Live action actors must also accomplish the same sort of specificity to be successful*. Not being a live action actor myself, I can’t venture a guess how one ‘becomes’ a character; though perhaps when they put on a lab coat it actually changes the way they feel and informs their choices. However, I do enjoy watching talented actors portraying wide varieties of roles, and even though I don’t fully understand the intricacies of the process, I am entertained by the results and fascinated by specificity.
For example, in my personal opinion, Philip Seymour Hoffman (imdb here) is a talented actor capable of such transformations between characters. He successfully communicates his characters to the audience on a number of levels. For the sake of argument, I found four images from four different films:
Essentially, the same ‘rig’ is being used in each film. He is the same height, weight, skeleton, hair color, etc. And sure, the costume is changed in each – but that’s not enough, remember? To me, the overwhelming concept in these images is not how he’s dressed, it is how he is posed. How he carries himself is what communicates his character. In fact, two images feature a character dressed in drab clothing, and two feature a character in elegant, powerful wardrobe. Yet, despite some costumes being practically interchangeable, none of these characters feel similar. He has found unique and specific ways for each character to behave.
Number one would never hold a glass like number two. He just wouldn’t. Nor would three or four. I don’t feel like number four could be as internal and reserved as number three (or hold his own hand in such a gentle, comforting way). And I can’t see number two holding his arms above his head in the way number four does. In fact, I don’t think number two would ever raise his arms above his shoulders, no less his head. Number one feels more shy and introverted while four feels extroverted and loud. I could go on and on, but look for yourself and find more specificity dividing these characters. Now think about this: all of these are just still images. We are only looking at how these characters hold themselves in a freeze-frame! Apply motion to it and the differences become exponential. Then you can find specificity in movements, not just posing. As animators we control movements on a frame-by-frame basis. There is no reason not to make posing, and movements, unique to a character.
-Jacob
*successful artistically. You can be also wildly successful in hollywood if you are very attractive and have marginal talent.
Movie still-frames:
Image 1: Boogie Nights
Image 2: Capote
Image 3: Doubt
Image 4: Along Came Polly
Gesture vs Lip-sync
Jan 8th
Here’s evidence that proper acting and gestures are more important than lip-sync.
(It’s a clip Pete Docter showed in a lecture a couple years ago.)
It works really well and makes me laugh every time.
So make sure your character’s body sells the line before you go crazy trying to get the lip-sync right.
-Jacob
Specificity in Character
Jan 5th
I wanted to to speak briefly about defining your characters. I see so many people that could benefit from spending more time making their characters unique. An overwhelming number of 11 second club submissions have very ambiguous characters, which not only makes them bland to watch, but makes it a total drag to vote when you have to get through hundreds of entries. This post was not inspired by any particular entry, month of submissions, or anything like that – I’m merely making generalizations. If you feel that this applies to you then consider character specificity when planning your next submission.
Besides, how do you think you make your demo reel stand out from the rest when you apply somewhere?
Entertain the viewer.
How do you entertain the viewer when you have less than a minute to make an impression? No amount of roundhouse kicks, pratfalls, or cleverly humorous and ironic dialogue clips will truly entertain someone. Perhaps your mechanics will impress… but entertain? Probably not. Not in my opinion at least.
It’s about WHO the character is… when they fall offscreen, or when they say the funny line, that will make the clip entertaining. Who the character is will inform everything you do with the animation. What do they want? What do they need? What experiences have they been through? These sorts of things will inform how they are feeling now. How they are feeling now will inform how they act. How they act, with specificity, is where you will get your entertainment value and create a memorable performance.
It’s not enough to slap a lab coat on the rig and say your character is a doctor. Sure, it’s more descriptive than just ‘some dude,’ but that’s not WHO he is, that’s just WHAT he is. How does a doctor stand in front of you? arrogantly? eagerly? defiantly? The possibilities are endless, right? You can easily lose sight of what you want and start to muddy the performance. So be more specific! The way in which a doctor picks up a clipboard is different than the way in which a jaded, ‘seen-too-many-patients-today,’ and ‘wanting-to-go-home’ doctor picks up a clipboard. You’re already picturing it, aren’t you? See? Knowing more about your character informs your acting choices.
So if you’re submitting to the 11 second club, or submitting your reel to a place you want to work, take the time to know your characters – BEFORE you start animating. All of this is part of the planning stages. You’ll end up with something more entertaining and you will be much more proud of your work.
Create something unique and specific!
-Jacob
Update: Continuation in Specificity in Character Part 2
