Round vs Flat Characters (Part 2/2)

Описание к видео Round vs Flat Characters (Part 2/2)

MasterClass: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/...

What does it mean for a character to be Round?
Define Round: Not the shape round but in the sense that the character is well rounded.
Define: Fully or broadly developed. Such as having a broad educational background or comprehensive.
Like a sphere, a round character is 3 dimensional, having complexity, history and multiple facets.

Round characters can feel like real people, which can help the audience connect with them. The better the roundness, the more the audience is likely to care about the character’s fears, failures, goals and triumphs.

Examples:
Severus Snape: Throughout the entire Harry Potter series Snape is seen as simple a mean teacher. But as the story unfolds, you realize that there is a lot more to Snape than what first meets the eye. It’s this complexity and backstory that makes us feel for him in the end.

Darth Vader: Probably the most iconic sci-fi villain of our time. In a New Hope (The original Star Wars) Darth Vader seems to be a typical villain. But in the Empire Strikes Back, he reveals that he was Luke’s father and used to be a jedi. The prequels show Darth Vader’s backstory, giving him depth and roundness.

When creating round characters here are some things to keep in mind.

A character’s choices reveal their motivations. The more difficult a choice, the more it reveals about that character.

Characters will always choose what the perceived as right. It may be twisted and or strange thinking, but a round character will do what they think it right.

There must always be a conflict for the character to deal with.

A round character should also be dynamic and evolve to their situations.

The opposite of a round character is a flat character. Define flat: “Lacking interest or emotion; dull and lifeless.”(Google)

A static character have little or no dimension. If a round character is like a sphere, then a flat character is like a canvas, what you see is what you get.


Examples:

Hansel and Gretel: This curious pair fill roles in a fairy-tale meant to entertain and teach children a moral lesson.

The bad guy in Avatar:

This is not to say that flat characters are bad necessarily in all situations. However, they lack the capability for people to connect with them, so they should be used sparingly.

Flat characters also tend to be the villains, while the heroes tends to be more rounded. But not always. And I my humble opinion, a villain should never, never, never, never be flat. (Unless of course it’s an allegory and every character if flat.)
Both the hero and the villain should always be round.

#ViralThoughts #Masterclass #Characterization

Комментарии

Информация по комментариям в разработке