#TypesTuesday – Three Silent Greats
Types Tuesday
There is a Slapstick Film Festival and other, related, events every year in Bristol. Â The 2018 Festival has just been announced HERE for the coming year.
Aardman Animation (Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, etc.) is a big sponsor of the festival. Â Slapstick figures heavily in all their feature and short film development.
One of my first assignment for the company was to do an Emotional Toolbox analysis of three of their favorite silent film era characters. Even without words the types of these three characters come shining through.
Charlie Chaplin greatest character traits are his wistfulness and poetic soul. Â He is a Power of Idealism character. Â Loss and longing figure prominently in all his stories. He is a sensitive soul who shuffles along with sadness as his constant companion.
Buster Keaton is a Power of Reason character.  He is an ingenious problem solver with a deadpan attitude.  He is so stiff emotionally that his nickname was “The Great Stone Face”.  He had a mechanical style and tackled all situations with a  robotic refusal to give up.
Harold Lloyd is an optimistic can-do Power of Ambition character.  He tackles all obstacles with enthusiasm and brash confidence.  His film characters want to be popular and live the easy life.  These men find redemption through hard work, learning to act with integrity, or forming real relationships through honest sincere love.
Create a visual map for a character’s emotional journey. Pull stories from character rather from rote story structure beats. Some of the largest international media companies, use this in story and character development.
A clear concise guide for writers and producers to have by their side as they embark on a project. It gives a really vital reminder of what is key for story success.
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