Chapter 111 Character Imagination
In "Princess Diaries", Michael's total appearance time is less than ten minutes. Not to mention the character arc, even some simple descriptions are limited. He is purely "responsible for secret love" Mia" and then "becomes Mia's dance partner", which basically covers the entire plot.
So, does such a vase require any acting skills or setting?
The actor only needs to show up, act handsome, and then the check for US$250,000 before tax will arrive smoothly.
Period.
Of course, Anson could finish the movie lying down like this.
But Anson didn’t want to.
Even if it is not for "Princess Diaries", he should study it seriously so that he can star in more movies and earn more money in the future.
What's more, Anson has a different understanding of vases.
A vase is indeed a vase, but whether this vase is an ancient Babylonian vase or an ancient Egyptian vase, a noble vase or a commoner's vase, a decorative vase or a vase that hides clues in an escape room, all this matters. Important, it can even change the tone of the movie.
People's impressions of characters have always been limited.
Nowadays, it is generally believed that plots, lines and even conflicts are needed to show the edges and corners of the characters. Therefore, the audience likes to watch "exploding plots" and actors to "show off their acting skills." Only then can you see the acting skills.
However, professionals who understand performance have a different view. Acting skills that can be soaring are relatively simple and superficial; listening to thunder in a silent place is an advanced performance.
At this time, let’s not talk about the difficulty of acting skills for the time being, but simply discuss the impression of the character. This can be seen from the last discussion with Deborah about the appearance of Paul’s character——
When a character appears on the stage At that moment, the impression has already been formed.
A simple example.
The appearance of Star-Lord in "Guardians of the Galaxy", the leather jacket, the Walkman, and the constantly playing retro hits. These details have foreshadowed the character's emotional weakness, family background, and personality traits. , obviously, this is a different character from Captain America and Iron Man.
Line? plot? conflict?
Characters already have their own colors before they are used.
Look back to "Princess Diary".
Precisely because Michael has so few scenes, less than ten minutes, Anson needs to seize every minute, every second and every appearance to add some patterns, lines and colors to the vase, so as to make the character fuller. Eventually it becomes part of the plot.
There are also excellent tool people and mediocre tool people.
In his previous life, the original Michael was not bad, he was just average and successfully completed basic tasks, but other than that, he was completely lackluster.
When the audience watches the movie, no one will remember Michael.
This time, it's Anson's turn. He wants to change the situation. If he wants to use this role to open up the situation and get more opportunities for himself in the future, he needs to learn from Sandra Oh, who played the role in "Grey's Anatomy" Just like here, create your own space in a limited space to make the character come alive.
So, Anson started research and based on Marcia's suggestion that day -
Hairstyle, Beatles, Jarhead.
In this case, then Michael is a fan of British rock in the 1960s, or in other words, he is not limited to British rock, but also likes the band culture, the atmosphere of the 1960s, and even The entire cultural trend at that time, thinking about life and society.
For example, The-Beach-Boys, a band from California, could rival or even surpass the Beatles at their peak. For example, Bob Dylan (Bob-Dylan), the legendary folk singer created an era. His lyrics have profound symbolic meaning and influenced the Beatles' later creative style.
For example, The Grateful Dead, a live rock band from San Francisco, are recognized by fans almost entirely for their live albums from live improvisational performances, which laid the foundation for later psychedelic rock.
For example, The-Kinks, their thinking on social phenomena and experimentation with different sound effects have always been a light of British rock in that era.
"Like the Beatles", this is a very rough setting:
Why do you like the Beatles? What period of The Beatles do you like? Which Beatles album is your favorite? Which Beatles album don’t you like?
These details are what give the character vitality. Based on the Beatles, we continue to develop associations, like the Beach Boys and the Grateful Dead, who were born in California. The former represents music as popular as the Beatles, while the latter represents innovations that let imagination run wild based on the existing foundation.
Then I started imagining from the Grateful Dead. I like Bob Dylan and the Kinks, their preference for music, and the way they think about life through music, including the changes in society at that time.
Clues converge towards "Michael" from different directions.
Although he is only fifteen years old, he has a mature soul, thinking about philosophy, life, and value; maybe he is still too young to find the answer for the time being, and he still has a childish side, Yet he sees the world differently than other children.
It is precisely because of this that he likes Mia.
He liked Mia when Mia was not a princess, before Mia had a major transformation, and when Mia was still a transparent person.
Not because of appearance, but because he saw Mia's kindness, sincerity, bravery and beauty.
This is the pattern and lines of the vase.
In the movie script, the screenwriter did not mention at all why Michael likes Mia, or in other words, why Michael likes the ugly duckling Mia -
The object of Mia's crush is a Handsome guy, a man of the hour.
This is a matter of course, because in middle school, everyone has a crush on the popular figure or cheerleader in the school.
But what about Michael?
Of course, the screenwriter did not have the space and space to complete this part of the plot. The script was written that Michael had a crush on Mia, so Michael had a crush on Mia.
Typical tool man.
Now, Anson gives Michael a reason; and, no additional plot length is needed.
Michael’s favorite music, CDs, Walkmans, T-shirts, badges on backpacks.
In addition to music, Michael likes books. He always carries books in his hand, including books on philosophy, history, architecture, psychology, etc.
From the shape to the personal belongings, a Michael is truly "generated" from the inside out, filling the paper man with color, flesh and blood, and giving it life.
It doesn’t need to be too complicated or too profound. A vase is a vase, just simple and intuitive. But such details can bring about essential differences.
In the period after the successful audition, Anson did not do anything except grow his hair. He has been collecting information about the 1960s, truly understanding and deepening it, and slowly awakening it in his own body." Michael".
However, this is not difficult, it is just a collection of information, and what is finally presented is only the "appearance"; the real difficulty lies in the "inside"——
A question, when did Mia fall in love with Michael?
Second update. Additional updates in the evening.
(End of this chapter)