Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 4
Building Character
and Location
Stories are about people. The people (toys, monsters, fi sh, aliens, cars, robots, etc.) are the
characters through which the story is told. The story belongs to the character. Without a
good character you don't have a story.
KuhFo
, directed by Hannes Appell & Holger Wenzl, Filmakademie Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
What Is a Good Character?
A good character is one that is both believable and memorable.
A believable character is an ordinary character (in relation to the world that he lives in)
who fi nds himself in extraordinary circumstances and reacts to those circumstances
truthfully.
A memorable character is visually appealing and has the ability to move an audience emo-
tionally through the events of the story.
Appeal is dependent on the visual design of the character. Ollie Johnson and Frank Thomas
originally coined the term
appeal
in their topic,
The Illusion of Life
. To them, appeal meant that
