Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
like-minded, people but interesting interaction comes from the juxtaposition
of
different
types of people. Interesting narratives are generally centered on
and around the interaction of different character types. If all your characters
were the same, your story would be bland and uninteresting; if everyone in
the world were the same, that would be less vibrant too.
Simplistic and rather formulaic narratives depend heavily on the villain and
the hero, stereotyped characters that are often depicted in an oversimplified
manner. Cowboys in black hats = baddies, cowboys in white hats = goodies.
Superman is perhaps the epitome of a stereotyped hero; clean shaven, clean
living, healthy, moral, kind, and honest with a good physique, nice haircut …
and he's young.
Character types extend to cover the kind of professions they undertake, either
by choice or by tradition. For individuals that have the freedom to choose
a profession, it might be worth considering whether they are drawn to a
particular way of earning a living or a lifestyle because of their personalities.
Is there something there you can identify that links them to one particular
thing or another? The demands of some occupations seem to suggest that
some individuals are more suited to that occupation than others. Working as
a lumberjack obviously requires a certain physicality to be able to do the job
and, if not an affinity with the great outdoors, at least the capacity to tolerate
it. A lab scientist, on the other hand, would seem to suggest a need for a
higher-than-average level of intelligence and perhaps a lesser dependence on
physical strength. People that are drawn to the caring professions probably
possess an enhanced degree of people skills and a level of compassion that
enables them to be successful at what they do.
Perhaps I should refrain from suggesting what character types are best suited
to life as politicians—or animators for that matter.
Personality
It has been said that we are all prisoners of our own personalities. I find
it difficult to attest to that, but it would seem that our personalities are
what determines, at least to some degree, the way we deal with life, our
circumstances, and the manner in which we interact with the people we meet.
The range of personalities is almost without limit, so any classification is really
rather unsatisfactory and of limited use. I am sure that most of us know or
have met individuals at some point in our lives who have personalities we are
able to describe in fairly simplistic ways. This may be as simple as a tendency
to demonstrate a positive or pessimistic outlook on life; they may see their
glass as being either half full or half empty. Others may be described as
generous, kind, loving, or thoughtful. We may even know people who possess
a short temper or a tendency to demonstrate violence. These labels clearly
don't provide a full profile of a person, but they do provide a kind of useful
shorthand for describing them.
