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Aug. 10th, 2008 04:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccaelizabethI have been thinking about casting and how it can affect a script. Not just the impact of the finished play or film, but the way it could change in the writing phase.
I noticed it with Shakespeare the other week - everyone who spent any significant portion of that three and a half hours on stage got their chance to shine. Sure, it's Hamlet's play, he's in so much of it; but most people get a speech, or a chance to interact with Hamlet significantly, and therefore they get their moment. And it makes sense, because who is going to turn up for that many performances to be slightly animate furniture? So just the fact that something *has* a cast can affect how characters are written.
Since I find it ideologically objectionable to treat anyone as animate furniture then this seems to me a good effect. If there's a people inside each name then they can have an idea about what their character would do. A good writer can therefore remember there's a people inside each, and diversify the characters accordingly. To remember that everyone in a scene has a point of view and potential for action gives a lot more range to what can happen. Is good.
In TV there's a two or three tier system... or four... or... Er, what I mean is:
There's people that you want to turn up every week, and preferably next season too. You have to give them their shiny moments or they're going to get bored and go try and play a transvestite aromatherapist or something. After a while they'll also need diversity. Sometimes this leads to body swap episodes. Fair enough. But it can also mean exploring exactly how far their character can go in a particular direction, or - amazing concept to some series, but also possible - giving them a character arc so they keep growing. And the bonus is the techniques that keep actors interested also keep audiences interested. And it's thrifty - if actors are there every week you're paying them even if they are only propping up a staff weapon. Give them lines and make them push the plot along and you're optimising your use of resources.
There's other people who turn up every now and then. Some of these are... I'm suddenly aware of the dangers of toolkit analogies, cause I'm not sure I'd want to be called a spanner... ANYways, some of these are happy to turn up every few weeks and do the same thing in the same way a lot. I don't get it, but as long as they're happy, they'll keep doing it. Some people are more of a sonic screwdriver - sure, they'll open doors all the time, but every now and then they want to do something really clever. And you don't need to invent a new one to do the clever, you've got someone with the range right there. And you like them already. You probably been down the pub with them. You talk between takes. Lets keep them around.
There's people who only turn up once. That... always feels like a bit of a waste on TV. They're aiming for 100 episodes, and the other 99 have to use someone different? There's only so many actors in Vancouver! They'll have to come back again in a couple seasons anyway! Why not make it so there's no embarrassing explanations about how come they look exactly the same?
And there's extras. I so don't get why people want to be extras. They are the animate furniture. They cost more money than the other kind of furniture, and they need feeding, and they get grumbly. And each and every one of them could have interesting stories, but right now they aren't, so why are they there? Better be a very good reason.
Now in film, or on television sometimes, you often get Stars. With a capital S. They're the people where the average person in the street might not be able to name what they've been in but they know the actor name. What they're bringing to your creation is themselves, plus some acting skills. What you need to bring is a good reason, or they're going to look pasted on. But they're also the people where if you see them in a role you can suddenly see more in that role than perhaps the lines would suggest. Or you want to give them more lines, because they're just that cool. Or maybe you didn't know that character was anyone special, but now a Star wants to play it, suddenly it better be. And they bring layers of associations along with them. Those can clash or support, but they will always play. That's what makes them a Star.
How this applies to us in fanfic land:
We're here because of characters we want to see every week. More than once a week. Often more than once a day. Your fic needs to give those characters a work out. Something to do. One moment, at least, to shine. Or readers who are only there for that particular character just won't bother, or will end the story unsatisfied and maybe not read you again.
You've got stuff needs done and you want to give it to an original character? Stop and think! Do you already have someone could play that part? If one of the regulars could, right there you've got who should. Characters that take the place of a series regular be the prime offenders in category 'Mary Sue'. Be very, very careful about that, or readers be jumping out and warning others. But if one of the recurring characters could, or even one of the one offs, then using those is thrifty. Some people already like those. They've got some meanings built in to them already. Having them around already fits. Try that on.
If you need someone new... who are they played by? An OC played by ye generic green eyed beauty will need all their quirks and habits worked out as you go along. But if you're writing a part for Peter Wingfield? Well, the eyes are more swampwater, but you've got a lot of quirk all ready.
And if you've got a character who just kind of stands there and points at the castle or hands out the secret map... okay, maybe they do just need to be a function. But what if they were played by Morgan Freeman? Or some other Name. Do they suddenly get interesting? Could they develop some snark to liven up the moment? Or does the part just stay a waste of their time? You've got to bring to it a part they'd get interested in. If you're relying on 'played by this cool person' to be 100% of the draw, why would they bother?
And the same can be said for keeping canon characters in character. If you don't think the actors we're watching every week would stand around and put up with those words or actions... why is your fanfic doing them?
... often because it's pretty. But in Torchwood we're lucky cause many of the pretty seem like they'd be up for anything.
Sometimes though it's *petty*. It pours words into a character's mouth that disses everything a character has ever done. If there was someone in there fighting their own corner, interested in that particular continuity, pushing for more and interesting stuff to do... could you get away with that?
If not, why you doing it?
Everything that character did up to that point had a reason that made sense at the time, had a function within the team and within the story. 'Bashing' is stuff that ignores all that. And generally comes up with a much less interesting story for it. I mean, I started out kinda hating Owen, but then I poked the story until I figured why a writer would do that to/with their characters. Then I realised he's the twisty rubber band that drives the tense moments past calm into drama, and tada, this is what he's for in fic. Gwen... I still have to study up on. But there'll be some similar reason for her. The series works for us - each character brings a fraction of what works - which fraction and why? Each actor will know. Or have an answer that works to drive their performance. Sometimes that's a different thing. Actors need to know why their character is eeeevul, writers might just need a villain to shoot today... but the motivation an actor would be looking for do tend to enrich the story.
So: Figuring there's a person inside every character brings more character to the characters.
... I just used a whole bunch of words to be not very surprising, didn't I?
I noticed it with Shakespeare the other week - everyone who spent any significant portion of that three and a half hours on stage got their chance to shine. Sure, it's Hamlet's play, he's in so much of it; but most people get a speech, or a chance to interact with Hamlet significantly, and therefore they get their moment. And it makes sense, because who is going to turn up for that many performances to be slightly animate furniture? So just the fact that something *has* a cast can affect how characters are written.
Since I find it ideologically objectionable to treat anyone as animate furniture then this seems to me a good effect. If there's a people inside each name then they can have an idea about what their character would do. A good writer can therefore remember there's a people inside each, and diversify the characters accordingly. To remember that everyone in a scene has a point of view and potential for action gives a lot more range to what can happen. Is good.
In TV there's a two or three tier system... or four... or... Er, what I mean is:
There's people that you want to turn up every week, and preferably next season too. You have to give them their shiny moments or they're going to get bored and go try and play a transvestite aromatherapist or something. After a while they'll also need diversity. Sometimes this leads to body swap episodes. Fair enough. But it can also mean exploring exactly how far their character can go in a particular direction, or - amazing concept to some series, but also possible - giving them a character arc so they keep growing. And the bonus is the techniques that keep actors interested also keep audiences interested. And it's thrifty - if actors are there every week you're paying them even if they are only propping up a staff weapon. Give them lines and make them push the plot along and you're optimising your use of resources.
There's other people who turn up every now and then. Some of these are... I'm suddenly aware of the dangers of toolkit analogies, cause I'm not sure I'd want to be called a spanner... ANYways, some of these are happy to turn up every few weeks and do the same thing in the same way a lot. I don't get it, but as long as they're happy, they'll keep doing it. Some people are more of a sonic screwdriver - sure, they'll open doors all the time, but every now and then they want to do something really clever. And you don't need to invent a new one to do the clever, you've got someone with the range right there. And you like them already. You probably been down the pub with them. You talk between takes. Lets keep them around.
There's people who only turn up once. That... always feels like a bit of a waste on TV. They're aiming for 100 episodes, and the other 99 have to use someone different? There's only so many actors in Vancouver! They'll have to come back again in a couple seasons anyway! Why not make it so there's no embarrassing explanations about how come they look exactly the same?
And there's extras. I so don't get why people want to be extras. They are the animate furniture. They cost more money than the other kind of furniture, and they need feeding, and they get grumbly. And each and every one of them could have interesting stories, but right now they aren't, so why are they there? Better be a very good reason.
Now in film, or on television sometimes, you often get Stars. With a capital S. They're the people where the average person in the street might not be able to name what they've been in but they know the actor name. What they're bringing to your creation is themselves, plus some acting skills. What you need to bring is a good reason, or they're going to look pasted on. But they're also the people where if you see them in a role you can suddenly see more in that role than perhaps the lines would suggest. Or you want to give them more lines, because they're just that cool. Or maybe you didn't know that character was anyone special, but now a Star wants to play it, suddenly it better be. And they bring layers of associations along with them. Those can clash or support, but they will always play. That's what makes them a Star.
How this applies to us in fanfic land:
We're here because of characters we want to see every week. More than once a week. Often more than once a day. Your fic needs to give those characters a work out. Something to do. One moment, at least, to shine. Or readers who are only there for that particular character just won't bother, or will end the story unsatisfied and maybe not read you again.
You've got stuff needs done and you want to give it to an original character? Stop and think! Do you already have someone could play that part? If one of the regulars could, right there you've got who should. Characters that take the place of a series regular be the prime offenders in category 'Mary Sue'. Be very, very careful about that, or readers be jumping out and warning others. But if one of the recurring characters could, or even one of the one offs, then using those is thrifty. Some people already like those. They've got some meanings built in to them already. Having them around already fits. Try that on.
If you need someone new... who are they played by? An OC played by ye generic green eyed beauty will need all their quirks and habits worked out as you go along. But if you're writing a part for Peter Wingfield? Well, the eyes are more swampwater, but you've got a lot of quirk all ready.
And if you've got a character who just kind of stands there and points at the castle or hands out the secret map... okay, maybe they do just need to be a function. But what if they were played by Morgan Freeman? Or some other Name. Do they suddenly get interesting? Could they develop some snark to liven up the moment? Or does the part just stay a waste of their time? You've got to bring to it a part they'd get interested in. If you're relying on 'played by this cool person' to be 100% of the draw, why would they bother?
And the same can be said for keeping canon characters in character. If you don't think the actors we're watching every week would stand around and put up with those words or actions... why is your fanfic doing them?
... often because it's pretty. But in Torchwood we're lucky cause many of the pretty seem like they'd be up for anything.
Sometimes though it's *petty*. It pours words into a character's mouth that disses everything a character has ever done. If there was someone in there fighting their own corner, interested in that particular continuity, pushing for more and interesting stuff to do... could you get away with that?
If not, why you doing it?
Everything that character did up to that point had a reason that made sense at the time, had a function within the team and within the story. 'Bashing' is stuff that ignores all that. And generally comes up with a much less interesting story for it. I mean, I started out kinda hating Owen, but then I poked the story until I figured why a writer would do that to/with their characters. Then I realised he's the twisty rubber band that drives the tense moments past calm into drama, and tada, this is what he's for in fic. Gwen... I still have to study up on. But there'll be some similar reason for her. The series works for us - each character brings a fraction of what works - which fraction and why? Each actor will know. Or have an answer that works to drive their performance. Sometimes that's a different thing. Actors need to know why their character is eeeevul, writers might just need a villain to shoot today... but the motivation an actor would be looking for do tend to enrich the story.
So: Figuring there's a person inside every character brings more character to the characters.
... I just used a whole bunch of words to be not very surprising, didn't I?