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Posts Tagged ‘Characters’

Humorous Interpretation performers have a list of go-to characters, complete with stance and voice.  There is The Matriarch, Sassy Teen, Emo Kid, The Jock, English Gentleman/woman, Geek, Old Man, and so on.  For those one-liner characters, or the ones who are strictly there for outrageous comedic relief, a stock character might make an appearance for a quick laugh.  It’s a cheap laugh, but one that usually works nonetheless.  These stock characters, or stereotypes (yes, these are stereotypes as they are based on a generalization of a group), are familiar.  And there is comfort in the familiar.  Audiences know that character.  People can instantly relate, see the joke, and thus make it easier for a performer to turn a character with minimal exposure into a laugh.

Though, in this politically correct world stock characters can become frowned upon rather quickly if pushed too far.  There is risk in having a gay character be flamboyant and very Jack from Will & Grace.  To avoid turning a laugh into a grimace there are a few general stock character rules:

Don’t overstock. A Humorous Interpretation with nothing but stereotypes is dull.  Audiences know these characters; they see them every day on television and in movies.  Not only does this over stereotype use bore your audience, it also displays how unoriginal you are with interpretation.  In an event entitled Humorous Interpretation it might be wise to prominently market your interpretation skills by, perhaps, actually doing some?

Know the limits. A stock character can swiftly transform into a harsh stereotype if the joke is taken too far.  Exaggeration works in comedy and is one of the prominent features, but using a stereotype’s gesture/vocalization to an extreme is non-funny.  How California-bubbly of a voice are you going to add to that Cheerleader who flips her hair WAY to much and spells out words?  Seriously.  It is like watching a guy tell a joke he thinks is HILARIOUS, and laugh wildly about it in an annoying way, when it really is not.  Just stop.  The joke is dead.  Read more...

• ISBN13: 9780823023493
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Product Description
• Character design is the key in many industries—and they’re all covered in this book• Practical step-by-step exercises • Contributors include Glen Keane, Supervising Animator, Disney From Snow White to Shrek, from Fred Flintstone to SpongeBob Square-Pants, the design of a character conveys personality before a single word of dialogue is spoken. Creating Characters with Personality shows artists how to create a distinctive character, then place that charac… More >>

Creating Characters with Personality: For Film, TV, Animation, Video Games, and Graphic Novels