Hi All,
Thank you for a wonderful and insightful class. We talked about research ethics, got to see some awesome inspiration and research spotlights and kicked off on our character development assignment. For those of you who would like to revisit the lecture, here’s a link to my slides presentation and the informed consent form I went over in class:
Research Ethics
Informed Consent Form
In terms of homework,
your task is to create the groundwork for a character. Here’s a link to the assignment I presented in class:
Character Creation
Character Design quick setup
Develop your character
- Write 1 to 2 paragraphs about your character. What are they like, who do they resemble (cast your character). Ask yourself a few key questions: What does your character want? What does your character need? What is your character’s flaw? Give me three affinities.
1. Broad (i.e. Justice, Chaos, Major Philosophy)
2. Medium (i.e. the color red, round things, weather)
3. Focused (i.e. specific tool like a kitchen knife, a grappling hook, a cuban cigar)
What is an affinity?
a spontaneous or natural liking or sympathy for someone or something.
It might help to identify your own affinities to begin to understand the complexities of what can go into a character design. For example, I personally like the color green (Medium affinity). Every time I get the chance to choose a color in a video game or a tabletop game, that’s the one I choose.
I also really gravitate towards what I would like to consider a noble disposition. I like the ideas behind chivalry and honor (Broad affinity). I tend to lean towards characters that embody that like paladins or knights with an honorable pre-disposition.
Finally, the tool/item (focused affinity) that might resonate appropriately with the previous affinities could be in the form of a shield or a sword. Putting those three elements together makes it easy to see that the perfect character for me is Link from the Legend of Zelda.
What are some examples of affinities and how would you classify them within the three I’ve outlined above?
The Mood Board
The second part of the Character Design assignment is the Mood Board. This is simply a collection of images that best represent your character. It is imperative that the images you select are specific and focused. They should be a starting point for what your character might look and feel like. This is not a simple costume or shape exploration assignment (although that should be a consideration). Some of the images you choose should also carry emotional weight to them.
Deliverables:
8.5 x 11 description of your character including their affinities.
11 x 17 mood board with a collection of images describing your character.
Thank you and good luck!
-Fernando