Character Developement Help

[nawbeman]

Hey everybody,

I wanted to know how some of you flesh out your characters. How do you work out their personalities? What do you do to figure out who they are and what their reactions are? I'd appreciate any tips any of you might have and also, any books you would recommend. Thanks.

or I could just use these...
:) :cry: :doh: :flag: :cool: :inocent: :lucky: :paper: :phew: :think: :thumb: :uhh: :confused: :eek: :approve: :o :D ;) :p :lol: :mad: :( :ack: :s :rolleyes: :yawn: :brick:

[McPandaBurger]

Do you mean how do I flesh them out to visually reflect their personalities or do you mean story wise?

[nawbeman]

I was thinking more story wise, but any comments you have on visual identity I 'd love to hear.

[McPandaBurger]

well story wise changes depending on whether you have a story or not, if you don't and you've kinda got a rough idea of what they need to be, think of a scene like a fight scene or even your characters reaction to watching a friend die and work backwards, almost act out what you would do whilst sketching how you'd like them to look, if nothing else it tells you how different you are to the character and what needs to change in either you design or how you see them reacting.

visually if I think of a fight scene (just a good example which is why I've used it twice :P) then I'd work out how I want them to move which will give me an answer to the tall and skinny or squat and bulky question, then think of the visual setting is it future or past? add that to the mix try and give the character some history in the design like in the clothing, do they play a sport that influences the dress sense in their world? just ask your self loads of questions about what they need to do and you tend then to design a look out of necessity rather than just looking cool.


If this reads like slobbered shite feel free to ask me to elaborate I wrote it a bit quick

[McPandaBurger]

I should prob tell ya I'm an animator so I act stuff out a lot and the way they move is very important to me obviously so I may not be telling you what you wanna know I'm not sure?

[Styx]

hm...in the most times i think what will be a cool maincharacter for a game.
i play many pen&paper RPG´s, so its most very simple to make a background (the most times, i stuck this time ^^).
also you could first look about a style and puzzle a background around.
is he looks like a cyborg, he is maybe a ex-soldier who change the side to the machines.
if he look like a demon, maybe he want to be a demon lord, so he will do all to kill the lord.
if he looks like a knight he is maybe only a wannabe knight, who have luck and had find an magic artifact in a forgoton cave or something.

it could be very easy to make the style first. ^^

[nawbeman]

thanks a bunch, that really helps!

[nawbeman]

to McPandas second post:

No, I totally get that. I'm an animation student and I will eventually be animating this idea, but I'm devising this independent study in which I must flesh out the characters identities. This does help though; I'm sure to animate a lot of little scenes, much like you described.