Characters

     In melodramas, character selection is incredibly important, so before I enter production, I began to think carefully about how I want to introduce my character and what type of character that would be. Since I am limited to two minutes in my brief, the audience needs to quickly grasp who my character is and their emotional state. This means that their performance, costume choice, body language, and even silence must work together effectively to communicate meaning.

    Ingmar Bergman's Autumn Sonata is a great example of this emotional complexity due to its deeply layered characters and subdued performances that don't exaggerate emotions.  Much of the film's emotional weight comes from the eye acting (facial expressions), body language, and pauses in dialogue. This reflects how effective character planning prioritizes vulnerability and internal conflict. This also helps me plan how I want my actors to act in the brief.

These stills prove my descriptions of the character's actions

    This research has influenced how I think about planning my protagonist. I want to aim for my protagonist in my brief to be emotionally convincing and grounded, rather than being overly dramatic as seen in many dramas. At this stage in planning, I am outlining key traits like age, emotional state, and hints of backstory. This early planning will aid me in later choices around casting, costume choices, and the performances I want out of my actors.