Essay: The Importance of Character and Characterisation in Narrative Media

Module Code: ANIM3013 Essay title: The Importance of Character and Characterisation In Narrative Media

Introduction

The aim of my essay is to understand the context of character as the pivot for narrative, how using character as a tool can impact both the audience and the narrative and how the character alterations are vitally important when producing transmedia.

What is a character and how can characterisation be used as a tool?

A character is an embodiment of personality developed through mannerisms and expressions over time. They are necessary for a narrative to unfold and their actions determine the plot of the story. Characters are created for an audience to identify with them and relate to their stories, emotions and actions. Emerson defines a character as “a reserved force which acts directly by presence, and without means.“ (Emmerson, 1844). This presents the view that character is a subtle tool that can only be observed through actions and not exposition, something that is disconnected to the events that may unfold but intrinsically linked to how the narrative will react to them.

When looking at character not as something observable in our day to day lives but as a tool for design and story, we can begin to understand the different levels of its use and effectiveness in storytelling.

Characterisation, which is a process of giving a personality to a character, is essential when it comes to making a well rounded and believable character.

"What does characterization do for a story? In a nutshell, it allows us to empathize with the protagonist and secondary characters, and thus feel that what is happening to these people in the story is vicariously happening to us; and it also gives us a sense of verisimilitude, or the semblance of living reality. In the best of stories, it is actually characterization that moves the story along, because a compelling character in a difficult situation creates his or her own plot." (Bernardo,n.d)

Characterization also gives a creator the possibility of a psychological depth of a character which makes the character round. Round characters are complex and have their personality development in the story, unlike flat characters that stay unchanged, not undergoing any thorough investigation or development throughout the duration of the audiences time with them.

Flat characters were widely used for example in unanimism, a French literature movement, where characters were generalised using crowd behaviour based on collective consciousness (Networks.h-net.org.,2018).

When it comes to creating a well-written character, the most important thing is to make them believable to the audience. In order to achieve this the character needs to exist as a person beyond the purpose they serve in the story. The audience doesn’t need to know every detail from the life of the character, but they need hints that the character had their own life before the story and that they will continue to live and grow after the story ends. The character also needs to have their own character traits, mixed good and bad to make the character more believable, because giving a character only good traits to make them a flawless hero or only bad traits to create an evil antagonist does not make the character believable but one-dimensional and unreal. A clear example of the combination of these traits can be witnessed in the popularity of anti-heroes. The character should have varied personality, one that is complex and takes time to understand, and their own flaws, fears and dreams will determine how the audience relates to them and how they relate to a narrative.

How has characterisation been used effectively in media?

One of the reasons Game of Thrones is so popular, as a TV show as well as book series, is the psychological complexity of its characters and how the characters are intrinsically interwoven with the unfolding narrative both feeding each other, characterisation feeds the decisions characters make, and the decisions characters make inform the narrative. It is considered as one of the best examples from the modern storytelling when it comes to well written and human characters, and it is because of the depth and flaws in the characters that people are interested in them. The viewer is able to understand or even be sympathetic with characters who are considered to be antagonists, such as is the case with Cersei Lannister.

“Cersei wants to protect her children and ensure the Lannister’s legacy. After being stripped of her power and publicly humiliated, she blows up Sept of Baelor, killing her rivals – and indirectly, her last living child. With her children gone, all Cersei has left to her is The Iron Throne. Having witnessed these developments, we understand why Cersei does what she does. We understand why, by the season six and into season seven, this character has become so hardened. Without her children, Cersei is bereft of purpose greater than the pursuit of power for power’s sake.” (Koehler, M.  2018.)

In the books, we learn even more about her backstory. When she as a child believed she was going to marry the crown prince, but he married a Martell girl. After the revolution, she was married to the new king, but he loved Stark’s sister and said her name during his wedding night consummation with Cersei. When she tells this story in the books, the audience finally understands her actions, her hatred for her husband and for the Stark and Martell families. So whilst she is one of the main antagonists in the story, cruel, cold-hearted, enjoying using her power against people, the audience learn why she is like that, they know her father never cared about her, her mother died giving birth to her younger brother (who she hates because of it) and her husband never cared either. The audience can see her being human, they can feel her pain when she remembers how her husband never loved her or when her oldest son was killed in front of her eyes - and this utilisation of characterisation is what makes the show moving, engaging, and successful.

“The more people you love, the weaker you are. You will do things for them that you’ll know you shouldn’t do. You’ll act like a fool to make them happy, to keep them safe. Love no one but your children. On that front, a mother has no choice.” (Game of Thrones, 2012)

This is advice Cersei gave to Sansa Stark, who was supposed to marry her oldest son. We can see how she has mixed emotions towards her because she struggles with the fact that Sansa is innocent but also a Stark and Cersei hates the Stark family. At the same time, she loves her son but also knows he is a monster. She remembers being a girl who had to marry someone she hated, and she pities Sansa at the same time she hates her. Creating this imbalance, an internal conflict, is another way we can see she is just a human - making a character that could be broadly painted as bad or evil into someone that can be understood by an audience, therefore elevating the character beyond such simple categorisation. This complexity is what makes them and their actions interesting and engaging to an audience.

Visual representation of characters is also an incredibly important way to utilise characterisation in media, this is especially important in animated media where the artists are in control of every component of a character's design and performance.

The Secret of Kells is a prime example of prominent visual representation and an animated feature that displays excellent design choices that are highly inspired by Irish culture. A variety of shapes are used in the figures of characters using simple shapes to represent aspects of each character.

The tall, slim, narrow uncle Abbot Cellach who is a strict and determined person - narrow-minded in his approaches, but he is also slouching, which is a sign of him carrying the destiny of Kells on his shoulders. He dedicated his life to protect Kells from the Vikings and persistently kept building the wall around to protect his people. His design is a synecdoche of his character, his design represents his character, and his character supports his design - thus allowing the audience to instantly read a clearly motivated character through the design allowing the narrative to spend less time on slowly building a complex character as was the case with a narratively developed character like Cersei.

Aisling is a forest spirit who usually transforms herself into a pale girl with white hair and green eyes or a big white wolf with green eyes. She looks almost transparent and her green eyes connect her to the bright green forest. Her ability to transform is the first aspect of her character the audience witnesses and therefore they are immediately aware that she is some kind of spirit, and this is continually re-enforced by how her movements have been visually represented. When we see her moving, we can also tell that she is a part of that forest, when she runs through the forest her body movements change depending on what she is doing. She jumps through the river like a frog, runs like a cat, deer or wolf, and climbs like a monkey. Her movements are swift, but playful - mirroring how her personality is conveyed to the main character throughout the rest of the film.

Brendan’s pet companion, a white cat, Pangur Ban, is Brendan's main connection to the forest and links him to Aisling because of its white colour. Pangur Ban has one eye blue as Brendan and one eye green as Aisling, which makes the can a mix of their souls, connecting them through this animal. The cat is clearly shown as a connection through the narrative of the film, but this design choice allows the audience to take this reading to another level.

The main character Brendan is less clearly visually designed, he shares many design similarities with his uncle - resembling him strongly minus the narrowness that Cellach grew into. This is an example of Brendan's design lending the audience reading of his uncle, showing what Cellach may have looked like, been like before he became so resolute and focused. Brendan also shares design similarities with another main character and father figure, which is a more playful and carefree character. This openness contrasts with Cellach and provides though design alone Brendan's conflict, the desire to be free and work on the book of Kells and being told to only focus narrowly on helping his uncle. At the end of the film he is shown as an adult, almost an idealised design that clearly conveys to the audience that he managed to develop as a character in a way that both maintained Cellachs best values, but also staying free, playful and spiritually connected to his environment and home of Kells and is a good example of how visual representation can help to develop a character in a way that can have a large impact whilst taking none of the limited time most narratives have in a short feature.

A great example of both a well written and well visually designed character is prince Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Zuko is introduced in the first episode of the 61 episode show as the main antagonist, an arrogant prince with a large burn across half of his face, he states repeatedly through the first several episodes his main goal is to capture the main character and protagonist, Avatar Aang, in order to restore his honour and come out of banishment.

He is a powerful firebender and full of destructive uncontrollable anger who seems to be destined to become a standard villain of the story. Yet as the story continues, we are given many opportunities to learn more about his backstory and we also witness his internal conflicts and developments.

Zuko was burned and banished by his father because he did not agree with an invasion plan that sacrificed his nations own troops in order to trick their opponents. Once the audience learns of why he was punished, because of his compassion, they are given a new perspective into his character motivations. He is trying to capture the protagonist to restore his honour and to show his father he is a worthy prince, but in doing so he is denying his own compassion and he struggles with this dichotomy more and more as the series develops.

We can watch how he struggles to find what is good and what is bad and how different sides of his personality show up. When he is with his uncle Iroh, who is compassionate and believes him, we can see the better side of him, however, when he is with his father or his cruel sister, he is trying to behave like them to show he is worthy to be with them.

Zuko’s first big change is in the beginning of season two, when he and his uncle cut their hair as a sign of them cutting their allegiance to the fire nation. This is an incredibly important action, as this brings attention to another method of how Zuko is characterised - by use of semiotics. Whilst Avatar: The Last Airbender is a fictional show, it draws on real life culture to allow audiences to read the characters and events that takes place.

The fire nation can be read as a direct parallel to historic Japan, an imperial nation one whose culture values tradition, power, hierarchy and honour above all else. Like Secret of Kells, this is all implied through design, from the architecture, geology and iconistic design of the fire nation down to the costumes and attitudes of the people within it. This gives another order of importance to Zuko and his Uncle cutting their hair - a sign of losing all honour and respect within this real world culture. Yet it becomes the catalyst that allows Zuko to confront the conflicts that have been hinted within his character in a character arc that continues until the end of the show.

He confronts his inability to escape his heritage and legacy, showing it is not possible to run away from it. The audience can clearly see how he is fighting with the good and bad side of himself, freeing Avatar’s flying bison in his most clearly positive action and within several episodes helping his sister to kill the Avatar and betraying his uncle, which convinces his father to restore his honour. This does not bring Zuko happiness or a feeling of honour, and he continues to experience internal conflicts not understanding why.

“But it’s Zuko’s fear in the face of his own helplessness that guides his rash action. Fear that he’s lost his mother for good, and that he’ll never get to properly say goodbye. Fear that he’ll never capture the Avatar, thereby both proving an abusive father wrong and receiving his approval. Fear that he’ll never be strong enough to face the many hardships of his life each day without denial and pain.” (Maher, 2017)

This is then resolved in the final season when he confronts his father, supports the Avatar and eventually restores his own honour. The moment he starts wearing his hair up again is when he becomes the new Fire lord after his father is defeated by the Avatar. It shows how he wears his hair in a ponytail when he feels connected to his nation and cutting it was the first sign of him finding his own destiny and restoring his own honour. This visual representation of his development can be seen by an audience through just his hair alone, and is a symbol of his overall stage of development throughout the show, even though his development is far more complex than this single design element but it one example of how characterisation is visually and narratively combined to offer one of the most well regarded pieces of media within its medium.

How does transmedia franchise affect characters?

Transmedia franchise is a technique of telling a single story using different platforms, such as a book to film adaptations or games based on a book/film. The most frequent adaption when it comes to using stories in transmedia franchise is the typical book-to-film adaptation.

What can often be observed for the characters in this metamorphosis is that they don’t only alter the visual of a character (sometimes from the description but always a readers imagination), but also flatten them or give them different personality traits in order to compress the original media into a media that is not only different in form but also in amount. We still know it is the same character but at the same time, they often act differently than the original book character would or not be as rigorously developed in the same way.

We can see this evidenced in the Harry Potter series where Harry’s best friend Ron, who is a supportive and intelligent character although he can be a bit selfish and even make mean jokes but always standing up for his friends when it is needed. In the books, Ron is the one out of the main trio who has common sense and wizarding cultural knowledge because he was the only one of them who grew up in the wizard world. However, in the films he is flattened, most of his good traits are given to Hermione and he serves primarily as a comic relief character.

We can see an example of this character reduction in a scene in The Philosopher's Stone (2001) when the trio are trapped in Devil’s snare, magical vines that are trying to choke them. In the books, Hermione is panicking about not knowing how to create a fire without wood and Ron, although he is trapped in vines still keeps his cool head and reminds her she can create it with magic and save them. Yet in the film Ron panics and screams, Hermione creates light to weaken the vines and after it lets them go, Ron says pats himself on the back for not panicking just to create humour for viewers.

When it comes to standing up for his friends, in the books he is the first person to do that. When a tutor, Snape, calls Hermione a know-it-all Ron shouts at him and receives  detention but in the film, he agrees with Snape.

In both of these instances the character has clearly been reduced, yet in both examples, there can be an obvious reason for doing so, the primary two is to compress and retain plot clarity. When undergoing transmedia adaptation the thing that has to remain fully intact is the narrative, therefore you need to strip back any redundancies that may exist within the work. In order to compress you don’t simply remove, or re-purpose the original events but you also need to make those events suit the pacing of the media the narrative now resides in. In both of these instances, it can be argued that Ron’s characterisation is utilised in the first example to retain decent pacing, and in the second example to display and develop the groups dynamics as opposed to the event at hand.

A similar thing happens in The Shrieking Shack, where the trio think Sirius Black is going to kill them and, in the books, Ron tells him he has to kill them all if he wants to kill Harry. In the film, Ron just cries about his wounded leg while Hermione is the perfect heroine telling Sirius Ron’s original lines. This is an instance where the narrative is actually altered and causes a narrative dissonance between both the works of media and can be seen as a negative transmedia adaptation, although minor it does provide an example of how the tool of characterisation is a subtle one and how transmedia franchise can affect characters in a way that can be neutral, positive or negative, and at times all three.

Conclusion

Characters are the primary tool for narrative storytelling, they are the reason for narratives to emerge and they offer figures which an audience can imprint on to understand the stories being told to them. It is clear that well developed and complex characters appear in all successful pieces of media, and therefore understanding what makes a character, and how to utilise characterisation in both design and development is an invaluable tool to anyone who works with narrative media.

Word Count: 3,393

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