Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with character

Speak the speech trippingly. Or pitched low. Or with a mumble.

grumblebee — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 09:07:15 -0800

Is there a resource that lists and explains the various effects one can use to accessorized speech, such as altering pitch, speeding up, slowing down, etc.? As a director, I often have to help actors make vocal choices. My company regularly employs doubling -- that is using one actor to play multiple parts. So that the audience doesn't get confused, it's great if the actor makes each of his characters sound different.

Some actors are naturally gifted this way. Others need help.

Note: like most modern actors and directors, I take a psychological approach to character work. So I would never simply tell an actor something like "speak more quickly" or "raise your pitch." But once we've done the psychological work, it would be awesome to see an array of choices from which you could pick an appropriate set of effects.

The vocal instrument is flexible but not infinite. There are only so many things one can do while speaking: add gruffness/gravel, change the pitch, change the speed, change the degree of annunciation, try an accent, etc.

I would like a complete list. The perfect list would include effect, example (e.g. an actor who naturally talks with that effect, such as George C. Scott for gravel) and any hints/pitfalls to help create the effect without hurting your voice.

I have a bunch of Voice-For-The-Actor books, but none has the list I'm looking for. If such a list doesn't exist, maybe we could compile one together here.

Recommendations for wounded yet likeable men in books.

beautifulcheese — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:21:09 -0800

Book recommendations: Recently I have discovered that I really enjoy a certain type of flawed character in television shows. Think Gregory House on House or Dr. Cal Lightman on Lie to Me. Wounded inside with a tough smart exterior that push people away with sarcasm or slight jerkish behaviour. Help me find examples in literature so I can continue my current obsession when I shut the tv off. I'm not sure if I'm explaining exactly the type of character that I like but that is the closest that I can get to. I've read a previous thread about bad but good characters but it just referred to tv shows.

Any recommendations? Or a way to better word what character type I'm actually looking for to help me search would also be helpful.

My personality needs a review! It's getting out of control! Help please!

Vandal — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:18:03 -0800

I'm scared of what my personality is coming to be. I recently broke up with my wife that I love but had no passion (kissing) with (2.5 yrs). I feel like I've controlled her a lot, do not want her to express a lot of her own self because I am very meticulous and strategic about my words, how I talk, how I present myself, etc. I think that's the same thing that happened with my ex girlfriend of two years. They love me for who I am, I'm a fun loving guy, good looking, good personality, morals, understanding, extremely caring, etc, but I'm wayyy too much of a presence and seemingly controlling to my loved ones. My dad has been away from home for about 20 years seeing his kids and wife once or twice a year. He recently retired and is back with mom and my siblings (I'm away from them). My mom says he has been trying to take over on how the house is being run and is controlling her ways and words, and how she interacts with others, etc .. in turn driving my mom wild.

I'm an extrovert when I have to be, and I usually don't go out partying etc even though I'm in my late twenties, and very much involved with what I do. My mom was saying since my dad has been back, he hasn't gotten the want to step out of the house and go places, etc.

This is kind of scary as it looks like I'm turning into my dad and I'm seeing through my mom how bad it could get. I don't know what else I should say.. I am seriously getting scared that I will turn into something that I don't want to turn into. I need help and I don't know what to do to turn myself around.. but I think if I wait any longer, my personality would get hard coded and could never be changed, like my dad.

I also have this "I am right", and "Listen to me", attitude that my wife didn't like.

Do you know what I'm talking about? If yes, please help!

Fictional M to fictional F?

sively — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:27:32 -0800

Looking for fictional female characters originally written as men. I'm interested in fictional women in literature, cinema, comic books, TV etc., whose characters were originally meant to be men, but at some point during the creative process / production became female characters in stead. (Be it due to casting decisions, publisher's feedback, other external influence, writer's sudden eureka moments... Any reason at all.)

The only two examples coming to my mind are:
- Judi Dench as M
- Sigourney Weaver as Ripley (although according to Wikipedia, all the characters in Alien were originally written "unisex", and the producers decided to cast a woman)

Although "MTF" is my main interest, I'm also curious to hear about male characters originally intended to be women - if that ever happens - or other gender-bending changes during any stage of the process, for that matter. (Just to be sure: I don't mean stories such as Orlando, where gender change itself is part of the story line.)

Also, any suggestions for further reading, background or general articles related to this topic would be much appreciated.

People who enjoy deception: what kinds of things do they like to do?

charris5005 — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:55:34 -0800

For a person who enjoys deception, what are some games, sports, hobbies, or pastimes that they would be especially drawn to? This is for a fiction project. My character is an anti-hero whose central trait is enjoyment of deception. He works in a marketing field in which deception is a key to success. (Legal, mostly.) In his personal life he is flagrantly unfaithful to his SO, in large part because he enjoys the deception that is inherent in it. I want to flesh him out a bit more, so I'm throwing it to the hive mind: what are some other pastimes, hobbies, sports, games, etc. in which a key element is deception -- and/or where an ability to deceive is key to success? Thanks in advance.

Stupid Performance Face :\

divabat — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:16:03 -0800

Performers, presenters, actors, dancers, models, all related: How do you get over awkward facial expressions and not look stupid? I've been performing on and off but really only got into it this year. I've learnt a lot and have had many opportunities, but there's still something I need to work on: facial expressions.

I'm ok with being neutral, being defiant/angry, and with silly happy acting-type gestures; however, I'm doing a piece that starts off as being this cheesy Bettie Page "omg damsel in distress" thing and I can't seem to pull it off. I tend to focus more on my outfit/apparatus than on the audience, and my face just looks really really weird.

I've asked around and the main thing I hear is "practice" - is there anything in the specific I should practice on? I find it strange looking at my face in the mirror while performing. How else have you gotten over "urgh I look stupid"?

Lil Ms. Happy

MayNicholas — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 22:12:14 -0800

I am in search of a literary character... Here are the stats: Female, happy, feisty, very feminine, straight forward, unmarried in her 30's- and no shame in that position, no bitterness, genuinely happy for everyone else around her, socially not the norm but does not see that she is out of the norm, naively happy... does not have to be a classical character but must be a strong character. Thanks!

Writer needs to spend time with an Asperger's. In Belgium.

Baud — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:19:37 -0800

Writing an Asperger character : how can I get to know enough about Asperger's syndrom ? Please bear in mind that I live in Belgium. I'm in the research phase of a writing project. One of the characters must be an Asperger's. Now...

Research so far : I've read "I was born on a blue day" and "The curious incident of the dog". But words on a page are one thing, meeting a breathing person, getting to ask questions, discovering what kind of non-verbal language they is much more interesting to me.

Now, bearing in mind that I live in *Belgium* and that most of yo are living in US/Canada i.e. an ocean away from where I live, does the hive have generic advice on how to spend some social time with an Asperger ?

I don't want to betray the Asperger and I'm not centering the text around that characteristic. it's a narrative obligation that my character is an Asperger.

Oh, and if Barry - Rain Man - is lurking here, can he please direct-message me ? (I tried to contact him through Gersher agency's email address.
---
Standard MeFi caveat : english is not my mother tongue.

Help me with my lazy tuxedo costume

Stylus Happenstance — Sat, 16 May 2009 14:01:48 -0800

I'm supposed to dress as a movie character for an event. My lazy plan is to wear a tuxedo and say I'm James Bond. Who else can I be? I figure there must be many characters I can be with just a tuxedo, and I'd like to be able to tell different people different things when they ask me who I'm supposed to be. I'm tall and skinny with medium length brown hair, if it matters.

70s style character intro freeze-framey thingie?

drjimmy11 — Sat, 16 May 2009 13:32:24 -0800

70s style character intro freeze-framey thingie? I need some examples (ideally on Youtube) of a technique used in film to introduce characters. it's kind of like the intros from Trainspotting, where there's a freezeframe with the character's name printed on it.

Except that there's also colorization on the freezeframe. I'm thinking of this kind of 70s style where the background goes to a solid color, there's a thick, usually white border around the character, who himself stays in normal color (or is maybe colorized too). I want to say it's been used in martial arts films, but I could be off on that.

Does this make sense to anyone? I'm pretty sure this exists and I have not hallucinated it. Any links to video would be fantastic!

thanks!!

The Academy loves films like these

pseudostrabismus — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:49:22 -0800

Scene Suggestions Filter: Please suggest scenes from modern movies or plays, for two female characters, where one or both have an "impediment"- cognitive handicap, physical disability, or intoxication. More specifics included. Helping a friend find scenes for a Meisner acting class that's almost all females. She needs strong scenes from movies and plays that fit these criteria:

Scene is for two women
Age range for both women is 17-35
Language is modern English, not too period (1950s is probably as early as it can go, 70s-present is better)
Scene is important or climactic in the structure of the story
One or both women must have an "impediment" during the scene

(Disclaimer: "Impediment" is a politically incorrect term that lumps together a whole lot of unrelated things as a type of acting challenge. I apologize for its lumpiness: please don't derail the thread with a discussion of how it's not a great term. For what it's worth, I don't like it either, but it's the Meisner Technique term for a kind of practice has won a lot of actors a lot of Oscars, and I couldn't think of any succinct way to re-phrase it. Basically the idea is to give the actors something consistent and physical or verbal to research, then portray throughout the scene, and that interferes with the character's ability to get what they want. I really don't mean to offend anyone, and I apologize in advance for using a term that's making me cringe.)

The "impediment" can be:
A physical disability (ie, blindness or cerebral palsy)
A mental disability
A mental illness
Alcohol or drug intoxication

Good scenes for men include stuff from Rain Man or My Left Foot.
Can you think of any good scenes for two women?
So far we have The Miracle Worker and a few more.
Thanks in advance

Has there ever been video game characters in a theatre play ?

Baud — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 05:27:39 -0800

Has there ever been video game characters in a theatre play ? I'm nearing the completion of a stageplay. The characters are... characters of video games. Not copyrighted ones, I am not that stupid.

I am wondering : has another playwright gone down that road before ? Has there been video games (italian plumbers, etc.) in a theatre play ?

There has been video games adaptation for movies but on stage ?

(english is not my mother tongue so please forgive any mistakes I may have made).

Character design programs like in Rock Band?

agropyron — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 18:35:02 -0800

My favorite part of Rock Band is creating different characters and choosing crazy outfits, face paint, and tattoos. Are there any games that have very detailed character creation? How about any that focus solely on the character creation? HeroMachine is great too, and I'd enjoy seeing other tools like that But
I really want to find something with the animation and 3d graphics of Rock Band.

Also, I prefer things that run on Windows XP.

Thanks!

Welcome to L'Estaminet. You'd like a Duvel.. and spaghetti? But what's your name?!

theiconoclast31 — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:26:37 -0800

Which Belgian character orders spaghetti and a Duvel at L'Estaminet in Bruges? I was at L'Estaminet on my trip to Europe and met some locals. I'd just finished eating spaghetti and we started chatting. They mentioned a Belgian character (possibly a detective) who visits L'Estaminet to have spaghetti and a Duvel. And then they bought me a Duvel to complete the experience!

But I can't remember the name of the character for the life of me.

Philosophical film character

Hermit — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:03:45 -0800

I'm trying to remember a film I saw in which a character, possibly engaged in some form of criminal activity (though equally likely not), speaks only one sentence a day. This sentence tends to be aphoristic in nature. What is the film?

Looking for a compact Chinese character frequency chart with English pronunciation key for Cantonese.

querty — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:19:58 -0800

Looking for a compact Chinese character frequency chart with English pronunciation key for Cantonese. Just watched Tim Ferriss's presentation here: http://fora.tv/2008/12/12/Feel_Like_the_Incredible_Hulk_with_Tim_Ferriss.

He mentions that he used a most frequently used character chart while learning Japanese. The chart was fairly compact and was useful for traveling. I'm looking for something similar for Chinese but also needs English pronunciation key for Cantonese. Is there something like this I can buy/download? I've found most frequently used Chinese characters lists but they're in CSV files and don't have pronunciation keys or they're in Mandarin.

Real British voices?

laumry — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:52:17 -0800

Can anyone point me to a British equivalent of Studs Terkel's work? I am doing a course in creative writing in the UK at the moment. I find it very hard to develop unique, credible voices for different characters.

I strongly feel that I would benefit from reading monologues from the mouths of different real British people. I may well also benefit from hearing such monologues. I was wondering if anyone could point me to such a resource. Something like the stuff Studs Terkel did in "Working", but for British people.

Can anyone help? I would vastly prefer interviews with real British people, rather than examples of literary/fictional mastery of voice. I would also prefer these Brits to be talking in as close to a monologue as possible - an unobtrusive, or non-existent, interviewer. Finally, I also would like the source to cover a varied range of Brits (e.g. a wide diversity of race, class, sex, age, location, etc) as possible.

How do I get rid of just one character?

deezil — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 07:06:44 -0800

I need a way to remove one character from a fixed width file, and put a zero in another spot to compensate. How would I get this done? I've got this file, full of record sets like this: http://pastebin.ca/1253309

In the RDG record, you see the 0000017549 from positions 34-43. What I need is for the 9 to be removed, and a zero to be put in the front of the reading to look like 0000001754 . It's always going to be the 43rd character that is lost, and it's always going to be a zero to be put added in at position 34. Would the hive mind please help a person out?

And I spent $40 buying a new expansion. Sucks.

Phalene — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 08:59:10 -0800

How can I fix my broken computer game? I'm playing the Sims 2, and it hangs during the character creation process. The website's forum advice was essentially that my graphics card was causing the problem and to return my laptop if I could, but I'm surprised. My four year old Toshiba laptop never had this trouble, for all it started giving me dreaded 'Low memory' messages near the end. I have a brand new Gateway laptop. I have the Sims2, with expansions up to "Free Time". Whenever I finish creating a family it either hangs just when I'm done character creation (and click the checkmark), or during the loading screen after a new family is created.

I'm stressed because the whole reason I could be talked into buying this new laptop is because I was assured that things would run fine (by my boyfriend, who's generally computer savy). I can't tell if this is a broken game, or a bad graphics card. The problem also seems inherent in Sims2 itself (ie it cropped up when just played Sims2 sans expansions, and carried into the expansion packs).

Here's my specs:

------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 10/19/2008, 01:29:44
Machine name: LEMON-PC
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6001) Service Pack 1 (6001.vistasp1_gdr.080917-1612)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Gateway
System Model: MT6728
BIOS: Rev 1.0
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) Dual CPU T2330 @ 1.60GHz (2 CPUs), ~1.6GHz
Memory: 2038MB RAM
Page File: 1204MB used, 3112MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 10
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 6.00.6001.18000 32bit Unicode

------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.

--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D: 0/4 (retail)
DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (retail)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (retail)
DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow: 0/6 (retail)

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: Mobile Intel(R) 965 Express Chipset Family
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Chip type: Mobile Intel(R) 965 Express Chipset Family
DAC type: Internal
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2A02&SUBSYS_0368107B&REV_03
Display Memory: 358 MB
Dedicated Memory: 0 MB
Shared Memory: 358 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 800 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Generic PnP Monitor
Driver Name: igdumd32.dll
Driver Version: 7.14.0010.1437 (English)
DDI Version: 9Ex
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 2/11/2008 19:36:08, 3301376 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
WHQL Date Stamp:
Device Identifier: {D7B78E66-6942-11CF-5676-6223A2C2CA35}
Vendor ID: 0x8086
Device ID: 0x2A02
SubSys ID: 0x0368107B
Revision ID: 0x0003
Revision ID: 0x0003
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_A ModeMPEG2_C ModeWMV9_B ModeVC1_B

PS. *Sniffle-sniffle-sniff* Waaaah, I got these games 'specially mailed up as my care package from home and now my weekend is ruined. :(

Test My Mettle

kaizen — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:16:47 -0800

How can I test and build up my strength, tenacity, and courage. As far as I can see, there are limited opportunities to test my mettle in the corporate world ( besides calling out some a**hole in the boardroom ). I am looking for things to do that will put me to the test and see what I am made of. I am thinking along the lines of CrossFit, 'Man vs. Wild', high stakes negotiation, or skydiving. The only time I can really remember being tested was a fight in 10th grade and the hazing I went through in University. How can I earn a badge of honor when I spend most of my time in a cubicle. I would prefer answers that would not involve the risk of certain death, although I wouldn't mind getting the living sh*t scared out of me. I also wouldn't mind pushing my mind or body to the limit. I am willing to travel, spend money, bleed, and cry.

Say it aint so, C.G.: What kind of man was Jung?

bunky — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:57:17 -0800

I recently heard a rumor that Carl Gustav Jung would rape female patients and hypnotize them so they would have no memory of the attack. Is there any truth to this, or is this the sort of story professional rivals spread to discredit his ideas?

Jungian literary criticism

leibniz — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:49:45 -0800

Help me find examples of literary criticism adopting the Jungian idea that all the characters are aspects of the same person. I am researching character from the standpoint of analytic philosophy of mind/emotions and aesthetics of literature. I am interested in exploring the idea that every character in a book is really just different aspects of one person. I take this to be derived from Jung's claim that everyone in your dreams is really yourself. So first of all, can anyone point me to an exact reference to this idea (preferably accessible online). And if not in dreams, then in literature, or even in real social life? Related to this is of course the stuff about archetypes, but I consider that idea completely secondary to the first one about distributed identity and I am much less interested in it.

Second, I am interested in finding examples of literary/film criticism that use this basic assumption to analyse a work. I am personally applying it to the work of Herman Hesse (who was analysed by Jung and where the connection to his works has been made before). But can anyone provide references to scholarly articles that do this (again preferably accessible online)?

By the way, I don't know much about the literary criticism tradition, and am generally sceptical of their style, so tips regarding that are also welcome.

Who is the author of this quote?

Delfena — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:51:48 -0800

Help me identify the author of this quote: "It is not hatred that is wrong; it is hating the wrong thing that is wrong. It is not anger that is wrong; it is being angry at the wrong thing that is wrong. Tell me your hatred and I'll tell you your character." I've been stumped by someone in my house. :) Thanks!

Voices you either love or hate...

grumblebee — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 11:26:33 -0800

I like singers with strange voices. I don't like novelty songs (e.g. Betty Boop) and I don't like "songs" that are so avant-garde that they're basically noise (e.g. someone screaming into a microphone). So I'm not looking for strange music. I'm looking for traditional (melodic) music sung by singers with non-traditional singing voices. Examples of what I like: Joanna Newsom, Leon Redbone, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Elaine Stritch. This is obviously a matter of personal taste and interpretation, but I want to find singers with a lot of eccentric character -- not singers that are just putting on a weird act.

You have been weighed and found wanting. Really? Show me.

rubberfish — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:05:21 -0800

You have been weighed and found wanting. Really? Show me. I need an example in popular culture or film. I'm looking for an example in film of the concept of the whole of someone's life being weighed, and they are found insufficient. I'm not talking about a single bad act being exposed, but the whole of a life being exposed, and seen as "light" - or simply not enough.

I'd love to find something that can be illustrated in a single scene, not an entire film... any ideas?