Film Courage: What are the steps to developing and building a character?
Robert Rippberger, Filmmaker: The steps to developing and building a character I have found has evolved greatly for me but first it was to sort of tap into my own subconscious of just how do I see this person? I’m super visual and so if a character comes out I can see that person in all detail. It’s first to understand what that vision is and then second it’s to ask myself Who do I know in the real world that’s like this? To use that as a sort of reflection of what I see versus what’s in the real world. Then also to compare it to other movies How has a character like this shown up in other films and what’s worked and what hasn’t? Also to ask What is the role of this character in the story? It’s all of those but primarily it’s to draw it back to what reality is and not just reality, but also to put it in your own frame of mind is If I was in this position what would I do? Or if my very best friend who’s very akin to this character was in this situation what would they do? I’m also just a strong proponent of speaking to those people like if you have a character that’s a bit of a match with somebody, hanging out with them picking up on their eccentricities and the ways that they say things and maybe even calling them up and saying look If somebody said this to you what would your response be? You should get a release if you have them literally providing lines for your script but those types of things I found is that you just get so much nuance and unique dimension by following those steps that it’s something I try to always employ.
-Who do I know in the real world that’s like this?
-How has a character like this shown up in other films and what’s worked and what hasn’t?
–What is the role of this character in the story?
-If I was in this position what would I do?
–If somebody said this to you what would your response be?
Film Courage: Here’s what the screenwriter of Strive (Sha-Risse R. Smith) said about you I don’t know how it’s possible but physically and emotionally Robert understands what Kalani (the female protagonist in Strive) is going through and that is what’s important. Can you explain how you have empathy for characters?
Robert: In reading scripts I always ask myself is this a story that I know and what was ironic about Strive is that or I guess different about Strive is that it was set in Harlem and in a world that on the surface I shouldn’t understand and isn’t my story…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
Film Courage - Empowering Creatives 