"Write stories that feel like yours and feel close to you rather than trying to fill a hole in the industry."
Lena Dunham
Girls is a pretty fantastic show, the first season never had a dull moment and from the opening scene where Hannah's parents tell her they're going to cut her off, you knew this was a generational sitcom that was going to talk to a lot of twenty-somethings. Although season 2 felt like it wobbled a little with a few missteps I'm excited that it's back. Here writer, director and star, Lena Dunham talks about the creation of the show, about being open with her drafts, getting feedback from Executive Producers Jennifer Konner and Judd Apatow, and soundtracking her writing process.
So I have a flaw, big deal. Like Joey's constant knuckle cracking isn't annoying? Or Ross, with his over pronouncing every single world? And Monica with that snort when she laughs, I mean what the hell is that thing?
This fight between the Friends in season 1 is a great demonstration of individual character traits. The points Chandler makes at the beginning are the exact sorta thing you might write in your character's bios when you're first developing them. Here the writers get a lot of laughs out of the habits as each trait annoys or grosses-out another Friend. Chandler's habit of smoking, something he started after his parent's divorce when he was younger (also revealing some of his back story), is the catalyst for the argument which then reveals the other characters' annoying habits.
JOEY
Well, is it [his knuckle crackling] a little annoying, or is it like when Phoebe chews her hair?
Cut to Phoebe spitting out her hair.
Ross's character trait of over-enunciation also helps distinguish his character voice - Ross is well spoken, educated and articulate. This scene is from the very beginning of the series, the third episode of season 1, 'The One With the Thumb', and shows a crafty technique employed to help the audience get to know the characters. By making the traits annoying they provide excellent material for conflict, so while the characters bicker among each other the audience are learning about each of them and the writers are getting a plethora of great jokes.
ROSS
Don't listen to him [Joey], Phoebe, I think it's endearing.
JOEY
(mimicking Ross's over-pronunciation)
Oh, you do, do you.
Cut to Monica snort laughing.
Traits are an excellent way to make your characters feel authentic and three dimensional, and even more so when the trait is the manifestation of a flaw or insecurity. Check this scene from Guillermo Del Toro's debut feature 'Cronos' - skip to 1.50 if you're particularly impatient.
Ron Perlman's character wants a new nose, it's a quirky trait that's unexpected for the thuggish archetype he's playing, and therefore makes his character instantly more interesting, relatable and amusing. You don't have to like every character, but you do need to empathise with them on some level. Here, we can all relate to a physical insecurity or wanting to change something about our appearance. Don't overload your characters with traits, just pick one or two things they can do - a physical tick, such as Phoebe's hair chewing, or a pattern of speech, their snorting laugh, or the way they drink their coffee - and know where this trait comes from, to make your characters leap from the page and onto the screen.
Better late than never. As is evident from the list, I didn't go to the cinema enough last year and missed the likes of Captain Phillips, Stoker and Upstream Colour. I'd also liked to have caught Side Effects, Star Trek into Darkness, Mud and Elysium, although the latter's reviews were a bit disappointing.
1) Gravity
2) Much Ado About Nothing
3) Iron Man 3
4) Spring Breakers
5) Before Midnight
6) Django Unchained
7) The World's End
8) A Place Beyond the Pines
9) Life of Pi
10) This is the End
Other films that are worth mentioning - I didn't hate World War Z nearly as much as I thought I would, and thoroughly enjoyed the Evil Dead remake. Controversial perhaps, but the idea that they were staying at the cabin to help their friend come off smack or whatever, was an excellent plot device - they had to keep her there 'no matter what she said' and anything she did say (at least initially) could be written off as side effects from going cold turkey, rather then being raped by a tree and poisoned with a demonic being. Evidence that a remake with purpose and something new to say, is worth making.
