Research Micro-Project - Piece

For this project I have decided to look at the book Creating Characters by Marisa D'Vari. In particular I looked at chapter 2, entitled "Maximising Conflict Through Personality Types".
This chapter looks at classic films and analyses character dynamics and relationships via personality types by using the More-Personality system. The More-Personality system hypothesis that there are four specific character types which are built from several different characteristics:

• The Mover - This person is brash, result driven, fast moving and thinking. 
• The Observer - This person is factual, insecure, and focused on details.
• The Relater - This person encourages and motivates others.
• The Energizer - This person is a storyteller, who is confident and likeable.

By looking at these character types, the book offers up the idea that we can look at why natural conflicts arise when different personality types such as these clash. In this way we can understand why characters act in a certain way and relate to them better in stories.

The chapter looks at different films, such as the 1974 movie Chinatown, with Jack Nicholson and the relationship between Nicholson's character and Faye Dunaway's character, Evelyn Cross Mulwray. The chapter also looks at how romantic plots in films can be more believable when looking at characters through the More-Personality profile.

I chose this text in particular as I enjoy creating my own stories, by working either on different small scripts of scenes or short stories, or just planning characters and their relationships to use in my work at some point down the road. What drew me to this book was a desire to improve my own characters and how they interact others, as well as just looking for pointers. By looking at this piece and the More-Personality profile I have learnt about specific character traits and their roles within narrative, which I can use myself in the future.