CHARACTER ("TAYLOR FULLMAN") - 2/15/23

       One of the things that I was most excited to research and create in this project was my one and only character. As I was researching, I came across something called a character profile, which I'd never heard of. these profiles usually apply to books, but I wanted to see if they could apply to films too, which they did. The first step the website talked about was about figuring out what kind of person the character is, before planning how they look. By figuring out their personality, you figure out what kind of lifestyle caters to them; and in return, it's much easier to dress them and cast them. The name of the character is also very important. For example, if the character is from a specific place in the world, you would want to use a more common name from that place. The age of the character is also important, that's another way to figure out the target audience. This age will affect the character's mannerisms and the way in which they speak. Are they more formal? Do they use more slang? Do they have perfect speech? What about a speech impediment? How about their level of education? All of these questions also help with the next step of creating the character. The character's appearance should be a somewhat exaggerated version of how they act. For example, someone who acts lazy would look extremely lazy: messy hair, pajamas, etc. Although the character profile is used for books and storytelling, I found it interesting to try and apply it to my film opening!

     Now that I have a general idea of what I want my setting to look like, it's important that I design a character that fits it. I created a board out of photos I found on Pinterest which shows a basic overview of what I want this character to look like. I named her Taylor Fullman, which would appear to most as a basic common name, as she is supposed to be "just another student." Taylor will be the only character shown in this film opening, so she's the only one I'll be focusing on in this project. Taylor is a bit of a reflection on me, she's "what [I] know," as my teacher, Mrs. Stoklosa would say to do. I created a character board that helps me collect my ideas in a visual orderly manner.

Taylor Fullman Character Board

On this board, we see that Taylor has a very messy room and an overall messy look to her. She wears baggy clothes and has messy hair. I intend to play the role of Taylor Fullman, as she is supposed to mirror how I feel and how I act. 

Taylor Facts - 

• 16 years old
• Blonde
• Pale skin tone
• About 5'8
• Overlooked
• Burnt out
• Most of her time is taken up by her studies 

Hair - Taylor will begin the movie with her blonde hair down in a straight nicely combed style, but as the 2 minutes pass by we will see her hair go up into a bun and become messier and messier. 

 

Outfit - Taylor will have a sweatshirt and sweatpants on which are her normal everyday clothes. This outfit gives off the lazy teenager vibe which everyone assumes of teenagers; when in reality Taylor is a hard worker.   

Bianca Piper (The Duff)

      While researching different teenage characters, the one that I felt Taylor would relate to the most was Bianca Piper (Mae Whitman) from The Duff. Bianca is always overlooked as a girl based on the way she looks and Taylor is overlooked as a student based on the way she carries herself and how she makes her surroundings look. Bianca and Taylor dress like the average teenage girl and are treated as nothing more than the average teenage girl. Although their stories and looks may not completely match up or look the same, I think that their overall overlooked vibes do. 

The Duff (2015)

Group Work Update

As I said in my previous posts, I was having an issue deciding if I'm going to work in a group or not. Well, I have made my decision! I am going to work alone. I don't know necessarily if that's the best idea, but I'm sticking with it. It's the better plan. I only have to work for myself on my own time, nobody else changes up the plans without telling me. I hope this plan works out for me and I'll update you on how it goes soon...

Sources:

Yen, Cabag. “How to Create a Character Profile: Complete Guide with Template.” TCK Publishing, 10 Aug. 2021, https://www.tckpublishing.com/character-profile/.

I'll talk to you guys later! Signing off

- Amanda Margulies :)