Essays/Sections

From the beginning of January 2014 until the end of June 2014, we are challenging members to create sites to non-human characters! Robots, aliens, fairies, animals... Let your imagination go wild!
Destinie
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Essays/Sections

Post by Destinie »

Here's a thread for anyone who needs help brainstorming ideas for essays or sections for their shrines!

And I think I will start this off:

I am having a difficult time coming up with ideas for essays. I can do the usual: the story, origin analysis, etc. but this character is so minor (seriously, he only shows up in one film for about 10 minutes max) that I am having trouble thinking of what to do and we need at least 5 essays for the shrine. Ah! Does anyone have ideas for how to write about a minor character?
Todd
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Re: Essays/Sections

Post by Todd »

This is a great idea, Destinie! I definitely think we should utilize each other when we're working on our shrines!

As for your question:

Minor characters are tough. I had this struggle when I was working on my Casey Becker (from Scream) part of Breathe Drew. She was in the film for ten minutes before she died.

I literally dissected every minute she was in the film, and listened for her name even after she left the film (She was brought up twice after -- once when Sidney was staring at her empty desk in her English class, and another time when Stu let on that he dated her). From there I was able to gather information on relationships, the life she lead, and a possible reason she was chosen as a victim. It takes some stretching sometimes, but you can gather a lot of information from very little onscreen. What's important is to put "I think," or something similar to let readers know you're concluding information from facts on screen, and that it wasn't spelled out by writers or producers.

I also made an "exploration" section which is hugely opinionated. In it, I asked "what if?" and posted my thoughts on a couple things I was thinking about.

With movie sites, you'll probably want to make a page introducing the movie and character, and then you can do a page on the actor or voice actor (if your character has one), or on how he was made technically, as I know Godzilla for example was created for screen. That will help add some meat to your site.

Here are some questions that might help you gather some info: How did characters react to your character after he or she left the screen? What was fan/critic response to your character like? What would have happened if your character stayed longer, or didn't die (I assume your character died)?
Sarah
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Re: Essays/Sections

Post by Sarah »

Hm.. maybe you could talk about what impact he has on the story and/or other characters. And this might be along the same lines, but you could also discuss whether or not you think he was a memorable or important character despite his limited screentime.

That's all I can think of atm, sorry. D: I've never made a minor character site before so I don't have much experience in this arena. (It's certainly made me think, though, so if I do make one in the future, this will help!)
If you're interested in time travel, meet me last Thursday.
Destinie
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Re: Essays/Sections

Post by Destinie »

Ah, this is really great, thank you!

So from what you've both mentioned I think there's some extra topics I can come up with like:

- Reception of the character
- Memorability/what makes him stand out
- Behind the scenes of the character
I like the "What if?" scenarios so...that could be a good one! What if King Shisa didn't help Godzilla fight Mechagodzilla? What happened after Shisa went back to sleep in the mountain?

And he did have a tiny part in Godzilla: Final Wars. Wonder if I should include that? He also had comic book appearances but I haven't read all the comics so I can't speak to that part of the canon. ;o; But that might be something cool to write about.
Cherri
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Re: Essays/Sections

Post by Cherri »

Maybe is character design or his voice? Is he a puppet or cg? Just include every appearance the little guy has made and his role there. That should add some bits. Maybe the myotholgy behind Shisa and what he is.
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Mikari
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Re: Essays/Sections

Post by Mikari »

I get what you mean, and I went through it too. Boshi appears on one game, in an optional area, and has one event happen to him, but because he's not human that gave me something else to look at. If the creature is a fictional one you could explain what it is, and if it's based on something that exists you could talk about how it is similar or different to its real life version.
Destinie
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Re: Essays/Sections

Post by Destinie »

Hmm I just thought of something that might be interesting: an essay about what would that character be like if it was human. Would you still like the character? What impact would it have had as a human? Or maybe just a "gijinka" version. That might be fun to do. :P
dubiousdisc
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Re: Essays/Sections

Post by dubiousdisc »

One more idea: you could talk about what you think about the character and write theories/speculations about this character, if there are any.
Destinie
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Re: Essays/Sections

Post by Destinie »

I hope more people pop in if they need help coming up with ideas for essays. :P I started off with 3 ideas now I have 13...and growing :P
Cherri
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Re: Essays/Sections

Post by Cherri »

I guess since Destinie finished her turn, it's now mine. ^-^ I need help! I just realized I only have 3 articles for Pitch (Rise of the Guardians) when I need at least 5! I have mythology, role and past. I'm not sure what else to add. Can you all help me out?
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