Author: Laurie Hutzler

Values at Stake – Film

The obstacles in a film or television series should create the kind of risk, peril or danger that pushes the character to take actions that define what is most fundamentally important or true in a character’s life.

Values at Stake – Televison

A character should be forced to make a stark, definitive and active choice. As one value is ultimately chosen, the character finally negates or surrenders the other contrasting value. What price is paid for the character’s choice?

The Invitation

When I was in my Master’s Program at the UCLA Film School I got a handout with a copy of a wonderful poem, A Passion for the Possible. For me, the poem definitively sums up what the audience is looking for in a character.

Emotional Status Quo

Too often characters seem to have emotional amnesia, especially when off stage for a couple of scenes. What’s a character’s emotional status quo? It’s the emotional temperature of the character when he or she enters a scene.

What Happens in Vegas

This film is a high-spirited Romantic Comedy romp that is a really enjoyable surprise. It has its flaws, particularly in its rather pat ending is well worth seeing.

Loss and Grief

Whenever a character is disappointed, rejected, humiliated or spurned (or has a set-back of any kind), he or she experiences a loss. The question is, how does experiencing this loss reveal character? The loss and grief cycle includes these character revealing steps.

John McCain – Power of Idealism

In watching the grand drama of the American election play out, it’s interesting to look at the candidates’ Character Type. John McCain is a classic Power of Idealism character.