It’s Personal

The kind of connection we want between a character and a guest is a personal give and take. A two-way interaction.

In the example in last blog entry, we got where the guest makes an emotional connection with the dinosaur. That’s one half of our interaction.

Imagine, now, the character incorporates the natural human cues from the guest, then adapts what happens next to honor those cues. In other words, the character pursues their goals while acknowledging those very personal feelings.

And… there’s the missing half of the give and take.

Simple examples from the dinosaur:

• A cocky guest blusters towards the dinosaur. The dinosaur gives room, letting the guest have their moment. We can see the dinosaur is watching the moment develop, weighing her options. Once the guest is not paying attention, she roars to test the guest.
• A child comes forward slowly, not looking at the dinosaur, clearly not convinced this is a good thing to do. The dinosaur leans back to take it all in, tipping her head, then gently comes forward leading with her cheek.
• Another guests steps up quickly, facing the dinosaur. The dinosaur lowers her head, showing acceptance of the guest as an Alpha.
• Another guest steps up quickly, facing the dinosaur. She raises her head, cocks it at the guest and then barks out a hunting call to gather the rest of her sisters to enjoy the meal standing in front of her.

The guests are free to respond to the character’s new offer. At the end of each example, imagine all the things the guest could do next. The give and take continues with life and authenticity.

Another cool thing is the dinosaur isn’t going for a ‘punch line.’ She is in the moment, just making the next move.

Notice, too, that she is not locked into stock reactions based on a description of the character. She isn’t just mean, dangerous or aggressive. She is free to behave any way she needs to get what she wants.

While these are simple examples of this approach, a personal give and take can be very subtitle and sophisticated.

And nowhere else will the guest have such a unique, individualized experience, in an imagined world, with this particular character.

That is when jaws drop, eyes get big and people remember you forever. 

Next Up: Adapt. Pivot. Spin.