Here’s a non-human character that couldn’t speak and still pulled guests into her world. I worked regularly with a large dinosaur that would appear in the park. We wanted her to feel as real as possible. The tone surrounding her is this is a real event, with a real animal. Any suggestion of performance isContinue reading “A Real World Example”
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Recover A Scared Kid
A quick tangent. As I was writing, I traced these interactive character ideas back to the one standing rule, “Do whatever it takes to Recover A Scared Kid”. When a character unintentionally scares a kid, performers usually do one of three things: Fumble around until someone moves the sobbing kid away and the meet andContinue reading “Recover A Scared Kid”
What You Observe – Apply The Why
Let’s review. As humans we have very sophisticated programming to be social – to interact. At the beginning of every interaction you have two choices. Keep your attention on yourself or place your focus on the other person. If you focus on yourself, you become self-conscious and introspective. You miss the cues those other humansContinue reading “What You Observe – Apply The Why”
A Connections Is Made – Use Your Lifetime of Experience
As humans, we are always sending out information about the way we feel and what we are thinking. We are instinctively trained to receive these cues and react – based on that information and what you want to accomplish. Simply giving those cues value and allowing them to affect you creates a genuine connection. SendingContinue reading “A Connections Is Made – Use Your Lifetime of Experience”
How Connections Are Made – First Step
You are wearing a character costume in an immersive environment. You’re staged in one place and there is a queue of guest waiting to meet you. Your job is to connect and have a fantastic interaction with every guest. The most fundamental way to connect with another person is to share eye contact with them.Continue reading “How Connections Are Made – First Step”
Connections
We are created with a deep, instinctive drive to belong, to love and to be loved. Connecting is a fundamental human need. It is so ingrained in us, we make the decision to like or reject someone in a matter of seconds. It’s a survival mechanism. We are hardwired to do that. To our instincts,Continue reading “Connections”
Connections and Interactions Create Relationships
There are two kinds of performers in a theme park. Those who entertain and those who connect and interact. Two separate approaches to the work. Each one has it’s place – when applied in the right situation. I’m writing about working inside an immersive environment, one on one, with a visitor. Immersion in the storyContinue reading “Connections and Interactions Create Relationships”
A Little History
Defining The Why is your key to creating a full character. The work to build a full character is one half of the job. The other half, in interactive entertainment, is connecting the character with visitors. Before I get into connecting, a little flashback on how these ideas came into being. I was responsible toContinue reading “A Little History”
Stay Away From The Feels. Take Action.
If the Goal is the heart of a character, Action is the blood. Without Action, nothing works. Actions are all the things characters do to get what they want. Characters choose different actions in response to different conditions. Feelings really don’t have that much to do with it. A performer with a new character willContinue reading “Stay Away From The Feels. Take Action.”
The Why Part Three – Why Am I Asking Why?
Get the answer to The Why question and you will have the goal that your character is driven to accomplish. You will have Why your character is in this place, at this time. And Why the character does what they’re doing right now, at this very moment. You’ve got the heart of the character asContinue reading “The Why Part Three – Why Am I Asking Why?”
Interactive Characters 