On Monday the 29th of October, a few of my friends, along with a group of 19 (including me and said friends) year 7 to 10s, and I got the opportunity to attend a two-hour workshop right in our own learning commons, run by the New Zealand author, Bill Nageikerke.
We first began with talking about the basics of a character, such as what characters are, and the difference between stereotypes (they way we expect characters to be) and archetypes (moulds of original things). We then went on to talk about key qualities. Such as qualities we believed to see in the different stereotypes and archetypes. A little bit of advice Bill gave up was to switch up characteristics from expectations, giving characters something unique.
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| Thank you to Mrs Richardson for making a digital photo of these |
The next topic to be brought up was story patterns. Bill talked to us about the three main types of story patterns, using helpful diagrams to further explain. The first of the three diagrams is the romantic/partner/codependent based pattern, this is where two characters meet and face obstacles together. Bill used Romeo and Juliet as an example and you could practically see my ears perk up. The next is the stranger in a close circle pattern, this is where a foreign person or object is placed in a foreign environment to see what happens. The final is the hero/quest pattern, this one is where a hero/es sets out on a quest and faces obstacles along the way.
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Excuse my horrible handwriting, they do say
people with messy handwriting are more
creative ;) |
(A few of my notes from that section, if
you'd like to try and figure out what
<-- they actually say)
Afterwards, he talked to us about things such as writing in isolation, as most authors do, before sending us off on our own to complete a short, 5 minute, writing task. The task was to choose a few key qualities about ourselves, about two or three, then write a paragraph or so where you are putting a character into a situation where these qualities are being contradicted, creating tension. For example, I chose the following qualities about myself: Codependent, scared/anxious easily, socially awkward/introverted. I somehow managed to lean towards my more... negative qualities for some odd reason. With this information in mind, I managed to create a short paragraph about a character who ends up being trapped, alone, in an unfamiliar place.
"Where the hell am I? Have I been here before? How did I get here? Who are these people? Stuck in a sea of unfamiliar faces, no exit in sight. I still need to figure out where I am, for crying out loud! I can feel anxiety bubbling in my chest as I wander these strange streets."
With this paragraph written, we were then tasked to describe said character with one of the following; a t-shirt slogan (which I opted not to do), a headstone sentence, or a few words. I went with the last two, ending up with overthinker, quiet, background, introvert, daydreamer, dork and We always knew she'd rather be in the clouds. I'll be honest, I did not expect the headstone to be as dark as it was...
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| Hey, look, some actually decent handwriting |
After a short break, we were back and revving to go. I will say, during this break, I took the time to take the tight description activity and apply it to a few of my own characters (as seen above). Anyway, back on topic, we then began the topic of writing is creating an illusion, and creating a character is not creating an actual human being but creating an illusion of one. From there we went onto significant objects and how most people have an object that is... well... significant to them. This brings us to our third (and final) task. In pairs, we were each given a card with an item on the front and questions on the back. Our task was to answer the questions using the item and a made up character. Jessica and I got a saddle.
The following is what I wrote:
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| More terrible handwriting that even I can barely read, yay! |
Who is your main character?
Brooke (I have no idea what that says, jeez, my handwriting is that bad...)
Where does it (the story) take place
Rural village
What does your main character have to do with the object?
She's a horse rider from birth, it's one of the things that calms her down/doesn't freak her the f**k out
Who else comes in contact with the object? A rival/antagonist
Finally, Bill went through different writing tips, such as putting a character through a change to keep the readers interested (character development), choosing names with purpose (thematic, names with meaning etc.), the voice the story is written in (First person for a personal feel, third for a more distant approach), the tense it's written in (past, present, future), have empathy with your characters (Believe in them, make sure people like them), having chain reactions in your story (things that happen because of other things, moving the plot), showing rather than telling (show the person, through writing, what a situation is like rather than tell them), and getting rid of any padding in a story (Making sure everything in your story is actually needed to advance the plot, if it isn't, scrap it).
And that brings us to the end of the workshop. It was an amazing experience with a lot of useful information. Though we did have a few activities that I thoroughly enjoyed, I wish it was a little more hands-on in a more writing kind of way. I'd like to quickly thank Bill Nageikerke for coming down to Hornby High and taking time to teach us a few things! I hope you take something from this post, even if it wasn't much!
Finally, Bill went through different writing tips, such as putting a character through a change to keep the readers interested (character development), choosing names with purpose (thematic, names with meaning etc.), the voice the story is written in (First person for a personal feel, third for a more distant approach), the tense it's written in (past, present, future), have empathy with your characters (Believe in them, make sure people like them), having chain reactions in your story (things that happen because of other things, moving the plot), showing rather than telling (show the person, through writing, what a situation is like rather than tell them), and getting rid of any padding in a story (Making sure everything in your story is actually needed to advance the plot, if it isn't, scrap it).
Cell Membrane
Cytoplasm is referring to the liquid that fills a cell. The fluid has been said to be nothing like any other liquid in the 'physical world' as said liquids usually only contain a few solutes in a mostly water solution (a.k.a an aqueous environment) while cytoplasm is a lot more complex and crowded. It contains a wide range of particles from ions and small molecules to proteins. Other than being a site for enzymatic reactions and metabolic activity, cytoplasm plays a role in organising the locations of the organelles inside of the cell.
The cell nucleus is a large organelle that protects the majority of DNA inside of each cell. While some DNA is inside other organelles, such as mitochondria, most of it is inside of the cell's nucleus. Said DNA contains the information needed to produce most of the proteins that are necessary for keeping the cell functioning. Other than protecting DNA, the nucleus produces the needed precursors (a single compound that participates in a chemical reaction that creates another compound) for protein synthesis. 
Cell Walls
Chloroplast
Close ups are used both frequently and effective throughout Dragonheart. This is demonstrated at the beginning of the film when Bowen has caught Einon by the throat with his sword outside of the castle. This scene shows the current relationship between the two characters, a teacher and his student. We can interpret that this was done to introduce us to these characters, who end up being apart of the main story, and their backgrounds together. When combined with an appropriate use of a close up, joking dialogue between the pair, joyful music, and later scenes where one or the other betrays or goes against the other, the audience can begin to get a good sense of betrayal and feeling between these two characters who were seemingly good acquaintances throughout the film.
Appearing quite routinely in film, medium shots are decently common and methodical camera shot in Dragonheart. For instance, after Einon almost had a man’s eyes burnt out, Bowen comes in, frees the man and pins him to the ground and borderline lecturing him, resulting in a close up of Bowen staring almost threateningly into Einon’s eyes. Bowen talks about how no man nor woman is above the ‘Old Code,’ especially the king, rejoicing against Einon’s snarky comment of “The king is above the code!” The scene, paired with dramatic music, switching shots, and great use of dialogue, shows us, as the audience, how much Bowen truly cares about Einon, the code, and his reign as king. Bowen tends to come across as a father figure for Einon in this scene, further strengthening our understanding of their relationship. This concept pairs well with later scenes, bringing out the strength in the feeling of betrayal later in the film.
Close-ups, used frequently in Dragonheart and many other films, are an efficient way to show the emotion of a character in any given scene, whether it be an upsetting or happy moment. An example of this would be a scene at the end of Dragonheart. In this scene, both Einon and Draco have died and Bowen is watching as Draco’s soul becomes a constellation in the night sky. The look on his face is content, perhaps even prideful, truly showing the audience the strong that had formed between Draco and Bowen through the film. This was done to give the film a strong, happy ending, showing us that good has one once again. When combined with a great use of close-ups, serene yet somewhat dramatic music, and little to none dialogue, the scene really draws us in and gives us that full feeling the ending of a film should give you, leaving us as the viewer feeling content ourselves. This reminds me a lot of other films where the endings are similar, ones that leave the viewer wanting more but not so much it ruins the ending.
Throughout Dragonheart, close-ups
To begin, we have the glorified point of view. On this side of the story, people believe the story makes suicide a romantic notion. One that can be taken if it is for the sake of love. People can see this act as one that says, Romeo and Juliet are so in love that when one sees the other dead they can not bear to live without them, therefore they take their own life. This can be seen by some as a last resort, desperate act of love. While this was my thought when first reading and hearing this story, it isn't exactly the... whole picture. To be fair, how the story is focused does certainly encourage this to be the first thought, especially if you bring the movie adaption into it. 
