WRITERS PREFERENCE℠
Good writers are good story-tellers. The paradox is that film is a visual medium. Though I understand the effect that technological advances and the digital revolution have had on the look of film, I still agree with Shakespeare that plot is paramount and it must flow through character motivation. After years of studying and teaching acting, I felt a growing disconnect between the written word and the actor's performance. I wondered if there weren't a more specific approach to creating character. In 1998, I was introduced to a scientific behavioral technology designed to maximize employee performance and used by many major corporations called The Herrmann International (HBDI) Brain Dominance Model (the “Model"). It was created to help corporations hire and place employees where their particular personal “preference” of styles and skills would be best utilized. The Model sets forth four quadrants of an individual’s “preferences” and decision- making processes. These include their emotional, interpersonal responses (RED), how logical, analytical they are (BLUE), whether they are very organized, detail-oriented (GREEN) or if they are highly intuitive, artistic (YELLOW). Companies like Microsoft and JPMorgan, among others, quickly realized that placing employees in positions that made best use of their "preference" would maximize communication and increase productivity.
Learning that science could categorize and quantify human response was an inspiration, so I adapted the Model and tailored it to actors. Knowing how a character responds to the page or direction is one thing; knowing WHY a person responds the way he does, and being able to predict how the character should respond in a given situation was a breakthrough both for me as a teacher and for my students. In response to the rapid increase of their knowledge of character and improved system, I took the next step in adapting the Model. In 2002, I collaborated with Syd Field to create an introductory workshop for writers, and in 2006, I created an entirely new workshop based on the Model but incorporating much more of my own teaching style and experience. It is called Writers Preference℠ and is designed for all levels of writers.
Writers Preference℠ is an advanced approach to character development. It is not a workshop to teach the basics of writing a screenplay or scene. The workshop focuses on building hyper-real characters based on the preferences the writer has chosen for that character and on all of the elements (speech, job, body language, reactions, behavior when in conflict) that naturally go along with that character. The participants learn how to write “triggers” based on the character’s preference. This, in turn, also helps an author know when it is best to write against "type."
The workshop also offers an introductory lesson in Destructive Preference, an approach based on the dark-side of a character and how that character feels and acts when in turmoil. This system enables the writer to understand the entire pathology of his characters in each of the four quadrants and gives them an advantage in writing complete, complex, unique characters which, at its core, is what drives filmic-storytelling. The writer will get an overview about creating a villain with whom the audience can identify and sympathize or writing a madman so intriguing that, while the audience may despise him, they cannot help but be drawn to him. The workshop teaches the writer to dissect the writing from every possible angle, allowing the writer's unique voice to be heard, and, ultimately, allowing the screenplay to stand on its own. Below are some of the topics covered in the full writing workshop:
1. Four Quadrant Brainstorming
Learn to brainstorm using all styles of the preference model. Whether a writer’s brainstorming preference style is analytical, sequential, stream of consciousness, or personal experience, they will be able to use the four quadrants of preference to develop limitless, intriguing ideas and appeal to a broader audience. It will allow them to look outside of their own natural preference and to use the tools from all four quadrants to create a stronger structure for their story.
2. Creating Distinct Characters and Dialogue in Preference
Most writers impose their own preferences on characters without even knowing it, and this results in characters that sound the same. This lesson is a "wake-up call" that will help an author write preference-specific dialogue and create complex, differentiated characters. Behavior and reactions become appropriate to the character's preference, not the writer’s. One will learn the advantage of creating characters in opposite-preference to expand dramatic potential or simply to make a scene funnier.
3. How to Pitch and Market by Mirroring the Preference of Others
What is the key to successfully pitching a script and marketing a writer’s skills? Making a connection! By understanding the preference model, the writer will be able to identify the preference of the audience they are pitching to. They will learn to stay true to themselves while making specific adjustments "on-the-fly" to mirror and communicate in the preference of the person across the desk. They will have a whole opportunity to have their ideas heard and truly understood.
4. Writing the Scene in Preference
The writer will learn to give characters unique qualities (language, behavior, emotional expression, subtext) in their own preference and to understand how to visualize and connect the beats of the scene in a logical manner whether writing in a linear or non-linear style. They will learn to be specific with the purpose and determine if the scene is better served in a particular preference in order to enhance the comedy or drama.
5. How to Take Conflict to the Next Level using Preference
The workshop will teach the writer to heighten conflict and write specific dialogue based on each character's opposite preferences. This will create miscommunication and dramatic tension by using opposing viewpoints. Characters will achieve more depth as their pathology is explored, and tension in the script will be heightened by putting them out of alignment with their preference. Arc will be created by giving them a chance to be in a life-altering event.
6. Rewriting and Handling Feedback in Preference
Each writer’s personal preference dictates how they actually write each character, but it also influences how the writer processes what they hear and feel. They will learn to filter the natural responses of their own preferences so that feedback can be accepted and used constructively and not personally. They will learn how others’ preferences cause them to react and express themselves so that they can clearly understand notes and effectively process and implement the feedback.
7. Writing the Destructive Preference of the Character
Once the writer picks the preference(s) of the character (keeping in mind that most characters have a primary quadrant and a secondary quadrant), the way their pathology manifests itself internally (hatred, low self-esteem, etc.) and externally (addiction, abuse, etc.) will become apparent. Destructive Preference℠ will teach where these behaviors fall in the different quadrants so that they can be applied appropriately based on the specific character and their specific circumstances.
Writers will learn how a character’s destructive side is triggered and the extent to which even a small trigger can bring out the most pathological side of that character. To illustrate this point, for example, in the film American Psycho, Christian Bale's Patrick Bateman pathology is triggered in the board meeting simply by discovering that Paul Allen’s businesscard is superior to his own. That trigger leads him to kill Allen that night. The method of the killing was created within the character's detailed preference; the raincoat, the newspapers on the floor, his quality of talking and dancing to Huey Lewis are all indicative of his preferences. Bale, through the writer, and with the director's assistance, gives the audience the opportunity to see how Bateman really felt when he killed Paul Allen, and we see the character's pathology played out in a creative way.
If you want to take your script from frustration to inspiration and to create stronger, more three-dimensional characters to have your script stand out from the rest contact us at info@pierodusa.com
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