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Episode 35

Four Ways to Give your Characters a Clear Point of View

In this episode, I'm really getting into what I believe is the most important element for creating a compelling character: their point of view. I’ve found that the most interesting thing about a character isn't what they do, but why they do it. A strong, consistent POV is the lens through which your character sees the world, and it’s what separates a memorable performance from a flat cliche.

First, I'll give you a clear definition of what a point of view actually is (like, more than just an opinion). Then, I'll walk you through four distinct methods to help you build and establish strong POVs in your own scene work. We'll cover how to use emotion, observation, and justification to inform your characters.

Last up... I'll share something that ties it all together, that'll help you build a rich inner life for your character without ever needing to do a boring monologue about their backstory. I'll provide practice exercises for each method that you can use with a group or even on your own. Because I'm a fan of the solo improvs!



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Transcript

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So the most interesting thing about your improv character

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isn't what they do.

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It's why they do it.

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We spend a lot of time trying to come up

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with actions that make people laugh or really clever lines.

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But the most important thing to create characters

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that an audience really connects with,

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the ones that are believable and memorable,

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lie in the concept of point of view.

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A character's point of view or their POV

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is a lens through which they see the world.

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It's their unique filter of beliefs,

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of emotions, of experiences.

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And it's the most important element

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to create a character that feels real.

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It's what separates some kind of cliche

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from a believable and compelling human being,

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even if that human being is acting kind of unusual and wild

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on stage.

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So today, you're going to learn exactly what point of view is

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and why it's so important for grounding your scenes.

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And I'll give you four distinct methods,

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each with its own practice exercise

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that you can do with a group or on your own

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to start building strong and consistent POVs

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in your own performances.

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Hi, I'm Jen DeHaan, and this is Your Improv Brain.

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I'm an improviser who creates and produces podcasts,

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including improvised ones at StereoForest.

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I've also taught and coached improv

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at a few different theaters, and I

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love sharing what I've learned and continue

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to figure out about how our brains do this thing we love

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called improv.

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Because you probably love doing improv, too,

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if you're here listening to me right now, I guess.

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And as we go through this episode,

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a big question might come up.

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How do you build a holistic character in a world

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without doing some boring monologue about their

backstory?

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But stay listening to this episode

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because I'll get to that fourth method.

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And that's where I'll explain a simple mental tool that

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can help you do just that very thing.

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And it's something that you can start using the very next

time

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that you improvise.

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Now, before we get into the how for giving your character

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a point of view, let's first have a clear definition

explained

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of what this POV thing actually is.

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So you have a solid foundation to build on today.

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And it's much more than just an opinion that your character

has.

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So what is point of view for an improv or a scripted character

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that you want to create?

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It refers to that character's perspective.

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Their personal philosophy, their system of beliefs,

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and how they filter emotions.

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The POV is their internal operating system

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that determines how they see and react to the world

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that you build in the scene, in the set, or in the script.

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Now, the POV also includes the character's wants, their

needs,

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and their own personal logic, whether it's

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unusual or if it's grounded.

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It makes that character make sense,

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even if for when they might be illogical.

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And it can also involve their lived experience,

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even though we might not build that out completely in a

scene.

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For example, you don't want to say,

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need a monologue about your character's entire backstory

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to establish their POV.

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But the fact that they say once rehabilitated feral dogs

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in rural Manitoba might be a very relevant detail,

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or even maybe a short monologue, if it's

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called for, to share when, say, their training

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elephants to swim in a lake.

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That might actually come up in a scene.

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So basically, you only share what the audience needs

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for context.

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Everything your character says and does

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is filtered through the lens of that POV.

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It affects the game of the scene.

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It determines whether you're playing a more, say, grounded

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character or an unusual character

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with their own strange logic.

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That's how you get it in there.

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And this is important because it makes your characters

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and their relationships go from being, say, lifeless and

drab

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or cliche to being really relatable and believable.

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And people can get invested into that character.

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You can get invested into that character.

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It also helps ground a scene or ground the world.

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And once you establish it, it's important that you be

consistent.

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So your audience and you are more invested in that character

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because it has a clear and understandable POV.

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Now, they don't have to agree with it.

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And they don't have to have had those same experiences.

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But they need to recognize it as realistic for that person,

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the character that you're creating.

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So now that we know what it is and why it's important,

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let's look at the first of our four methods

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for establishing POV in a scene.

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So this first one starts with the most fundamental part

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of being human.

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The first way to establish POV is through emotion.

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So how your character feels about things

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is a clear and immediate indicator

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for what their perspective is.

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So a strong and clear emotional reaction

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is a fast way to tell your audience who this person is.

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And the audience has to be able to see it,

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this emotion, not just hear about it,

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to make it really believable.

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So practicing expressing clear and sometimes even

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extreme emotions can be a really big help

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in establishing your character's POV.

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And the key thing to remember is that consistency.

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If your character is, say, terrified of mice

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in the first minute, they should still

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be terrified of mice 10 minutes later,

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unless something happens in the scene to change that POV.

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So here's an exercise to practice this.

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So two players are up.

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Player one gives that initiation.

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Player two reacts to that initiation

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with a huge emotional reaction.

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It can be a sound like a gasp or a sob

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or a single emotionally charged line.

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The key is that it has to be significantly oversized

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for this one response, at least.

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Then line three and onwards, just see where the scene goes.

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Play that scene out.

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Remember that this oversized emotion in line two

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is just for practice.

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You can dial back these kinds of emotions for performances

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to whatever feels right for the scene.

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But for this exercise, you learn that you can react to a line

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or to a choice from a place of strong feeling.

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And you get to practice huge emotions safely in a class

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or with a coach, which is pretty great.

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Now, before we move on to the next method, which

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focuses on listening, let's be clear why emotion is so

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effective.

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An emotional reaction is a choice that instantly defines

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how your character relates to the world,

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giving you this really strong foundation for every choice

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that then follows.

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Now, let's look at how to build that foundation

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through careful observation.

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So the second method is through observation and listening.

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A person's wants, their needs, and their experiences

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all influence their POV.

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You can build a character's POV by carefully observing

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what your scene partner gives you and use that to inform

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your own character.

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So to practice this, you can make a simple checklist of

things

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you want to observe about a character.

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It could be just a few things like figuring out,

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what do they want?

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Or what are they afraid of?

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Or even what do they think about family or crowded spaces

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or nature or the gym and so on?

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So start using this checklist on people

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that you know are fictional characters in shows and books.

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Like, what do you know about their POV

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and what don't you know?

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And for the things that you don't know,

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how could you find them out in a scene?

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What would you ask them to further define their

perspective?

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You might do this internally for your own character.

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What connections can you make?

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So that's a solo exercise that you can do to practice this.

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For a scene work-based practice, you

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can do an exercise that I like to call, What's Your Deal?

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In a two-player scene, each player

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decides on their character's deal

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before the scene begins or the coach can give them one.

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It can be a simple archetype, even a cliche to explore,

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like Sharon is a know-it-all about fine wine.

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And the coach can give a setup for these two character

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archetypes that allows them to explore and perhaps even

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challenge their individual POVs.

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This kind of focus practice is so very important.

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Now, if you're finding this episode useful,

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do me a favor and subscribe to the improv update newsletter.

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I send out improv resources, including downloads

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and neurodivergent perspectives on improv

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that you will not find anywhere else other

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than that newsletter.

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Now, before we get to our next method, which

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is all about justification, think about how observation

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and emotion work together.

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Your emotional reaction gives you a starting point,

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and your observation of your partner

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gives you something to react to.

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And together, emotion and observation

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create a dynamic in the relationship and the scene.

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So now, let's add the logic that holds it all together.

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So the third method for establishing POV

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is through justification.

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Why did your character do something?

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Why did something happen in the scene?

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And when you answer these kind of questions

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as a justification within the scene, for example,

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you do something unusual, and then you

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give the reason why you did that unusual thing,

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that information that you put in there

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often becomes a core part of your character's point of view.

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But remember, however you justify has

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to make sense for the character and the scene.

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And also remember, you don't need to justify everything

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that comes up, even as fun as that might be for some of us.

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Justify enough so the audience knows

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what they need to know about your character,

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and they can infer the rest.

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Now, one of the simplest justification exercises,

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this is really more of a warm-up,

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involves one player making a statement, something

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that needs a justification, which is then done by player

two.

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So player one could pose it as a question,

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like, why did you steal Fred's car?

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Player two then has to justify that choice

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with another choice or belief.

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For example, because I believe in equal opportunity

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for transportation.

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You can let the scene go on if you want,

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but it can stay at a warm-up and just be that.

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Anyways, for this exercise, it's great to avoid justifying

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with external circumstances, like, because Fred has two

cars

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or because I'm poor.

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Justifying with something related to your character's

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internal belief system is a part of their POV.

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And this always leads to more interesting, relatable

scenes.

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You can quite easily do this exercise on your own, too.

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So watch for strange, unanswered questions out there,

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and then pause the show or stop reading or whatever,

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and come up with an internal justification

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for that character.

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Or if you want a real one, go to a coffee shop or somewhere,

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and internally, this is very important,

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state something unusual, like, it

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looks like that person lives in a log house 30 miles from

town.

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And then come up with their internal motivation

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to do so or an internal justification for something

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that you're watching.

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Again, do this one inside your head for practice only.

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So now that we have these tools, let's

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look at a framework that ties them all together,

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helping you expand your character's POV

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and maybe even get a scene unstuck.

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Now this brings us to our fourth and final method,

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maybe my favorite.

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If you've ever taken any UCB style classes,

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you might have heard the phrase, if this is true,

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what else is true?

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Now this is a useful tool for strengthening

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your character's POV.

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So let's say you just justified a choice that you made.

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To round out your character and ground the scene,

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you can internally ask yourself this question.

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If my character thinks or feels a certain way

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about this one thing, what else must they believe?

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How else might they react or feel?

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What is true for them?

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For example, if my character believes

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that cats are the physical embodiment of evil spirits,

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what else is true about them?

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Well, they might also really hate a lot of Halloween decor.

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They might be very superstitious.

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Maybe they donate every April to the Adopt a Street Cat

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campaign, which maybe they started,

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but they never attend the events themselves out

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of unbridled fear because the cats are around.

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Thinking this way can also help a scene that has stalled out,

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because it can build on justifications

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that you made earlier in the scene

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and lead to further discovery.

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And discovery is really good improv, right,

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instead of writing the scene.

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To practice a character-based version of this in a group

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or by yourself, pick one strong core belief held by someone,

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anyone.

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This is now your character's core belief.

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Now walk around a bit as that character.

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Try to embody them, their mannerisms, their voice.

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Now start asking yourself, if I believe this,

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what else do I believe?

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What else do I do?

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What else have I done?

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And then when you come up with something,

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state that new belief or activity out loud as your

character,

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in character, and keep going as long as you can or as you want.

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And that's a really good solo exercise.

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You can do it as a group warm-up, too,

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if you're in a group situation.

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And this final tool is what answers that question

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from the beginning of this episode.

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How do you build out this rich inner life for your character

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without delivering some boring old monologue

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about their backstory?

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If this is true, what else is true?

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That allows you to build out a whole network of beliefs

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and experiences in your own mind connected

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to that first big choice or that justification or

justifications

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plural that you made as your character.

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And those connections, we love them.

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We love connections and improv.

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Now you don't have to state all of your character's beliefs.

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You don't even need to get specific and stuck in your head

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either.

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Practicing all of these exercises in this episode

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makes this process faster and easier to feel and understand

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when you're in the scene.

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But you'll be ready to inform your character's reactions

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and choices in the scene when they come up.

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And this gives your character depth.

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It rounds them out.

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Bits of your character emerge organically through action

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rather than through exposition.

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And you'll find so many new possibilities

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thinking this way for and as your character.

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And finally, through all of this, you must commit.

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Commit to your character and commit hard.

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Whether the POV belongs only to them

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or it's based on a piece of your own lived experience,

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commit fully and consistently whatever you put into the

scene.

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So thanks for tuning in.

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And remember to subscribe to the newsletter at

improvupdate.com

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for a bunch of additional stuff about the improvs.

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And I'll be back next week for the next episode.

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And oh yeah, that dog thing, it wasn't rural Manitoba.

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It actually really happened a couple hours drive

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outside Pune, India at a rural farm.

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That's all I have.

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I'm still recording.

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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You have been listening to Your Improv Brain,

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a StereoForest production.

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This show is created and is written, edited, and produced

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by Jen of StereoForest.com.

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You can find show information, show notes, transcripts,

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and contact information at the show's page

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at stereoforest.com/improvbrain.

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Thanks for listening.

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