Characters

Earlier this week, I met up with some friends in Mock Trial. We were talking about what makes a good character witness. Essentially, we talked about what makes a good actor.

The biggest challenge people have with creating a persona for a character is finding a good balance. Let me introduce you to the Goldilocks principle

When building a character, you don’t want to do too much, or too little. You want to find a balance that is just right. It seems complicated at first, but let me break it down for you.

“Too much”

This is the one end of the extreme that is always enjoyable to watch, but doesn’t score well. These types of characters are putting new meaning to the concept of “extra.”

To be fair, these types of characters typically take a lot of acting skill to be able to pull off, but that is better suited for a stage, not a fake courtroom. If they toned it down a little, they would be more competitively viable, but they are so fun to watch.

I once watched someone play a Luchador witness. I physically could not contain my laughter when he very intensely asked the jury if “they had ever thrown a grown man through a table” because he used to do it on the daily.

Words cannot express how much fun that was, but considering it was a murder trial, some judges had some issues. When you make a character, they still need to be believable. In this specific activity, your character needs to seem like a real person you could meet. Sure they can be eccentric, but reel it in a little.

These types of characters are also hard to maintain. In mock trial, you only get to prepare half of your performance. The other team gets to question you, and you have to answer on the fly. You can be extremely charismatic at first, but if your energy dips and you run out of jokes, your character seems like an act. You don’t want people to think you are acting.

“Too little”

Character witnesses need to stand out. Given the nature of court, these are the only opportunities a team has to bring some sort of humor and lightheartedness to their case. Character witnesses are people who just happened to be there and witnessed something.

You have creative liberties, but some people don’t use them. You still want your character to be recognizable and unique, not forgettable. Teams who do to little get forgotten. It is hard for me to describe an example, even though I have seen many, because none of them stood out. You can have fun and build up a character, just don’t go overboard.

“Just right”

Characters that are just right are unique but not overzealous. They should seem like real people you could interact with in your day to day life. Some people like to build backstories for their characters. As long as they are believable, you are doing your job right.