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sohannabarberaesque · 2 months ago

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If you thought the Disney Princesses were getting a little overdone--

Picture, if you will, a Hanna-Barberian ensemble certain to be more fascinating ... with a little Wacky Races and Laff-a-Lympics and a whole lotta Funtastic to be had, which I call

THE HANNA-BARBERA DIVE CLUB!

Whose constituent partners are:

The Peter Potamus Good Time Divers, led by that dive-happy hippo and including Wally Gator, Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har, Magilla Gorilla, Breezly Bruin and Squiddly Diddly;

The Three Wolves, as in Loopy De Loop, Hokey Wolf and Mildew Wolf (as well as the Divin' Wolf Pups, Loopy's nephew Bon-Bon and Hokey's compadre Ding-a-Ling);

representing Hanna-Barbera's ursine community, no less than the Hair Bear Bunch (Hair, Square and Bubi) and those rather charming Southern bear belles of diving, Emmy Lou and Jenny Lee;

Scooba-Doo, Scooby-Doo's SCUBA-happy cousin, one divin' dog of the highest calibre if there was one;

those prehistoric (or is it "prehysteric"?) breath-hold divers out of prehistory Captain Caveman and his cousins, Rock and Gravel (The Slag Brothers); and

from the feline contingent, Sheena the Lioness and Raquel Wrench (quite the friendship of long standing, going back to a B-movie shoot) and my own original collative, the Catalina Diving Clowder (as in "Bubbles," Lola, Jayne, Jessamaine, Sabrina, Samantha and Jolene), whose adventures off Southern California's storied Magic Isle must be the stuff of lore and legend in diver circles.

Not exactly Mysteries, Inc., or even the Laff-a-Lympics, but still, quite a fascinating collation of characters who can't resist the allure of the diver's mask, fins, the occasional turns for SCUBA gear and the sheer sensation of lake or ocean water against their bodies converging for epiphanic experiences and adventures. And yet all the while, their diving fascination is rooted in the sheer joy and wonder therefor, the friendships as can be made and related upon and the adventures each diving experience is bound to become.

Care to elaborate further, eludicate even, on the concept, or so one Snagglepuss would parse it?

@warnerbrosentertainment @joey-gatorman @iheartgod175 @archive-archives @hanna-barbera-land @oceanscuba @warnerbrosent-blog

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literaryvein-reblogs · 6 months ago

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What are ways you can make s big cast of characters and make them feel different from each other?

Writing Notes: Ensemble Cast

Characters don't exist in a vacuum; they interact with each other, sometimes in tropish ways. Ensembles are some of the more common group dynamics you'll find.

In most cases, the protagonist is a defining element of fiction. It is they whom the plot revolves around and, usually, the one the audience is supposed to empathize with most.

However, some shows decide to do something different—there is no one protagonist. The plot and its narrative don't revolve around a single, "most important" main character. Instead, it shares a cast of characters with (almost) equal screentime and importance to the plot. This is called an Ensemble Cast.

This type of narrative is interesting because it highlights the relations between different characters by taking away the importance of a single character.

In addition, it allows the writers to focus on different characters in different episodes freely, without worrying about giving the main character not enough screen time.

On the other hand, it can also result in a work that lacks focus and drive.

Something must unite the events other than the main character.

Most of these works therefore fix on a restricted setting and stick to it like glue.

Some Ensemble Subtropes

Big Bad Ensemble - The story features two or more villains, each of whom has their own distinct agenda and resources. Having multiple main villains can bring new dimensions to the story and make it more complex and less predictable. It can force The Hero to face a range of different challenges. The success or failures of one Big Bad can affect the fortunes of another, as they may have to consider each other in their plans, or might try to profit from another's defeat. The hero might defeat one villain before fighting another, or might regard one as more dangerous or important than the others.

Big, Thin, Short Trio - A group of three people where one is huge, one is skinny and one is short.

Breakfast Club - A gang of misfits whom no-one likes and/or don't like themselves (and perhaps each other by extension) get together, or an elder, often a Zen Survivor, brings them together.

Classical Elements - A team or group of people in which each character is associated with one of the classical elements, the classical elements being a specific subset of the Natural Elements, typically composed of fire, water, earth, or air. So the standard ensemble is a team of four with each person aligned with either fire, water, earth, or air.

Creepy Family - A family that happens to consist of monsters or very strange and sinister people.

Nice, Mean, and In-Between - In certain group dynamics, you will notice three characters with different mannerisms, attitudes, and personalities that are easy to identify with — a character who is nice and gentle, a character who is mean and tough, and the character who is caught in between the two other characters.

Rotating Protagonist - When a series with an Ensemble Cast has each episode focus on a different character. In other words, a series where every episode is a different character's Day in the Limelight.

With a Friend and a Stranger - When introducing characters, you want to keep the overall number of relationships and names to remember to a minimum. This is why many media start off with only a handful of primary characters, often three. There are many common "stock" variations on the genders and relationships of these few characters. One of them is the friend and stranger dynamic. The protagonist will have a best friend, often a childhood friend. This dynamic is easy to show in the limited time you have to hook your audience, and easy to add depth to at a later time. The third character will be a stranger to the protagonist and their friend. Their appearance will often serve to drive the plot, and their unfamiliarity with the characters and location helps justify Exposition.

The Hollywood Formula - follows the interactions of three characters through the Three-Act Structure:

The Protagonist — the person the story is about. He or she is a person who wants a goal. The goal must be something concrete, definable, and achievable. Rather than "I want to be happy" or "I want to be rich", but rather, "I want him to fall in love with me so that I will be happy." "I want to win the game show that I'm going to be on so that I will be rich." "I want to rob the casino of the guy who's dating my ex-girlfriend, so I can be happy and rich."

The Antagonist — the person who places obstacles to the goal in the path of the protagonist. This does not mean the bad guy. The antagonist's goals are in some way opposed to the protagonist, and they are the one who is blocking the protagonist's journey.

The Relationship Character — the person who accompanies the protagonist on their journey. Typically, they are someone who has been there, done that before, and they have wisdom to communicate to the protagonist, and the protagonist isn't hearing it. The theme of the story, what the protagonist needs to understand in order to succeed, is expressed either by or to this character. In many cases, this happens as part of an actual conversation. At the end of the story, this conversation or expression of the theme will be revisited, and the protagonist and this character will reconcile with each other.

The story ends when the protagonist achieves or relinquishes his goal, defeats or is defeated by the antagonist, and reconciles with the relationship character. The closer together these things happen, the more emotional impact the story will have.

Excerpt from this post:

Ensemble of Characters. In summary, most successful sitcoms have this dynamic (and some unsuccessful ones lack some element of it): BOSS – A character in position of power over the striver/protagonist and others – it may be a role or rank or just social status or family seniority. They may have real power or it may just be vested in them by their position but they are inept in some way. STRIVER (PROTAGONIST) – The main comic character with all their flaws and failings. FOIL – The more reasonable normal one (usually also a striver) who has to deal with the main striver. Often protagonist and foil are basically on the same side but they can be rivals. Usually the foil is the one the audience can identify with but sometimes they are less obviously likeable. FOOL – Self-explanatory – the "stupid" or naive and awkward one. Often happy with their lot, they tend to be able to bounce back from the indignities heaped on them.

Writing Tips: Ensemble Casts

With each additional main character you add to your narrative, you’re adding another layer of complexity to your writing process. You don’t want to have extra characters just to have them, after all—each character needs to be unique, compelling, and contribute a story worth telling to the narrative as a whole.

Interview Your Characters - You’re going to sit down and pretend like you’re speaking to your characters. Is it a news interview? A gossip rag interview? A police interrogation? That’s all up to you. The questions you ask? Also up to you! The only important thing is that you answer each question as your character. If you’re stuck trying to create characters for your latest project, or if you have the basics down but you need a little push to help them feel like real, fully fleshed-out people, interview them.

Mix and Match On-Page Pairings - When you have an ensemble cast, some characters will inevitably spend more time with each other than others. When you mix and match your on-page pairings, you give the audience a few things. First, you give them a switch-up—something unexpected and, hopefully, enjoyable to read: a change of pace. Secondly, you give yourself the opportunity to explore parts of your characters that you might not have explored previously. After all, every relationship brings new opportunities to compare and contrast your character’s personality and outlook. Don’t be afraid to change things up as you’re writing and see what comes out of it.

Back Your Characters Into a Corner - Be as brutal to your characters as possible. For better or for worse, people show their truest colors when their back is against the wall. Backing your character into a corner is a convenient way to show your audience exactly what your character is made of. Your readers are also going to be more willing to readily sympathize with a character when they’re in a pickle. Getting a reader to sympathize with one main character is hard. When you put every single one of your characters in a seemingly inescapable situation, you give yourself a better chance of getting readers to connect with your characters, put themselves in their shoes, and really feel for them.

Character Voice - Each character should have a unique way of speaking. This will show up not only in the words they say, but in the things they say, and, by extension, the thought process behind their words. Best case scenario: it should be obvious without dialogue tags which character is speaking.

Diverse Representation - This allows us to challenge stereotypes, break down barriers, and promote inclusivity. Readers are exposed to characters who may share their own experiences or who open their eyes to different ways of life. Our hope is that this broadens readers' horizons, fosters empathy, and promotes a deeper understanding of the world. A diverse ensemble cast provides a platform for exploring social issues and amplifying marginalized voices. By incorporating characters from various walks of life, we can tackle important topics such as race, gender, and sexuality.

Embracing the Power of Perspective - One of the strengths of using an ensemble cast is the ability to present the story through multiple perspectives. This allows readers to connect with each character and understand their unique motivations. Constantly ask yourself, "Whose scene is this? Who has the most at stake here?"

Balancing Storylines - One of the greatest challenges during the plotting process is ensuring that all your characters have a common goal to strive for throughout the story. At the beginning, they are all individuals with their own goals, but mold them into a cohesive group with a shared objective.

Build Interconnecting Character Arcs - Your ensemble cast needs to grow and change together as the story goes on. Your characters should all impact one another in some way. Are they helping one another grow? Are they bad influences, bringing one another to regress? The choice is yours. Only when your characters come together to impact one another deeply and profoundly will you be able to impact your audience in that same way with your ensemble cast as a whole.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Choose which of these tips from different sources work most appropriately for your writing, and which notes & tropes you could use as inspiration.