Much Ado
Thesis Project
The Visual Language of Character Design
My BFA thesis project was a culmination of the independent studies and research in character design that I did over my last year at Cornish College of the Arts
Research
One of the earlier explorations I did as a part of my research was of how different silhouettes and poses can show a character's personality. This helped inform some of the decisions I made during my final project.
In another exploration, I tried my hand at costume design, aiming to represent the personalities of two friends that I knew very well. I chose to design them as characters in different worlds to see how their personalities would translate using unconventional clothing or costomes.
The Expo
For my final project, I decided to explore character design by working off a familiar story. This way, I could give audiences some insight into the choices behind designing and developing characters.
My re-imagining of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is set in young Hollywood, 1931. I chose the five characters that were the biggest players in the plot—Don John, Benedick, Claudio, Hero, and Beatrice—to design and display as my cast.
The Story
The prince, Don Pedro, and his half brother, Don John, visit Hero's father with their friends, Claudio and Benedick. Hero's older cousin Beatrice has a history with Benedick and the two begin exchanging insults, while Hero and Claudio fall in love. To pass the time, the younger couple tries to set up Beatrice and Benedick, while Don John tries to drive Hero and Claudio apart.
Since these studies were my first foray into character design, I decided to use the project as an extension of my research. I placed a small whiteboard beneath each character in my installation, and encouraged the viewers to write down their opinions. I placed five character booklets on the shelf below that, which contained character bios, sketches, and the reasoning behind each design.
