Similar Products (Task Six)- Character Research

 Biography- Part A

Elisia Cooper

Age: Late twenties

Appearance: She is naturally pretty, but does not possess a stunning appearance, nor is she glowing with confidence.

Occupation: A poet, she writes for a living, she feels it is the only way she can express herself, however she has been turned down for publications in the past as the publishers felt her work would not sell to a mainstream audience.

Background: Her father walked out on her when she was fifteen, and this may have had an effect on her relationships with men as she feels she can no longer trust anyone.

Love Life: She is a hopeless romantic but is constantly in search for the one special person, not just anyone will do. Elisia had a very rose- tinted view of her relationship with her fiancée, it was likely he cheated on her on several occasions (as he eventually leaves for another woman), yet Elisia holds no grudge as she is still in love with him. She was committed to the relationship and did not care for anything else.

Morals/ Ethics: Elisia is looking for someone who will understand her, as she has a very complex and analytical understanding of the world around her. She holds out for what she believes in and is not easily swayed and, even if it is for her own good.  She is a very passionate person, but chooses to hide it- this is shown as she would rather kill herself than go on living without the one she loves. She is loyal and caring however she finds it hard to trust people.

I find characters like Elisia really interesting, this is partially why I created her the way I did. I find that characters who are really confidant, have nothing to hide and everything goes right for them, really boring. I like Elisia because she is very mysterious, she has a very complex view of the world and she is a much more interesting character to explore and understand than a really confidant, flirtatious character.

I started with the basics; I chose to create a girl character because I wanted to experiment with the theme of romance, desperation and heartbreak. I then chose what kind of personality she would have, I decided to make her more complex than perhaps other character profiles as it was more interesting to do so, it also allowed me to create more complex dialogue, situation and show my characters philosophy. I gradually started to add more to her, how she feels most the time, how she reacts to other people, what is important to her, what has influenced her to be how she is.

Elisia is an awkward character, she may come across as week and passive but she isn’t, she knows what she wants and will do whatever necessary to achieve it. She is independent; however I have chosen to show her at her weakest to portray how easy someone can be destroyed by the thing they are most passionate about. I chose to include flashbacks of how she used to be so show the audience how she is when she is happy.

Comparing Characters- Part B

Nina- Black Swan:

Similarities:

Nina is constantly seeking perfection, although she doesn’t really know what perfection actually is yet- Elisia has an idea of what life she wants to live yet has no experience of it, she is aiming for something she has no knowledge of. She is passionate and will do anything to reach her dream. She has trained herself to be confined as she believes a perfect ballerina is strict with how she expresses herself- just as Elisia feels if she expresses herself too much her fiancée will leave her as she knows deep down he isn’t as emotionally attached to the relationship as she is. They both have an unusual relationship with their parents which has had an effect on the person they are. They both ultimately die for what they wanted so badly. Nina isn’t confidant with who she is and her own mind is what consumes her- just like Elisia.

Differences:

Nina listens to what she is told, she learns to express herself and by doing so reaches her goal- Elisia is too distraught to listen to anyone and as a consequence remains very unhappy. Before Nina dies she realises that her dreams have come true, she finds perfection and dies happy, whereas Elisia feels she will never get what she so desperately wants and wishes to kill herself due to her unhappiness. Nina accepts death as part of the goal she wished to achieve, as Elisia sees death as a way of accepting she won’t get what she wants.

Clarice- Silence of the Lambs:

Similarities:

Clarice never aimed to get so involved with the Buffalo Bill case, it just happened, but she knew it’s what she always wanted even if she had not experienced things like it before- Like Elisia, she never set out for find love and romance; it happened by accident, but after that she knew it is what she wanted all along. Clarice is very intelligent, so is Elisia; however they are both underestimated by others despite being so talented. Clarice tries hard not to show what she is really feeling, so does Elisia, they both do it as they feel it is appropriate in order to reach their individual goals. Both Clarice and Elisia chose not to listen to others, they knew deep down what they needed to do for themselves and knew no one could make that decision for them. They both had problems growing up without a father figure, and it affects their relationships with others.

Differences:

Elisia does and it leads to her down-fall. Clarice is passionate about her career, as Elisia is passionate about love and affection, Clarice does not suggest she is interested in either of these things. Clarice is much more strong willed than Elisia, she is in her element in difficult situations as Elisia seems to crumble.

Cob- Inception:

Similarities:

Both Cob and Elisia are chasing something they are passionate about but aren’t realistically going to achieve, Cob longs to be with Mal and Elisia wants the perfect life with someone who loves her. They both live in denial, Cob plays in dreams and refuses to believe there are issues with him and Mal. Elisia refuses to believe there is anybody else for her as well as believing her cheating fiancée was completely in love with her. They both have issues regarding their thoughts; Elisia is desperate and can’t see any way out of her situation. They are both willing to risk or surrender their lives to achieve goals. They keep their personal struggles as secret as they can as they believe they can sort it themselves, and that only they know the true problem.

Differences:

Cob ignores the issues with Mal, he gets on with other things and lets it play on his mind, whereas Elisia is unable to control her emotions and breaks down. Cob is confrontational and can be aggressive, Elisia is caring and affectionate. Cob’s occupation is risky and out of the ordinary, Elisia is a struggling writer. Cob my be bothered about living without the one he lived with, but he chooses to hide it, he just doesn't want to be bothered by his past with Mal, all Elisia wants is someone to care for her and she can't hide it.