Affect
Tuesday, January 1, 2008 at 18:52 Thanks to the feedback I received on my latest script, I was able to figure out how to strengthen the story and bring out deeper nuances. Besides fellow screenwriters, I showed the script to a select group of friends and acquaintance. I love having a diverse readership. As is often the case, one of the most helpful comments I received came from a non-writer. A psychologist friend of mine felt my protagonist was too depressed.
Depressed? Hmm. That had not been my desire. I saw her as driven by a loss that haunts her, not incapacitated by depression. My friend was able to articulate why she felt this very concisely, and in the process she opened a new level of awareness for me--that of a character's "affect."
I'm still new to the idea of affect myself, but if I had to sum up my current understanding, I'd say that, in psychology, affect refers to those feelings and emotions that can be observed in a person. (More on this concept here: http://www.bookrags.com/Affect_(psychology) I recommend reading up on affect--I know I certainly will.)
A writer might have told me my character was too flat, possibly too passive. But once I understood what my friend meant by affect, I could see what was missing. I was able to fix the problem on a story level without resorting to bodily gestures, facial expressions, or forced dialogue. I'm very happy with the result.
The script is finally ready to go out to agents. That process will begin forthwith.
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Reader Comments (2)
Congratulations on the feedback and getting it out there to the wolves...I mean agents. Feedback can always be so subjective. I've had a director tell me a cue was amazing, and another director listen to the same piece and tell me it's flat. I suppose it's all about your target audience.
Hi Rob,
Yes, I've also had feedback on different ends of the spectrum for the same piece. I think it's difficult to separate one's own gut reaction ("I like this/I don't like this") and instead enter the writer's/artist's frame of mind when critiquing. I've read plenty of scripts I didn't "like"--that is, I wouldn't necessarily pay to see them as movies (actually now I would, since I gave the writer feedback!), but that I've been able to recognize as really well-constructed, professionally written scripts. I don't expect the writer to change their vision to conform to my taste.
No matter how much better I think the world would be if they did! ;-)
Alexis