Background Readingfor Advanced Synthetic Characters

Selmer BringsjordProfessor of Logic, Philosophy, Cognitive Science, and Computer Science

with Jason Wodicka, Chris McEvoy, Marc Destefano, and Paul Bello

Rensselaer AI & Reasoning (RAIR) Laboratory (Director)

Department of Cognitive Science (Chair)

Department of Computer Science

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Troy NY 12180 USA

4.7.03 Logic & Artificial Intelligence

Step 1: Study the Craft

Advanced Synthetic Characters: Background Reading

A classic originally published in 1946.  Egri shows that at the core of all good dramatic writing (whatever its form) stand not rules for cranking out text, but fully developed characters.  This book introduces the so-called "dialectical method," and connects it to case studies created on the fly, and to great drama of the past (e.g., Ibsen, and e.g. his immortal Nora).  From the standpoint of AI and the creation of advanced synthetic characters, the book is daunting, as it asserts that to be a decent playwright one must have a monstrous amount of knowledge drawn from psychology, sociology, economics, and so on.

Kress breaks down the complex art of writing into numerous techniques of representation. The first third of the book concentrates on techniques of characterization. From an AI stance, the book presents a few interesting challenges: it presents evidence that a character’s exterior presentation must be tightly bound to his or her history, and it asserts that all truly developed characters must be based on the author’s own internal emotional state and life experiences.

An adaptation of Stanislavsky’s Method for actors to writing, Collins focuses on the presentation of characters within narrative. The techniques it includes for demonstrating emotion through action appear readily applicable to the representational aspects of ASCs. However, much of the information about specific emotion is assumed to be drawn from the author’s personal life experiences, making some of its techniques difficult to apply.

Halperin’s eight chapters can be considered as separate essays, each tackling one aspect of characterization. Of particular use in ASCs are the chapters on interior motivation and cultural legacy, which provide useful “template” information to set a character within an internal and social context.

A dictionary of character details, McCutcheon is of primary use in populating knowledge bases for use in character generation. It provides a useful reference of physical traits, mannerisms, modes of dress and common names from which the groundwork for deeper representation could be laid.

Edelstein is a “cookbook” of character traits, organized by types of characters they are appropriate to. Within the confines of AI research, it useful in the sub-categorization of broad character traits into more specific associated details.

Hood provides a sequence of 3-4 page treatments of specific emotions, focusing on how to convey them effectively in prose. Although the book is primarily concerned with the language used to represent them, its discussion of emotional impact on behavior makes it useful in the generation of ASCs.

Primarily a guide to script-writing, Wolff contains a single chapter on creating three-dimensional characters that provides a first-draft structure for representing knowledge about a character. The current under-construction vMEM ASC is based on the 31-question overview of a character provided here as a starting point on which to base a Q/A system.

A collection of short essays on writing, Dickson contains a great deal of shallow and stereotypical information. Many of its essays on characterization are better considered as tactics to avoid using – they seem to favor quick solutions over deep representation. However, its discussion of the importance of central traits and character flaws in creating empathy is significant for the deep representation of such traits in ASCs.

Adv. Synthetic Characters: Background Read. Con.

Chapter I: Premise

• A play without a premise (in Egri’s sense of the term) is doomed.

• Examples:– Romeo & Juliet:

• “Great love defies even death.”

– King Lear:• “Blind love leads to

destruction”

– Macbeth• “Ruthless ambition leads

to its own destruction”

Chapter I: Premise con.• Egri:

– “The above premise—for that matter, every good premise—is composed of three parts, each of which is essential to a good play. Let us examine ‘Frugality leads to waste.’ The first part of this premise suggests character—a frugal character. The second part, ‘leads to,’ suggest conflict, and the third part, ‘waste,’ suggests the end of the play.” (p. 8)

– “Without [a clearly defined premise] it is impossible to know your characters. A premise has to contain: character, conflict, and resolution.” (p. 29)

Chapter II.1: Character/The Bone Structure

• Egri:– “Every object has three

dimensions: depth, height, width. Human beings have an additional three dimensions: physiology, sociology, psychology. Without a knowledge of these three dimensions we cannot appraise a humann being.” (p. 33)

• “Tridimensional” characters exhibit all three categories.

Chapter II.1: Character/The Bone Structure

• Physiology– 1. Sex– 2. Age– 3. Height and weight– 4. Color of hair, eyes, skin– 5. Posture– 6. Appearance:

• Good-looking, over- or underweight, clean, neat, pleasant, tidy. Shape of head, face, limbs.

– 7. Defects:• deformities, abnormalities,

birthmarks. Diseases.

– 8. Heredity

Chapter II.1: Character/The Bone Structure• Sociology

– 1. Class:• lower, middle, upper

– 2. Occupation:• type of work, hours of work, income, condition of

work, union or non-union, attitude toward organization, suitability for work

– 3. Education:• amount, kind of schools, marks, favorite subjects,

poorest subjects, aptitutdes

– 4. Home life:• parents living, earning power, orphan, parents

separated or divorced, parents’ habits, parents’ mental development, parents’ vices, neglect. Character’s marital status.

– 5. Religion– 6. Race, nationality:– 7. Place in community:

• leader among friends, clubs, sports.

– 8. Political affiliations– 9. Amusements, hobbies:

• books, newspapers, magazines he reads.

Chapter II.1: Character/The Bone Structure

• Psychology– 1. Sex life, moral standards– 2. Personal premise, ambition– 3. Frustration, chief disappointment– 4. Temperment:

• choleric, easygoing, pessimistic, optimistic.

– 5. Attitude toward life:• resigned, militant, defeatist

– 6. Complexes:• Obsessions, inhibitions, superstitions,

phobias

– 7. Extrovert, introvert, ambivert– 8. Abilities:

• languages, talents

– 9. Qualities:• imagination, judgment, taste, poise

– 10. IQ

“Tridimensionality” in RASCALS“Bone Structure:” Physiology, Sociology, Psychology…

Physiology: 1. Sex, 2. Age, 3. Height & Weight, …Sociology: 1. Class, 2. Occupation, 3. Education, …Psychology: 1. Sex life, moral standards, 2. Personal premise, ambition,3. Frustrations, chief disappointments, …