American Journal of Art and Design 2018; 3(1): 5-11 http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ajad doi: 10.11648/j.ajad.20180301.12 Character and Thematic Analysis in Emem Isong's Reloaded Margaret Gregory Akpan, Eno Nathaniel Bassey Department of Theatre Arts, Faculty of Arts, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria Email address: To cite this article: Margaret Gregory Akpan, Eno Nathaniel Bassey. Character and Thematic Analysis in Emem Isong's Reloaded . American Journal of Art and Design . Vol. 3, No. 1, 2018, pp. 5-11. doi: 10.11648/j.ajad.20180301.12 Received : April 9, 2018; Accepted : May 8, 2018; Published : May 25, 2018 Abstract: The theatre is a medium for social criticism. Most playwrights/screenwriters write their plays for the purpose of impacting moral lessons in the society or exposing the ills and imbalances of a society. From its earlier beginnings, character and themes among other elements combine to set a play/film in proper perspective with the cultural milieu of the play/films existence. A study of Emem Isong's films, 'Reloaded' invites the audience to reflect on society in order to capture the meaning and essence of life. This study investigates the challenges of character portrayal and the issue of themes in the video film. Its ultimate aim is to help would-be artist who would venture into screenwriting to write stories not just for the purpose of entertaining, but to write on pressing issues in the society that needs to be corrected. Data for this study was collected through continuous watching of the movie, script and character analysis, relevant journals and discussion with people. It is believed that this work will be of immense benefit for would-be screenwriters/playwrights. Keywords: Theatre Arts, Character and Themes, Thematic Analysis, Reloaded, Acting a play or movie. Characterization is defined according to 1. Introduction Ommnaney and Schakner [3] as ‘a creative process that Theatre involves performance and in that performance, demands an actor to grasp the fundamental personality of a whether drama or dance, there is some form of imitation. part and then project it to the audience in such a way that the Nwamuo [1] observes that: actor becomes a living convincing human being. Theatre is a demonstration of any action by anyone or a This therefore allows the playwright or screenwriter to group of people at a particular place and moment in time, with assign original set of goals, traits, history and other qualities to or without make-up, costume, rehearsal or improvisation create his characters with real emotional depth and personality. before an audience gathered for the interest to share and to Arnold [4], a contemporary critic says; celebrate. One of the strongest and most distinctive elements of human This implies that imitation is the soul of acting and acting behavior is the impulse to perform, to create a character that involves the assumption of a particular character whether in a is part of ourselves but somehow separate from us. When -we scripted play or improvised situations. In his Poetics, Aristotle act a part, when we take on a role, we seek to transform [2] asserts that "... the instinct of imitation is implanted in man ourselves through the construction of a new identity. from childhood...." That is, man is born with the instincts to This process of transformation is fundamental to human imitate. This art of imitation plunges him into experimenting nature and is at the heart of the theatre. On the other hand, with various characters. Thus, in watching children at play, Stanislavsky's [5] so called "magic-if provides advice that one may note how early the art of character is implanted in should be most helpful to playwrights or screenwriters in man. As the child grows into an adult, it is this instinct to creating a characterization. He advised that ‘an actor should imitate that is extracted for the purpose of performance and use his or her full concentration to ask what he or she would do entertainment, especially if such child ventures into the field if the events in the play were actually happening and he or she of theatre or film. were intimately involved in these events’ [5]. A character is one who plays a major or minor role, either in In answering these questions, the actor analyses both the actors' inner nature and the characters inner nature. Only then 6 Margaret Gregory Akpan and Eno Nathniel Bassey: Character and Thematic Analysis in Emem Isong's Reloaded can the actor use the technical resources of voice and body entertaining and educating the audience, and the actor remains movement to interpret the likely reactions of the character the major tool for emitting thematic messages to the audience. accurately. This also leads to an understanding of the play Unfortunately, today, screenwriters' concentrates more on the itself. Whatever the case, characterization is a significant character as a means to entertain the audience neglecting the element in dramaturgy through which themes and messages message the movie is supposed to pass. come to live. As the generational change and development takes 2.1. Types of Characters audience from stage to screen, from theatres to cinemas, Protagonist: A Protagonist is the leading character or major character creation still remains an important outshot of film character in a drama, movie, novel or other fictional text. plot. Film is a visual medium which is particularly capable of Antagonist: An antagonist is a character who actively revealing insights that cannot be verbally expressed and can opposes or is hostile to the protagonist hereby providing the be especially meaningful when associative, unconscious story's conflict. innuendoes are utilized. Ekwuazi [6] stresses that "the screen Foil character: A foil character is a contrasting character and the stage influence each other in the structuring of the whose behavior, attitudes, opinions, lifestyle, physical image. However, actors must make adaptations as they move appearance and so on are opposite and this serves clearly to from one medium to another". define personalities. The choice of the word "Character and Thematic Analysis" Flat character: A flat character is a minor character in a in the topic is to show how the writer creates convincing work of fiction that does not undergo substantial change or characters that would relay messages to effect positive change growth in the course of a story. They are also referred to as two from negative acts, hereby leaving the audience to totally dimensional characters. accept the character as real, forgetting that it is only an actor Round character: A round character is a unique, playing a part. This paper therefore is fashioned to investigate individualistic character who has some degree of complexity the ‘credible world’ which the screenwriter has created and and ambiguity and who cannot easily be categorized. how relevant that world is to the Nigerian society. Dynamic character: A dynamic character is a character that undergoes an important change in the course of the story. 2. Characterization Stock character: These characters are minor characters whose actions are completely predictable of their jobs or In creating a character for the film, the screenwriter must profession. portray the character biologically, psychologically, Static character: A static character is a character that sociologically, financially and aesthetically. He must discover remains the same throughout the course of the play. the personal boundaries and singular identity which separates the character from his or her fellow man thereby clarifying 2.2. Casting perceptions, eliminating ambiguity, vagueness, misconception and illusions. Realizing the characters inner feelings is Casting is the choosing of actors for a production. Banham important as it would create the imagination of what the [8] asserts that; "casting is basically the allocation of roles to character will look like, his gesture and mannerism. The actors who are competent to act such roles, having been screenwriter creates the character in a way that the audience auditioned and found qualified to do so". It is the recruitment identifies with the character, thereby putting themselves in the of actors for a play or film production. Barranger [9] characters shoes. Also, how the character relates with others in underscores this point by stating that ‘during auditions, the the script is very vital in character creation. The screenwriter director looks for actors whose physical appearance, uses symbols and metaphor to describe his characters. Zettle personality and acting style flesh out the director’s idea of the [7] states that, "the film artists perceives, orders, clarifies, characters’. intensifies and interprets a certain aspect of the human This graphically illustrates the fact that allocating an actor a condition for himself and latter for the audience". In creating role in a play requires technical know-how, and the very the protagonist, villain and other characters, the screenwriter process is both scientifically and intellectually tasking. This is must point out the characters goal or motivation, as well as because every actor given a role to play must be able to "carry" reasons why the character wants to achieve this goal, who or the role convincingly. In order to achieve this, there has to be a what is trying to stop the character from reaching this goal and proper appropriation of the creative and intellectual potentials why, what strengths or weakness of this character will help or inherent in that actor. Oga's [10] study of the casting hinder in the pursuit of this goal?. Therefore to analyse a approaches of three Nigerian Directors (Wole Soyinka, Ola character, one is expected to describe a character's personality Rotimi and Wale Ogunyemi) also projects the through his or her words, actions, reactions, feelings, multi-dimensional demands of effective casting in the theatre.