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c;> her tormenting her employees without mercy,
then turning to the Actors and smiling as
though nothing had happened.
c;> his daily acts of charity and goodwill (show
him helping others).
If you can help it, don't tell the Actors about their
roles' emotions. Play through whatever circumstances it
takes to bring them there. In other words, don't just tell
them about it, roleplay through it.
If a Scene would be boring to roleplay through, we
suggest you do one of two things. If the point of the Scene
is its tedium, like roleplaying through a long incarceration,
or working through a mountain of paperwork, then roleplay
through enough of the Scene to allow the Actors to feel the
tedium before going on. Feeling is an important part of
roleplaying. If tedium isn't the purpose of the Scene, you
may have made a mistake somewhere. Alter the Scene
so that there is information to be gained, or a lesson to be
learned, or a facet of a character's personality to be
brought out. Good books and movies don't waste time on
meaningless Scenes, or boring dialogue. They're not
written that way. Every Scene is written to entertain, and
this can be just as true for your tales.
SET DESIGN, LIGHTING, AND COSTUMING
The Director can do a lot to enhance the mood of a
story by taking the time, if possible, to alter the lighting
and layout of the physical Stage (usually some room in
the Director's home). We suggest moving furniture to
22 Theatnx- The Core Rules
conform to the layout of the characters' present locale,
moving the Actors from room to room as their character's
move, and altering the lighting to represent the physical
conditions of each Scene. Furniture can be setup to
represent the bridge of a starship, or an airplane cockpit,
or a small hotel room. Use whatever room is best suited
for an environment. Sometimes it's even possible to
leave recognizable clues, or usable props in their proper
locations for a Scene. Playing one ofthe Supporting Cast,
and pulling a toy gun out of a drawer to point at the Actors,
is much more effective than describing such a Scene. The
Actors may then respond in motion (that is reasonable
motion, carefully executed) rather than pure description.
Lighting can be dimmed for night Scenes, or entire
Episodes can be played by candlelight for a Gothic effect.
Be aware of the changing lighting of your Scenes and
match the physical lighting to it. This is easy to do almost
anywhere, and very effective. Setting the Stage can take
some planning, and must be done safely, but is a great
way to sink the Actors into their roles.
MUSICAL SCORE
Music can also help a lot in setting the mood of a
Scene. Music in movies tends to follow the Actors and the
action. Generally, the major characters will have their
own theme music. In addition, there is music to win by,
lose by (the villain's theme music}, romance by, and
scream by (suspense music). A movie's score will herald
the villain before he enters menacingly, and herald the
hero moments before he comes charging to the rescue.