User blog:Puffles Rule/Survivor Ratings

(I got this from Survivor Sucks Forums, full credit to them!)

INV - Invisible

Definition: A character, within the episode, that is edited to be irrelevant or insignificant to any of the stories. In terms of story... they don't have one.

The character... Note: - The character's visibility is functionally 0. - A character who gets a confessional, recap focus, story development, or tribal council question is never INV. - The character's accumulated VF, if there is any, comes from mostly background noise, group discussion, etc. - INV is used to convey an extreme sense of absence in the episode
 * 1)    had no confessionals or tribal council questions.
 * 2)    was ignored, lacking even in screen/face time; receives NO SPECIAL FOCUS during group exchanges such as intros, pick-ems and challenges
 * 3)    was portrayed as irrelevant to the episode or story and/or is lacking in any character development.
 * 4)    received NO SPV that refer exclusively to them (usually meaning by name). SPV's about a character's alliance or tribe don't count.
 * 5)    there is no complexity, no development

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UTR - Under the Radar (Under Developed, Low-level Complexity)

Definition: A character, within the episode, that is edited to be either under-utilized or deliberately hidden (the trick is figuring out which). In story terms, they may have a role in the story but are being kept out of focus.

The character... Note: - UTR characters may get nothing to make them stand out as a person or may get little bits of who they are. However, it will not be the primary focus of their footage (see OTT).
 * 1) receives little or no significant game relevant development. Zero to a few confessionals or TCQs.
 * 2) may have received significant screen time, but personal character development is of low quality and not particularly extreme. Isn't seen doing or saying anything special or of major significance; may receive UNUSUAL or extensive focus during group exchanges like pick'ems, intros, or (possibly) challenges (ie. where verbal exchanges are subtitled; actions are "replayed" for the audience; or the scene is overly-emphasized by Probst)
 * 3) may have had some sort of "role" or part in the episode, but will generally be void of direct conflicts and/or character insight.
 * 4) may have received SPV from another player(s).
 * 5) narrates the game (i.e., tells the audience about basic goings-on in the tribe). Narration is uncomplex and can be talking about camp life, things others are doing, upcoming game events like challenges, or even talking about the very basic plans of a larger group they are a part of (e.g., "our tribe wants to focus on beating the other one in challenges" or "our alliance wants to eliminate the people in the minority").
 * 6) does not answer any questions of why or how (and rarely any of the other Ws for that matter). ie. Jim: I think Frank is in an alliance.

- Because most low visibility characters fail to accumulate significant game or personal character development in their brief time onscreen, many of them are UTR. However, assignment of the UTR rating itself should have nothing to do with visibility. A low visibility character may qualify for MOR, OTT, or even CP at times when their brief content is particularly dense. A high visibility character may still lack any significant personal development or game-related insight.

- Game-relevant events that relate to this character, but are not spoken about by this character, do not increase their level of personal development (e.g., if Joe says "My alliance consists of Jimmy, Jack, and Jill," Jimmy, Jack, and Jill are not considered to develop significantly unless they get to comment on the development in some way themselves).

- When the episode ends, the character's overall development is virtually unchanged. We learned little to nothing about their game play from them.

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MOR - Middle of the Road (Mid-level Complexity)

Definition: A character, within the episode, that says and does more than a UTR edit, but is lacking in character development (ie. we still don't know anything about them or what makes them tick). MOR edits are not oversimplified into OTT nor are they well-rounded into CP. In terms of story, these characters tend towards being a supporting character. This edit may contain "very strategic" moments, but without the emotional and intellectual insights necessary for a complex edit.

The character...


 * 1) receives moderate levels of game relevant development. Few to several confessionals and/or TCQs. They may speak about the game, alliances, plans, etc., but the statements appear incomplete or shallow. We are given a sense of where the character's mind is, but many elaborative questions are left unanswered.
 * 2) received low to significant screen time and may have done something notable, but overall, there was a lack in quality and depth. May receive any type of personal character development — from no personal development to very high personal development.
 * 3) will likely have had some sort of "role" or part in the episode, but it was as a secondary or supporting role. May have received UNUSUAL FOCUS during group encounters, BUT this focus was likely linked to someone else and was used as a tool to shine light elsewhere.
 * 4) may or may not have received SPV from another player(s).
 * 5) mid-level of complexity, CP-lite, When a character receives enough complexity that UTR seems inappropriate, but not enough complexity to warrant a full-blown CP.
 * 6) tells us his/her needs, wants, strategies but fails to tell us the whys and hows. (ie. Jim: I want to be in an alliance with Frank.)

Note:

Winners are often portrayed as MOR at some point in the story due to the necessity of cooling down, story-wise. However, a consistently MOR edit is not always good thing either, because these characters more often than not, end up being kind of "blah" and "just kind of there". It's important with heavily MOR players to ensure that a closer look is taken with regard to their content - are they consistent? are they carving out some sort of story? etc.

Pure narrators are no longer MOR as of Survivor 24. A character with all narration and no complexity is UTR. A character with some narration and some complexity is MOR.

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CP - Complex Personality (High-level Complexity)

Definition: A character, within the episode, that emerges as a "personality" that is well-rounded and well-developed (intellectually, emotionally, personally and strategic/game-wise). The editing has depth, we see their strengths and weaknesses, and their choices are presented to the audience so that we get an insight into their thinking. In terms of story, these characters usually end up being major players in the story (game) and their choices end up shaping the overall, long-term story.

The character...

Note:
 * 1) receives a high amount of game relevant complexity. Few-to-several QUALITY confessionals and/or TC questions and/or camp discussions. Their thoughts, motivations, and plans are laid out in detail. The viewer knows exactly what a character intends to do and why.
 * 2) received moderate to significant QUALITY screen/face time, does something notable or important, and was given the opportunity to talk about it. Receives any amount of personal development from very low to very high. (Strategy, game, and complex emotions like remorse, loneliness, guilt, etc or an internal conflict over a situation are shared with the audience. Their thinking process and how these feelings/thoughts/events are affecting them and their game are expressed intelligently and maturely).
 * 3) had a fairly significant "role" or part in the episode, and that role is part of the driving force of the story. The story for the episode "revolved" around this character, at least partially.
 * 4) may have received SPV from another player(s).
 * 5) Highly complex, may have moments of OTT (or even UTR) within a single episode since being well-rounded and complex would, by definition, include being obtuse, one-note or single-minded.
 * 6) answers the questions Why and How. (Jim: I want to be in an alliance with Frank because Frank is stronger than me and will take some of the attention from me come the merge)

Winners are usually portrayed as CP at several points in the overall story since the story needs to be about them. However, this may not be the case in the early episodes if the winner starts out with a purposeful strategy of UTR. CPs after the merge are common / expected for the winner.

Strategy alone does not equal CP; there needs to be something to back up the strategy.

Some CP characters are all about the game. Some CP characters also have a personal side. Some CP characters even have extreme personalities

CP footage typically (but not always) is delivered in confessional form. Thus, many CP characters are also high visibility. As is the case with other ratings, visibility should not influence the decision about whether or not to give a CP rating. Many characters need a ton of footage to give very elaborative thoughts but rarely a character will say something incredibly detailed and complex in a short window of time.

CP is generally the most “dominant” rating available. If a character meets criteria for CP, whether they meet criteria for another type of rating is largely irrelevant – CP is typically the correct score to assign.

CP refers to a well-developed character that plays a large role in the game structure. We see the game through the eyes of CP individuals and are often asked to take their perspective on situations. Though these characters are often big “strategists,” anyone who offers significant and detailed thoughts on the game and how they approach it may receive this rating.

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OTT - Over the Top

Definition: A character, within the episode, that is over-simplified or presented as a one-dimensional, one-note caricature. In terms of story, these characters are usually used to create drama and to distract us from the winner. They are the ones we love to love (the hero, the sweetheart) or the ones we love to hate (the villain, the buffoon, the arrogant jerk, the right-royal-beyotch).

The character... Note:
 * 1) receives a very low amount of game-relevant footage, if any at all. Had a few-to-several confessionals and/or TC questions; confessionals and other discussions were generally one-sided, emotional and repetitive, without depth of thought or rationality expressed, lacked in strategy or strategy not expressed with much internal conflict (but probably had lots and lots of conflict with other people); OTT characters rarely, if ever, explain their motivations in the context of the game.
 * 2) received moderate to significant screen time; receives an extreme amount of personal character development. Their personality is highlighted strongly and is the central focus of their footage. Often they are a “caricature” of a real person. Confessionals were used to "paint" the character into a certain type of cartoon-like role (like the evil villain twirling their moustache, etc) or other extreme behaviour such as no remorse for hurtful actions, focusing only on loyalty or saving one's own skin, an absence of "evil" strategizing when there should be, etc.
 * 3) had a moderate to significant "role" or part in the episode. OTT characters are entertaining and are often the "scene-stealer" or the "drama-maker" for the episode. The story for the episode "revolved" around this character, at least partially.
 * 4) most likely received SPV from other players; SPV was used to reinforce the OTTness and the SPV was extreme or underscored the actions of the player in question.
 * 5) has very little complexity and will likely not have moments of depth or a "range of complexity" within a single episode. This is a one-dimension edit, and if the edit contains significant moments of "CP" then it is not OTT. If the edit is overwhelmingly OTT with only a few, minor moments of CP, and accompanied by OTT music, etc, then OTT may still be a better fit.
 * 6) may tell us about their wants and needs, but fails to tell us the hows and whys. In addition, will probably express those needs irrationally, and may blame or finger-point or display other extreme reactions to the situation.

OTT players are not exclusively the "in your face" high vis player. It is also possible for a minor character to receive footage that conveys an extreme amount of character development. An OTT edit can also be one where the focus of the screen-time was used to show the character repeating the same actions over and over (for example, someone who is being portrayed as a blabber mouth, will have several repeated scenes of them talking over and over, or close ups of their mouth talking, etc).

OTT Characters rarely receive an opportunity to talk about a situation or to express themselves rationally about it.

OTT characters often have tone, as well, because their antics are frequently spun a certain way for the audience. However, an OTT character does not require tone. A character can have a personality-defined, extreme edit without the edit taking a particular side on their behaviour.

OTT could be thought of as a special case of UTR. While the character still receives low game complexity, their footage highlights their personality instead. OTT characters are often (but not always) the focal point of an episode and are often (but not always) polarizing forces within the game.

Not all OTT players stay this way, and often an OTT player will go UTR for awhile if the editors want to bring them back to the main storyline as a more well-rounded character.

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General Considerations

- The goal for the current coding structure is to emphasize the construct of game-relevant complexity in coding. As Survivor has become a more game-focused show, the extent to which characters fit into this construct is generally of great interest to ALL Edgic participants. Thus, the main focus of the Rating scale is the UTR – MOR – CP sequence, which represents a continuum of game-relevant complexity for characters. INV provides extra clarity for extreme lack of visibility and OTT provides an indication that a character is being defined by their personality and not their game.

- The titles for the different ratings have remained the same over the many years of Edgic’s existence but their definitions are in a constant state of flux. Do not read so highly into the names of each rating so as to circumvent their current purpose. For example, one might identify a character who is highly complex, but has low character development as a person. Though the current coding system would identify them as CP (“Complex Personality”) it might be tempting to argue that CP cannot be appropriate because their “personality,” defined literally, was not complex. Similarly, you might suggest that a character with no speaking roles or significance to the episode appeared in the background and thus were not literally “invisible.” In short, general convention is to use current coding procedures instead of literal applications of the code names.

Common Contrasts

- UTR vs. INV. The key difference between UTR and INV is the amount of visibility. If a character has significant and appreciable visibility such that 1-5 seems appropriate, they are UTR. If a character is so absent that 0 seems appropriate, they are INV.

- UTR vs. MOR. The key difference between UTR and MOR is now the amount of complexity being displayed. A character with no personal game-relevant complexity is now UTR regardless of visibility. A character with some appreciable and significant game-relevant complexity is either MOR or CP.

- MOR vs. CP. Here, we are focused on the depth and fullness of a character’s perspective – not merely the frequency of it. A MOR character will talk about the game, but it’s lacking in impact. Someone can have 4 game-relevant confessionals but gloss over the issue in each one while another characters gets one very well put together and coherent thought. Imagine it as if you were a teacher grading a character on how complex they were and needed to give someone “partial credit.” MOR would be a character that gets “partial credit” for being complex.

- CP vs. OTT. Sometimes a character with an extreme amount of personal development will also be game complex. Despite the high level of character development present in an OTT edit, OTT characters are not complex. An OTT does not explain his/her actions or motivations – he/she is defined by those actions. CP characters, on the other hand, are more flexibly defined – many types of characters can be high in complexity, as it is the complexity that defines them.

- MOR vs. OTT. The jury is still out on how to best handle this issue. While some might argue that the complexity present in an MOR edit should take precedence over whatever character development the character has, others might say that an extreme level of character development supercedes the moderate level of complex development. Until further consensus can be reached, it might be best to evaluate this on a case-by-case basis.