Line #5 Main/LevelBreaker

Context Main / LevelBreaker

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1	"Level breaking" is a term used mostly by drama-{{geek}}s to refer to an event in a script or an uneven portrayal in acting that wrecks the intended emotional tenor of a scene or an entire piece.
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3	In portrayals, when actors take it too big (start ChewingTheScenery, rending the wardrobe, inserting pratfalls, etc.), they are level-breaking by going "[[IncomingHam over]] [[LargeHam the]] [[ChewingTheScenery top]]." If they play it too [[DullSurprise flat]], they are breaking by way of "[[ReviewerStockPhrases phoning it in]]."
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5	It is much easier to level-break by going over the level than it is by going under the level: a person [[TheStoic not displaying their emotions]] is less challenging to the viewer's WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief than a person... well, [[BadBadActing behaving like an actor]].
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7	You can, given the proper medications and directorial blandishments, eventually get an actor to either calm down or wake up. (Well, most of 'em, anyway.) In scripts, the problem is a little harder to pin down.
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9	The most common level-breaker in a script is a MoodWhiplash, a jump from way-sad to way-ridiculous. The 'breaker is in the "way-" part, in the degree of emotion. Having a détente scene, something to break the tension a little after a sad bit is not a bad move, but it has to be done with some care.
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11	This can also apply to other media, such as an immersive game being interrupted by an intrusive user interface, or a serious DeconstructionGame about shooters being interrupted by an achievement notification after mowing down dozens of {{Mooks}} in a row.
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13	Compare {{Narm}}. Not related to SequenceBreaking or to a GameBreaker, though these things could end up being a self-inflicted cause of this trope.
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16	''[-This defines the fan-speak term. No examples are wanted. They have a tendency to drift into bashing.-]''
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Context Main / LevelBreaker