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Week 2 Day 2: Mismatched Allies – GREEN BOOK
1. Please watch this scene and provide your insights/breakthroughs into what makes this character great from a writing perspective.
2. Read the other writers comments and make notes of any insights/breakthroughs you like.
3. Rethink or create a scene for your script using your new insights and rewrite that scene/character.
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8 Replies
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Watch 1st time for:
How
mismatched are these two?Dr, is a refined black musician who will not be welcomed in the South. Tony is a white mob man, an enforcer, with unrefined tastes and no knowledge of music. In the 60’s, a white man would never work for a black man. Dr. is worldly, Tony’s world seems to be the mafia.
What do
they have to get over to be able to work together and become friends?Race issues. Class issues. Communication issues with someone from another world. Distaste for the other’s background and personalities. Culture clash.
Knowing
that Tony gets the job, how does this mismatch create a future for both characters?They must learn to overcome all the above if the job is going to work for both. That means a steep learning curve for both.
Watch 2nd time for:
What drama
is this scene built around?Tony needs the job and Dr. needs someone who can run interference with a minimum of upheaval to the tour. The more they talk, the more their differences are highlighted, but the more they need each other becomes clear.
What
profile items (right character, traits, secret, wound, future) showed up
in these two character’s words and actions?Dr.: The musician has to go on tour; it’s his livelihood. His race makes the tour route a danger to his very life. If he is to be successful, he has to depend on this man who he does not get along with.
Tony: the man who by reputation is the best one to run interference for his employer, he is a mob enforcer so must have a lot of secrets. He has a family he has to support so needs to adapt to this difficult situation as the job unfolds.
Daily Focus – Searching for Breakthroughs:
Please
watch this scene and provide your insights/breakthroughs into what makes
this character great from a writing perspective.The two couldn’t be more opposite but clearly need each other. Every dialogue exchange rubs the other the wrong way, but they remain interdependent. The laundry list of ways they clash will all have to be resolved if this arrangement is going to work.
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Joseph, I really liked your statement: “Every dialogue exchange rubs the other the wrong way, but they remain interdependent.”
And as they seem to feel more drawn apart, we the audience see the necessity for their relationship grow.
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Watch 1st time for:
How mismatched are these two?
Dr Shirley is very thoughtful, knows who he is, refined, proud, reserved and ostentatious. His dialogue is direct and thoughtful. You can see he understands his circumstance in a white world. He also, he shoots for the moon, in asking that for $100.00/week, a driver, bouncer, and valet is a reasonable ask. Although, he discovers that the Valet part may have to be dropped if he is to move forward in hiring Tony. There are a lot of variables that can occur on the trip, so you can tell he is weighing those things thoughtfully and prioritizing what he needs most. By going after Tony (seeing future, a breakthrough) he is now going to work on compromises to get Tony to work for him.
Tony is proud, tough, straight forward, knows who he is. Also, very direct with understanding the circumstance. Also, condescending at some point. He does not have issues with working for a black man, nor does he have issues with saying “no” or thumping someone. He sees a means to an end, there is no emotional attachment to his work (no matter what). He enjoys being a tough guy because he is very good at it. He is probably the best at what he does in the area. The dialogue (and acting) brings this character to the forefront as someone who expects that he can deal with any circumstance placed in front of him.
They are very different, the differences are exactly what makes them a great couple – in a way “opposites attract”. Dr Shirley understands how his presence, as a black man, will place him in dangerous territory while traveling in the ‘deep south’. He knows he will need a tough white man to take him on this journey. Tony also begins to understand what this job entails and what Dr. Shirley will need.
The undertones are throughout the dialogue. I realize that we are talking about writing, but for this film the overall presentation in this scene: production design, wardrobe…. It’s difficult to ignore these things, visually intriguing, surprising too. This gives us clues too. We as the audience, more than likely would not expect that Dr. Shirley (a musician) would sit on a throne in his house, wearing a robe mixed with traditional and present (for the era). Of course Tony is wearing what you would expect for his line of work and in his community.
The fact that Tony does not seem put off, he is curious and maybe impressed that a black man lives in such a “rich” household.
What do they have to get over to be able to work together and become friends?
This couple must push aside their differences to keep communication with each other. Trust on the part of Dr. Shirley is a big one. Of course he will have only so much trust at this point in the film. He understands that Tony is a man of his word, but once he is crossed, that could be the end. With that in mind Dr. Shirley must place trust in this white man. He believes that Tony has the integrity of taking a job and completing the job, to the best of his ability.
While Tony does not trust at all, he is always on the lookout. This is why he can point out details in his surroundings, so he can calculate a get away, a fighting scenario…. he will eventually have to let his guard down and be open to surprising possibilities. I believe that he opened the door on his first meeting with Dr. Shirley. At the very least intrigued by the possibility of how taking this black man on a tour in the deep south, would challenge his “Public Affairs” skills.
Knowing that Tony gets the job, how does this mismatch create a future for both characters?
This story is propelled by this scene (cliff hanger). We as the audience are intrigued by the possibilities. No matter where we come from. The future is up to these two men, coming to terms that they can deal with in the moment. With an unexpected and eventual camaraderie. How enduring will this friendship turn out, I have to watch the film again.
Watch 2nd time for:
What drama is this scene built around?
An amazing musician who has achieved many things in life, but it still comes down to racism and segregation in America. The era is of a time where segregation would allow a black musician to play for white people in a fancy restaurant, yet would not allow this black man to eat dinner with them.
What profile items (right character, traits, secret, wound, future) showed up in these two character’s words and actions? Both right characters.
Dr Shirley: Proud, refined, educated – his wounds are there, but not apparent. He surrounds himself with items representing his ethnicity. Not to mention he this is his kingdom (a place that he can control), a place that he can maybe have redemption when he his knocked down. He can be creative with his music and have peace of mind. He knows the possible future (for the tour) will be challenging and will rely on this unlikely person to assist him in getting through it. So much more….
Tony: Straight Forward, strong (physically), Open, Confident – he does not appear to have any wounds. Buried so deep, we wouldn’t not know in this scene. He is on an interview, he is doing the interviewing. He is aware, open, curious, and intrigued. He has no issues, but he will not allow a black man to make him his valet. He is a driver and tough guy.
Daily Focus – Searching for Breakthroughs:
Please watch this scene and provide your insights/breakthroughs into what makes this character great from a writing perspective.
What I learned rewriting my scene/character…?
Wow! I think for the current world we live in, this a profound circumstance and film. It says so much directly and in the undertones. I can only hope that I could bring such great insight into my characters of color and more, placing them in mismatched allies, circumstances…. Lots to think about and especially do more thoughtful research into the stories I am telling.
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I like how to give respect to the set, wardrobe, and world in the mis-match of these two characters.
Too bad, we citizens can’t seem to overcome our country’s differences to meet our challenges as well as these two need to do.
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These two characters both find they are mismatched in most every way down to the rings. They have a compatible need but, it is not so apparent to them in the dialog. We viewers see their need and can imagine a topsy-turvy future between the two.
I do not have any mispatched allies in my story so far. My characters are allies who end up enemies to the death. There is a relationship that is exposed slowly so that we don’t know their connection – maybe I can work this over.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by Michael Williamsen.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by
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How mismatched are these two? These two are night and day. Donald is well-spoken, ornate, mild-mannered, wealthy, traveled, and superior. Tony is thuggish, touchy, crude, and combative. They share that they are both instinctive, neat in appearance, detailed, and likely both have “seen trouble.”
What do they have to get over to be able to work together and become friends? Tony is going to have to be more respectful, careful in his speech, gracious, helpful, and committed. Donald is going to have to respect professional boundaries, trust a white guy to have his back, and have faith that Tony can do the unforeseen aspects of the job at hand.
Knowing that Tony gets the job, how does this mismatch create a future for both characters? We know both characters are going to have to grow and trust. We know they are going to get put in some situations where it will be challenging for them to understand and value each other. It’s likely that Tony is going to have to take a hard look at his ideas about race… be that Asian or other.
What drama is this scene built around? A wealthy and talented black man going to the Deep South where he is likely to face various racist situations… and him needing a driving and logistics person… who in this case happens to be white… or what chosen because he’s white, but has to experience with the mob (difficult situations).
What profile items (right characters, traits, secret wound, future) showed up in the characters’ words and actions? We feel these two will have a complex future and that Donald has a secret wound… Tony may also have a secret wound – since he worked for the mob and did “public relations,” but it’s hard to tell how affected he was.
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These two are night and day. Educationally. Culturally. Family. Occupationally. They are on different ends of the spectrum. I am trying to look at one part of this scene where there is some connection and I’m not sure I see any. However, Tony is brutally honest. “Me and the misses had a few coloreds over the other night.” Comfortable in his own low-class skin. The doctor is smart enough to see Tony possesses some of the intangibles he anticipates he will need to survive this trip. They would have to get over the class differences…(I haven’t seen the whole film) But this looks like it could be “The Odd Couple on the road..” As far as the future that is set-up…”Could you be away from your family for 8 weeks?” Tony says yeah. But what if something comes up and Tony needs the doctor to bend a little. The doc doesn’t seem like the bending type. He’s a man that knows exactly what and how he wants it. Think there might be conflict there? This scene is rich for areas of future conflict. Perhaps the way Tony solves problems with violence and the doctor is non-violent or ?… this scene did a wonderful job with creating future conflicts.
This scene was built around the drama/stress of a job interview. What was truly magical about this scene was the way they didn’t really give it to just one of the characters. We really felt the back and forth between these two characters. We saw it from Tony’s POV as the over-the-top Doc in his ceremonial garments. We saw the judgmental questions from the Doc trying to pry into the level of Tony’s experience. However, we knew what the scope of a trip like this could mean to the doc. Was this a trip on the Titanic? Is he setting himself up for death? There is a long history of what kind of treatment the doc could be getting himself into and we can see the gears in the doc’s head thinking the more I know about this guy the more he might be just right. It was a scene where I could feel the way each character was simply being themselves and really uncovering layers of character with each question and each answer.
Insights/Breakthroughs – One of the main ideas we have discussed on occasion is subtlety. Subtlety in subtext and subtlety in character change, yet, many of these scenes are so over the top that I am thinking that is one of the big keys of successful writing. When to be subtle and when do we pull out the big guns and blow them out of the water. There is a distinct need for both skills.
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Watch 1st time for:
· How mismatched are these two?
· What do they have to get over to be able to work together and become friends?
· Knowing that Tony gets the job, how does this mismatch create a future for both characters?
Tony and Donald are very mismatched in that the former is associated with the mob underworld and the latter with the music world. This pairing exposes glaring challenges both will have on their journey through the south. Most obvious being a white man driving a black man through the southern towns; Donald is sure to feel threatened at times making Tony serve as a guardian or bodyguard of sorts. Tony could also be put in harm’s way for serving Donald and seen as a subservient worker.
The main issue they have to get over to be able to work together and become friends is Tony wants nothing to do with being a “butler” type for Donald. Tony made it clear he’s not going to iron clothes and shine shoes. This is work that is beneath him and he will focus on the driving and protective duties only that the job requires. Once these work parameters are set and agreed upon, it appears that both men can become eventual friends.
Once Tony gets the job, there is an interesting future that is set given these men come from vastly different backgrounds. Tony will be exposed to black musical culture, while Donald will get a glimpse at the social pressures even a white man has to face. As both men recognize the challenges of the other, there’s sure to be an understanding achieved in their particular lives. This is not explicitly stated, but the audience can surmise the difficulties they will surely face.
Watch 2nd time for:
· What drama is this scene built around?
· What profile items (right character, traits, secret, wound, future) showed up in these two character’s words and actions?
The drama built around this scene includes the proposal of a white man being hired to be a chauffeur for a black man. Adding to the drama, the roads where the driving will take place is in the deep south. Also, these two characters will spend much time together that is sure to bring out their personas, which could cause conflict as well as rapport. There is the colliding of worlds between Tony and Donald having the audience anticipate all the scenarios that could transpire with the merging.
Tony is the right character for this story because he brings instant conflict to Donald’s world which is black musical culture. He portrays a man who is no nonsense which sets up an interesting dynamic in Donald’s world. Based on this scene he lacks education making him straight shooter blue collar type of man. Yet, he holds his ground and lays out how he operates within the proposed job requirements. It seems (based on this scene) there is no secret with Tony as he holds nothing back from his potential employer.
Perhaps Tony has a past that cause him to be a “tough guy” of sorts which points to a possible wound. It could be his upbringing or a defining event in his life that has molded him into the man he is. Now that he’s met Donald the past may dictate what the future will be for both men as they deal with their encounters through the story.
Donald serves this story well by being a character creating instant conflict as well. A black musician who will perform in the south with a white “guardian” serves the audience’s curiosity of how this scenario will play out. He’s proper and educated, seemingly the opposite of Tony who’s more common man. There’s no obvious secret in this scene for Donald, but there could be a wound where maybe he was threatened for being black leading him to hire a person who can keep things in order for everyone’s safety. I have yet to see the entire movie, but this setup does make me want to know how their journey will play out and end; an ending with characters who have much to learn from each other. A future that only these men can control.
Insights/Breakthroughs:
When designing characters, it’s helpful to put seeming opposites together to create conflict, tension and sometimes humor in the piece. This causes the audience to be drawn into the story and want to know how things will play out.
Putting opposites together creates possibilities for humorous moments, not just dramatic nuance. Instant opposites cause instant conflict leaving room for character growth and exploration.
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