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Day 20 Assignments
Reply to post your assignment.
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6 Replies
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Bob Kerr – Character Relationships
What I have learned in this assignment:
My initial script explored some of these traits but left others unexplored. By creating rapport, conflict, contrast and competition it will enhanced the subtext and help me with the rewrite and provide more conflict, drama and character driven storyline.
Step 1 – Core traits of my four leading characters
Fran: independent, vulnerable, angry and protective
Calvin: controlling, doting grandfather, opportunistic and old fashioned
Vespoli: Perfectionist, outgoing, driven and isolated
Cheryl: Opportunistic, courageous, driven and outspoken
Step 2 – Put the characters up against each other and tell how their traits cause each of these
a) rapport, b) conflict, cZ) contrast, d) sub-text
Fran/Calvin
Frans protective trait creates rapport with Calvin’s doting grandfather trait.
Fran’s independent trait creates conflict with Calvin’s controlling trait
Fran’s angry trait creates contrast with Calvin’s old fashion trait’
Fran’s vulnerable trait creates competition with Calvin’s opportunistic trait
Subtext is created as Fran is Calvin’s daughter but Calvin is more focused on his granddaughter
Fran/Vespoli
Fran’s independent trait creates rapport with Vespoli’s outgoing trait
Fran’s vulnerability trait creates conflict with Vespoli’s perfectionist trait
Fran’s angry trait creates contrast with Vespoli’s isolated trait
Fran’s protective trait creates competition with Vespoli’s driven trait
Subtext is created as Vespoli needs Fran to completely buy-in to his way and Fran needs to be independent
Fran/Cheryl
Fran’s independent trait creates rapport with Cheryl’s opportunistic trait
Fran’s protective trait creates conflict with Cheryl’s courageous trait
Fran’s angry trait creates contrast with Cheryl’s outspoken trait
Frans’ vulnerable trait creates competition with Cheryl’s driven trait
Subtext is created as Fran’s and Cheryl’s involvement in the crew is for completely opposite reasons. Yet, both must find a way to work together.
Cheryl/Vespoli
Cheryl’s opportunistic trait creates rapport with Vespoli’s perfectionist trait
Cheryl’s outspoken trait creates conflict with Vespoli’s driven trait
Cheryl’s driven trait creates contrast with Vespoli’s outgoing trait
Cheryl’s courageous trait creates competition with Vespoli’s isolated trait
Sub-text is created as Cheryl is a pioneer among pioneers and Vespoli is trying to herd cats in the women’s crew.
Step3/4 – With each pair make an improvement, changing a trait to elevate one of the above states
Fran/Calvin
Change Fran’s angry trait to progressive
Changes Fran’s progressive trait to contrast with Calvin’s old fashion trait
Fran/Vespoli
Change Fran’s vulnerable trait to head strong
Changes Fran’s head strong trait to create conflict with Vespoli’s perfectionist trait
Fran/Cheryl
Change Fran’s angry trait to feminist
Changes Frans feminist trait to contrast with Cheryl’s outspoken trait
Cheryl/Vespoli
Change Cheryl’s outspoken trait to empowered
Changes Cheryl’s empowered trait to create rapport with Vespoli’s perfectionist trait.
C
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Denice’s Character Relationships
What I learned doing this assignments changed my thinking from the plot to the interaction of character traits and how they will drive actions, dialogue, and story. I change two traits for the main character and one each for the other three. It will be exciting to see how this affects the script.
Everett/Mellieora: loving, hot-headed, vengeful, devious vs. entreating, stubborn, withholding, loving
Rapport: They loved each other and were married 30 years.
Conflict: She’s dead, but talks to him in her images around the house. Because she withholds information, his vengeful trait shows. He can see her because he’s dead, but not quite all-ghost.
Contrast: Her entreating trait soothes his hot-headed trait.
Competition: Everett thinks his wife was having an affair with Finn and her stubbornness in withholding the truth causes his vengeance.
Subtext: Mellieora has withheld information about their son, Finn, to save her family which exposes Everett’s devious and vengeful traits in his wish to kill Finn.
Everett/Ann: loving, hot-headed, vengeful, devious vs. caring, stubborn, skeptical, righteous
Rapport: Father and daughter loved each other when he was alive.
Conflict: She can’t see his ghost because of her skeptical trait and disbelief in the paranormal. When she does see her father, her caring and righteous traits conflict with his vengeful and devious traits to kill Finn. Her stubborn trait and his hot-headed trait pit them against each other.
Contrast: Everett’s vengeful trait is completely opposite of Ann’s righteousness.
Competition: She’s stubborn in proving that ghosts don’t exist. He’s hot-headed because he’s ineffectual in making her see him. Her caring and righteous traits about Finn’s incarceration conflict with Everett’s vengeful, devious traits.
Subtext: Ann’s skepticism has caused her to lose faith in the unseen world she believed in as a child. Everett’s vengeful trait covers his guilt over Mellieora’s death.
Everett/Finn: loving, hot-headed, vengeful, devious vs. charming, protective, trustworthy, calculating.
Rapport: This only happens when Everett’s loving trait and Finn’s protective trait come into play in saving Ann from the Queen of Air and Darkness.
Conflict: Finn’s calculating trait conflicts with Everett’s devious trait when he tries to escape. His charming trait toward Ann makes Everett hot-headed and more vengeful.
Contrast: Everett’s devious and vengeful traits conflict with Finn’s calculating and trustworthy traits.
Competition: Finn’s charming and protective traits toward Ann ignite Everett’s hot-headed, vengeful, and devious traits.
Subtext: Finn is determined to find out what happened to Mellieora and escape from Everett.
Ann/Finn: caring, stubborn, skeptical, righteous vs charming, protective, trustworthy, calculating
Rapport: They get along when he’s charming and she’s caring.
Conflict: Her stubborn, skeptical traits flair when he’s protective and calculating.
Contrast: Her skepticism and his trustworthy traits contrast when he’s trying to make her believe her father is present as a ghost.
Competition: She’s skeptical when he’s trying to protect her from what she can’t see.
Subtext: Their conflicting traits won’t allow them to admit they’re falling for each other.
Ann/Mellieora: caring, stubborn, skeptical, righteous vs. entreating, stubborn, withholding, caring
Rapport: They loved each other as daughter and mother.
Subtext: Ann only sees her mother when she’s knocked unconscious. Mellieora is cryptic in her guidance to Ann for helping her father. She also withholds the informations that Ann is not their biological child.
Mellieora/Finn: entreating, stubborn, withholding, caring vs. charming, protective, trustworthy, calculating
Rapport: Finn is Mllieora’s son who’s been searching for her. They only have a few hours together before she dies in an accident.
Subtext: Mellieora doesn’t tell her husband that Finn is their son and Finn doesn’t know it, either, which shows her caring, stubborn, and withholding traits.
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Alfred Travis Character Relationships
What I Learned doing this assignment was…? How to view my character relationships to get to the story I need to tell.
1.
Bo Travis
Traits: Depressed, Ashamed
Karen
Traits: Plotting, Deceptive, Sullen, Self-Righteousness
Jack Berres
Traits: Insightful, Caring, Friendly, smart
Janey
Sexually Promiscuous, Desirable, Creative, Intelligent
2.
Bo/Karen: Bo’s feeling wronged/Karen self-righteous
Bo/Janey: Bo ashamed/Janey Inviting
Bo/Jack: Bo is depressed/Jack Caring
3.
Bo has rapport with Jack and Janey. They give Bo a new lease on life. With Karen Bo has a conflict he doesn’t want in contrast with K who’s competing for Bo’s goal.
4.
Bo is inspired with Jack. Jack is supportive. With Karen give Bo the trait of being strong, not a victim of what he doesn’t know.
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Ed. Gillow Character Relationships
What I learned doing this assignment was how to elevate characters relationships to add more conflict, rapport, contrast, competition, and subtext.
Step 1: Core traits of four main characters
Moses Eagle Heart: moralistic, bigoted, straightforward, courageous
Boone Turner: Cautious, racist, selfish, tough
Jose Villa: ambitious, affable, quick-witted, extroverted
Angel Mendoza: loyal, cooperative, sensible, bold
Step 2: Match characters in pairs
Moses / Boone
Moses’ moralistic trait mixes with Boone’s cautious trait most of time, which helps build rapport. However, at other times creates conflict and subtext.
Moses’ bigoted trait clashes with Boone’s racist trait and provides the majority of conflict, subtext and at times competition.
Moses’ straightforward trait clashes with Boone’s selfish trait to provide conflict, subtext, and competition.
Moses’ courageous trait mixes well with Boone’s tough trait for rapport, competition, and subtext.
Moses / Jose
Moses’ moralistic trait has some rapport with Jose’s ambitious trait. But since Jose is the villain, creates conflict and subtext.
Moses’ bigoted trait and Jose’s affable trait find some rapport and contrast. Conflict arises as Moses is bigoted against everyone which provides the majority of conflict, subtext and at times competition.
Moses’ straightforward trait clashes with Jose’s quick-witted to provide contrast, subtext, and competition, to a lesser degree conflict.
Moses’ courageous trait mixes well with Jose’s extroverted trait for rapport, competition, and subtext.
Boone / Jose
Boone’s cautious trait provides contrast with Jose’s ambitious trait. But since Jose is the villain, creates conflict and subtext.
Boone’s racist trait and Jose’s affable trait find contrast. Boone hates everyone so his racism provides the majority of conflict, subtext and at times competition.
Boone’s selfish trait clashes with Jose’s quick-witted to provide contrast, subtext, and competition, to a lesser degree conflict.
Boone’s tough trait provides contrast with Jose’s extroverted trait. Possibly some rapport, competition, and subtext.
Jose / Angel
Jose’s ambitious trait mixes well with Angel’s loyal trait to provide rapport and subtext, maybe some contrast
Jose’s affable trait mixes well with Angel’s cooperative trait to provide rapport, competition, and subtext
Jose’s quick-witted trait mixes with Angel’s sensible trait to provide rapport, competition, subtext and to a lesser extent, conflict
Jose’s extroverted trait mixes will with Angel’s bold trait to provide rapport, competition, and subtext, maybe conflict at times
Step 3: NOTE to Robert and Denice. I’ve been living with these characters for 5 years and find it hard to tweak the traits to elevate them. Perhaps, if you two have some thoughts, I would love to hear them. For background: Boone (anti-hero) and Moses (protagonist) are tasked to track down Jose (antagonist) and his sidekick Angel. Thank you in advance for any thoughts you may have.
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Edward:
I can appreciate the challenge of changing traits with characters you have lived with for five years plus. Like you, the characters in my script have been with me for five years. How I looked at the assignment, were there ways to improve drama and elevate the tension. Perhaps one way to think about this is to imagine something more extreme. What is lost that sustains the vision? What is gained by changing the vision of the script? Ultimately for me, since my script has been entered into two film festivals, with encouraging coverage but no joy in placing in the competition, changing the script and characters is going to be essential to winning competitions and getting the attention of a manager/agent/producer.
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Robert: Thank you as always for your thoughts and feedback. You pose some good food for thought. Like you, I have entered this particular screenplay into competitions and the best place to date is quarterfinalist. I wish you much luck with your future entries into competitions, using the techniques we’ve learned to date. Speaking for me, I know they will help. Cheers!
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