-
Lesson 3
Reply to post your assignments.
-
11 Replies
-
Aina’s Character Profile Part 2
What I learned doing this assignment is that creating character profiles does not have to be a daunting exercise and it’s good to keep character elements separate – helps a lot.
URR – the modern family-elf –
Role in the story: Dreamer/Fighter – well groomed, set in his ways, loner family elf, happy with his life in the city – naive to the world outside his apartment. When thrust into the rough world of a farm needs to find the fighter inside in order to survive.
Age range and Description: Male, young elf – 7 years old (since this is how long the family has existed), wiry but tough
Internal Journey: from an inexperienced, anxious but spirited loner to merry and mischievous elf – it’s okay to open up
External Journey: from a loner city elf to the, albeit reluctantly, adventurous one who reunites all the farm elves at his new home
Motivation: to have the happiest family and best looked after home
Wound: He is lonely, has been from day one he came into existence – lesson learned: loneliness is a choice
Mission/Agenda: after his family moves from city to a farmhouse in the country, Urr’s agenda is to manipulate his family to move back to the city
Secret: he knows nothing about elves, where they come from, what kind there are etc
What makes them special? His ability to come out of his shell and inspire warring sides to work together – behind a loner shell is a creative natural leader.
What draws us to this character? A naive, spirited loner unaware of his kin and history, his best intentions get used and abused by everyone around him.
Traits: spirited, slightly gullible, curious, quick learner, vulnerable
Subtext: says as little as he can get away with to guard his character and space from others, uses politeness to disarm opposition.
Flaw: considers himself a loner, not to have any friends everValues: autonomy, creativity, compassion, politeness, optimism
Irony: His positive, spirited character is what draws others to him, while he himself wants to be left alone.
What makes this the right character for this role? He has no idea where he comes from and who-what family-elves are, all he knows is what he must do – we go on the journey of discovering his roots with him.
VELBAS (Eng: sharp) – ancient house elf
Role in the Story: Authority – proud of his house and unwilling to share it with anybody.
Age range and Description: Male ancient house-elf, 156 years old – same age as the mischievous boy hidden inside a grumpy old man
Internal Journey: from grumpy, entitled authority man to a mischievous old teacher
External Journey: from locked away lonely house to always open and busy stables
Motivation: he is the authority among all farm elves and apt to keep his position
Wound: when he was young, he wanted to be a stable, but his father would have none of it and Velbas had to follow family traditions and take over the farmhouse
Mission/Agenda: to get rid of Urr but teach the youngster at least a little bit while they are together
Secret: his infatuation with Tunne (she/her) the stable-elf
What makes them special? He is a great manipulatorWhat draws us to this character? A grumpy old wise man, who has hidden his soft-kind side away – how long will he last when faced with a spirited opposition?
Traits: grumpy, smart, sincere, inconsiderate
Subtext: always tries to stand taller than what he is (ready to climb the highest rock for that) to stress his importance and keep distance from others at the same time; constantly squinting eyes look through everyone around him – he scrutinizes and judges everything and everybody.
Flaw: he likes putting others downValues: authority, determination, knowledge, peace, fairness
Irony: he tries to distance himself from others while he is dying to share his knowledge and wisdom
What makes this the right character for this role? With his age and wisdom, he is the best opposition for Urr, one that can outsmart Urr easily but has admiration for young elf’s desire to learn and get better, while keeping his loner status (Velbas can relate to deciding to create distance) -
Chris’s Character Profile Part 2
What I learned doing this assignment is: getting deeper into the psyche of my main character
Fill in Part 2 of the character Profile for your lead character:
What draws us to this character? Complexity of
character with some true “hero” traits and major flaw which prevents him from
reaching his full capabilities.Traits: charismatic, intellectual, bullheaded, indifferent
to praise/criticism, socially aloof.
Subtext: uses charm and charisma to “Tom Sawyer” others
into doing his work; if you try to change his POV he would say “you are
just putting words in my mouth” and deflect.Flaw: Skewed POV which always favors him; unwilling to
compromise or consider others POV. Quixotic as his impractical pursuit of idealistic goals.Values: individualism, rejecting conventions of
society, philosophical idealism, historical, appreciation, honesty.Irony: In his
Master/Slave relationships, one of his biggest Master to Master
relationships is with someone who is a pure capitalist (of which he
despises re Adam Smith’s Mistake); in his attempt to make the locally
renowned photographer famous (Ansel Adams famous) relies on aggressive Sales
and Marketing of which diametrically oppose his anti-capitalist views.What makes this the right character for this role? Good
intentions at heart. Utilize his smarts,
awareness, pragmatic thinking, and historical understanding in attempt to
fix societal woes in a Forrest Gumpian way (re his personality disorder).-
This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by Chris Spizuoco.
-
This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by Chris Spizuoco.
-
This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by
-
DAY 3
1. Doug’s Character Profile – Part 2. The questions in this section helped me learn A LOT more about my characters – and is sparking major enthusiasm in me to work with them and see how all of this is going to turn out! A great help in making this a character-based story at least as much as a plot-driven thriller (which I am hoping it will be, as well)!
2. Fill in Part 2 of the character Profile for your two lead characters. (Going to do it for three lead characters, since the chief villain will be off-screen for most of the movie – though her actions will create the playing field for all.)
Nick – Protagonist
What draws us to this character?
He’s really fun and friendly. Ready to take risks. If you cross him, however, he will “strike back”. He feels really guilty about “letting his best friend down” (we’ll find out more about this eventually) and is really, really loyal.
Traits:
Right – very loyal. Has to grow past “situational ethics” into allowing himself to be guided by his deeper values. Ready to take risks, because he thinks he can handle himself (for the most part) with whatever comes up. Always tries to see the bright and humorous side of things – and keep things upbeat, but he is also kind of sensitive about being “dissed”. Very focused on his goals.
Subtext:
Hmmm. When he’s feeling hurt or threatened, he’ll probably strike out a little more intensely than normal – rather than tempering it with a laugh, he’ll be in more of a “smack down” mode. Because he’s kind of insecure about his foundation – doesn’t want anyone to get past his defenses.
Flaw:
He feels like he is a total fake – he let his friend get killed, couldn’t defend him – he feels like he’s gotta go all smoke-and-mirrors to earn the money in the high stakes world of NYC real estate to save his “little brothers and sisters” in the foster home from being farmed out to – whomever – if the place goes bankrupt – but – he’s gonna do it anyway – damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead! Sometimes that works – sometimes, well, it doesn’t. He’s really good at “fronting”, but he also knows whats-what.
Values:
He loves his little brothers and sisters. At first, he’s willing to sacrifice others for their benefit – but then realizes, that “everyone” falls into that category – even though there are many forces pushing and pulling him to “justify the means” by his “higher ends”. But he comes to realize that this is bullshit and it just takes a higher level of… Heroism? Effort? Brilliance? Marvel Super-heroism? to make it all work in a way that, for him, truly works!
(Uh-oh – I finally figured out a way to give Spider-Man a NYC real estate license! Now I know I’m home free!)
Irony:
Well, he can’t scale up buildings or web-sling high above 5<sup>th</sup> Avenue. He’s just “a guy” – and he reflects constantly upon his desire to super-hero his way to victory, and his insecurity complex that he’s an “orphan without an MBA in the big city”, up against some billionaire heavy hitters!
What makes this the right character for this role?
Because it’s going to be really fun to work with him and do my best to make sure “we” succeed!
Shania – Antagonist/switching to Ally
What draws us to this character?
She’s totally cool (in so far as I am able to create “cool” – hahaha!)
She is unflappable – brilliant – sarcastically funny – and, unexpectedly, warm and loving,
Traits:
She’s totally loyal to her mom and their “mission” (make millions through NYC real estate and send a big “fuck you” to their upper crust in-laws in Britain – including <but with lots of conflict> her dad).
She’s very competent, not scared of anyone up comes up against her (or, at least, she’ll never show it).
She is, however, really fun, witty, and makes any weird situation she finds herself in fun – at least for herself, as the main audience.
She does come to truly care for Nick, though, at first, she regards him as a “useful tool”. And then… she realizes that she, herself, has feelings, goals, values beyond what her mom is working with.
Subtext:
Not sure. Have a feeling she, like, looks over her shoulder, as if she’s looking at something that doesn’t totally register on her consciousness, that she can’t really see. And… I think that is the key – even though she’s really smart and competent, she’s never let herself doubt her mom’s programming – and she does love her dad, even though he pretty much let her and her mom down – hmmm,,, have to work on this one a bit, but it’s pretty interesting. Strong mom, weak dad – but loves them both – but they are opposed to each other (maybe) – fun to see how this evolves!
Flaw:
Well, she is cutting herself off from her own inner strength by sticking with her mom’s program of – messing with the system and making millions and enjoying the “Up yours!” aspect of it all (in response to her dad’s family’s put-down of her mom – and, by extension, her). Because she is much stronger than all that – and she can be a much bigger person – but it will take the permutations of this story to get her to see this and make the decision to “be who she really is”!
Values:
Success. Winning. And she does like having fun. But then – she realizes that loving and compassion and achieving “win-win” situations doesn’t actually rule out all of those former qualities – and that loving and helping people is not necessarily “wussy”, “yucky” or “disgusting” – and is, actually, kind of fun!
Irony:
She’s both a brilliant manipulator, able to suspend her compassion for potential victims – but – at the same time – she’s starting to see that she no longer likes being controlled by her mom and hurting people in this way, no matter how deeply her mom was hurt and no matter how loyal she is to her mom,
What makes this the right character for this role?
Hey – I’m already way too invested in this character (as well as the others) to want to work out the story with anyone but them! (Writer character trait: Loyalty to the characters who have presented themselves! I’m really looking forward to helping them achieve their apotheosis!)_
Olga – Villain
What draws us to this character?
She’s brilliant and powerful – not a WASP, but some kind of different ethnicity, operating at a high level in London – taking pleasure in the fact that she’s both a woman and not a typical U.K. powerbroker.
Traits:
She really enjoys playing the “mega-millions chess game” – as a high-level money-launderer – moving millions of ill-gotten gains across borders and “cleaning it up” – while, at the same time, making millions for herself and her collective (including her daughter). And – she also takes great delight in achieving greater success than her snobbish/classist husband’s family, who, essentially, forced him to break off their marriage through divorce. She may even be working, in some way or another, to bankrupt them, as an ultimate form of revenge?
Subtext:
She was really, really hurt by her attempts to enter the upper echelons of British society – at first, through schooling – and then, when she married an upper-class British guy she really loved, by his family’s rejection of her and his weakness in not standing up to them. So – everything she does has that sort of a “fuck you” kind of spin to it.
Flaw:
I think that could be her flaw – she’s a little too determined to mess with the in-laws (specifically, or just generally – as “the powers-that-be) that it may warp her judgement and cause her to take chances or embark on actions that might not be the wisest, in terms of achieving a simple “financial success”. She might go a little to hard for the “fuck you” value – even if it has nothing to do with the British family, but just “authority” in general.
Values:
She values loyalty – is very focused and will do whatever it takes to achieve her ends. Loves her daughter. Secretly still loves her ex-husband (“ex”?) but was so hurt by his betrayal that she is ready to be governed by rage, when triggered, rather than cool logical sense. Loves the fact that she is incredibly rich and, in her circles, respected – though not by those whose approval she originally craved.
Irony:
She’s not a “super-computer” but a human being – who has lots of conflicting feelings and motivations – even though she does her best to be the best cold-hearted super-villainess she can be!
What makes this the right character for this role?
I’m really looking forward to working with her and her relationship with her daughter, her ex-husband – and her (maybe) soon-to-be son-in-law – and all the rough, tough international criminals, and white-collar folks she co-opts and corrupts, whom she has to whip into shape and control to achieve her financial (and societal) goals!
-
CHARACTER PROFILE PART 2.
DAVID BRUNO
Answer the question,
“What I learned doing this assignment is…?” This is an interesting probe into characters. Again, the questions bring out more depth into the antag’s and protag’s traits, flaws, etc. Love it!
ASSIGNMENT.
Fill in Part 2 of the character Profile for your two lead characters.
What draws us to this character?
Traits:
Tall, rugged individualistic appearance, Levi’s and a blue Dickie long sleeve denim work shirt, hiking boots. Talks with a curt expression. Always looks hard into the eyes of who he’s talking to. Dominating in mannerisms and social cues.
Subtext:
Gives questions that test knowledge for adequacy. Looks away from subject of interest to express boredom. Excitedly gives the impression of interest when the opposite is apparent.
Flaw:
Misses social cues. Insensitivity. Ignores priorities from superiors and colleagues not centered on his current obsession.
Values:
The protag is obsessed with truth and transparency of it. Wants to know the quintessential meaning of the issues he encounters, even if it’s not his place to know. Loves his close friends to a fault. Independence of thought and individualism are most important.
Irony:
Willing To trash his career in order to become a leader in his field of study. Never offers friendship without testing for a mirror of his values.
What makes this the right character for this role?
The entrenched opposition to his theories of the origins of the homo-sapien species will require a man who is persistent and willing to go the last mile to get at the truth of the matter.
-
Benita. Lesson 3 Part two Character Profile. I learned to consider Irony and subtext.
What draws us to Tracy?
TRAITS. Her vulnerability. Courage. Willingness to learn and better herself.
SUBTEXT. She hides the fact that she left school with no qualifications (expelled). Puts on an air of bravado. Suspects that her boss is up to something but says nothing.
FLAW. A rebellious nature makes Tracy her own worst enemy.
VALUES. Being taken seriously. Kindness. Loyalty to those she respects.
IRONY. She has more respect for a thief than a corrupt cop. She will never betray her boss.
WHAT MAKES HER THE ONE? She is an innocent with no high morals. Yet she sets out to right an injustice. She will do what it takes to get the most out of life.
-
Akaash (protagonist) Yogi Shantsheel (antagonist) Profile Part 2
This assignment helped me to dig deeper into the details of the antagonist and protagonist and how in strange ways they mirror each other until it turns into a war of equals.
AKAASH
What draws us to this character?
He is attractive and accomplished, an attentive and courteous young man with a winning quality that make people want to be noticed by him.
Traits:
Enthusiastic, confident,– with a ‘can-do’ attitude. A crown prince who will assure the safety of the kingdom.
Subtext:
Beneath this super-confident exterior is the desperate need to be validated by his father who disappeared 2 years earlier.
Flaw:
Beneath the energy and physical prowess, he lacks genuine passion because he doesn’t believe in himself and is resentful about his father.
Values:
He does the whole warrior-hunter thing with panache but shows tenderness to wounded animals. He focuses on maintaining his popularity with his subjects and his peers and believes in facilitating others so that he can be a fair and likeable king when the time comes.
Irony:
He avoids the tedious parts of being a monarch and ignores the obligations, duties and commitment to hard choices which will ultimately benefit the kingdom. Underneath the good cheer he is constantly resentful of his father’s disapproval of his ways.
What makes this the right character for this role?
His well-concealed vulnerability recognised only by his mother and his childhood sweetheart.
Yogi Shantsheel
What draws us to this character?
His immense charm and power and his apparent concern for the Sacred City of Avanti which is deprived of its ruler Vikram. The spiritual guidance that influences Akaash to take the risk and go in search of his father. Flashes of suspicion/doubt about his intentions – is he pushing Akaash into these terrifying trials to test him and make him a worthy king or has he got an ulterior motive.
Traits:
Bathed in the light of holiness. He exudes power despite being humble. Dedication to saving the Sacred City of Avanti from tenemies eager to attack while the throne lies unoccupied.
Subtext:
He intends to lure Akaash into a trap to retrieve his father and brother, so that he can sacrifice them to the goddess Kali, fulfil his oath of revenge to his guru and achieve sovereignty over the world.
Flaw: Power-hungry. Ruthless. Controls demons and unclean spirits.
Values:
Self-interest. Determination to avenge his old master and take over the world.
Irony:
His massive ego and lust for power blinds him to his own weakness and he fails to see that Akaash has learned how to shatter his aims.
What makes this the right character for this role?
He’s magnetic, powerful and yet humble. He is terrifying at times and at others a perfect guiding force. He’s mysterious and unpredictable and it’s hard to work out who/what he really is.
-
What I learned is that I enjoy playing with concepts in my mind but it is hard to bring characters into story-driven focus.
Character Profile Natalie
Drawn to her because she is sweet, sunny, trustworthy, best friend-type who is a bit lost after the loss of her mother and estrangement from her husband
Traits: Pure hearted but lacks a backbone, often confused because other’s opinions are stronger and she wants to be a good person
Subtext: more than she realizes she want a family to connect with and support her
Flaw: Since she is trying to fit in and support other people it is hard for people to help her and they find her wishy-washy and difficult
Values: kindness, family, she has a fairy tale idealized life she wants to have
Irony: fairy tale fluff and being a doormat to others just pushes what she wants further away and causes her to make bad decisions
Right for role: At loose ends and needs change, needs to grow a spine, needs confidence in her goals and decisions
Character Profile Alex (Natalie’s estranged husband)
What draws us in is that he seems to still be protective of Natalie and maybe still cares for her but he’s maintaining a healthy distance.
Traits: Good humor, takes things one day at a time, comes off gruff and unconcerned, quick to pick up on deceit which is one of the reasons he worked with open hearted Natalie, loves to get money but it is often lost on some “investment”
Subtext: he wants to connect but he’s tired of fighting, he’s been rejected
Flaw: trusts his gut and muscles too much, sometimes too cavelier
Values: Maybe he’s exmilitary or an attorney because he wants the world to work a certain way where good people are defended and come out on top
Irony: How could he loose sweet Natalie who wants fairness too – because by her always trying to be supportive he is unneeded and he feels he can never connect to the real person he thought she was
He’s right for this because he is trying to work out what he wants out of this relationship and he’s financially motivated
-
Kristina’s Character Profile Part 2
What I learned today: I found this assignment quite hard and learned that this was party due to not yet having quite the right characters. I’ve changed both protagonist and antagonist substantially which made things easier. Still gaps though.
Character Profile
MICHAEL
Role in the story: Explorer: Non-believer but after his death in an untimely accident pushes his bounds of knowledge to become a skillful and dedicated guardian angel so he can woo his love interested from the afterlife.
Age range and Description: male, early 30’s. Magician that can be hired for parties.
Internal Journey: from fun but superficial party animal to having a deeper purpose, committed to his love interest. From I to we.
External Journey: from non-believer to guardian angel
Motivation: get the girl of his dreams
Wound: doesn’t believe he deserves love
Mission/Agenda: to come back to life, get a second chance
Secret:
What makes them special? His ability to embrace the unexpected, improvise, and to get through to people even though they can’t see or hear him
What draws us to this character? We’re wondering how he will cope in a completely new “world” and what future he’ll manage to create.
Traits: Happy go lucky, charming, all about having fun. Romantic. Goes with the flow. But he can’t commit, is superficial and self absorbed. Manipulative. Believes everything is random, nothing has any consequences. Internally feels lost.
Subtext: tries not to feel what he’s feeling. Runs away to the next party
Flaw: God complex, flakey
Values: freedom, spontaneity, love
Irony: At the beginning of his arc he is both the opposite of his love interest as well as the opposite of a guardian angel
What makes this the right character for this role?
Character Profile
ELLA
Role in the story: Antagonist and Michael’s love interest
Change Agent: Medical researcher, up and coming star in the world of science. Brilliant, smart, and wants to change the world with her scientific breakthroughs. Not interested in romance. A non-believer until her love interest woos her as an angel from the afterlife.
Age range and Description: female, early 30’s. The next Marie Curie.
Internal Journey: from non-believer and non-romantic to someone who learns how to work with angels, trust her intuition, gets the signs, and falls in love. From I to we.
External Journey: from single-on-purpose scientist to in a relationship energy healer.
Motivation: make the world a better place
Wound: doesn’t believe she deserves love
Mission/Agenda: get the Nobel Prize. And save her terminally ill little nephew.
Secret:
What makes them special? Her ability to “get” him and get his signs. Her intuition.
What draws us to this character? Her vulnerability when she opens up to love and how far she is prepared to go for love
Traits: Reliable, dedicated to her work, smart, committed, selfless, kind. Pure.
Subtext: buries herself in facts and would rather make a plan than ask her gut feeling
Flaw: God complex. Everything has to make sense. Doesn’t leave space for grace and serendipity.
Values: facts, truth, commitment, kindness
Irony: she is a scientist who has to embrace spirituality
What makes this the right character for this role?
-
Marilynne’s Character Profile Part 2
What I learned doing this assignment is… I was still happy with most of Part 1 characteristics, but could also see a few areas to improve; like the incremental changes
Dr. ISY DORIAN (Protagonist)
Part 2 Profile
<div>What draws
us to this character? She has
tremendous potential and everyone around her (co-workers, friends, family)
wants her to succeed – to burst through all the barriers that are holding
her back
</div><div>Traits: She is brilliant and quickly solves
any problems that come her way; but she also has little patience for
people who don’t try or do sloppy work; she tends to either work by herself
or take over the leadership of any group she’s in
</div><div>
Subtext: even though externally she appears
to be going along with what is expected of her, she is driven her to do better,
be more successful
Flaw: nothing less than perfection is
good enough; this weakness causes her to sabotage her own projects or
react negatively to her staff if they are not perfect</div>
Values: her own abilities; honesty and integrity are more important than being happy; wants discoveries to be widely available and not become a profit making venture
Irony: technology failed to save her mother because her family couldn’t afford the treatment; yet she chose a career developing technology to save people and the measure of success is profit; deciding which side of technology she is on causes internal conflict
What makes
this the right character for this role? This
character has the drive and ability to succeed but needs to reach a place
where she believes this to be true, but also recognizes she needs others
on her teamPart 1 Profile
Role in the story: Hero/Dreamer. Scientist with tremendous potential to successfully discover and create new unimagined ways of curing injuries and illness. Lacks the self-confidence and determination/drive to make it happen.
Age Range and Description: Female, early 30’s. She’s not as fit as she could be and instead spends most of her time in the lab. She feels guilty for all this time away from her eight-year old son who lives with his father.
Internal Journey: From feeling unsure of her abilities and afraid of success to demanding her rightful place as an exceptional researcher
External Journey: From a quiet introvert who lets others take credit for her success to a strong, capable leader
Motivation: relieve suffering, make a difference in the world
Wound: when Isy was a teenager, a technology and treatment were available to prevent her mother’s sudden death. But they were not affordable, and she vowed to create technology that would be freely available.
Mission/Agenda: to push the Virtual Human Project as far as human and technologically possible
Secret: only a few key people on her Research Team know about the healing potential she discovered in the Virtual Human Project.
What makes Isy special is her potential to be very successful when she can fully embrace her abilities
MYSTERIOUS SABOTEUR (Antagonist)
Part 2 Profile
What draws us to this character? The very technology she is developing becomes her worst enemy. She must fend off both real and virtual characters.
Traits: relentless, creative, seems to have unlimited resources in devising new traps/errors in the programming, can assume an unnerving human persona (dressed in black, no discernible facial features)
Subtext: along with each act of sabotage is a message that Isy will lose, so give up now
Flaw: this character is so sure they/it will win, they don’t pay attention or notice where Isy is gaining on them
Values: money, getting ahead at any cost
Irony: ?? can’t see this one yet
What makes this the right character for this role? It remains unclear who is behind the sabotage and the villain hides behind and within the technology, making them/it more difficult to fight back against
Part 1 Profile
Role in the story: Villain, preys on all Isy’s fears
Age range and Description: seemingly from within the technology it sabotages her efforts including creating “glitches” in the Artificial Human Project that cause harm to the subjects as well as destroy Isy’s belief in herself and importance of the work she is doing.
Internal Journey: sabotage begins as covert and becomes overt
External Journey: sabotage moves from inside the VHP system to the real world
Motivation: greed and control
Wound: Lost power and authority in the industry
Mission/Agenda: to simultaneously steal the programming secrets and ensure Isy fails
Secret: identity remains unknown
What makes them/it special? Able to re-create an avatar from the Virtual Human Program that can exist in the real world
-
Tully’s Character Profile Part 2
What I learned doing this assignment is that there is such a thing as the right details to know about a character as opposed to the endless listing of factoids that so many people advise and which I dearly hate. Yay guidance and efficiency.
Also, not that anybody’s reading these LOL, but I changed some names.
Protagonist: Shelley Ann Ostrove. Her son was named: Ian Howard Ostrove. He now goes by: Eric Russel Hayes. Shelley’s being hunted by: Detective Jennings. She killed her husband: Howard Frederick Ostrove. I still need the name of the cop who’s hunting Eric (if any).
SHELLEY OSTROVE
Role in the story? Protagonist, a mixture of the Runner and Fighter types.
Age range and description? Mis 60’s, fitter than average because of physical labor and the fact that she cooks real good and eats when he’s not looking rounding up to basically taken care of, but the cortisol has aged her beyond her years.
Internal journey? From burying her head in the sand to facing things as harshly and truthfully as is possible, in her mind. From blank hope in a future to a solid, singular one she’s going to make happen.
External journey? A forgotten housewife to headline news.
Motivation? A genuine desire to help her son. To end his suffering. And to end the suffering of his victims. And a less than ideal desire to end her own – this is a bigger percentage of her motivation than she could ever see or understand.
Wound? Guilt. Burning freely in a part of her mind she shut off and stepped away from decades ago. And now it’s back, and it’s driving her.
Mission/agenda? To set things right. To put out all the fires. To do one good thing, and to be done letting people stop her from doing good things.
Secret? SHE doesn’t have any, but one of the twists is that she’s not that one victim’s mother, as I hope you’ll assume, but rather she’s HIS mother.
What makes her special? She truly has nothing left to lose. And she’s tapping into a determination that had long since been beaten out of her. But it’s nothing but the goal now, and that clarity allows her to grab ahold of things that are that far back in her history, in her lost personhood.
What draws us to this character? She’s an underdog. And then she surprises us – with an alarming amount of violence. And then she intrigues us – with the goal of tracking a serial killer the cops haven’t gotten anywhere with (or possibly don’t even know is one – his hides his kills really well so I still need to figure out how many of his bodies have even been found. )
Traits? Scared a lot. Really meek. But smarter than that makes you think. Intuitive, analytical.
Subtext? She gives way to you, in as many ways as possible. But she’s paying very, very close attention to everything you say and how you say it.
Flaws? She’s all extremes. Fifty years of abuse from Howard and then boom, murders the absolute shit out of him. Couldn’t save her son when he needed it, now, moving mountains to get to him. Scared scared scared and then bam, total focus to the point where it basically resembles bravery.
Irony? She’s got regrets coming out of her ears but that’s fueling her absolute dedication to the goal. She caused the problem but she’s taken it upon herself to end the problem.
What makes this the right character for the role? Her inability to see nuance. Her mental health is so bad that she really can only see one way forward. And it’s not the noble kind of determination, it’s fueled by regret and self loathing and that black-and-white overcorrection, like the dark side of perfectionism where progress becomes not good enough: she skips over “see if he can be helped” and goes right to “out of love for him, and guilt from me, END him.”
ERIC HAYES
Role in the story? One of the antagonists, of the Predator variety.
Age range and description? Mid 30’s, simply but well dressed, fastidious but he draws you in.
Internal journey? He doesn’t have an arc, but he does learn that his mother didn’t forget him.
External journey? An active serial killer to a dead body.
Motivation? To have the life he thought he was going to have, and that he believes he deserves, with the one who got away. (One of the twists is that we assume, as with most serial killers, that his first kill was the one who sort of triggered the whole killing thing – obviously not that it’s actually their fault, but you remember the whole Buffalo Bill thing where the first one was the one he knew personally, yada yada – but no, she’s still alive and receiving letters from Eric every month.) He just has to prove himself to her, that’s all.
Wound? Rejection. For things that he considers to be not his fault. But he’s gonna fix it. He’ll get it right this time, and then she’ll see. She’ll accept him once he gets it just right.
Mission/agenda? To prove to her that he’s a perfect gentleman, that he’s a fairy tale, that he’s NOT the monster that she erroneously thought he was and rejected him for. (She of course was right to break it off with him because he was a tween psychopath.)
Secret? That the paintings he’s famous for, with their compelling angst, are painted OVER his initial paintings of someone he targeted – when they prove to be subpar prey, he paints over them with his rage and self loathing and frustration. (The ones he kills, he keeps those paintings – nobody’s ever seen them.)
What makes him special? The way he hides in plain sight. The way he analyzes their responses to his initial boundary violations. (Or rather, the way we’ll WATCH him do that – all predators do that, but movies don’t usually get into it.) The fact that he actually is a gifted artist. And the fact that he is completely and utterly delusional.
What draws us to this character? His childlike qualities. He seems vulnerable. Almost innocent, or naïve. He’s a romantic. And a talented artist. And good with words – but underneath there’s that lizard vibe, that cold distance, that robotic stare.
Traits? Charming. Cool when in control, falls apart when not. Hasn’t grown up in most ways. Totally and completely self absorbed. Absolutely sees himself as the victim, always.
Subtext? Like his mother, he’s very observant. He’s running data points in his head as you talk. He’ll test your boundaries, and find a cover for it conversationally.
Flaws? Well he’s a serial killer. That’s a big one. Also he’s stuck in a loop. Even the logic inside his head would tell you, he’s stuck in a loop. But he’s too scared to take the next step.
Irony? He seems to be what Disney says you should look for in a man, but he will murder you. He doesn’t see his victims as people, merely practice, for the one woman he wants to be with – but he’s scared to reach out because what if she doesn’t see HIM as a person? He doesn’t, half the time. Like his mother, he flies back and forth between extremes.
What makes this the right character for the role? He’s a product of the environment in which he was raised. That makes him the thorn in Shelley’s moral side that will never go away. And if she was in less pain, maybe she could take more time and see a little wider picture here, but she’s not, so she has to end this, all of this, and it’s gonna be messy and fucking final.
-
Monique’s Character Profile Part 2
What I learned doing this assignment is that not all characters will be – or should be – likeable. When the audience roots for a protagonist, it’s usually because they’re drawn to a similar character trait that they share. With Monique, what attracts the audience is the injustice that she’s been dealt, and we admire the strength of character that makes her push through to see justice served.
Monique is an underdog, but yet the audience doesn’t immediately feel drawn to her. She is an angry, functioning alcoholic who is brash and abrasive, and is mentally abusive towards her husband. She is insecure and suffers from imposter syndrome. She is a fish out of water, and constantly lashes out when threatened. When her house and identity is stolen, she is immediately antagonistic, demanding help from everyone, and is astounded when no one seems to care.
Log in to reply.