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Week 2 Day 3: Character Subtext #1 – GET OUT
1. Please watch the scene and provide your insights into what makes this scene great from a writing perspective.
2. Read the other writers insights and make notes of how you will will use build character subtext into your scenes.
3. Rethink or create your own character subtext scene Rethink your Character Subtext scene using your new insights and rewrite the scene.
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Week 2 Day 3: Character Subtext #1 – GET OUT
The scene opens at a garden party. Chris and Rose start to meet the guest. Through a series of introductions Chris started to feel different and isolated from the other guests.The introductions were the confrontations. As they communicated they all used subtext weather they realized it or not through their facial expressions, behaviors,and physical behaviors. To totally conceal their attitudes,differences ,and likes and dislikes of way the other side communicated, or they can reveal it non-verbally.
Human emotions drives a person’s style of communicating.To outright communicated or use of non-confrontational methods. The shock value of the message also elicits subtext. This was a great scene to analyze because it exposed people’s worldview that opens them up to judgement.
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Character Subtext #1 is what my script is about. How can I show the audience that there is more beneath the surface to the movie they are watching. If this can be mastered in a suspenseful way then you can have your audience at the edge of their seats guessing.
Chris begins to feel uncomfortable in his different conversations which where introductions. The way the guests spoke to him upon first meeting them, allowed him to know that there is something strange going on.
Looking at how Character subtext was shown in Get Out, it made me rethink of the way to showcase subtext in my script.
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Watching GET OUT characters interact with Chris presents a feast of subtext.
Here are the characters that I observed had the most obvious subtext.
Allison feigns curiosity about whether Chris’s girlfriend has experienced Chris’s extraordinary sexual prowess, supposedly possessed by black men, but it is obvious Allison harbors that sexual fantasy.
The heavy-set male character expounds on how “black is in fashion.” However, that pronouncement is seen by the audience as an expression of his belief that being black is a negative trait.
Logan’s hesitation to agree with Chris that it’s good to see another black man in the neighborhood communicates to the audience that Logan is insincere.
Philomena tells Chris that he and his girlfriend “make a lovely couple” of equals, but she treats Logan as a subservient partner.
After viewing the GET OUT scene, I revised my protagonist’s subtext scene. My revision has my protagonist denying she is a chronic rule-breaker while the audience sees her breaking a major rule, putting her family’s business in jeopardy. The reveal comes when she proclaims that those who adhere strictly to rules are non-thinking robots.
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Basic scene components:
- Scene arc: Chris is meeting his (white, wealthy) girlfriend’s family and neighbors. What at first appears to be awkward virtue-signaling by old white rich people attempting to be welcoming of another race takes on an uncomfortable tone when the partygoers treat Chris like a fashionable piece of meat. The awkwardness goes off the rails when Chris spots Andre, another black man, and says “its good to see another brother.” Despite sharing the same skin-color and (young) age, Andre displays all of the same fossilized mannerisms of the other attendees.
- Situation: Chris, an African-American, has gone with his girlfriend to meet her very wealthy parents and their neighbors.
- Conflict: what at first appears to be interracial awkwardness leaves us feeling uneasy – there is something else going on here. We just haven’t figured out what.
- Entertainment value: Doesn’t everybody feel like Chris when thrown into a gathering of fossilized old rich people?
- Moving the story forward: This scene is another piece of the puzzle of “something just doesn’t feel right about my girlfriend’s family.”
- Setup/payoffs: This scene is largely setups for payoffs that will come later: Neilson nodding approvingly as Lisa manhandles Chris’ muscles, the neighbor stating “black is now fashionable,” and Andre’s bizarre behavior like an old white rich dude.
- What makes this scene great? The feeling of unease that something just isn’t “right” about this family.
- How does each character speak and act from their unique character profiles? Chris is diplomatic enough to say “I’m going to go take some pictures” rather than tell off the bizarre partygoers and upset his girlfriend. He is trying very hard to do this for her. His girlfriend appears uncomfortable with the bizarre behavior, but she doesn’t tell them off, either, which we assume is likely for the same reason (don’t piss off the family, she wants them to accept Chris). The old rich folks virtue-signaling are just that, typical old rich folks who are rude without necessarily meaning to be (though, seriously?) At first you think “hidden racism” and trying to try too hard to show otherwise, but, yeah, no … that just isn’t it. But Andre is so terribly OUT of character as who you would first presume him to be that it strikes the appropriate warning-bell of discord.
- Unique character action and dialogue. I’d have to give that to Andre, as he is so deliciously OUT of character for what you would expect.
How can these insights improve my own script?
Quiet subtext is what moves this scene forward. You expect it to be awkward meeting your girlfriend’s parents and family for the first time, especially if you share a different race, culture or religion, but there are so many things “wrong” with this otherwise cordial gathering that it sets off your warning bells without being able to put your finger on what exactly is wrong? Luckily, it just so happens that I have a place where I can use this insight.
- Script: Archangel
- Scene: Kasib witnesses Asmodeus argue with General Hudhafah argue over who should have control of F.O.B. Ugarit.
- Situation: At last, the long-overdue armada has arrived, but it is not what either General Hudhafah, or his loyal aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Kasib, expect. Asmodeus claims that the crew mutinied enroute and murdered the Admiral and a significant part of the crew, but something is “off” about the condition of the men who claim they are starving.
- What I learned rewriting my scene? I’ll have to go through several more times to make the subtext even more subtle, but the armada is, in fact, the mutineers, and not the good guys who were killed, and they are following orders from a much more ancient god than Emperor Shay’tan.
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Week 2 Day 3: Character Subtext #1
GET OUT – Meet the neighbors:
Basic scene components:
· The scene arc is emphasized by Chris’s noticing nuances in the way the neighbors are acting, especially to him and all the black people in attendance. At first, he notices one or two comments, then he takes the time to notice many more. The ends after an interaction with another young black person who acts weird, is with a white lady so much older than he is, and who shakes hands – rather than giving Chris a fist bump. At the end of the scene, Chris knows that weird things are happening that he doesn’t understand.
· The scene is a group situation where Chris is meeting all his girlfriend’s neighbors at a backyard barbeque event.
· The scene conflict starts out as a neighbor’s interaction with Chris that rub him the wrong way. By the end of the scene, Chris feels a foreboding, foreshadowing of terrible situations to come for him.
· The story is moved forward by the increasing number of unusual interactions with neighbors Chris has.
· The unusual activities and dialogue of the neighbors with and around Chris is entertaining to us because we want to see more, so that we can understand what is going on.
· Setup: When a neighborhood couple asks him deeply personal and embarrassing, and inappropriate questions. Set up of What makes them think they can ask these questions? Payoff: TBD.
· Setup: A couple outside comment that “Black is now in fashion.” They are speaking about Chris being black as his girlfriend is white. Very disturbing to Chris. Payoff: TBD.
· Setup: As Chris prepares to take pictures outside, he witnesses a black woman being asked to serve drinks. Payoff: TBD.
· Setup: As Chris is taking pictures outside, he witnesses four couples talking about him and waving him over. He pretends not to see them. Payoff: TBD.
· Setup: As Chris is taking pictures outside, he spies another young black man about his age, and interacts with him. But the entire interaction is frustrating and disturbing. Chris knows that something is not right. Something is wrong. Payoff: TBD.
The act of meeting and judging the neighbors with Chris allows us to
determine that things are happening under the surface of the situation he
is in. This lets us feel the experience with Chris and makes a great
scene.Everyone in the scene, except Chris, are covering up the activities underneath
the surface of the current situation.Everyone is acting the same way as if what they say and do is
normal. But for Chris everything they do and say is unusually,
unexpectedly wrong.The way everyone is acting in the scene causes us to believe there
is something under the surface.· The actions of the people is unusual:
§ The way a lady feels his muscles.
§ The way a white lady asks a black lady to deliver drinks.
§ The way Logan’s white lady friend holds onto him and direct him around.
§ The unusual way Logan moves as he is standing alone at the food table.
§ The unusual way Logan responds to a fist-bump with a handshake.
§ The way Logan is treated as a new toy or an item of interest when he is introduced to new people. They have him turn around as if looking at a model to judge him and his looks.
· The dialogue of the people is unusual:
§ The way the couple inside the house asks personal and embarrassing questions.
§ The way the couple outside states that “Black is now in fashion.” Indicating dating a black person is like changing clothes.
§ The way the lady talks to Logan, and gives him direction, as if he is a child and can’t think for himself.
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I would say everything is the scene could be a subtext. The conversations between Chris and the other guests left Chris (and the audience) with questions due to how uncomfortable the situations were. You can tell Chris was uncomfortable based on facial expression and his avoidance of people while using his camera to people watch. The subtext of the guests about race foreshadowed the point of the event. The way Logan didn’t catch normal black camaraderie of being the only minorities in the room or the hand shake.
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the amount of subtext in this scene is remarkable regardless of if you’ve seen the movie and know the central conceit. Even the lady in the background of the frame is looking at our protagonist like a piece of meat. Our protag’s interaction with someone he initially perceives to be like himself is turned on its head by a black man with the overall affectation of someone who’s definitely NOT like himself. I’ve seen the movie which puts me, the audience, in superior position – I know why everyone is assessing his physicality, having not a care in the least about his blackness but simply as another body to inhabit. The racial under/overtones of slavery of a new kind and perverse kind serve as a thread that binds.
for those new to the movie, you KNOW something is going on and should very much be willing to find out as the movie doles out more and more information as a setup that is revealed in one very big twist at the end.
subtext is a tough mistress to wield and master. a lot depends on the situation and context. Classism, racism, ageism and other are apparent here as themes and plot devices and used to color around the edges to make this scene and entire movie a fresh and engaging story.
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Since everyone is so out of character – especially the droid “Logan” – Chris has every reason to be tremendously suspicious. His encounter with all the strange white people and the lack of a “Bro” handshake at the end perfectly encapsulates Chris’s suspicions.
I did a major revisit to my main character – though the crux of the story is the lies that he has to continually promote in order to accomplish his goals.
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GET OUT – Subtext 1
The scene opens up with an outside party of upper-crust patrons mingling with each other. The first conversation with Chris and his girlfriend’s parents gets awkward fast. Rose’s mother starts out by querying him about his sexual prowess due to the fact he’s black while checking his muscles. very unusual for a mother to do this in front of her daughter, especially upon the initial introduction. Further baffling is Rose’s reaction to her mother’s flirtation with her date and the father’s acknowledgment of his wife’s statements. Next, we have Chris in another awkward situation when an older couple explains how it’s the black people’s turn to run the world. Chris decides to extricate himself by telling everyone he wants to photograph some of the events.
Chris immediately notices a black woman being directed by the host to keep up with accommodating the guest. As Chris pans around the many guests and sees through the camera, someone is waving him over. Using the camera as cover, and acting like he doesn’t see anyone, he continues panning, only to be surprised to see another black man in attendance. Walking over to the black man, Chris is delighted that there’s a normal black man to talk with. That quickly changes when the overly polite black man begins the conversation with a rendition of Stepford wives for men. Chris is taken aback by the unnatural conversation when an older lady approaches them and we quickly determine there is a relationship between them. The overtly polite black man divulges Chris’ private conversation, after which the woman directs her boyfriend to another white couple who had been asking for him. Chris says goodbye and puts out his hand for a fist bump. The black man grabs Chris’ hand and gives him a handshake.
In this final Garden Party scene, Chris notices the black man showing off his outfit to some other people as if a child displaying their new outfit.
So, what’s really going on? We know something’s not right with the strange conversations and bizarre behavior we’ve all just witnessed by several of the attendees. Many seem to have an agenda, but what is it? Nothing is what it seems to be.
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