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Day 4 Assignment
Reply to post your assignment.
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44 Replies
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Subject Line: Roscoe’s – BI Stacking Suspense
“What I learned doing this assignment is…?”
First – I never liked “Basic Instinct” until now.
Watching “scene-for-scene” really made me understand the M-I-S that runs throughout the whole movie. Each scene gave me a “question” whether it be “one” or “all” of the M-I-S given for that scene. It kept me interested all the way to the end.
What caught my interest the most was the sub-genre of “addictions” among the rich and powerful. It even reaches the police department as lived by Nick. All of those addictions dissolve into murder(s).
The sub-genre in my super-natural thriller is “spiritual” in nature among the Navajo Tribe. The world of “skinwalkers/witches.” It will be steep in murder and greed inside a family “clan.” That in itself is a mystery.
My lead character is a tribal cop who has to jump into this mysterious Navajo world. He used to be part of it who married into a family “clan.” He is a member of another tribe. His ex-wife’s family was killed by a “skinwalker” The big M-I-S is why?
Therefore, the tribal cop’s life will be in danger at every move and…, to the end. Will he survive this super-natural world?
Scene-for-scene in “Basic Instinct” had one or more questions and it was thrilling. I think I can do it with my own thriller. Thanks Hal and Cheryl. Wow.!!!
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This reply was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by Roscoe Pond.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by
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Jeff’s BI Stacking Suspense
I’m in Canada and this movie isn’t available on Netflix, and I don’t own the DVD. I saw it in 1992 and clearly remember I didn’t like it. It wasn’t engaging to me. Characters were stiff and not relatable. Felt too contrived and put too much faith in the mystique of psychology—a sensitive subject to me as I have a degree in it! I thought it was cliché and not realistic. (Although I can say that many of my psych profs were very odd!)
For this assignment I read a 104-page draft of the screenplay, which was nearly the final draft. A few differences: e.g. the stalker name was Anderson/Henderson, the car was a Ferrari rather than the exotic Dutch sportscar, several Stones’ songs were suggested for the soundtrack, and rather than writing “Nick” he was often referred to as “he”. So, this assignment took me a bit longer than watching the movie and viewing the notes. Doing it this way, however, likely gave me different insights as I clearly saw repetition and parallels, especially in dialogue. And I quickly saw/recalled the psych parallel with Beth & Catherine, and how both appear to be killers with their own agendas.
Things I learned (or am reminded):
· Each scene needs to have a purpose that propels the story and includes some M.I.S.
· Dialogue. Needs to be tight. Sometimes funny. But be careful it’s not too smug or smart-ass—this movie has too much of this to make me feel for any of the characters.
· Foreshadowing, parallels, repetition are needed. But don’t overload. E.g. cigarettes, books, ice picks, scarf, cocaine, dialogue.
· Red herring info or suspect (Beth) is sometimes a good addition.
· For Catherine to have killed everyone, the audience must accept a “suspension of disbelief”.
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FYI:
I also live in Canada and was able to view BI through Amazon Prime. I saw Silence of the Lambs through Bell On Demand services. This may be useful to you for viewing other shows.
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Thanks Larry. I had Amazon Prime briefly, but didn’t need the speedy delivery and I didn’t watch their movies. But I’ll keep this in mind for future.
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Yeah, the ending seems a little out there, requires extra suspension of disbelief, if not rejection as an alternate ending. We also have to predicate any credibility on the time-frame being pre-DNA-evidence, (maybe mid-80s?)
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What I learned is that each scene can and should be packed with M.I.S. — this formula makes for a taunt script to begin with as – for right now – we are asked to think in terms of character interactions based on these MIS elements. It is powerful to see that each scene seems to add new information which is layered to make a powerful punch to keep us on the edge of out seats.
More than any other genre (perhaps) scenes need to be started at the latest point needed and end as soon as it can. Each scene needs to be to the point and move the story viscerally forward. Also would be to genre advantage to end scenes on reversals, cliffhangers, reveals, high emotion – when and where possible.
It does help that Nick has his flaw – addictive personality and multiple wounds: Killing tourists and his wife’s suicide — This is where we also must look to captivate an audience – Bourne has his flashes of a torchered past (wound) and his flaw might be that he has to know everything – maybe not a flaw. The Jodie Foster character in silence of the lambs has multiple wounds also: her father’s suicide and her haunting childhood event of trying to save a lamb from slaughter.
I have learned also that the planning of the clues and where they lead is a big part of hanging the MIS onto as well. It seems we need to have a map or graph of clues to be exposed and where, when and who will expose them or figure them out and who will act on them and in what way. Crime thrillers operate quite this way as it’s convention and yet it makes me think that other sub-genres of thriller do not and a new set of what to brainstorm and set up might be different.
I found it interesting that as I watched the scene and then referred to the MAP I found that the MYSTERY section seems to jump ahead or at least to the end of what we get from the scene and then going down to read the Intrigue and Suspense my mind jumped back to the beginning or middle of the scenes – just an odd observation which I don’t know what it quite means if anything at all. And yet does it mean that Mystery usually includes more than one scene whereas Intrigue and Suspense can be seen easier (and therefore written easier) when we look at it for just what each scene should bring out?
I think the Mystery elements are generally inclusive of many events and scenes which eventually pay off in that this is the active thing we, the audience, is trying to solve before the movie solves it for us. While the Intrigue and Suspense can be related to many more “smaller” things – events – minor and major; characters minor and major; props – weapons – noticeable character behavior (hope I am making sense to someone out there) Suspense in a car chase for example is there until we know the out come and then it is gone, whereas the Mystery of it being Roxy and not Catherine trying to kill him continues on into the rest of the story.
I noticed with this film that dialogue pinpointed many things dealing with the MIS – does that mean when we get to writing our scripts we should look to how our dialogue could pinpoint the MIS of our stories (as well as the MIS of our Main Characters)? [Always look for trailer moments seems part of this.]
Final thought just about this movie – it brilliantly puts us in a position to wonder who the real killer is? If it is Beth why did she walk toward Nick when he warned her and held a gun at her? Because she was so determined to get his love back that she thought she already had? Why did she put her hand in her pocket? – The keys to his place was a symbol of their love and being together? Most importantly if it was Beth then why did Catherine have an ice pick under the bed in the very last shot??? Seems that alone implicates Catherine as the killer all along.
Final final thought: the orchestration was either Over The Top or really really heightened ALL of the Suspense and THRILLS. (Something not written in a script unless you wish to suggest actual song titles which convey something important it gives the story.)
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Hi James. Thanks for your comments! Sign me up for your fan page!!
I would also love to see a map or graph of the scenes. I use Movie Magic Screenwriter 6.0 which will print up 3×5 cards of scenes like many writers do with the actual cards and tape on the wall to make sure the flow goes in the desired directions.
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Michael, I tried 5by7 cards (and even larger ones) years ago for a few projects and didn’t really like them much. I’m not against them at all – in fact I may even try them again one day. Be well.
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Good observations, James. I resonated with clue management, especially. And the noise level.
And why couldn’t the camera descend a little further and show another ice pick on HIS side of the bed?-
Ice pick on his side… Love THAT ending!
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SUBJECT: Wayne’s BI Stacking Suspense
What I learned: The job of thrilling boils down a few beats per scene that really drive the thrill. Specifically M.I.S. I learned a method for tracking these multiple escalating lines of mystery, intrigue, and suspense. (I should say “I am learning”, and that is thrilling also.)
It was fun to see how few words, straight to the point, embodied the emotion in the Staking Suspense Chart. It let me see/feel the escalations.
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I learned a lot from the rest of your comments!!
It seemed even the minor characters had MIS.
First, I think Catherine is the killer, and in the end she killed Nick. No other reason for the pick under the bed. She was no longer setting up Beth (mission accomplished) but setting up her new story. I found all actors over-acted, were smartasses, arrogant, and had little emotional connections with any of them. Tons of action and suspense but I had no feeling of upset or happiness. I thought the action was too intense and unwarrented for in some situations – just played up to wow the audience. I would rather see it played out in subtext. I was actually rooting for Catherine to kill him!! I like the newer stories like Unhinged where we don’t like the hero but have some empathy for the villain-even when he becomes a ruthless killer, and Joker where we have a ton of empathy for the villain and I don’t think there was even any hero.
I got a little confused at the difference between Mystery and Intrigue. Is mystery more the BIG picture and intrigue the little things that keep us just a bit curious to keep watching?
Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I get thrown off and irritated by movies that mis-represent the actual physical locations. This movie bounced around from San Francisco to “Stinson” which we call Stinson Beach, Monterey Peninsula, Mill Valley, going the wrong way on the Golden Gate Bridge etc. They could have handed the script to anyone standing on a street corner to catch that.
It seemed there was even more stacking suspense in each scene than in the chart. It also seemed the scenes sort of merged into a group related by a common MIS.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by Michael Williamsen.
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Mystery is something unexplained. Intrigue is something interesting.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by
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Analysis of Basic Instinct
What I learned – I think the main thing I came away with is a better understanding of the 3 components of MIS.
Review:
The mystery of the movie is set up in the very first scene – as a thriller should be. Who is this woman who killed
In the second scene we ask who is Catherine.
3: who is Roxy; who is Catherine??
4: basically a continuation of scene 3, with higher stakes
5: The mystery again deepens, and the real antagonist is introduce. So doesn’t seem that even at this point.
6: Catherine deepens the mystery further
7:
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Subject Line: Roscoe’s – SOTL Stacking Suspense
“What I learned doing this assignment is…?”
First – I have seen this movie so many times. Never did I look at each scene like this. Interesting….
The big M-I-S is a battle of sharp and devious minds. Clarice is willing to lose her “mind” to catch a serial killer. She’s ambitious and very smart in challenging Hannibal Lector. He in return, likes Clarice, but decides to use her so he can “escape.” That is always his plan.
What I liked is the use of Clarice’s “flashbacks” of her dad. It adds to her M-I-S of who she is and her ambition. Her dad is her weakness and she has to save any victim. She couldn’t save her dad and Hannibal latches onto that.
Clarice is just an FBI trainee who is a woman in a male dominated workplace. All of these men try to use her (except her boss), but she’s got a strong mind. That is “suspense” in a way because she has to survive on the job and in life. It runs throughout the movie.
There is something I had noticed in these scenes. Clarice is “driven” to seek the truth even when she’s in danger of losing her mind. It’s part of her M-I-S and that is thrilling.
I wanted to use “flashbacks” in my super-natural thriller. I have to think about it. Flashbacks have to push the story forward or they bog down the pace. I liked how they were used in “Lambs.” It moved Clarice in a dangerous direction that’s filled with “fear.”
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Jeff’s SOTL Stacking Suspense
· Great acting by Foster.
· Great choice of tight shots on Hopkins to up the fear, menace, and tension.
· Great dialogue for Hopkins and excellent non-blinking delivery. He rarely moves in his acting. Some of his lines are the most memorable, entertaining, creepy, and funny.
· I remember that I didn’t care for this movie when it came out. Watching and pausing didn’t improve my opinion. In fact, it highlighted some of the annoying things. E.g. (1) as with Basic Instinct, the mystique of psychology and profiling (overblown); (2) the guard’s face-mask as part of Lecter’s escape (very ridiculous); (3) Buffalo Bill’s symbolic moth calling card (boring); (4) Buffalo Bill’s naked dance (more laughable than shocking).
· I’m reminded that every scene should be a mini-movie and involve action that propels the story, includes M.I.S., and perhaps ups the stakes.
· Interesting that we root for Lecter too. One could argue that he’s more of a helper/mentor than a bad-guy antagonist. Sure, he killed in the past (which he’s paying for in prison) and kills a few guards, but they weren’t “good” guards. There’s justice/justification in taking-out Chilton at the end, and I imagine he’ll go after Crawford too (as both treated Clarice badly). Buffalo Bill is the villain because he’s the one who tries to kill Clarice.
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Kimberly’s BI Stacking Suspense
What I learned is that I still don’t like this movie. It is certainly a product of its time.
As a thriller, however, it is a good example of MIS development and, of course, I see the value in its teachable moments. Consistency of MIS elements while building the structure of a thriller creates a blueprint that allows for twists and turns.
Noticed that if you move the story along fast enough (which happens in editing, not writing) and keep hammering a character’s MIS, then folks may miss hanging plot threads and character incongruities.
I did appreciate the completed pdf which helped me understand the MIS elements scene by scene.
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SOTL stacking assignment 2
Well I was assuming we were to post the Excel spreadsheet for Silence of the Lambs. I guess we are simply to describe what we learned. I’ll forgo a detailed list as I’m not sure how I”m to transpose all of that data, so I’ll summarize what I learned:
I don’t think I’m the only student who was having trouble discerning the shading difference between Mystery, Intrigue, and Suspense in a scene, and then layering the MIS of the relevant character on top of that. But after using the chart, and going back over lesson 3 and 4, I have a better understanding of these meanings, and their importance in every scene of a movie.
A thriller is all about layering innuendo, red herring, and a deepening mystery in every scene. To be frank, while SOTL is a classic movie and superbly written, I don’t personally thinks it fits the metaphor we’re reviewing perfectly as far as MIS. Yes, it does increase the stakes – at least for the senator’s daughter – but the mystery is consistent from scene to scene, and the intrigue is fairly even. Stakes get bigger, but in my view the plot is much more linear than I remember. And even in this sense, I see how the thriller conventions have changed since this movie was made over 20 years ago. I have a better idea what to do as well as what not to do!
Jim
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Well done, James.
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James Ridgley’s SOTL Stacking Suspense – Assignment # 2
Detailed of things I learned:
If you write logically and organically from clue to secret covered to reveal to suspicious character or event to new clue YOU WILL BE FINE – LOL!
BE: Concise, clear and to the point (twists and turns and reveals are great also) such that each scene seems like the bear minimum to use the MIS elements and lead on to the next exciting piece of the story or cover-up.
The villain’s plan is the gasoline which revs the story motor.
The Character’s response, drive, agency and aim to overcome gives the emotional drive to success for our Hero. (Or go over the deep end into tragedy, depending)
Seems Mystery leads to Intrigue which leads to suspence in the action playing out — or does it?
I think a story can lean on Mystery less in every scene (if the Mysteries are big enough and well done enough) but the intrigue and Suspense really are the driving force to keep us on the edge of our seats.
Not all deaths in a crime or spy thriller have to do exactly with the Hero or Killer or the taunt story exactly. (Like in Basic Instinct when Roxy dies from a car crash – I’m sure Beth didn’t plan that AND perhaps in Silence of the Lambs – the tourist din’t have to die for Lector to get new clothes at the end. In fact Miggs death – which was fantastic on so many levels, Lector’s ability to do that just talking and also doing it for Clarice – is also an example for me that a death can happen that is outside the typical “hunt for a killer who kills and stop him before the body count gets too high.”)
Vulnerability somewhere in the story seems like a good idea.
I’ve also noticed how different TV Crime procedurals are compared to films. TV tends to get all into the latest technological way to find a criminal or killer, lots of technical invention and for the 2 features we have analyzed the MIS allows for the characters flaws and wounds to track and bring an emotional core to the story. It seems the MIS in these situations and with these characters can bring an emotional element which heightens the MIS greatly.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by James Ridgley.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by
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I thought we were supposed to post the chart but it’s not importing as a chart from word when I cut and paste, so I pasted it as text. How do we post as a chart?
Kathy’s SOTL Stacking Suspense
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
Logline: A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.
ASSIGNMENT Give us a detailed list of the things you learned from doing this process that can help you write stronger thrillers.
Severed heads and human skin patches are not my thing!! I would have preferred to analyze GONE GIRL or at least had a choice of scripts to work on. There are many thrillers that are not as gruesome/gristly/macabre as this one.
Overlapping mystery, intrigue, and suspense in scenes produces drama that will keep audiences in their seats.
I think suspense is danger, intrigue is hidden, and mystery is a question but I don’t know if I’m putting each scene in the right category. It was educational to see the stakes for each scene, how most were about death.
Action 1. Clarice Starling and her roommate Ardelia Mapp are in training, Brigham informs Clarice that the Section Chief, Jack Crawford wants to see her. 2. Crawford tells Clarice that he has “an interesting errand” for her, to interview “A monster. A pure psychopath”, says to not tell him anything personal 3. In Dr. Chilton’s office at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane Chilton tries to pick up Clarice 4. Chilton and Starling descend into the bowels of the hospital, Barney confirms that Clarice has understood all the rules. 5. Clarice walks to his cell. Lecter asks for credentials and insults her. The two discuss Buffalo Bill, an at-large serial killer, she offers Lecter a questionnaire. 6. Clarice arrives at her car and fights back tears. 7. At the range, Clarice shoots expertly through the target’s forehead. In the library, Clarice reads about Lecter.
Mystery Why does the shooter have his hands bound?
Why does Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the cannibal, refuse to cooperate? Why pick up Clarice? Why does Clarice asks Chilton to allow her to go in alone? ( because Lecter despises Chilton?) Why can Lecter ask for Clarice’s credentials?
Why does Miggs hurl a crass insult and then semen at Clarice? Lecter was whispering to a crying Miggs all afternoon, and at bed check they found Miggs dead, how and why?
Intrigue ongoing FBI investigations? Are other serial killers putting the public in danger? How many? And where are they? Why does Chilton prize Hannibal Lecter? Why rules?
Why does Lecter despise Chilton? in flashback, we see Clarice as a 10-year old girl eager to greet her father, a marshall Crawford is frustrated Clarice has not followed up and in part due to the death of Multiple Miggs.
Suspense the “hostage” on the bed ( Ardelia), is the suspect. Clarice has to react quickly to avoid being “shot” FBI project to interview all of the serial killers currently in custody. Lecter “carved up nine people and cooked his favorite bits. Chilton describes the crimes of Dr. Lecter and explains rules, shows her a photo of a nurse. Clarice told by Lecter to seek out Miss Mofet in Split City. Crawford retreats to his bedroom, where his comatose wife Bella lies in bed.
Character
MIS Why Clarice? ( She’s in the top quarter of her FBI training class.) Clarice walks through the darkness. “Split City” is a mini-storage facility
Stakes danger Serial killers cannibolism danger Killer in jail death
Action 8. Laying down, she shines her flashlight under the door, sees boxes, a car, Mr. Yow, an old man, refuses to help, suggests they return later. 9. Clarice scratches her thigh, removes the tarp. In the back seat of an old Packard, Clarice sees a female mannequin with a severed head in a jar. 10. in exchange for a transfer, Lecter will assist in the hunt for Buffalo Bill, whom he intimates was responsible for the death of Raspail. 11. Catherine Martin takes a bong hit, gets groceries, sees an old man, who asks her to get in the van, strikes her with his fake cast, 12. Bill always uses the same pair of scissors (electron microscopy). Clarice is to join Crawford to fingerprint the body. 13. Clarice reads Buffalo Bill’s file, Crawford explains findings 14. Crawford asks Clarice to describe Buffalo Bill from reading files and she does an accurate analysis.
Mystery Who is “Miss Hester Mofet”? Why is the male head dressed like a woman? Could Bill be responsible for the death of a man so long ago? ( Clarice doesn’t believe he could have done it) Who is this man who is not old? Why same routine? Why was only the very first victim, Fredrica Bimmel, was weighed down? ( Crawford Thinks laziness) Crawford says the Lecter connection is only a possible strategy, not the only one, so what are the others?
Intrigue Unit 31 was leased for ten years, paid in advance Clarice identifies “Miss Hester Mofet” as an anagram of “Miss the rest of me”, so Lecter owned the unit the man asks her, “Are you about a size 14?” Brigham says a WV fisherman found a girl’s body, Crawford thinks it is another victim of Bill the computer has been unable to find any pattern among the abductions and found bodies. Clarice is upset Crawford sent her to Lecter “naked”, feels Lecter is in her head, Crawford used her.
Suspense Clarice squirms under the door, re-emerges to offer her card to Mr. Yow on the off chance that the door slams shut and traps her she discovers a severed head in a jar, a man’s head, with makeup, earrings, and a drowned wig Lecter says Miss Moffet, the head, is Raspail, Miggs is dead, & may be able to help,
(Crawford’s plan all along). Lecter taunts Clarice. discards the fake cast, cuts her dress with scissors, tag reads “14”, ogles her skin, discards the dress, drives away with her Brigham tells Clarice that Crawford likes her, he offers his own field kit, after capturing the women, Bill starves them before shooting them, skinning them, dumping them in a river.
Character
MIS Dark, rain on the tin roof , mice run on a piano Clarice can analyze a gristly scene with precision. Clarice takes a towel from Lecter, flouts rules Clarice’s first field assignment. Aboard a plane Crawford needs Lecter to trust Clarice
Stakes Entrapment
Severed head, danger storm rages, danger kidnapping Murder, danger Torture, murder
Action 15. flashback to a 10-year-old Clarice, hearing the same music, walks to an open casket 16. The Sheriff is shaken by the discovery of the young girl’s body. Clarice is annoyed at Crawford 17. Clarice prints the body, takes a slew of pictures, and discovers a cocoon shoved in the girl’s mouth. Clarice knows fishing regulations ?
18. Clarice is comforted by Lamar with a cold can. 19. Mr. Gumb, AKA “Buffalo Bill”, has Catherine in a 15-foot deep pit in his basement. 20. Clarice sees a photo of Catherine Martin on tv, abducted by Buffalo Bill, make Catherine seem like a person, not an object. Crawford and the FBI are now on Catherine’s case. 21. Clarice meets a entomologists who id a second cocoon as the same species found in the mouth of the body, name from 2 rivers in hell
Mystery Why that music?
Why is a sewing machine there?
Who is the dead girl? What is this pattern? Who is the killer? Claire asks if he has done that before. More deaths with a cocoon in the throat? Why does Gumb call Catherine “It”? Does Buffalo Bill import and raises these insects himself?
Intrigue we see her father in the casket with his marshal’s badge
Crawford and the Sheriff discuss the case behind closed doors, want to exclude Clarice, but then Clarice tells everyone to leave and they do. The two patches of skin that removed from the body are triangular Crawford thought that if a woman was too squeamish, the rest of the men will think that too Catherine says her mother will pay ransom, Gumb is not interested, US Senator Ruth Martin, pleads to leave her daughter Catherine unharmed. “Death’s Head Moth” lives in Malaysia, and it is presumed that Buffalo Bill imports and raises these insects himself.
Suspense Clarice says they will find a cocoon in Benjamin Raspail’s head Gumb tells Catherine to put lotion in the basket, blood on the walls On the moth’s back is a reproduction of a skull.
Character
MIS “Shall We Gather at the River?” music at a funeral home Clarice is mad at Crawford and the sheriff for leaving her out, a put down. Crowded embalming room Crawford tells Clarice that she deserves the credit. Dingy cellar, creepy man, scared woman
Natural History Museum, fangs and skeletons, beetle on the chess board
Stakes death
murder Torture, murder Murder, torture Kidnapping, violence kidnapping death
Action 22. Crawford decides to allow Clarice to negotiate with Dr. Lecter for his assistance. 23. Clarice pushes back with authority, Dr. Chilton is angry as Clarice insists on seeing Dr. Lecter again. 24. Clarice lies, presents “the Senator’s” offer: for finding Catherine, Dr. Lecter will transfer to the V.A. hospital in New York and have a 1-week “vacation” at Plum Island. 25. a Death’s head moth emerges from a cocoon, Lecter says look for criminal histories, violent childhood, Billy will be reborn. 26. Chilton taunts Lecter, had Lecter’s cell bugged, has heard all of the talks between Lecter and Clarice, has a deal for publishing rights 27. Crawford talks with Dr. Danielson about records on patients who have been rejected for sexual reassignment surgery. Danielson finally offers to go through the records 28. Crawford talks with the FBI director Burke who tells Crawford that Dr. Lecter is on a plane to meet with Martin. Clarice says Lecter is the key to finding Bill.
Mystery Why must Dr. Chilton be kept in the dark? ( he will exploit the situation for professional gain) How does Lecter know about the moths and the number of deaths? What is Gumb sewing and why? Why does Lecter agree to tell Buffalo Bill’s real name only to Ruth Martin? Who is in authority? Why did Crawford let Lecter land in Memphis?
Intrigue Crawford insists that Ruth Martin not be told about a deal with Lecter, who will only torture her. Clarice says if he has a problem with the way things are run, he can take it up with the US Attorney. Lecter talks about Bill. Says “next to latest” when referring to the murders. Mentions Bill being rejected for sex change surgery hear the hum of a sewing machine, barely audible over show tunes, see Billy in a kimono, wearing a hairnet next to a woman’s wig Dr. Chilton says he, reveals there is no deal with the Senator but then says he has a new deal for Lecter if Chilton gets his exclusive access the senator is angry about the fake offer Crawford and Clarice made, insists DA Krendler take over in Memphis.
Suspense Catherine Martin, only has around 36 hours left Clarice tells Lecter @ her father’s death, moving to a ranch, breaks the rules. See tools:
knives, sinks, jars of chemicals, mannequins in designer clothing Crawford shows a photograph of the girl found in West Virginia, now identified as Kimberly Jane Emberg. Burke says Crawford has final say over Lecter, but Crawford lets Lecter land in Memphis.
Character
MIS full police armada, Clarice asserts her authority. Clarice repeats Crawford’s lie VO about Gumb Lecter focuses on the pen Johns Hopkins Clarice admits lying to Lecter
Stakes Danger, death
death danger danger murder
Action 29. Clarice is angry at Dr. Chilton, who she thinks has doomed Catherine. Crawford warns Clarice that if she misses any more classes, she will have to re-do the semester. 30. officers will take custody of Lecter. Chilton can’t find his pen. Ruth Martin and Paul Krendler walk towards Lecter 31. Catherine is ties a chicken bone to a string, throws it towards the opening, keeps trying to lure the dog into the pit. 32. Ruth Martin wants to know who Clarice is, why she is there, calls in Deputy AG Paul Krendler, who chastises Clarice for jeopardizing Catherine’s life. 33. Clarice has a roll of Dr. Lecter’s drawings 34. She is allowed to speak with Dr. Lecter, but must leave his drawings with Pembry. 35. In a third FLASHBACK, the 10-year old Clarice is awakened. Lecter returns the Buffalo Bill case file to her as Dr. Chilton arrives on the scene.
Mystery Will Lecter help Clarice?
Lecter gets information from Martin about nursing Catherine, uses it to torment her. Why torment the senator? ( a game to Lecter) Will Catherine ever escape? Did Clarice jeopardize Catherine’s life? Lecter claims that everything she needs to catch him is in the case file. Is this true? Who are the older men and what are they carrying from one barn to another?
Intrigue Crawford and Clarice decide that Clarice needs to be in Memphis with Dr. Lecter, as there is still a chance he will help her. Lecter tells Bill’s real name, “William Rubin”, and he and Raspail were lovers. Rubin had murdered someone. Raspail wanted Lecter to cure him. Gumb’s small dog Precious lunges at the chicken bone, setting off a tug-of-war between the dog and Catherine. Krendler reveals he knows Bill’s identity, orders Clarice off the case, tells her to return to Quantico, turn in badge and gun. Clarice convinces Sgt. Tate, that she is working with Krendler and has permission to see Dr. Lecter. Lecter says Clarice is brave after she tells him about seeing lambs being slaughtered she saves a lamb then was sent to an orphanage. Lecter and Clarice brush fingers.
Suspense Lecter warns Martin about trusting Crawford and Clarice, that they are playing a game. She is successful on her second attempt, Precious is pulled to the edge, but lets go.
Character
MIS Does Clarice go to class or Memphis? Who has authority, Lecter or the Senator? In Gumb’s basement, Catherine is resilient. Catherine’s apt Courthouse, who has authority? Lecter or Clarice?
Lecter is caged but gets Clarice to talk about herself, breaking the rules Clarice and Lecter in voice-over.
Stakes
danger death Killing, death, danger
Action 36. Gumb pushes a rack of plastic-wrapped leather garments, gets money.
37. Clarice is chaperoned by two uniformed officers to her plane. 38. Pembry is carrying a dinner tray for Dr. Lecter, who is out of sight. Boyle is ambushed and handcuffed. 39. Tate sees the elevator needle point at the fifth floor. Hears gun shots, elevator descends to 4, then 3. 40. Tate and his men go up the stairwell to the third floor. They sweep the elevator and find it empty. 41. Three EMS orderlies rush a gurney beside Pembry and begin to treat him. 42. two SWAT officers open the elevator doors
Mystery Did he sew these?
Why is he playing this music? Can Pembry escape? Gunshots are coming from where? Where did Lecter go? Whose blood is it? Who is the green figure?
Intrigue Bach’s Goldberg Variations
The Variations continue in Dr. Lecter’s enclosure, issuing from his small tape recorder. Lecter sits with his back against the bars, has a hidden lock pick, frees hands. Tate asks for a 10-block radius to be sealed off, a SWAT team, and an ambulance. Pembry’s breathing is labored, but alive. As the EMS team rushes Pembry from the premises, Tate freezes the elevator, thinks Lecter is on top of the car. Peterson calls to the figure, but there is no answer.
Suspense Gumb mentions leaving oil on the skin
Lecter handcuffs Boyle, pounces on Pembry, bites his face, maces him, takes Pembry’s night stick, and beats him then beats Boyle, takes his knife Tate gets on the radio as the bronze arrow moves to “4” and halts on “3”. The team force the door open, discover both officers are maimed beyond recognition,
Boyle is dead, and Lecter has taken his gun. Pembry begins to seizure and the orderlies rush him into the elevator. Near the ground floor, a drop of blood falls on Tate’s shoulder from the corner of the service hatch. A green figure lay on top of the car with a silver gun just beyond his hand. Kubell fires a shot into the figure’s leg, but there is no movement.
Character
MIS sweatshop
Memphis airport Lecter is artistic, sketches Clarice from memory, mock conducts Courthouse lobby As they approach the room holding Lecter’s cell, the Bach music is almost deafening. On the third floor of the courthouse,
Stakes
Gruesome violence and murder Gunshots, danger Violence, murder danger violence
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This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by Katharine Panzella.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by Katharine Panzella.
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I’m not sure, Kathy. I was wondering the same thing.
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Hi,
Great observations
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This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by
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Kimberly’s SOTL Stacking Suspense
The required elements in the thriller genre are becoming clearer.
Maybe I’m getting hung-up on the names but Intrigue, to me, means something that is intriguing and suggests that there are more puzzle pieces ahead. But in this model, Intrigue is always sinister. Some great Hitchcock thrillers include a scene to catch your breath, usually right before a big shock, where nothing sinister is suggested. But there is intrigue if you think of it as a plot point that suggests more layers are yet to be revealed. Or we can just bundle those scenes with others where the devious thing happens.
Curious if there is an evolving MIS math throughout each act. Not every thriller ends on a mystery like SOTL and BI. Hitchcock’s Rebecca gives us a satisfying ending without loose threads to set up a franchise. The mystery is solved and all questions answered.
Key seems to be creating a roadmap that keeps audiences desperate to know what’s around the corner because they care about what happens to the characters and death is on the line. High stakes for a sympathetic protagonist on an unavoidable path where each step could lead to disaster.
I look forward to us dissecting a thriller written by a woman.
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Leona Heraty’s BI Stacking Suspense
What
I learned doing this assignment is…the
Stacking Suspense Thriller chart really works! It helps a writer take a complicated
plot and work it out so each scene has Mystery, Intrigue and Suspense (MIS) and
each main character has MIS too.Here’s what I learned about the Stacking Suspense process from watching Basic
Instinct:
I learned that each scene in this move includes Mystery, Suspense, and/or
Intrigue in each scene. Including most of all of the MIS elements keeps the
interest high and the story flowing quickly. This movie is filled with lots of
irony, which also makes it great because life is full of irony.There’s the irony when Beth is Nick’s psychologist and his former and on-again,
off-again girlfriend, and the irony that what she says will determine if he
keeps his job. There’s also the irony that Nick is investigating Catherine as a
murder suspect, and he’s also attracted to her, and eventually has an affair
with her.Here’s what I learned about Thriller in general from watching Basic Instinct:
The opening music and graphics are very mysterious and set the mood. A great
soundtrack can really add to the depth of intrigue in a thriller. Each of the three
main characters have their own MIS, and this adds a lot of depth and interest
to the story.We have to watch until the end to figure out whodunit and answer all the other
mysteries that have been set up earlier on in the movie. Also, it’s important
to have interesting secondary characters too!-
This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by Leona Heraty.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by
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Larry’s BI Stacking Suspense
There are a few key points that stood out for me in BI.
1) The prolonged sexual tension and the maturing relationship between Nick and Catherine maintained intrigue.
2) Using minor characters (e.g. Roxy) with their own, intertwining stories with the main characters added suspense in terms of how they would act with the main characters.
3) The counter-balance between Dr. Beth (genuinely concerned about Nick) and Catherine (game player) kept up the suspense as to how each would impact on Nick.
4) Joe Eszterhas, the writer, effectively uses the mirroring of Catherine’s books with real events in the movie to sustain the mystery.
5) The writer maintains focus on Catherine as the possible killer as Nick is absolutely convinced Catherine is the culprit and the trail of clues keep building to that conclusion.
6) The interplay of the subplot with I.A. after Nick’s badge works well in terms of high stakes in play. Nick risks all to prove he is right.
7) Using the backstory of Nick’s past helps to flesh out his character and the “shooter” double entendre.
I, too, will admit I struggle with the distinction between mystery, intrigue and suspense. There seem to be fine delineations that escape my grasp.
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Hi Larry. As a fellow-confused by with the distinction between mystery, intrigue and suspense, I am coming up with this understanding:
Mystery – the big question, the unknown that builds and is resolved in the end.
Intrigue – interesting items making us curious about actions and dialog as to how it will become important during the story – setups and twists at different levels. I would think leaking in backstory can create intrigue nicely.
Suspense – that which makes us sit on the edge of our seat. It builds until the mystery is resolved.
In this movie it seemed that the intrigue slowly faded while the suspense intensify until it exploded with the big answer to the mystery.
All comments
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Hi Michael:
Thanks for your response as it does help to clarify the distinctions between the three concepts.
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Kathryn’s BI Stacking Suspense
Things I learned:
THE MYSTERY to be solved in the movie was introduced in the first scene, and remained until the last frame of the movie. I could rewrite that line over and over.
Meeting Roxy before Catherine was intriguing. The entire character of Roxy served to add nothing but intrigue in every scene that she was in. Some scenes she was in may have even been a little too flat without her. She was not one of the main three characters, but she really added to the story, straight through to things we learn about her after she dies.
We meet all five major characters in the first 15 mins.
By the 15 min mark, Catherine seems like a slam dunk for the villain. This is interesting, because I would have been inclined to save this feeling for another 15 mins, but the intrigue of this movie holds nothing back.
by 20 mins, Catherine and Nick are clearly the only people who could get to each other. Amazing Protag/Antag set up.
Every scene uses mystery to move the plot forward. We are solving the mysteries of the past while future crimes are being set up. The intrigue moves both ways in time simultaneously with stopping the drive, action and momentum.
min 57, Nick is in the same seat Catherine was in! What amazing irony!
min 1:24, money was taken out months before he met Catherine–this is the first time we start believe her possible innocence. All of Act 2 was against her, and now in Act three, we start to root for her.
by min 1:41 we are torn in evidence as to which one of them killed Boaz–or anyone else!
The second most amazing thing to me (aside from the first sentence I wrote) is that Nick has a character development in reverse, it is all falling action. He is clean when we meet him, only goes straight down. The movie is a story of his undoing, not of overcoming.
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Melanie’s – BI Stacking Suspense
What I learned: Stacking suspense is like a layered cake – each layer offers something different but adds to the overall flavor of the piece.
Specifically what I learned:
– Every aspect of each scene should be hitting on either mystery, intrigue or suspense. And no scene should be without any of them. So, although I already shoot for no extraneous material in scenes, this really hit home for me.
– Setting serves as another character in the film. It can offers intrigue, and an overall sense of dread if you do it right. Of course it will come down to how a location is shot, but as a writer it falls on me to lead production there in the first place. Each setting in Silence of the Lambs lent the film a thrill – from Hannibal’s immaculate cell to Bill’s surreal mannequin filled basement.
– Every character should be interesting and offer their own MIS. Nick has flaws – which adds to more mystery in the script. Clarise’s wound of not being able to save the lamb threads the entire script together and feeds Hannibal throughout the plot.
– The more you MIS you add, the better. It keeps the audience on the edge of their seats in every scene. Conversely if you don’t have any MIS in a scene, you could stand losing them along the way. No bathroom breaks!
– Tracking all of these elements is complex and the spreadsheet is a Godsend!
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Ola Höglund’s BI Stacking Suspense
What I learned doing this assignment is that
It is great to have these checkpoints for every scene you write. I also need these examples to differ intrigue from mystery and suspense which I still have to think about every time I analyze which is which. Many years ago I studied Basic Instinct, Silence of the lambs, Seven, The Fugitive, LA Confidential and Heat. I wrote down what every scene was about, but I didn’t do it this way with the MIS-model.
Ola Höglund’s SOTL Stacking Suspense
I learned that I could not go through with formulating every scene in SOTL because I just started thinking of my own story all the time. So it helps my story enormously, but I’ve given up trying to accomplish this assignment before deadline. I have to use my time for the next assignment, so I don’t fall behind again.
I also learn a lot from all the other students’ comments. Sorry I’m not giving back right now. It would have been great if we all could share our SOTL charts to see the different ways we fill it in.
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Yes. It would have been better if the provided charts didn’t have every other row printed in grey–it’s hard to read anything written on the row. It would also have helped to have had the action boxes already filled in to save time deciding where the scenes end.
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Emmanuel Sullivan’s BI Stacking Suspense
I learned so much more about how scenes are constructed and separating mystery, intrigue and suspense. Great exercise. You understand more movie structure this way.
Emmanuel Sullivan’s SOTL Stacking Suspense
Doing this assignment, I learned so much more than when I watched Silence of the Lambs move over 20 years ago. Now I’m confident to pace suspense, and sprinkle intrigue along with mystery throughout my scripts.
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Leona Heraty’s SOTL Stacking Suspense
What I learned doing this assignment is…although it took about 4 hours to watch the movie and pause it after each scene, and fill in the Stacking Suspense Chart, it was totally worth it! I learned so much from this process! With this cart, I feel like we’ve been given the “key” to how to write a complex thriller! Yeay!
3. Give us a detailed list of the things you learned from doing this process that can help you write stronger thrillers.
· Clarice Starling, the protagonist, is a complex, deep and interesting character, with a deep wound from her childhood and we feel for her and worry about her. I can see why Jodie Foster wanted to play this part, because it has so much depth, and did an awesome job!
· Hannibal Lecter, Clarice’s helper, is a complex and scary character, deep, violent and mysterious. I can also see why Anthony Hopkins wanted to play this part, because it also has a lot of depth, and he did a great job!
· Buffalo Bill, the antagonist, is pure evil, but complex, flamboyant and interesting, all at the same time. I can also see why Ted Levine wanted to play this creepy character, and he also did a great job.
· The two main supporting characters, Clarice’s boss, Jack Crawford, played by Scott Glenn, and the psychiatric hospital warden, Dr. Chilton, played by Anthony Heald, are interesting characters, especially Dr. Chilton, and I can see why both actors wanted to play them and they also did a great job!
· The other main supporting character, such as the Senator’s daughter who is kidnapped, Catherine Martin, played by Brooke Smith, and Senator Ruth Martin, played by Carol Baker, were interesting, especially Catherine, who fought to stay alive and was very tenacious and resourceful.
· Almost every scene is has Mystery, Intrigue and Suspense, and the stakes are continually raised with each compelling scene! We know that it’s inevitable that Clarice will have come face-to-face with the evil Buffalo in the final showdown, and she will have to kill him or he will kill her!
· The Death Head’s Moth and its transformation from a pupae to a lovely moth is the perfect metaphor for Clarice’s transformation from a young woman with a major wound from her childhood, to a woman who sheds her cocoon, like the chrysalis, and in the end, blossoms into a strong, resilient, fearless warrior, like the chrysalis blossoms into the butterfly.
· I saw this movie when it came out in 1991, and I was so scared, I don’t think I realized how good it is, ha! ha! Now, after watching it years later, with new eyes, and analyzing each scene, I have a new respect for this movie. It’s one of the best modern thrillers ever made, IMHO.
· I think the most interesting part of the story is Clarice’s journey, from a young, brave, FBI cadet with a major wound from her past, to a confident, fearless new FBI academy graduate. Her journey is amazing and it’s worth it to take the journey with her. I cared a lot about her character and worried about her and I wanted to protect her and cheered and prayed for her to succeed and stay safe, and kill Buffalo Bill!
· In addition to the interesting, deep characters, and wonderful plot, the settings are creepy and add to the atmosphere: a frightening psychiatric prison for the criminally insane, the river where they found some of the victims’ bodies, the funeral home, the storage unit, the coroner’s office, the FBI academy, the home of Frederica, Buffalo Bill’s first victim, and the creepiest place of all, Buffalo Bill’s home/chamber of horrors!
· The action in each scene is nonstop and compelling and pulled me into the plot. Once I started the movie, I was glued to the edge of my seat and I couldn’t get up to get a snack or use the restroom!
· I love movie soundtracks and if I like a movie, I will usually purchase the soundtrack, and this soundtrack is spooky, like the soundtrack for Basic Instinct. Both soundtracks add a lot to the spooky atmosphere and enhance the thrills! I’m definitely purchasing both soundtracks!
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Larry’s SOTL Stacking Suspense
What I learned:
Opening scene should be a dramatic, suspenseful moment to capture audience’s attention and help establish a story line.
Use establishing shots to help storyline and create a mood of suspense or intrigue, where possible. Eg hospital entrance appears spooky.
Early scenes quickly establish key relationships and background; meetings efficiently supply information. In Clarice’s case it is established she is a trainee.
Create multiple, plausible suspects and explanations for a murder.
Use “psychological profiling” to flesh out potential killer; draw out similarities between killer and potential suspects.
Draw out suspense by establishing and drawing out a question or premise . Hannibal the cannibal at first appears very civil so it is uncertain if he really is a cannibal.
Psycho thrillers require a seriously psychotic villain. The play out of the traits over time adds to the intrigue.
Develop characters over time by adding traits through actions, dialogue, mannerisms, interactions so as to build mystery or intrigue.
Every key scene needs high stakes confounded in intrigue, centred around a mystery, and wrapped in suspense. ;.)
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Kathryn’s SOTL Stacking Suspense
Things I learned:
Bill is a mystery, but not as great a mystery as Hannibal.
Clarice’s desire for job placement is what gives her visible stacks from the top of the movie, before we learn about her past.
We are already in great anticipation of Hannibal before he enters because of what is said about him by others.
Dr. Chilton is incredibly intriguing. In his intro he doesn’t get what he wants and there is major tension with that. It sets up an arc that runs to the last scene in the movie.
All the intrigue is coming from character!
Hannibal is dangerous not only from his past, but while he is captive–he talks Miggs to death!
So much mystery in Act 1.
<font face=”inherit”>At the Act 1 turning point a new live victim is taken, </font>and<font face=”inherit”> this is the driving action of Acts 2 and 3.</font>
<font face=”inherit”>The clues are very clear. We close up on the pen, then the pen missing, which is mentioned. I’m possible to miss the set up.</font>
<font face=”inherit”>A pending life is tremendous suspense.</font>
<font face=”inherit”>Act 1 is mystery heavy and Act’s 2 and 3 are suspense heavy.</font>
<font face=”inherit”>At the top of Act 3, we think we have Buffalo Bill.</font>
<font face=”inherit”>The layout of the scene sequence that leads to Clarice being at the right house is AMAZING!</font>
<font face=”inherit”>Catherine’s screams in the climax are Clarice’s worst nightmare.</font>
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Jeff Guenther’s Basic Instinct Stacking Suspense
Things I learned about Thrillers:
Every character is the focus of M/I/S. I even noticed some M/I/S or red herring elements in Dr. Lemont–his OTT delivery, etc.
Every plot development is an opportunity for heightened M/I/S, especially when set-up carefully earlier.
At any given point in the movie, you’re only seconds from an M/I/S turning point. There are no relaxation/regrouping scenes.
I didn’t check, but any establishing shots were probably shorter than average length.-
You’re right-on with the minimal establishing shots. But I guess we need to write them minimally, and then the director can cut & chop further.
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Thanks. I suspect the length of each establishing shot will be determined in post-production per the director’s orders.
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Subject Line: Jeff Guenther’s SOTL Stacking Suspense
Learned:
The charts should be plain white, with rows and columns bordered. No grey areas.
Managing the charts is not like managing football game card stunts. It’s more like fencing: as one bit of, say, mystery plays out, you have to swing your sword into another area to baffle the viewer. Similarly for the intrigue, suspense, stakes, etc.
Along with that, not every row has to change in every column (scene). There just has to be at least one box that changes to hold the audience’s attention. The more, the better, however.
The Stakes may not change for a long time or may only increase in the emotional area.
Clarifying M/I/S:
Mystery is the peculiarities that the MC sees or that we see.
Intrigue is what the Villain sees–what he has planned and is executing–and we only gradually detect, a number of scenes later, in the form of mystery or possibly suspense.
Suspense is a set-up, a known or implied potential danger to the MC, seen by us, but not always seen by the MC, and paying off several scenes later, usually as a product of Intrigue.
Suspense is independent of Mystery, though there could be an element of mystery in a suspense issue, e.g., where did that sword come from? (Mystery) Now who is going to get cut with it? (Suspense). Suspense will not generally reveal or produce a Mystery; Suspense is more like: will something foreseen or feared happen?
Suspense is independent of Intrigue, though Intrigue could eventually result in a suspense issue, e.g., the villain’s plot (Intrigue) includes planting a landmine that we see later as Mystery, and finally Suspense: Will the MC step on it? Intrigue generally doesn’t immediately create suspense.
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Andrea’s BI Stacking Suspense
What I learned is how important it is to use this model when planning out a thriller script.
The twists and turns of Basic Instinct drive the model home although it’s hard to watch.
I saw the MIS model in this movie and observing the mystery of each scene and the action of the villan’s intrigue and movement and action of suspense.
The high stakes on the bottom of the PDF helped to clarify any questions I may have missed and also made me see the bigger picture of each scene too.
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David’s BI Stacking Suspense
By analyzing the MIS of Basic Instinct scene by scene, I learned:
1. The stakes don’t need to be spelled out or suggested in every scene early on. They only need to be made clear and increased at particular strategic points in the story. After the murder of Johnny Boz, there is no mention of stakes again until scene 15, when Nick and Beth have sex, about a third of the way through the story. After that, the stakes escalate pretty frequently, but always with variation so they’re not only physical (death or violence) but also involve Nick’s job, psychological balance and reputation.
2. There is a character MIS element in almost every scene. That tells me I should always look for opportunities & ways to reveal new info about any of the lead characters that can directly enhance the audience’s experience. I can do that either by introducing red herring plot & character points, mysterious info that will be come clear later in the story or deeper shades of meaning (such as about the reasons for Nick’s addictions and how they affect his work).
3. Characters’ motivations should be clear and reasonable, even if what the audience thinks they are at any given moment may not prove entirely correct. Basic Instinct’s characters taught be by negative example. I learned from how Catherine and Beth are portrayed what NOT to do. For example, I accept that Catherine uses people and is using her status as a suspect in Johnny’s murder and the access it gives her to Nick and police procedures more broadly as research for her new book. But given her genuine affection for Johnny (even if it was for sex, not love), I don’t buy the extent to which she’s willing to play with police interrogators and Nick specifically, which potentially will slow down their progress in solving the crime. Also, given Catherine’s propensity for research, it makes no sense that she wouldn’t have looked into the current whereabouts of Lisa Hoberman herself and wouldn’t have even a little interest in helping point the police toward someone who maybe trying to frame her. And if we’re to believe Catherine is cold, calculating and manipulative, then her tears at Roxy’s death and lamenting that everyone she cares about ends up dead can’t be taken seriously and don’t deserve any attention from the audience.
4. Beth’s motivations aren’t very credible either. If her same-sex liaisons weren’t just one-offs, why should we believe her jealousy for Nick with regard to Catherine? It’s more likely Beth would be jealous of Catherine with regard to Nick. If so, why would she concoct a scheme that ensures catherine will be put into direct contact with Nick? And assuming the money in Nilson’s bank deposit box was hush money for him to not reveal her police record at Berkeley (Nilson borrowed her file from Berkeley police a year earlier), why wouldn’t a psychopath like Beth have killed him much sooner instead of waiting till after the fight with Nick over Nilson’s possibly selling his IA file to Catherine?
5. Revelations of key information about characters’ pasts need to be paced carefully as the story evolves and should be motivated by present-day action and character inter-dynamics. The gradual leak of details about Catherine’s history at Berkeley and the nature of her connection with Beth/Lisa showed me how I might pace revelations in my own story.
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Subject: David’s SOTL Stacking Suspense
By analyzing the MIS of Silence of the Lambs scene by scene, I learned:
1. A key Character MIS theme for Clarice, that of her proving a woman can be an excellent FBI agent and having to do it mostly on her own, is established from the first scene where she is all alone, running the obstacle course in the Quantico woods. Her outsider status in the FBI’s male-dominated world is established from the querulous gaze of the male agent who informs her that Crawford wants to see her, and is accentuated through the similar looks she gets from men on her way to Crawford’s office, and extends to her treatment by Dr. Chilton. This sets up a major suspense point through the whole film: Is Clarice up to the challenge of holding her own against Lecter’s psychological probes and bringing Buffalo Bill to justice?
2. Intrigue and lack of transparency is built into Clarice’s assignment from Crawford, which generates more suspense: What is Clarice really expected to get from Lecter in that first interview and how is Crawford testing her? This is later explained when Crawford tells her if she had gone in with an agenda, Lecter would have smelled it immediate;y and refused to talk. A tone of intrigue couched in layers of cryptic information is set up early on.
3. Deeply exploring lead characters — their proclivities, talents, vulnerabilities — can generate more genuine MIS than carefully devised plot twists and turns.Have the confidence to create complex, engaging characters that fit well into, or consciously upend, thriller conventions.
4. I can create greater psychological depth by looking for ways to create parallels/pairings between characters, such as Clarice/Catherine Martin and Lecter/Jame.
5. I can generate some character MIS through use of objects and other small details that serve as metaphors for characters’ mindsets or preoccupations. Examples include butterfly chrysalis that BB inserts in victims’ throats and clip pen that Lecter steals from Chilton to advance his escape plan.
6. I can increase the stakes by creating plot points that threaten to derail the hero’s forward progress, such as Senator Martin’s outrage at Crawford/Clarice’s phony relocation promise to Lecter, which leads to FBI losing access to Lecter for further help on BB case. This adds suspense and raises tension in the final encounter between Clarice and Lecter before his escape.
7. Even though the rich soundscape of moth wings fluttering and machine noises (mostly in BB/Jame’s lair) may not be able to be attributed to screenwriter Ted Tally, I can include evocative sounds when I write my actual screenplay that will enhance the audience’s experience of intrigue and dread.
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Silence of the Lamb is an expositions of Extreme Characters of Good and Evil.
Hannibal Lecter and Buffalo Bill as gruesome and devious villains I have seen vs Clarice Starling the heroine the delicate maiden of goodness and freshness who must progress to a warrior spirit using her wit to combat Buffalo Bill. All three main characters provide both provide the Mystery, Intrigue and Suspense.
Mystery: Will Hannibal help Clarice find Buffalo. How will the relationship between Clarice & Hannibal develop. What is the backstory of Clarice. Who is Buffalo Bill and what is his method for murder.
Intrigue: Hannibal and Buffalo Bill are devious murders. How will both villains outsmart the FBI.
Suspense: The end of Act 2 Hannibal murders and escapes law enforcement. In he Climax, Clarice discovers Buffalo Bill and fights for her life in the dark.
BASIC INSTINCT
Basic Instinct is a murder mystery lead by Detective Nick Curran, to solve the crime.
Nick Curran is an anti- hero with an addictive personality. Two of his many vices alcohol and cigarettes. are established in the beginning. His temptress is Catherine Tramill, a primary suspect in the murder. Catherine is established as a manipulative personality who draws Nick back into his compulsions of smoking, drinking and sex. She enjoys using him for her decadent pleasure.
Dr. Beth Garner serves as a foil character to Nick. She is his Psychiatrist, friend and lover. Beth seems t a loyal friend to Nick yet as the story progresses the Beth character provides more Mystery and Intrigue. We learn Beth was a former romantic attachment to Catherine. The audience wonders who is the killer Catherine or Beth? Will either of these women maliciously destroy Nick’s career as a detective or worst murder him before he can solve the crime.
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