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Day 1: Putting The Character To The Test – MY COUSIN VINNY
1. Please watch this scene and provide your insights/breakthroughs into what makes this character great from a writing perspective.
2. Read the other writers comments and make notes of any insights/breakthroughs you like.
3.Rethink or create a scene for your script using your new insights and rewrite that scene/character.
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22 Replies
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I’m wondering is there a post missing as the only lesson for Day 1 that I see is ‘Character Journey’ – the Proposal. I don’t see Putting the Character to the test – My Cousin Vinny.
Anyone else see the same thing 🙂
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I’m seeing the same thing.
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I am seeing the proposal and silence of the lamb. no cousin vinny for me either.
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Hi, I just looked at the original list of classes and my cousin vinny is in week 4. in week 3 we are suppose to have: the proposal, silence of the lambs for day 1 – the godfather for day 2 – the matrix for day 3 – the matrix for day 4 – and rudy for day 5. the listing i see on the classes list is missing some of that.
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Same here, hopefully it will be fixed within the next 2 days, so we don’t lose track.
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Ann Marie:
They have posted Week 4 forums and have not posted Week 3 forums. Several people have also identified the issue and have communicated to Cheryl. I have also sent a Customer Service request to address the issue. All we can do is be patient.
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True Bob, no rush coming up to the Season to be jolly : )
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Hi Cheryl, I hope you get this. some of the classes are missing for week 4. sure is frustrating to have this new way of approaching these classes always breaking down.
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any luck getting in touch? I emailed Cheryl yesterday to let her know. I’m tempted to mark as complete and move on…but i’d also like to see the ‘putting the characters to the test’ lesson… what say you peeps? 🙂
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No answer yet but I think that after I’m done checking if my main character’s journey has all these bullet points, I’ll mark it as complete. I’ll go back to the forum to read all your feedback in order to see if I can add anything else to my script 🙂
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I clicked “complete” on all that I could and got to Week 3 Day 4: Character Climax – THE MATRIX. Will have to wait until tomorrow night to get the next one.
Once we get to Vinny, I’ll post to this lesson, and hope they open up forums for the real “Week 3.”
Meanwhile I’m saving up all my answers for when the forums open up for them.
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Bob Kerr
My strategy is to “Mark as complete” the lessons after I have completed my notes for the homework. I will start Week 3, Day 3 as soon as it is posted. Believe it will be more practical to “Mark as Complete” and move through the lessons. Simple task to come back and record feedback, read others feedback, than it is to wait till the holiday weekend to try and catch up with the video lessons.
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Hi Everyone,
I’m saving my comments until I can put them in the right forum.
My only concern is that we are all doing this and when the forum issue for wk 3 is resolved, we will need a lot of time to read everyone’s input and copy the comments that are meaningful to us.
I wish you all Season’s Greetings.
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Hi,
Could anyone please tell me what makes a character deep and what “right character” means in a character profile?
Thanks so much.
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Bob Kerr – Putting The Character To The Test – My Cousin Vinny
Watch the First Time:
How is the character tested and how does it build to an emotional moment?
In a murder trial, it is atypical that a young woman is put on the stand as an automotive expert. Particularly when she is the girlfriend of the defense attorney. She is given a “trick questions” and she recognizes it as a “trick question”.
What is the result of the test?
She passes with flying colors to the satisfaction of the prosecuting attorney and the judge.
Watch the second time?
What drama is this scene built around?
This is a murder trial of two young boys based on highly circumstantial evidence. Her testimony could be the answer to proving their innocence if she can pass the test.
What profile items (right character, traits, secret, wound and future) show up in words and actions?
Right Character: Vinny is the typical New Jersey confident bs artist, she is a a woman more focused on getting married than testifying. Great drama and conflict
Traits: Vinny is setting a trap, she is reluctantly helping him.
Secret: Vinny is now who he says he is as a lawyer, she is more intelligent than she lets on)
Wound: Vinny has been looked down on most of his life, she has been sexualized and ignored for her intelligence all her life.
Future: These two characters are going to save the day, get the boys off and then ride off into the sunset and get married.
Insights: Set-up the test to appear that the outcome is predetermined and the character will fail.
Breakthrough: In my script, Fran is coaxed into going out for rowing despite not knowing how to swim and having a fear of the water. I need to develop this fear more so that when the test comes in the boat, she overcomes this fear and passes the test dramatically. Great transformation opportunity.
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<div>My Cousin Vinny</div>
How
is she tested and how does it build to an emotional moment?We think she doesn’t know the answer to a difficult question. This will cause the defendants to be convicted.
What
is the result of the test?She blows us out of the water with an answer that shows us she is an automotive genius.
What
drama is this scene built around?This is a court case where two people are charged with murder. This woman’s testimony could exonerate them or bring in a verdict of guilty.
What
profile items (right character, traits, secret, wound, future) show up?Traits:
The woman: fed-up, brilliant, confident, an automotive genius.
Vinny: egotistical, possibly a user of people, willing to take second-hand credit and bask in her expertise.
Secret: Vinny knows she is a genius and keeps it from the prosecutor.
Wound: The woman has been put down before. This time she is out to be the smartest person in the room.
Future: Vinny is living the future of winning the case. She is living the future of gaining respect.
These characters are great because she is a genius in a male-dominated profession while he is riding on her coattails. The cliché is the reverse.
Breakthrough: I have tested my protagonist but I need to test my other characters.
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The audio portion of Week 4 is not working. Could someone email it to me? I’d really appreciate it.
Thanks.
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Joan:
I have submitted a customer service request as the audio doesn’t seem to be working for anyone.
Bob Kerr
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this week 4 is not coming up. it looks like people are posting the assignments in week 3. so I will do the same.
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My Cousin Vinny is a delight. The drama around this scene is Vinny’s girlfriend is fed up with him and has walked out, but he needs her to testify to save him. He drags her in court, and as the scene progresses, she gets caught up in expressing herself. She saves him with her traits of smart, sensible, feisty, and knowledgeable.
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Hi everyone, I hope you all had a good break – I’m only back to this now –
Joan, Bob, how did you see My cousin Vinny? are you going to week 4 instead of week 3?
I’m a bit confused here, thanks for your help
Ann Marie
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Doing Vinny here:
Watch 1st time for:
How is she tested and how does it build to an emotional moment?
— she’s not eager to be in court and tries to leave admitting she’s not a tire track expert, but the judge makes her stay and Vinny claims it’s only necessary for her to be a car expert. Trotter then gives her a trick question about cars which she can’t answer, but the judge probes, making her stay.
What is the result of the test?
— she explains it’s a trick question but then gives an astonishingly detailed answer for another car, showing her expertise.
Watch 2nd time for:
What drama is this scene built around?
— Vinny is grasping for some way to get the guys off the murder charge and hopes his girlfriend will be able to help
What profile items (right character, traits, secret, wound, future) showed up in these two character’s words and actions?— Because she is blue collar with amazing car repair experience (perhaps disvalued on a social scale), she’ll make a terrific expert witness.
Great for writing: the contrast between Southern type v. blue collar NY type is very funny. And in a formal courtroom situation. A fish totally out of water.
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