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Day 13 Assignments
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Judith Misdirects when Appropriate
Lesson 13 – Thriller Class Day 13 – Misleading the Audience
My Red Herring character needs some more misdirects. Right now all I have is Rachel sets her up to look like she tried to sabotage Emily’s gallery show by calling the movers to come 2 hours later.
The Villain’s plan misdirects with the scene in the beginning where the two women are killed in the Fire. I’ve added that Rachel makes it look like the women were killed when someone tried to rob the house.
Rachel’s Mercedes is left in front of the house to look like she is at home.
Her neighbor now tells the Detective that Rachel and Her mom were looking forward to having Christmas with Emily all these years. And that her security system got a glimpse of a car speeding away from the house after it burst into fire.
The cover-up for the reality that Rachel is behind all this is that she shows up at Emily’s gallery show with flowers and a card from mom.
Also, later, Rachel shows up at the house wanting Emily to commit to renewing their relationship with a “return to sender” letter she fished out of the trash and apologizes to Emily for hurting her all these years.
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Michelle’s Misdirecting the Audience
What I learned is…to consider where I can infuse some misdirects, but to use them sparingly. I think there is still opportunity for me to use this more effectively.
The Red Herring character – the red herring is the protagonist. For each murder, she does not have an alibi and has motive for each one. Is she really the killer?
The Villain’s plan – we don’t understand the villain’s motive until the climax scene, so by not understanding that he does have a motive, we don’t see him as a suspect.
The cover-up for each mystery present as a reality –
Mystery #1- who is killing those closest to Griffin? Is Griffin the killer?
Mystery #2 – who was the original serial killer? Seeing as Ennis and Boyd received an award for trying to ‘save’ a victim, we don’t consider them suspects.
Mystery #3 – Did Griffin’s dad know that Boyd was a murderer? We don’t know Boyd was the original murderer until late and it’s only in the end that Griffin puts the puzzle together and why Adam is murdering.
Opportunities:
Clue Misdirection – detectives feel that Graham is too eager to let them talk with staff, as if he’s hiding something.
Character Misdirection – could make Griffin’s friend more suspicious, someone that might be hiding something.
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I learned today that this can become very confusing. It’s better to go slowly, taking one step at a time and adding misdirection as needed/appropriate. Or the audience will become confused too and lose interest in following a frustratingly confusing scenario. Less maybe more when writing and overlapping twists, clues, coverups etc.
A. The Red Herring character misdirection:
John admits he was asked by an unknown person, paid by an unknow person to drag out the union contract negotiations & help create problems. Says he doesn’t know who is mfg. the extreme chaos.
B. The Villain’s plan: Maksim hides the fact that Nick is his son, working for him and not Joe. Otis and Joe believe that Nick is not guilty but under suspicion for not making the union negotiations work to the casino’s fair advantage.
C. The cover-up for each mystery presented as “Reality:” I must review this as not sure what is meant.
2. Look through your Thriller Map for a few opportunities to add in misdirection: I am thinking that a clue could be misdirection; also a twist, coverup and others could be misdirected??? Is this also correct??
A. Clue Misdirection: Not knowing where as yet, I will drop in a few as needed when the rewrite begins to take shape.
B. Character Misdirection: John is guilty of sabotaging the casino union operations, and called out by Joe, however he thinks that it maybe Maksim but doesn’t say anything until Gina is kidnapped.
C. Dialogue Misdirection. As I write the new dialogue, I will add some misdirection.
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Eric Humble Misdirects… When Appropriate!
What I learned: The most valuable breakthrough I had with this lesson is that misdirection is best when worked into the existing elements of the story. I spent more time making sure the cover-up, the villain’s plan, and the red herring’s plan were strong (and I think I still have more work to do on that) than on adding any new misdirection elements. I added one new clue that is misinterpreted — but even this was always part of my plan for the story. This pass really helped me shore up what I’ve got in place so that the story is twisty but avoids confusion.
MM1:
Beginning: The rival chef calls the FBI to blow the whistle on someone. TWIST: But while he’s waiting someone stalks him through his kitchen.
Inciting Incident: Raf is recruited by Leiber to cook the meal at the G7 summit to broker peace in Europe. Cover: Leiber claims the previous chef’s security check revealed he had political sympathies with one of the world leaders. He wants Raf because of Raf’s reputation for providing custom meals that help power players lure their counterparts into deals. Trust: Leiber gives him the job – is his contact man. Everything he knows about the job comes from Leiber.
Intrigue 1: Leiber acts like he’s most concerned with the US’s standing in NATO – the peace treaty is essential to re-establishing the US’s dominance within NATO. Insisting that the other countries are sheep following the US superpower.
MM2:
Raf is urged by his pregnant girlfriend to let this one go. He’s never satisfied with success; as soon as he achieves something, he’s off to the next thing… and she’s worried he’ll be that way about their family once the baby comes. But he can’t let it go. It’ll be the biggest dinner of his life!
Intrigue: Current Direction: Leiber has strong security in place but he’s been cleared…. TWIST: …except that’s the first level. The additional protocols are that no one leaves once admitted, sections of the kitchen are off-limits, and they won’t let anyone from the kitchen talk to the world leaders in the dining room. Violate any of these and he’ll be arrested instantly. Covert Clue: They’ve had the kitchens sealed off for a month, just to make sure they’re secure.
Covert Clue: Leiber comments that everyone wants peace, even Russia, who regrets ever starting the war. It’s a question of saving face.
Raf knows head cook Sal. Trust: She’s an ex-flame, but at least she’s someone he knows – well. Distrust: She has a violent temper, and an axe to grind with him… comes at him with a knife, assuming his ambition is what drove him to get the other chef replaced. Distrust: Raf confronts her and tells her what’s between them has to wait – he has rank and he’s not going to let her mess this up for him. Covert clue/misdirect: Sal mentions that she has money enough to do whatever she wants in life. She doesn’t need any job.
Mystery 1: No one knows why the first chef left. Leiber claims his security clearance didn’t check out, something about his background. COVER UP: Sal claims she didn’t know him and he was a shit boss. All of the cooks were hired so as not to have history with each other. Covert clue: While inspecting the pantry, Raf learns from the other line cooks that the previous chef got the ingredients himself – went to the dockyards to get the prawns fresh off the boat – brought them in in huge containers.
Intrigue 2: One member of NATO, a firebrand, is in a violent, drunken argument – railing that NATO always follows the US’s lead, even now when US credibility is low. If they’re as united as they say, NATO can be its own superpower without US Involvement. Current Direction: Rav sizes the situation up, arrives with coffee and sorbet to settle his stomach and mind… Twist: …but he gets the sense this man has already gotten a system in place, a cabal waiting in the wings to take over the lead in foreign policy if the US can’t pull this peace deal off. He feels compelled to report this. Covert clue: The drunk world leader claims that there are people all across Europe ready to take the lead should the US fail.
Intrigue 3: Meanwhile, Leiber calms the situation by having water brought in for all the delegates – which, unknown to anyone, is poisoned with thallium.
Turning Point One/Life-Threatening 1: Current Direction: Looking for Leiber to report his suspicions, Rav enters the off-limits meat freezer. Twist: He discovers the rival chef’s body hanging there. Murdered! Will this be Raf’s fate?
Mystery 2: Who killed the original chef and why?
Mystery 3/Overt clue: The first chef left a warning carved into the handle of his chef’s knife: “Poison
President
Faded: Russian Bl”
Misdirection: Rav interprets this to mean that someone will poison the Russian president.
Trust: Raf finds a warning the previous chef carved into the chef’s knife – and believes it enough to make it his quest to find out who killed him before he becomes the next victim.
REVEAL: The original chef is dead.
DRAMATIC IMPACT: It looks like Sal killed him because he tried to talk her out of whatever she was about to do.
MM3:
COVER UP: Sal is an assassin planning to poison some part of the meal. Current Direction: Raf takes the logical first steps – goes to report it to Leiber.
Intrigue 4/Twist: Distrust: Leiber is suspicious of him for suggesting he went into the off-limits area. Raf doesn’t trust that Leiber will take his side instead of arresting him and backs off, doesn’t tell him about the body. Leiber won’t let Raf disrupt the proceedings – there’s too much at stake. Insists on keeping the meal on a strictly-timed schedule… but makes it seem like this is because the peace deal is at stake, not because everyone will feel the effects of the poison by then.
Mystery 4: Learns from Sal that there was a dust-up when the previous chef wanted to change the dessert to something low sugar and vegan for everyone; everyone could have it and it didn’t conflict with anyone’s dietary requirements. Several of the NATO leaders’s staff objected and Leiber threatened to replace him unless he stuck to the pre-cleared menu.
Overt clue: He started questioning the menu… and thought there was too much blue on the dessert cakes.
COVER UP: Sal hates POTUS for his policies on Montenegro, where her family hails from. He’s a bully kicking small young countries around. The thallium poison must be intended for POTUS.
Intrigue 5: Leiber leaves a false clue that makes Raf think the poison is in the kitchen.
Overt clue: Sal has something concealed in her apron…. But it’s a phone, not poison. DEMAND: (Intrigue) Raf overhears her telling someone that the previous chef is out. He didn’t have what it takes.
Life-Threatening 2: Overt clue: Sal sneaks food out of the pantry and tries to get it to the closed-off section… but Raf catches her and she attacks him (unseen – he just sees that he has hurt the assailant’s hand). Doesn’t get away with the food – and the food doesn’t appear to be tainted.
OR Overt clue: Sal attacks him in the pantry when he finds the recipe under the seasoning.
TWIST: Mystery 6: Current Direction: There’s nothing there. Twist: Trust: Raf finds the rat poison container – thallium – tucked under a floor panel at the chef’s station, left there by the first chef. Its cartridge is empty… the poison has been removed.
MM4:
More ambitious plan: Contact the world leaders via food.
Life-Threatening 3: Current Direction: Raf tries to warn the US President –Twist: …but only the Chinese president, an enemy, figures out the message and converses with him… which could make him look like a foreign agent and is a breach of protocol.
Covert clue: Raf berates the cook whose presentation is flawless, as he’s a visual artist, but whose cooking is sub-par. Sal scorns Raf for using food as manipulation and as an instrument of his own celebrity. Food is an art that can stand for so much more – it can raise awareness, it can shine a light on certain cultures. You don’t need a disruptive protest to solve everything. Food can bring people together.
Red Herring Mystery 2: He catches Sal burning her hand to cover the wound he made during the scuffle.
Mystery 7: Raf gets a call from his business partner. Current direction: Tries to tell him everything. Needs to get him to contact the police… Twist: …but the partner is calling about something more urgent. An audit resulting from an undisclosed bank account. Their restaurant is in jeopardy.
Life-Threatening 4: Current direction: The Chinese president contacts him – he knows who the target is: the president of Montenegro. He urges Raf to cook him something off the menu, something he will prepare himself. Raf is in a dilemma: trust an enemy or take the chance he’s right. Raf decides to do what the Chinese president says once he expresses admiration and a possible opening of one of Raf’s restaurants in Macao.
Trust Leiber/Distrust Previous Chef: Leiber discredits the previous chef – Leiber informs him that the previous chef wasn’t fired for political sympathies – he was fired because they discovered he was once involved in a plot to smuggle Russian political prisoners into Montenegro.
Midpoint/Twist: He cooks the alternate dish on the side and switches it before they serve it – but it’s a trap by the Chinese president – the president of Montenegro is allergic to an ingredient. He’s brought before multiple countries’ security forces. Twist: …including China, whose president has never heard of him. It was a set up by the real assassin, who knows Raf is onto him!
MM5:
Retreats to lick his wounds while villain basks in triumph!:
Life-Threatening 5: Leiber gets him out of it – so he can frame him for his own assassination plan. Mystery 8: Current Direction: Leiber is on his side and is rescuing him. He brings Raf into the restricted area… Twist: …for interrogation. Shows him (doctored) video looking like he’s receiving a payoff.
DEMAND: (Mystery) The negotiations are going well – too well. POTUS is prepared to make some
concessions and wrap this up early… and Leiber goads him into fighting for everything on
their agenda – gets vehement. Too vehement. POTUS suggests he have some water. He
refuses, goes to get some air first.
Covert clue: While he’s detained, Rav overhears this heated exchange between Leiber and POTUS. Comments on it. Leiber, calming himself, states the NATO countries sense an opportunity here to emerge from the US’s shadow.
DEMAND: Overt clue: Sal makes an excuse to go to the side of the line cooks… and slips something out from beneath the lid of seasoning…. A folded paper. Sal discovers a goodbye note from the previous chef in her pocket. (Intrigue) It’s a shopping list, but it makes her cry.
DRAMATIC REVEAL: Raf finds the note after she throws it away… and cooks the dish. Orders her
on a break and serves it to her. She’s appalled… then confesses the original chef was her lover.
This was the way they’d met, shopping for these ingredients and he promised to cook her
something she’d never experienced before. And he told her that if the day ever came when
they’d part ways, he’d end it by cooking it to her again. This must mean he’s gone.
DEMAND: (Mystery) Sal loved him – and thinks he’s still alive… because she’s trying to
contact him.
Overt clue: Raf gets hold of Sal’s phone and calls the one number in it – and the person answers in Montenegrin.
Red Herring Mystery 4: Distrust: Leiber goes over the cooking staff’s bona fides. None with allegiances to any of the governments represented except the USA. Sal is listed as Albanian… but Raf knows she was born in Montenegro.
TWIST/Life-Threatening 7: Someone (Leiber) threatens Raf’s girlfriend – sends him a live video feed of her. She’s being watched and doesn’t realize it. Cook the dinner and stop playing detective.
MM6:
Most ambitious plan yet: Takes control of the kitchen himself and locks security out.
Trust: The previous chef leaves a note to use the original kitchen in the off-limits area. It’s clean. He does so.
Covert clue: Sal mentions that the chef had strong feelings about Russia and NATO’s treatment of Montenegro. It’s a proud nation, tired of being bullied and forced to accept certain sanctions against Russia that hurt its people harder than the other nations, as he saw it.
Mystery 9: Current Direction: Raf is under close guard as he proceeds to cook as planned. Twist: Raf takes Leiber hostage and switches kitchens and orders everything recooked immediately with fresh ingredients he commandeers a Secret Service agent to bring in from the outside.
Intrigue 6: Trust: Leiber, coming to him as a friend, focuses Raf’s attention on the special “no-sugar” dessert that will only be served to the US President… a seemingly obvious choice for the poison.
Raf orders everyone to switch clothes with the person to their left. Then has everyone check their pockets. No poison.
Red Herring Mystery 5: Sal didn’t switch clothes with the other cooks.
Red Herring Mystery 6: Distrust: DEMAND: (Intrigue) Sal breaks from Raf and runs to the dead body of the original chef… but as Leiber arrests her, he notices there’s a hatch in the floor.
Current Direction: Sal appears to be the assassin. Raf lets Leiber go to take her into custody and question her. Twist/Trust: DRAMATIC REVEAL: But she pleads with him to trust her – and says “they’re running out of food.”
DEMAND: (Intrigue) Leiber is in a rush to get the dessert served. Looking at his watch anxiously.
(Suspense) The world leaders start looking a little ill. Everyone has drunk the water.
REVEAL: He returns to investigate… discovers the second kitchen is housing protesters she and the original chef had smuggled in to invade and disrupt the peace conference.
Mystery 10: But before he serves the new food, Raf convinces POTUS to let Leiber feed it to Sal to bluff her into talk in his holding cell… and to prove there’s no poison in it. Ostensibly as a bluff (believing Raf has eliminated the possibility of poison).
Red Herring Secret: Sal is a sleeper agent for one of the smaller NATO countries unhappy that peace will come at the cost of it seceding a small tract of land to Russia, despite the US President and NATO leaders’s endorsement of this concession. Her mission, with the help of her lover the previous chef, was to disrupt the peace treaty by smuggling in protesters to bring awareness to the cost of the US’s bullying dominance. But since the original chef was killed, the people are still in the hatch, starving, because they’ve been there for a month since the place was inspected and sealed and haven’t been able to get fresh food.
Down at the End of Act Two:
Want in Jeopardy: Twist: Sal eats it – and dies. Raf looks guilty as ever.
Need in Jeopardy: He pulled this stunt to show off once and for all to the world leaders.
Mystery 11: DEMAND: (Intrigue/Mystery) Raf charges into the room and eats the remainder of the food. And is fine… it isn’t poisoned… but then he sees the only thing he hasn’t consumed is the drinking water. That’s where the poison is, but it’s too late. He’s being taken into custody.
Turning Point Two: DRAMATIC REVEAL: One of the line cooks, an annoying guy interested in art whose presentation always stuns but whose cooking quality is lacking, comments on the unique coloring used for the cake – Prussian blue is overused. Then he regales Raf with the history of the pigment and how it’s a natural antidote to thallium poisoning. Raf realizes they’ve all been poisoned – but everyone but POTUS will get the antidote because he’s diabetic. Reveal: He finally understands the clue – not “Russian,” but “Prussian Blue.”
MM7:
Crisis: Raf has to get Prussian Blue to the President.
Decision Point: Throws away his career and freedom to do the right thing.
DRAMATIC REVEAL: He intercepts Leiber and tells him the poison is in the drinking water. Leiber acts like he’s calling it in. Then holds a gun on Raf. You chefs, always need to know everything that’s going on in your kitchen.
Life-Threatening 8: Leiber orders the Secret Service to shoot him on sight as an assassin.
DRAMATIC REVEAL: As POTUS is dying, Leiber gloats that he works for a cabal who want to elevate the status of certain NATO countries by allowing Russia to wage war and sabotaging the US’s might in forging the peace treaty.
Climax: Raf squares off with Leiber and uses his cooking skills to switch poisons and antidotes.
Life-Threatening 9: Leiber sabotages the oven to explode and kill him.
MM8:
Villain is Back One Last Time!: Leiber goes after Raf’s girlfriend.
Resolution: Raf runs a well-respected but unassuming restaurant that allows him to spend time with his girlfriend… who is pregnant and whom he’s going to marry.
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Sherri D. Coffee – Misdirects….When Appropriate!
What I learned doing this assignment is to incorporate the misdirects that make sense with the story and use sparingly.
A. Red Herring Character: Uncle L at CIA.
Character misdirection: Uncle is ousted from the CIA and Charlotte thinks he is corrupt and will damage her career. Uncle L continues to work in the shadows to uncover and document the villain Ford’s corrupt foreign government money used to buy politicians. Uncle L is vindicated at the end when Charlotte realizes he is on her side.
B. Villain: Ford
Character misdirection: Ford appears to be a very successful upstanding founder of a premier lobby firm. He takes on the role of mentor for Charlotte after Patricia’s suicide. But he is trying to cover up the millions of dollars he takes from foreign governments funneled through 501’s and ultimately support politicians and political parties.
Clue misdirection: Ford’s behavior is very normal for the lobby world. He secretly monitors his bank account and leverages the money to manipulate politicians. He has money, power, and prestige. His success catches the eye of the CIA. He hires Charlotte because her uncle but appears to not know the connection.
C. The Cover-up for each mystery present as “Reality”:
Dialogue Misdirection: The big coverup is the public facade of Ford. Character misdirection. The mystery of what Patricia knew is exposed as his system is exposed by Charlotte as she deepens her knowledge of the lobby world. Conversations between Charlotte and Ford, Charlotte, Ford, and 501’s, and Charlotte, Ford and Senator Smith present a “reality” that hides Ford’s real scheme.
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Ian Patrick Misdirects…When Appropriate!
What I learned is to keep the audience guessing
A. The Red Herring character: the leader of the white supremacist group
B. The Villain’s plan: to kill a number of white victims and police officers, blame the deaths on the Black Lives Matter members and thus create a race war.
C. The cover-up for each mystery present as “Reality.”: the allegedly ‘slow’ helper at the meetings is the actual shooter
Clue Misdirection.
Each killing or assault has ‘clues’ left behind blaming Black militants and eventually the lead detective
Different weapons are used to imply multiple shooters
The implication that the next shooting will be at another rally instead of at the Mayor’s speech
Character Misdirection.
The neo-Nazi who was struck by a car misidentifies the driver as Black
A racist cop attends the neo-Nazi meetings and plants the detective’s badge at the scene of a shooting
The lead detective’s partner thinks he’s wrong about the killer’s identity
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Lesson 13
Jeff Hall’s Misdirects, When Appropriate.
What i learned is.. A healthy seasoning of misdirection greatly spices up a thriller 🙂
1. Check these three to see how effectively you used misdirection
A. The Red Herring character. Ben? Hobo?
B. The Villain’s plan. Ben assumes the M.O. of the murderer is families… but its children.
C. The cover-up for each mystery present as “Reality.”
2. Look through your Thriller Map for a few opportunities to add in misdirection.
A. Clue Misdirection. A clue leads back to Ben.
B. Character Misdirection. Ben it blacking out when he’s high.
C. Dialogue Misdirection. Ben has been accused several times for being in the “wrong place at the wrong time”.
3. Decide on the ones that work and add them to the Thriller Map…..
OPENING: Mysterious slaughter of family by unknown killer. Protagonist, Ben, gets high off opium.
a. Who is slaying?
TWIST- Current Direction: Peaceful night / Twist: Slaying of family
b. Why are the slaying occuring?
CLUE – A table setting left on dining table
CLUE – bloody limping foot print
CLUE – Bent wick
c. The towns deputy, Ben, is depressed, addicted, and unhappy.
INCITING INCIDENT: Ben’s innocent friend is accused and hung for the murder.
a. Ben’s friend is drug out into the street.
TWIST- Current Direction: Obviously innocent man and moment / Twist: Mob swarms in and hangs the man
TRUST: Ben trust sheriff to give friend fair trial / DISTRUST: Sheriff lets mob take and hang friend.
b. Ben is trampled on as he attempts to save him.
c. Ben’s innocent friend is hung.
TURNING POINT 1: Ben is forced to quit job/lose fiance in order to pursue the real murderer. Jumps the train.
a. The sheriff threatens Ben to “leave well enough alone”.
TWIST- Current Direction: The good sheriff is fair and universally liked / Twist: Turns a blind eye to murder
b. After discovering another “mirror” slaying, Ben declares he will persue murderer. Sheriff fires him.
TRUST: Ben expects sheriff to allow him to pursue murderer / DISTRUST: Sheriff refuses to save face.
c. Ben’s fiance leaves him because of job loss.
TWIST- Current Direction: Happy engagement and moment / Twist: She leaves him for a simple set back.
TRUST: Ben expects fiance to understand his decision / DISTRUST: Fiance breaks engagement
d. Injured as he jumps train.
MIDPOINT: He uncovers a trail of countless murders done by cover of night.
a. Finds other murders.
MISDIRECT – Murder happens when he’s blacked out after drug use.
b. Treated like a bum as he joins hobos.
CLUE: on a dead hobo, he finds a book of drawings. Death scenes and satanic symbolism. “The coming end”
TRUST: Hobos are kinds to him / DISTRUST: Ben wakes up and everything has been stolen.
MISDIRECT – Ben finds a clue that leads to himself.
TURNING POINT 2: In the next town, Ben is accused and hung for another slaying. Barely survives.
a. Ben is accused and hung for the murders.
TWIST- Current Direction: Sheriff is kind and helpful / Twist: Accuses him of murder and sentences to death.
TRUST- The towns people are kind to him / DISTRUST: The townspeople are quick to accuse and hang him.
b. Severe injury to the neck. But survives.
TWIST- Current Direction: Ben is hung / Twist: Saved by his sheriff and survives.
MISDIRECT – Ben is the only one who has seen the Tall Man. Ben begins to doubt his innocense.
CLIMAX: The serial murderer attempts to murder all the children in orphanage.
DISTRUST: Marie keeps him locked up with gun on him / TRUST: Marie saves him.
a. Attempts save the children at the orphanage.
TWIST- Current Direction: Tranquil innocent setting / Twist: attacked by an insane serial murderer.
b. Pursues the Tall Man and fights him.
RESOLUTION: Ben defeats the murderer and settles in to care for the children.
a. A peaceful setting with Maria (orphanage ‘mom’) and the children.
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Day 13 LESSON 13 Misdirecting Your audience 2022-05-21 Friends in High Places
What I learned is that one of the big keys to misdirection is to use it sparingly.
I realized the importance of having a red herring in the story which I did not realize the importance of this before so added it in. It made all the difference in the world to keep the suspense and intrigue! Thanks.
It keeps our minds looking one way while the real clues are being presented.
The “Reality” that is a cover-up for each mystery.
1. The Villain has a secret.
2. He or she covers that secret with a lie or scheme.
3. That lie or scheme is presented to the audience as the truth or reality before we even suspect it.
The Villain’s plan
The Villain has a plan to accomplish some goal that they’re willing to kill to achieve. The chaplain’s plan is get even with socialite rich women without suspect upon himself. The plan and goal are hidden in an underhanded way. He is a man of the cloth and uses scripture to cover his deceitful acts of murder while pointing his finger as to Satan as the real “accuser”. The plan is devious and dangerous to anyone who gets in the way. The chaplain will do anything so no to be identified which is after he learns that a rake he has used to bury his victims has been missing and learns it has blood on it and it is in the garage of Warren’s in-laws and that Warren has had a vision of his mother-in-law being strangled in their garage.
Red Herring Character
1) This character is scheming for some reason other than the crime that is being investigated.
a) It is Lieutenant Bono who is envious that a young female has scored number one in the sergeant’s test and has been forced upon him to take her in his precinct and to use her.
b) He is a sexist and it is more important that she fail in solving the Socialite Strangler case than actually capturing the killer.
2) So they act and react as if they are hiding something.
a) Bono acts trying to be dominant above Detective Sue Hart in front of another man, the chaplain. He interrupts her speaking about the case to show he has dominance and more experience than some young woman. He says to the chaplain not realizing she’s in listening distance that he’s giving her more rope.
b) Then in another later scene complains to the chaplain alone that he isn’t happy the case hasn’t been solved by him and discredits Hart’s efforts when the chaplain asks for Warren’s number. He tells the chaplain it’s in protocol to give out Warren’s number because as a chaplain he has a badge. Most apparently, he wants the chaplain if he happened to learn something from Warren by doing this to not share it with Hart, and to get directly back to him, not her.
c) Bono realizing he can’t figure out the case intentionally turns the whole case over to Hart expecting her to take it on and fail as well.
d) In the denouement Bono’s attitude remains even though he no longer is a suspect after the chaplain having been shot having threatened to murder six people as witnesses to this in Warren’s in-laws’ garage. Bono tries to find flaws in proving the Chaplain is the Socialite Strangler.
Many clues point to their guilt. We believe they are guilty. It is not until we discover the real thing they are hiding that we realize they didn’t commit the crime. Only at the end we see that it’s just that Bono is a sexist asshole, not a murderer to his benefit!
FOURTH FORM OF
MISDIRECTION — WRITER MISDIRECTIONThese are things that don’t fit into the previous categories that the writer deliberately adds to create misdirection. There are lots of ways to do this, but here are a few that will get you started.
CLUE MISDIRECTION
Misinterpreted clue.
Hart
seems more focused on the tear in the blanket missing concern of the blood
stain on the blanket, after all it was killing. The medical examiner gets
her back on track by presenting that the blood type of that blood on the
blanket doesn’t belong to the victim.
It was strangulation, no blood.Clue that sends us to another potential Red Herring.
The
medical examiner makes note of the hyoid bone in the neck being crushed so
expertly and this killer definitely had military and or martial arts
training. Hart mentions all cops have some martial arts training but not
intended to kill. Perhaps she should rather be looking as a priority only
people with military training not focusing on cops only.CHARACTER MISDIRECTION
A character we don’t believe who turns out to be telling the truth.
Warren
appears to the cops as someone who is just fanciful his admonitions not to
be trusted and they shine him off.
He doesn’t even get to give any details of his vision because both
Bono and Hart won’t take a report, no murder, no body, no investigation,
no report. It makes the viewer think perhaps Warren’s vision might be more
of his imagination and his own trepidation that a killer is in the
neighborhood where his wife to be is staying, at her parents. We see in
the end how Warren’s visions all made sense.Characters jumping to conclusions.
Warren
comes up with a scenario as to why the killer wants to break into his
in-laws’ garage to get his rake back to avoid it being evidence as to his
identity.Characters intentions are misunderstood.
Chaplain
doesn’t understand why Warren can’t share this vision of his mother-in-law
being strangled with his wife..Character presented as one thing, but turns out to be another.
Obviously the chaplain is the first because he is a person of the cloth but ends up being the killer. The other is Bono who we dislike because he is a sexist but in the end is just an asshole.
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Julio Tumbaco’s Misdirects when Appropriate!
What I learned is how well developed ones will improve and maximize the Mystery of the thriller.
The Red Herring character – not applicable.
The Villain’s plan – sex, gender reassignment.
The cover-up for each mystery present as “Reality.” – needs to be developed.
Thriller Map for a few opportunities to add in misdirection:
Clue Misdirection –
Character Misdirection – gender reassignment, OWEN and NICK from disbelief to love.
Dialogue Misdirection – Nicole to NIck.
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Mona Miller misdirects – when appropriate!
From the beginning, this glamorous mountain expedition/trek is a coverup for Ali Patel’s program. He runs a network of terrorists that brings trainees into remote mountainous regions This trains them for duties in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other mountainous areas. Patel ordinarily oversees the operation from a distance, but he’s checking up on everything, in his perfectionistic way. He wants to “hide in plain sight,” ferrying people into and out of the camps, side by side with rich tourists whose fees support the work of the terrorists. Under cover of the expeditions, they also bring up weapons and medical supplies, and take down wounded or sick people from the camps, who become “indigenous villagers” they are treating for charity. (They may also transport illegal drugs to make money.) The scheme brings in more and more money as wealthy people want to be associated with this “charitable” venture that also takes them on incredible mountaineering trips.
Brett must have bribed the Travel Agent, who let him in at the last minute without complete vetting. We would think that the Travel Agent must know Brett is against the true mission of these mountaineering expeditions. But we can’t be sure. Maybe the Travel Agent just liked having his palm greased. But Brett risks his life to rescue the Travel Agent, who is about to fall off the mountain in a strange accident. Why does Brett bother? The Travel Agent seems loyal to Ali Patel, but Patel is obviously dissatisfied with his performance. With the Travel Agent rescued, isn’t Brett worried that the Travel Agent will tell what he knows about Brett (which isn’t very much) to Patel? But Brett doesn’t know who Ali Patel is at the beginning of the trek. He has no idea that Patel is the boss of this whole operation and the very person he’s supposed to assassinate. Brett thinks that person is up at the remote camp. Brett sees Ali Patel as an arrogant, rich, very experienced climber who will become the new Expedition Leader or at least the #1 assistant to the new leader. The change of order of the climbers is not what Brett wants – one reason for Brett to rescue the Travel Agent.
The Travel Agent is a “Red Herring Character” in the sense that he feels guilty about taking a bribe to get Brett Dean on the trip at the last minute. He has no idea that Brett Dean is a CIA agent who wants to destroy their whole network. Perhaps he doesn’t totally realize what these expeditions are for, and was working with the illusion that they were just high-priced mountaineering expeditions? Is he ignorant of how ruthless Ali Patel is? No, I think he’s terrified of Patel.
Dr. Liza Graves is also a “Red Herring.” She conceals the fact that she speaks Arabic (learned from her Lebanese-born mother). [Dialogue misdirection.] She overheard some strange things in Arabic when she was treating severely injured people during an early crisis on the mountain. She’s trying to figure out what’s going on and deems it better to let people speak Arabic around her without indicating she understands it. She doesn’t trust anyone, and likes Ali Patel, who compliments her, flirts with her, lets her go on the trek for free since she’s providing her medical services, etc. Dr. Graves is enormously flattered by the attentions of someone as handsome, wealthy and worldly as Ali Patel – she doesn’t want to blow a possible relationship with him. But she is not completely comfortable with this mysterious Pakistani and finds Brett very attractive too.
She is quite closemouthed and discreet in all her dealings, which can arouse suspicion in others. She doesn’t volunteer much.
Dr. Graves wonders what’s in the boxes the group, constantly shrinking, is transporting up the mountain. She could say she was looking for medical supplies, but she doesn’t want to arouse any suspicion; she senses that Ali Patel would not like it if she was poking around, and she is finding him very appealing.
Brett Dean doesn’t trust Dr. Graves and she doesn’t trust him in the beginning. They each rub the other the wrong way. Brett Dean is jealous of Ali Patel’s interest in and apparent sway over Dr. Graves. His feelings for her may interfere with his analysis of the situation – he is still a very inexperienced agent.
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Daniel’s Misdirecting the Audience
What I learned is that if you set up your MIS properly that you only need a sprinkle of misdirection to keep the audience engaged and interested.
The Red Herring: Deacon Wright, the Deacon uses his church status to conceal the kind of sleazy low life that he really is, and the protagonist is on to him about it.
Dialogue Misdirection: The Preacher responds sarcastically to the Deacon when he tells the Preacher and a woman that he’s in the church basement with that “this is a holy place, even the basement”. And the Preacher responds “well, you would know” and there are other instances after that but that is how the Deacon is introduced.
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