Day 2 Assignments

[Jaelle Dragomir]

JAELLE’S INTENTIONAL LEAD CHARACTERS

My vision: I’m an award-winning screenwriter, sought out by people in the industry, who creates movies that change lives and creates a vision for a better world, and I’m richly rewarded.

What I learned: one of the best ways to fulfill the promise of the pitch is to make sure the characters can do exactly that.

Madame Blavatsky (protagonist) is a brilliant spiritualist and Theosophist, that tries to create the perfect human to save humanity.

Maitreya (antagonist) the created perfect human is far from perfect, and makes life miserable for everyone.

[Kelly Joseph]

Kelly’s Intentional Lead Characters

Vision: I want to be an empowered writer who consistently produces salable scripts.

What I learned? I learned to make sure my characters are in line with my concept. I feel like I do this in my writing already but making that conscious concrete decision feels different. It makes it seem so nice and logical.

Title: Blood Moon Lake

Concept: A troubled teenager is taken to a boot camp to change her behavior but learns that the camp is run by aliens who create copies of them then kill the teens. (Contained Horror)

· Character: Quinn (protagonist)t

· Logline: Quinn is a rebellious teenager who battles the aliens

· Unique: rebel without a cause

· Character: Atticus (antagonist)

· Logline: Atticus is the alien leader who kills teenagers by implanting them with alien eggs

· Unique: ruthless, cunning, charming

[Rebecca Sukle]

Rebecca Sukle’s Intentional Lead Characters

My vision for my success from this program is to be the go-to writer for producers looking for incredible scripts for successful movies enjoyed by a vast viewing audience.

What I learned from doing this assignment is that you need to base the lead character logline on your basic concept and build from there, a lesson that didn’t connect before.

Protagonist: Ragman, a WW1 recipient, must conceive a plan to, without detection, execute the commander of the Coal and Iron Police to save the people of his town from a massacre. Unique: Morally wounded, quick to anger, who throws rocks at a metal target to soothe his desire to kill.

Antagonist: Commander Bucholtz, brutal commander of the Coal and Iron Police, violently dominates the mining community to break the strike by any means and punish the American soldier who killed all 16 troopers under his command during the Great War. Unique: infuriated that the American soldier let him live with his shame rather than killing him so he could die with honor.

Triangle Character: Ludie, Raman’s devotedwife, becomes a target of Bucholtz for revenge and later the obcession of his delusional sexual desire to claim her. Unique: Ludie resembles the mother of Bucholtz’s son, the woman he loved, both killed in the war.

[CLAIRE RILEY]

Claire’s Intentional Lead Characters

MY VISION: I have a fabulous career as a screenwriter working in both TV and film, and I have tremendous creative, financial, and personal success.

WHAT I LEARNED: Breaking the characters down this way enables me to shape them to fit the concept and the other characters.

NOTE: I have two concepts I love and can’t decide which one to take through this class. I will take both of them (I’m retired, I have time!) until one of them jumps out as my favorite.

Concept 1:
Title: YOU ALWAYS KILL THE ONE YOU LOVE
Genre: Horror/Thriller

The ghost of an evil psychiatrist murdered by a lesbian patient, possesses the lesbians on an isolated movie set and forces each woman to kill her own wife.
Character Structure: Dramatic Triangle

Character: Maeve, Protagonist. Sybil’s wife.
Logline: Maeve is a timid young psychic who is the only one who can feel a dark energy on the movie set.
Unique: Maeve is the only one on the movie set who knows how to combat an evil spirit.

Character: Ghost of Dr. Carol Stein, antagonist.
Logline: The Ghost of Dr. Carol Stein is enraged that Sybil is making a movie that exposes how, when she was alive, she tortured queer people in the name of “curing” them.
Unique: The Ghost of an evil psychiatrist who was murdered by a lesbian patient who she tortured.

Character: Sybil. Triangle Character and Maeve’s wife
Logline: Sybil is an overbearing director obsessed with making a movie to expose the truth about a lesbian who murdered her psychiatrist in the 1950s.
Unique: She angers the ghost of the psychiatrist by exposing how evil she was.

Concept 2:
Title: RESCUING LOVE
Genre: Thriller
A daring, clever lesbian CIA agent must find and rescue her fiancée who has been kidnapped and forced into heterosexual conversion therapy.
Character Structure: Dramatic Triangle

Character: Eve, a daring, clever lesbian CIA agent, protagonist
Logline: Eve will do anything to find and rescue Debbie, the love of her life.
Unique: A CIA agent with skills, knowledge and contacts that will help her find Debbie.

Character: Dirk, FBI big shot and secret domestic terrorist, antagonist
Logline: Dirk is an FBI big shot and a secret domestic terrorist who kidnaps Debbie and puts her through forced heterosexual conversion therapy.
Unique: An FBI big shot that is also secretly a domestic terrorist.

Character: Bob and Betty, parent of Debbie, triangle characters
Logline: Bob and Betty asked Dirk to kidnap their daughter and put her through forced conversion therapy.
Unique: Bob and Betty have extreme religious beliefs about being queer

[Leona Heraty]

Leona Heraty’s Intentional Lead Characters

My Vision: To be the best family comedy screenwriter in the industry and have many of my scripts produced into successful movies.

What I learned from doing this assignment is…having a logline for the protagonist and antagonist helps me get a clearer picture of who they are and how they fit in the story. Also, picking out something unique makes the characters interesting and one-of-a kind!

Title: Escape from Buggy Club!

Concept: A bumbling teenage tour guide leads her group in the wrong direction and they end up at an abandoned country club overrun by giant termites.

Character:
Penny Schumacher (protagonist)

Logline:
Penny is teenager who must save
her group by defeating giant termites who are trying to eat them.

Unique:
She has no sense of direction
and relies on Google Maps on her cell phone to get anywhere, even school.
She’s also petrified of all bugs, especially termites.

Character:
Giant Termites (antagonist)

Logline:
Giant Termites are genetically
modified pests who want to eat everything in sight!

Unique:
Every time they eat anything,
they grow one foot taller!

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Leona Heraty.

[Hope McPherson]

WIM Hope McPherson’s Intentional Lead Characters

Vision: To be a working, trusted screenwriter who su[[orts herself by writing smart films that are produced and enjoyed, while also working on writing assignments for other industry professionals.

What I learned: I have a long way to go, but this was a fun first nibble of the whole.

Title: A NOVEL REVOLT

Concept: One week before her wedding, an author’s characters escape her book and insist on rewriting her life.

(protagonist) Shelby Jordan is a perfectionist, best-selling novelist who’s juggling writer’s block and last-minute wedding-planning disasters.

Unique: Her perfectionism has stopped her cold this time.

(antagonist) Cyrus Landrake is the scheming antagonist of Shelby’s latest novel who escapes the manuscript and blackmails Shelby into making him the novel’s hero.

Unique: He falls in love with Shelby.

(third side of the triangle) Rose Quixley, a maid in Shelby’s novel, is in love with Cyrus, escapes the manuscript, and “helps” Shelby by editing Shelby’s life and wedding plans to prove she deserves a bigger part in the novel.

Unique: Rose’s edits become problematic when she falls in love with Andrew, Shelby’s fiancé.

[Tina Steffan]

Tina’s Intentional Lead Characters

My Vision
My writing enables me to live an exuberantly creative and productive life in prosperity.

ARGUS’ EYES

A teenage girl has her disfigured face reconstructed at a beauty clinic in the Black Forest, only to discover that her new face is just a mask and she is now the livestock for a blind demon who has stolen her eyes for himself.

Dramatic Triangle

Character: Valentina Flemmin, 16 year old runaway, one-eyed

Logline: Valentina has her disfigured face reconstructed at a beauty clinic run by her estranged grandma, only to discover that her new face is just a mask and she is now the livestock for a blind demon who has stolen her eye for himself.

Unique: Val’s other eye was stolen by the demon when she was a baby.

Character: Argus, blind demon, spawn of a former witch executioner

Logline: Argus traps women under a false face to feed on their powers and steal their eyes for himself, taking revenge on the ancestors of the witch who blinded him when he was still human, Val and Agatha.

Unique: Argus wears a dozen eyes that he ripped out from women, so that he can see everything they see, and force them to act as his puppets.

Character: Agatha Flemmin, 58. Valentina’s grandmother

Logline: Agatha is forced by Argus to run a beauty clinic that provides him with human livestock so he can feed on female powers and use their eyes as his own.

Unique: Under her false face Agatha is in constant terror.

Character: The Beauty Clinic

Logline: A beauty Clinic in the Black Forest in Germany, build on the grounds of a former witches’ execution site.

[Eclipse Neilson]

ECLIPSE NEILSON

VISION: I want to be a great award-winning writer, known for my genre, who creates the most beautiful films that inspire others to feel deeply, pause, and ponder ways to make the world a better place.

WHAT I VE LEARNED: Coming into this project mostly with a blank slate gives me enormous freedom to play around with ideas.

TITLE: THE NUN AND THE WITCH

Dramatic / Triangle or ( buddy movie)

CONCEPT

: A dedicated Nun destined to become a saint, bonds with a Witchy healer to achieve a sacred ancient task to heal humanity- but all hell breaks out in the village.

LUNEA THUNDER ( protagonist1)- A committed witchy healer with a powerful presence destined to break boundaries.

Unique Character: She hides her deep grief of never feeling she belongs.

SISTER ANNE – (protagonist 2) A humble nun serves the overbearing cruel minister of a falling apart church.

Unique character: A nun who yearns to become a powerful leader of her church.

FATHER SINCLAIR (antagonist) – A man who feels he needs to control Sister Anne’s and Lunea’s relationship in the same way he controlled the congregation by being unwavering in his beliefs.

Unique: He becomes a ghost early in the story.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Eclipse Neilson.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Eclipse Neilson.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Eclipse Neilson. Reason: changed name of Sister Karina to Sister Anne and roll of Father Sinclair and that this is possibly a buddy movie

[Veronica Turowski]

Veronica Turowski’s Intentional Lead Characters

My Vision: I want to be a successful writer who writes several scripts a year and sells them to producers who are eager to make my vision a reality by bringing my scripts to completion so everyone can watch my movies on the big screen.

What I learned from doing this assignment is my characters must be unique to build interest, but they also need to deliver on the concept.

Title: Justice from the Grave

Genre: Thriller

Concept: While at a funeral, a professional mourner has a vision of the deceased being murdered, but when no one believes her, the mourner must find and stop the serial killer before he kills his next victim, only to discover she is a ghost and is the mother of the serial killer.

Protagonist:

Character: Eppsa

Logline: Eppsa is a ghost who must find and stop a serial killer, only to discover the serial killer is her son.

Unique: She believes she is a professional mourner and doesn’t know she’s a ghost.

Antagonist:

Character: Hyden

Logline: Hyden is a serial killer and doesn’t know he is being hunted by his mom who is a ghost.

Unique: He’s a beloved family man who works as an ice cream man and is a serial killer.

[Jenifer Stockdale]

<div>Jenifer Stockdale’s Intentional Lead Characters</div>

Vision: I will write every day and produce not only high volume but high quality scripts that will ultimately be made into great movies and television shows.

What I learned doing this assignment is that by having a character log line in place before you even start writing, you can ensure a unique character who delivers on the premise of the script.

SPLICED

Character: Dacey Logan

Log-line: My protagonist is a
nurse in a psychiatric unit who is accused of murdering her former patient
and is haunted by the ghost of that patient.
Unique: She is actually a
patient in the hospital who is in a catatonic state and who has “spliced”
together what she hears to make a life for herself outside of the
hospital.

Character: Thomas (Tom) Robertson

Log-line: The antagonist who is a paranoid schizophrenic and former patient of Dacey’s who was murdered and now haunts her.

Unique: Tom is the manifestation of Dacey’s delusion falling apart.

[CJ Knapp]

CJ’s Intentional Lead Characters

Vision: I am a confident and empowered writer who embraces challenges and changes and writes highly sought-after projects with fresh and exciting ideas. I will be produced and hired to write projects that get produced.

WIL: I liked how we worked through the process –first, the basic who is our character, then what describes them that makes them the only person for this role.

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Title: MEMORY HUNTERS

Concept:

In a future with technology to retrieve memories, a Memory Retrevalist, caught in the mind of a psychopath struggles to find a way out before he destroys her mind and kills her.

ASSIGNMENT

Give us a logline (one sentence answer) for your protagonist, antagonist, and triangle character (if you have one) to the question, “What makes this character fit my concept and title powerfully?”

Tell us what makes each of these characters unique. These two steps will look like this:

Character: Mya Ortega — is a junior memory hunter.Logline: Mya, a junior memory hunter finds herself accidently inside the mind of a psychopath and no one knows she’s there.Unique: Mya has a brain tumor that excels her ability to navigate memories, even locked or hidden ones.<div>

Character: Alfred “Freddie” Detton – Psycho killerLogline: Freddie a convicted psycho killer wants a new lease on life which means transferring his memories to a new body.Unique: Freddie makes a deal to kill Mya for the body exchange.

Character: Dr. Catherine Harpie – (Antagonist) Head of the Mind Hunter Unit.Logline: Dr. Harpie, blackmails or makes deals with the felons brought to have their memories searched realizes that Mya is getting close to her secret.Unique: Dr. Harpie runs the unit so has complete access to the equipment and the subjects for memory search.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  CJ Knapp.

[Tracy Lawson]

Tracy’s Title, Concept, and Character Structure

I will do whatever it takes to become a successful author and screenwriter with several successful books published and movies produced.

I am really good at creating an outline that turns into an amazing story!

Title: Revolutionary Anna

Concept: A woman bringing supplies to her husband at Valley Forge agrees to carry an urgent message for General Washington. Now an assassin is hunting her, trying to get the message back.

I’ve chosen the Protagonist v. Antagonist structure.

What I learned doing this assignment is that a powerful title doesn’t have to say everything about the story.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Tracy Lawson.

[Lori Lance]

Lori’s Intentional Lead Characters

My Vision: I want to be a professional screenwriter recognized by the industry as the go-to for family-friendly scripts and have multiple successful movies produced.

What I learned: My main characters each have a purpose, and that is to deliver on the concept. I need to think of ways to make my characters unique to my story and make sure they fulfill their purpose.

Title: NEW MOM or AI MOM

Genre: family comedy

Concept: When a family hires an AI to help around the house when mom’s away for work, the AI wants to take mom’s place permanently.

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Character: AI Mom, Alex

Logline: Alex seems so perfect when she arrives at the Anderson’s home to help out when the mom’s away for work, but she likes her new life so much that she wants to take mom’s place permanently.

Unique: She seems like a Stepford wife, but she has an evil plan.

Character: the Anderson family

Logline: When a family hires an AI to help out when mom’s away, they get more than they bargained for and must work together to keep the family intact.

Unique: Each family member has different needs and struggles when the mom decides to return to work after years of being a stay-at-home mom.

Character: Mom

Logline: When Mom returns to work after years of being a stay-at-home mom, hiring an AI to help around the house seems like a good idea until the AI wants to take her place permanently.

Unique: middle-aged mom returning to work for the first time in years

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Lori Lance.

[Renee Brown]

(WIM) Renee Brown’s Intentional Lead characters

“My scripts are the cream that rises to the top: I am an A-list screenwriter.”

What I learned: Take it one step at a time. No need to figure it all out now.

STARCROSSED SUMMER

A magical stone reunites star crossed lovers after decades in a small Montana town that keeps big secrets.

Feature Drama / Dramatic Triangle

ALLY: (40s) a once promising songwriter who abandoned her passions after a devastating breakup with C.J, and who now lives an apathetic life as a copy editor in Missoula, Montana.

Unique: Ally based her idea of ‘what love is’ on the romantic post war stories her grandmother used to tell her.

C.J.: (40s) a once street vending jeweler who got in a drunken car accident after his breakup with Ally, and who is now the caretaker at “Lillian’s Resort Motel” in Soaking Springs, Montana.

Unique: C.J. never healed from his broken heart or his broken body, but longs for a second chance at love.

LILLIAN: (90s) A WW2 French war bride who disappeared from her southern family to the town of Soaking Springs, MT after the death of her husband.

Unique: Lillian is Ally’s long-lost grandmother who founded “Lillian’s Resort Motel”

[Ian Greenham]

Ian Greenham’s Intentional Lead Characters

Vision: I am confident that completing this program will significantly enhance my screenwriting skills.

Doing this assignment I learned the first steps in creating characters uniquely fitted to a story.

Character: Aly Silverton

Logline: A promising young defense attorney diagnosed with leukemia, in need of a bone marrow transplant.

Unique: Strongly determined to unravel criminal mysteries.

Character: Nicki Holden

Logline: A former nurse, now a convicted murderer claiming to be innocent, who makes regular blood donations.

Unique: Unbeknownst to her or Aly Silverton, she is Aly’s twin sister.

Character: Tod Rendal

Logline: A prosecutor, sweet on Aly, who helps unravel the mystery of Nicki’s conviction.

Unique: As a prosecutor, he has unique access to prosecution records.

Character: Meredith Wiley

Logline: A nurse who worked with Nicki before her conviction.

Unique: Her former boyfriend dumped her for Nicki.

[WIM: Module 2, Lesson 2: Intentional Lead Characters – June 1, 2022]

[Jeff Chase]

Jeffrey Alan Chase’s Intentional Lead Characters

My vision: I will do whatever it takes to become the best screenwriter I can be – an “A” list writer who is praised for high concept ideas, great execution, a string of successful movies and is always ready to share his knowledge and do what he can to help a writer on the way up.

What I learned from doing this assignment is: How much time I spent nailing down what I thought was already done. This exercise forced me to really get into the characters and make sure that they all work with and/or against each other.

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Character: Sarah
Cole / Protagonist

</div><div>

Logline: A young
woman with only small fragments of memory of her childhood must battle her
fears and a cunning hypnotist to learn the truth about the death of her
treasure hunter father.

Unique: The overpowering
guilt that she had something to do with her father’s death in the desert when
she was six years old has turned her into a fearful woman with low
self-esteem who is caught in the downward spiral of alcoholism.

Character:
James March / Antagonist

Logline: A one-armed
hypnotist manipulates the memories of Sarah to conceal his culpability in both
her amnesia and the death of her treasure hunter father.

Unique: He
looks like Mr. Clean with a bio-mechanical arm. But his bald-headed, white-suited, kind-hearted persona is just a cover for an
emotionally scarred villain who is psychologically driven re-learn the
location of the treasure cave where he lost his arm.

Character:
Johnny Benally / Triangle Character

Logline: A Navajo
trail guide accompanies Sarah and March into the desert, and unbeknownst
by them, has been sworn not to reveal what he knows about their history.
Unique: As
an out-of-work Navajo Sheriff’s Deputy, Johnny is torn between continuing
to be a lawman and his grandfather’s demand that he become the tribe’s
next Shaman.

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[Claudia Wolfkind]

Claudia’s Intentional Lead Characters

Vision: To become such an excellent writer that I know every script I write will be well received by the industry, that my scripts will sell and be produced, and I’ll live the life of my dreams. To also become so empowered that fear is to be laughed at, instead I relish and look forward to pitching, meetings and much more.

What I’ve Learned Doing This Assignment: Reading today’s lesson gave me inspiration on the Antagonist! I realized I had to bring them into the story earlier and expand the role to heighten the problems that my protagonist faces.

BTW – Hal, I loved the analogy with the puzzle… I’ve been doing them lately to relieve stress, and I was absolutely able to see how we don’t even consider the trying and failing (for the right pieces along the way) to be an issue with US, it’s just “not right YET.” I’m going to be bringing that into this entire process, THANK YOU!

Character: Abby (protagonist)

Logline: Abby is a designer who must watch over her father’s cleaning business, she falls in love with Jack.

Unique: Abby is a germaphobe, must feel in control all the time

Character: Randy (Antagonist)

Randy is Jack’s best friend; he pretends to help Abby but is really trying to destroy her business

Unique: Slimy, boastful, liar

Character: Jack (TRIANGLE)

Jack falls in love with Abby and tries to help her by bringing in his best friend, Randy, not knowing that Randy has been trying to destroy her family’s business.

Unique: Caring, Trusting to a Fault, a Total Slob

[Caroline Fritz]

[WIM] Caroline’s Intentional Lead Characters

My Vision: I will perfect my process of writing great scripts and be recognized by the industry as good at what I do and have successful movies produced.

What I learned: I am stuck a bit on Aaron’s reason why but money is as good as any motive.

Protagonist: Callahan Terry is an MI6 agent who saves his friend’s wife from a kidnapping.

Antagonist: Aaron Copley is the CIA friend who has set Callahan up to be killed by an arms dealer.

Character: Callahan Terry is an MI6 agent.

Logline: Callahan Terry is an MI6 agent who saves his friend’s wife from a kidnapping.

Unique: He owes a debt to Aaron for saving his life in a terrorist attack that killed Callahan’s wife.

Character: Aaron Copley is a CIA agent.

Logline: Aaron Copley is the CIA friend who has set Callahan up to be killed by an arms dealer.

Unique: Aaron has no sense of loyalty and has allowed his wife to be kidnapped so Aaron can deliver Callahan to an arms dealer who wants him dead.

[Zeke Farrow]

VISION FOR SUCCESS: I will deliver delicious, surprising, seemingly effortless work, that is constantly in demand and causes people to recommend me for original and rewrite projects without hesitation.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM DOING THIS ASSIGNMENT IS that characters all have to be relevant… At least the part of them we see.

TITLE: Mitchwich

CONCEPT: On graduation day, a petulant cynic goes back in time to the first day of high school and changes the event that he thinks ruined his life and when he returns, he meets his worst nightmare – HIMSELF.

MITCH is a petulant, cynical high school senior who travels back in time to change the event that ruined his life.

Mitch is unique because he invites time travel.

NEW MITCH is a narcissistic, pansexual magician, who teaches Mitch how to enjoy life and not five AF what other people think.

New Mitch is a teen wonderland magician, loved by all, most fervently himself, with 4 million TikTok followers.

SOPHIE is the girl that Mitch pooped on his first day of high school and is terrified of, then in the new present she thinks New Mitch is a douche canoe.

Sophie is French and cool and doesn’t give AF what people think of her.

ROBBIE is Mitch’s best friend who is secretly in love with Mitch and in the new timeline is dating…

SIMON is Mitch’s bully and in the new timeline is dating Mitch’s best friend, Robbie.

[Joseph McGloin]

Vision: I am a talented, highly regarded, efficient, relaxed, happy, WGA screenwriter

What I learned from doing this assignment is I know so little about writing either “Rom” or “com” that I had to research Romcoms for hours to discover how much I may enjoy writing one.

Character/Protagonist #1: Max

Logline: Max is an angel who abandons his job of guardian angel when he falls in love with his charge Jane.

Unique: He is an angel overly fond of his charges.

Character/Protagonist 2: Jane Presdon

Logline: Jane is a klutzy political aide who will not lie

Unique: She will be president one day.

Antagonist: Clarence

Logline: Clarence the Angel who disapproves of giving this angel the role of guarding the future president.

Unique: A testy supervisor of guardian angels

[Andrew Kelm]

Andrew Kelm”s Intentional Lead Characters

Vision: I am going to do whatever it takes to be a great writer of TV and movies Who is sought after by people I respect within the industry and has multiple successful TV series produced.

What I leaned from doing this assignment is… How to give a succinct summary of who my characters are and how they support my concept.

FATEMONGER: a psychic with a blind spot for abusive men uses subtle manipulations to murder a sexual predator who seduces her to get to her sons.

Protagonist

Character: Daphne

Logline: an abused single mother who gives psychic readings and genuinely wants to use her gifts to help people but needs money.

Unique: Intuitively wise but not academically smart, she is vulnerable to abusive men because of her low self esteem and history of abuse.

Antagonist

Character: Roy

Logline: a con man and sexual predator who is willing to work very hard to get something for nothing

Unique: Roy is a consummate liar who developed a predilection for seducing adolescent boys from his abusive mother and years spent in juvenile correctional facilities. He is in his comfort zone when he is at risk of being caught doing something he shouldn’t.

[Bobby Sacher]

Bobby’s Intentional Lead Characters

What I learned doing this assignment was… even ZOMBIES can have a log line, and be unique (in fact, they’d BETTER be, with the glut of zombie movies out there!)

MY VISION: A writing life that is mine to do with as I please, because success is all around me. I am in control, relaxed, and utterly content – and constantly searching (happily so) for the next world to create. Independently wealthy, always creatively engaged, and utterly fulfilled.

CONCEPT: An aspiring serial killer is forced to join forces with the high school bullies meant to be his victims, when the cabin they’re partying in is attacked by zombies from the nearby Civil War graveyard.

TITLE: JASON VS THE ZOMBIES

CHARACTER 1: Jason (Protagonist)

LOG LINE: A kind-hearted, ostracized high-schooler desperate for revenge – and utterly unequipped to commit murder.

UNIQUE: He fetishizes horror-movie killers, but doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. Out for revenge to impress the girl next door (who’s at the party).

CHARACTER 2: The Zombies (Antagonist)

LOG LINE: Bodies of Civil-War soldiers (and their wives/children), determined to convene at the cabin that was the temporary headquarters of their general (the cabin the kids are partying in).

UNIQUE (a work in progress!): They’re still trying to win the war! (do they have a sense of honor? Are they “polite”? Genteel? Also! Located right on the Mason-Dixon line at southern edge of Pennsylvania, both Union AND Confederate graveyards are nearby – and they end up fighting each other!

[Bobby Sacher]

Here’s TAKE TWO on my Intentional Lead Characters – with a NEW Antagonist:

MY VISION: A writing life that is mine to do with as I please, because success is all around me. I am in control, relaxed, and utterly content – and constantly searching for the next world to create. Independently wealthy, always creatively engaged, sought after, and utterly fulfilled.

An aspiring serial killer is forced to join forces with the high school bullies meant to be his victims, when the cabin they’re partying in is attacked by zombies from the nearby Civil War graveyard..

Genre: Horror/Comedy

Title: JASON VS THE ZOMBIES

CHARACTER: Jason (Protagonist)

LOG LINE: A kind-hearted, ostracized high-schooler desperate for revenge – and utterly unequipped to commit murder.

UNIQUE: He fetishizes horror-movie killers, but doesn’t have a mean bone in his body

CHARACTER: Toby (NEW Antagonist)

LOG LINE: A sociopathic, envious teen, jealous of his best friend’s popularity, who will do anything to get attention,

UNIQUE: Toby frightens even his friends a little, and truly doesn’t understand empathy. Enjoys causing friction, just to see the “upturned ant-hill” he’s caused. Turns into a zombie at the end, and no one notices at first.

[Kristin Donnan]

Bobby, I just happened to see your “take two,” and chuckled out loud—so I thought I’d better tell you that. It was “no one notices at first.” Funny!

[Bobby Sacher]

Thanks, Kristin – that literally just came out of thin air as I was typing. No idea how that’ll play out, but great to get a laugh!!

[Kristin Donnan]

KRISTIN’S INTENTIONAL LEAD CHARACTERS

VISION: “I want the personal, professional, and financial freedom and joy that come from writing so well that I’m in demand, selling beyond my wildest dreams, and making worthy projects—on a big scale and with my active, collegial participation.”

WHAT I LEARNED doing this assignment is that I wasn’t even sure which of the “bad guys” was the “main bad guy”! I’ve lived with this story forever, and you would think I would know. Very helpful to look at this very high, overview level for the main drivers.

PROTAGONIST: Pete, a small-town, independent paleontologist making worldwide scientific headlines over a famous T. rex fossil, inadvertently ignites a land dispute.

Unique: This polite, honest, Midwestern fossil nerd of Scandinavian descent (think Prairie Home Companion) has nerves of steel.

ANTAGONIST: Dick is a crotchety federal judge whose believes he knows everything about the complicated world of public, private, and tribal lands on the Great Plains.

Unique: Is he just exhibiting his usual crabby-ass bias, or is he actually going batty?

CATALYST: Bulldog is an acting US Attorney who asks the judge for a favor (seizure order for the rex)—thinking this will get him in a good position to be promoted.

Unique: He misreads the public, and his popularity; not great for someone wanting a federal appointment.

[Tracy Lawson]

Tracy’s Intentional Lead Characters

I will do whatever it takes to become a successful author and screenwriter with multiple successful movies produced.

I am completely committed to having my lead characters deliver powerfully on my concept.

Anna is a colonial wife, mother, and healer who embarks on a solo horseback journey from Virginia to Valley Forge with food and supplies that she hopes will save her husband’s life, and en route, becomes a courier bringing a message to General Washington.

Stratford is a petty criminal hired to stop Anna from reaching Valley Forge with Harrison’s message.

Congressman Harrison is an ally of General Washington’s who gives Anna a secret message to deliver which warns Washington of a conspiracy against him.

What I learned from doing this assignment is the protagonist, antagonist, and triangle character form a framework for the story in a simplistic form.

[Linda Anderson]

Linda’s Intentional Lead Characters

Vision for your success from this program:

Audiences around the world view and love my meaningful screenplays—one of the most satisfying and energizing accomplishments of my life.

What I learned from doing this assignment is this dual journey structure makes Life the Antagonist.

Concept Logline:

NOTE: This is a Buddy Movie with Two Characters Owning the Movie

What makes each of these characters unique:

Character: Allen is an ex-cop dealing with lingering PTSD who adopts
an emotionally shattered rescue dog shortly before the news that he has
two potentially fatal health issues—a brain aneurysm, which could rupture
at any time, and a blood clot aimed at his heart. <div>

Logline: The true story of an ex-cop with PTSD and an abandoned
dog with BIG issues who team up to bring light into their darkest place.

Unique:
Allen, with PTSD related to
policing and the new prospect of facing death or lifelong debilitation, struggles
to survive, while coping with an emotionally disturbed abandoned dog he
and his wife have recently adopted.

Character: Leaf is an abandoned, homeless dog with severe
separation anxiety and other fear-related issues who turns Allen’s home
into a war zone, which could result in again needing to fend for himself
in a loveless world.

Logline: The true story of an ex-cop with PTSD and an abandoned
dog with BIG issues who team up to bring light into their darkest place.

Unique:
Leaf’s fear-filled memories of people
in the past who betrayed him make the year-old dog deeply unable to adapt
and trust that this is his “forever” home.

</div>

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Linda Anderson.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Linda Anderson.

[Bob DeCarli]

Bob DeCarli’s Intentional Lead Characters

My Vision: To master my craft to the point where I’ve earned a reputation as the screenwriter top producers, directors, and actors can call on when they need someone to save the day, and get paid handsomely to do that.

What I learned: Actually, what I keep having to learn – how to move forward without having all the answers and being good with knowing that what I’ve just created is not perfect.

LEST YE BE JUDGED: A judge is set up for a crime he didn’t commit, and his only hope for clearing his name is the criminal he just sentenced to death.

Character: JUNIOR JUDGE (Protagonist)

Logline: Junior Judge is a recently-appointed federal judge, formerly a conservative podcaster, who is wrongly accused of a crime, placing his new career and liberty in jeopardy.

Unique: A hard-ass judge who has been framed for a crime; new to the judiciary, so we learn as he does.

Character: DEATH ROW (Antagonist)

Logline: Death Row is a career criminal who has just been sentenced to death by my Protagonist.

Unique: A murderer sentenced to death – and he’s actually guilty.

Character: CHIEF JUDGE (Triangle)

Logline: The Chief Judge of the District who worked hard to achieve her position, and resents Junior, the new appointee, to such a degree, that she’s willing to violate her own principles.

Unique: An ethical, older judge who is pushed to do bad things out of hatred and resentment for the new, young judge, who she views as a dilettante.

[Erik Wooten]

Erik’s Intentional Lead Characters

My vision is to achieve true excellence as a screenwriter, causing me to be a consistently working writer, with actual movies made from some of my screenplays, and to become wealthy as ascreenwriter, develop relationships where I am recognized as a truly original writer, and to become indispensable in the market in which I want to write.

What I learned doing this assignment… I almost included the transformational journey but then realized that is not the same as what this lesson is, so here I learned how to distinguish making the characters intentional and serving the concept from their transformational journey. This difference reinforced for me how to understand the many different aspects of character.

PROTAGONIST #1: PENNY is an 8-year-old orphan who first learns how to survive and then decides to find parents for herself when thrust into a situation of being helpless and on her own (–or almost on her own).

UNIQUE: An eight-year-old who quickly learns how to survive and also be like a leader to another young kid.

PROTAGONIST #2: MARA is also an 8-year-old orphan also thrust into a situation of being helpless and on her own (–or almost on her own) and just wants to go back to the orphanage until she learns how to survive with the help of Penny.

UNIQUE: A young kid who develops an adult-like sense of confidence with the help of another young kid.

TRIANGLE CHARACTER: SARAH is a mall employee who seems to be the obvious candidate to become Penny & Mara’s adoptive mother but who has more than one substantial obstacle preventing it.

UNIQUE: A young woman who does the right thing against what she would rather do and also pursues what she wants at the expense of what makes her happy.

[Jill Clifford]

Subject line: Jill Clifford’s Intentional Lead Characters

My Vision: I am going to become skillful enough as a screenwriter that I can to get my scripts into the hands of producers, and ultimately get one or more into a produced feature film.

What I learned from doing this assignment is it is extremely difficult to boil down the characters to a single sentence without including a whole lot of story detail. Then it was also hard to pick some unique defining persona of each character, again without including a lot of story detail.

Title: Illegal Rescue

Concept: An undercover INS agent’s life depends on the help from the same illegal immigrants he was planning to deport.

Protagonist: Hagen is a brave INS agent who takes his job very seriously.

Logline: Hagen is an INS agent who reluctantly poses as a migrant farm worker, but finds his life endangered, along with those of the illegal immigrants he planned to deport.

Unique: Hagen Stavros is a city guy of Greek heritage, who risks his undercover identity as he has to fake being a Mexican farm worker, a skill unfamiliar to him.

Antagonist: Clint is a farm manager who regularly hires illegal immigrants.

Logline: Clint is a farm manager who keeps the pay of many of the illegal immigrants that he kills and buries in the desert at the end of each harvest.

Unique: Clint is an egotistical farm manager who bribes inside jobs for the women workers in exchange for sex.

[Kevin Ash]

· Kevin Ash’s Intentional Lead Characters

· Vision: I will be living in paradise, writing prolifically at my leisure, respected and sought after for my interesting and thought provoking films.

· What I learned from doing this assignment is with an antagonist like alcohol and Drug addiction, the other lead character can be sharing his fight.

· Concept: The true story of a loose cannon, Evan, who battled addiction for years and won against all odds with the help of his father, inspiring all those around him, after his tragic death at 21.

· Character: Evan – a captivating enigmatic youth, who inspired all around him while battling an alcohol and drug addiction which he overcomes, only to die tragically.

· Character: Father – Evan’s father, who fought the courageous battle of Evan’s champion through all adversity and against Evan’s will until finally helping him to sobriety, only to lose him to a tragic accident.

[Bobby Sacher]

Hey Kevin! Great to be in class with you again!

This sounds like a powerful story! Can’t wait to see more…

A thought: who IS the Antagonist? Is there one? A tricky thing, I imagine, with a story like this (can Evan be his OWN Antagonist? Not sure… a question for Hal, I’d say!) – but I’d work to find one (could be the buddy/dealer/drinking partner who keeps pulling him back in, maybe?)

Bobby

[Kevin Ash]

Thanks Bobby, just now reading replies, great to be in class with you again too! Sorry I’ve had a death in the immediate family so just posting as I can as we pick up the pieces. this could be a movie in itself, she went in for emergency surgery, only to come out on the other side, go into rehab, doing well until she had to go into another emergency surgery that she never recovered from. Not to be maudlin, just explaining.

[Peter Symons]

Peter’s Intentional Lead Character’s

My vision for my life path is to tell the best stories I can, and success will follow.

What I learned doing this assignment is that done is better than perfect.

Character: Carlos

Logline: A reformed gangster who is desperate to escape the sins of his past and will do anything to protect his young family.

Unique: Carlos is on the highway to Hell and he’s driving his own soul to judgement.

Character: Father Diego

Logline: A kind elderly priest who harbors a dark secret that consumes his life and anyone he encounters.

Unique: Father Diego has been bound body and soul to the hearse for over 30 years. His only escape from his living hell is to find a suitable replacement — Carlos.

Character: Hearse

Logline: A possessed 1937 Packard Henney hearse that has transported the remains of many evil men and women to their final resting place.

Unique: Its sole purpose is to deliver the souls of the damned to the gates of Hell.

[Amechi Ngwe]

LESSON 2
Amechi’s Intentional Lead Characters
MY VISION


I am going to be in the top 1% of action/comedy writers in the industry who writes major action films.

What I learned doing this assignment is that it’s of the utmost importance to design my lead characters to deliver on the concept.

PROTAGONIST
Character: KANAAN
Logline: An awkward loner who is obsessed with a superhero and builds a friendship with him.
Unique: Can be friendly, charismatic, and brave.

ANTAGONIST
Character: BLACKSTONE
Logline: A superhero who is protecting his city from a criminal mastermind but is burned out by all he has to do.
Unique: Super abilities but is deeply wounded by his traumatic childhood.

TRIANGLE CHARACTER
Character: RHAPSODY
Logline: Blackout’s jealous sidekick who is suspicious of Kanaan’s intentions.
Unique: Powerful, jealous, and as much a saboteur to herself as she is to her relationships with other people.

[Pat Fitzgerald]

Pat’s Intentional Lead Characters

Vision: I have the courage and confidence to write contest winning screenplays and will go on to have my scripts optioned and produced.

What I learned from doing this assignment is what’s been staring me in the face about my concept, but I’ve been too blind to see it. Yes, I’m writing a comedy. Yes, my characters will have romances. But it’s not a romance. The two main characters have been friends for decades. This a buddy movie! Thank goodness that I had this breakthrough before going any further in the class. I also learned that that their personalities must be unique and relevant to my concept.

Protagonist One: All she needs to do is complete a successful scam and she’ll finally achieve the comfort and wealth of her dreams.

Unique: She has reoccurring dreams of a tiny house surrounded by a white picket fence.

Protagonist Two: Her grandson would be so proud of Grandma if he understood why she stuffs his diaper with luxury food items in the grocery store – Grandma’s just taking care of herself!

Unique: She lives in constant conflict over her
big-hearted generous soul and her belief that she should be selfish and
self-serving

[Paul Mahoney]

PAUL’S INTENTIONAL LEAD CHARACTERS

My vision is to be a successful full-time writer with a good income, who constantly learns, enjoys life, creates employment for others and brings joy, fun, fulfilment, health, happiness, inspiration & an attitude of gratitude to my partner and others.

What I learned was that this enabled me to see options that I had not previously thought of for my main characters.

Dan – Is a sexually frustrated psychiatrist who suffers from premature ejaculation and tries to commit suicide.

Unique – A suicidal psychiatrist who has severe depression is not something I’ve seen before.

God – Can take any form and has the ability to shape Dan’s present and future.

Unique – God is probably going to be a diverse female character instead of an old white guy or Morgan Freeman that we normally see.

Kyla – Kyla is a sex therapist who helps to treat Dan and discuss his problems, she secretly has feelings for Dan but knows she can’t act upon them for ethical reasons.

Unique – A sex therapist having to seek assistance because she has feelings for one of her patients.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Paul Mahoney.

[Lauren Yaffe]

Lauren’s Intentional Lead Characters

My vision: I am a wildly successful, prolific A-list writer, creating profound bestselling, blockbuster, award-winning projects. I write, finish, and manifest projects in the world with lightning speed and ease.

What I learned from doing this assignment: That I have a triangle character.

Character: Regina Linkwald

Logline: My protagonist is a therapist who has grown inured to her patients’ suffering.

Unique: Invented a patented “Pandora Box” that eradicates patients’ phobias.

Character: Cat Wyman

Logline: My antagonist is the protagonist’s mentee who idolizes the protagonist.

Unique: A hoarder who never throws anything away, including old research publications of Regina’s.

Character: Vivian Shlummer

Logline: My triangle character is a colleague of the protagonist’s who has always felt in Regina’s shadow.

Unique: Was the first user of the Pandora Box, which eradicated her phobia of eggs.

[Bobby Sacher]

Intriguing stuff here, Lauren! Dying to know what happens to that Pandora Box full of phobias (assume it gets opened/unleashed at some point? THEN what?)

Curious if you’re going for comedy or drama/horror here? Could go either way, which is fun!

[Micki Hess]

Micki’s Intentional Lead Characters

CUT!!!

ACTION!!!

My vision: Be recognized as a writer that will work with the industry and would do what it takes to be that WRITER.

What I learned from doing this assignment is coming up with loglines and uniqueness with each character. I can see them with their unique quality.

I am EMPOWERED!

Concept:

Let the fireworks begin; a worn-out family is fed-up with the sisters’ feud; so they plan to lock them up until the feud is over during the holiday.

Character: DAKOTA TANNER (protagonist)

Logline: Widow who falls in love with her highschool sweetheart, John Grant.

Unique: Dakota has put her sister Blake’s feelings before her own, now she has a chance of happiness.

Character: BLAKE RILEY (antagonist)

Logline: Who holds a grudge against Dakota, her sister, and her old high school crush, John Grant.

Unique: She doesn’t want her sister marrying John Grant. Even though she’s married with children.

Character: John Grant (love interest)

Logline: His love for Dakota has not wavered through the years..

Unique: He didn’t knows about Blake’’s crush on him during high school. His eyes were only on Dakota.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Micki Hess.

[hilton Garrett]

Hilton Garrett, Intentional Lead Characters

20220605

My vision: I will learn and use the lessons of this course to write marketable scripts that producers love.

What I learned: To think about the characters in terms of how their identity and actions work together to support the concept and title. Once again, this is a valuable distinction I had not thought of.

______________

Title: Unspeakable Testimony

Character: Benny (Benjamin Franklin) Smith

My protagonist is a man who on a hike in the mountains discovers a skeleton wearing a necklace that he gave to his girlfriend in high school, and becomes determined to learn what happened, and who is the skeleton?

Unique: A single-minded determination to follow the trail of breadcrumbs to the answer.

_____________

Character: “Bird Dog” Finley

My antagonist is a militia leader and the lover of the protagonist’s ex-girlfriend who does not want any inquiry into the identity and circumstances leading to the death of the now skeleton.

Unique: Bird Dog has the men and the firepower, if not the brains, to carry out an insurrection, and might be planning just that.

______________

Character: Anna Lee

Anna Lee is the current girlfriend of the protagonist who wants to be more than his girlfriend.

[Marcus Armstrong]

Marcus Armstrong’s Intentional Lead Characters

MY VISION: I am going to be so disciplined in the daily writing process and become such an adept writer that my successful screenplays will launch me into a full-time writing career.

What I learned from doing this assignment is how to create something out of nothing using the tactics provided. Specifically, I began just filling in the blanks for the characters, knowing that while this first pass may not be the perfect answer, following the process will enable the right answers to emerge.

• Character: Edmund (protagonist)

• Logline: Edmund, bullied as a teenager, is now an environmentalist devoted to avenging the deaths of poached animals.

• Unique: Edmund kills poachers using the same means as the animals were killed.

• Character: Raymond (antagonist)

• Logline: Raymond is a U.S. Marshal agent tasked with tracking down this mercy killer.

• Unique: Raymond is married to a zookeeper and adores animals.

• Character: Isabella (triangle character)

• Logline: Isabella studied Zoology at Stanford with her boyfriend Edmund and is now a zookeeper, married to Raymond.

• Unique: While dating Edmund, Isabella knew about his teenage abuse and always tried to protect his fragile psyche.

[Robert Smith]

BOB SMITH’S INTENTINOAL LEAD CHARACTERS

My vision for success after this program:

I want to become a great writer who delivers entertaining, informative, and uplifting movie scripts that sell and get produced.

What I learned from doing this assignment is…?

Characters, like concepts, need loglines to ensure that they adhere to the concept.

TITLE: “Angels in Gangland.”

GENRE: Gangster Comedy.

CONCEPT: A slain Cosa Nostra mobster (Lou Tasca) cannot get into the World to Come because of his life of crime. His only hope to redeem himself is to do an act of nearly impossible supreme good, namely, persuade the wiseguy who killed him (Carlo Vizzini) to quit the mob, trash his oath of silence about mob activity, surrender to the FBI. and enter the Witness Protection Program.

PROTAGONIST:

CHARACTER: LOU TASCA

LOG LINE: Lou is the slain mobster who must redeem himself by talking his killer (Carlo Vizzini) into quitting the mob, turning state’s evidence, and joining Witness Protection.

UNIQUE: Gangster Lou is a ghost.

ANTAGONIST:

CHARACTER: TONY RIZZO

LOG LINE: Tony is the mob captain who ordered Carlo to kill Lou but then decides to kill Carlo because he (rightly) suspects Carlo of selling drugs.

UNIQUE: Tony creates a challenge to Lou: Can Lou talk Carlo out of the mob before Tony
kills him, or will Tony strike first and Lou’s hope of self-redemption dies with Carlo?

[John Trimbach]

John T’s Intentional Characters

I would like to become an industry new face known for reliable box office with concepts that intrigue and entertain.

Title: Diversion

Concept: An FBI agent tracks an airline pilot suspected of killing young women in cities across America only to discover that they are both being tracked by the real killer.

Character Structure: Pro. vs Ang.

Character: Phil Conner, Pro.

logline: Loner airline captain whose marriage broke up over the unsolved murder of his adopted daughter searches for meaning, finds it in the form of new clues.

Unique: Uses clues to track a mysterious itinerant serial killer possibly linked to his daughter’s murder, tracks him in layover cities.

Character: Agent Alex Derringer, Ant.

Logline: Ambitious FBI agent who stumbles onto the same new clues but uses them to implicate Capt Conner – chases him all over the country.

Unique: Alex hates flying, hates airlines. Would love to nail Conners, get promoted. Considers himself a lady’s man.

Character: Flight Attendant Louise Jones, triangle character

Logline: Lovelorn, attractive, offers to help Phil

Unique: Goes through life hiding her true sexuality.

[Jack Purdie]

Jack P’s Intentional Lead Characters

VISION: I will do whatever it takes to write a produced script that is recognized by the industry and leads to multiple successful movies.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM THIS ASSIGNMENT: That a succinct logline for each main character is essential to determine the uniqueness of the characters within the concept.

LOGLINE: Natalina is a hard-drinking young lesbian on the rebound from a string of bad relationships when on impulse she goes on a road trip with and old straight gringo.

LOGLINE: Jay is a recovering alcoholic teetotaler/pothead gringo escaping from a failing marriage when he meets a young lesbian on vacation.

[Susan Arnout Smith]

Susan Arnout Smith’s Great Amazing Vision: I co-create with God projects that are produced, win awards, heal hearts and bring me financial abundance and time to explore the world with my family and friends.

What I learned doing this assignment is: the great joy I’m finding in writing about this character and her world.

Title: Esme Cooper and the Prophesy of Doom

High Concept: A young girl is spirited off planet after an ancient prophesy reveals she will cause the destruction of her world, not knowing that her being off-planet is what creates her world’s end.

Character: Esme Cooper (Protagonist)

Logline: Esme is a 12-year-old Halfling cloaked in protective amnesia who must remember who she is in time to gather an army and save her world.

Unique: She is a careless, unskilled Soul Binder, an orphan, and the focus of an ancient curse.

Character: Your High-Holy Most Marvelous Muchness (Queen Blitzkrieg, Antagonist)

Logline: Queen Blitzkrieg wants to fulfill an ancient curse by destroying the island of Cantoria, which means she first must find and murder Esme Cooper.

Unique: Her picture isn’t next to the word ‘Narcissist’ in the dictionary—she’s so narcissistic the ONLY word/ pic in the dictionary (page after page) is her. So, yes. She’s crazy. She has one teensy killer allergy: a whiff of someone’s pure, undiluted joy sends her into anaphylactic shock.

[Terrie Shaft]

Terrie’s Title, Concept, and Character Structure!

I write screenplays that get turned into crowd pleasing successful films using a process that allows me to enjoy my equestrian hobby.

What I learned doing this assignment is that starting it even superficially, is useful for when I come back to it.

Title: You gotta’ be exing

Concept: A US Marshall is charged with getting a conspiracy theorist into witness protection, but it’s her ex and his crazy theories are true.

Rom-Com so the main characters are both protagonist and antagonist.

Character: Paige

Logline: Paige, a US Marshall behavioral analyst, is tasked with getting a witness safely embedded in his new identity.

Unique: Paige knows crazy. After her fiancé became obsessed with conspiracy theories, she left him and the local police force, got an advanced degree in psychology and joined the US Marshall behavioral analysis team.

Character: James/Jason

Logline: After blowing his first cover identify, James is convinced that only his former fiancé can keep him safe as he testifies against domestic terrorists that want him dead.

Unique: James is brilliant but can’t stop spouting conspiracy theories even when his life depends on it.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Terrie Shaft.

[Jamie Handley]

Jamie’s Intentional Lead Characters

MOD 2, LESSON 2

VISION: To sell my script or limited series with future spin-offs to a great producer. And have it made!

What If learned is that it took me a while to understand what was expected from “unique” so I just kept typing until I got it, that it has to do with the concept only. No traits, backstory etc.

Concept: WITHOUT RECOURSE

With no recourse to sue, two women battle with the FDA and AMA when one has a life threatening medical condition and her doctor and attorney are part of the medical mafia.

Character: Protagonist

Logline: Justine is a woman, whose automobile accident imparted a plethora of medical and legal knowledge through the years, who lends to all, provided they pay heed. She is multifaceted, stubborn, and fearless especially when someone needs her.

Unique: She has had multiple surgeries over the years; most have failed in some way. She’s been through all the courts, lawsuits, appeals, malpractice etc. Both the legal and medical system has failed her for the most part. She a fighter and will go the distance. She is damaged goods, always having to live in a body brace and depends on medicine to help her for the rest of her life.

Character: Antagonist/Protagonist

Logline: Lauren is a highly cynical woman, with deep emotional wounds and a life threatening medical issue who undermines her lifelong friend’s help, goals and ties with her daughter.

Unique: She too is damaged but in much deeper ways. Before her accident her son was killed at a young age and the pain lives in her. The physical damage she is experiencing supports her cynical side. She is lost in her pain and is unable to cope. She refuses to believe she can be helped.

Character: Triangle

Logline: Gracie, Justine’s daughter, has a past that haunts her even after she turns her life around. She is a floral designer who holds her mother in check with every life situation, but most of all, for her to realize her dream she aspired to so long ago.

Unique: Gracie is able to see the pain inside of both these women having inflicted her own pain of drug abuse. She has also gone through her mother’s medical issues over the years and has seen the results, both good and bad, that have taken place. She has seen her mother become her mother’s caregiver and the death that follows. Vicariously she has lived what a life in pain is like but most of all she is her mother’s cheerleader.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Jamie Handley.

[Teresa Rodriguez]

(Teresa Rodriguez’) Intentional Lead Characters

MY VISION: I will become a highly respected and influential writer/producer with my own successful production company that I can leave as a blessing to my children and many generations to come.

What I learned from doing this assignment is that I must carefully craft the characters to fit the concept and be unique.

Character: Princess Lily

Logline: My protagonist is a reluctant princess who runs away from her perfectionist fairytale life to live a “normal” life.

Unique: She doesn’t look or act like a typical princess, not a size 0 and she’s not all “girly” she likes to sneak into combat classes with the boys.

Character: Lead Dwarf

Logline: My antagonist is the main dwarf Lily recruits to help save her from kidnapping attempts.

Unique: He is also the mysterious villain who plots to kidnap Lily.

Character: A Charming Commoner

Logline: Lily’s love interest who is also her co-worker who’ll put his life on the line for her.

Unique: He doesn’t trust the dwarfs and has a great disdain for all royalty.

[Veleka Gray]

Veleka’s Intentional Lead Characters<div>

My work is respected and produced, and I am rewarded with success and great wealth.

What I learned was that once I understood about making the characters intentional and what the intention was relating to gambling and risk-taking, the muse just gave me all the info I need to write this.

• Character: Protagonist Judd is a retired psychiatrist and gambler.

• Logline: After Judd loses most of his and his wife’s retirement savings in a speculative venture, he invests the last of their funds in a former mental hospital that belonged to an ancestor to return to psychotherapy and recover his losses.

• Unique: Judd is actually bored with his conservative life, and gambling is exciting, but he goes too far and he’s too innocent, so the scammers got him.

• Character: Antagonist and Mentor Patrick is a ghost and Judd’s great-great-great-grandfather.

• Logline: At first ghost Patrick tells Judd he wants to move on to the afterlife, but then he falls in love with Robbie, Judd’s wife, so from then on he thwarts all attempts Judd makes to get him to pass on.

• Unique: Patrick in his day was also a gambler, but he became a millionaire (like a billionaire from today).

• Character: Triangle character Robbie is a retired psychiatrist and Judd’s adored wife.

• Logline: Robbie wants only to travel around the world with her husband now that they are retired so he can spend quality time making love to her now that they no longer have to work.

• Unique: Robbie is a builder, not a better, and only invests on what she thinks are sure things.

• Character: Antagonist Lenore is a TV personality and Robbie’s only daughter.

• Logline: Since Lenore is about to ask her mother to invest in a movie or TV show starring herself so she can have a big career breakthrough, she freaks when she discovers Judd has lost all their money.

• Unique: Lenore castigates Judd for speculative investment in bitcoin when she wants the money to bet on a show starring her that has no guarantee of any success.

</div>

[Reginald Joseph]

Reginald’s Intentional Lead Characters

My Vision: I am going to utilize my talents as a writer to catapult myself to the A-list, causing people in this industry to consider my writing among the best in the business.

What I learned from doing this assignment is how important the initial introduction of my characters is to a powerful delivery of my concept.

Concept: After multiple attempts to rid their neighborhood of a gang leader who continues to terrorize citizens, a member of a group that calls themselves the Vipers decides to strike back by bringing his own version of terror.

Character: Anson Haley (Protagonist) is a disabled Vet and former
Army Ranger, who suffers with PTSD.

Logline: SSGT Haley is determined, by any means necessary, to rid his neighborhood of gang activity and violence.

Unique: Leader of neighborhood group called VIPERS, uses his skills to disable and dismantle a local terrorist organization.

Character: Leon Evans aka “The Hatchet” (Antagonist) is the leader of a violent gang.

Logline: The Hatchet takes pride is terrorizing citizens in a suburban neighborhood.

Unique: Is known for being ruthless and terrifying.

[Peter Field]

PETER’S INTENTIONAL LEAD CHARACTERS

VISION: MY SCRIPTS ARE SO GOOD THEY COULD BE PUBLISHED ON THEIR OWN AND WILLIAM GOLDMAN WOULD WANT TO WRITE THE INTRODUCTION.

What I learned from doing this assignment is to keep my focus on the core characteristics.

Protagonist: DAVID VILLERS

Logline: Force Recon commanders never die. They don’t even retire.

Unique: ex-Force Recon commander, a/k/a The Black Tiger, reputedly invincible, MMA champion

Antagonist: JENNIFER HAMM

Logline: a lifelong diplomat will employ unsanctioned methods to achieve her aims.

Unique: extremely intelligent, charismatic, could be the first female President of the USA

[Susan Arnout Smith]

Susan Arnout Smith’s Intentional Lead Characters

Susan Arnout Smith’s Great Amazing Vision: I co-create with God projects that are produced, win awards, heal hearts and bring me financial abundance and time to explore the world with my family and friends.

What I learned doing this assignment is: the great joy I’m finding in writing about this character and her world.

High Concept: A young girl is spirited off planet after an ancient prophesy reveals she will cause the destruction of her world, not knowing that her being off-planet is what creates her world’s end.

Character: Esme Cooper (Protagonist)

Logline: Esme is a 12-year-old Halfling cloaked in protective amnesia who must remember who she is in time to gather an army and save her world.

Unique: She is a careless, unskilled Soul Binder, an orphan, and the focus of an ancient curse.

Character: Your High-Holy Most Marvelous Muchness (Queen Blitzkrieg, Antagonist)

Logline: Queen Blitzkrieg obliterates an island kingdom, only to discover that the real kingdom is hidden away in a necklace of a child, and in order destroy Cantoria, she must find and eliminate Esme Cooper.

Unique: Her picture isn’t next to the word ‘Narcissist’ in the dictionary—she’s so narcissistic the ONLY word/ pic in the dictionary (page after page) is her. So, yes. She’s crazy. She has one teensy killer allergy: a whiff of someone’s pure, undiluted joy sends her into anaphylactic shock.

[Valeriya Ordinartseva]

Valeriya’s Intentional Lead Characters

My Vision: I am a masterful, ahead-of-the-game, and out-of-the-box writer full of ideas and creative energy. My writing is fresh, impactful, iconic, beautiful, and effortless, and my projects deliver outstanding commercial and artistic success. I create a lot, it’s fun, quick, and easy. My whole life is that way.

What I learned from doing this assignment is…

– Creating character loglines helps to focus on the conflict in the story, what the story is really about and how it all comes together thematically.

– It’s so logical to focus on characters in this way and make sure they deliver on the concept, I can see how this tiny step can save a lot of trouble.

7RDRD4

Character: Lo, protagonist

Logline: A girl who was brought up by a robot and wants to be like other people but stands up for her robot against them.

Unique: She is taken for a robot and sent to recycling.

Character: 7RDRD4, protagonist

Logline: A robot who breaks rules to spare its creator the suffering, and to bring up an orphan.

Unique: Experimental model that has the feature of taking higher risks and making choices like a human.

Character: Benedict, antagonist

Logline: A politician who plays on people’s lowest traits to have control over them, but actually a robot who wants to get rid of other robots and rule the world.

Unique: Extra clever, knows well people’s weaknesses

WHAT DOESN’T KILL ME

Character: Irene, protagonist

Logline: Irene is a lonely freelance designer who wants to be happy, have a family, and enjoy social life but can’t because of the monster that’s attached to her.

Unique: She invites her monster to come out.

Character: The Being, buddy/antagonist

Logline: The Being is a monster that has been growing under her bed since her childhood. It won’t let her have any resemblance to normal life.

Unique: It’s made of her fears and it’s in pain. It won’t let Irene live, but it won’t let her die either.

[David Scott Smith]

David Scott Smith’s Intentional Lead Characters

MY VISION: I am going to do whatever it takes for me to become a legend in both the filmmaking community and popular movie culture, so much so that audiences will stand in lines around the block to see my movies the way I did for Star Wars, ET and Raiders, and I will be buried with the 5 Academy awards given my work, and a tombstone that reads, “Awesome as fuck!”

Title: Connect the Dots

Concept: The true story of the only man in the military who believed in a signals intercept trainee and helped her expose the largest network of Soviet spies ever uncovered – ultimately answering the question, “Who really brought down the Soviet Union?”

I’ve chosen the Dramatic Triangle character structure.

Intentional Lead Characters Lesson

What I learned from doing this lesson: to be honest, the instructions didn’t seem to match what the assignment was. I wasn’t clear on what I was supposed to put under “unique” – but I liked Jamie’s approach of “just keep writing”

Logline: Queen Bee is a Signals Intercept trainee who believes she has discovered secret communications and will do anything to expose who is sending these comms and why.

Unique: is in her 30s while other trainees around her are in their 20s, from a small town and abusive family, the military is her ticket out, and she has nothing left to lose. She is empathetic, and believes her role in the military will save lives.

Logline: Storm is a military intelligence black op who believes Queen Bee’s discovery is real and helps her expose a large network of Soviet spies.

Unique: Storm has a traumatic past – his father shot him and left him for dead – which instilled a survival instinct still in him to this day, and a wish to protect the innocent while also being the one to give the bad guys what they deserve. His black op position allows him to do both.

Logline: The Rookie works as an archivist in the Fusion Room with Storm, and is secretly transmitting intel to the Russians.

Unique: has a large family and so needs the money. His kids play with Storm’s kids. The Rookie was wounded on a mission led by Storm, but Storm saved his life. He has his reasons for doing what he’s doing. Ultimately he chooses to fulfill his own needs and not think about the lives he’s sacrificing by leaking intel.

[Michelle Damis]

Michelle Damis’ Intentional Lead Characters.

I will be a prolific writer that is sought out because of my ability to truly touch people and create memorable stories and I will have financial freedom and time with my family as I travel the world.

What I learned from doing this assignment was that I am creative even when I don’t really understand technical writing concepts. For example I’m not sure I have the correct antagonist, I listed the one that starts the night off, but there will be several that push the night along.

Character:
Jo Carter (Protagonist Lead) <div> Logline:
Jo is a middle aged nurse that has made the wrong decisions her entire
life until just recently. <div>

Unique:
Not many people really change their life around in middle age.

Character: Jen Carter
(Protagonist/Antagonist)

Logline:
Jen is Jo’s twin sister who has sailed through life in comparison, but is
just better at hiding her troubles.

Unique:
The twin comparison.

Character: Chelsea Handler
(Antagonist)
Logline:
A star comedian ends up in the hospital the night of her show and must
cancel, this begins a string of events that leads to a wild night for two
sisters.

Unique:
This was inspired by a real event.

</div></div>

[Aaron Can Hoff]

Aaron’s Intentional Lead Characters

MY VISION: I am going to work harder than anyone to be an incredible writer who the industry seeks for projects that have consistent commercial success.

What I learned doing this assignment is it helped me be clear and shape my characters to deliver solidly on my concept and title.

CHAR: Protagonist

LOGLINE: A tow truck driver who did 5 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, seeks vengeance on the Sheriff that set him up.

UNIQUE: He tows from crime scenes and finds evidence of police wrong-doing.

CHAR: Antagonist

LOGLINE: A 30-year Sheriff who’s running for mayor, is hellbent on tracking down and eliminating the person who is uncovering the department’s secrets.

UNIQUE: He is all-knowing and all-powerful within his county.

[Jane Turville]

Jane’s Intentional Lead Characters

MY VISION: I will make my living as a screenwriter by selling my own narrative scripts and successfully fulfilling writing assignments.

By doing this assignment, I learned how to think about a “buddy” movie and what roles the two main characters have. They each have equal weight in the story which confused me. Although because I really hadn’t thought much about the character roles, I didn’t understand how confused I would get! This exercise revealed that to me and then had me think about the characters as being both Protagonist and Antagonist, with then a major Antagonist in the Triangle Character to counter-act them both. I’m not sure how, but I think this is going to come in very handy as this story develops.

Concept: In this parody on tea cozy murder mysteries, a Poirot-like character and a Miss Marple-like character compete to prove which of them is the greatest detective only to discover that a murder has happened and that one of them is the next victim.

Protagonist: June Marvel

Logline: A Miss Marple-like character who competes with another great detective to prove she is the better sleuth, only to discover that she is the target of a murderer.

Unique: June is the antagonist for the other great detective.

Antagonist: June Marvel

Logline: A Miss Marple-like character believes she is the better detective.

Unique: She is hell bent on proving that knowledge of the human heart is more likely to solve a mystery than “the little grey cells.”

Protagonist: Percival Heriot

Logline: A Poirot-like character who competes with another great detective to prove he is the better sleuth, only to discover that she is the target of a murderer.

Unique: Percival is the antagonist for the other great detective.

Antagonist: Percival Heriot

Logline: A Poirot-like character believes that he is the world’s greatest detective.

Unique: He dismisses any other approach to a mystery other than his own brilliance.

Triangle Character: TBD

Logline: Seeking revenge, this person sets up the two detectives to be utterly destroyed.

Unique: Both detectives know this person.

[Kevin Patrick Goulet]

Kevin’s – Intentional Lead Characters.

DAY 2 ASSIGNMENT

Apologies… still playing catch-up (but never giving up).

My vision: Develop a successful methodology for writing screenplays that yields the following: completion of this and other screenplays which ‘read’ at a PRO / story-telling level, provide me fair compensation and most of all, lead to more screenwriting opportunities.

What I learned: Every character must have their own unique voice to drive their participation in this story forward. Giving them their own logline confirms that purpose. Each character must be confident in their pursuit; believe in themselves as they move through the story, regardless of their intention (…helpful, distractor, villain, etc.).

Title: FINDING DOCTOR FUNK

Genre: BIO-PIC/Drama

Concept Logline: Life story of Jazz Pianist Vince Guaraldi.

Dead of a heart-attack at 47, VG feared he would be remembered only for the PEANUTS music (perhaps judged as superfluous ‘fluff’ in the future), not a guy who ever wrote a Jazz ‘standard’ composition. Little did he know how his music would one day be perceived.

PROTAGONIST: Vince Guaraldi – Jazz musician.

Vince’s Logline: 1960’s era jazz piano player in search of immortality through his artistry.

Unique: Vince’s playing style; physicality in which his short fingers hit the keys- results in his finding a distinctively different piano sound -from other players of the day.

—————

ANTOGONIST: Tony Dellaglio – Vince’s biological father

Tony’s Logline: Bricklayer, abandoner of wife and child (Vince, 4 Years of age), believes music a ridiculously worthless pursuit, waste of time, impossible way for someone to have a life, raise/take care of a family.

Unique: Drinks to excess, bitter resentment for others often visible, lacks empathy gene.

—————

TRIANGLE CHARACTER: Vince’s Mother, Carmella.

Carmella’s Logline: Ray of sunshine, protector of Vince. Piano player herself, lover of music/along with her brothers (musicians too)- heavily influential all -doing whatever it takes for Vince to find his way to his professional piano player dreams.

Unique: ‘Tough-as-nails’ broad, keeps Vince’s Father at bay whenever possible.

I plan on using what some refer to as a ‘Present-Past’ approach to tell this Bio-Pic Story; versus a ‘Cradle-to-Grave’ approach.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Kevin Patrick Goulet.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Kevin Patrick Goulet.

[Sandra Nelles]

Sandra’s Intentional Lead Characters

Vision: I am doing what I love to do as a writer with several successful produced movies.

What I learned doing this assignment is how to create intentional unique loglines for characters. Also, I decided to change my character structure to a dramatic triangle instead of protagonist versus antagonist that I listed in the previous lesson.

Concept: The adventures of a young sea captain lured into the dangerous, terrifying world of crude oil smuggling, where he faces a firing squad if captured.

Character Structure: Dramatic Triangle

Character: Sloane is a young sea captain (protagonist).

Logline: Sloane is a naïve young sea captain who desperately wants to succeed and stay alive.

Unique: Even though Sloane appears to be quiet and unassuming, he is much smarter than he looks or acts.

Character: Mr. Big is a charismatic money changer (antagonist).

Logline: Mr. Big is a charismatic money changer who lures Sloane into the world of smuggling.

Unique: Mr. Big puts on a respectable front while letting others do his dirty work and avoid capture.

Character: Reginald is a military officer (triangle character).

Logline: Reginald is a military officer who tracks smugglers and intimidates Sloane hoping he will lead him to Mr. Big.

Unique: Reginald is corrupt and takes bribes to control his territory and country.

[Holli Castillo]

Holli’s intentional lead characters

My vision: I am going to do whatever it takes to write amazing, resonating, Oscar-winning movies so I am respected in the professional writing world and can quit representing derelicts and perverts for a living.

What I learned doing this assignment is a buddy can also be the antagonist.

Title: Designer Boot (still experimenting with titles)

Concept: When a former pageant girl turned police rookie is fired, she sets out to capture the city’s top ten most wanted criminals, and makes a deal with number 10 to help her catch the first nine.

Character: Protagonist, Lucy

Lucy’s Logline: Lucy is a pageant-girl turned police rookie trying to catch the city’s top ten most wanted criminals to get her job back.

Unique: After watching Miss Congeniality, Lucy changed her pageant talent from contemporary dance to martial arts.

Character: Antagonist: Chance a/k/a Number Ten

Ten’s Logline: Chance, aka Number Ten, is a bounty hunter and number ten on the list, who uses Lucy to clear him of a murder charge while pretending to help her catch the first nine.

Unique: Ten is a insomniac who takes medication that makes him sleepwalk and doesn’t know what he was doing the night of the murder.

Triangle Character: Sergeant Ruiz

Ruiz’s Logline: Sergeant Ruiz is the boss who fired Lucy and the one who set Number Ten up for murder, and is still out to get them both.

Unique: Ruiz uses his position of power to get away with crimes and has a vendetta against Lucy’s FBI agent father and Number Ten, among others.

[Kevin Cunningham]

Kevin Cunningham’s Intentional Lead Characters

My Vision: By making my high-quality writing and speaking known in many venues (the Industry, Youtube, podcasts, books), I will create a reputation as a profoundly powerful, thoughtful, and skilled writer, and be sought after for new and rewrite activities at the highest levels.

What I learned from doing this assignment: This question forced me to think through many possible characters and many possible relationships and roles for the characters, which was really helpful. My story is still a “community comedy” in my head (a lot of the comedy is about the townsfolk the way that Blazing Saddles has a group of ridiculous townsfolk). In that setting, I put my main character, but a clear Protagonist/Antagonist story is still not fully formed in my mind. The Hero has many obstacles, but, as a fish out of water who needs to mature, he has to overcome his internal blocks even more so. I know I have to strengthen the central arc. Great to be stretched in this direction.

——

Genre: Comedy/Satire

Title: Going Native

Concept: A woke New England town votes to give their land back to the Native American tribe they stole it from centuries before – putting leadership of the town in the hands of a clueless slacker Native teen.

——

This is a story about the ties to the land, and how that shapes one’s identity. So the characters need to express that theme. Still working on that, but here are some key characters:

– PROTAGONIST: Mukki Segenam, Native American teenage boy

– Logline: A slacker teenager who prefers video games over his native culture, thrust against his will into leadership of the town by his grandfather

– Unique: absolutely no skill at leadership, but no falseness to him; and sweet on the Powwow Princess

– Character [SECRET VILLAIN?]: Andrew Sawyer, Elizabeth’s husband

– Logline: Super smart angel investor on the brink of retirement, seen as a conservative, who unexpectedly throws his support behind the move at Town Meeting to transfer the town to the natives

– Unique: secretly owns a considerable part of the buildable land in town, and hopes to twist the Natives in a way he can’t seem to get Town Meeting to go

– Character: Elizabeth Sawyer, Drew’s wife

– Logline: Head of the town Budget Committee, which advises Town Meeting, who tries to balance the extremists at both ends of the town, and is utterly surprised at her husband’s move to give over the town just as they are winding down their time in town

– Unique: Mormon upbringing, so challenged by hyper-feminist culture around her

– Character [ANTAGONIST?]: Jenny Bonét

– Logline: The hyper-Progressive Town Meeting member who’s running for the Select Board to forward all kinds of woke agendas, who forces herself onto Mukki when the town is turned over to him, telling him how to run the town – or be cancelled (like everyone else who disagrees with her)

– Unique: married to a feminine poet who decides to transition to be a women, challenging Jenny’s core identity

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Kevin Cunningham.

[Susan Chan]

Sassy Chan’s Intentional Lead Characters

Vision: I am a respected, masterful, and in-demand writer, who is also an award-winning A-list hit maker!

What I learned from doing this assignment is… how to intentionally use this method for starting Lead character design.

Title: MARRiAGE NIGHT

Concept: A lowkey Seamstress must rescue her newlywed MMA fighter husband when he gets kidnapped on their destination wedding day/ honeymoon by terrorists, revealing her secret CIA skills previously unbeknownst to him.

Character: Mary, conservative seamstress and former Secret Agent <div>

Logline: Mary (protagonist/antagonist) is a low-key seamstress who hides her secret agent past, so she can live out the rest of her life peacefully, until her newlywed husband goes missing.

Unique: She’s dishonest about her past, and can take care of him.

Character: Danny, MMA fighter (pro/antatagonist)

Logline: Danny is prized MMA fighter who feels pissed, betrayed, and emasculated when he finds out that his new bride is more kick-ass than he is.

Unique: He thinks he’s the protector in the relationship and has a fragile ego.

Triangle Character: Terrorist(s) (antagonist)

Logline: Lola and/or Kenneth kidnap Danny in order to draw out Mary for a trade: Danny, or Classified mission/intel?

Unique: They know who she used to be, and have big beef with her. Maybe escaped imprisonment/or near death by her hands.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Susan Chan.

[Nat Melvin]

Natalie’s Intentional Lead Characters

My vision is to create and produce award winning stories that make an unforgettable emotional impact on a worldwide audience.

What I learned from this assignment is that it’s nice to proof relation of the characters to the concept

Title: BLOODHUNTER

Concept: An amnesiac survivor of a mysterious cult must relive her traumatic experience by following clues drawn under a hypnosis to save their next sacrificial victim, her supposedly missing child.

Character Structure: Dramatic Triangle

1. Character: Emily Kingsley, protagonist

Logline: Emily is the only female heiress left of a dyeing aristocratic family who believes that her non-existent half-blood daughter is kidnapped to be sacrificed by a mysterious cult

Unique: Emily suffers from a DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) and is convinced that her younger eight years old self personality is her daughter (a girl Emily found in her own drawings)

2. Character: Walter Kingsley, antagonist

Logline: Walter is Emily’s crafty cousin who believes he is entitled to the estate

Unique: Walter is an eccentric, artistic, vengeful crossdresser rejected by Emily, who uses his deceitful skills to impersonate and eliminate potential heirs to family fortune who stand on his way to the inheritance

3. Character: Hagan Valentine, triangle character, Emily’s love interest

Logline: Hagan is the only son of a recently deceased owner of the estate born of a wedlock relationship with a maid who intends to prove his rights to the estate

Unique: Hagan is a half African American man who remains secretly in love with Emily

Additional note: All three characters grew up in the same estate, where Emily was supposed to marry Walter, a pure blood relative, but fell in love with Hagan, and she believes that they have a daughter

[Tom Wilson]

Tom’s Intentional Lead Characters

My Vision: When I discuss projects with producers, I suggest excellent alternative quickly.

Doing this assignment, I learned to makes my characters be true to the concept.

What makes this character fit my concept and title powerfully?

Protagonist: Sara is ruthless about reaching her goal. She’s unique because she is driven to cure the disease and save everyone including her mother.

Antagonist: Karim is revengeful and hateful because he was screwed. He’s unique because doesn’t know if his sister Sara betrayed him.

Triangle: Ratkin uses his military career to reach the White House. He’s unique because he will do whatever it takes to become POTUS.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Tom Wilson.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Tom Wilson.

[Elizabeth Wang-Lee]

Elizabeth’s Intentional Lead Characters

My Vision: I will do whatever it takes so that I can write full-time creative and emotional blockbuster movies and TV series like my writing heroes and be in constant demand.

What I learned from doing this assignment: I learned that characters must fit the story. By developing characteristics that service the story helps.

Character Structure: Dramatic Triangle

Character: Rizzo (protagonist) is a memory scientist

Logline: Rizzo an anti-social control freak memory scientist who won’t accept that her twin brother is dead and will do anything to find him.

Unique: She is agoraphobic and holds on to everything she loves because she’s afraid of losing them. She’s a smotherer.

Character: Marcus Doppleganger (antagonist)

Logline: Marcus Doppleganger appears to be Rizzo’s twin brother. He’s crossed over to this world in search of a better life and will do anything to stay in this world.

Unique: Marcus Doppler is a mirror ‘copy’ of the real Marcus. He is also the opposite of real Marcus in every way.

Character: Marcus (Triangle 3^rd character) is an astronaut, explorer, inventor.

Logline: Marcus is a disciplined ascetic. He will do anything for his sister but at the same time do anything to escape her smothering hold.

Unique: He feels responsible for Rizzo’s isolation but can’t help but be independent of her.

Character: Frank (other Triangle 3^rd Character) is an American Indian, physicist, Special Ops,.

Logline: Frank is an overachiever to compensate for his insecurity of not being capable.

Unique: Doesn’t trust people easily but trusts nature and animals. He and Marcus have a small history together. Marcus was chosen as Captain over him because Marcus graduated from the Air Force Academy while Frank had to slug it out through enlisted ranks despite his physics acumen.

[savanna]

savanna’s intentional lead characters

my vision is<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”><font size=”1″> to become admired, glammy and well-compensated for telling heartfelt stories that resonate through people enough to motivate them to ardently support my ultimate goal of ratification and implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in my lifetime.</font>

what I learned is: just fill in the blanks. Just fill in the frickin’ blanks. Not so hard.

SAVANNAH is a journalist who investigates the attitudes in her hometown and family of origin for bigotry and science-denying;

AUSTIN is her educated brother who is a racist, science-denier and misogynist;

Austin’s wife LIMINANI is torn between supporting Savannah’s views and placating her husband Austin.

[David gollob]

David Gollob’s Intentional leads – for concepts see below: these character loglines refer to concept one…

MY vision: to hone screenwriting skills and market my writing.

What I learned: The Puzzle pieces will come together, eventually.

Intentional lead characters

Character: Emilia Restrepo Castro, 7/17

Logline: Emilia is a “collector” for Escobar who shoots her boss (Santi) in the head when he tries to rape her at the “finca” (ranch)

Unique: voices of the “little people” around Escobar

Character: Pablo Escobar, 30s/40’s

Logline: Pablo is a drug-trafficker whose generosity as community benefactor buys him love, and extends to sparing Emilia’s life.

Unique: Narco sees himself as Robin Hood

Character: Santiago (Santi) Gonzalez, 19/29
Logline: Santi is Pablo’s “protection” racket boss has pursued Emilia since she was little, but she kills him at 17 when he tries to force himself on her.

Unique: Untold stories of “little people” around Escobar

<font color=”#4d5c6d” face=”SF UI Text, sans-serif”>this week I interviewed at length two women who knew and worked for Pablo, with never-before-told stories about their lives, and new perspectives on Escobar: here are some sketches/ideas. (I found their stories so compelling, I had to write this down )… these could be combined into a limited series, under the banner of Escobar: the Untold Stories, or fleshed out as stand-alone features…… </font>

Genre: True life/DramaHigh Concept: The world’s most dangerous drug-lord is revered by his community and by a young woman whose life he saves.

Major Story Hook: A young Colombian woman is forced to choose whether to betray her boss/benefactor who spared her life after she kills one of his men.

Favorite Title 1: ***Pablo and me Favourite title 2: ***Money has no Friends (“La Plata no tiene Amigos”)

<font color=”#888888″ style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Genre: True life/drama High Concept: A young Colombian woman rejects prostitution and chooses to join a criminal gang working for Escobar, after being forced from home by a sexually abusive father.Major Story Hook: Will she murder or forgive him as, dying, he begs her to do? Favourite title #1: No Honour among Thieves Favourite title #2: Money Has No Friends (La Plata no tiene Amigos)</font>

[Susan Chan]

oops. duplicate

[Linda Kish]

Linda’s Intentional Lead Characters

My Vision is: I will do whatever it takes to be a sought-after profound writer with many successful movies produced and an Oscar on my mantel.

What I learned doing this assignment is finding what is unique about your characters right away can save a lot of time.

Title: RISE OF THE FALCON

An Action Thriller.

HIGH CONCEPT: The head of a cartel is dying and puts his succession up for competition with a point system that rewards crimes based on the degree to which they promote his infamy. Will a low-level worker abandon his morals to beat the ruthless heavyweights and protect his family and community?

· Character: Protagonist

· Joaquin: Born into a cartel family, he is a low-level falcon who has no desire for advancement and keeps his head down to protect his family and his morals.

· Unique: His father was Rodrigo’s personal bodyguard and saved his life on many occasions.

· Character: Antagonist

· Arturo: A megalomaniac who is ruthless to his core, he is expected to win the competition and run the cartel his way.

· Unique: Has a big ego and talks more than he listens.

· Character: Key Supporting Character

· Rodrigo: A drug lord with a terminal illness who wants to cement his place in history.

· Unique: Has a soft spot for loyalty and a blindspot for betrayal.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Linda Kish.

[Marianne Post]

Marianne’s Intentional Lead Characters

Vision: To empower myself to smile at today’s writing challenge and have fun solving it. Why? Because that’s how I’ll craft screenplays industry insiders are itching to read and produce. That’s how I’ll get my movies made.

What I learned from doing this assignment is how to set aside all the tiny details and just focus on how these characters honor the concept.

Concept: Feuding twins must team up to honor their terminally ill father’s wish — finding the family’s treasured time capsule — before his time ends

Protagonist: Jane

Logline: Sibling #1: A rising star in tech returns home after 10 years to see her dying father and turns the time capsule hunt into a competition

Unique: Rising star in a male-dominated field but positions herself as a victim in terms of love and blames her brother for “stealing” the love of her life

Protagonist: John

Logline: A struggling local business owner who accepts his sister’s challenge, so he can finally beat her at something and show his father he can succeed, too.

Unique: Successful family man who fails at business as he lives in the shadow of his sister’s professional success.

Triangle Character: Dad

Logline: Terminally ill patriarch who tries to re-unite his feuding kids with a hunt for the family’s treasured time capsule.

Unique: Designs a treasure hunt that requires his kids to work together but Inadvertently initiates the competition

[Gisele FRAZEUR]

Gisele’s Intentional Lead Characters

My vision: I am going to work diligently to become a brilliant, reliable screenwriter who is sought after, regularly produced, highly paid, and awarded. Artistic fulfillment and financial freedom will result from the achievement of this goal!

What I learned doing this assignment is: Make the characters support the concept — not the concept supporting the characters.

Darin August: A world renowned perfumer who makes sense of every aspect of her life predominantly through her sense of smell.

Hank Sanford: An undercover cop who will go to ANY lengths to preserve his sterling reputation.

Pookie: A police detection dog who experiences her greatest happiness, joy, and fulfillment when scenting with her handler.

[Michael HARRIS]

WIM – Michael L Harris –Intentional Lead Characters

My Vision: To create insightful, life changing stories that will endure for generations and which I can easily greenlight for self-production.

What I learned from this lesson: … Being able to define the core characteristics of lead characters and how those characters fulfill the central concept of the story is paramount to creating an incredible screenplay.

State: I am completely Committed to…

Activity: … having my lead characters deliver powerfully on the concept.

Character: Rio Burke

Logline: Rio is a night club singer who marries a Capone Lieutenant

Unique: Rio is the Last Capone Connection

Character: Dan Roberts aka Dominick Roberto

Logline: Dan is mobster who is married to Rio

Unique: He runs Al Capone’s Chicago Heights operation

Character: Mystery Man

Logline: Mystery man is the only man Rio ever truly loved.

Unique: He’s the man that got away.

[Laura Koons]

Laura Koons’ Intentional Lead Characters

My vision: I am an Oscar winning Screenwriter known to elevate the careers of A-list actors and directors. I am financially abundant and have the flexibility to write wherever and whenever I want.

What I learned from this assignment is to focus on my characters’ real purpose in the story by making sure they support the concept.

Concept: A gifted architect longs to follow in her father’s footsteps who she lost at the age of twelve and subsequently found herself dumped on the doorsteps of an orphanage by her estranged mother.

Character: Heather Harrington

Logline: An architect has tough shoes to fill trying to follow in her father’s footsteps.

Unique: gifted architect

Character: Pandora Reynolds

Logline: Estranged mother is under investigation for insider trading.

Unique: estranged mother

Character: Decatur MacGill

Logline: FBI Agent is investigating the estranged mother which lead back to the architect.

Unique: FBI Agent in charge

[Rosemary Lismore]

Vision: I am a sought after writer, who creates memorable characters, whose scripts win academy awards, allowing me to dream for a living, (Spielberg is not the only one), providing an affluent lifestyle while living respected by friends, family, movie industry pros. I am consistently brilliant, writing the most important movies of our time.

What I learned: With better clarity on the ‘job’ characters do, seeing necessary action they must go through is easy to keep top of mind.

Character: Alexis world’s greatest and most physically capable prima ballerina

Logline: Alexis – protagonist, ballet dancer extraordinaire, must learn to overcome

the dictates of others in order to show a Navy Seal Team they are unwittingly

starting a war.

Unique: Extreme physical capabilities of a gifted ballerina are pitted against the

training of Navy Seals. We see how there is a place for both styles of expertise in

world events. Alexis learns to overrule orders. She is the Pointe in the title:

Pointe to War.

Character: Navy Commander

Logline: Charles Murdock, Navy Commander used to getting his way plots to set off

a cache of ordinance at the border with North Korea, believing it will bring talk of

destroying massive weapons storage back to the table.

Unique: Fits the title Pointe to War, as he is the Commander who will incite a conflict.

[Joaquin Gray]

Joaquin “Ibn Gray’s” Intentional Lead Characters

My vision for the completion of this class is to write A plus intriguing screenplays that will be produced into extremely profitable movies, which I will cash large checks from.

What I learned from doing this assignment is, that, the characters MUST stay true to the concept because it drives the story.

Character: Brewford Dickon

Logline: is an emancipated slave and U.S solider who uses his skills to fight off a deranged mob, who wants to force him back into slavery.

Unique: Regiment leader, Blacksmith.

Character: Clyde Fordwood <strong style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>

Logline: is the fiercest plantation owner known in the nation, who will stop at nothing to enslave every black American in the country.

Unique: Horse trainer, He plays the piano before he commits violent actions.

[Farrin Rosenthal]

Farrin Rosenthal’s Intentional Lead Characters

Farrin’s Vision: To do what it takes to become a highly paid A-List Hollywood writer whose produced movies will entertain audiences around the world.

What I learned doing this assignment is how the lead characters in your script need to fit the story and deliver on the concept in a powerful way. These characters should be unique and tailored to fit your concept and story.

Title: TRAPPED

Genre: Thriller

Concept: Claustrophobic and trapped in a box at the bottom of a pool for stealing $3.6 billion in Bitcoin from the Russian mob, a Los Angeles retail store manager has just 60 minutes to
prove his innocence and save his family.

Character Structure: Protagonist versus Antagonist

Protagonist is Tom Carter

Logline: Tom is a retail store manager, husband and father, who finds himself trapped in a box at the bottom of a pool.

Unique: He is claustrophobic and trapped in a tight space with no escape, and has only 60 minutes to figure out how to save his family.

Antagonist is Ivan

Logline: Ivan is a Russian mob boss who will do anything to retrieve the billions of dollars worth of bitcoin stolen from him.

Unique: Extremely intelligent, ruthless, and somebody you don’t want to mess with…ever.

[Christopher Dalbey]

CHRISTOPHER DALBEY’S INTENTIONAL LEAD CHARACTERS

My Vision: to have success from this program and be one of the go-to writers in the industry for scripts that are both memorable and fascinating.

What I learned from this assignment is that the intrigue of story structure becomes more sturdy with the development of your character triangle.

Title: THE TRANSCRIBER

Genre: Sci-Fi

Concept: In the future, a top psychologist is assigned a transcriber with empath and supernatural abilities who puts herself in the shoes of the world’s deadliest criminals, covertly becoming their judge and jury.

Protagonist: Nia Coleman

Logline: A transcriber with empath and supernatural abilities becomes the world’s most elusive killer while hunting down her family’s killer.

Unique: An empath with abilities that allows her to get inside the minds of a higher tier of supernatural criminals.

Antagonist: Dr. Olivia Dahl

Logline: The world’s leading psychologist, with groundbreaking approaches to therapy, is assigned Nia Coleman to assist in analyzing this new elite line of criminals.

Unique: Her new methods of psychotherapy that hopefully absolves this new line of criminals of their charges.

Triangle Character: Nevaeh Coleman

Logline: The gifted daughter of Nia who survived the murders but lost her vision as a result of the trauma from the incident.

Unique: Is gifted with the power to see things in different realms.

[Sharon Axcell]

Sharon’s Intentional Lead Characters

My vision: I am writing multiple movies that I love and that I can direct, and that people want to invest in and want me to direct. And they are successful, and bring more success.

What I learned from doing this assignment is…. That I can still hone in better on the uniqueness. But careful not to overthink!

Character 1: Vara

Logline: My protagonist is a brilliant inventor who battles with technology – and her feelings – to cure her husband’s paraplegia.

Unique: Technologically brilliant, but unable to tap into feelings and what really matters. Flaw is that she believes she can express her feelings through her technology.

Character 2: Bernard

Logline: My other protagonist is a paraplegic who helps his wife grieve and let him go.

Unique: Paraplegic who doesn’t hold a grudge against his wife, but has had enough.

[Jacqueline Murphy]

Jacqueline Murphy Intentional Lead Characters WIM MOD2 Lesson 2 Homework 6/16

VISION: To empower myself to go for my dreams to be a great writer, actress and filmmaker who is “Admired”, recognized and sought after by the industry and has many successful TV & Film projects produced that make money, a difference and inspire others to go for their dreams. What I learned from doing this assignment is that once I started plugging in the “old” info of what I knew- I somehow had a creative leap and the questions asking what is unique about the characters helped me to come up with a more intriguing logline. The answers just came to me. I think stepping back from it for a few weeks, relief of finally getting the work done and encouragement from Hal helped me to just go for it, feel free & I actually was really happy I came up with NEW material. Thank you for this awesome class!

1. Start this assignment by empowering yourself using our State: I am completely committed to…Activity: …having my lead characters deliver powerfully on my concept.

2. Give us a logline (one sentence answer) for your protagonist, antagonist, and triangle character (if you have one) to the question, “What makes this character fit my concept and title powerfully?”

Protagonist Olivia Spencer

Logline: A desperate actress who risks it all to be a star but stumbles on a hidden genetic talent she has to allow her to time travel and do magic and fights her way to find her “true Purpose” and be the ordained Ruler of the Old Hollywood Dimension.

Unique: Genetical endowed with super powers to time travel, do magic and an Rainman type of memory but unaware of it because she’s blinded by her desire to be a star.

Antagonist: Damien Exit

Logline: A manipulative Sorcerer who uses his magical powers to control Olivia but needs her power to completely takeover of the Old Hollywood Dimension but he implodes when the tables are turned on him and loses to Olivia.

Unique: Chip on his shoulder always searching for total power and reunion with his family(wound) but love makes him weak.

Triangle Character: Angelica Logline: Angelica is a psychic intuitive and Olivia’s best friend who tries to guide her but Angelica has her own ulterior motive to keep Olivia from the Old Hollywood Dimension and Sorcerer Damien Exit.

Unique: A transgender who hides her real identity and love who tries to remain in “real world” as an undercover psychic intuitive with ability to go between ALL dimensions

[Jon Scheide]

Jon’s Intentional Lead Characters

My Vision: I am going to take everything I’ve learned from thirty years of filmmaking and focus on creating and crafting scripts that readers can’t put down. I’m going to develop my process and professionalism in writing so that I can become represented as a writer for hire and writer/director.

What I learned: writing a premise for each character is very revealing.

Protagonist: Boyfriend

Logline: The boyfriend agrees to smuggle diamonds convinced it will impress his girlfriend.

Unique: The boyfriend is very superficial, style over substance, willing to risk it all for a big reward.

Protagonist: Girlfriend

Logline: the Girlfriend refuses to be part of the plan

Unique: The Girlfriend doesn’t value diamonds or money as much as love, honor and honesty.

Triangle: Head of Security

Logline: The Head of Security has never had a major theft, he’s not gonna let these amateurs get away with it.

Unique: The Head of Security is less concerned with the value of the stones as much as he is protecting the myth and mystery, and his record

[Danielle Dillard]

VISION – To write touching, entertaining family stories that have a message to teach and entertain audiences at the same time.

My protagonist is a strong single mother and church going woman, but she has a weakness for settling for abusive men.

My antagonist is a charismatic, professional single man who’s looking to find the right woman with kids, but he’s a child abuser.

These characters are unique because they both go against what they represent on the outside and both have flaws that fuel their dysfunctional relationship.

[Peter Symons]

Peter’s Intentional Lead Characters

My Vision
In five years, I’m a successful screenwriter and producer living and working in the movie business in Canada and the US.

MEAT WAGON

A gangster on the run takes a priest and his hearse hostage on Halloween night only discover to discover that the body in the back is his own.

Dramatic Triangle

Character: Carlos Ramirez, 20’s, career criminal year

Logline: Carlos ‘The Scorpion’ has been trying to leave his gang life behind him for the sake of his wife, Dani and their newborn son, Alejandro — but one more score proved too much of a temptation.

Unique: Carlos is already dead and his soul is on the way to Hell.

Character: Father Diego, 70’s, priest and hearse driver; loyal servant to the Saint of Death

Logline: Father Diego is the driver of the hearse that ferries the souls of the damned to the gates of Hell– but he has other plans for Carlos

Unique: Father Diego has been dead for almost 60 years.

Character: Dani Ramirez, 20’s, a Christian woman who prays for her husband’s soul

Logline: Dani sees the man that Carlos can become and believes that one day he will find salvation.

Unique: Dani prays to God and to Santa Muerte for protection.

Character: The Meat Wagon

Logline: A possessed 1930’s funeral carriage that looks like modern hearse to all those who see her – but her true appearance is only visible to those touched by death.

[Daniel Turner]

Daniel Turner’s Intentional Lead Characters

My Vision: My vision is to become a consistent, produced and overall well received writer.

What I learned: is how to ensure that your characters deliver on the promise of the pitch.

TITLE: Blood Atonement

Concept: Colvile Franklin, that preacher turned police detective while investigating a series of murders uncovers a secret sect that is sacrificing sinners to cleanse the world in preparation of God’s coming paradise.

Character: Colvile Franklin(protagonist)

Preacher turned Detective must decide if the sect he has uncovered is doing God’s work, or the Devil’s.

Unique: A man of God becomes a man of the law and must constantly decide whether man’s law or God’s law is to be followed and is more important.

Character: Dr. Roland Young(antagonist)

Policeman turned police psychiatrist or cop doc. He is the recruiter for the sect.

Unique: He also wants to make the world a better place and to achieve its promise. Its just that his methods may be questionable.