Day 3 Assignments

[Eric Humble]

Eric Humble’s Right Characters!

What I learned doing this assignment is: to create strong characters that work with the concept, I have to compare them not only to the hook but to the contained setting. I’ve worked with comparing characters to the concept/hook before and always found that a valuable starting point to develop characters that “fit” the story perfectly, but it never occurred to me for a contained script to compare them to the contained environment to ensure a good fit. Already I’m seeing possibilities that will allow the characters to behave in an interesting way but still require them to remain in the contained environment, which is something I’ve struggled with in the past. I’m already having breakthroughs on the potential for this story. I can’t wait to see where we go from here!

Concept Hook: Would you let someone die to prove you’re not a murderer?

Contained Setting: Ambulance hostage situation; police station

With each of your main characters, how can they uniquely fit with the Hook?

D’Quan:

Holding the EMTs and the gunshot wound patient hostage unless Robert reinvestigates his case and finds Chief of Detectives Markway guilty of murder. D’Quan is a doctor, so he knows just how far he can let the victim go untreated, and how to stabilize him when needed.

Robert:

Rookie detective, new to the plainclothes division. “Cop culture” is ingrained in him, as is his hero worship of the legendary Markway. High personal stakes – he wants the patient in the ambulance to live, to make it to the hospital… and that’s all in D’Quan’s hands.

Markway:

Chief of Detectives, legend within the police force as the ultimate untouchable cop… except he’s an avowed racist and is masterminding a deeply corrupt scheme to squeeze money out of the low-income project housing for mostly Black neighborhoods.

Thinking about the conflict that hook creates, how does each main character enhance or cause that conflict?

D’Quan:

Forces Robert to reinvestigate the case and expose all of Robert’s heroes as the

real guilty parties… but must back up his threats with real force against the

EMTs, and also guide Robert’s investigation before the patient succumbs to his

wounds.

Robert:

He feels guilt over shooting the patient in the ambulance, even though it was in the line of duty… and the guilt is showing throughout the night as IA investigates his use of force. Becomes increasingly skeptical of Markway and his fellow officers and the entire cop lifestyle he was trained to aspire to as he races to investigate the case.

Markway:

Father-figure to Robert; uses that influence to steer him away from reopening the

case. Is in an authority position, so he can feed Robert to IA the second he

suspects Robert is in contact with D’Quan – and that his secret might be

exposed.

Tell us what makes these characters the “right ones” for this story?

Each character is tied to the other and to the hook: Markway wants to arrest or kill D’Quan to keep him from revealing Markway’s scheme; D’Quan is forcing Robert to expose Markway by preventing the man Robert shot in the line of duty from receiving care; Robert worship Markway, but wants the man he shot to survive… and is also becoming won over by D’Quan as he uncovers evidence that D’Quan is innocent. If the patient dies, D’Quan will lose and Markway will win, and Robert will turn on D’Quan, but if D’Quan can get Robert to solve the case before the patient dies, D’Quan will be vindicated and Markway will fall.

[David Harper]

David’s Right Characters

What I learned is I still have a lot of work to do …

Concept Hook: How do you escape Purgatory when you don’t know you’re there?

Contained Setting: A physical rehab facility

Characters:

THE PATIENT: When his son was very young, like seven, this man divorced his wife and married another woman. He tried to keep a solid relationship with his son, but the damage was done and they drifted further and further apart. His son grew up making bad choices leading to jail time, hospital stays, and drug use. Now, at 30 years old, he’s living on the streets. His father, THE PATIENT, feels a deep sense of guilt about all this and is on his way to find his son and help him and try and make amends when he is in a terrible auto accident. He flashes in and out of consciousness, and ultimately finds himself in a physical rehab facility.

DR. LUZ – Dr. Luz is actually a spirit being, a being of light. He is there to try and help the patient find his way to the “unapproachable light.”

MARA – Mara is another patient at the facility, who interacts with the patient. She is a being of darkness, trying to ensure the patient goes the other way.