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Day 3 Assignments
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15 Replies
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Lesley Harter’s World and Characters!
What I learned:
– The importance of having a “Red Herring” Character.
– The need to understand more about my characters behavior.
– The importance of an “intriguing world.”
“Untitled Thriller” Logline:
While writing an article on Christian Sparrow, the convicted wife-killer released from prison on a technicality, “Sam” Reichek finds herself falling for him. Big mistake.
1. Remind us of your CONCEPT and the Big M.I.S. of your story.
Big Mystery: Who is Christian Sparrow? Did he kill his wife? What does he want from Sam?
Big Intrigue: Christian is a conniving sociopath passing as a good human being. What is he up to?
Big Suspense: As long as Christian is alive and not behind bars, Sam and her family are in extreme danger. How can she stop him?
2. Tell us the Intriguing World you have selected for this story.
The inner and outer world of a psychopath masquerading as a good guy.
3. MIS of each character:
MYSTERY:
SAM (HERO): Why is Sam drawn to Christian? Why would she get involved with him? Why is her relationship with her mother so contentious? Why does her daughter hate her?
CHRISTIAN (VILLAIN): Is Christian a murderer? Did he kill his wife? What does he want from Sam? What is he hiding?
KELSEY (RED HERRING): Why does Kelsey want to hurt her mother (Sam)? Does Kelsey suggest to Christian that she’d be better off if her Grandma died?
INTRIGUE:
SAM (HERO): Sam, usually co-dependent when it comes to lovers, is capable of anything when the chips are down.
<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>CHRISTIAN (VILLAIN): Christian is a ruthless opportunist. When seducing Kelsey is more beneficial than staying with Sam, he changes course without remorse. He’ll ‘remove’ any obstacle in his path.
KELSEY (RED HERRING): Kelsey who is immature, narcissistic, and angry, can’t see past her own needs and will stop at nothing to feed them.
SUSPENSE:
SAM (HERO): Did Christian kill his wife? Did he kill Sam’s mother? Is he planning to kill Sam? Will she be able to stop him?
CHRISTIAN (VILLAIN): Is Christian planning to kill Sam? How can Christian prevent Kelsey’s grandmother from writing Kelsey out of her will? How will he react when he finds out Kelsey is pregnant?
KELSEY (RED HERRING): Is Kelsey really pregnant with Christian’s child? Did she have a hand in her grandmother’s demise.
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Mary Emmick’s World and Characters!
What I learned from doing this assignment is the importance of brainstorming “sub-worlds” that will intrigue an audience. It is important that the thrill comes from suspense stacking. In a thriller you need a hero and a villain and sometimes a red herring.
Concept and Big M.I.S. of your story
A suburban housewife and social justice advocate who works to help immigrants from war torn Morlova, is thrust into an international plot to free the prisoner who can save Morlova…and the western world.
Big Mystery: Who is trying to kill Katie Green and why?
Big Intrigue: Tajerkistan president Igor Stepanov who is aligned with an international media cabal headed by social media Aaron Stench, is trying to take over the world by controlling the media world-wide.
Big Suspense: Katie’s quest to connect the dots and uncover the plan to reveal the actors cause her to be hunted down and there is a target on her head.
WORLD: A media consolidation has taken place. Its goal is to control the world with propaganda and ultimately dominate the planet with a new world order.
HERO: Katie Green, housewife and social justice advocate
Mystery: Katie needs to help her friend Natasha get her brother out of a Tajerkistan prison, where the president of Tajerkistan is holding him.
Intrigue: Her friend Natasha has been replaced as manager of Morlova Immigrant Assistance with a sinister woman Olga Norikov.
Suspense: Who is trying to kill Katie and Natasha?
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<div>Buried in Blickwood</div>
Big Mystery: What is the main mystery of your story that will keep us wondering throughout the story? What happened to the sheriff’s daughter and why her?Big Intrigue: What is the covert, clandestine, underhanded plot that will live under the surface for most of the movie? The sheriff’s daughter inadvertently awakened the entities. They have been hibernating waiting for humanity to be ready technologically to communicate.Big Suspense: What is the main danger to your Hero that will continue to escalate throughout the script? The closer the sheriff comes to saving her daughter, the more the entities retaliate.
2. Tell us the Intriguing World you have selected for this story.
Blickwood is a small town with big secrets. The town is famous for legends and lore… ghosts, earthquakes, strange fireflies… even rumors of a lake monster. But the townies all know something else hangs in the air…the intense desire to be one’s best self. And yet no one is. It is a town made up of disappointed people. As if, the town is searching for the next King Arthur who can figuratively pull the sword from the stone. All try and when they fail, they are left to blend in with others, living bland non-eventful lives in a town known for its magic.
Characters:
Hero: Sheriff Nancy Branter
Mystery: How does she find her missing daughter?
Intrigue: The sheriff brought her young daughter to the town to escape her high-tech past. She shunned all technology and now attempts to live an uneventful life.
Suspense: Will she find her daughter and save the town amidst the awakening of long hibernating ancient beings?
Villain: The Ancients
Mystery: What are these beings?
Intrigue: Prior to her disappearance, the sheriff’s daughter had posted numerous videos about the ancients awakening and the danger that brought to the town.
Suspense: As the seemingly random appearances escalate, will they lead to the destruction of the town?
Red Herring: Fading high school football star – Curtis “Kicker” Taggart
Mystery: Is he the one who has kidnapped the sheriff’s daughter as he has threatened to do?
Intrigue: Kicker is on a quest to find the sheriff’s daughter first and publicly take out his revenge.
Suspense: How over the top will he go to get his revenge on the sheriff’s daughter?
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Virginia’s World and Characters
“What I learned doing this assignment is?”
I learned that I need to understand my characters and their motivations better.
1. Remind us of your CONCEPT and the Big M.I.S. of your story.
Big
Mystery: The activities of
a large processing plant in Central Florida unleash a deadly force on a rural
farming community. Who
or what is responsible for the terror that the community is experiencing? <div>Big
Intrigue: What is the
origin of the terror that the community is experiencing and how can it be overcome?Big
Suspense: Alondra, a local dive bar
manager, has several secrets about herself, the discovery of which could implicate
her in the terror.2. Tell us the Intriguing World you have selected for this story.
Rural Central Florida, where the natural world poses dangers to its inhabitants, and greater threats are easily imagined.
3. With your top 2 or 3 characters, tell us the role they play and then answer these three questions:
Hero: Alondra, bartender in local dive bar
A. What is the mystery of this character? She has a secret that if revealed would make her unacceptable to the community and a suspect in the terror.
B. What is the suspense of this character? She is Dreamer, who must maintain a low profile due to her undocumented status and her secret.
C. What is the intrigue of this character? She has characteristics that she has controlled so far, however, the added stress of the situation could create enough conflict that she cannot control them, and which she must protect herself and her secret to survive.
Villain: A mysterious force that is attacking and killing local residents
A. What is the mystery of this character? Who or what is it?
B. What is the suspense of this character? When and who will it attack next?
C. What is the intrigue of this character? The force can “hide in plain sight,” making its discovery unlikely.
</div>
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Budinscak’s World and Characters – Day 3
What I learned Doing This Assignment:
This exercise helps to formulate character traits. It gives them a voice and behavior for their ‘new’ world. Tying MIS into each scene – effective new approach.
Logline:
Following up on UFO sightings, a rookie Forest Ranger stumbles upon a clandestine operation where she must fall back on her Girl Scout training to survive the night.
1. Remind us of your CONCEPT and the Big MIS of your story.
Big Mystery – Will Vicki, a rookie forest ranger, survive the night? Will she rescue imprisoned animals and campers?
Big Intrigue – Vicki stumbles into a world the Commander is quickly dismantling – it’s as if the operation never existed – and that includes any witnesses.
Big Suspense – How will Vicki evade the Commander and his force of humans and technology, specifically when she’s in their environment?
2. Tell the intriguing World you have selected for this story.
Beneath the beautiful hills Vicki patrols, lies a long-closed mine secretly converted into a labyrinth of dirt tunnels and concrete tracks, a hidden and claustrophobic world. The perfect setting for black ops.
A brutal mercenary is tasked with eliminating all evidence a covert operation ever existed, including the elimination of all witnesses.
3. With your top 2 or 3 characters, tell us the role they play and then answer these three questions:
Hero – Vicki
Mystery – What is this operation she discovers and who’s chasing her?
Intrigue – How will the outdoorsy Vicki operate in the Commander’s underground, high-tech world?
Suspense – How will she escape detection and capture as the operation is dismantled around her?
Villain – Commander
Mystery – Will he succeed in his mission? Will he keep his promise to eliminate all witnesses?
Intrigue – He must dismantle his covert operation and deal with what’s left – the trash, some animals, captured campers and a pesky Forest Ranger.
Suspense – Will he capture Vicki and make everything and everyone disappear?
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ASSIGNMENT 3
What I learned doing this assignment is I need to begin with MIS before writing.
Subject line: Pat Galbraith’s World and Characters.
1.Logline:
After three young men are killed during an ATV ride, a younger teen brother risks life and death to find the killer.
Big Mystery: Who killed the three men?
Big Intrigue: Fears of investigating in clandestine mountain terrain.
Big Suspense: Will our Hero be safe or will he lose his cool and get killed. If this villain has killed once he’ll kill again.
2. Intriguing World of a mountain redneck
3. Characters
Hero-Terry, brother of a victim.
A. Mystery: Will whoever is sending the threats kill him?
B. Intrigue: Interviews and spies on suspects. Will the wrong people catch him.
C. Suspense: He’s hot headed no telling what he might do to find the killer.
Red Herring-Jim Daniels
A. Mystery: Did Jim kill the three men?
B. Intrigue: Does Jim know the killer?
C. Suspense: Why was Jim in the area that day.
Villain-Peter Croft
A. Mystery: Why did he kill these men? What purpose did it serve?
B. Intrigue: Redneck landowner who is tired of people coming on his land.
C. Suspense: Causes upset with threatening remarks to people who talk to the law.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by Pat GALBRAITH Galbraith.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by
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Busy’s World and Characters
What I learned from this assignment is: every main and supporting character needs to have their own M.I.S. that supports and deepens the story’s M.I.S.
1. Remind us of your concept and the big M.I.S. of your story:
When a man is murdered at a summer resort, a young girl must prove who the real killer is before her only friend goes to prison.
Big Mystery: How did Steffi kill her husband?
Intrigue: Lorelei and Steffi manipulate Maisie to taint her investigation so much that no one will be able to bring the actual evidence against them.
Suspense: Are the attempts on Lorelei’s life bids to silence Maisie as she gets closer to the truth?
2. Tell us the intriguing world you have selected for this story:
World: The dangerous mind games and manipulations of a high-functioning teenage sociopath.
3. The M.I.S of each character:
Maisie (Hero)
Mystery: How will she save her only friend from prison when she’s only twelve?
Intrigue: Maisie eavesdrops and investigates the people at The Tyler Place resort, even when told by the local police to stay out of it.
Suspense: Can she get the evidence she needs for the police to arrest Ron Sherman’s killer before she gets killed?
Steffi (Red Herring):
Mystery: Why did she kill her husband, Ron?
Intrigue: How did she kill her husband without being in town?
Suspense: Is she trying to kill Maisie because she won’t give up investigating?
Lorelei (Villain):
Mystery: Why was she “framed” for the murder?
Intrigue: Her ability to manipulate others and seem vulnerable while pulling all the strings.
Suspense: Will she stop Maisie from finding out the truth about her and telling the police?
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4. What I learned doing this assignment is that a red herring character is important but that you don’t want to make it too obvious that they’re a red herring. To me the power of Thrillers is in the mystery – i.e. keeping the audience guessing Who is doing What and Why?
1. Big Mystery: Why are Jack and his father, the Judge, enacting an ancient biblical plan to turn Jack into the Angel of Fire? What lows will they stoop to bring their plan to fruition? Will they succeed?
Big Intrigue: The Judge is pulling strings in the legal and political arenas of Black Maple, Arkansas to allow Jack to commit horrific crimes and gain power and influence.
Big Suspense: Will Gabe and Keith be hurt by Jack? Will they be caught by the Police Chief for committing crimes for Jack? Will they be victim’s of Jack’s plan? Will they take the fall for his crimes?
2. The Intriguing World is the corrupt underground of Black Maple, Arkansas filled with sex, drugs, rich deviants and an intricate, biblical plan of the powerful elite.
3.
Gabe:
A. Even though Gabe loves his family and they might get in the way, will Gabe give himself completely to Jack’s plan?
B. What is Gabe willing to do to himself and for Jack? Will he be caught by the Chief of Police?
C. Gabe is hiding his involvement in Jack’s plan and all that comes with that with the sex, drugs and crime.
Keith:
A. When his family finds out about Jack’s crimes and plan, will Keith choose his family, who he has a tenuous relationship with (hates his father, loves his mother and sister) or Jack, the man who he feels has always looked out for him?
B. Will Keith be willing to do every awful act Jack asks of him? Will he be caught doing it? Will he take the fall for the crimes necessary for Jack’s plans?
C. Keith is hiding his involvement in Jack’s plan and his affair with Laura. How much will he hide for Jack? Is his trust in Jack and the Judge misplaced?
Jack:
A. Why are Jack and his father enacting this plan? What will they do to achieve it? Will they succeed?
B. Will Jack be caught committing crimes or enacting the rituals with the boys? He has a weird relationship with Keith’s sister Heather – will he be outed for that? Will Jack succeed with his plan to transcend?
C. Jack is hiding his manipulation of the town and it’s people in plain sight. Jack is hiding his use of Laura, Gabe, Keith and Heather for his own ends. Jack is using “The Program” to train select members of the town on the Angel of Fire ritual.
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(4) What I learned doing this assignment is that the three main characters I’ve already been developing fit perfectly into the hero, villain, and red herring roles! That was very satisfying.
(1) Remind us of your CONCEPT and the Big M.I.S. of your story.
Logline: Skye, a charismatic up-and-coming influencer visiting an isolated Italian town, gets his big shot at fame when his airbnb host is murdered. After live-streaming the body to crowdsource the investigation, Skye attracts the attention of the killer and must race against time before his body is the one trending.
✴ Big Mystery: Who killed Francesca Innocenza, the airbnb host who was pushed to her death from the bell tower of her own apartment? This is the question that Skye, who has come to Montefiori for a social media partnership, is determined to solve.
✴ Big Intrigue: Lorna, the vanilla 30-something British mother of two on holiday in Italy, knows exactly who killed her sweet little 50-something Italian airbnb host… and she will protect that secret at all costs.
✴ Big Suspense: As Skye gets closer to solving the murder, and his posts gets more and more attention on social media as his fans try desperately to crowdsource the investigation, he also attracts the attention of Lorna—who will stop at nothing to silence him.
(2) Tell us the Intriguing World you have selected for this story.
Every year on the Feast of Corpus Christi—nine Sundays after Easter—the tiny Italian town of Montefiori hosts the festival of the Le Infiorate, decorating the streets with intricate tapestries of flowers. The artists are only allowed to use organic flower material, so they spend months creating and fine-tuning elaborate designs, harvesting flowers of every shade and hue from the surrounding hills, drying the petals in cool underground caves, and harboring a growing excitement for the “Night of Flowers.” They can only begin to lay out these elaborate flower murals on Saturday once the sun has set, and so they stay up all night, working furiously, sweating, cursing, laughing, desperately trying to finish. At sunrise, they bask in a blissful hour of enjoying their art, and sharing it—judges come to award prizes, and thousands of tourists throng the streets to gaze upon the majesty of Le Infiorate.
Then, suddenly, it’s over. Exactly one hour after the last petal is arranged, the local bishop strolls through the town, cloaked in his Sunday robes, with a full processional… and walks straight through the tapestries, destroying hours, weeks, months of work.
In my story, on the feast day of Corpus Christi, the floral tapestries are not the only things destroyed. There, in the midst of the flowers, they find the corpse of Francesca, a local innkeeper, her neck snapped.
3. With your top 2 or 3 characters, tell us the role they play and then answer these three questions:
SKYE. Hero. While he may at first blush seem a bit buffoonish—what influencer doesn’t?—Skye is actually quite clever. He certainly understands how to use his charm, and more importantly: how to wield his nascent celebrity. He was invited to Montefiori for a partnership with the city to help put the flower festival “on the map,” so when the body is found, he’s well positioned to do exactly what he was hired to do: by live-streaming the body. By utilizing his “brand,” Skye is able to get access to places, information, and secrets he shouldn’t be allowed to have.
✴ Mystery. Who threw Francesca from the bell tower apartment? Skye doesn’t know—but he’s determined to find out.
✴ Intrigue. Skye has an international following on Flik—which means everyone, including the killer, is watching his every move.
✴ Suspense. As he gets closer to unmasking the killer, the killer gets closer to killing him.
LORNA. Villain. Lorna may seem like an exhausted mother of two, trying to rest and recover on holiday in Italy, but her holiday is not what it seems. In truth, Lorna has come to Montefiori for a very specific reason. There is another murder lurking in Lorna’s past, in this very same hilltop town, and when she discovers who is responsible for it, she will discover that she, too, may be capable of murder.
✴ Mystery. Why has Lorna come to Italy? What is she really doing in the town of Montefiori, and why is she haunted by what happened here?
✴ Intrigue. Lorna has a secret before the story even begins: she knows exactly who killed Francesca.
✴ Suspense. Lorna will stop at nothing to ensure that no one else ever finds out who really pushed Francesca to her death.
VERO. Red Herring. Veronica—Vero for short—is the daughter of the local innkeeper who is murdered. She has a terse, tense relationship with her mother, whom she hates.
✴ Mystery. Did Vero kill her mother Francesca?
✴ Intrigue. Vero is pregnant—she’s been having an affair with one of the married guests at her mother’s inn—and she wants an abortion. Her mother is such a devout Catholic, Vero fears what her mother might do if she discovers Vero’s secret…
✴ Suspense. Vero’s timeline is different than Skye and Lorna’s… her story plays out in the days leading up to the murder, whereas Skye and Lorna’s play out in the days immediately after… so the suspense is really, what happens in those moments before Francesca was thrown from the bell tower? What transpired between Francesca and her daughter?
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Claudine Chalet’s World and Characters!
What I learned doing this assignment is: how to better understand my characters and their world.
1. Remind us of your CONCEPT and the Big M.I.S. of your story.
Concept: When police officer Frank O’Malley is murdered and his department claims he was a crooked cop who got what was coming to him, it’s up to his 23-year-old Goth-girl sister to find his killers and clear his name. (This is an adaptation of an Amazon ebook Nasty Disposition published under the pen name Tamworth Grice.)
Big Mystery: Who killed Frank O’Malley, and why? <div>
Big Intrigue: Sammy Kimura and his Yakuza operation, Frank’s greedy ex-wife, the possibility that Frank was a crooked cop
Big Suspense: Someone wants Carmen O’Malley, Frank’s sister, to stop nosing around, and eventually sends thugs to beat her rape her and leave her for dead.
2. Tell us the Intriguing World you have selected for this story.
A small oceanside town in southern California not far from Los Angeles, where crime runs rampant due, in part, to a corrupt police force.
3. With your top 2 or 3 characters, tell us the role they play and then answer these three questions:
Protagonist and amateur sleuth character: Goth girl Carmen O’Malley
A. What is the mystery of this character? </div>How will a 23 year who’s returned to town after several years absence, do what the police can’t or won’t do and find her brother’s killer?
B. What is the suspense of this character?
Is she going to be another victim of the killer, or will she just give up?
C. What is the intrigue of this character?
Carmen seems to move easily through multiple worlds, with the ability to relate to everyone from Buddhist monks to organized crime leaders.
Protagonist’s Side Kick Crime blogger Bobby DellaChiesa
A. What is the mystery of this character?
He’s geeky yet useful and effective.
B. What is the suspense of this character?
Will he be able to uncover the information Carmen needs to bring her brother’s killer to justice?
C. What is the intrigue of this character?
He tries to be cool but he’s nevertheless a geek who lives in his grandmother’s basement.
Red Herring: Yakuza crime boss Sammy Kimura
A. What is the mystery of this character?
Was he behind Frank’s murder?
B. What is the suspense of this character?
Why is he being so nice to Carmen? Is it a ruse to deflect her attention from him. Was he behind the thugs who beat, raped, and nearly killed her?
C. What is the intrigue of this character?
He’s the ruthless leader of a major organized crime organization, yet he’s polite, sophisticated, handsome, and kind.
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THRILLER ASSIGNMENT DAY 3
Alfred’s World and Characters
What I learned doing this assignment is:
I had more time to think about the various roles and decided that the Lodge Owner, Gloria should be the Red Herring, not the Villain. So, I would have to say, I got a much better understanding of the various roles of the important three characters – very different from seeing a complete drama as eight characters – four opposing pairs: Protagonist vs. Antagonist, for instance. In Greek plays, the Chorus played the part of Muse… a kind of conscience to the Main Character. In Star Wars, Obi wan Kenobi was the “muse” or “guardian” to Luke Skywalker. I see Gloria in that sort of role, somewhat. She poses the questions that force Spencer to reevaluate his own thoughts. “Trust the Force Luke.”
Logline (first draft):
An undercover operative is sent to a mountainous wilderness area to ascertain what is happening to those who enter the area and disappear into thin air. Will he discover an answer to the riddle, or will he simply become the next victim?
The Big M.I.S.: (from Assignment 2)
a. Big Mystery: What is happening to all those disappearing people? And why is it happening?
b. Big Intrigue: The least suspected person, the operative’s boss, is the culprit. he is trying to eliminate the rumors about the wilderness area rather than solving the problem.
c. Big Suspense: The Lodge Owner is on Spencer’s side. She sees right through him, even as she plays a rather ditzy role of spreading local mythology..
The Intriguing World:
The Story’s World is an alpine-like, high elevation valley, long (6-7 miles) but only a mile or two wide – narrower at the upper end, broader at the lower end. A river runs through the valley. It is surrounded by precipitous, high cliffs, with waterfalls, and it is a designated wilderness area. Just outside the wilderness area, in a wooded area, on private land, there is a lodge. The Lodge is 20 miles from the nearest roadhead, over a near-impassable sandy-dirt road. There is no other way into the valley other than by way of advanced climbing routes, over the mountains or the dangerous road. It is a very isolated and dangerous and mysterious place (with local legends that abound).
Top 2 or 3 Characters:
a. Spencer – The Protagonist/Main Character – the unwitting Hero with everything to lose and little to gain in this dangerous assignment. He’s young, the new guy, low on the pecking order, and (to his boss) expendable. Spencer only appears to be (to the audience) alone and on his own, in the beginning, but he is an undercover agent for the government, sent to try and discover what is happening to people who enter a designated, mountainous wilderness area, and just disappear. His resources, largely unknown to his boss, is that he grew up, ostensibly, in a mountainous, wilderness area – I mean really imbedded himself in it – the undiscoverable part of his mind-set.
b. Spencer’s “boss,” Russell is the covert “bad guy” who will double-cross Spencer. Russell is the Antagonist, Villain, with everything to lose if Spencer is successful. Russell is the “older guy,” more experienced, with many contacts and favors given and received. He knows “people,” and he knows his way around (including the rules).
c. The Lodge Owner, Gloria – Is being made to look like the suspicious “Red Herring” person. In many ways, she seems odd, full of mythology and stories of a former time when the valley was ruled by mythological creatures: Bahamut, Owl-bears, Ferries, and the likes… shape shifters who can look like anything but what the really are. But she is, in fact, very savvy and able to link Bahamut to the bemouth found in the Bible, for instance. In short, Gloria has surprises of her own.
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Day 3
What I learned doing this assignment is that my Hero is more an Everyman and although that’s the way I’d like to keep him, it goes against the conventions of a Thriller… as I dont want him to succeed in the end, which also goes against the conventions of the thriller, so rather than pause and stare at a blank page, I’m going to draw my Hero character in a new way and see what happens with him.
Concept – A cheating husband is the prime suspect in a series of murders of young women and the only person who can prove his innocence is his brilliant and hugely respected Attorney General Wife.
Big Mystery – who is killing these young women and why
Big Intrigue – the person who is seen as the victim, cheated on by her husband and who now stands loyally by his side to defend his good name, is actually the perpetrator of the crimes
Big Suspense – Will Dan (the hero) lose everything, his life (in prison), his true love (Sadie), his daughter or can he prove himself innocent, against the best Legal Mind in the country.
The Intriguing World of the untouchable Law Society and the Underworld of Vice, lap dancing and lonely hearts
HERO – Dan Dunbar
Mystery of Dan – Is Dan a killer? Is his religious beliefs causing him to breakdown?
Intrigue – Dan is seen as a bore, a nobody, a joke but he’s been living a secret life with a good woman who loves him for who he is
Suspense – will he realise the person he trusts with his life is actually his adversary. Will he manage to escape to that new life with the love of his life?
Villain – Alison Dunbar
Mystery – She has always been brilliant and perfect at what she does. Why does her marriage not work?
Intrigue – outwardly she is brilliant, a highly respected person beyond reproach but only she knows the covert narcissist that lives deep inside her, who will stop at nothing to make everything in her life remain perfect.
Suspense – will she get away with murder and fool the whole nation watching as she stands loyally by her cheating, murderous husband,
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what I learned: red herrings are good…
Intriguing World : nuclear power plant in middle of war with Ukraine; target and prize
1. Solly Golubic, unwitting hero, saves Masha, his estranged wife, and the plant by disobeying orders, eventually. This, ultimately, is his REAL mission.
A. Why did Putin choose him personally? Because of his conflicted persona (AND he knows how to make dirty bombs”?) Putin knows his sexual secrets, as well as Masha’s…
B. suspense? Will he be discovered? Will he be killed before he discovers and completes his (real) mission?
C. Intrigue? He’s half-Jewish too. And half-Ukrainian. Conflicting loyalties. Whom will he betray? Putin, or Masha?2. Simeon Markov – “friend” and “helper” to Solly. Real RED HERRING…
Why is he so “helpful?”
What does Solly do when “instructed” to kill him? And why does Putin want him dead?
Why does Solly kill his “friend”?
3.Vladimir Putin: has he really had intimate carnal knowledge of Masha? Or is it just another bluff?
What is his game plan for the nuke plant,and why does he need Solly to help him?
Why does he “instruct” Solly to kill Masha? And how does this play into putin’s plot to “save the Jews” and then kill them all? Beginning with her…
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What I learned:
Each character needs to have layers of MIS and it’s good to find a subsection of your world to make it more unique.
Concept: A high school senior battles ghosts, zombies, and ruthless sex traffickers as she searches for her best friend who goes missing in a haunted house.
The Big M.I.S. of your story?
Big
Mystery:Who
is kidnapping girls? What is happening to them?Big
Intrigue:Are
the men they meet in the haunted house involved with kidnapping?Big
Suspense:Can
she find her friend and get out of the haunted house alive?World: An adult (16+) haunted house
HEROINE
A.
What is the mystery of this character? Who is she and how much does she
know?
B.
What is the suspense of this character? Can she find and save her friend?
C.
What is the intrigue of this character? Will she be able to conquer her
fears?VILLAIN
A.
What is the mystery of this character? Is he just a business owner or a
ruthless criminal?
B.
What is the suspense of this character? How is he getting away with
kidnapping girls?
C.
What is the intrigue of this character? He enjoys the pursuit and is
always one step ahead.RED HERRING (best friend’s boyfriend)
A.
What is the mystery of this character? Is he a good or bad guy?
B.
What is the suspense of this character? Will he save his girlfriend or
side with the kidnappers?
C.
What is the intrigue of this character? Does he know what the cartel is doing? -
Alex Dower’s World & Characters
What I learned doing this assignment: Red Herring; That mystery, intrigue and suspense needs to be built into every element
1. The Swan, <b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Logline: A British woman working as a high-class prostitute in Dubai is with a client when he is assassinated. Fearing for her life she goes on the run, pursued by ruthless forces determined to cover their crimes and make billions from a new oil project
Big Mystery: What is the main mystery of your story that will keep us wondering throughout the story? <b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Who killed Ibrahim and why? Why do they want Natasha dead?
Big Intrigue: What is the covert, clandestine, underhanded plot that will live under the surface for most of the movie? <b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>The Oil investors plan to sabotage a renewables project and cause civil war, in order to justify their oil project
Big Suspense: What is the main danger to your Hero that will continue to escalate throughout the script? <b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>They want her dead: they chase her from Dubai to London, then into the countryside
2. Tell us the Intriguing World you have selected for this story.
Corruption within the oil industry (including politicians, lobbyists, investors)
3. With your top 2 or 3 characters, tell us the role they play and then answer these three questions:
Hero – Natasha:
A. What is the mystery of this character?
Why is she doing this self-damaging job? Why is she alone? Why is she stuck / frightened?
B. What is the suspense of this character?
Will she breakdown? Get killed / abducted? Is she strong enough?
C. What is the intrigue of this character?
Is she involved in the corruption? Will she just capitulate?
Villain – Yakob:
A. What is the mystery of this character?
Who is he and why is everyone so scared of him? Is the boss?
B. What is the suspense of this character?
He wants anyone who stands in his way dead
C. What is the intrigue of this character?
Is he involved with Natasha in some way – her ex-husband? Her boss? Is he in love with her? Who is he? Who else has he corrupted?
Suzanne (Natasha’s friend):
A. What is the mystery of this character?
Does she know more? Is her husband involved?
B. What is the suspense of this character?
Is she suicidal and willing to take Natasha with her?
C. What is the intrigue of this character?
Why is she so willing to leave her life behind and go with Natasha?
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