Day 3: Power Struggle – REMEMBER THE TITANS

[Sandeep Gupta]

The power-struggle in this movie is founded in history told at a time when segregation taken for granted that far was giving way for an annuit cœptis redecreed after a war fought by peoples together.

Coach HERMAN BOONE is not a consensus leader riding a wave into his role. He is an appointed instrument of this change. Adding this drama, the boys from Hammond carry in their need to dominate and hold on to time by continuing to call shots. However, GERRY BERTIER, their leader also has a need to be able to play on the team.

Herman has control over it and hits him thrice. First by reducing his demand to a joke, then threatening his spot on the team, and finally reducing him to accepting his “autocracy.” Interestingly, their profiles, in spite opposing agendas aren’t as contrasted as for characters in the previous lessons and the point is made by Herman’s thrice-hammered dominance. Right?

Both parties also have a perceived wound, so both are standing up for their “people” who they want to see treated differently than — this right or wrong, “injustice perceived by them.” The future has been telegraphed in the boys’ overt acquiescence and admitting the possibility they’ve lost that. Just as well right then, were we to borrow from the rest of the movie, clearly there is a layer being hatched at that very point. Audiences that they are playing to, do play a role here. Herman gets a jump responding publicly and forcing a larger and open audience in contrast to a nearly clandestine opinion on behalf of a smaller audience just delivered to him.

Question — is there a secret playing a role here that I am not catching on to?

[Deb Johnson]

I like how you mentioned that these characters are the embodiment of the bigger struggle.

I, too, did not see a relevant secret.

[Sandeep Gupta]

thanks Deb.

[Trish Carothers]

Hi Sandeep. I’m on Twitter now but there r about 30 Sandeep Gupta on their. Can we thin the herd?

[Sandeep Gupta]

right, since 1997 on internet some even claimed my neighborhood and same mother’s name. please message me @ screenwriting_1 on Twitter. DMs (direct messages) are open, no need to follow me there. since you are new, Tweets are public, please use DM for class discussion.

[Sandeep Gupta]

if it helps, it seems you have DMs (private messages) disabled. mine are open. you should see a message icon on https://twitter.com/screenwriting_1

it is not a commercial account, plain amateur, guaranteed to not be commercial : )

Tweets by screenwriting_1

[David Moe]

Insights/Breakthroughs – Great power struggle on multiple levels – black/white, youth/age, leader-on-field vs. leader as coach. This is all about domination and control, and Gary B. loses big time. And Denzel delivers the words so perfectly, totally under control and in complete command. Huge drama build up to see how it all plays out, within the complicated team dynamics. Can the coach bring them together as a team? Will they all be able to get their differences and come together, or will they self-destruct?

[Deb Johnson]

good point. I didn’t notice at first how this scene also builds the suspense – will they eventually come together and if so – how? Internally, after watching this scene, I thought – “I really want to see this movie again” – and it was BECAUSE OF THIS SCENE. Now that’s good writing.

[Deb Johnson]

A power struggle, in this case, overt, makes for interesting and powerful drama.

I think the takeaway – for me – in this scene – is that the “Right Character” plays out this drama.

Coach Boon is completely sure of himself and won’t be intimidated. Gerry thinks he’s got a winning hand, but when he folds, he’s got nothing. He acquiesces and gets on the bus.

If Gerry didn’t get on the bus, if he walked away, we would have a different movie. (We’d have Hoosiers maybe).

So, it all depends on how I want the struggle to play out to tell my story.

All in all, power struggles are, well, powerful. 🙂

[Trish Carothers]

I agree with

[Trish Carothers]

I agree up front with David Moe’s analysis of poer struggles. We see it immediately as the “whites” enter the room. Thd discriminatory student comment that Herman kills with a look.. a look…amazing. Then he melts the assistant coach, finally he faces the coach in a subtle power play…”Who are you?” comment, which doesn’t intimidate Hermon. The coach gets power-packed when Hermon tells him that he’s the coaches replacement. Nobody physically hit anyon,anyone, but there is definitely a winner and some losers…like the team record.

[Karyn Laitis]

Character Mastery: Week 2, Day 3, Remembering the Titans

Karyn Laitis

Power Struggle

How is the power struggle created? — There are power struggles on a number of levels, schools, administration, school board, players, coaches, and interested stakeholder and all because of systemic racism. There are multi-layers and journeys providing dramatic confrontations and opportunities for growth.

What is it about these characters that demand this power struggle? – It is a test of wills and who has the control to manipulate to continue the racism narrative. The coaches and the players have their egos, immediate and future goals. Sabotaging might hurt the characters more than focusing on building a winning team.

How does each character’s audience influence and depend upon this power struggle? – their audience boosts and justifies the character’s actions, perpetuating the divide and absolving the characters of their bad behavior or conduct counter to a unified team.

What drama is this scene built around? – The segregation and desegregation of schools in the 1970’s. The drama is racially motivated. It depicts just a sliver of the systemic racial disparity within the education systems that trickled down to School Boards, administrators, coaches, supporters and team members/students. We see how this divide plays out individually and collective agendas to sabotage Coach Boone.

How are they expressing their profile through their words and actions: These characters were expressing the true story. Power struggles can restrict relationships and potential greatness but make for great drama. Coach Boone cut the two white players at the knees and humiliated them in front of their audience.

[Trish Carothers]

Hi Karen. My Gmail keeps saying that the WordPress server is not accepting my replies. I’m on Twitter now. If you are maybe we can connect. Here’s my Twit: CaroTrish49026. If this doesn’t work, perhaps you have a different email address and I promise not to abuse it. Let me know what you decide. I believe you have my Gmail address.

Thanks for your efforts and patience.

[Lawrence Fraly]

Week 2 Day 3 Power Struggle

REMEMBER THE TITANS

FIRST WATCH

Power struggle created by arrogant football player telling new coach to use just himself and a friend in the games. Coach doesn’t like that one bit, and immediately humbles the guy.

What about these characters demand this power struggle?

Coach runs the team. Players do not. Player is super capable athlete, with an ego to go with it. Coach is confident, with a vision to build the guys into a community who work together.

How does each character’s audience influence & depend on this power struggle?

Player’s parents look on with pride which tells us the parents are vicarious heroes through the boys. The parents shield the arrogant guy from any responsibility. They are there to support and brag about their All American star. Also, the kid’s white, so there’s that. Obvious contempt for the authority of Coach.

Coach has no visible audience, except the other coaches, who don’t seem to approve of him. Coach has to show he takes charge. That he’s not only equal, but superior to these smug assholes because he can see right through them, while they ignore his clapping as if he’s invisible. He shows who’s boss.

SECOND WATCH

Drama built around everyone watching to see how the new coach handles adversity. How he will prove himself worthy. Atmosphere so electric you can feel the zap of the coach’s thunderclap burning down the incipient white privilege to a pile of ashes.

Profile

Coach brash, bold, alpha male, probably had to take a lot of crap off white folks his whole life. He’s astute. He flips the power dynamic of submissive black man/haughty white boss man. His future is to build a team where everyone has a role to play…As Deion said to parents of his players when he was coach at Jackson State – you give me your boys, and they will come back to you as men. But his future’s is dealing with the white coaches whose game plan is different from his. The white coach looks down on the black coach’s game plan as simplistic.

Athlete Arrogant. Knows he’s on stage as lead actor, and insists the new coach treat him as such. Wound is he’s not yet a man, not yet a big enough star to run the show.

Great character

Coach has the grit to stand up to others, but he’s got a deep wound he’s covering by being so brash. He’s got a thing about “Who’s your daddy?”. Opportunity for serious backstory and subtext about growing up black. He’s got a minefield to dance through, and the smarts to step hard when he needs to.

What I learned:

In my horror script, my protagonist and antagonist will have subtext that matches up with the each other’s surface traits. They’ll get along tremendously well, until they don’t.

[J.R Riddle]

Lots of male power struggle in this film: black vs white, young vs old, coach vs players, parents vs coaches, coaches vs coaches. – tons of testosterone. Everyone fights for individual survival, however the individuals must come together as a team to win. Everyone wants recognition. Boon states being tough without Mama will increase chances of gaining the team members giving up their individual prejudices, attitudes and wants for the goal of the team winning.Boon says he’s “a winner” and will not tolerate the individual egos fighting each other.

Drama is built around power control and ultimately winning – who’s strategy will work? Being Black in a segregate community carries old wound of judgement and discrimination in the old South. White players fear bing replaced with new, inexperienced black players taking their place in the line-up without earning that place.

Breakthrough: Don’t be afraid to write strong, even arrogant characters when appropriate to the story. No initial soft, nice guy can work towards a strong arc in development.