Day 4 Assignment

[r. reid jr]

Assignment 4 August 25

Subject line: (Ron Reid ) Intriguing Character Layers

“What I learned doing this assignment is that modeling the show I am watching and the examples of shows like HOUSE OF CARDS AND BREAKING BAD is that my stories are beginning to show layers that I wouldn’t have normally had before. I am being held to a higher standard. It is like playing with NBA players and now seeing my game improve a lot than if I just played on the street or with Lowe level players.

ASSIGNMENT 1: LOST

Hidden agendas- the whole show of LOST IS full of hidden agenda. One example is groups and the other is in the lives of the people themselves.

In the group-when some of the group goes off as a group and sees something that is unexplainable- They saw a polar bear and they decide it is better not to tell the majority of people who might freak out.

Competition- The Character of SAWYER, put is clear as he ends of going to blows with more than one character and have physical grab sessions of possessions from the plane. He says it out loud that some people are living in “Civilization” and he is living in the “Wild”.

Conspiracy- Early on we hear something that doesn’t make sense and has us thinking, why has a signal been playing for 16 and no one turned it off! And what happened to the other people who crashed before the crash victims ?

Secrets -As we see all the lives of the characters we see they all are keeping secrets. Briefly early on the US MARSHAL is suggesting his prison is “ONE OF A KIND” that his prisoner might be innocent.

Deception- I think KATE with her not knowing who the dying US Marshall is and explaining that, “He was seated next to me,” and who she really is a prisoner of said Marshall. And not just a “traveler.”

Wound-The character of the “tortured” Korean housewife who is fold not to interact others and gets “chastised” for having a top button undone. And to keep away from others unless her husband can see her.

Secret Identity -The character has a great example with his life. He has been paralyzed from the waste down for the last 4 years but when we wakes from the plane crash he can suddenly walk.

“What I learned doing this assignment is that modeling the show I am watching and the examples of shows like HOUSE OF CARDS AND BREAKING BAD is that my stories are beginning to show layers that I wouldn’t have normally had before. I am being held to a higher standard. It is like playing with NBA players and now seeing my game improve a lot than if I just played on the street or with Lowe level players.

ASSIGNMENT 2 SHOW STIGMA 2619

1. For your Inner Circle characters, fill in any of the Intrigue items that apply.

• Character Name: BRUCE

• Role: the humanoid alien who is sent to Earth.

• Hidden agendas: to retrieve the lost tech. Only the tech might gain him his home planet but cost countless planets across the universe.

• Competition: the agents who are tasked with finding unusual items or people that the government and or police don’t want known.

• Conspiracies: the tech itself may not be just lost but as in stolen.

• Secrets: the mysterious woman how is launching a wave of crimes.

When is she doing it?

• Deception: I started to think as my characters are revealed that the

female officer has encountered this situation before in her father’s

letters about a mysterious woman.

• Wound: Again, I was thinking on the surface everyone was going to be

wounded in some way. And it would be an onion situation; people present one thing and then as we spend time with them we see there is much more below the surface.

• Secret Identity: We already have a mysterious woman who is

unleashing the tech but each of the characters having a secret identity

like the female agent really working for another agency of the bosses

of Bruce himself while chasing him as an Earth agent.

ASSIGNMENT 2 SHOW #2 THE KIDNAPPING OF CASEY K

1. For your Inner Circle characters, fill in any of the Intrigue items that apply.

• Character Name: KEN

• Role: A frienemy of the main person who has been kidnapped.

• Hidden agendas: everyone, not only Ken have hidden agendas to keep Casey’s support coming or to bury a secret.

• Competition: Ken vs. other people like Mallory who might like to solve the mystery of where Casey is and get special treatment. But so far in the story everyone is working together.

• Conspiracies: Casey may have kidnapped himself and wants to see the loyalty of those around him. It would be a brilliant move.

• Secrets: Who are the people who kidnapped Casey and what do they want?

• Deception: the caterers who posed as staff but really kidnapped Casey and paid an actor to stand in his place.

• Wound: I haven’t uncovered any but there is bound to be some in our characters and we can start with Mallory’s character.

• Secret Identity: I like the idea of someone at the party who is trying to find out who kidnapped Casey is actually in on the heist as a safe guard against being caught.

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[Jack Sherry]

LESSON 4 ASSIGNMENT 1

In Episode 4 of The 100, Main Character Clarke displays deception, and thus intrigue, when she discovers it was her mother who caused the death of her father, not Wells, her childhood friend. She takes off her wristband to trick her mother into thinking she is dead, thus hurting her to get even for her mother causing her husband’s death.

Meanwhile, on the Arc, Clarke’s mother Abbey, also a Main Character, who is shocked by Clarke’s wristband termination, also displays deception and thus intrigue when she deceives the captain, Kane, by lying to him about the real reason she has been going below. In truth it was to prepare to launch to earth, but she says it was to check on bacteria.

In this episode we also learn that Raven, who was introduced in episode 2 as an engineer who would help Abby repair an old transport so they can launch it and travel to earth to find the truth of what has happened to the 100, is Wells’ girlfriend. At the end of episode 4, Clarke and Wells find an underground shelter and have sex, making the audience wonder what is going to happen when Raven arrives.

[Elizabeth Appell]

What did I learn from this assignment: The ingredients listed that create intrigue are a great help to identify if I have or have not used some of them. In writing the characters as I progress in this project, I will cast back to employ these powerful tools.

Assignment 4: Intrigue

ASSIGNMENT 1:

In BIG LITTLE LIES there are many layers of intrigue.

Madeline: She is in competition with every mother in Otter Bay School to be the best mom, the most accomplished mom, the mom most loved by her family. She also harbors secrets about the affair she had with the theatre director. Her wound is open and raw. She needs love.

Celeste: She has a hidden agenda of going back into professional life. Being a mom is not enough. Her secret is she was complicit in the sexual violence she endured with Perry.

Jane: Has a secret that she was raped and then the secret is compounded when we discover Perry is the rapist. She is in a conspiracy with Celeste to keep the fact that Perry is the father of Ziggy, although she doesn’t keep the details quiet. She tells Ziggy who his father is.

Ranata: She operates from her wound. She worked extremely hard to make money and be successful. Anything that gets in her way she obliterates. She rules Gordon, her husband, and creates a destructive protective wall around Amabela. Amabela will have to learn to get out of this protective cage in order to live a satisfactory life as she matures.

ASSIGNMENT 2

1. For your Inner Circle characters, fill in any of the Intrigue items that apply.

Lane Baer

His hidden agenda is to become a more accomplished and famous writer than his father. His first novel couldn’t compete with his father’s work. Now he has a second chance. He conspires with his wife, Marta, to have her secretly edit his book and take it to a level of an award-winning, bestseller. When Marta is accused of murdering Savage, Lane appears as the loving, concerned husband who will do anything to save her. This is a deception. In reality, he would be somewhat relieved to have her out of the way. She’s so needy and requires a good deal of attention.

Marta Baer

Marta operates from a wounded place in that her mother and father worked hard to convince her she is a plain jane. When she discovers make-up, she transforms and, though it’s a deception, she feels like a new woman. When she meets Christian Savage, she secretly becomes enamored. And when Paige, her daughter, accuses Savage of raping her, Marta is suspicious and launches a plan, a hidden agenda, in which she goes to his apartment to try and learn the truth. As the story progresses and Paige becomes a person of interest, she and Lane enter into a conspiracy to protect their daughter.

Paige Baer

Paige’s main secret is she loves and admires her father more than her mother. She will do anything for him. She is in a hidden competition with her mother for his love and attention. Maybe she even confronts her grandfather, Lawrence Baer who is harsh with her father. Her secret, her false accusation that Christian Savage raped he. It leads to dire consequences. She will have to deceive, the police regarding her reasons for going to Savage’s apartment.

Tools to create intrigue:

Role:
Hidden agendas:
Competition:
Conspiracies:
Secrets:
Deception:
Wound:
Secret Identity:

[Janeen Johnson]

Janeen’s Intriguing Character Layers – Assignment 1

What I learned doing this assignment is that nearly every character has these intriguing layers so I should definitely have them in my show.

Character Intrigue — Big Little Lies

Madeline

Role: Mother who is struggling to find her role in life as her kids get older.

Hidden agendas: Wants to be relevant

Competition: Constantly in battle with her ex’s new wife

Conspiracies: Believes there is a conspiracy to blacken Jane’s son’s name because she is new and not as rich as many

Secrets: Kissed the director of her play — apparently on multiple occasions

Deception: Lies to her husband about what is wrong. Lies about her feelings about the director

Wound: Was left by her ex. Is now being left by her oldest daughter. Apparently has a wound from her dad as well

Secret Identity: Hero — she’d like very much to always be one.

Celeste

Role: Lawyer with an abusive husband who gave up law to care for her twins and now wants back in.

Hidden agendas: Wants to practice law without angering her husband

Competition: Her husband wants to always be the center of her world and she has better things in her life

Conspiracies: Hides the fact that she wants to do law and sneaks to do pro bono work for a friend

Secrets: Is being abused. Taunts her husband even though she knows it will start another round.

Deception: Lies to her therapist about the relationship she has with her husband.

Wound: don’t know yet.

Secret Identity: Lawyer extraordinaire — an identity she keeps hidden as much as possible

Jane

Role: Poorer mom who is paranoid about a man breaking into her apartment (and runs a lot)

Hidden agendas: Wants to keep her past secret, but now wants to kill the man she says raped her.

Competition: Wants her son to be accepted by the other moms and does her best to be one of them — keep up with the Jones

Conspiracies: Thinks the other mom’s are out to get her son. Some of them are.

Secrets: What really happened with Ziggy’s dad. How much money she has. What she does for a living

Deception: She seems to lie about what she does — no idea what yet.

Wound: Her rape

Secret Identity: Someone capable of killing the man who raped her.

[Janeen Johnson]

Janeen’s intriguing Character Layers Assignment 2

What I learned doing this assignment is that even seemingly minor details can be the source of intrigue ideas. Many have their root in the past but affect the present and, most often, the future drama.

Character Name: Cara

Role: 40 year old city girl who inherits her best friend Mindy’s twins and with them, their legacy — a $60M family farm in rural Iowa.

Hidden Agendas: to find out why Mindy’s premonition of death a few months ago caused her to change the children’s guardian to Cara

Competition: to gain additional farmland for the twins via rental agreements or purchase. Neighboring farmers (friends and frenemies) are the competition.

Conspiracies: Uses parapsychology skills/methods to affect crop yields, prices, rental agreements, health, etc. without approval from the people being affected.

Secrets: Never believed the parapsychology techniques worked as much as Mindy did. Knew about Jim’s abuse of his wife. Knew his wife committed suicide at the rail crossing — no accident there. Knows about Randy’s dementia.

Deception: Hides her (and Mindy’s) parapsychology dabbling from everyone

Wound: She had secretly been in love with Mike in college and was devastated when he chose Mindy.

Secret Identity: Parapsychology power wielder.

Character Name: Randy

Role: 60+ yo farmer and father of Mindy’s husband, Mike, who just found out he has early onset Alzheimer’s and wants to see the family farming legacy passed on to Mike’s twins when they come of age.

Hidden Agendas: Wants to secure Cara’s promise to take care of himself (using her parapsychology powers before he’s incapacitated and caretaking after he is), the twins, and the farm (keeping his Alaska sons out of it) before he loses his capabilities.

Competition: Every family farm, commercial farms/dairies and big agriculture. His Alaska sons’ desire to return to the lower 48 and take over the farm — something they gave up in getting startup money and support for their Alaska ventures.

Conspiracies: Knows what Mindy could do with her parapsychology techniques and wants to get Cara committed to do the same even if they are borderline ethical in some cases.

Secrets: Knows about Jim’s abuse of his wife and her suicide while everyone else in town believes her death was an accident. Wonders how Mike and Mindy could have not seen the train before they’re accident/death

Deception: Takes up parapsychology study after Mindy’s death in hopes of helping himself and the farm, but is new to it and doesn’t trust it will work with his declining brainpower.

Wound: Lost his wife to cancer. Lost his two oldest sons to Alaska. Now has lost he third son and the d-i-l he loved.

Secret Identity: Master manipulator who can convince Cara and the twins to take care of him and take over the farm.

Character Name: Mindy

Role: dead friend who grew up with Cara in Chicago and married an Iowa farmer named Mike and went through Silva and NMT training with Cara and used ESP-like techniques to manage her life. We know her via flashbacks to her childhood in Chicago, college/dating days, parapsychology classes she and Cara took together, home life on the farm via the family and community

Hidden Agendas: Get Cara to protect her kids from their grandfather’s competitive nature that drove away the older boys. Wanted Cara to love and care about the farm as much as she did even though she never visited it because it was “the middle of nowhere” and “hard to get to”

Competition: Community members put down Mindy because of her city upbringing. She competed with them in everything from fair entries, farm/field work, farm finance, raising kids, kids’ activities and support of activities, church activities, etc.

Conspiracies: Believed that Jim drove his wife to suicide and wanted to prove it.

Secrets: Used parapsychological techniques on some not-so-ethical ways.

Deception: Tried to get Jim to trust her to see if she could influence his behavior toward his wife.

Wound: Lost the closeness she had enjoyed with her parents/city friends when she moved to rural Iowa. Was terribly lonely.

Secret Identity: Parapsychology warrior who can save any day — or will at least try to with her powers.

Character Name: Mike

Role: dead son of Randy (Mindy’s husband) who was always destined to take over the farm when his dad retired. We meet him through flashbacks of rural locals/family and through conversations Cara and Mindy had about him.

Hidden Agendas: Best his brothers’ Alaska ventures by turning the family farm into a huge success.

Competition: His brothers relating to ag empire building to impress their dad and the locals. The locals who are all trying to grow their operations so they will be sustainable.

Conspiracies: Wondered why his wife was into all of the parapsychology classes and thought Cara talked her into it. Knew of Mindy’s sometimes less-than-ethical parapsychology work but went along because he knew he couldn’t stop her and he liked the results where they stemmed directly from her work or not.

Secrets: Had been plotting to help Jim’s wife get away from him when she committed suicide, something he didn’t believe. Was concerned that Jim suspected he had proof it was murder, not suicide, and would try to silence him. Was not aware his wife was worried, but thought Cara might be able to hold her own against Jim.

Deception: Met secretly with Mike’s wife to help her plan her escape, told Mindy about it and they created a cover story to satisfy Jim.

Wound: Had loved Jim’s wife in high school, but she was the one that got away when Mike went to college and Jim wooed/married her.

Secret Identity: Youngest child, less adventurous as he brothers and relying on his superhero wife to keep the farm going. He considers himself an imposter rather than a successful farmer.

Character Name: Jim

Role: Neighbor and nemesis who was Mike’s best friend who wants to step into Mike’s shoes where the family is concerned and believe’s Cara led Mindy into her ESP-like ways and is the cause of all of the family’s troubles

Hidden Agendas: Wants to get Mike’s farm because he thinks Mike had an affair with his wife. Wants more land for his kids.

Competition: Mike’s family (Randy and Cara), Big Ag (give him opportunities to side with Cara and Randy), other farmers looking for land to rent/buy

Conspiracies: Decides he should marry Cara to cement the two farms into a permanent relationship. Enlists his kids to befriend the twins and plant the seed.

Secrets: Caused his wife to die in the “accident”. Caused Mike and Mindy’s accident as well.

Deception: Pretends to help Cara with farming advice to make her dependent on him. As Randy deteriorates over time, tries to turn Cara against Randy.

Wound: Mike was Jim’s wife’s first love and she always had a soft spot for him. She was disappointed when he came home from college and could talk of nothing but Mindy. She married Mike on the rebound and told him so when she confessed to him in a moment of weakness. His anger at being 2nd to Mike “again” started the abuse.

Secret Identity: Better than Mike at everything — except, he’s not. It’s a fiction he buys into, however.

[Natasha Le Petit]

“What I learned doing this assignment is…?” One of my main characters, Nadine, has a secret agenda and identity which makes her easier and more exciting to write. However, the other character – the so called innocent/good one – lacks the same intrigue and I realised for this assignment its not going to work just that she’s a victim and we feel for her. We need to be intrigued by her, we need to really want to know and see what she will do next. She can’t just be a victim. This assignment has made me deep digger into Zoe’s character and these intrigue items have been extremely helpful in helping me to working out how to flesh her character out.

ASSIGNMENT 1:

Hidden agendas. In the Handmaid’s Tale, June is clearly a fighter who is not afraid to speak up for herself for others. Yet, in her new world she keeps her mouth shut and obeys the rules. Later we realise she is watching, waiting, working it all out. <div>

In episode 4, June is (and we the audience are) taken back by how suddenly nice the Commander’s wife is being towards her. Then June discovers it’s because her period is late and the wife thinks she is pregnant. June uses this advantage to gain access to her friend in another house, to have a more comfortable existence. She sees a weakness in the Commanders wife – her desperate need to have a baby. We also see how strong June is when being tortured about her friend. We see June is becoming closer to Nick, the driver, BUT we don’t know what June’s true intentions are. Is she genuinely wanting his affection or is she using him? June learns a hard lesson at the end of the episode when she realises she’s not pregnant and makes the mistake of telling the commander’s wife this. The wife goes into a rage and June is physically thrown to the floor and locked in her room and we are left wondering to what extent the commander’s wife will punish June? And now that June knows this new rule – what will she do? Will she try to get pregnant, try NOT to get pregnant to hurt the wife or will she fake a pregnancy? Take up Nick’s offer to try to run for it?

ASSIGNMENT 2

1. For your Inner Circle characters, fill in any of the Intrigue items that apply.

Character Name: Zoe
Role: wife trying to get out of an unhappy marriage, daughter of a man who has had a stroke. </div>

Hidden agendas: she wants out of the marriage, her husband doesn’t know this.

Competition: her husband, their friends.

Conspiracies:
She works with her new friend and father’s nurse who has had experience in investigating and spying on people.

Secrets:
That she is desperately afraid and alone and unhappy. Her friends and colleagues do not know this.

Deception:
Her husband has been lying to her, and now she will compile evidence to use against him.

Wound:
Seeing the true nature of her husband and what he has been up to. Knowing there are few people in her life she can trust.

Secret Identity:
Still keeping up the masquerade to her friends and family, that everything is fine, Zoe really becomes a spy, an actor, spending every last bit of energy that she can to find out the truth.

[Sharon Scherle]

Jean’s Intriguing Character Layers

What I learned doing this assignment is that building layers into the character to create intrigue doesn’t happen by chance. It takes effort and thought. This process helped me find some interesting avenues for drama that I hadn’t thought of before. I’m excited to write them in.

Assignment 1:

1) Think about your Example Show. Make a list of the places you’ve already seen Character Intrigue in the previous episodes.

<div>
Character Name: Stefan Salvator
</div><div>

Role: Vampire come back to Mystic Falls
to get to know Elana

Hidden agendas: to get to know Elana and
keep his secret identity from her.

Competition: Damon, his brother, wants Elana
too.

Conspiracies: With Elana
Secrets: He’s a vampire. So is his brother.
A girl, Katherine from 1864 looks just like Elana. Stefan’s old girlfriend

Deception: Pretends to be normal.

Wound: His animosity toward his brother.

Secret Identity: He’s a vampire.

</div>

2) Watch the next episode and see how Character Intrigue is being used to create the need to see more episodes.

<div>
Character Name: Stefan Salvator
</div><div>

Role: Elana’s boyfriend

Hidden agendas: To get Bonnie to like him.
To protect Elana from Damon

Competition: With the History teacher/coach, with Tyler
– football,

Conspiracies: to find some humanity in Damon.

Secrets: Get Damon away from Elana and Carolyn.

Deception: holds back his vampire strength
and speed while playing football, allows himself to get hurt, Hides his healing
ability from Elana

Wound: Years of Damon’s torture,

Secret Identity: He’s a vampire. A hero.

Assignment 2:

Character Name: Sharra Lane

Role: Recruit

Hidden agendas: To change her past,
saving her parents

Competition: To be the best agent. Affects
Tanner, Lazarus

Conspiracies: with both Tanner and Faolan
against each other as a means to distract them from her digging into the secret
workings of the Vault

Secrets: Prefers Faolan but uses Tanner,
Has a connection to the pylons,

Deception: She tampers with the assimilation,
then plays the innocent.

Wound: lost all her family, blames
herself.

Secret Identity: the martyr.

Character Name: Lazarus Maitland

Role: Head Director of Vault Agency

Hidden agendas: Use Sharra to fix the Vault
without her knowledge

Competition: Maintain his position of power.
Maxum, Tatiana, Tanner

Conspiracies: With Faolan to spy on other
agents

Secrets: Knows the true nature of the
Vault and has to keep it alive at all cost.

Deception: Lies about the Vault and the
agrylium. Messes with the timeline to find recruits.

Wound: Chose power over love.

Secret Identity: Time travel agent

Character Name: Tanner Holmes

Role: Trainer of Vault Agency

Hidden agendas: Keep control of Sharra.

Competition: With Faolan who wants
Sharra too.

Conspiracies: With Faolan to catch the
rogue agent behind Sharra’s and Lazarus’ back,

Secrets: A previous affair with Zoe. He killed his father.

Deception: Helps Sharra change her past.

Wound: His father killed his sister and he was too late to save her.

Secret Identity: Time travel agent, The hero.

Character Name: Faolan

Role: Rogue Vault Agent

Hidden agendas: get to know Sharra
without getting involved with the Vault,

Competition: Not power, but for truth – against
Lazarus. With Tanner who wants Sharra too.

Conspiracies: With Lazarus to find the other rogue agent

Secrets: He’s responsible for the death
of his clan and his wife.

Deception: Hides his connection to the
Vault to Sharra,

Wound: Chose self-preservation over saving his clan. Punishing himself.

Secret Identity: Time travel, a spy for Lazarus,
investigator, thinks he is honorable

</div>

[Jack Sherry]

ASSIGNMENT 2

In my pilot episode of Conceived, We meet the main protagonists, Victoria Cromwell, the jet-setting English hedge fund manager and her new friend Kayla Hitch, the American environmental lawyer. They both have intriguing lives because of their work, but also have characteristics that increase their intrigue and help make the series binge worthy.

In the case of Victoria, she plays international polo, is a jet pilot and understands blockchain as a mathematician. At then end of the pilot episode we see that emotionally she is vulnerable and unsure of herself with relationships that have meaning because of a wound left by Sir George when he mercilessly cheated on her in college. This kink in her armor offers intriguing drama possibilities.

Kayla, on the other hand, is totally sure of herself in her hometown, socially and physically, but has emotional wounds from her father and feels racially discriminated against when she visits England. She becomes more intriguing when it is revealed that she secretly wants Victoria’s child for herself, to be raised in the Everglades by the biological father, her client Billy Osceola, to prove her point that personality is determined by environment, not blood line. This opens up a modern-day Tarzan story, with Victoria’s son raised in the Everglades as an alligator wrestler and master python hunter.

Victoria believes her child to be hers with Sir George, her intended spouse, but because Kayla switches the eggs, the child raised in England in royal fashion is actually Kayla’s, and thus one-quarter black.

Santiago, the Argentinian grandson of a Nazi who escaped Germany in 1945, offers an intriguing look into cloning through his lab in Buenos Aires where he clones his polo ponies. Secretly he also clones race horses illegally, which adds intrigue, and he contracts with Sir George to represent his interests in America when he secretly sells embryos from his lab that contain the DNA of Hitler’s Argentinian granddaughter, Porshe.

Therefore the use of secret identities, even unknown to the parents and children themselves, the conspiracy between Sir George and Santiago to sell Hitler’s DNA, the deception of Professor Matthews in stealing Victoria’s frozen eggs from his cryogenics lab, and the hidden agenda of Kayla to prove her point regarding nature versus nurture all combine to increase the intrigue of this series.

[Jack Sherry]

Lesson 4. Intriguing Character Layers: What I learned from this assignment is that each episode must create intrigue using the outlined methods: secrets, secret identities, deception, conspiracy, competition, wounds, and hidden agendas.

[Jack Sherry]

SHOW # 2 – CASTING CALL

Logline:When two sisters leave the farm for the dream of stardom in Los Angeles, the one with talent learns the stark reality of the fast lane and the one with reality is cast into a real-life role of revenge for her sister’s rape, then as a vigilante against child pornographers and sex traffickers.

Sisters Lyla and Sara Collins both have the same dream; to leave the farm outside of Des Moines, IA and make it in Hollywood. Unfortunately, their father wants them to stay and help with the workload so parental support is non-existent. Casting Call is the story of their transformative journey into the fast lanes of Los Angeles, culminating in life-changing events for both of them. Sara, the youngest, has rare talents; she can both sing and act, unlike her big sister, who has her own way of getting into show business as a rough and tumble stunt woman. Being new to the big city and unaware that casting calls can sometimes be more like the cattle calls of home, Sara is tricked by the advertising of the antagonist who runs a company that puts out bogus casting calls to get girls interested in non-existing parts. The company then sells zoom calls with the girls to their male customers who pretend to be in the entertainment business. Sara responds to one of these fake casting calls and falls for the overtures of the man on the other end of the zoom call. She is raped.

After the police and the lawyers have failed, and reluctant to tell her father, who told them not to come to L.A, Lyla comes for revenge with the help of a rape counseling center. She concocts her own scheme to get into the offices of the casting company and kill the men responsible for ruining the hopes of many girls like Sara. Unknown to Lyla, however, is that she is actually being cast to play a real-life role, to be a warrior in the war against sex traffickers and child pornographers.

INTRIGUING CHARACTERS

What makes a lead character engaging on multiple levels?

SARA –

A.
Role in the show: Talented actor from Iowa who moves to L.A. to become an
actress, but becomes a victim, then a Ghislaine Maxwell
type of confidant for Faheed, a rich Saudi Oil man.<div><div>

B.
Unique Purpose / Expertise: – Sara can sing, dance and act. She learns the
art of bringing in girls to Faheed for his and his friends’ pleasure.

C.
Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? She will do ANYTHING to
succeed

D.
Moral Issue: What moral boundaries des she cross? She betrays her sister
and family

E.
Unpredictable: We don’t know to what lengths Sara will go to make it as a
star – She is unpredictable because
she is a fish out of water, stepping into new territory, dealing with
issues she’s never dealt with before. She makes huge mistakes, reacts
emotionally, is confused, then chooses the wrong path.

F.
Empathetic: Why do we care? – We feel sorry for her, but also disappointed
and want her to fail

Wound
– she is tricked by Jeb’s fake casting call and raped

Secrets
– she goes over to the other side to help sex traffickers

Hidden
agenda – she’ll do anything to become a famous star

Competition
– she wants to out do her sister

Conspiracy She conspires with Faheed

·

LYLA

A.
Role in the show: The Protagonist, Iowa farm girl who comes to L.A. to protect
her sister </div><div>

B.
Unique Purpose / Expertise: Stunt woman and fighting skills – skilled auto
and farm equipment mechanic

C.
Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? She wants to become a star,
too

D.
Moral Issue: What moral boundaries does she cross? – Vigilante

E.
Unpredictable: What will she do next? – She is unpredictable because she,
like her sister, is a fish out of water, stepping into new territory, dealing
with issues she’s never dealt with before. She makes mistakes, reacts
emotionally, is confused, then chooses a new path – revenge. We are not
sure how far Lyla will go to get even with those who have taken advantage
of women

F.
Empathetic: Why do we care? Lyla is a hero

Wound
– she isn’t sexy like her sister

Secrets
– she tracks down sex traffickers and child pornographers

Hidden
agenda – she wants to become a stunt woman

Competition
– she competes with friend Hunter in Stunt work

Secret
identity – she pretends to be someone else to defeat
the child pornographers– and sex traffickers

Conspiracy – she conspires with the unknown Owner (a person similar to Charley in Charley’s Angels) of a woman’s clinic to defeat the weekly antagonists
who traffick women or engage in child pornography

HUNTER

A.
Role in the show: Owner of a store for adventurers. Falls for Lyla, teaches her the L.A. scene</div><div>

B.
Unique Purpose / Expertise: Skilled
Stunt man

C.
Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? – Comes from an is extremely wealthy _family

D.
Moral Issue: What moral boundaries doe he cross? Helps vigilante Lyla

E.
Unpredictable: What will he do next? He’ll do anything to win Lyla over,
including breaking the law

F.
Empathetic: Why do we care? This is a good guy – doesn’t take advantage of
Lyla when he could have, helps her get the bad guys.

Wound
– fired as stunt man

Competition
– competes with Lyla in stunt work

Moral
issues – He works with Vigilante Lyla

Secret
Identity – he poses as others to help Lyla

Hidden
Agenda – He wants Lyla

JEB

A. Role in the show: Antagonist – clever, cunning businessman who know how to prey on women’s emotions and dreams for his own sexual and monetary benefit. He runs a casting
agency

Unique Purpose / Expertise: Zoom Meeting Expert,
Casting Director

Intrigue: What is secret beneath the
surface? He tricks ladies into trying out for non existant roles

Empathetic: Why do we care? We want the
bad guy caught and exposed

Moral
issues – He cons women into trying out for non-existent roles

Hidden
Agenda – He actually is a casting director, but also runs his con

BO

Role
in the show: Antagonist – owner of a famous L.A. night club where Jeb’s zoom
customers meet their unsuspecting prey</div><div>

Unique Purpose / Expertise: Businessman with connections to politicians, movie stars, Cartel

Intrigue:
What is secret beneath the surface? He also trafficks young illegal
immigrants </div><div>

Moral
Issue: Political favors for introductions to women,Child porn, sex
trafficking, Unpredictable:
What will he do next? Whatever it is, it’ll be bad

Empathetic: Why do we care? Need to put guys like him in prison for good

Hidden
Agenda – He poses as a legitimate night club owner
</div></div>

[Rob Sutherland]

Rob’s Intriguing Character Layers

What I learned doing this assignment is that just brainstorming and throwing some random ideas in to fill gaps and and answer the basic questions presented here is both fun and can make for some interesting characters. I don’t know if what I’ve tossed into these gaps will stay but it is an interesting starting point.

Also, the benefits of thinking of the characters as part of a network, with the “spotlight” of the narrative moving around to focus on different subsets of that network at different times.

Assignment 1: Layers of Intrigue in “The Vampire Diaries”

Character Name: Stephan

• Role: Vampire trying to do good and have normal relationships with humans

• Hidden agendas: wanting to hide his true identity

• Competition: Fighting with Damon to protect Elena and the town

• Conspiracies: Colluding with Stephan’s mysterious “uncle” to poison Damon

• Secrets: what happened to Katherine?

• Deception: Spiking Caroline’s drink so as to trick Damon into taking the poison

• Wound: Grief, anger, fear of what his brother will do

• Secret Identity: being a Vampire!

Character Name: Damon

• Role: Vampire wanting to have fun by killing people in the town and toying with his brother

• Hidden agendas: Get close to Elena and turn him against Stephan

• Competition: Fighting with Stephan in an attempt to win Elena

• Conspiracies: Mind-controlling Caroline to turn Elena against Stephan, trying to get Stephan to drink human blood

• Secrets: Obtaining a crystal for some mysterious purpose

• Deception: Hiding his attacks on his victims, pretending to be human

• Wound: Grief, anger, desire for revenge

• Secret Identity: Being a ruthless, murderous vampire

There is growing intrigue in The Vampire Diaries now. Stephan and Damon were the source of most of it up until now. Who was Katherine and what happened to her exactly? How did the brothers become vampires? What is the “important crystal” that Damon recovered. But now new characters are emerging with more intriguing questions surrounding them, in particular the group including Caroline’s Mum (a policewoman) and Vicky’s ex-boyfriend who seem to know about the vampires (unless their meeting at the end of episode 4 is about someone else entirely – which it might be …)

There’s also a growing network of characters (as if there weren’t enough already) as seemingly peripheral characters step into the limelight.

Assignment 2:

Character Name: David / The Mirage

Role: A spirit with an ancient but mysterious past who protects humanity

Hidden agendas: To find a way to become human

Competition: With Vincent Chamberlain who wants to steal his immortality, with Madeleine who wants him to be more active and overt in using his powers, to stop hiding from the world

Conspiracies: Conspires with Madeleine to manage his finances and worldly identity, given he has no legitimate ID documents

Secrets: Becoming human will mean he can no longer fight against the demons in the world

Deception: Keeping the cops unaware of the real demonic powers at play in the city

Wound: Grief and guilt about how he came to be immortal

Secret Identity: He is not human

Character Name: Julia

Role: An archaeologist who discovers who the Mirage is

Hidden agendas: To use the Mirage to further her career as an archaeologist

Competition: With Vincent to become Dean of the Faculty

Conspiracies: Conspires with Madeleine to get the Mirage to reveal himself to the world

Secrets: Knows more about the demons who threaten the city than she is letting on

Deception: Blackmails Brendan White with knowledge of his gambling habit

Wound: Lacked human connection as a child and seeks

Secret Identity: Kick-boxing, a skill she learned when she ran away from her foster home and ended up on the streets

Character Name: Detective Brendan White

Role: Police detective who seeks to expose the Mirage and bring him down

Hidden agendas: Has a serious gambling habit

Competition: With the Mirage for control of crime scenes and the media narrative about supernatural involvement in various crimes

Conspiracies: Conspires with Vincent Chamberlain to bring the Mirage to justice, conspires with Casino staff to hide his gambling from others

Secrets: Massive debt as a result of his gambling habit

Deception: Constantly hiding his gambling from other cops.

Wound: A criminal father whom he captured and imprisoned

Secret Identity: Gambler

Character Name: Vincent Chamberlain

Role: An archaeologist who works with Julia

Hidden agendas: Seeks to steal the Mirage’s immortality

Competition: With the Mirage to steal his immortality

Conspiracies: With Detective Brendan White to lure the Mirage into a trap

Secrets: Possesses an ancient text with information about the Mirage and his origins

Deception: Pretends he is interested in his career when in fact he just needs influence until he has defeated the Mirage

Wound: Survived meningitis as a child and believes he is destined for immortality

Secret Identity: Demon-summoner

Character Name: Madeleine

Role: David’s ninety-year old live in companion

Hidden agendas: To do whatever it takes to protect David from others and from himself

Competition: With David for how best to manage his immortality and his power

Conspiracies: With Julia to encourage the Mirage to find his true identity and use his powers for good

Secrets: A deep love for David – Refused to marry so that she could remain with him

Deception: That she never had the opportunity to get married and live a normal life, when in fact she just rejected suitors in favour of staying with David throughout her life

Wound: Infertility

Secret Identity: A chess prodigy

[David Penn]

David’s Intriguing Character Layers

What I learned from this assignment is the various depths you need to reach to have a compelling series. There must be a lot bubbling under the surface that shocks us when it arises. The more complex the characters, the more intriguing the show.

ASSIGNMENT 1:

1. Think about your Example Show. Make a list of the places you’ve already seen Character Intrigue in the previous episodes.

2. Watch the next episode and see how Character Intrigue is being used to create the need to see more episodes.

Character Name: Archie

Role: blue collar football player/music prodigy

Hidden agendas: Wants to go to music school

Competition: His dad, football players, the Bloom family

Conspiracies: With Cheryl to get music scholarship. With others to find killer.

Secrets: He was at river when gunshots were heard. Fling with Ms. Gundy

Deception: Lied about affair

Wound: poor kid whose dad wants him to follow in his footsteps

Secret Identity: musician

ASSIGNMENT #2:

Character Name: Emily

Role: secretary who goes back to college and starts a sorority

HIDDEN AGENDA

Emily wants to find a new relationship, a new job, new friends, a new life. Change everything in her past- her whole identity. What strategy or plan might this character put into action that they would hide from others? Divorce her husband. Angle for a promotion/new job. What hidden agenda could be most damaging to the other characters? Divorce/new relationship affects Steve and Lindsay. New sorority members affect Lindsay and her old friends.

COMPETITION

Obvious targets: Dean Andrews, Madison and the other sororities. The dean wants Emily to fail to reclaim the house. He enlists the other sororities to help. Madison cheated with Steve, setting up competition between her and Emily. Dean and Madison sabotage Emily’s efforts.

CONSPIRACY

How to: Involve this character in a covert plan that requires other characters to carry out. We know the dean’s sabotaging them. Maybe Emily and the girls have secret plan to destroy other sororities or ransack dean’s office.

Questions: What covert plan could require a conspiracy to accomplish? Which characters could be working together covertly against others? Emily, her friends, and sororities team together to gain acceptance from national chapter, set up a plan to harm other sororities.

SECRETS

How to: Assume your character has a secret that is important to this story. Considering the plot and other characters, brainstorm possible secrets. Emily had an abortion. Emily wasn’t cool enough to be part of a sorority/never got a bid. Only person in family not to go to college. Had sweetheart crush that comes back into life. Steve wanted an abortion, turned out to be Lindsay. Emily’s dad was a professor. No one in Emily’s family ever went to college.

Question: What secrets could this character have that will shock the audience when revealed? She went to jail, has a record. Almost had an abortion (Lindsay). She slept with her boss. She used to do drugs.

DECEPTION

How to: Make a list of all the reasons this character might deceive others. As you do, consider times they might choose to lie, but also situations where they may be forced to hide something. Lie about relationship with professor. Not tell Lindsay truth about sorority/Anna. Lie about her age to frat guy. Lie about having husband. Lie to boss about having degree. Lie about Steve cheating on her. Lie about her ambitions.

Questions: What major deception could they either cause or be part of? When are they lying and what are they lying about? Lies to Lindsay about starting a sorority- afraid of what she’ll say.

WOUND

How to: Search for a wound that would cause this character to react in ways that either incapacitate them or cause damage to others. She never finished college. Steve/boss/dean thinks she’s uneducated and will never be more than just a secretary.

Question: What might be this person’s biggest loss in their past that fits this show? What coping mechanisms might that cause? What problems might it cause for the other characters? Never finishing college due to being pregnant. She pretends it doesn’t matter, that she’s happy with her life, her family, her choices. Steve, dean, and Lindsay (to a certain extent) don’t respect her. It prevents her from getting ahead at work.

SECRET IDENTITY

How to: Not all characters have a secret identity, but for today’s assignment, assume that each of your characters do and then work to find it. Try on different possibilities to see if any of them fit for the character and the story. Possible identities: Wounded warrior. When the chips are down, she’ll come through- even if no one else believes her. Baker/politician. Possible career choices after she graduated.

Questions: What possible secret identities could this character have? How could that cause problems for this character and/or the other characters in the show? This could cause problems with her boss, wanting a new job. With Steve, finding a new relationship. With Lindsay, possibly drawing her more apart.

Character Name: Dr. Andrews

Role: Dean of school

Hidden agendas: Reclaim the house

Competition: Emily and her sorority

Conspiracies: Sabotage with help of other sororities

Secrets: His dad was ruthless in pushing him

Deception: He’s ruthless, but really not

Wound: Not having own family

Secret Identity: The Ultimate Educator

**************

Character Name: Lindsay

Role: Daughter, enrolled in out of state college

Hidden agendas: to get away from mother, start new life

Competition: Anna and the girls

Conspiracies: To spend a year abroad

Secrets: she’s terribly insecure

Deception: Artsy rebel, her whole persona

Wound: she didn’t fit in as teenager

Secret
Identity: globe trotting journalist

[Arjen Westra]

Arjen Westra’s Intriguing Character Layers

What I learned doing this assignment is…

That putting intrigue and layers in every interaction that a character has with most of the other characters, makes the episode incredibly worth watching. We can prepare this in a systematic way so colleagues that will have material to work with. I almost feel forced NOT to look at the characters this way when i am reading or watching anything at the moment 🙂

ASSIGNMENT 1:

1. Think about your Example Show. Make a list of the places you’ve already seen Character Intrigue in the previous episodes.

:

The Americans – Philip Jennings

Role: Travel- and tourism professional, husband of Elizabeth, Father of Paige and Henry.

Hidden Agenda: Defend (or defect??) the Soviet Union. Getting information from Martha

Competition: Other travel companies,

Conspiracy: With Elizabeth: against everybody else, With Martha: against her boss

Deception: Causing his neighbour Stan to think that he has a travel agency. His kids making them believe that they are a normal family.

Wound: a lost love of his life.

Secret identity: A KGB spy.

The Americans – Elizabeth Jennings

Role: Travel- and tourism professional, wife of Philip Jennings, Mother of Paige and Henry.

Hidden Agenda: Defend (or defect??) the Soviet Union. Getting information from Martha

Competition: Other travel companies,

Conspiracy: With Elizabeth: against everybody else, With Martha: against her boss

Deception: Causing their neighbour Stan to think that they, The Jennings, have a travel agency. Her kids: making them believe that they are a normal family.

Wound: an extremely poor youth.

Secret identity: A KGB spy.

The Americans – Stan Beeman

Role: FBI Agent

Hidden Agenda: taking the position of his boss.

Competition: Some colleagues, agent MIzzi

Conspiracy: against his boss.

Deception: Just doing his job as a boring civil servant

Wound: a bad marriage

Secret identity: Head of the FBI Counter intelligence

2. Watch the next episode and see how Character Intrigue is being used to create the need to see more episodes.

ASSIGNMENT 2

1. For your Inner Circle characters, fill in any of the Intrigue items that apply.

HIBAP – Kamau

Role: A plumber/handyman.

Hidden agendas: Chase his brother as an area MP and possibly become The President of Kenya

Competition: For market share as a plumber: his competing Plumbers. For power, money and position: His brother, Deep state underworld, gang leaders for authority in his

Conspiracies: with gang leaders, with friendly MP’s

Secrets: He is involved in drug trade to get his money

Deception: His brother, his kids, his customers

Wound: Betrrayed by his MP-brother

Secret Identity: Narcissist

HIBAP – Mutuku

Role: Kamau’s brother in crime, best friend and business partner.

Hidden Agenda: Take over the plumbing company

Competition: His brother for control of the company, control of the money in the company

Conspiracy: With Kamau for being the boss in the company. With Imelda to get more control over Kamau/The Company.

Deception: Causing Imelda to believe that Kamau has a lot of girlfriends.

Wound: was betrayed by his brother when he was in love with Mutuku’s wife. He is from a different father but Does not know his father.

Secret identity: Boss-owner of the Plumbing company.

HIBAP – Imelda

Role: Kamua’s beloved wife
on and off after two divorces they keep coming back to each other.

Hidden agendas: Entering the Kenyan Elite but she leaves het options open: I f a better option passesm she would be ready to take her children to Europe or the UNited `States.

Competition: For position, for money: with other hidden agenda slay queens.

Conspiracies: with other ladies, with the known politician.

Secrets: She is third wife and owns a few houses (in name) of a well known politician.

Deception: Kamau, to make him think she is a loving wife.

Wound: Has always lived in poverty and could not even follow education because of that.

Secret Identity: Business man, Banker, lover.

HIBAP – Oduor

Role: a politician who used Kamau for his own gain.

Hidden agendas: He wants to win the area-MP position, his way of getting rich.

Competition: For power, money and position: his aspiring politicians, deep state underworld, gang leaders for authority in his ‘distribution area’ and Kamau.

Conspiracies: with gang leaders, with friendly MP’s, with police officers.

Secrets: He is involved in drug trade to get his money,

Deception: His brother, his kids, his customers.

Wound: Betrayed by his MP-brother who died,

Secret Identity: Governor of Nairobi, On of the 20 richest businessmen of Kenya.

Kamau’s brother Jake

Role: a very conservative pastor who used Kamau for his own gain.

Hidden agendas: He wants to turn everyone in a true believer: he thinks he is the true representataion of God in Kenya: The Kenyan Law is the same as his personal interpretation of religion.

Competition: For power, money and position: his aspiring politicians, deep state underworld, gang leaders for authority in his ‘distribution area’.

Conspiracies: with gang leaders, with friendly MP’s, with police officers

Secrets: He is involved in drug trade to get and to launder his money,

Deception: His brother, his kids, his customers

Wound: Betrayed by his MP-brother who died a long time ago.

Secret Identity: Governor of Nairobi.