Day 4 Assignments

[Lisa Paris Long]

Module 3 – Lesson 4 – Character Intrigue

Lisa Long’s Character Intrigue

My Vision: I will do whatever it takes to be comfortable saying that I am a writer by creating impactful stories with amazing characters in order to sell my scripts.

What I learned from this assignment is for successful characters one should set up them up with playable traits and strong subtext.

For each of your main characters, use this list to brainstorm one or more Intrigue items that might apply. You don’t need all of them; just one or two.

Character
Name: MOLLY
Role: A ten-year-old girl who is abandoned by her mother
Hidden
agendas: Molly intends to go to NYC to
be in The Nutcracker
Competition: Molly has to compete with dancers that may be better
than her
Secrets: Molly sneaks out to take dance
Deception: Molly tells each person what they want to hear, but
not reality
Unspoken
Wound: Molly is angry at her mother,
but takes it out on her father
Secret Identity: Molly is a dancer even though her father forbids her
to dance

Give us an idea of how that character’s subtext might show up in your movie. Molly shows her hurt by arguing with Ed; Molly has a good work ethic when it comes to dance and will do anything to dance; Molly pushes through her insecurities with stubbornness.

Character
Name: EDGAR
Role: The father of Molly who has to learn to take care of
her
Hidden
agendas: Edgar wants April back
Competition:
Ed is not willing to share Molly with Mars
Conspiracies: Ed is not a fan of gay people
Secrets: Ed is still in love with April
Deception: Ed doesn’t tell Molly why he forbids her to dance
until late in the script
Unspoken
Wound: Ed was terribly hurt by April,
but blows it off

Give us an idea of how that character’s subtext might show up in your movie. Edgar, just like Molly, hides his anger at April and takes it out on Molly. Edgar puts on the strong, silent type act, but inside he is mushy and scared.

Character
Name: MARS
Role: A grieving choreographer who takes Molly under his
wing
Hidden
agendas: Mars wants to show Edgar his
prejudice
Competition: Mars competes for Molly with Edgar
Secrets: Mars is hiding out from his friends and family
Unspoken
Wound: Mars is hurt by Edgar’s
treatment, but doesn’t show it
Secret Identity: Mars has a bit of imposter syndrome even though he’s
very accomplished

Give us an idea of how that character’s subtext might show up in your movie. Mars is open with Molly, but keeps his cards close with Edgar; Mars is unhappy except when Molly comes over to dance; Mars saves Molly during a hurricane showing his strength and love for Molly.

[Deleted User]

My vision is to become a better writer.

I just love discovering the intrigue of my characters.

What I learned: When we go through these exercises, we focus on who we believe the character is. That allows us more freedom when we write, not only in character, but actions, dialogue, direction, subtext, need, want, motivation, perspective and essence. All of which makes the person/ character credible. Yesterday, at an estate sale, I talked to an artist friend. I gave her a thorough discussion on the script, She is a sincere lady who says it like it is. She stated that she liked this script better than the dragon one I shared–that it felt more real. Research whether in the form of lessons where we concentrate on layers, coupled with other forms of research lend this kind of credibility, no matter the genre. Thanks.

Character’s Role: Shadow, a young, spotted hyena lives in a large clan of forty to fifty hyenas on the continent of Africa. He’s the protagonist, but becomes ousted by his clan in retribution of him nipping a bully who attacks his mom. The bully is Hilly, a high-ranking hyena, daughter to the matriarch of the clan, Silla. As a result, Shadow becomes a victim, trying to survive in a predatorial environment alone.

Hidden Agendas: Shadow has been traumatized by Mortimer, a rabid wolf who tunneled into their den and killed his brother when they were cubs. Shadow cannot find his bearings. He is bullied, and further traumatized when ousted from his clan. He becomes a fish out of water, trying to sneak back inside their perimeters. He gets beat up a lot, when all he wants is to belong, to be accepted, to be able to help his mom and hang with his brother, Brimsley. Something he will never attain.

Competition: There is a natural hatred between lions and hyenas. They compete for the same food sources, their favorite being zebra, but a lion will kill a hyena just for spite. And a young hyena like Shadow makes the kill the sweetest conquest of all. Shadow follows his clan, incognito whenever they go hunting. He is starving. He does not realize it, but watching them hunt teaches him how. The clan is run by a matriarch, Silla. A male hyena like Shadow is on the lowest end of the totem pole, as they always eat after the matriarch and her cubs, which is rightfully so, as she is the one who leads and brings down the kill.

Conspiracies: The one most apparent is the conspiracy between the matriarch, Silly, and her bully offspring, Hilly, who determines to oust Shadow, who nipped the high and mighty, Hilly, in defense of his mom. Toward the end, Shadow is still terrified of wolves reflecting back to when the rabid wolf, Mortimer, (Mort means death) killed his brother; only for a dominant wolf to take up with him for a companion, running with him for miles, and bringing him into the pack for his keen sense of smell and his awesome hunting abilities. He finally belongs. He’s finally valued.

Secrets:

Shadow follows the clan either by scent or by sight to stay close to them and scavenge any carcass left behind. Sometimes, they are aware of it; other times not so much. He also works toward being like his brother, Brimsley, who he admires. He strives more with his appearance, more with his howling abilities and even risks his life trying to hunt to see himself worthy of respect. He fears Mortimer, but lays awake nights wondering how he can take him down. Other times, he believes he hasn’t a chance.

Deception: His goals are more deception than goal. Killing Mortimer? C’mon… Winning the howling competition to gain access into a larger clan promoting protection and food? No way. Becoming a great hunter when grubs are his main menu? Yeah, right! Becoming a leader, overcoming his wounds? Never happen! Yet, each deception becomes a goal. Each goal becomes a challenge. Each challenge becomes a success. But they all started out as deceptions.

Unspoken wounds: Shadow is broken. Mortimer almost had him for lunch, then killed his brother. But the unspoken wound is: brokenness, exemplified by his own clan ousting him and forcing him, as a young hyena to struggle alone against predators.

Secret Identity: Shadow is a victim, a fish out of water. He is like a yoyo with a broken string that only winds up part way. He is double minded, and unstable in all of his ways. (Reminds me of a Bible verse) He is a youth, and a youth without the help of a parent in a jungle of hard knocks. A place where one eats or gets eaten.

———————————————————————————————

Name: Mortimer the big, bad wolf.

Role: Mortimer’s the antagonist, a gray wolf, who’s attacked by a lion with rabies. Now, Mortimer has rabies, and he kills everything in sight, including Shadow’s brother. He is a competitor for prey, a criminal who kills in frenzy. One who foams at the mouth, half-lopes/half-staggers through the woods viewing innocents with crazed, matted eyes and a death odor that betrays his presence. His howl is dismal, his instincts, weakened, but he is a killing machine, toxic to all living creatures.

Hidden agendas: He has none. He hasn’t the mental capacity. His brain is altered.

Competition: At one time it was for the ladies, but now Mortimer is a sick wolf. The only competition that’s obvious is the killing and maiming of as many creatures he can, before he bites the dirt himself. It’s ironic he’s killed by Shadow, a so- called coward, for killing his brother.

Secrets: Hasn’t any. He is a killing machine.

Deception: He lives under the cloak of a disease called rabies. One, hyenas are immune to. (Not even scientists can figure that one out.)

Unspoken wound: The loss of who he is.

Secret Identity: to some degree, Mortimer is a victim. Rabies is a disease that claim its victims. But he is also a competitor to see what kills who first. He is similar to the alcoholic in that he will never be free of the disease, that in the end, kills every creature from its residue, that comes in contact with; except of course, the hyena. Rabies is the curse that keeps on taking…

Logline: Mortimer is an evil wolf with a blind eye not only physically, but also in relation to those less fortunate. He has a broken fang on his front tooth and a scar. He also has the blood of Shadow’s’ brother, Auggie, on his hide and heart. A formidable enemy to Shadow.

Unique: Mortimer is unique to Mortimer. He has this perceived ideal of himself being the strongest, most grandest wolf in the land, and he acts the part. Unfortunately, that ends when he’s around the ladies, and they rebuff him, or when he’s at a pool of water and his reflections eddy around his image, telling him he’s the ugliest wolf of all.

That is, until he contracts rabies. He’s slowly rotting into a mad wolf.

Minor Characters:

Silla, Hilly, Brimsley, and others who may show up uninvited. I take strange paths and love the irony of story. I have room for possibly a fun character to balance out the killing…

[Mary Lynn]

Karen – Hi…please consider this as info only, not criticism. Gary wolves do not live in Africa. African wolves do: but they are not related to gray wolves. They look much different. They are smaller, longer, thinner mussels and sharper yet smaller teeth. Most are grayish red. Gray wolves are much larger, bigger feet, long noses. To take down a lion, it would take a large pack of wolves. A lion would kill a wolf in heartbeat. African wolves are no match for lions. I have seen a pack of hyenas take down a lion and it is a horrific sight to see. I owned a gray wolf for eight years. He was five when he came to me. I thought he was a malamute until I took him to the vet and Dr. Smith took three steps backwards and said, “Mary Lynn, what the hell are are you doing with a wolf”… I said, “what wolf?” He said, “the one at the end of your leash”. Sure enough. Bob was the most wonderful critter I have ever had. Loyal, loving, just a big baby…afraid of thunder…though he would have likely messed someone up pretty good if they had tried to hurt me or his pack of three other dogs and five cats. His best friend was a stray cat. They actually died within one week of each other. My point, I am an advocate for gray wolves. if you need info…just ask and I will try to help. I am interested in your story…I just hate to see a wolf be the bad guy…they only kill to eat…not indiscriminately. By nature, they are loners and stay away from people. it is a marvel to watch them hunt. (though that makes me nauseous as can be…hate it …but they have to eat. They have a hierarchy even when traveling through the forests. There is a very interesting photo of large wolf pack on the move. You might try to look it up if you are interested. Not sure if it was Yellowstone, Montana, Wyoming or Alaska. it is a huge pack, though. Right now, wolves in the above states are in the fight of their lives. Wolves have been removed from the endangered species list and are the top target of the ranchers…sheep farmers…along with the Mustangs. They are having these huge hunts and it is their intent to kill all but 10% of each states population. Doesn’t matter what environmentalist, scientists tell these people about how necessary wolves are to the environments…they have an agenda and it doesn’t include saving the wolves or the mustangs.I have gone on too long…I am really interested to see where you take your story. 🙂

[Mary Lynn]

Mary Lynn Mabray, WIM2 – Module 3 – Lesson 3 – Character Subtext

Vision – Become an in demand high concept writer

What I Learned: Subtext makes a script much more interesting, intriguing, fun, scary, thoughtful, sexy

Movie: Title: The Second Mrs. Claus

Character Name: Helen Hunt

Subtext Identity: Lonely since becoming a widow

Subtext Trait: Burns the candle at both ends, tries to be all things to all people

Subtext Logline: Helen Hunt is America’s sweetheart dessert chef who lives her life on camera and would love to have a happy and fulfilling life out of the limelight and behind the stage.

Possible Areas of Subtext: studio audience advice, conversations with Stuart, her daughter Muffy and grandchildren, Alexann and Will, conversations with herself, pursuit of Nick, relationship with Rudolph, reindeer, Ralph and Wilbur

Nick (Santa Claus)

Subtext Identity: World’s jolliest fellow but unhappy since losing his magic and afraid he will let down the world when there is no Christmas, surprised that he likes being hot, equally surprised that he is as interested in Helen as she is in him, worried about how he will tell Helen who he is and how old is he and that he needs her and her culinary expertise to find the secret of magic cookies.

Subtext Trait: unsure of the confidence that he once had and unsure how he will ever get it back.

Nick has to redefine who he really is, Santa Claus and the world’s jolliest elf or a hunk of burning love in love with an older woman. Does he stay, does he go, how does he convince Helen to return with him to the North Pole especially when she discovers his motive and who he really is…

Possible Areas of Subtext – conversations with Ralph and Wilbur, Rudolph, Helen, Stuart, Helen’s family and grandchildren, actions to discover the secret to the magic cookies. Conflicting actions of romancing or using Helen. I think there are a lot of subtext possibilities for Nick, most likely the most opportunities in the script.

Stuart McCall

Subtext Identity: Helen’s controlling manager and son-in-law who always treats her like she is a dollar sign.

Subtext Trait – control freak, unsure when he isn’t in control, loves his family but doesn’t know how to show it, grateful for Helen but never tells her he appreciates the opportunity to manage her career

Subtext Logline – Stuart McCall is manages the career of America’s Sweetheart Dessert Chef with an iron fist that is really made of cookie dough.

Possible Areas of Subtext – suspicious of Nick, doesn’t want the children to believe in Santa Claus because he doesn’t want them hurt, doesn’t want to lose Helen as his family’s meal ticket, always plotting the next deal, conversations with Rudolph, thinks he is going nutter butters when he discovers Nick is who he says he is, immediately sets up a studio to broadcast from the North Pole

[Lynn Vincentnathan]

Lynn Vincentnathan’s Character Intrigue

VISION: I am determined to become a great screenwriter capable of getting my screenplays in various genres produced into movies that inspire vast audiences to mitigate climate change.

I LEARNED that the earlier lessons and assignments have already helped with much of this assignment, but this assignment has helped me dig a lot deeper. Also I had toyed with giving the lead lady minor ASD autism a couple of days ago, but thought it might make her behavior unlikeable. Now I’m thinking of including it; which could also be a chance to inform the audience, help the audience accept behavioral differences, which seems to be harder than racial and religious differences.

CONCEPT: WEATHERING IT (Rom-Com) is about two college students who try to overcome family fights about global warming and get married during the worst ever Texas freeze

———————————————————————————————

Many of the following are in the outline, but fleshed out more here. Some I’ve added NEW.

CHARACTER NAME: Ellie Ferris

ROLE: Lead Lady

HIDDEN AGENDAS: Ellie wants to be a writer and recluse like Uncle Ely, helping save the earth, but at a good distance from others. On the surface she’s a journalism major telling all that she plans to work for a newspaper or TV station. Only Uncle Ely and the audience know her hidden agenda. When she starts going with Jim she figures she can use Jim to fulfill Ely’s hidden agenda (see below).

COMPETITION: NEW: ?? In Act 3 Ellie plans to out Jim’s Uncle Fred for causing pollution ?? to the local news (?? The type of air pollution she thinks caused her autism) to force him to stop, but this may ruin her relationship with Jim.

CONSPIRACIES: She and Ely plan for her to live on his farm after her graduation so she can try her hand at writing books. After she falls for Jim she figures she can get him to move there, since he’s into alt energy and seems to be flexible, but Jim has his own “conspiracy,” his obligation to his Uncle Fred.

SECRETS: NEW: She has minor autism (ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder), which makes her 5 senses very sensitive; gives her some anxiety/depression/PTSD; inflexibility; introvert; selective mutism; poor short-term memory, meltdowns (temper tantrums over minor things); difficulty with empathy (she has to fake it). This actually fits her somewhat, and she thinks it’s linked to air pollution when her mother was pregnant. Also is fits a theme about love and marriage — that it’s less about feelings and emotions and more about commitment and sacrifice for the other, weathering it, which her Uncle Rudy (pastor and the only one with a successful marriage) instructs her after the mid-point break-up.

The surface behaviors might make Ellie less likable so I’ll need the audience to understand the root cause early enough so they don’t get turned off. Maybe an oblique mention of Greta Thunberg, the great climate activist kid and her Aspergers.

Because of her ASD Ellie is AFRAID to go out of the Rio Grande Valley. She especially hates big cities like Houston, where unknown to her Jim is obliged to work.

This will be a big hurdle for Jim to overcome and marry her.

Perhaps Gecko (the other man in a fairly minor role) has ASD at a higher level, which explains Ellie’s mention of “he has issues” in scene one (which I just started writing) and it would highlight the autism spectrum range, plus her concern for Gecko, plus why she doesn’t want to get involved with him, because she thinks it could be genetic and doesn’t want children more disadvantaged — even though she tells Jim (when she opens up about it) that it was likely due to her mother’s exposure to pollution or pesticides. Another reason Ellie is into eco issues.

DECEPTION: In Act 3 with Jim’s Uncle Fred she conceals that she’s an eco-activist, which he would absolutely hate.

UNSPOKEN WOUND: Underlying her less-spoken eco/climate anxiety (that the world and future are doomed) she suffers from father abandonment. He left when she was 6 and never contacted her thereafter. But we find out later her mother prevented it, thinking it best (maybe the mom makes some oblique reference to that earlier). On the surface Ellie thinks/knows marriage is doomed to failure, so why get involved.

SECRET IDENTITY: Ellie is half Tejana (Latina), but because of her Anglo looks and last name. The audience finds out when we meet her mom and uncles, but Jim doesn’t find this out until later. She’s not hiding it, it just doesn’t come up until then.

——————————————————————–

CHARACTER NAME: Jim Higson

ROLE: Lead Man

HIDDEN AGENDAS: Jim is obligated to work for Uncle Fred in his Petroleum Engineering Consultancy in Houston after college, even though he doesn’t really want to. Fred has taken over as father figure after Jim’s loving father died and has paid for all his education and more. Jim hides this from Ellie, figuring it would push her away, but since she’s going into journalism and has said she’s flexible (hiding her agenda), he figures she’ll have even better opportunity to get a job in Houston.

COMPETITION: NEW: He also makes oblique references to out Fred’s wrong consulting re covering up polluting practices to get him to change and “go clean,” include alt energy consulting.

CONSPIRACIES: ?? NEW: He enlists Ely’s Uncle Rudy in winning Ellie back. He and Ellie plot to change Uncle Fred.

SECRETS: He is hoping to break away from is obligation to Fred if he can’t convince him to “clean up” his consulting and get into alt energy (Fred expresses great hostility to alt energy). This turns into a CONSPIRACY in Act 3 when he enlists Ellie to help him convince Fred.

DECEPTION: He has to pretend to Fred he is totally into the Oil Engineering Consultancy and an anti-environmentalist.

UNSPOKEN WOUND: Bereaved over beloved father’s death (younger brother to Fred) when he was 16, which leads to his need for establishing a loving, wholesome family, and using Ellie as a way to soothe him in his plight re his obligation to Fred.

SECRET IDENTITY: (1) Jim’s mother is Peruvian, but because of his Anglo looks and last name Ellie and the audience doesn’t find this out until later (or maybe his Uncle Fred brings it up to him privately as a sneer, so the audience finds out earlier, making them think “these two are meant for each other”). Jim’s not hiding it, it just doesn’t come up until later. When their 2 Latinx identities are revealed, they feel even better they are compatible, but at first Ellie with her humorous ASD thinks not since her half is Tejana (Texas Latina) vs. his half is Peruvian.

(2) NEW: Jim is a religious, wholesome guy wanting a good marriage and family, but he pretends to be into sex only with his side-kick — a guy competitive thing. This backfires later when Ellie overhears them. ?? The audience also only slowly comes to understand Jim’s true character.

————————————————–

CHARACTER NAME: Ely Perez

ROLE: Triangle Character (Ellie’s great-uncle)

HIDDEN AGENDAS: Ely wants Ellie to take over his alt energy and blog outreach operations when he passes, he hints at it obliquely and avoids telling anyone else, but Ellie makes it clear she doesn’t have the knowledge or skills to do that and she doesn’t want to be tied down. She only wants to have a place lacking distractions where she can write… on a trial basis.

COMPETITION: He wants to destroy competitor Fred Higson in any way he can because Fred stole his love away from him and is an arch climate denialist.

CONSPIRACIES: ?? NEW: Joins with Jim in working to get Ellie to make up. Maybe Jim tells him he has a little obligation for a few years, but will be free to come and take over Ely’s alt energy project.

SECRETS: ?? NEW: Ely is running out if money but pretends he has plenty to keep Ellie in good condition when/if she takes over his off-the-grid farm

DECEPTION: ?? NEW: Because he’s going bankrupt, he is plotting to get Ellie to support him and his farm; he covers his situation and not using his farm for crop/livestock production and letting it return to brushland by saying he’s a naturalist.

UNSPOKEN WOUND: He lost the love of his life to Fred Higson and became a grumpy old recluse.

SECRET IDENTITY: ?? NEW: He is of Jewish Converso descendent — those who escaped Spain’s persecution of Jews by fleeing to the Rio Grande Valley centuries ago. That’s why he hates religion, underlying his anger at religious folk for not adequately addressing climate change and other eco issues.

Ely’s dislike of religion contributed to Ellie not attending her Uncle Rudy’s non-denominational church for the past 3 years, but she doesn’t know Ely and her family are of Jewish descent. Ely isn’t hiding it, he just assumes it’s known.* When Ellie, Jim and the audience find out they worry about what Uncle Fred (an Archie Bunker type) will think and do.

*Ellie’s mom knows, but as with her choosing to keep the Anglo last name of her ex-husband to help Ellie in a racist world, she thinks it best this Jewish identity be left unknown.

[Monica Arisman]

Lesson 4: Character Intrigue

Subject: Monica’s Character Intrigue

Vision: I will continue to learn everything I can through all different media to apply what I learn to become the best screenwriter I can be. To be successful in getting my movies made and to win awards in the process.

What I learned from doing this assignment is to design characters before writing a single word that are flawed and intriguing to make your story interesting and thrilling.

2. For each of your main characters, use this list to brainstorm one or more Intrigue items that might apply. You don’t need all of them; just one or two.

Character Name: Conall Coffey

Role: Protagonist

Deception: Goes along
with the antagonist and his cohorts to find out what they really are
planning and then to turn the tables on them.

Unspoken Wound: Lost his wife and kids to a
fire that was intentionally set by the government.

Areas of Subtext: Listening without saying much, suspicious
of everyone, plays both sides of the story, subtly manipulates the
“elites”.

Character Name: Harry Bernham

Role: Antagonist

Hidden agendas: He runs the world and has
most governments doing his bidding. Conspiracies: Harry and his
buddies are planning the demise of most of Earth’s population so only the
elite and a few slaves are left.

Secrets: Collects
other people’s secrets and isn’t afraid to use them.

Unspoken Wound: Grew
up in a family who put success ahead of everything else including love
which they viewed as a weakness.

Areas of Subtext: Control every situation, uses immoral
actions to get what he wants, and doesn’t realize he’s being manipulated.

Character Name: Jay the Alien

Role: Triangle
character — Advisor

Hidden agendas: Plans on stopping the
elites.

Deception: Goes along with the antagonist until it’s time to
implement his agenda.

Unspoken Wound: Didn’t
want this assignment – doesn’t like Earth people but he’s “imprisoned” here against his will until he can
break free.

Secret Identity: Is an alien.

Areas of Sub-text: Can manipulate energy and
implant ideas into human brains, always watching which makes the elites
uncomfortable, gets in touch with his people.

[victor Valleau]

Vic Valleau’s Character Intrigue

Vision: As a writer I am an alchemist, turning ordinary into gold.

What I learned doing this assignment is: Adding intrigue, kicks up my interest in character and story. From the added intrigue, creative and new original scene visualizations pop into my head. Casting Theo Von as Bob?

Role: Protagonist Bob Pit

Hidden agenda: Be the king!

Competition: All desirable women and what women say are good looking datable men. He hides, pretends they don’t exist.

Conspiracies: Pity Bob preaches population decline. He says fault is with Women who shun short, quiet well-meaning men, also Internet dating sites run by women against men. He tries but too short, too bald, too skinny, to self critical, stops himself because of his faults, weaknesses, his own worst enemy.

Secrets 40 your old Virgin and Never had any interest from a woman or a girlfriend. He just had plastic surgery on his Jimmy.

Deception: His deceptions become new goals. Example: Pretends to be secret stud,

Unspoken Wound: Momma’s boy, feels castrated. .

Secret identity: Macho action Hero

Idea of how Bobs intrigue subtext might show up in movie:

He freaks out around desirable women, then tries to hide it, studders, forgets everything including his own name, makes terrible impression esp. with new people. Default is posturing Stud, very unconvincing.

Role: Antagonist Mia

Hidden agenda: To get pregnant, Keep Bob hidden, away from Mia’s controlling husband

Competition: Her husband plays around, every woman. Conspiracies: Thinks everybody’s after husband and/or his money. Secrets: Her husband controls with money and hates everyone but hides it.

She hires Bob’s detective agency to find her donor and spy on husband. WE have no one by that name Bob Pit.

Deception: pretends she believes Bob is brother to famous A-list actor.

Unspoken Wound: Ashamed she married money.

Secret Identity: Before meeting husband, actual call girl.

Idea of how Mia’s intrigue subtext might show up in movie:

1. She’s very busy hiding clues to Bob’s identity. 2. She looks for movie star sperm. 3. Hides her call girl past until called to Bob’s bed, freaks out. 4. Fights off her husbands girlfriends and 5. Bob who is after her husband’s money.

Role: Antagonist Bob’s Mom.

Hidden agenda” Protect Bob from life.

Competition: She stops anyone getting close to Bob.

Conspiracies: Believes Bob’s BS

Secrets: says doesn’t know Bob’s father.

Deception: pretense she’s a widow of war hero

Unspoken Wound: Bob should be a girl, her playmate doll.

Secret Identity: Silent protester: Sabotages her sons any potential friends and esp. Bob’s girlfriends.

Idea of how Bob’s mom intrigue subtext might show up in movie:

Very protective keeps Bob isolated, believes his BS when convenient, fights off Bob’s father who wants to make Bob a man, lies Bob’s father is a war hero and so is Bob, is a saboteur against Bob’s friends, says beware, Bob is evil, possessed, talks to voodoo dolls (action figures) every day.

[David Holloway]

Dave Holloway’s character intrigue

My vision: I would like to be a successful writer in Hollywood, with a number of successful movies to my credit that put forward a core belief about environmental, political, or personal development.

What I learned doing this assignment is that most or all characters probably have unspoken wounds and searching for these can make the character more complex, interesting and likable.

Nigel Williamson

Protagonist

Nigel has a secret which creates an unspoken wound and gives him a hidden agenda. In grade school, at 10 or 12, another boy punched him during a physical education period and he ran away from him. This has created a wound, and he will try to alleviate it by showing courage during the attempt to rescue his wife. He also knows that if his courage fails him at any point, resulting in his rescue attempt being unsuccessful, he will never be able to forgive himself.

Roger Darby

Protagonist

Roger has a hidden agenda and a competition regarding Nigel. He knows that Nigel is smarter than him and that many people regard him as purely a man of physical prowess who lacks much intelligence or depth of feeling. This bothers him, and he wants to prove that he indeed has intelligence and the capacity to feel deeply. This will become apparent when he and Nigel get to the military state, and his love for Nigel leads him to risk his life in performing some act requiring intelligence that is crucial to rescuing Nigel’s wife. Roger also has a secret, which is that he resents authority and dislikes the military because it is such an authoritarian milieu. He also dislikes it because his uncle fought alongside the Americans in the second gulf war, was hit by shrapnel and spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair, an outrage magnified by the fact that his uncle was lied to by the Americans, who told him the war was to free Iraq of Saddam Hussein, when in fact it was to ensure American control of Iraq’s oil.

Livia Williamson

Protagonist, Nigel’s wife

Livia has a secret and a hidden agenda. When she arrived in Shiloh, the military state, she saw how appallingly fascist and cruel its leadership was. She talks to civilians who live in the state, who tell her it executes people for treason if they express the least opposition to it, or if they’re merely suspected of doing so. After she writes articles exposing this, she is incarcerated. Her horror at what is happening in the prison increases her opposition. The warden tries to get her to reveal the name of one of the civilians who told her about the executions, but she refuses to. She will write a series of articles in the prison exposing the outrages perpetrated by the state within the prison and outside it. She manages to smuggle the articles out of Shiloh, with instructions that they’re to be published after she escapes or is killed.

[Renee Miller]

Renee’s Character Intrique

My Vision: I will work hard to become a well-respected screenwriter who has her movies produced and have enough work to keep me busy and keep the lights on.

What I learned doing this assignment is how to think about deeper layers for my characters. Having hidden layers can help you create a well-rounded, believable character that will help keep the audience engaged.

Character Name: Claire

Role: Protagonist

Secrets: she’s an alcoholic in rehab.

Deception: her sister doesn’t know that she is only there because she was ordered to by a judge after she was arrested for a DUI.

Unspoken Wound: her sister cheated with her boyfriend and fell pregnant with her niece.

Secret Identity: she believes she can be the hero.

Character Name: Marc

Role: Antagonist

Hidden agendas: he wants to bring the creature back alive, no matter what.

Conspiracies: working with Scott and Chris to bring the creature back alive even if it means the girl dies.

Deception: he assures the parents that he will do what ever it takes to bring their daughter back alive.

Unspoken Wound: his brother was killed by the same creature and he is out for revenge.

Secret Identity: he believes by bringing the creature in alive to study he will be the hero.

[Deleted User]

Karen Crider’s likeability/Relatability/ empathy

I have fun with likeability, relatability and empathy.

What I learned: That it’s good to have these qualities in your writing. Something to be strived for. Thanks.

My vision is to be a stronger writer.

My protag: Shadow

Likeability: My character, Shadow, a spotted, African hyena, is not well liked. He has been traumatized by Mortimer, a diseased wolf, who invades their den and kills his brother. Shadow withdraws into himself and becomes an object of scorn. His older brother, Brimsley, shuns him, Shadow’s ousted by his clan and continually slinks the clan’s periphery, suffering from anxiety separation, only to be throttled by those who want him gone.

As he ages, he becomes more likeable, but not necessarily by his clan. He suffers trying to learn how to hunt, how to survive, how to deal with his phobia of wolves. He tries to do what it takes to be more sociably acceptable, more likeable by bathing, becoming proficient at howling and hunting. By the time he becomes more adept, he’s grown and a leader.

Bravery doesn’t always motivate one to fight, Sometimes, it’s hunger that drives a hyena; perhaps, it’s needing more than grubs in his life; but the first time in battle with his mortal enemy, he fights for his mom, who is unable to survive without his help. He wins, and saves both their lives. He learns he can survive against dangerous predators. He has no reason to shrink from the bullies, (another layer) which leads to self-respect. When we respect ourselves, no matter the reasons, others like us as well. Such becomes the case of Shadow.

Relatability: Shadow is very relatable. He has been traumatized by a wolf who kills his brother. He’s been rejected by his clan, and is hunted by predators, He’s lonely, fearful, and cries a lot.

Empathy: An audience loves a underdog. Shadow qualifies whole heartedly. He suffers almost the entire play. But through suffering; he grows, perseveres and becomes a leader. A top dog, which pays his dues in more ways than one.

Mortimer the antagonist:

To achieve likeability involves showing how Mortimer suffers; how the disease is the most evil predator of all, How it’s taking his life while he still has a pulse. The loneliness of it. The hunger and aversion at the same time for water, for food he can’t keep down, the suffering of being devoured by his own brain.

Relatability: My antagonist, Mortimer, has rabies. He is ruthless in his kills, even killing humans. The relatability factor is not high. The fear and distaste factor appear higher. But to the jungle predators and prey, fear of a ruthless killer is relatable despite the fact most individuals loathe hyenas. Many judges a book by its cover. But understanding what it is to suffer, what it is to be crazed, alone and sick is something not considered in a rabid creature. He’s still considered a threat. To have relatability requires the writing to lend essence to his suffering, and highlight what it is to be infected and controlled by disease.

Empathy: Mortimer is perhaps more feared and disliked than one deserving empathy. He is a diseased carnivore. He is not so different from other dangerous carnivores. Some of them are as diseased as he is in other ways.

How do you cope with a diseased wolf? You shoot him. No empathy there. My character is not popular, or relatable, Few equate him with empathy. But he is ruthless. He leaves carnage where ever he goes. He’s a baby killer, and rabid. What more do you want in an antagonist? He has the looks and smell to go with it. He incites fear like Jaws. And he attacks without any Jaws music or remorse to mark his disease. lol. Thanks,

[Amy Falkofske]

Amy’s Character Intrigue

Vision: I want to become known as an expert in the family-friendly genre and make a full-time living as a screenwriter.

What I learned from doing this assignment is that my characters had intrigue that I didn’t yet know about.

Character Name: Stephanie

Role: Protagonist

Hidden agendas: She has no intention of accepting the fact that she’s not a royal.

Secrets: She’s having the historian investigated.

Deception: She’s going along with Jack’s plan to make her into a commoner.

Unspoken Wound: Losing her father as a teenager has caused all of her romantic relationships to be dysfunctional.

Character Name: Jack

Role: Love interest

Hidden agendas: To make Stephanie fall in love with him

Secrets: He knows the historian who’s saying Stephanie’s family is not part of the royal line is a fraud.

[Joe Donato]

Joe’s character intrigue

My vision is to persevere and stay the course of building steady daily routine, and disciplines that produce consistent writing of exceptional quality. Ultimately, the fruit of those habits and disciplines will be a track record of great marketable scripts that will make other successful talented pros seek me out.

What I learned: This assignment came easier than some previous assignments and I think that is because of how much the other assignments pushed me to come up with strong plot points and complex characters. Most of these are just natural expressions of the conflict and theme. I’m also looking forward to discovering even more as I continue to outline.

Character Name: Lorenzo Locatelli

Role: Main male lead for RomCom

Hidden agendas: He might possibly have a hidden agenda to either see Emily’s studio fail…or to make it succeed. I think after he has feelings for her, it would change from the former to the latter.

Competition: He truly is competing with every other pizza shop in town, but when asked about the competition, he totally plays it cool like he doesn’t care at all how well the others do compared to him… but he really does.

Conspiracies:

Secrets: He’s actually got rich relatives in Italy who’d give him all the money he’d ever need for anything if they truly felt it was his calling.

Deception: His behavior towards the landlord may start to change from totally argumentative/hostile, to totally passive (which makes the landlord suspicious… but the landlord will start to realize that Emily and Lorenzo are falling for each other, and that makes him afraid)

Unspoken Wound: something from his childhood put a huge chip on his shoulders to succeed, and/or not question his place as a small-time pizza guy.

Secret Identity: see “secrets” above

Character Name: Emily Wakefield

Role: Female lead for RomCom

Hidden agendas: her hidden agenda to see Lorenzo fail, is replaced by her hidden agenda to see him succeed.

Competition: maybe with other dance studios or another teacher? She does get sucked into trying to please the landlord, thinking that Lorenzo is doing that too. She thinks that because the Landlord led her to believe that, but its not true. Lorenzo doesn’t give a crap about what the landlord thinks of him.

Conspiracies: She is in cahoots with Lorenzo in 2nd half of story to force the landlord to fix the elevator.

Secrets: after eating the Stratchiatelli, she is totally drawn to Lorenzo, but she wont dare let him see it.

Deception:

Unspoken Wound: not returning to Broadway bugs her more than she cares to admit.

Secret Identity:

Character Name: Todd Valente

Role: Landlord and shapeshifting Antagonist between Lorenzo and Emily

Hidden agendas: plans to take advantage of the business weaknesses of young entrepeneurs who sign long-term leases with him.

Deception: totally misleading Emily into thinking he’s the only ally she’s got, when in reality, he’s NOT helping her business.

Unspoken Wound: I’m sure he’s got a lot of them from past tenants and/or business failures.

[David Penn]

David’s Character Intrigue

My vision is to increase my skills to become an A list writer.

What I learned from this assignment is the value/necessity of creating meaningful subtext in your main characters that create intrigue.

Character Name: Chas Chandler

Role: Protagonist

Secrets: Chas lies and says he’s a doctor to impress Christie.

Deception: Has to go on pretending he’s a rich, successful doctor even though he’s dirt poor and in debt.

Unspoken Wound: Craving to be popular after being a geek in high school.

How does it show up? From the end of Act 1, Chas has to convince Christie that he’s a real doctor: borrows his friend’s apartment and car, steals a doctor’s smock from the sperm bank. Avoids calls from Keith. Has to get an advance to pay for date. Spends 8 years in college because he thrives on popularity causing him to go deep in debt. Puts on a happy face, avoiding reality, not to ruin his popularity.

Character Name: Keith Holmes

Hidden agendas: Track down Chas and force him to pay 10 grand to save his childhood home

Unspoken Wound: Lives in the past that’s no longer relevant. Regrets never having gone to college.

How does it show up? Carries pic of mom in wallet. His old friend Ski moving out of town. See regret in his eyes when he eyes Chas’s college photos. Has outdated views of San Francisco, society. Relies on harsh tactics to get money that are no longer relevant. Has beers with Chas, not sure if he wants to be a collector anymore, nor save his home.

[Dana Abbott]

WIM2 – Dana’s Character Intrigue

My Vision: I intend to perfect my skills to become a successful screenwriter, scripting acclaimed and profitable films, recognized by my peers, and living an adventurous life.

What I learned during this assignment:

Discovering my character’s intrigue, I realized 1) my antagonist’s affair, 2) that her kidnapper knew about it, and 3) her lover refuses to help. And 4) that the protagonist is in league with her husband. Developing character intrigue again added layers to my plot.

Character Name: Ruth Griffin

Role: Hostage

Hidden agendas:

Competition: She tries to manipulate her kidnapper, trying to bribe him and discover his identity.

Conspiracy:

Secret: She was having an affair, which is revealed when her kidnapper calls her lover on a cell phone and holds it for her to speak with him.

Deception: She convinces her kidnapper that she will cooperate while plotting to escape

Unspoken Wound: Her husband is abusive.

Secret Identity: Minister’s daughter who sings a soft hymn that softly echoes through the mill.

Give us an idea of how that character’s subtext might show up in your movie.

She cooperates with her captor whenever he’s present but tries to manipulate the others who arrive at the abandoned steel mill to help her; her captor holds a phone and allows her to speak to her lover, who refuses to help because he would have to reveal their affair and ruin his political career and family.

Character Name: The Custodian

Role: Kidnapper

Hidden agendas: He’s kidnapped his victim for ransom.

Competition: He toys with her, pretending to be interested in her offers to bride him, but keeps to his original plan to ransom her.

Conspiracy: 1) He’s in league with the husband to kidnap his own wife. 2) He uses the threat of street gangs and the drug addicts who frequent the steel mill to threaten his hostage into submission.

Secret: He’s kidnapped other women

Deception: Convinces his victim she will be released after the ransom is paid, but he intends to kill her after receiving the money.

Unspoken Wound: When he hears his captive softly singing a religious hymn to herself, he stops to listen, affected by the song for an unknown reason.

Secret Identity: His identity is never revealed.

Give us an idea of how that character’s subtext might show up in your movie.

He never speaks. His every action is threatening. He enjoys tormenting her while she’s held in captivity.

[Frances Emerson]

MODULE THREE LESSON FOUR

FRAN’S CHARACTER INTRIGUE

MY VISION: I want to write great movies. Movies that are magical, movies that move people and tell the truth. I want to write movies that stars will want to be in.

WHAT I LEARNED: Just ask your characters what they would like to share with you. They will respond!

MEREDITH KERNS

What I came up with:

Unspoken wound/Competition and she strikes back

She married the wrong man! She was in love with someone else before, but it didn’t work out.

She sabotages her husband’s film

She goes to a tabloid to out her husband’s many affairs

She goes to work for her husband’s old rival in the film business

ROLE: screenwriter for her husband’s company and she is a dutiful wife in the beginning

HIDDEN AGENDAS: She goes behind her husbande’s back to take on a new job assignment

COMPETITION: She competes with her husband’s “leading ladies” for her husband’s attention. She wants to be a good screenwriter, she has to do it in competition with her husband’s company

She strikes back with sabotaging his film and she goes to a tabloid to tell-all about her husband’s affairs

CONSPIRACIES: She asks her agent to help her break from her husband’s hold on her. Jobwise.

SECRETS: she knows she married the wrong man. She was in love with someone else before but she never tells anyone—yet anyway. She is in love with him still.

DECEPTION: She doesn’t tell her husband about her new job until she has to.

UNSPOKEN WOUND: She can’t abide by her husband’s treatment of her, but doesn’t say anything until it’s pried out of her.

The old rival filmmaker wants to get back at her husband, too.

The old flame take on a role she wrote in her screenplay.

Tabloid reporter—gossip columnist acquaintance gets an earful

Agent is on her side and helps her at every turn.

[JOEL STERN]

Module 3 Lesson 4: Joel Stern’s
Character Intrigue

My Vision: To write eight screenplays
that eventually become Hollywood blockbuster films (and to get a
speaking line).

What I learned from this assignment:
Creating layers beneath the main character’s surface

Character Name: Jim “Ace” McCarthy

Role: Protagonist

Secrets: Committed a war crime during WW2 but mistakenly
received a medal for bravery.

Unspoken Wound: He’s haunted by this; suppresses mental
anguish; becomes an alcoholic and gambling addict.

Character Name: Carol Newhouse

Role: Las Vegas newspaper reporter; becomes Jim’s love
interest.

Hidden agendas: Is really an undercover FBI agent sent
to investigate Jim’s war crime.

[Wynona Bice-Stephens]

Bice-Stephens’ Character Intrigue

2022 is my year to break through!

What I learned: this exercise is very valuable.

Title—Baby Dearest

Character name—Brandy

Role—Antagonist

Hidden agendas—Would rather see Alex dead than with someone else

Competition—Alex’s true love Emma

Conspiracies—Manipulating with kidnapped baby

Secrets—Baby is not hers

Deception—Baby is a girl, not a boy

Unspoken wound—Child of a murdered mother

Secret identity—Daughter of a killer

Character subtext in movie—Drugging Alex’s drinks, buying gun, dressing kidnapped baby girl as boy, faking pregnancy

Character Name—Alex

Role—Protagonist, male, 20s

Hidden agenda—Desperate to build a “real” family

Competition—with Jacob just trying to have a good time

Conspiracies—Hiding Brandy and baby from Emma

Secrets—Wants to find his birth mother, having hard time fathering surprise baby

Deception—Doesn’t tell Emma about Brandy

Unspoken wound—Always felt unwanted because biological mom gave him up

Secret identity—Son of a lawyer

Character subtext in movie—helping homeless, kind to kids, bouncing others’ babies, carrying bugs out of house instead of killing them

[Paul Dees]

Paul Dees’ Character Intrigue

My Vision: I am a writer/director/producer that writes and makes films of all kinds, and I am recognized by the industry as both a highly successful filmmaker and as a person that’s easy to work with.

What is learned from doing this assignment is how to add additional layers of subtext a lead character is endowed with.

Character Name: Rick O’Brien

Role: Protagonist

Unspoken Wound: Rick goes out of his way to hide the emotional pain he feels from the death of his partner and the hostage they were trying to rescue as shown in the prologue of the film. But it comes to the surface every now and then despite his best attempts.

Character Name: Sean Gray

Role: Antagonist

Secret Identity: In addition to being a Special Agent with the FBI, Sean is also the terrorist he and Rick are assigned to find and bring to justice.

Deception: Sean balances acting like he’s on board with trying to catch the terrorist, with subtle twists and turns that lead Rick astray just enough to keep him from being caught.

[Andrew Boyd]

Andrew Boyd’s Character Intrigue

(Apologies for this being late.)

My Vision:

For Hitler’s Choirboys to be such a compelling screenplay that Steven Spielberg and Mel Gibson will battle it out to produce their best WW2 blockbuster since Hacksaw Ridge or Schindler’s List.

What I learned from this assignment is:

Explore those hidden agendas so intriguing subtext can be layered in.

Character Name: Henry Gerecke

Role: Protagonist

Hidden agendas: Wants to go beyond his military brief to shows these killers the love and mercy of God

Competition: Gustave Gilbert, psychologist and military intelligence, wants Henry to work as a spy.

Conspiracies: In order to avoid being sent home he has to feed back information on his congregation.

Unspoken Wound: Humiliated by his father, so reluctant to get tough with others and humiliate them.

Secret Identity: Reluctant and occasional spy.

Subtext: Pulls his punches in caring for others – reluctant to go in hard and get tough.

Character Name: Hermann Goering

Role: Leader of the Nazis. Antagonist

Hidden agendas: Get the Allies to resume the war and join the Nazis in fighting the Russians.

Competition: Prosecutor Justice Jackson, the Allied backroom team.

Conspiracies: He is trying to turn the protagonist to support him and his cause, and is working on the guards to do the same. In contact with the shadowy Werwolves, the Nazi resistance.

Secrets: Hidden cyanide capsule.

Deception: Always. Utterly scheming and manipulative.

Unspoken Wound: Abandoned by father and mother, desperate to be loved and admired.

Subtext: Constantly getting under the skin of others to win them over or dominate them.

Character Name: Gustave Gilbert

Role: Psychologist. Mentor, Shapeshifter

Hidden agendas: Loathes the Nazis and wants them to hang – even if they’re not mentally fit to stand trial.

Competition: Chaplains who are pushing mercy rather than vengeance.

Conspiracies: Trying to recruit his colleague to abandon his principles and spy on the Nazis. Conflicted over the sanity of the defendants and their suitability to stand trial – not wanting them to escape justice.

Deception: Working covertly for military intelligence. Burying his scientific findings because the world isn’t ready to hear.

Unspoken Wound: Prevented by war from ever seeing his newborn son. Seething with a sense of injustice.

Secret Identity: Keeping his Jewish identity under wraps.

Subtext: Battling to keep cold fury under wraps. Sublimating his anger into his professionalism.

Character Name: Sam Fuller

Role: Chaplain’s assistant. Protagonist’s Sidekick, Shapeshifter

Hidden agendas: Wants the Nazis dead – could go to any lengths to take his vengeance.

Competition: The protagonist keeps standing in his way like an unwelcome father-figure.

Secrets: Black marketeer and hustler: ‘Just take it – don’t ask…’

Unspoken Wound: Hatred of father and so father figures. Brother murdered by the Nazis.

Subtext: Always on the hustle and trying to hide it, now maybe hustling for revenge. Loathing of father figures, including his boss.

Character Name: Sixtus O’Connor

Role: Catholic Chaplain. Protagonist’s Ally and Mentor

Hidden agendas:

Competition: The rules. Prepared to break them to get through to the men in his care.

Secrets: What really happened when he and his men liberated Mauthausen Concentration Camp?

Deception: Will exceed his brief to pursue his goal.

Unspoken Wound: Experience at Mauthausen almost broke him. Left him physically and emotionally scarred. Drinks too much.

Beneath his jocularity, always in pain, both physically and emotionally. Self-medicating with booze.

Thank you!

[Alan Wood]

WIM2 Alan’s Character Intrigue

My Vision:

I do whatever it takes for me to be a true wordsmith that spins wildly original and entertaining screenplays that are passionately sought out by top industry professionals who turn them into critically and publicly acclaimed major motion pictures distributed by the top studios in Hollywood, all while writing from wherever I may be leisurely traveling the world at the moment.

=====================================================================

What I learned: This is a really important process that I don’t usually do outside of SU classes. I need to make this a regular part of my process. I know that’s the same thing I learned last time, but it counts here too!

=====================================================================

Title: Ninja Burgers

Genre: Action/Comedy

Concept: A down on his luck, thirty-something fast food employee finds a high tech bracelet that turns him into the world’s deadliest super soldier.

======================================================================

For each of your main characters, use this list to brainstorm one or more Intrigue items that might apply. You don’t need all of them; just one or two.

Character Name: Tiberius Truman

Role: Protagonist

Hidden agendas: Doesn’t want to be a part of the YouTube group but does it to have friends.

Competition:

Conspiracies:

Secrets: Wants to be a Ninja. Wants to open his own fast food restaurant. Steals food and money from the restaurant to feed his dying father and buy his dad’s medications.

Deception: Lies to the other super soldiers about his origins.

Unspoken Wound: His mother died and it sent his father into a tailspin. His fast food income is basically all they have to survive. He tells none of this to his friends.

Secret Identity: Super soldier.

Give us an idea of how that character’s subtext might show up in your movie: As listed above. He loves his job but must steal in order to survive and to help his father survive. His heart isn’t into his friends’ big plans. He can’t share his plans for fear of ridicule.

Character Name: Crypto

Role: Antagonist

Hidden agendas: Would love to find a way to leave the evil organization for the island life.

Competition: He knows the number one henchman is after his job and looking for a sign of weakness.

Conspiracies:

Secrets: He hates his job and is taking stress meds because of it. Wakes up throwing up.

Deception:

Unspoken Wound: Was responsible for his wife’s accidental death and that haunts/tortures him endlessly.

Secret Identity:

Give us an idea of how that character’s subtext might show up in your movie: Crypto needs to show total strength and ruthlessness in order to survive, it is only when he is alone that we see cracks in his armor and understand that he is hurting and vulnerable as well.

[ROBERT Ingalls]

Module 3, Lesson 4 – Character Intrigue

Subject: Rob Ingalls’ Character Intrigue

MY VISION:

To be a Talented writer that delivers quality fast, with the film industry seeking me out.

WIL: That Module 3 is in need of fixing.

===============================

Character Name: Josh

Role: Protagonist

Hidden Agendas: Fake-it-’til-you-make-it

Competition: With himself

Conspiracies:

Secrets: His adventures posted on TikToc are fake. Green screen and SFX studio.

Deception: Deceives his followers, making them think he’s cool and such a great adventurer

Unspoken Wound: Insecure due to being bullied in school.

Secret Identity:

=============================

Character Name: Cashus King

Role: Antagonist

Hidden Agendas: Wants to knock down Josh from High Influencer status

Competition: In his mind, Cashus is in competition with Josh (who barely knows him)

Conspiracies:

Secrets: The very things that he exposes on internet of fake Josh adventures is what he is also doing

Deception: He deceives his TikToc followers

Unspoken Wound: He was a bully in grade school

Secret Identity:

====================================

Character Name: Holly

Role: Triangle Character

Hidden Agendas: Plans to take Josh down

Competition:

Conspiracies: Conspires with Cashus (directly or hidden) against Josh

Secrets: She cheated on Josh and was afraid he’d find out

Deception:

Unspoken Wound: Doesn’t trust men. Her dad left her mom and herself to fend for themselves

Secret Identity: Travel Agent to troll Josh

[Hari Messer]

Subject line: Hari’s Character Intrigue

My Vision: I want to write screenplays that enable me to work with like minded creative people in the industry to produce profound movies that will have a long lasting positive effect on the world.

What I learned… Intrigue is what makes the story. It’s closely tied to subtext.

For each of your main characters, use this list to brainstorm one or more Intrigue items that might apply. Give us an idea of how that character’s subtext might show up in your movie.

Character Name: Colt McBride

Role: Protagonist

Unspoken Wound: Disillusioned with the world and humanity

Subtext: It takes falling in love with an alien to restore his faith in humanity.

Character Name: Del Beck

Role: Antagonist

Hidden agendas: An alien leading the take over of Earth

Conspiracies: The Aliens have infiltrated every level of human society and are behind all of Earth’s ills.

Deception: Wolf in sheep’s clothing. He (and all of the aliens) have assumed human form to accomplish their goal.

Subtext: He hates having to take human form and being subject to the appetites (he loves fine wine!) and frailties of this inferior race.

Character Name: Jamaica Daly

Role: Triangle Character

Secrets: She is part alien, but she doesn’t know it. It’s been kept a secret from her!

Subtext: Jamaica has always felt like a misfit, but doesn’t know why. When she finds out the truth it brings clarity to her life and for the first time she knows what to do.

[Nancy Meyer]

My Vision: To create a polished portfolio and do whatever it takes to get a manager, and then sell multiple TV and or feature scripts.

What I learned doing this assignment is that I struggle with subtext more than other areas in character development so I will spend more time focusing in this area.

Character Name: Freya

Role: Protagonist. Investigative reporter who is mourning the loss of her family but discovers she may be the past (murdered) wive of a fugitive she sets out to investigate

Hidden agendas: Use a vacation meant for grieving to investigate/solve a mystery that she wants to use to prove to her boss she’s ready to go back to work.

Competition: With writer’s back at home/in the office vying for best stories while she’s on sabbatical.

Conspiracies:

Secrets: Sexual abused as a child, affair but kept secret from her husband, blamed him for one instead. Cuts herself. Has dreams about her past life. Believes she is being stalked/but thinks she might be imagining it.

Deception: Tells the caretaker she wants to prove he is innocent in order to get his help, but then intends on turning him in to authorities

Unspoken Wound: trauma in past, can’t get close to anyone, especially hard time having relationships, doesn’t trust people because she doesn’t want to be hurt/taken advantage of

Secret Identity: The past wife of a famous fugitive/subject of an unsolved murder

Give us an idea of how that character’s subtext might show up in your movie: she lies to her boss about “vacationing” but fully intends to find a story to catapult her back into being the “it” writer. Her argument with her husband about his affair leads up to their terrible accident – we wonder if she purposely lets him drown. Downplays the reality of her dreams and the messages they are sending but is concerned they may be reality. When the caretaker reacts negatively to her belief that Lars Ericksen is innocent, she changes her story to convince the caretaker she is on his side to obtain his help to escape the island.

Character Name: Noah

Role: Antagonist – The Caretaker of the Ericksen home on the island Freya visits

Hidden agendas: Convince Freya that Lisbeth’s husband killed Lisbeth and their daughter so she does not put the clues together that it was him

Competition: His lies are competing with the truth that is surfacing in Freya’s dreams and memories

Conspiracies:

Secrets: He killed Lisbeth and has been hiding from that truth alone on the island

Deception: Befriends Freya, to help her heal (from her guilt) and but to keep her away from discovering the truth

Unspoken Wound: He was in love with Lisbeth and could never have her

Secret Identity: A killer ashamed of his actions looking for absolution

Give us an idea of how that character’s subtext might show up in your movie: He manipulates Freya so she makes a plan to stay on the island/lures her, then he stalks her to learn about her, he feeds her lies to believe Lars killed his wife, he gaslights Freya to make her question her own mind, kidnaps Freya when she gets too close to the truth

[Joyce Davidson]

Joyce’s Module 3: lesson 4 Leads

WIL: All have subtext now and secrets from each other.

Character name: Cole Fairbanks

Role: Shakespearean scholar, head of his class, assists Professor Graydon Alexander and is coerced into investigating the professor’s attack and loss of manuscript about to be published.

Hidden agendas: Does not share professor’s views but is loyal to him

Competition: Hunter Champion, another classmate about to take finals , a jealous rival for Cole’s importance and his ex-girlfriend, Laurel Goode.

Secrets: he’s open, but quiet

Deception: wants to preserve Shakespeare’s legacy in spite of Professor Alexander’s opposition.

Unspoken wound: He has never had a girlfriend until Laurel pressures him and then drops him.

Secret identity: none.

Character name: Delaney Dorchester

Role: classmate coerced into assisting Cole

hidden agendas: wants to get to the evidence first

Competition: Laurel, who is sexy and can stomp on anyone with no regrets

Secrets: Her ancestors include two possible candidates as the real Shakespeare.

Deception: She wants to appear dowdy and coy

Unspoken wound: She hates how through centuries her ancestors had no credit for what they wrote.

Secret identity: an heir to the real legacy.

[George Petersen]

George Petersen CHARACTER INTRIGUE

My Vision is to direct one of my screenplays as a low-budget indie feature

What I learned in this assignment is intrigue can be anywhere in a script

Character Name: Longfellow

Role: an attorney who becomes a detective

Hidden agendas: to discover Youngblood’s true identity without Jonathan discovering his investigation

Competition: Longfellow feels in competition with Youngblood for Jonathan’s favor

Secrets: Longfellow’s secret plan to expose Youngblood for who he really is

Deception: Longfellow lies to Jonathan about his covert spying on Youngblood in the Haight

Unspoken Wound: to have Jonathan seemingly favor Youngblood’s friendship over his own

Give us an idea of how that character’s subtext might show up in your movie.

Longfellow’s says one thing to Jonathan but does another

*

Character Name: Youngblood

Role: a mysterious hippie with no past

Hidden agendas: to inherit Jonathan’s vast estate lock, stock and barrel

Secrets: his doppelganger identity

Deception: to trick Longfellow into using his friendship with Jonathan as a means of making the will indisputable

Secret Identity: that Youngblood is in fact an evil expression of the saintly Jonathan’s dark side

Jonathan is manipulated into making the will unchallengeable

[Marcus Wolf]

Marcus’ Character Intrigue

My Vision: I have well-founded confidence that what I write is excellent and will be acknowledged as excellent by everyone who reads it.

This lesson was a good exercise in developing characters.

Movie Title: “Beyond the Faded Trail”

Character Name: Jake Barnet

Role: Owner of a building business.

Deception: Works to convince local businessmen that they should hire him to do their building for them. He convinces them that nothing matters more to him than quality. He really wants to make as much money as possible.

Secret: A former cavalry man, he is an expert horseman and a crack shot. He also knows how to fight with knives.

Unspoken Wound: The horrors of the war had a profound effect on his attitude about violence.

Secret Identity: A respected member of the community and a family man.

Jake puts a lot of effort into finding new clients to build for without any consideration of whether he can deliver on his promises. He avoids conflict. He seems unconcerned that his workers do not respect him, but earns their respect when he shows what he can do during the trip to the abandoned town. When the time comes to fight the outlaws, he tries to avoid violence, but his options become limited when Isaac starts a gunfight.

Character Name: Isaac Castle (aka Holland Whitaker)

Role: Foreman

Hidden Agendas: Everything he does is toward his goal of killing the outlaw Lucien Rick and getting his girlfriend back.

Secrets: Appearing to be a soft intellectual, he was once a hardened criminal.

Deception: He burns his own lumber and blames it on the competition. He convinces Jake to go to an abandoned town in search of lumber, but he has ulterior motives for wanting to go there. He knows it’s a hideout for Lucien Rickey’s gang.

Unspoken Wound: Lucien Rickey stole his girlfriend and he fears she may actually love him.

Isaac is a diligent foreman
who has done all the hiring and hired only experienced gunmen, not carpenters.
He tries to teach them carpentry. He is angered to see wanted posters all over
town, especially because one of them is actually of him. He creates unnecessary
drama with a rival builder, then secretly burns all his lumber. There being no
immediate sources of lumber and building deadlines to meet, he convinces his
boss to come to a ghost town to get all the lumber they can use. Isaac knows
that a local infamous criminal uses this town for his gang’s hideout. He has a
axe to grind with this man.

[Dawn C Crouch]

Dawn C Crouch’s Subtext Characters

Vision – In WIM, I will write a screenplay that will be optioned and produced.

What I learned from doing this assignment is to explore, experiment, and design the characters before I write a single word.

Nursing A Grudge – Suspense Thriller

Character Name: Kingsley Wells

Subtext Identity: The Victim – getting revenge

Subtext Trait: Scheming, secretive

Subtext Logline: Nurse practitioner Kingsley is a young widow who considers herself a victim of corrupt hospital administrators and wants to exact revenge.

Possible Areas of Subtext: Plays off her role as a young widow to elicit sympathy and concern; Lives her life as if she is already dead; Constant distraction of thoughts of revenge; Hate/Love relationship with Tallis develops because Tallis doesn’t buy her story or her motivations

Character Name: Tallis Porter

Subtext Identity: The spy; the advocate

Subtext Trait: Secretive- concealing

Subtext Logline: Tallis is a biomedical engineer who is secretive about his skills and is on a mission to discover who or what is behind the “accidental” deaths in the new hospital.

Possible Areas of Subtext: Tallis is self-contained; unwilling to share his time, feelings, and life with another human being; drawn into the hospital goings on but intensely uncomfortable with interactions; then he falls in love

Character Name: Carling Hearne, MD

Subtext Identity: The con; the competitor

Subtext Trait: Conniving, Unethical

Subtext Logline: Carling is a highly competitive con who connives in an unethical environment to rule the hospital.

Possible Areas of Subtext: Carling’s dad was the former administrator of the hospital. His dad was caring and devoted to his patients, yet he was blamed for the problems resulting from a natural disaster. Carling wants the money and Kingsley. He plays the part of the caring physician but is nothing like…

[Christopher Blanchett]

Chris Blanchett’s Character Intrigue

I am a brilliant, massively successful, professional screenwriter who writes incredible movies in a wide variety of genres which become instant-classics. I am respected by my professional peers and bring genuine, thought-provoking entertainment and uplifting emotions to hundreds of millions of movie-goers.

What I learned from this assignment is don’t love your characters so much you make them bland and boring.

Unwoke

Character Name: Tim Walters

Role: Protagonist <div>

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Hidden agendas: Use his
accidental notoriety to fulfill his sense of deserved grandeur
Competition:

<div>

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Conspiracies: Believes
the woke phenomenon is a massive conspiracy

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Secrets: Actually believes
western civilization and white males are intrinsically superior

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Deception: Claims this
is all happening to him by accident… in actuality he posted his
politically incorrect rant on purpose…

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Unspoken Wound: Opinions
as a child dismissed by parents, teachers, and authority figures
<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Secret Identity: A reactionary
revolutionary

Character Name: Cassidy Perino

Role: Triangle
and Love Interest </div>

Hidden agendas: Heighten
culture wars to increase her own financial opportunities
Competition:

Conspiracies: She is
working both sides of every issue

Secrets: She has no
allegiance to either side, craves the chaos she decries

Deception: Simultaneously
the political handler for both Tim and (his nemesis) Rachel Donahue

Unspoken Wound: Raised by
nannies and elite boarding schools.
Never received parental love in her formative years.

Secret Identity: Master
manipulator

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Character Name: Rachel Donahue

Role: Antagonist

Hidden agendas: Antagonize
Tim to motivate him to lead woke-backlash

Competition:

Conspiracies: Rachel
realizes trans-identity is nonsense, wants cover to admit it.

Secrets: Hopes Tim
is so convincing in his anti-woke crusade that s/he can shed her trans
persona

Deception: Continues
to attack Tim and advocate for Trans-rights to cover his/her true
motivation.

Unspoken Wound: Gifted
athlete who hated sports.
Trans-identity was an escape.
Was also chance to spend quality time with women (that’s why s/he
never took hormones or had surgery).

Secret Identity: Traitor to his true beliefs; Traitor to her adopted cause.

</div>

[Patty Ruland]

(Patty Ruland’s) Subtext Characters

My vision: To get better and better so that I might obtain representation and earn a good living in this profession.

What I learned from doing this assignment is: mining for subtext can yield silver and gold ideas, the going deeper meets resistance at first but like diving in a cool deep pool, it feels incredible and better by far than splashing around in the shallows.

2. With your example movie, give us the following answers for the character with the most subtext:

Movie Title: The Lost City
of Z:

[Amazon summary: The Lost City of Z tells the incredible true story of British explorer Percy Fawcett, who journeys into the Amazon at the dawn of the 20th century and discovers evidence of a previously unknown, advanced civilization that may have once inhabited the region.

–based on the book, The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, by David Grann]

Character Name: Jane

Subtext Identity: Acceptance Wound

Subtext Activity: Covers by being sweet.

Jane has an acceptance wound and covers it by being sweet.

My answers:

Character Name: Percy
Fawcett
Subtext Identity: Delusions of
grandeur, raging ambition
Subtext Trait: Covers by
playing the dutiful husband, father, scientist
Subtext Logline: Percy Fawcett has
delusions of grandeur that fuel a raging ambition to be a world-famous
explorer at any cost, which he masks by playing the mild-mannered, dutiful
husband, father, and low-level geographer.
Possible Areas of Subtext: Placing
his ambitions above the welfare of his wife and family, risking the lives
of his crew, though returning home safely, going back to the Amazon taking
his son, pressing on when the way is too dangerous for either of them to
survive.

3. For your two leads, brainstorm these answers:

Character Name: Alexandra, protagonist

Subtext Identity: Resentment her older brother is her parents’ favorite and preferred companion on expeditions.

Subtext Trait: Covers by playing the good sport, the third wheel, the consolation prize when her brother leaves the household to study abroad

Subtext Logline: Alexandra still resents that her older brother was always her parents’ favorite and preferred companion on expeditions, which she masks by maintaining her eternal-optimist nature, being a good sport no matter the injustice she endures, not minding being the consolation prize in life.

Possible Areas of Subtext: Stealth, in that she still burns inside for having been left behind because she knows she is more competent than her brother, so she steals away to the camp of indigenous people to learn their ways and acquire their skills, putting also her unfailing diplomacy to good use in winning them over, resolving to strike out on her own to find the pink dolphin because she believes her skills to be superior to even those of her parents.

Character Name: Diablo*, antagonist

*Cliché, I know, but it helps me to infuse him with maximum evil.

Subtext Identity: Guilt-ridden because when he was piloting a canoe and a flash flood made it capsize, he caused the death of his brother and beloved watch dog/sea dog.

Subtext Trait: Covers by being heartless and ruthless

Subtext Logline: Diablo is secretly still racked with guilt over causing the death of his younger brother and his beloved watch dog in a canoeing accident, which he masks by ruthlessly and heartlessly abducts animals either shooting them for skins and other body parts or selling them on the black market.

Possible Areas of Subtext: Corruption because he bribes city and town officials to look the other way, luring/seducing animals into his traps and gullible people into his web of deceit and lies, ultimate evil by framing indigenous family for the cannibalism he is guilty of.

[Erin Ziccarelli]

Erin Ziccarelli’s Character Intrigue

Vision: I am going to create meaningful scripts that leave audiences remembering my movies and leave me excited to keep writing and moving up in the industry.

What I learned from doing this assignment is: the unspoken wound is an especially interesting intrigue item, and it will haunt my main characters and shape their coping decisions.

Alex Donovan, protagonist:

· Hidden agenda: Alex is initially out to take the inheritance for himself, not wanting to share it with Scarlett (seen in forging her signature, never telling her the truth)

· Conspiracy: Alex’s deal with his old friends to go to work on the counterfeiting operation (Alex’s return to his old life and pretend allegiance to their cause)

· Secret: Alex keeps his identity hidden from Scarlett until Sequence E (never telling Scarlett about the benefactor, refusing to acknowledge the truth around Roger)

· Unspoken wound: Alex’s love for Kitty Caden, his conflict with what she kept from him, and his desire to avenge her death, even twenty years later (keeping her commemorative coin, beating up Ted Brennan, confronting Richard about it at the end)

Scarlett Brennan, antagonist/stakes character:

· Conspiracy: Scarlett’s deal with Richard Brennan to sabotage Alex after learning the truth (dealing with Richard and working for/with him)

· Secret identity: DMV employee by day, counterfeiter/gambler by night (scenes take place during the gambling hours – evening and night)

· Unspoken wound: fear of abandonment, fear of betrayal constantly eroding her trust in others (never wanting to let Joe go despite it being an unhealthy relationship, becoming angry at Alex when his lies are revealed)

Roger Tate, protagonist:

· Secret: Roger’s identity as Roger Walsh of the North End which he’s left behind (refusal to visit the North End, constant fear of Alex’s “secret business”)

· Unspoken wound: unresolved feelings about the North and South End’s family feud and family politics, feeling betrayed by the system (trying to figure out Alex and Scarlett’s relationship)