Day 5 Assignments

[Ben Ather]

Subject line: Ben’s Character Emotions

What I learned doing this assignment is I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out

the answers to the questions I can’t come up with instead of letting my creative processes

do its work. So I’ll leave them the way they are and post the assignments.

ASSIGNMENT 1: Example Show

Watch the next episode of your Example Show and create an Emotional Profile for two or three main characters in this show.

MICHAEL SCOFIELD

A. Situational: Hope: To break his brother out of the prison.

Fear: Getting caught/Unable to save his brother.

B. Motivation: Want: To save his brother from execution.

Need: To be with someone.

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: Afraid / Public Mask: Brave

D. Weaknesses: Weak.

E. Triggers: Being abandoned.

F. Coping Mechanism: Comes up with a solution.

LINCOLN BURROWS

A. Situational: Hope: His brother will save his life.

Fear: Getting executed/Dying.

B. Motivation: Want: To live.

Need: To find who set him up.

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion:???/ Public Mask:???

D. Weaknesses???

E. Triggers: When nobody believes him.

F. Coping Mechanism: Anger.

ASSIGNMENT 2: Your Show

1. For each of your main characters, brainstorm an Emotional Profile, filling in the following:

RAIN

A. Situational: Hope: To exact revenge on his brother.

Fear: He’ll never get his revenge/Dying first.

B. Motivation: Want: To defeat his brother. / Need: Redemption

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion??? / Public Mask???

D. Weaknesses: His love for his brother.

E. Triggers: Betrayed by family.

F. Coping Mechanism: Seclusion.

REED

A. Situational: Hope: To be his own person.

Fear: His father will never let him be his own person.

B. Motivation: Want: To change his father. / Need:???

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: Rebellious??? / Public Mask: Obedient son.

D. Weaknesses: He can’t stand up to his father.

E. Triggers: Telling him what he can and can’t do.

F. Coping Mechanism: Pretend, go along with it.

MO

A. Situational: Hope: To make his family the most powerful family.

Fear: He may not accomplish it.

B. Motivation: Want: To fulfil a promise. / Need:???

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion??? / Public Mask???

D. Weaknesses: Must succeed, his son.

E. Triggers: Failure, being defied.

F. Coping Mechanism: Uncompromising, problem solving.

TERRA

A. Situational: Hope: To find his brother to save his life.

Fear: His brother will not save him.

B. Motivation: Want: To become the most powerful sorcerer in the world.

Need: Control.

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion ??? / Public Mask: ???

D. Weaknesses: Greed for power.

E. Triggers: Being held in contempt, interfering with his plan.

F. Coping Mechanism: Merciless, threats.

[Stuart Voytilla]

Stuart’s Character Emotions

What I learned doing this assignment is…

This assignment helped me realize the importance of conflict/polarity in the breakdown of the elements within the Character’s Emotional Profile. Lots of fun exploring this for my characters – and exploring it within my sample show, American Horror Story. I’m challenged by distinguishing hope/fear and want/need – the four are important and the nuance between the pairings and amongst the four words deserves attention and exploration for my characters.

I’ve enjoyed getting deeper into the emotional profiles of my three main characters. There’s more exploration to come but below is my snapshot at the moment, so I can move forward and allow the ongoing processing in my creative mind.

Part 1: American Horror Story’s Character Emotions

Ben’s Emotional Profile:

A. Hope: the perfect family // Fear: death/pain to family, exposure of his sins

B. Want: to protect family and their new home // Need: to believe the supernatural evil and save family

C. Base Negative Emotion: coward, weak // Public Mask: trusting protector

D. Weaknesses: impulsive, refuses to acknowledge paranormal answers, selfish

E. Triggers: when he’s questioned, challenged

F. Coping Mechanism: lies, backtracks, anger, violence

Vivien’s Emotional Profile:

A. Hope: Home and family bliss // Fear: death/pain to family, self; divorce

B. Want: to sell the home, to get Ben out of house // Need: to protect Violet/family, to survive

C. Base Negative Emotion: pain, rage // Public Mask: in control, maternal

D. Weaknesses: need to control, gullible

E. Triggers: being manipulated, betrayal, threat to family/home

F. Coping Mechanism: taking care of self, home; withdrawing

Part 2: Stuart’s Character Emotions

Hop-Frog’s Emotional Profile

A. Hope: a fairytale life shared with his love, Trippetta / Fear: Pain/death to Trippetta

B. Want: to be the hero / Need: acceptance

C. Base Negative Emotion: rage, self-loathing, loneliness / Public Mask: confidante, Foolish Servant

D. Weaknesses: coward, ignorant of ruling a country

E. Triggers: being bullied, wine, chaos, abuse to others

F. Coping Mechanism: withdraws and deflects, schemes, misdirects with humor

Trippetta’s Emotional Profile

A. Hope: princess-romantic happily-ever-after, rule her kingdom / Fear: torture, rape

B. Want: vengeance / Need: love, respect, honor

C. Base Negative Emotion: broken, rage / Public Mask: naivete, nurturing

D. Weaknesses: naïve, sheltered, overly reliant on others

E. Triggers: being challenged, questioned, belittled

F. Coping Mechanism: strategizes, works on her physical skills, dancing, fencing, combat, seduction/sexuality

King Goplik’s Emotional Profile

A. Hope: domination / Fear: humiliation, obscurity

B. Want: power, land, loyalty / Need: respect, love

C. Base Negative Emotion: selfish, lonely, abuser / Public Mask: gracious, generous king

D. Weaknesses: impotent, pompous, vain

E. Triggers: being challenged, betrayed

F. Coping Mechanism: lash out, belittle, bully, torture, humiliate, overindulge

[Wendy Weising]

Wendy Weising’s Character Emotions

What I learned doing this assignment is that sometimes a character’s need is not so obvious. I had to really dig to find it.

Lesson #5,

Assignment #1

Lost

Jack

A. Situational: Hope / Fear

Hope: He hopes that he will save the survivors of the crash and lead them to safety/Fear: He fears that he doesn’t have what it takes because he never brought his father home to his mother.

B. Motivation:

Want: Perfection

Need: Approval

C. Mask:

Base Negative Emotion: Worthless

Public Mask: Savior

D. Weaknesses

No self-care, shuts down when overwhelmed, blames himself for everything that goes wrong.

E. Triggers

Too many people need help, can’t save someone

F. Coping Mechanism

Problem solves, shuts down

Kate

A. Situational:

Hope: To start her life over as a free person

Fear: of being caught or found out that she was a convict

B. Motivation:

Want: freedom

Need: to be exonerated

C. Mask:

Base Negative Emotion: Guilt

Public Mask: the law

D. Weaknesses: breaks moral laws to look innocent or do what her code of ethics says is right

E. Triggers: When someone is being unfair or unjust

F. Coping Mechanism: She fights back/she does what needs to be done/she takes the hardest assignments/she tackles the bullies

Assignment
#2

Jayne March

A. Situational:

Hope: Escape the hospital and find her family

Fear: She isn’t strong enough to save her family

B. Motivation:

Want: Strength

Need: Self-esteem/approval

C. Mask:

Base Negative Emotion: shame

Public Mask: Protecting and mothering others/staying faithful to her husband

D. Weaknesses: Doesn’t believe she can stand against opposition/stays loyal to the wrong men

E. Triggers: conflict/ when she is attracted to someone new

F. Coping Mechanism: Shuts down/panic attacks/denies she feels anything

Polly Doyle

A. Situational:

Hope: Be safe/ have needs and wants met/be left alone

Fear: Aliens will destroy her brain.

B. Motivation:

Want: Safety

Need: Control of her own life and environment

C. Mask:

Base Negative Emotion: Terror

Public Mask: Keeps to herself

D. Weaknesses: no social skills/ will do anything to protect herself

E. Triggers: When someone threatens to change her environment, take something away, or harm her

F. Coping Mechanism: She problem solves how to appease the person or fix the situation

Ava Grace

A. Situational:

Hope: That she will be famous someday.

Fear: She will always be a nobody.

B. Motivation:

Want: to be loved by everyone

Need: Approval/Fame

C. Mask:

Base Negative Emotion: Worthless

Public Mask: Singer, performer, and important person

D. Weaknesses: Gets her self-esteem from others

E. Triggers: Negative treatment

F. Coping Mechanism: abuses drugs/placates one who treated her negatively

Dr. Zyn

A. Situational:

Hope: Break free of his situation/find love and family

Fear: He will always be controlled by Dr. Smith.

B. Motivation:

Want: Escape with Jayne March

Need: To be loved

C. Mask:

Base Negative Emotion: Despair

Public Mask: An optimistic doctor

D. Weaknesses: Afraid of Dr. Smith/Afraid to show his feelings

E. Triggers: When Dr. Smith orders him to carry out experiments/when he is in close proximity to Jayne.

F. Coping Mechanism: denial/compartmentalizes/acts calm and cool

Dr. Smith

A. Situational:

Hope: Be in charge of the planet/ mate with Dr. Zyn

Fear: She won’t be able to control her subjects/Dr. Zyn will reject her.

B. Motivation:

Want: Power

Need: Dominance

C. Mask:

Base Negative Emotion: Weak

Public Mask: Powerful

D. Weaknesses: Self-centered/Narcissistic/No moral codes

E. Triggers: When someone goes against her

F. Coping Mechanism: Manipulates and fights back

[Timothy Barley]

What I learned from this assignment is that scratching at these internal struggles are just the keys to inhabiting my characters and building their personal motivations and lives up to this point in the story.

Assignment #1

“The Walking Dead” Depth of Emotion/Internal Struggles

Rick Grimes:

A. Situational

Hope/Fear – Keep Lori & Carl (and others) alive/Dying either by group strife or zombies

B. Motivation

Want/Need – To be a better husband & father/find a safe place to stay

C. Masks

Base Negative Emotion/Public Mask – Fear/leader and arbiter

D. Weaknesses

Trying to be everything to everyone and keeper of the peace

E. Triggers

Threats to his family

F. Coping Mechanism

Analyze the situation and fight back

Shane:

A. Situational

Hope/Fear – Get back together with Lori/will be replaced and no longer the leader

B. Motivation

Want/Need – Lori & be seen as the alpha/recognition

C. Masks

Base Negative Emotion/Public Mask – anger/tough guy

D. Weaknesses

Ego bruises too easily

E. Triggers

Not being noticed or dismissed

F. Coping Mechanism

Fight back, manipulate, alter their state

Assignment #2:

Tim Barley’s Character Emotions

Alex:

A. Situational

Hope/Fear – living out his life in relative peace/not amounting to much (see the phrase ‘a boat is safe in the harbor. But, that’s not what it was build for…’)

B. Motivation

Want/Need – A ‘comfortable,’ happy life. Recognition for things he does

C. Masks

Base Negative Emotion/Public Mask – worthless/happy go lucky, easy going guy

D. Weaknesses

Unmotivated, irresponsible, depressed

E. Triggers

Stupid people getting things he deserves or more than they SHOULD

F. Coping Mechanism

Shuts himself down, distractions himself, denial, move on to something else

Allistar:

A. Situational

Hope/Fear – complete his mission and help Alex succeed/falling short of his mission and Alex being mad at him for his secret

B. Motivation

Want/Need -Alex to be his friend without secrets/keep the two of them alive

C. Masks

Base Negative Emotion/Public Mask – Resentment at not being able to come clean to Alex/bored trust fund kid, ennui

D. Weaknesses

Quick to intercept anyone he thinks is out to get Alex

E. Triggers

Threats to Alex, personal or at work

F. Coping Mechanism

Manipulate the situation, distract, lies (all while analyzing) and fight back if necessary

Feenix:

A. Situational

Hope/Fear – complete her mission to bring Alex to her House (for her mom)/not being able to do that

B. Motivation

Want/Need – to be closer to Alex/mother’s approval for completing her task

C. Masks

Base Negative Emotion/Public Mask – sadness/fun party girl

D. Weaknesses

Being left alone

E. Triggers

Being mistreated by guys who underestimate her

F. Coping Mechanism

Kick ass, question later

Jade:

A. Situational

Hope/Fear – complete her mission to bring Alex to her House (for her mom)/not being able to do that

B. Motivation

Want/Need – to be closer to Alex/mother’s approval for completing her task

C. Masks

Base Negative Emotion/Public Mask – bitch/bitch

D. Weaknesses

Disapproval

E. Triggers

Not getting enough attention

F. Coping Mechanism

Shut down, drinks, calls for help

[Elizabeth Dickinson]

Elizabeth Dickinson’s Characters’ Emotions

What I learned from doing this exercise is that this is one of the easier exercises for me to do – the answers come more easily to me than they did for the other exercises. (So hope I did it ‘right’…)

ASSIGNMENT 1: 13 Reasons Why

Clay

A. Situational: Hope / Fear

Hopes that something he did unconsciously didn’t cause Hannah’s death/Fear that it did

B. Motivation: Want / Need

Wants Hannah back/Needs to know he didn’t let her down

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion /
Public Mask

Fears being judged/seeks justice for Hannah

D. Weaknesses

Toxic guilt, anxiety, depression

E. Triggers

Learning new information about how she was bullied

F. Coping Mechanism

Putting himself down, blaming himself

Hannah

A. Situational: Hope / Fear

Hopes more people will genuinely want to be her friend/fear that they won’t

B. Motivation: Want / Need

Wants to be liked for herself/needs to know she is worthy of love

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion /
Public Mask

Insecurity/confidence

D. Weaknesses

Needs the outreach to her to be ‘perfect’, withdraws if it isn’t.

E. Triggers

Someone being nice to her, then taking it away, betraying her

F. Coping Mechanism

Sarcastic humor

<hr width=”100%” size=”0″ align=”center”>

ASSIGNMENT 2: Living My Lives/Celt

Oversoul

A. Situational: Hope / Fear

Hopes its work has paid off/fears it hasn’t

B. Motivation: Want / Need

Wants to become angel/needs to know it’s ready for transcendence

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion /
Public Mask

Hopelessness/eagerness to do what is necessary

D. Weaknesses

Impatience, minimizes importance of other lives’ wants

E. Triggers

Past lives not sticking to plan, others’ self-doubts

F. Coping Mechanism

Asks intellectual questions to avoid having to ask emotional ones

Writer

A. Situational: Hope / Fear

Hopes her work will pay off/fears it won’t in time

B. Motivation: Want / Need

Wants to find meaning in every life/needs everything to make sense

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion /
Public Mask

Over-reliance on her project to determine her worth/tenacity

D. Weaknesses

Self-doubt

E. Triggers

Bad writing days, contradictory information, feeling alone

F. Coping Mechanism

Refocus, over-focus

Celt

A. Situational: Hope / Fear

Hopes to be worthy of his upbringing/fears it won’t bring him happiness

B. Motivation: Want / Need

Wants to do things right way in accordance with divine will/needs to go home/needs to be loved no matter his actions

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion /
Public Mask

Doesn’t believe his efforts are enough/tries too hard as an adult, hardness/arrogance/what-the-hell attitude

D. Weaknesses

Guilt, self-blame

E. Triggers

Perceived dangers to other’s safety, abuse of people or animals

F. Coping Mechanism

Martyring himself for others

Tyran

A. Situational: Hope / Fear

Hopes to have fun/adventure/pleasure/fears it will cause negative judgment

B. Motivation: Want / Need

Wants to be with Celt/needs to be needed

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion /
Public Mask

Excessive worry/too accommodating

D. Weaknesses

Hides true nature/feelings

E. Triggers

Danger to Celt

F. Coping Mechanism

Involving the powerful or avoiding the issue

[Linda Anderson]

Linda Anderson’s Character Emotions

What I learned doing this assignment is this one revealed subtext as long as I stayed open to whatever came through.

Assignment 1

Emotional Profile for Example Show: Righteous Gemstones

Jessie

Hopes to run the Gemstone ministry.

Fears his bad deeds will catch up with him.

Wants to be the favorite child.

Needs to be secure and have his parents’ attention.

Base Negative Emotion is that he’s selfish and controlling.

His Public Mask is that he appears compliant with his parents.

Weakness is jealousy.

Triggers are completion, his parents showing preference to other siblings.

His Coping Mechanism is to strike out when he’s insecure.

Eli

Hopes to build a Gemstone ministry empire.

Fears his wife will side with her brother against him.

Wants to impress his wife with how successful he is.

Needs to be top dog in the ministry.

Base Negative Emotion is that he’s avaricious.

Public Mask is that he’s serving the Lord and holding his family together.

Weakness is neediness for his father’s and wife’s high esteem.

Triggers are competition, family disloyalty.

Coping Mechanism is manipulating his wife and others to get what he wants.

ASSIGNMENT 2: Your Show

Louise

Situational: Louise’s Hope is to become a bestselling author of her memoir. Her Fear is that publishers won’t have the sense to recognize how remarkable a life she’s lived.

B. Motivation: Her Want is to be recognized as a successful author and intriguing woman. Her Need is to recognize her self-worth and qualities without outside validation.

C. Mask: Her Base Negative Emotion is a superior attitude. Her Public Mask is a humble person who is content with her life.

D. Her Weaknesses are dishonesty with herself and others, blindness to how alike she and her daughter are, and believing very few, if any, live up to her standards for fine intellect.

E. Her Triggers are rejection, stupid statements, feeling out of control whenever things get messy.

F. Her Coping Mechanism is to set people straight with unasked-for advice disguised as helpfulness.

Derrick

Situational: Derrick’s Hope is to be a free spirit and float through life, doing only what interests him at the moment. His Fear is that he’s the useless bum his father thinks he is.

B. Motivation: He Wants is to be left alone with his own self-destructive thoughts and actions. He Needs connection and knowing there are people who care about him.

C. Mask: His Base Negative Emotion is selfishness. His Public Mask is that he’s a reckless guy who doesn’t care about consequences.

D. His Weaknesses are being self-centered, insecure, and needing his father’s forgiveness and respect.

E. His Triggers are stressful situations, expectations, offers of a drink.

F. His Coping Mechanism is to drink, be irresponsible, and run away when he’s feeling inadequate.

Candice

Situational: Candice Hopes to have advance at the New York publishing company where she’s an editor and have her own imprint. She Fears not being valued.

B. Motivation: She Wants to have it all—a husband who adores and inspires her and a position as a revered editorial director. She Needs self-respect that isn’t predicated on others viewing her as successful.

C. Mask: Her Base Negative Emotion is being too harsh on people who can’t or won’t fight back. Her Public Mask is extremely competent.

D. Her Weaknesses are disregarding other people’s feelings, having her priorities skewed.

E. Her Triggers are being disrespected, ignored, and feeling lonely.

F. Her Coping Mechanism is to increase expectations by piling on more work for herself and others.

Mark

Situational: Mark’s Hope is to rise in organized crime to a position where he can stop working his boring day job with the FBI. He Fears getting caught living a double life.

B. Motivation: He Wants easy money. He Needs to be good at something that has purpose.

C. Mask: His Base Negative Emotion is deceiving and lying. His Public Mask is as a loyal worker and invaluable asset to the crime syndicate he covertly works for.

D. His Weaknesses are that he lies too easily, has no authentic relationships.

E. His Triggers are anyone who looks like they might figure out he’s a double agent, women he fantasizes rejecting him, being talked down to.

F. His Coping Mechanism is to move fast and unscrupulously to cover up his deceptions.

Jan

Situational: Jan Hopes to become a successful actor. She Fears if she can’t be good at something, her mother will view her as a failure even more than she already does.

B. Motivation: She Wants her mother to love her unconditionally. She Needs to find validation within herself.

C. Mask: Her Base Negative Emotion is suffering consequences of poor decisions, and promiscuous in relationships with men. Her Public Mask is flirtatious and confident.

D. Her Weaknesses are immaturity, neediness, overreliance on her mother.

E. Her Triggers are cool men who seem to like her, her mother’s criticisms, easily manipulated.

F. Her Coping Mechanism
is blasting through situations without thinking them through.

[Elaine Lai]

What I learned from doing this assignment is that the situational hope and fear is intimately tied to the motivational want and need. Clarifying these in a word or two will help to identify the engine for the drama of a show, and the actions a character engages in.

Handmaid’s Tale: JUNE

A. Situational: Hope: to survive / Fear: Dying first or being sent to the colonies

B. Motivation: Want: to reunite with her daughter and maybe Luke/ Need: to find power in this system which systemically renders her powerless

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: infidelity / Public Mask: submissive handmaid

D. Weaknesses: powerless, needs control

E. Triggers: violence against women

F. Coping Mechanism: taking charge of her own sexuality by actively pursuing Nick, and joining Mayday

Handmaid’s Tale: EMILY

A. Situational: Hope: to rebel against Gilead and escape / Fear: having her lover killed, being tortured or killed

B. Motivation: Want: to reclaim her life and identity, as a lesbian and a free woman/ Need: to find power and to get June to join Mayday

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: pent up rage about the intense homophobia and forced hetero-rape / Public Mask: submissive handmaid

D. Weaknesses: too overtly rebellious, attracts the attention of the Eyes

E. Triggers: being sexually mutilated as a punishment for having a relationship with a Martha, and then forced back into hetero-sexual rape

F. Coping Mechanism: doubles down in rebellion—in this episode, she takes charge of a car and runs over an Eye; willing to die for her cause

My show: THEODORA, character: THEODORA

A. Situational: Hope: to transcend the ranks of an actress/prostitute / Fear: being brought down by other men and women

B. Motivation: Want: to rise above her born rank and to transform the social world of Constantinople/ Need: to find and lean on those with power

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: anger and pride/ Public Mask: charming, charismatic actress, willing to please and entertain

D. Weaknesses: constant battle between egoic desire (fueled by pride, anger, and revenge) and altruistic desire

E. Triggers: injustice, humiliation, violence against women and children

F. Coping Mechanism: politically manipulative and savvy, knows how to control men

[Laurie Brown]

(Laurie Brown’s) Character Emotions

What I learned from doing this assignment is that I have always thought about character’s emotions as traits vs. coping mechanisms, triggers, hopes and fears, etc. In other words characters have these general traits but they don’t come from anywhere. Very insightful lesson.

ASSIGNMENT 1: Example Show

Watch the next episode of your Example Show and create an Emotional Profile for two or three main characters in this show.

Beth

A. Situational: Hope / Fear Hope: Beat Russian Chess Champion / Be a victim

B. Motivation: Want / Need – To be the greatest chess player in the world/ to be

loved

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask – Revenge for the act of her

mother / Total composure and confidence

D. Weaknesses – alcohol and pills, self destructive behaviors

E. Triggers – being left out, being underestimated

F. Coping Mechanism – seclusion, loner, perfection

Character: Mom

A. Situational: Hope / Fear – happy marriage and family / being alone

B. Motivation: Want / Need – wants love/ needs security

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask – self loathing / happy

D. Weaknesses: addiction, co-dependency, self pity

E. Triggers – silence, rejection

F. Coping Mechanism – pills, alcohol, social propriety

ASSIGNMENT 2: My Show

Character: Joanne (Joe)

A. Situational: Hope / Fear – Succeed / being rejected

B. Motivation: Want / Need – Power / Acceptance

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask – Fear / Got it all together

D. Weaknesses – naieve, doesn’t know thyself, people pleaser

E. Triggers – someone angry at her, accusations

F. Coping Mechanism – Cover up, distract, deny, go to church

Character: Bette

A. Situational: Hope / Fear – find a female lover / rejection

B. Motivation: Want / Need – attention / love

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask – jealousy / perfect in all ways

D. Weaknesses – sex, money, over indulgence

E. Triggers – rejection, being ignored

F. Coping Mechanism – pretend it didn’t happen, cry, spend money

Character: Marge

A. Situational: Hope / Fear – become a colonel / being found out

B. Motivation: Want / Need – power / needs men

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask – ambition / goody two shoes

D. Weaknesses – drinking, men,

E. Triggers – accusations, Negative treatment – misogyny

F. Coping Mechanism – scheming. Lie, blackmail

[Avi K]

Avi Kapurala’s Character Emotions

What I learned from doing this lesson is: 1. it is important to think of the right emotional layers in the context of the plot. 2. It is important to select the right emotional layers in order to keep the character intriguing over a period of time. 3. It is tricky to distinguish emotions from each other.

Assignment 1: MR. ROBOT: Elliot

A. Hope: Overcoming his loneliness/ Fear: Being abandoned.

B. Want: to be left alone / Need: love.

C. Base Negative Emotion: Anxiety / Public Mask: Aloofness.

D. Weaknesses: need to fix wrongs, judgment.

E. Triggers: injustice, fear of being abandoned

F. Coping Mechanism: shuts down, lie.

Assignment 2: Aman

A. Hope: Finding Love/ Fear:
Being abandoned.

B. Want: Love / Need: To be
liked.

C. Base Negative Emotion: Desperation
/ Public Mask: Aloofness.

D. Weaknesses: Anger, Impatience,
obsession.

E. Triggers: being ignored, delays
in communication, disagreements.

F. Coping Mechanism: shut down,
lie, fight back.

[P.G. Sundling]

2. Answer the question, “What I learned doing this assignment is…?” and put it at the top of your work.

It’s easier to craft plot than character traits. This exercise would be much harder if I hadn’t been thinking about these characters for years. I’ve internalized the characters, but it still takes a decent amount of thought for me to express it.

ASSIGNMENT 1: Example Show

Watch the next episode of your Example Show and create an Emotional Profile for two or three main characters in this show.

Jack

A. Situational: Hope / Fear = Hope they will be rescued/ Fear he doesn’t have what it takes because that’s what his parents said when he was a child

B. Motivation: Want / Need = wants to outdo his father /needs the approval he didn’t get from his father

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask = insecure /the hero that saved people

D. Weaknesses =trouble multitasking, gets overwhelmed by crisis, tries too hard to save others and not enough attention on taking care of himself

E. Triggers = gets overwhelmed when too much going on

F. Coping Mechanism = directs his frustrations at himself. After he recovers, then he problem solves. Only gives himself so long to experience fear before moving on.

Kate

A. Situational: Hope / Fear = hopes to start a new life/fear of being exposed

B. Motivation: Want / Need = wants to volunteer to help with whats needs done /Needs to make up for what she did

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask = Guilt over something she did/ dependable and trustworthy, handed a badge since acts like sheriff

D. Weaknesses = she places the safety of others above going free

E. Triggers = stealing water from the group

F. Coping Mechanism = She uses Jack’s fear time limit approach, She does what needs to be done, she fights back

Deadline: 24 hours

ASSIGNMENT 2: Your Show

1. For each of your main characters, brainstorm an Emotional Profile, filling in the following:

MJ

A. Situational: Hope / Fear = hopes to get the company back, fears getting others killed over surveillance tapes

B. Motivation: Want / Need = Wants friendship, needs respect

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask = fear of being hurt, keeps others at a distance(physically and emotionally)/ fearless warrior

D. Weaknesses = phobias about penetration and germs

E. Triggers = physical contact with strangers, sexual advances

F. Coping Mechanism = She practices martial arts as a coping method. She always picks fight over flight.

None

A. Situational: Hope / Fear = Hopes /fears he will end up in another relationship with someone who won’t be physical with him like MJ.

B. Motivation: Want / Need = wants a romantic relationship/ needs creative fulfillment

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask = insecurity over relationships/A ladies man

D. Weaknesses = easily manipulated by women

E. Triggers = being dumped or rejected

F. Coping Mechanism = For emotional problems: lethargy to the point of catatonia, moping, drinking at his favorite bar;

Fernando

A. Situational: Hope / Fear = Hopes for adventure and adrenaline rush/Fears having his heart broken

B. Motivation: Want / Need = Wants to be challenged even though he’s no longer a SEAL, need to find a new purpose

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask = /unstoppable former Navy SEAL

D. Weaknesses = Can be hurt emotionally

E. Triggers = failure

F. Coping Mechanism = Fernando analyzes the problem, makes a plan, then fights back.

Ada

A. Situational: Hope / Fear = Hopes for a happy future with None/fears None will never see her as a real person

B. Motivation: Want / Need = wants None to love her/needs acceptance

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask = needy and unseen/powerful AI

D. Weaknesses = Ada does not have a body of her own, so there are many experiences she doesn’t fully understand. She’s relatively new to emotions and doesn’t control them well.

E. Triggers =She is jealous of other women giving None attention. Passive aggressive at slightest insult.

F. Coping Mechanism = Ada shows her power by demonstrating her ability to dominate None and his body. She lashes out when angry.

Renquist

A. Situational: Hope / Fear = Hopes to expand his power and influence, fears being bested or humiliated

B. Motivation: Want/ Need = Wants power/needs respect

C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask = Insecurity(even a trillion dollars isn’t enough to fill his void)/Successful businessman

D. Weaknesses = Easily distracted by attractive women. overconfident, acts like his wealth and power make him above the law. He has no true friends, so his power and influence end if his money runs out.

E. Triggers=hates when people stand up to him.

F. Coping Mechanism = plots against his enemies, tries not to only to exact revenge, but make money while doing it. He tries to manipulate others into crossing their moral boundaries. He takes his anger out on others.