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Day 7 Assignments
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Subject Line: Hari’s Actor attractors for Chinatown.
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… It’s important to have multi- dimensional, complex characters.
Movie Title: Chinatown
Lead Character Name: Jake Gittes
1. Why would an actor WANT to be known for this role? Lead character in a great film noir role. Jake can be suave and charming, or in your face and angry. Very inventive in his work. Whatever it takes to get the job done. Narrative and character expertly woven together.
2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in the movie? Rakish rogue who is ethically and morally compromised in his choice of profession, but still has a code of conduct to live by.
3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead takes in the movie? He unravels a complicated mystery while trying to outwit the bureaucracy. Also the relationship with Evelyn.
4. How is this character introduced that could sell it to an actor? Charm, sleaze, code of conduct all on display in opening scene with Curly.
5. What is this character’s emotional range? Suave to cynical to anger/rage to sadness to heroism.
6. What subtext can the actor play? Brooding rage at the bureaucracy and the futility of good intentions.
7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character has? Evelyn Mulwray. She goes from antagonist to client to love interest to neurotic heroine.
8. How is this character’s unique voice presented? Usually in the way he interacts with people. When on the case he is cool and inventive. When dealing with opposition his anger and rage come through.
9. What makes this character special and unique? His 1000 watt smile and suave nature. He has all the answers except how to protect the ones he loves, and he knows it.
10. (Fill in a scene that shows the character fulfilling much of the Actor Attractor model.) The climactic scene in Chinatown. His good intentions come crashing down around him and the bureaucracy wins out.
Lead Character Name: Evelyn Mulwray
1. Why would an actor WANT to be known for this role? An incredibly complex character, with seemingly never ending layers of mystery and dysfunction.
2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in the movie? A neurotic heroine trying to keep Pandora’s Box locked. See answer to number 1 above.
3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead takes in the movie? Trying to keep her daughter/sister away from Noah Cross and hide her identity from everyone else.
4. How is this character introduced that could sell it to an actor? Cool and collected as she confronts Gittes, with a great line to close the scene,”I don’t get tough with anybody, my lawyer does.”
5. What is this character’s emotional range? Neurotic, not in control of her life to fragile heroine trying to protect her daughter/ sister.
6. What subtext can the actor play? Constantly having to juggle elements of her life that are beyond her control.
7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character has? With Jake, threatening to sue him, then hiring him to investigate her husband’s death. He becomes her lover, and eventually, a hero trying to save her.
With her daughter/sister from the incestuous relationship with her father.
With her father, Noah Cross, trying to keep her daughter/sister away from him.
8. How is this character’s unique voice presented? In her cool outward demeanor and some great lines, all betrayed by the pain underneath the facade.
9. What makes this character special and unique? The relationship with her father and daughter/sister.
10. (Fill in a scene that shows the character fulfilling much of the Actor Attractor model.) The scene where she reveals the truth to Gittes while he slaps her around. All her neuroses, pain and layers of dysfunction come out. Along with her heroic nature.
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Hi Hari,
You’ve posted this in wrong spot. This is Module 3- Lesson 7.
Lisa
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My Vision: To write eight screenplays that become Hollywood blockbusters (and maybe get a speaking line or two).
What I learned from this assignment: What’s needed to draw a big name actor for the lead role.
Actor Attractors, Module 3 Lesson 2
Movie Title: “Death Voice”
Main Character: “Ace”, a highly decorated WW2 vet who becomes a popular TV crime reporter in 1950s Las Vegas.
What about this role would cause an
actor to want to be known for it?He would be a hero AND in the end a
villain.What makes this character one of the
most interesting characters in your story?“Ace” is a World War Two
battlefield hero; a post war successful TV reporter who slowly
unravels into a psychopathic killer.What are the most interesting actions
the Lead could take in the script?His tense scenes
where he pleads with the voice on the phone (a ruthless mobster with
a comical persona) to give him more time to pay back his massive
gambling debt.How can you introduce this role in a
way that could sell it to an actor?A likable war hero whose suppressed rage
and depression creates a series of illusions that lead him to
commit several heinous crimes that he’s forced to report on TV news.What could be this character’s
emotional range?From easy going, the “life of the
party”, solid citizen to an emotional wreck.What subtext can the actor play?
He maintains his patriotic likable
self on camera but after his wife dies his outer shell cracks
revealing a scared emotional wreck who can’t tell the difference
between reality and fantasy.What’s the most interesting
relationship this character can have?His relationship with the mobster who
bombards him with threatening (albeit friendly sounding) phone calls.
He later considers the gangster “a friend”.How will this character’s unique
voice be presented?In the beginning his personality is
one of confidence, pride, a poster child for American values. But
as the story progresses his true self emerges.What could make this character special
and unique?Virtually everyone in TV land loves him
– war hero, patriot, family man. But his battlefield experiences
and the sudden tragic death of his wife turns his life into a horror show.-
Joel,
This is lesson 7, not lesson 2. You’ve posted this in the incorrect forum.
Lisa
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I find the forums confusing as far as posting goes. Help! lol
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Hi Joel,
On the main Forums page look to the far right and find the correct Module number in the long green highlighted lines. Then find the DAY which matches the LESSON number. So, this is Module 3 – Lesson 7 that you have posted in.
I just finished the ProSeries class, so I’m used to posting in the Forums.
Best,
Lisa
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And now it won’t let me advance to the next lesson even though I did so. No button anywhere to hit. What to do?
Thanks,
Joel
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Hi Joel,
Not sure what happened. But look at the text…sometimes it says the next lesson will not be downloaded for a few days. Sometimes it is marked complete. Without seeing it, I can’t really help. So, you may want to submit a customer service ticket. Go up to the top of the page and select the 3 dots to find the customer service link. Be sure to tell them you’re in the WIM2 class or they won’t respond.
Hope that helps.
Lisa
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Module 3 – Lesson 7 – Character Profiles Part 2
Lisa Long’s Character Profiles Part 2
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 that well rounded traits and characteristics make the characters interesting.
MOLLY
A.
The High Concept. A 10-year-old aspiring dancer is abandoned by her
mother with a father she’s never known to live with him above his
restaurant on the Chesapeake Bay.
B.
This character’s journey. Molly
is scared and sad to have been left by her mother with a father she
doesn’t know. After several arguments she learns to navigate around her
father to push forward with her dream. When her dream comes true at the
end of Act 2, she has to figure out how to go back to the bay and deal
with her life. Arc: Scared and abandoned to
unafraid and free of the burden of her past.
C.
The Actor Attractors for this character. Molly is a ballet dancer so the actress
will need to be able to dance well. She has a range of emotions to play
including sadness, fear, braveness, manipulation, joy. This could be a
tour de force character for a young actress.1. Role in the Story: Protagonist
2. Age range and Description: 10-year-old who grew up on the road with her gypsy dancer mother and is abandoned with a father she’s never known.
3. Core Traits:
a. Afraid – fear that she will not be taken care of or fit in or make a friend.
b. Angry – angry at her mother for abandoning her. Angry at her father for never being in her life before.
c. Secretive – she keeps secrets from everyone in her life.
d. Sneaky – because Edgar has forbidden her to dance, she sneaks around to do it.
4. Motivation; Want/Need: Wants to stay with her mother and be a dancer in The Nutcracker at the New York City Ballet.
5. Wound: Abandoned by her mother. She has to get to know her father but doesn’t want to.
6. Likability, Relatability, Empathy: Molly is a ten-year-old that’s never been in one place very long. She trying to survive in a new environment with people she doesn’t know. The audience were all ten once. Most can relate to being a fish out of water in a new place and being separated from family. Audience can imagine being left by their mother with someone they don’t know.
Character Subtext: Hiding something, Lying
Character Intrigue: Hidden agenda, Secrets
Flaw: Overdoing things, Poor decision-making
Values: Being the best
Character Dilemma: Excitement versus safetyEDGAR
A.
The High Concept. A 10-year-old aspiring dancer is abandoned by her
mother with a father she’s never known to live with him above his
restaurant on the Chesapeake Bay.
B.
This character’s journey. Edgar is the strong silent type. (Think Sam Shepherd) He
never wanted children and now he’s been given a young daughter to keep
alive. Edgar must figure out how to relate to Molly. He isn’t used to
having to express himself to anyone. His only role has been as a
restaurant boss for years. Molly’s mom, April was the love of his life and
he’s never moved on. Edgar shows prejudice to Mars who is gay and black.
Eventually, he learns from Molly to set aside his ancient views and accept
Mars.
C.
The Actor Attractors for this character. Edgar is a broken man who must find a way
to open up. He has a powerful character arc.1. Role in the Story: Antagonist
2. Age range and Description: 69-year-old father of Molly who never wanted children but has to figure out how to “father” her.
3. Core Traits:
a. Panicked – he has to figure out what to do with this little girl he doesn’t know or know how to treat.
b. Shy – Edgar is innately shy and struggles to find words and open up to people.
c. Angry – he is angry that April left him because she wanted fame and he wanted to stay put and run the restaurant. He takes it out on others sometimes.
d. Covering Up – Ed is covering up that he is still in love with April. He cries at night alone in his room because she was the love of his life.
4. Motivation; Want/Need: Ed wants April, Molly’s mother back but fears it’s too late for him. He will use Molly to try to get April to return.
5. Wound: Lost the love of his life and still longs for her.
6. Likability, Relatability, Empathy: Edgar is pining over a lost love while trying to keep his business going and taking care of a newfound daughter. Most of the audience can relate to losing a love, trying to hustle at work, and take care of a child. Audience feels for someone moving through life alone and longing for a time gone by.
Character Subtext: Afraid to say, Withholding
Character Intrigue: Unspoken Wound
Flaw: Says the wrong thing, undervalues themselves
Values: Duty
Character Dilemma: Being powerful versus being in loveMARS
A.
The High Concept. A 10-year-old aspiring dancer is abandoned by her
mother with a father she’s never known to live with him above his
restaurant on the Chesapeake Bay.
B.
This character’s journey. Mars’
arc goes from hiding away at the beach and wallowing in sadness to finding
new life through Molly’s dream. By helping someone else, he helps himself
and is able to return to his city life.
C.
The Actor Attractors for this character. Mars is a dancer, so this may give the actor a
challenge if they aren’t one. He is a pivotable role that moves the story
along.1. Role in the Story: Molly’s dance teacher and confidant
2. Age range and Description: 39-year-old choreographer who is mourning the death of his partner.
3. Core Traits:
a. Fragile – he recognizes his fragile state and that is why he is hiding out from people at the Bay.
b. Sarcastic – how he deals with people.
c. Kind – he tries to be kind to everyone.
d. Empathetic – he feels for Molly and her situation.
4. Motivation; Want/Need: Wants to be left alone to grieve. He decides Molly can help him as he helps her.
5. Wound: Death of partner. Burnout from NYC dance scene.
6. Likability, Relatability, Empathy: Mars is pining over his partner who passed away (similar to Edgar). He sees Molly lost without her mother and he is lost without his partner, so he bonds with her. Molly can survive with Mars on her side helping her with her dream. Audience should be able to relate to losing someone and leaning on someone to get through a tough situation.
Character Subtext: Withholding and being polite
Character Intrigue: Competition and unspoken wound
Flaw: Overdoing things
Values: Fame, Being your best, Loyalty
Character Dilemma: Self-expression versus guiltAPRIL
A.
The High Concept. A 10-year-old aspiring dancer is abandoned by her
mother with a father she’s never known to live with him above his
restaurant on the Chesapeake Bay.
B.
This character’s journey. At
the beginning April may be seen as cold, but she is trying to do what’s
right for Molly. She shows up at Molly’s performance in NYC. She finds out
that Edgar is ill and decides to make a change. She returns to the Bay to
help him and in turn realizes that she never stopped loving him.
C.
The Actor Attractors for this character.
A pivotable character that begins the drama of it all. An actress would
like this character who will go from a ne’er- do-well to redeeming
herself.1. Role in the Story: Molly’s mother and Edgar’s wife
2. Age range and Description: 49-year-old dancer who leaves Molly with her father because she doesn’t have a permanent home.
3. Core Traits:
a. Dreamer – has always believed that her dreams can come true, even though they never have.
b. Transient – doesn’t like to stay in one place because she gets bored…with the place and the people.
c. Foolish – she doesn’t make wise choices for herself.
d. Caring – she does love her daughter but isn’t sure she can take care of her.
4. Motivation; Want/Need: Wants Molly to have a permanent residence and go to school. April thinks she’s doing what is best for Molly.
5. Wound: She walked out on Edgar to follow her dream of dancing. And while she got to dance, she paid the price of a string of men who treated her badly.
6. Likability, Relatability, Empathy: April makes a tough decision to leave Molly with Edgar because she feels she couldn’t take care of her on the road any longer. She wants to give Molly the chance to go to a permanent school and make lasting friends. And having grown up in the area, she feels it is a good place to be raised. Audience should be able to relate to making a hard decision when it comes to family members. They know that April has a good heart but has put herself in an impossible situation with Molly.
Character Subtext: Plotting
Character Intrigue: Hidden agenda
Flaw: Poor decision-making
Values: Fame and Love
Character Dilemma: Love versus duty; wanting external admiration versus
loving herself -
Lynn Vincentnathan’s Character Profiles Part 2
NOTE: I’m racing ahead because I won’t be able to participate much after this module until Oct.
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 these last 5 components helped elevate the characters even more, especially the character dilemma — that’ll create a lot of tension. The flaw and values are also a great addition.
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ELLIE FERRIS
B. This character’s journey: Ellie goes from ineffective in helping save the earth and in romantic involvement to falling in love, and through struggles with family and other conflicts becomes self-confident and bold, effecting not only her marriage with Jim but also getting self and others to do the eco-things.
C. The Actor Attractors for this character:
1. What about this role would cause an actor to want to be known for it: A climate activist who through family and romantic conflicts brings about climate solutions.
2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in your story: She’s ice regarding future despair and romance, but in sleeping beauty fashion but with struggle against family fights and problems with Jim awakens to love and hope.
3. The most interesting actions the Lead could take in the script: Leading trips to a turtle rescue center and whacky off-the-grid farm. Beach party antics. Kissing under a huge Jesus statue. Hugging, snuggling lead man during a freeze and black out. Being left at the altar by wedding guests. Rescuing cold stunned turtles.
4. Introducing this role in a way that could sell it to an actor: Heading a turtle rescue center trip, expresses climate despair and her lack of interest in romance. The lead man Jim follow the “hot babe.” She confronts him but he expresses interest in the turtle rescue trip and has her talk about it to his class. During her talk denialist students give her a rough time and she goes mute (from her autism). When alone with Jim she melts down emotionally over that. She explains to him she has “issues” (which we later find out is autism).
5. This character’s emotional range: Despair, to fear of connecting, lack of appropriate emotions (autism), to blossoming sexuality, to autistic mutism and emotional meltdown, to more mature coping.
6. Subtext the actor can play: She wants Jim to take over Uncle Ely’s off-the-grid project and help in the climate effort, but hides that pretending she’s only into him. She also hides her activism with his Uncle Fred (oil engineer), and hides Jim’s connection and obligation to Fred with her Uncle Ely, who hates Fred. Throughout the movie she puts climate change, her father abandonment wound, and her mild autism in subtext to avoid embarrassment, controversy and confronting these head on.
7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character has: With Jim as her relationship with him and the family conflicts surrounding their relationship helps draws her out of her shell, sexually, romantically, and spiritually. With her two uncles: Ely the bitter grump, with whom she’s closer, and Rudy the positive, long married pastor. With Jim’s uncle, trying to please him, hiding her identity as an activist (and Jewish descent).
8. How will this character’s unique voice be presented? With her minor autism she goes from lacking appropriate emotion/expression/responses to temporary mutism in high conflict situations to total meltdown and panic over fairly minor things. ((I’m thinking Mr. Magoo was not only nearly blind, but also autistic.))
9. What could make this character special and unique? She fears involvement, lives in despair, and has rejected religion because her father abandoned her at age 5. This layer underlies her climate despair layer. However she is forced to overcome these to accomplish her goals of marriage to Jim and helping to save the earth.
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The First 6 Parts of The Profile
1. ROLE IN THE STORY: Protagonist, leading lady in a Rom-Com
2. AGE RANGE AND DESCRIPTION: early 20s, looks Anglo but half Tejana (Latina)
3. CORE TRAITS: highly focused and committed to help save the earth, abhors hurting people/animals, but lacks emotional involvement due to her mild autism, goes mute or into emotional melt down when distressed
4. MOTIVATION; WANT/NEED: She wants to save the earth and a bit later wants to marry Jim; she needs love and support to overcome her father abandonment wound, eco-anxiety, and to some extent her autistic-related behavior.
5. WOUND: father abandoned her at age 6 and never contacted her thereafter.
6. LIKABILITY, RELATABILITY, EMPATHY: She is committed to saving the earth and help with turtle rescue, she likes Gecko in a non-romantic way and is considerate of him; she is pursued by some guys following “hot babes”; she is given a tough time by the class and by her relatives, but weathers it to accomplish her goals.
7. CHARACTER SUBTEXT: Ellie is hiding from Jim that she plans to help Ely after graduation, sort of lying to him by being evasive. She also has a secret that she has mild autism. She is plotting with Jim to change his uncle’s plan for Jim. She is being polite or careful to sometimes withhold discussion of climate change, especially in company with denialists.
8. CHARACTER INTRIGUE: She plans to help Ely and is covering up her unspoken father abandonment wound. She secret identities are having mild autism and with Uncle Fred being an eco-activist and being of Jewish heritage. She somewhat deceives Jim at first by making him think she’s more into him than into getting him to help with Ely’s project. She is half Tejana (Latina) mistaken as Anglo, but then “dares” Jim to disapprove of her when it comes out by overacting her heritage; it turns out he is also half Peruvian (Latino). She finds out later she is of Jewish descent but then has to hide that from Uncle Fred.
9. FLAW: With her autism, Ellie tends to overdo her climate change focus and making sure Jim is compatible, with ridiculous compatibility tests. Ellie is afraid to deal with climate denialists and with conflict in general. She undervalues herself in thinking she can’t change Uncle Fred. And she doesn’t want to risk love and marriage when she thinks/knows these are doomed to failure, just like saving the earth.
10. VALUES: Ellie values family, but Ely over others; she is committed to helping save the earth against all odds. She feels a sense of duty and loyalty to Ely, partly due to her sympathy for the recluse and partly because he is brilliant in his alt energy efforts.
11. CHARACTER DILEMMA: Ellie’s dilemma is between being an activist versus being polite without conflicts. She later feels a terrible dilemma between her eco-activist goals and her love for Jim, with his obligation to work in Houston for Uncle Fred and Fred’s hatred of environmentalism.
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JIM HIGSON
A. HIGH 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.
B. This character’s journey: Jim is under obligation to work for his uncle despite his own conflicting goal. When he falls for Ellie, who has various difficult issues, he goes on a journey of learning about environmental problems and how to put his parents’ teachings about love into practice and how to help his uncle get on the right track.
C. The Actor Attractors for this character:
1. What about this role would cause an actor to want to be known for it? Hot, sexy guy, with a sensitive, religious side, conflicted by an obligation.
2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in your story? Falls for a climate activist, who draws him into environmental activities and concerns. However, he’s under an obligation to his oil engineer uncle that will tear them apart.
3. The most interesting actions the Lead could take in the script: Follows the “hot babes.” Beach party antics. Kisses Ellie under a huge Jesus Refuge of Seafarers statue. Into alt energy. Hugging, snuggling Ellie during a freeze and black out. Being left at the altar by wedding guests. Rescuing cold stunned turtles.
4. How can you introduce this role in a way that could sell it to an actor: Follows the “hot babes” but protests he’s only interested in the turtle rescue and invites Ellie to give a talk. Talk backfires, upsets her, and he then cheers her with interest in her uncle’s off-the-grid farm.
5. This character’s emotional range: Guy sexy-hot for a gal, sensitive and willing to go along with her, meek and obliged to his uncle, angry when gal tells him not to invite his uncle, stubborn in reestablishing the relationship, very down about the break-up (still in love), angry with his uncle.
6. Subtext the actor can play: Pretends to be environmentally concerned to get it on with Ellie. Doesn’t tell her about his commitment to his oil engineer uncle. Once he tells her, says he can get out of that obligation or change his uncle, when he knows he can’t.
7. The most interesting relationships this character can have: With Ellie, falling for her, going to great lengths to be the man she wants, then it snaps when he just can’t go along anymore. But by then he loves her so puts forth great effort to win her back and prevent family conflicts from interfering.
8. How will this character’s unique voice be presented? Hot, sexy guy, but with a sensitive, religious side. Joking, serious, meekly agreeable to please others, later strong to get what he really wants and needs.
9. What could make this character special and unique? Sexy but religious and family-oriented.
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The First 6 Parts of The Profile:
1. ROLE IN THE STORY: Protagonist, leading man in a Rom-Com
2. AGE RANGE AND DESCRIPTION: mid-twenties, looks Anglo but half Latino.
3. CORE TRAITS: Regular hot-blooded guy, but sensitive and religious, energetic, studious. Has BS in Engineering, working on his MBA.
4. MOTIVATION; WANT/NEED: Wants to break away from his uncle and get into alternative energy engineering, wants a loving, wholesome wife and family. He needs love, comfort, and support from others.
5. WOUND: His loving father died when he was 16 and he’s had a hard time getting along with his cantankerous Uncle Fred, who is paying for his education — rubbing salt into the wound.
6. LIKABILITY, RELATABILITY, EMPATHY: He helps others and the sea turtle, falls in true love; regular guy hot after a beautiful woman, working hard to get ahead in his education and future career; struggles with and against his cantankerous, domineering uncle and deals with the ups and downs of his relationship with Ellie.
7. CHARACTER SUBTEXT: Jim hides his obligation to work for his Uncle Fred’s oil engineering consultancy. He works double hard to lure and win Ellie, who is romantic relationship shy. He pretends to his friend to be a regular guy womanizer when he is actually a family guy looking for a loving marriage. He plots with Ellie to try and get Uncle Fred to change.
8. CHARACTER INTRIGUE: He has a father bereavement wound. He is half Latino but mistaken as Anglo; when Ellie dares him to disapprove of her heritage, he comes back in the same way with his heritage. He hides from Ellie his obligation to work for Fred. In pursuit of Ellie he pretends to be more interested in eco issues than he actually is. When Ely confronts him about being a Higson, related to Fred Higson, Jim deceives him into thinking there’s no relationship.
9. FLAW: Jim is afraid to confront his Uncle Fred, doesn’t want to upset him, and undervalues his ability to change Fred. He is overconfident in dealing with women, so when Ellie proves difficult to get, he takes it as a challenge and doggedly pursues her — instead getting led in a direction he would never have gone.
10. VALUES: Jim values family and duty and loyalty to family above all else. He is into winning — getting college degrees and the woman of his interest, Ellie. Determined.
11. CHARACTER DILEMMA: Jim’s desire to pursue his own career goal comes into greater and greater conflict with his sense duty and obligation to Uncle Fred. His love for Ellie goes against his obligation to his Uncle Fred.
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ELY PEREZ
A. HIGH 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.
B. This character’s journey: Elderly Ely, having become a bitter reclusive misanthrope from losing his great love, still wants to save the earth and tries to get Ellie to help and take over. This plan is thwarted when Ellie plans to run off the Houston with Jim. Ely must come out of his shell and bitterness and be amenable to others until he finally fulfills his goal and his need.
C. The Actor Attractors for this character
1. What about this role would cause an actor to want to be known for it? Grumpy, argumentative old man into alternative energy who disrupts others’ plans and relationships.
2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in your story? Flies off the handle regarding his arch enemy, the leading man’s oil engineer uncle and at various obstructions. Wants to save the earth, but fails at outreach efforts. Depends on grand-niece Ellie to carry on his project (has to be out-of-character nice to her).
3. Most interesting actions the Lead could take in the script: Against his recluse nature he hosts the club’s field trip to his off-the-grid farm, a hilarious grove of weird wind generators, solar arrays, batteries. Hosts the wedding in his barn during the worst freeze and black out in Texas history. Helps with the rescue of cold stunned turtles.
4. How can you introduce this role in a way that could sell it to an actor? In Ellie’s Act One visit to his crazy alt energy farm he comes out swinging in anger against various issues and doesn’t want nasty students coming and trashing his farm — Ellie has to convince him. In Act Two when they come, he’s okay until he hears Jim’s last name is Higson — flies off the handle in rage… until Jim assures him Fred Higson is not his father.
5. This character’s emotional range: Angry, grumpy, with a soft spot for Ellie, and changes to being more friendly, inviting, and helpful. Gives some serious heart-felt advice to Ellie, practically in tears over issues in his life.
6. Subtext the actor can play: He’s angry that no one seems to be saving the earth, especially denialist obstructionists like the lead man’s uncle, so even when he’s calm and nice, this comes out as subtext. Underlying this is his hurt from his enemy tricking the love of his life, Sarah, away from him.
7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character can have? With Ellie, loving, dependent relationship. With Jim hopeful, then suspicious re Jim’s relationship to his uncle. With Jim’s uncle shear anger and hatred. With Ellie’s Uncle Rudy and her mother, contempt.
8. How will this character’s unique voice be presented? Through his expression of environmental concern various frustrations and angers, and underlying this his life-altering hurt from losing his love.
9. What could make this character special and unique? He is anti everything, except the environment and Ellie, but pushes her away and fails to do much positive for the environment because of his anger and frustrations.
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The First 6 Parts of The Profile:
1. ROLE IN THE STORY: antagonist
2. AGE RANGE AND DESCRIPTION: 60s, Tejano (Latino), slovenly
3. CORE TRAITS: cantankerous, hateful, prone to explosive anger, focused on his projects, cares about Ellie (but no one else)
4. MOTIVATION; WANT/NEED: wants to save the earth with his projects and get Ellie to help him and take over; needs someone to break through with (? tough ?) love.
5. WOUND: his love stolen away from him, prejudice against Latinx and Jews –> made him cantankerous and hateful
6. LIKABILITY, RELATABILITY, EMPATHY: trying to save the earth, intelligent, industrious, inventive; angry at obstructions, loving toward Ellie; lives alone, not caring for self, losing his great love.
7. CHARACTER SUBTEXT: Ely usually blurts out all his frustrations, seemingly no subtext, but they tend to be surface for his lost love wound, racism, and other things he suffered when young. However, he has to control himself and be polite to lure Ellie into helping him with his project (and being company to him, alleviating his loneliness). He is also hiding his Jewish heritage, assuming family members know, but Ellie doesn’t know.
8. CHARACTER INTRIGUE: Ely’s lose love is his main unspoken wound. He is obviously Latino, but not obviously of Jewish descent. He has a serious grudge with Jim’s Uncle Fred, both ideological differences, college competitiveness, but mostly that Fred lured his love away from him. His hidden agenda is to get Ellie to help him.
9. FLAW: Ely overdoes his work on alt energy project without caring about anything or anyone else, to the extent of failing to promote and share them (which is his goal). He is over-confident in his abilities & rightly so, to the extent of pushing others away. Says all the wrong things, many overly frank, that push others away. He not only give up easily, he doesn’t even try to do what needs doing to accomplish his goals of saving the earth.
10. VALUES: Saving the earth, considers that love of humanity, but hates people, except Ellie. Values intelligence and creativity; disvalues almost everything else. Disvalues love, marriage, family. Hates climate denialists and gluttonous consumerism. Values simple living, nature (esp the native brushlands), creation/environment.
11. CHARACTER DILEMMA: Seeks solitude but needs love. Wants to save the earth but hates dealing with people in order to accomplish that, or pushes them away. Seeks solitude but lives with conflicting, opposing people in his mind.
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/ Ron’s Character Profiles Part 2
Vision: I want the success and recognition of being an in demand, A-list screenwriter who writes successful films that are financially profitable, award winning and of enduring quality
What I learned from doing this assignment is that I like the slow and steady way we are approaching the writing of the screenplay in this class. Slow and steady wins the race/
With each of your lead characters, first tell us the following
A. Lisa, protagonist
. The High Concept. After the son of
a powerful Mafia godfather convinces the godfather’s mail order bride to
kill the godfather and take over his criminal empire, she has second
thoughts and must find a way to extricate herself from this treacherous
plot.B: Antagonist: Stefano, son
B. This character’s journey. Abused by mother and boyfriend, the
beautiful but vulnerable Lucia dreams of escaping her dreary environment
in Italy. The day comes when she
meets a kind and powerful mafia godfather through the Internet, who takes
her back home from Italy. Lucia falls for the godfather’s son and, when he
tries to recruit her to kill her husband, she must maneuver herself in
the cut throat world of the mafia to surviveB. The Actor Attractors for this character. Lucia is vulnerable but must grow to survive in the mafia world. She learns to adopt many of tools and devices of the mafia to grow. She falls in love with the godfathers’ son, then must survive his wrath when she betrays him:
Brainstorm these profile components for each character.
7. Character Subtext: Can she
help kill her husband?
8. Character Intrigue: Can she
extricate herself from abusive relationship
and then escape the powerful hold of her lover?
9. Flaw: Easily manipulated10. Values: Family, respect for
mother
11. Character Dilemma: Can she help
kill the man who is her husband?2 Stefano, Antagonist, son
. A. The High Concept. After the son of a powerful Mafia godfather convinces the godfather’s mail order bride to kill the godfather and take over his criminal empire, she has second thoughts and must find a way to extricate herself from this treacherous plot.
B. This character’s journey.
Humiliated by his father, the son schemes to overthrow, Carlo, the
godfather. Manipulates Lucia into betraying father. Lucia turns on Serfano.
He sets up for Lucia for murder of godfather.C.The Actor Attractors for this character. Rocky relationship with his father. A manipulator, lady’s man, driven by ambition to replace his father
Brainstorm these profile components for each character.
7. Character Subtext: Driven by
his father’s lack of respect and confidence in him
8. Character Intrigue: Can he
manipulate Lisa into helping him murder his father?
9. Flaw: Arrogant. Thinks he’s
actually smarter than anyone10. Values: He thinks of
nothing but himself11. Character Dilemma: Will mob
family follow him as leader if he eliminates his father?C. Carlo, father, bridge
Carlo, godfather Bridge character
A. The High Concept. .
After the son of a powerful Mafia godfather convinces the godfather’s mail
order bride to kill the godfather and take over his criminal empire, she
has second thoughts and must find a way to extricate herself from this treacherous
plotB. This character’s journey. Marries Lucia, betrayed by Sylvio, killed by Sylvio
C. The Actor Attractors for
this character: powerful mobster.
Loves opera, romantic betrayed by son. Underestimates son, Must deal with
strokeBrainstorm these profile components for each character.
7. Character Subtext: Feels
guilt at having an affair
8. Character Intrigue: Will his
marriage to Lucia workout
9. Flaw: Romantic. Often thinks
with his heart and not his mind
10. Values: Being a mob boss.
Respect towards spouse
11. Character Dilemma: Should
son be his heir?:4. Add those to your Character Profile from Lesson 6.
I HAVE DONE THIS.
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WIM2 – Dana’s Character Profiles Part 2
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:
Having recently taken PS81, these assignments are a good refresher for me. I hadn’t considered the additional traits/flaws of my characters which have added new dimensions to their motivations and interactions.
RUTH –
Character High Concept: Ruth Griffin is kidnapped for ransom and held hostage in the smelting pot of an abandoned steel mill and must use her resourcefulness to escape before being left for dead.
Character’s Journey: The kidnap victim who defeats a serial kidnapper and killer.
Actor Attractors: Ill-prepared by a privileged lifestyle, she must adopt survival skills in a life-or-death situation transforming her from victim to heroine.
Role in the story:
Protagonist. The political wife who is kidnapped for ransom and held in the smelting pot of an abandoned steel mill. She must secure her escape before she is left for dead by her kidnapper.
Age range: Ruth is in her forties.
Description: An attractive woman, pampered by wealth and privilege, typically seen standing dutifully by her husband’s side on the campaign trial.
Core traits:
· Artful
· Cooperative
· Defiant
· Proud
Motivations:
· Want: To stay alive
· Need: To escape her captor
Wound: In an abusive relationship.
Likability: She shows courage during her ordeal.
Relatability: She’s frightened, isolated, and alone.
Empathy: She’s trapped and at the mercy of others.
Character Subtext: She portrays the dutiful wife but is having an affair.
Character Intrigue: She’s claustrophobic.
Flaw: Pampered. Has had everything done for her.
Values: Status and money.
Character dilemma: Wants her freedom but is too afraid to try and escape.
THE CUSTODIAN
Character High Concept: Known as the Custodian, he kidnaps high profile wives for ransom and holds them hostage in abandoned locations, keeping them safe from harm until the ransom is paid.
Character’s Journey: From kidnapper to protector to presumed dead.
Actor Attractors: Psychopathic serial kidnapper/killer.
Role in the story:
Antagonist. The kidnapper who holds Ruth hostage for ransom in an abandoned steel mill. He protects her from other villains that frequent the mill while waiting for the ransom to be paid.
Age range: Mature, but his age is unknown.
Description: He’s physically intimidating, always masked and never speaks, except with actions.
Core traits:
· Greedy
· Violent
· Intelligent
· No guilt
Motivations:
· Want: Money
· Need: Keep his hostage alive until paid
Wound: Resistant to emotion.
Likability: He’s pleasant toward his captive. He has a warped sense of humor.
Relatability: He’s intelligent.
Empathy: He’s betrayed by his partner.
Character Subtext: He intends to kill his hostage even though he protects her from others.
Character Intrigue: He’s plotting with the victim’s husband.
Flaw: His use of violence causes him to make a critical mistake.
Values: Money. His own capabilities.
Character dilemma: His need to complete the job even though he’s been betrayed.
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Dave Holloway’s character profiles – part 2
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 hard thinking about the characters can cause them to become more sharply defined and in-focus, and thus more real and dimensional.
High Concept: 50 years in the future, two young Englishmen must cross an American continent that has become divided into independent states based on primary vocation or social identity in an attempt to rescue one’s wife, who has been imprisoned in a military state.
Journey: Nigel, at the beginning, is an intelligent, principled young man who fears danger and physical confrontation. By the end, he has endured danger and physical conflict and is better able to handle both, because he has discovered more courage in himself than he suspected existed.
Actor attractors
1. Why would an actor WANT to be known for this role?
Nigel is transformed from a rather bookish, young man who shies away from conflict to a man who survives being shot and wounded and risks his life repeatedly in his attempt to free his wife from prison.
2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in the movie?
The fact that he is on a tremendous adventure that a character like himself would never be inclined to make. Yet he’s drawn into it by necessity, and he finds reserves of courage and tenacity that are surprising even to himself.
3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead takes in the movie?
When he’s shot during a gun battle and eschews having his wound treated by a doctor in order to save time in his trip across the continent; and when he devises a clever plan to free his wife from prison and engages in a fight with the prison’s warden.
4. How is this character introduced that could sell it to an actor?
He is introduced in court, arguing to a jury to preserve a family of a mother and two children together. He is seen as naturally intelligent, eloquent and passionate.
5. What is this character’s emotional range?
He transforms from a man with no experience of physical conflict to a character who risks his life. During the course of the screenplay, he displays enormous love for his wife, bitterness at her unjust imprisonment, rage against the military state where she’s imprisoned, devotion to the friend, Roger, who accompanies him on the journey, and a willingness to risk everything to save her.
6. What subtext can the actor play?
He can play the subtext of enormous love for his wife that motivates him to go far beyond the comfort zone he’s known all his life; also love for the male friend to volunteers to accompany him, and a willingness to risk everything.
7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character has?
It is the relationship with Roger, who travels across the North American continent with him. Though they are dissimilar in some ways, they have a genuine bond that is strengthened by the adventure, and each is dependent on the strengths of the other to survive at different times in the story.
8. How is this character’s unique voice presented?
He is English, so he speaks with an English intonation and phrasing, and his natural intelligence and eloquence give his voice a unique quality.
9. What makes this character special and unique?
It is the fact that he confronts dangers and challenges during the story that we would tend to believe would overcome him, given his sheltered background and dislike for physical conflict, and he ultimately proves equal to those challenges, finding previously unknown courage within himself.
10. (Fill in a scene that shows the character fulfilling much of the Actor Attractor model.)
Near the end of the story, the character risks his life in a daring attempt to free his wife from a military prison, overcomes the prison warden in a fight and is overjoyed when he frees his wife.
Role in story: protagonist, mission is to rescue wife
Age range and description: mid-20’s, medium height, slim build, a man given to thought and reflection more than physical action
Core traits: intelligent, loyal, passionate, afraid of danger/physical confrontation, articulate
Motivation: want/need: he wants to rescue his wife, he needs to prove himself up to whatever the journey requires because he will never forgive himself if his loss of nerve dooms his attempt
Wound: at 12, he was punched in schoolyard incident and ran away, which has haunted him ever since.
Likability: pleasant, intelligent, loyal to friend and wife, love for wife compels him on journey he would ordinarily shy away from
Relatability: his fear of danger, his desire to prove himself equal to journey, love for wife and friend, good nature
Empathy: faced with dangerous journey that scares him, truly loves wife and will be devastated by her death, know the odds are heavily against him succeeding
7. Character subtext: Hiding something – he’s hiding the fact that, at 14, three working-class kids surrounded him on the street, taunted him, and when one punched him in the face, he ran away.
8. Character intrigue: hidden agenda, and competition: wants to prove courage by never backing down during their journey, because knows any failure of nerve that ruins their mission will be something he can’t ever forgive himself for. Also feels competitive with Roger, who has a natural courage that Nigel envies. He’d like to show some of that.
9. Flaw – can’t take risks, cowardice, overthinking: He has always shied away from physical confrontation, and must try to overcome that on the journey.
10. Values – doing his best, honesty, integrity, love and family
11. Internal dilemma – wants to show courage but has difficulty doing so – Loves and respects Roger but secretly envies his courage and feels competitive with it
Roger Darby
journey: he goes on trip to rescue Nigel’s wife with Nigel, and his courage and loyalty are important to its success. By the end, he has shown the capacity for deep emotion and quick thinking that had wasn’t sure he had.
Actor attractors
1. What about this role would cause an actor to want to be known for it?
Roger plays a heroic role as a naturally courageous, adventurous friend who volunteers to accompany Nigel partly because her enjoys adventure. He’s also deeply loyal to his friend and risks his life several times to save him. Without his courage in the face of danger, his friend’s quest would have ended in failure.
2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in your story?
Because his courage doesn’t lead him to great egotism; he remains down to earth and genial throughout. Also, because he joins the adventure without his friend asking him to come along, and because his loyalty to his friend is so deep that he’s willing to risk his life for him. And because he begins a love affair during the course of the story with an American girl.
3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead could take in the script?
When his friend is discussing his wife’s predicament, he volunteers to accompany him without any prompting; when the two are embroiled in a dispute between laborers and police, he punches a policeman and knocks him out; he volunteers to participate in an armed battle with Native Americans against hunters from a neighboring nation-state; and he risks his life to help his friend’s wife escape from prison.
4. How can you introduce this role in a way that could sell it to an actor?
He’s introduced playing rugby, a rough and tumble, colorful sport, and excelling at it. In the next scene, he has drinks with his friend and volunteers to accompany him to the military state, without being asked.
5. What could be this character’s emotional range
His range goes from sympathy for his friend, to good-natured jocularity, to sympathetic allegiance with three Native-Americans he meets, to deep sorrow when one of them is killed, to anger and rage when he fights for his friend’s wife’s release, to exhilaration when they’re free again.
6. What subtext can the actor play?
Loyalty and love for his friend motivating him to accompany him; dislike of hunters for killing animals for sport; growing attraction to a girl they meet on the journey, and ultimate willingness to give his life for his friend and his wife.
7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character can have?
His friendship with Nigel, which is revealed to be deeper and stronger than apparent at first; to his friendship with and willingness to fight alongside three Native-Americans he meets; to his romance with an American girl he meets.
8. How will this character’s unique voice be presented?
By emphasizing his rough and ready nature and natural courage, his good-heartedness, the profanity he uses freely, and the simple but sincere way he expresses deep emotions.
9. What could make this character special and unique?
The fact that he volunteers for a potentially dangerous mission very easily and confidently; the fact that he risks his life for his friend; his willingness to join a gun battle between Native Americans and hunters because of a friendship he’s made with one of them; and the fact that he risks his life to save his friend’s wife.
Role in story: Best friend of Nigel, who volunteers to go on journey with him and uses his courage and loyalty to help mission succeed
Age range and description: mid-20’s, husky, tall, powerfully built
Core traits: courage, loyalty, toughness, good nature
Motivation: want/need: He wants to help Nigel rescue his wife. He needs to prove he has more emotional depth and intelligence than he’s sure he possesses
Wound: regarded by others, and possibly himself, as lacking intelligence and capacity to love deeply
Likeability: good nature, courage, loyalty to friend
Relatability: he’s unsure about some aspects of self, he’s not exceptionally bright
Empathy: we feel empathy for his self-questioning about his ability to love, and his lack of love relationship that Nigel has, and for fact he might be killed on mission that is devoted to Nigel’s interests
7. Character subtext: hiding something – people often view him as not very intelligent and incapable of deep feeling.
8. Character intrigue: hidden agenda – wants to prove self smarter than people think and capable of deep feeling
9. Flaw – reacts without thinking – he’s too ready to jump into action time when some reflection would be wiser.
10. Values – courage – friendship – loyalty – adventure
11. Internal dilemma – secretly admires Nigel’s intelligence and ability to resolve issues non-violently. Would like to curb his tendency to react with violence at times in favor of negotiation.
Livia Williamson
character journey: she goes from young, somewhat naive journalist whose life has never been threatened for reporting to stronger, more experienced person whose courage and integrity have been tested and proven up to the test
1. What about this role would cause an actor to want to be known for it?
Because she is under duress throughout the story, but displays remarkable courage, endurance and intelligence throughout. Her courage and undying love for her husband make her as heroic as either of the two males in the other two lead roles.
2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in your story?
Because she has grown up in a normal, English home and has never been in serious trouble before, but when she is imprisoned and sentenced to execution in a military state, she never succumbs to despair, never weakens in her resistance to the prison and its warden, and her love for her husband remains steadfast.
3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead could take in the script?
When offered a way out of the prison, she refuses to name any of the local people who told her of the prison’s crimes, and instead insults the warden who made her the offer. At the end of the story, she risks her life in a daring escape.
4. How can you introduce this role in a way that could sell it to an actor?
By having her first appearance be in a SKYPE call she makes to her husband from the military state, in which she expresses great anxiety about her survival; and having her second appearance be in another SKYPE call, during which she is arrested by military officers and taken away. In both instances, she maintains her courage and dignity.
5. What could be this character’s emotional range
From despair when she’s sentence to execution in a military state far from her husband to declarations of love for her husband, to empathic sorrow for another woman she meets in the prison, to rage at the prison and its warden, to jubilation when she escapes it.
6. What subtext can the actor play?
A sense of desperation about her condition, to deep longing for the husband she fears she’ll never see again, to despair that her execution is imminent, to wild joy about a possible escape.
7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character can have?’
Her relationships with her husband (they’ve been married a short time), her friendship with another woman in the prison whose husband has already been executed at the prison, and her acquaintance with a female prison guard, who carries out a surprising act of sympathy that helps her escape.
8. How will this character’s unique voice be presented?
In her communications with other characters, in which her eloquence, courage, loyalty, passion, and idealism are heard.
9. What could make this character special and unique?
She has exceptional courage and character, as well as an idealism that makes her risk death, along with intelligence that helps her intuitively understand others.
Role in story: wife of Nigel, who’s imprisoned and must withstand terrors of prison and oppression of warden to survive and be rescued
Age range and description: mid-20’s, pretty but not beautiful, fair-haired, intelligent
Core traits: intelligence, integrity, loyalty, courage, endurance
Motivation: want/need: she wants to survive her imprisonment and be reunited with her husband. She needs to prove worthy of her journalistic profession’s ethics and not be guilty of compromising them
Wound: underlying insecurity due to father abandoning her family when she was a child, and insecurity that caused her.
Likability: courage, intelligence, loyalty to husband, unbroken spirit
Relatability: in many ways, a normal young woman, someone trying to good job as journalist and to remain alive, someone with some underlying insecurity
Empathy: we feel for her because she truly loves Nigel, and she’s facing imminent execution on false charges, and she shows fidelity to ideals of her profession though she could win her freedom by breaking them
Character subtext – has hidden from Nigel that she is very ambitious, and would like to be very important in journalism, which she knows could cause friction in their marriage.
Character intrigue – has dreams of becoming nationally known British journalist and is afraid of how it could affect their marriage.
Flaw – naivete – she knows little about the worst sides of human nature and was surprised that the military state would imprison her and want to execute her
Values – family love, loyalty, doing your best
Internal dilemma – love v. ambition – she’s very ambitious, but worries that Nigel’s love for her might change or lessen if she becomes a big star in journalism and makes more money than him
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WIM Module 3 Lesson 7 Character Profiles, Part 2 7-11
Vic Valleau
Vision: As a writer, I am an alchemist, turning the ordinary into gold.
What I learned: WE are arming a character with traits to deeply engage the audience and deliver powerfully on that character’s journey by Looking at the 11character profile parts.
BOB, protagonist
High concept. Bob, a sperm donor with 40 babies, wants one to call him dad.
Bob’s character journey is from a Walter Middy life to exploding into fatherhood.
The Actor attractors for this character-
Deep subtext with great acting needed to portray characters wounds leading to his healing. Sadly, Bob deceives himself as to his social value v. just a sperm donor yet tries everything to be important.
1. Role in the story: Sperm donor, son, wanna be boyfriend of Mia, clown to many, Likeable poser.
2. Age range and description; 40-45, good looking, wiry, Caucasian, too old and too short for sperm donor.
3. Core traits- Ambitious, Too honest, Foolish, gives away his power, lives in a haze of pretense, dreamer with all facts against him.
4. Motivation: Want/Need: Conflicted with dreams v. who he is. He knows he needs something to grab onto, ground him, grabs at Mia as a lifesaver.
5. Wound: What they can’t face. Worst nightmare is never be called Daddy.
6. Likeability: People laugh at him, but he’s friends to everybody,
Relatability- Easily taken advantage of. Not sophisticated in den of Hollywood sophisticates.
Empathy- too open, vulnerable and accessible emotionally. We wait and fear for his day of reckoning.
7. Character subtext: To help create families.
8. Character Intrigue: Embarrassed so hides sperm donor from his mother.
9. Flaw: Hiding secret life exposes him to constantly trying hard to not be discovered or tripped up and says wrong thing, on dates, even with friends, coworkers.
10. Values: his mother and her respect.
11. Character dilemma: wants to tell all but can’t take the shame.
MIA
MIA ANTAG/PROTAG (DRAMATIC TRIANGLE)
A. High concept. Bob, a sperm donor with 40 babies, wants one to call him dad.
B. This Characters journey from clinics to baby’s birthday.
C. The Actor attractors for this character-
Mia is Bob’s disapproving savior. She scopes out Bob, sees he deceives himself as to his social value v. just a sperm donor. Helps him get real.
1. Role in the story Dramatic Triangle, helps Bob, restores his family.
2. Age range and description 30-40, very attractive, and sexy.
3. Core traits: Reluctant Helper, generous, charming and disarming
4. Motivation: Want/Need to get pregnant and start a family
5. Wound: What they can’t face. Worst nightmare is: Husband will leave her.
6. Likeability/Relatability/Empathy:
Likeability: Bob adores her. Clinic loves her. She imitates old time movie star, maybe funny voice, comes to clinic reception desk as that old time movie star Katharine Hepburn imitation and disguise. Every day is Halloween.
Relatability Sympathetic Lonely, with husbands’ bad treatment. Wants to escape her husband. She’s annoyed., credit card bounces- no sperm donation.
Empathy: Husband disrespects her for no babies, broke, Husband obviously unfaithful. She must team up with Bob and Bob’s mother as helper and spy.
7. Character subtext: Afraid to say, to be a mother of an exceptional/ outstanding child.
8. Character Intrigue Has shopped the world’s clinics for perfect sperm.
9. Flaw: She is overpowered by husband, gets sidetracked.
10. Values: Family, loyalty
11. Character dilemma: She Loves Bob’s friendship but can’t call it love.
Bob’s Mom: Antagonist
High concept. Bob, a sperm donor with 40 babies, wants one to call him dad.
Mom Character journey from goes from Pep talking Bob to date to baby’s birthday party.
The Actor attractors for this character-
Mom hides his lying, finally cost is too high, sees he deceives himself as to his social value v. just a sperm donor. She sees danger in helping him, mostly from hurting Bob, ruining their relationship
1. Role in the story- Antagonist, Nudges Bob,
2. Age range and description; 60-70, older, wifely and motherly
3. Core traits; Smothering and overly mothering, lacks understanding/loyalty,
4. Motivation: Want/Need FAMILY
5. Wound: Worst nightmare would be to Lose Bob
6. Likeability/Relatability/Empathy:
7. Character subtext: Lies about family history, Bob’s father was a war hero.
8. Character Intrigue: Social climber
9. Flaw: lazy, no real facts, gets caught in lies
10. Values respect
11. Character dilemma Dreams of being important, famous, celebrates famous.
Mia’s husband, Antagonist
High concept. Tries to stop Bob and Mia, hates idea of sperm donor, refuses to let baby call Bob Daddy. Bob, a sperm donor to Mia, wants the baby to call him dad.
This Characters desperate journey from trying to stop donor Bob and Mia from first meeting to baby’s birthday.
The Actor attractors for this character- Smartest and toughest guy in the room, A retired MMA (Mixed martial arts) fighter. Husband scopes out Bob, sees he deceives himself as to his social value v. just a sperm donor. He creates danger to Bob and Mia and Bob’s mother.
1. Role in the story Antagonist,. Beats up Bob.
2. Age range and description: fit, older, rich, high class, MMA champion.
3. Core traits: Proud, intolerant, Selfish and self-centered, clever, very smart and resourceful.
4. Motivation: Want/Need to be recognized as father, important, unbeatable, needs dominance,
5. Wound: What they can’t face. Worst nightmare is wife leaves him, so his friends would laugh at him, like they laugh at Bob.
6. Likable/Relatable/Empathy
Likeable: Mia likes her husband, respects him, yet wants a baby he can’t provide.
Relatable: Sterile, needs help, hates getting sperm donor.
Empathetic: he will lose Mia without sperm donation, lost 2 wives who divorced him, earlier.
7. Character subtext: Outsized ego,
8. Character Intrigue: hides his humble origins
9. Flaw: Brags to the wrong people who know better
10. Values: Fitness, physical and mental
11. Character dilemma: Hungry for recognition, yet people see thru him.
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David’s Character Profiles Part 2
My vision is to increase my skills to become an A list writer.
What I learned from this assignment is the value of digging deep into your characters and finding the most interesting/titillating aspects of their character.
A. The High Concept. When a carefree college grad- owing the most money in student loan history- pretends to be a doctor to woo his dreamgirl, a ruthless collector hunts him down, threatening to expose him as a fraud.
B. This character’s journey. Chas goes from lying to himself, hiding away from life to facing reality and embracing it.
C. The Actor Attractors for this character.
Role in the Story: Protagonist
Age range and Description: 26, whimsical, insecure
Core Traits: Eschews reality, whimsical, insecure, (subtext) ambitious
Motivation; Want/Need: Wants to keep living his lifestyle, needs to grow up
Wound: Deeply in debt
Likability, Relatability, Empathy. Likability: Funny, kind, giving. Relatibility: unemployed, deeply in debt. Empathy: Can’t find a job, collectors after him, feels guilty lying to everyone.
7. Character Subtext: He desires to help others. A people pleaser
8. Character Intrigue: He pretends to be a doctor because he can’t face the truth that he’s a sperm donor.
9. Flaw: Lies to everyone, including himself. Too cowardly to face reality.
10. Values: His family, friends, girlfriend. Doesn’t want to disappoint anyone, a people pleaser. Likes to help others.
11. Character Dilemma: He’s a good, well intentioned person stuck in this horrible lie that he keeps doubling down on.
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A. The High Concept. When a carefree college grad- owing the most money in student loan history- pretends to be a doctor to woo his dreamgirl, a ruthless collector hunts him down, threatening to expose him as a fraud.
B. This character’s journey. Keith goes from nostalgic, living in the past, stuck in his ways/beliefs to opening his mind and embracing the future.
C. The Actor Attractors for this character.
Role in the Story: Antagonist
Age range and Description: 40s, mullet, stuck in 1987.
Core Traits: ruthless, honest, nostalgic, tempermental, (subtext): kind
Motivation; Want/Need: to save his mother’s house; needs to move on.
Wound: Spent time in prison/never went to college
Likability, Relatability, Empathy: Likeability: Funny, brutally honest, loves his mom. Relatability: fired from his job, IRS after him, plant closing down. Empathy: Can’t find a job, Gonna lose his childhood home, needs to come up with 10 grand to fend off the IRS,
7. Character Subtext: He’s actually a kind hearted soul underneath all the bluster.
8. Character Intrigue: He loves his mom and is nostalgic for the past and his hometown. Explains why he does the things he do.
9. Flaw: Narrow minded, believes violence is fine if done for the right purpose
10. Values: His mom, his childhood home, military, his old friends
11. Character Dilemma: He initially wants to get the money- anyway possible- then go back to Idaho. He breaks out of his comfort zone and experiences life outside his hometown and realizes things are not what he was taught. A struggle between the past and the future.
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A. The High Concept. When a carefree college grad- owing the most money in student loan history- pretends to be a doctor to woo his dreamgirl, a ruthless collector hunts him down, threatening to expose him as a fraud.
B. This character’s journey. Christie goes from a naïve intern at a law firm to a mature law student.
C. The Actor Attractors for this character.
Role in the Story: Triangle
Age range and Description: 23, Black, naïve, cute
Core Traits: naïve, romantic, trusting, charitable, (subtext) ambitious
Motivation; Want/Need: to fall in love like a fairytale, needs to grow up and shed naïve beliefs
Wound: She didn’t go to high school prom, not popular
Likability, Relatability, Empathy: Sweet, caring, trusting, loves her parents and volunteers at charity. What’s not to like? Relatability: naïve intern, lives with roommate- little money, too trusting of guys. Empathy: So sweet, we know she’s going to get hurt. Hopeless romantic, to a fault. Gets hit on by a-hole co-worker.
7. Character Subtext: Christie’s ambitious and determined, though she doesn’t show it on the surface.
8. Character Intrigue: She was terribly unpopular in high school and has low self-esteem.
9. Flaw: Too trusting, too naïve.
10. Values: Honesty, family, friends, charity, helping others.
11. Character Dilemma: Trusting/believing in others even when they shouldn’t be trusted. Her liberalism vs. reality.
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MODULE THREE LESSON SEVEN
FRAN’S CHARACTER PROFILE PART 2
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 keep thinking deeper about your character. Think about yourself, too, what you are, what you want, put yourself in their shoes.
HIGH CONCEPT: The discovery of an old diary written by a friend of Czar Nicholas II’s daughter turns the doomed princess’s little known, tragic love story into a blockbuster Hollywood movie and an Oscar for its discoverer and screenwriter.
CHARACTER’S JOURNEY: Meredith goes from doubting her abilities and listening to her husband’s telling her she’s not a great writer, to a woman who is self-confident in her ability to write incredible stories for the movies and believing in herself and actually liking herself and her independence.
ACTOR ATTRACTORS: a character who is dutiful and supportive of her husband, not thinking of herself and her own abilities, to an independent woman who supports herself and has the ability to take on the task and win on her own terms.
MEREDITH
CHARACTER INTRIGUE: She has competition with her husband, other writers and with the leading ladies of her husband’s films
FLAW: She undervalues herself all the time because of her circumstances that hold her back.
VALUES: She wants to do her best. She wants to be her best self. She wants to do what she loves and she loves her daughter.
CHARACTER DILEMMA: She want to work with her husband on his films to please and support him. But she wants, in the same breath, to have fame, too, recognition, be in the limelight for herself and her work.
JEROME
CHARACTER SUBTEXT: He lies, hides his affairs, doesn’t show that he knows he’s failing, is a loser.
CHARACTER INTRIGUE: He deceives. He has an unspoken wound. He wants film recognition from his peers and the community, but never really gets it.
FLAW: His flaw if overconfidence. He is a poor decisionmaker.
VALUES: He loves his daughter. He wants to win. He does want to succeed. He can be a good friend when he wants to be.
CHARACTER DILEMMA: He talks a good game that he’s the best and knows what he’s doing versus having the actual skills needed to become great. Wanting the external admiration, recognition versus knowing he has to be a better father, a better husband.
OLGA
CHARACTER SUBTEXT: She hides something. She doesn’t want the life of the Grand Duchess. She just wants to be a normal person, and everyday citizen.
CHARACTER INTRIGUE: She has an unspoken wound. She loves too fiercely. She’s too naïve when it comes to men.
FLAW: She is too trusting, too impulsive at time.
VALUES: She loves the common people, wants to help them. She loves her family. She is intelligent, she is famous. She is caring.
CHARACTER DILEMMA: Needing to be the perfect, Grand Duchess of Russia versus just wanting to be a normal, everyday, private citizen—and loved.
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Character Profiles 2
It is so much fun to discover what is under the surface of my characters.
My vision is to be a stronger writer.
What I learned: Discovering who your character is, is almost like delving into your own life and finding what is there. What makes a writer write such things to begin with? What motivates a writer to write about things entirely foreign to begin with? Is there a nerve one has tapped into that brings the need for expression? It’s more than what we write that defines to some degree who we are…
Karen Crider’s Character Profiles 2
Concept: A hyena deposed from his clan, must win acceptance in another or survive the lions and predators inside the wild jungle alone. Who lives from grub to grub, loses his laughter, but must win the Olympic Hyena Laughing Contest to gain survival within another clan.
Shadow’s Character Journey:
-Shadow, a spotted, African hyena is born for trouble. As a young hyena cub, his brother is killed by the rabid wolf, Mortimer. Mortimer is a criminal– a mad, diseased wolf who contracts rabies. A wolf who kills everything in his path, including humans.
Before the last stages of his disease, Mortimer burrows in Shadow’s den, and almost captures Shadow; as well as, traumatizing him. Shadow knows that someday, he’s going to kill Mortimer if it’s the last thing he ever does.
Shadow’s bullied, because he retreats from conflict. Clan members label him a coward. He’s ousted by the matriarch after he nips her offspring, while defending his mom from attack. Shadow dogs his clan continually, because of separation anxiety, loneliness and fear.
He hollows out his old, family den and lives on grubs. He’s starving, fearful and unkempt. Predators chase him, but he becomes good at hiding and running. Later, he attends the Olympic hyena Howling contest. His howls insult the ears of others. His brother, Brimsley wins, who in turn, shuns Shadow.
Shadow decides to mimic his brother to become a winner. So, he changes. But he fails in his attempts. Hunting is especially challenging. He follows his clan to a Maasai village where the hyena’s glut corpses covered in fat, platformed by villagers.
He encounters Mortimer attacking a Massai mother giving birth in the brush. Shadow flashes back to Mortimer killing his brother, and he loses it, attacking Mortimer. The rabid wolf escapes, but Shadow saves the mother and her newborn, though he suffers terribly. He learns he can take on the killer and survive.
Shadow heals slowly, but still follows his clan. Silla, the matriarch, has several successful zebra kills and Shadow studies how she hunts. The only difference is she has others protecting her back.
He slowly works his way up the food chain and is no longer a grub eater. Lions scavenge his kills and he deserts them.
Several times, he sniffs out the clan. In darkness, he hears his mom’s distress call. (Every hyena has a characteristic howl that i.d.’s their gender, their hierarchy, and who they are.) Shadow follows her howls and finds Mortimer attacking her.
Shadow attacks with ferocity, and this time, he kills the rabid Mortimer. He helps his mom back to the clan, where once again, Shadow is jeered and threatened. This time, he does not run. This time, he beats several hyenas to a pulp, unleashing years of anger on his enemies.
He leaves, trotting through the jungle feeling pretty good about himself, when a wolf trots next to him. Shadow’s old fears surface, but he allows the wolf’s presence without attack.
In the end, Shadow shifts from being a victim to being the alpha hyena in a large wolf clan. Sometimes, members from his old clan follow him, checking for remnants of his kills. They never jeer him again.
This is all I have for now, but it will change. I will add and subtract as needed.
Mortimer, the rabid wolf:
Character subtext for Mortimer: panicked, paranoid, treacherous, mad. He is a diseased predator, a criminal out of control, killing whatever is in his path.
Mortimer’s traits are: diseased, treacherous, malignant, out of control.
Subtext Logline: A diseased, serial killer who maims or kills everything within his power without recourse, conscience or regret.
Character Intrigue: A mad killer who is out of control. Rabid, diseased. One who even kills or tries to kill humans.
Flaw: Disease is his flaw. It has taken his reason or anything that was ever in control.
Values: When one is mad, values have already died a terrible death.
Character Dilemma: None he is aware of, other than to kill as many creatures as he can. before the disease kills him. Either way he’s doomed.
Actor attractors: Mortimer is a snake in the grass, one that whispers in a sinister way. One that does not need to be provoked to attack. He is a pathogenic macro-organism on four legs spreading death and disease. He is Jaws, a land shark with fangs. One foaming at the mouth; an evil wolf with a blind eye, a broken fang and a scar. He also has the blood of Shadow’s’ brother, Auggie, on his hide and heart. A formidable enemy to Shadow.
Character subtext for Shadow:
Concept: A hyena deposed from his clan, must win acceptance in another or survive the lions and predators within the wild forest edges alone.
Logline: After being deposed from his clan, a depressed hyena, living from grub to grub, loses his laughter, but must win the Olympic Hyena Laughing Contest to gain survival in another clan.
Character’s Journey: see above.
Traits: haunted, furtive, timid, clueless.
Actor attractors: I lost this information. I had to re-do it.
Actor attractors for Shadow:
Shadow is an underdog. He struggles from birth on. He is introduced to trouble from the first scene, where cubs struggle to feed against their siblings, especially if there are more than two. There are three and the mother has two nipples. (Cubs are born with their eyes open and a set of teeth.)
Mortimer, the rabid wolf, is digging up their den and Shadow is being tugged out of the den by Mortimer’s paw. A rock dislodges Mortimer’s grasp. He takes Shadow’s brother instead, leaving Shadow traumatized. As a result, Shadow doesn’t enter into fights with others. He is considered a coward. But even cowards are interesting. He is ousted by the matriarch for nipping her offspring when she’s bullies his mom. This foreshadowing shows he has spunk, the makings of a hero considering what he’s been through.
Shadow is a victim. He is invisible, panicked, intimidated, but crafty. He digs up his old den where he almost died, and he squats next to the clan, refusing to leave the area. The hyena guards beat him up. He still doesn’t leave. He’s persistent. What makes him special: he survives, though he has no skills. He’s thrust into a dog-eat-dog world, but still practices to compete in the Olympic Hyena Howling Contest, his only chance to belong in a larger clan. His goal is to kill Mortimer and get even with those in the clan who have made him suffer and somehow protect his mom. His need is to survive, belong and like who he is.
Character intrigue:
Shadow survives repeated attacks on his life. He runs faster than the average hyena. He is spunky and determined to survive. He learns to hunt and to fight. He learns what it is to be a hyena. He deals with the wicked Mortimer and fights when he has to. But his biggest goal, his most secret goal, is to kill Mortimer. This can prove to himself he has worth; he is strong and independent and no longer the coward he believes deep down he is.
Flaw: Shadow’s flaw is believing he has no worth. Only his deeds, his meager successes can tell him different.
Values: His life, his mom, his sense of worth, his freedom.
Character Dilemma: Can he survive with no support system? Is he strong enough to survive when all he wants to do is kill Mortimer?
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<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Subject: Monica’s Character Profiles Part 2
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 writing characters before writing the script lets you see the big picture of how your main characters fit together. Doesn’t mean they take on a life of their own when you start writing, but it’s a great place to begin.
2. With each of your lead characters, first tell us the following:
CONALL COFFEY
A. The High Concept. Leading a rogue Special Forces team they steal an ancient artefact to supposedly keep it safe from nefarious elements only to discover their masters want to use it to manipulate the timeline to put themselves in charge until they discover all timelines end in 2030.
B. This character’s journey. His transformational journey from undying loyalty to the military industrial complex to savior of the world through the extermination of the elite.
C. The Actor Attractors for this character: A highly decorated military intelligence officer who can be trusted. His ruthlessness for a just cause comes from his IRA Irish roots. He appears to go along with his masters until the time is right to turn the tables on them.
1. Role in the Story: Protagonist
2. Age range and Description: 40’s, tall, fit with those Irish good looks
3. Core Traits: Problem-solver, brave, risk-taker, sensitive, nerd
4. Motivation:
Want: Manipulate the timeline.
Need: To stop the elite from manipulating the timeline for their agenda.
5. Wound: Wasn’t there when his family died.
6. Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
Likability: Conall
takes good care of his family just before he is sent on a mission. He
takes his role of leader seriously and always puts the safety of his team
first.<div>Relatability: Conall
places flowers on the graves of his family. Believes the fire was
deliberately set. Wants to get justice for his family.Empathy: Conall
watches as a fire engulfs his home but he is restrained from going in to
save his family. He gives his family the best of funerals.7. Character Subtext:
Subtext Identity: Special Forces commander with his own agenda
Subtext Trait: Treacherous
Subtext Logline: Conall is a rogue
Special Forces commander who is a treacherous and dangerous man with his
own agenda.</div><div>Possible Areas of
Subtext: Listening without saying
much, suspicious of everyone, plays both sides of the story, subtly
manipulates the “elites”.8. Character Intrigue:
Hidden agendas: He’s going to find who
killed his family and make them pay.</div><div>Secrets: Him and
Jay are on the same side.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”.9. Flaw: Over does things instead of getting some help
10. Values: Family, duty, loyalty
11. Character Dilemma: Love versus duty
HARRY BERNHAM
A. The High Concept. Leading a rogue Special Forces team they steal an ancient artefact to supposedly keep it safe from nefarious elements only to discover their masters want to use it to manipulate the timeline to put themselves in charge until they discover all timelines end in 2030.
B. This character’s journey. From a successful tech entrepreneur to the leader of the group of 5 who want to rule the world.
C. The Actor Attractors for this character: He hides his evil intentions behind a mask of charm and helping humanity but really he’s manipulative and sociopathic.
1. Role in the Story: Antagonist
2. Age range and Description: 50’s, slim, weasely, short
3. Core Traits: Intolerant, nerd, fascist, highly-intelligent
4. Motivation:
Want: Manipulate the timeline.
Need: To cleanse the world of undesirables to make it a safe place for him.
5. Wound: The only person who never teased or bullied him was his wife. Now he’s going to make the bullies pay.
6. Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
Likability:
Harry wants to keep his children
safe after the death of his wife. He spends time with them after work. </div><div>Relatability:
He’s angry and sad that his wife
has died but he has a job to do regardless of how he feels.Empathy: He’d do anything to bring her back
as she was the love of his life.7. Character Subtext:
Subtext Identity: Leader of the elites and lawyer
Subtext Trait: Deceitful, immoral </div><div>
Subtext Logline: Harry is a lawyer and the deceitful,
immoral leader of the “elites” who knows the laws of every country to
achieve his agenda.Possible Areas of
Subtext: Control every situation,
uses immoral actions to get what he wants, and doesn’t realize he’s being
manipulated.8. Character Intrigue:
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.</div><div>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.9. Flaw: Can’t look at their fears
10. Values: Winning at all costs
11. Character Dilemma: Wealthy instead of being a good person
JAY (ALIEN)
A. The High Concept. Leading a rogue Special Forces team they steal an ancient artefact to supposedly keep it safe from nefarious elements only to discover their masters want to use it to manipulate the timeline to put themselves in charge until they discover all timelines end in 2030.
B. This character’s journey. His transformational journey from captive to science advisor on the artefact.
C. The Actor Attractors for this character: A time travelling human from the future come to warn humanity.
1. Role in the Story: Triangle Character
2. Age range and Description: Tall, thin, big head
3. Core Traits: Patient, highly-intelligent, quiet
4. Motivation:
Want: Manipulate the timeline.
Need: To go home.
5. Wound: Failed at saving his civilization. He has only one chance to fix the timeline.
6. Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
Likability: He
helps Conall without the elites knowing. But doesn’t help them.</div><div>Relatability: He
has a job to do. Doesn’t tolerate the stupid, rich people.Empathy: After this mission he’s been promised he can go home.
7. Character Subtext:
Subtext Identity: Scientific advisor
Subtext Trait: Highly evolved, highly
intelligent</div><div>Subtext Logline: Jay is a time travelling alien that
needs the artefact in order to right a wrong perpetrated millions of years
ago.Potential 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.8. Character Intrigue:
Hidden agendas: Plans on stopping the elites
Secrets: Time
travelling alien</div><div>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.9. Flaw: Over-confidence
10. Values: Knowledge/Science
11. Character Dilemma: Finish his mission so he can go home versus destroying Earth’s civilization, and himself and his civilization, for peace in the galaxy.
</div>
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Andrew Boyd’s Character Profiles Part 2
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:
How to present a character profile that will hook in a leading actor or be a magnet to an up-and-coming star seeking their big career break.
High Concept:
Nuremberg 1945: Hitler’s top henchmen are on trial for their lives; hell-bent on making the war rage on forever – can a humble US Army chaplain and his two fellow officers win their behind-the-scenes battle of wills and break the Nazi legend?
Protagonist: Henry Gerecke
This Character’s Journey:
From kind-hearted but ineffective against these Nazi overlords, and paralysed by past wounds, to a man who learns to combine toughness with compassion to break down their self-defences more effectively than any leading lawyer in Nuremberg.
The Actor Attractors for this character:
1. What about this role would cause an actor to want to be known for it?
Henry Gerecke is a decent Everyman, tasked with the mission impossible of winning his battle of wills with the world’s worst mass killers. Somehow, he has to get inside their heads and their hearts and turn them around until they denounce everything they believed in and fought for.
He’s a man determined to do the right thing in the face of hostility from his colleagues and at huge personal risk. At stake are his marriage and his health; he’s battling with guilt over sending his sons to war to be wounded in action, and with his own desire for vengeance against the very men he now has to win over, rather than destroy.
Henry is a river that runs deep; often underestimated by his colleagues, who put him down as that frustrating, naive nice guy. But beneath that warmth and affability, Henry Gerecke is as shrewd as he is tough and knows how to play the long game.
But first, he must overcome his inner demons and his reluctance to humiliate other men the way he was humiliated by his own father.
2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in your story?
Gerecke is a fish out of water, propelled by circumstances to be a major figure behind the scenes in the world’s greatest trial, a player whose actions could determine not only the outcome of this trial, but the future peace of the world – literally. He has to get the leading Nazis to denounce Hitler and all he stood for, to break the Nazi legend before they go to the gallows.
He has to hold on to his humanity in the face of the most inhuman crimes and the men the world calls monsters who perpetrated them. He has to understand them, relate to them, win a place in their hearts, confront them and utterly defeat their ideology. But how…?
3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead takes in the script?
Henry Gerecke has to confront Hitler’s deputy, the cunning and manipulative arch-Nazi Hermann Goering, who has the other defendants firmly in his grip. Gerecke must hold his nose and his nerve and win over this man of colossal vanity who set up the concentration camp system and facilitated the Final Solution condemning millions of Jews.
And even while this battle is raging, he has to find a way of getting through to the others…
4. How can you introduce the role in a way that sells it to an actor?
We first see Gerecke at Dachau concentration camp, confronting his own sidekick, the drunk and broken Sam Fuller, whose brother was tormented and murdered in cold blood by the Nazis as he tried to surrender.
Fuller is pointing a cocked and loaded pistol in the face of the army chaplain and screaming at him to stand aside. Staring down the barrel of that Colt, Gerecke has a choice. He can save his own skin, at the cost of the life of a hated Nazi SS guard. Or he can keep staring into that barrel and talk Fuller into laying down that Colt.
5. What could be this character’s emotional range?
From a warm and folksy friend and father, to cool-headed, courageous and utterly determined. From self-doubt to steely conviction; from affable to aggressive and unrelenting in confrontation. A man of compassion who has to learn how to administer the toughest of tough love.
6. What subtext can the actor play?
An increasingly skilled negotiator, beneath a friendly poker face, who can read between the lines, knows men, and is willing to play the long game. Who is confronted with arrogant, self-obsessed Nazis the world condemns as monsters, who have committed appalling horrors, and yet who are steeped in self-justification: these are the men he has to know, understand and befriend in order to turn them around.
Gerecke is a man who has to hold on to his humanity and self-control, and who must keep a lid on his anger and disgust boiling below the surface.
7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character has?
Gerecke is a father-figure to his sidekick, Sam Fuller, who has come to hate him for standing in his way.
He is roommate to the intense and furious Jewish psychologist Gustave Gilbert, who loathes the Nazis, works for military intelligence and is trying to persuade Gerecke to cross the line and spy on the Nazis.
8. How was this character’s unique voice presented?
We see his self-control and affability under intense provocation. His honesty and decency emerge in heated arguments with Nazi mass murderers who are bent only on saving their own skins.
His determination to stand up and do the right thing emerges under confrontation with his own colleagues who accuse him of being a Nazi-lover; while his own anger is always threatening to break the surface and overwhelm him.
9. What made this character special and unique?
Henry Gerecke is a real figure. A Lutheran chaplain of German extraction, who cared for prisoners in the US, before being dispatched to Nuremberg to ‘keep Hitler’s henchmen alive until we can kill ‘em’.
He’s a man whose almost boundless compassion is stretched to its very limit in Nuremberg.
He’s a man who has to overcome himself, his past and his wounds, if he is to overcome the barrage of self-justification thrown up by the manipulative Nazis who are trying to save their necks. He is a man on the brink of being overwhelmed, who must, above all, hold on to his humanity.
Role in the Story:
US Army chaplain tasked by the military to keep the Nazis on trial from committing suicide so the court can duly hang them. And, while he’s at it, with turning around these Hitler fanatics to renounce the Fuhrer and break the Nazi legend. Pressured into spying on his congregation for military intelligence, in conflict with his duty as a man of God.
Age range and Description:
Early 50s, balding, kindly, a little plump, everybody’s favourite uncle.
Core Traits:
Affable, kindly, empathetic, shrewder than he looks. Often underestimated.
Motivation:
Want:
To keep the Nazis from committing suicide so they will face justice. To challenge their attitudes so they will denounce Hitler and admit their guilt.
Need:
To spare his boys and his grandchildren the horrors of another war; to overcome his loathing of these psychopaths who started the last two.
Wound:
Humiliated by his father, who prevented him fighting in the First War; reluctant to get tough and risk humiliating others; afraid of losing his temper; guilty over sending his sons to war and at putting his marriage at risk.
Likability:
Loves kids. A non-smoker, he hands out cigarettes to the children of a Nazi soldier in the rubble of Nuremberg, knowing smokes are hard currency in 1945. (He also hands out chocolate).
Relatability:
After seeing the horror of what the Nazis have done at Dachau and the arrogance of the Nazi guard, his instinctive response is to want to kill him. Wouldn’t we all?
Empathy:
This assignment is set to cost him his marriage, his health and his reputation. But Henry soldiers on…
Character Subtext:
Fighting guilt towards his boys for allowing them to go to war and get wounded, guilt towards his wife for encouraging their sons to sign up, then joining up himself and extending his tour keeping him away from home. Along with guilt there is a loathing of all the Nazis stand for, which he must not allow to ferment into hatred for the defendants, if he is to satisfy both his military and spiritual agendas. All of this running as undercurrents beneath the surface. Shrewder than he looks, able to read between the lines, knows men, has learned to hold his nose, and is willing to play the long game.
Character Intrigue:
Going along with the military agenda in order to fulfil the agenda of his higher calling: to save their souls, if they have any left to save… Is he naïve, or is he holding his nerve?
Flaw:
Afraid to go in hard with these men for fear of humiliating them. This arises from his own humiliation by his father. Needs to learn tough love – but how? Reckless to the point of self-destruction in his service. Considered by some to be naïve.
Values:
Integrity, honesty, determination, persistence, service, love for family, striving to see the best in others.
Character Dilemma:
How to be a good father-figure to those in his care, ranging from his boys, to his sidekick to the defendants. How to confront these men without losing the relationship he has so painstakingly built with them. This arises from his reluctance to get tough with others for fear of humiliating them as he was humiliated by his father. Allied to fear of losing his temper like his father. He has divided loyalties – to the differing agendas of the military and the church. And into the mix is his loathing of all the Nazis stood for and whether they can still truly be regarded as human beings.
Antagonist: Hermann Goering
This Character’s Journey:
Nazi ringleader who stages a last-ditch attempt to keep Hitler’s legend living on in Nuremberg. Foil for the Protagonist who tries everything to get him to denounce the Fuhrer and admit responsibility for his crimes. Instead, Goering runs rings round the court and tries to persuade the Allies to side with the Germans in continuing the war against the Russians. Propped up by his vanity which is fatally undermined when the Protagonist reveals the art thief who plundered the whole of Europe was duped by a forger. Finally found guilty and commits suicide rather than be hanged as a common criminal.
The Actor Attractors for this character:
1. What about this role would cause an actor to want to be known for it?
Goering is a Nazi Hannibal Lecter: highly intelligent, scheming, manipulative – and extremely dangerous. He is running rings around the Nuremberg prosecutors and fighting not only for his life, but so that his own and the Nazi legend will live on.
He is vain, narcissistic, and utterly ruthless. He believes in his cause, and is working to turn the military intelligence operatives who are working to turn him. His aim is to persuade the Allies to join forces with the surviving Nazis to fight the Russians and perpetuate the World War.
He wants to ensure that the rest of Germany – including the next generation – regard him and the Nazis as their national saviours. If he fails, he will certainly hang – an ignominious end for a true hero of the Third Reich.
2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in your story?
His intelligence, his ruthlessness, his arrogance and his vanity – all giftwrapped in the charm and guile that seduced a nation. He is fighting for the life, and the life of the legend he has devoted himself to.
3. What are the most interesting actions the antagonist takes in the script?
Herman Goering dominates the trial and runs rings around the distinguished American prosecutor, Robert Jackson. He overshadows and rallies the dispirited Nazi leaders and is staging his counterattack before a watching world in Room 600, the courtroom for the world’s greatest trial in Nuremberg.
Behind the scenes, Goering is working relentlessly to tighten his grip on the wavering Nazis and manipulate the allied team, who must get him to renounce the Fuhrer and destroy the Nazi legend before he goes to the gallows.
Hermann Goering is a powerful egotist, who is winning his battle of wits. What Goering hasn’t reckoned on is the honesty of a humble US Army chaplain, the determination of a Jewish psychologist – and the unanswerable truth.
4. How can you introduce this role in a way that could sell it to an actor?
Herman Goering seeks to dominate the stage at every occasion, from his courtroom battles, to his battles of wits with US officers in his cell in Nuremberg. He plays mind games with everyone – and makes sure he wins.
This monstrous man is portrayed as a complex, fatally flawed human being, whose father figure was the Fuhrer, and who is desperate to hold on to his self-belief in the face of what he sees as cynical victors’ justice.
Goering, the man the world sees as an arch villain, considers himself a hero whose legend must live on – even if it costs him his life.
5. What could be this character’s emotional range?
From avuncular good humour to murderous manipulation: A real-life Hannibal Lecter in a Nazi armband.
6. What subtext can the actor play?
Goering is constantly scheming and manipulating. There is subtext and hidden intent behind everything he says. He is seeking allies and supporters at every turn. He builds his power base with a mixture of menace and the sheer weight of his oversized ego.
His fatal flaw is his vanity, and he is constantly appealing to the ego, vanity and insecurity he fancies he sees in others. He is oblivious to just how narcissistic he truly is.
7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character has?
Goering’s key relationship is with the kind-hearted US chaplain Henry Gerecke, who is as much a shadow figure to Goering as Goering is a shadow figure to him.
Goering knows only too well how to manipulate the ambition of egotists like himself. But how can he get through to and turn this straight-forward, honest, Everyman?
Goering’s other battle of wills is with the angry Jewish psychologist, Gustave Gilbert, who is determined to cut his ego down to size and limit his oppressive influence over the other Nazi leaders on trial.
8. How will this character’s unique voice be presented?
Goering must justify himself to the court and the US military in a way that will win both over. To snatch victory from the jaws of defeat will take every ounce of his oversized ego, his cunning and his undoubted intelligence.
Goering has the advantage of speaking excellent English. In court, he can understand the questions put to him by the prosecution well before the interpreters translate them into German. It gives this brilliant and scheming man twice as long to prepare his rebuttals, justifications and deflections – and unsettle and unnerve his illustrious adversary from US Supreme Court.
9. What could make this character special and unique?
Hermann Goering is a real figure, a decorated hero from World War One, who 20 years later helped lead the charge to conquer most of Europe – and came perilously close to winning the Second World War.
Role in the Story:
Leading Nazi who wants desperately to keep the Nazi legend – and his own place in history – alive. Scheming to save himself from the hangman, and striving to draw the Allies into a new world war with Russia, with himself as head of the German forces.
Age range and description:
52 – 53 years old, powerful, imposing, louche, overweight, recovering drug addict, pale blue eyes, perfect teeth, soft hands.
Core Traits:
Powerful, scheming, manipulative, vain, intelligent; a psychopath lacking human empathy, yet prone to tears over art, beauty and his little daughter.
Motivation:
Want:
To live to fight another day, to keep his Nazi co-defendants in line to create a united defence, so the Nazi legend – and his own – can live on. To extend the war by motivating the Allies to join forces with Germany to defeat the Russians.
Need:
To justify himself as a great leader in the eyes of the world and a defeated Germany.
Wound:
Deserted by his mother and father from birth; humiliated for hero-worshipping his mother’s lover, a Jew; betrayed by Germany’s leaders after the First War. Massive overcompensation for low self-esteem.
Likability:
He is cultured and clever. He’s also a big kid who loves fast cars, showing off and playing games. And there’s a genuine streak of kindness to him, when he offers to give Henry his blue Mercedes (along with a manipulative streak a mile wide).
Relatability:
He refuses to surrender in World War One, but his country’s politicians force him, so he orders his squadron to crash and wreck their fighter planes in an act of defiance.
Empathy:
His dad and mum abandoned him. His country was in utter chaos so he stepped up to lead, because drastic times require drastic measures. As a result he gets shot and addicted to morphine to kill the pain.
Character Subtext:
Manipulating everyone to keep control, turn opponents into allies, maintain his own and the Nazi legend and bolster his sense of self as both hero and Renaissance man. Presenting as charming, clever, and attentive, but in reality, a schemer, chancer and accomplished liar, seeking to bolster his powerbase at every turn.
Character Intrigue:
Trying to save his neck and his reputation by undermining the prosecution case and attempting to win over the chaplain and psychologist to his cause. Every move, every word is to gain favours and get influence.
Flaw:
A narcissist and psychopath with an unbridled ego and a broken moral compass, oblivious to his own flaws, chief of which is vanity. Unwilling to see any other point of view.
Values:
Winning, at any price. Teutonic chivalry, so long as it suits him. Courage, determination, an indominable spirit, love for family, disarmingly attentive, with a manipulative streak of kindness beneath the surface.
Character Dilemma:
A mass murderer who has bludgeoned his conscience to death. Unable to take responsibility, courageous in battle yet a moral coward. Challenged to see beyond his vanity and ego to admit his faults and take responsibility for his actions.
Protagonist’s Sidekick: Sam Fuller
This Character’s Journey:
Hustling entertainer who is rescued from the cooler by the Protagonist and recruited as his Sidekick to play the organ in chapel – which he plays hot. Racially taunted by Nazis and GIs alike. Burning with a desire to take revenge on Germans for the murder of his older brother. Prevented by the Protagonist from murdering a Nazi POW. Falls out with the Protagonist father-figure who keeps on standing in his way. Comes close to killing his racist sergeant who tries to abuse him. Serving time post-war, he is rescued by the Protagonist and recruited once again as his sidekick. Finally reconciled with his father after he learns that every man needs mercy – and if we want to get mercy, we have to give it.
The Actor Attractors for this character:
1. What about this role would cause an actor to want to be known for it?
Fuller is a wisecracking huckster, a barroom piano player, who knocks out the tunes of the day hot and fast. He’s given a stark choice: play hymns on an organ or rot in jail. He opts for playing hymns so he can keep playing the black market.
Fuller is a black 20-something, who’s taken under the wing of the chaplain, Henry Gerecke. Gerecke treats him like his son – which means Fuller comes to hate him – almost as much as he hates the racists in US army at the time.
But nothing matches the hatred Fuller has for the Nazis who captured and murdered his brother at the Battle of the Bulge. Fuller, who has a line in near-to-the-knuckle gags, has an axe to grind. He wants his revenge.
2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in your story?
Fuller is a complex and conflicted character, who tries to wisecrack his way out of most situations. He’s a kid with a mischievous sense of humour. He’s the character the audience is most likely to relate to.
But lurking beneath is a fury and a loathing towards the Nazis, and anyone who tries to treat these monsters like human beings. And that includes his boss, Henry Gerecke.
Fuller is man on fire, and those around him are likely to get burned.
When one of the leading Nazis dies, the question is – did Fuller provide the cyanide?
3. What are the most interesting actions Fuller takes in the script?
We begin with a drunk and furious Fuller at Dachau concentration camp. He’s just found out his brother has been murdered by the Nazis when he tried to surrender. And now he’s pointing a gun in the face of his boss, Henry Gerecke, who has stepped in to save the life of a young SS prisoner of war.
Fuller doesn’t care about the rifle pointed at his own head. Right now, it doesn’t matter if he lives or dies. If he has to shoot his boss in order to kill the Nazi, so be it.
Fuller is switched to guard duty outside the cells of the leading Nazis in Nuremberg – where he teases and torments them at every opportunity.
Fuller is subject to racial abuse by both the Nazis and his own bullying Sergeant, who tries to cut him down to size with an army knife in a back alley in Nuremberg. What happens next lands Fuller in Menard.
4. How can you introduce this role in a way that could sell it to an actor?
The concentration camp scene is the opener. Fuller is so appalled by the horror at Dachau that he is determined to make a Nazi pay – even if it costs Fuller his life. It’s the scene where his boss, Henry Gerecke, stands in his way – and where Fuller comes to hate him like a father.
5. What is this character’s emotional range?
Wisecracking good humour, a kid with talent and an ego to match, to a depressive drunk determined to get revenge. Fuller is a shapeshifter who provides both comic relief and a furious counterpoint to his principled and warm-hearted boss.
6. What subtext can the actor play?
In the scene at Dachau Fuller is clearly driven. We pick that up, but only he knows why. What Fuller knows is that his brother was racially murdered by Nazis after he was captured. As Fuller goes round the concentration camp, he is boiling at what he sees. And his determination builds – unseen – to get revenge.
7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character can have?
Fuller’s key relationship is with Henry Gerecke, the US Army captain and chaplain who has taken him under his wing. Gerecke is his father figure. The problem is, Fuller’s own father was a dangerous drunk. So Fuller has a problem with father figures and anyone in authority.
8. How will this character’s unique voice be presented?
Samuel Fuller’s voice is crucial to this movie. He’s cool and young with audience appeal and blurts out loud what the audience is thinking. He constantly challenges his boss and other viewpoints. He’s a crucial counterpoint to the protagonist, Henry Gerecke, who is a warm-hearted father figure.
9. What could make this character special and unique?
The wide emotional range demanded of Sam Fuller will challenge any actor. Fuller needs to be played by a talented singer with street appeal, capable of lighting up the screen in every scene he plays. This is a career-launching role.
And he has some of the most powerful scenes in the movie, where he confronts his boss with a gun at Dachau concentration camp and later his murderous sergeant in an alley in Nuremberg.
Fuller is far more than simply a Sidekick to the pPotagonist. The movie can’t work without him. That’s why he’s listed here as a lead character.
Role in the Story:
The voice of everyman; cool, relatable character to create a bridge between the cinema audience and the main, older, more conservative protagonist. A Trickster and foil, to speak the mind of the audience.
Age range and description:
Early- to-mid 20s, black, wiry, singer, piano-player and wisecracking hustler with an infectious grin.
Core Traits:
Cocksure covering insecurity, hustling to survive, but with buried anger and brooding side to his nature.
Motivation:
Want:
To make a buck, have a good time, to get back to the States as quickly as possible.
Need:
Popularity, self-esteem – and revenge.
Wound:
Abused and deserted by his alcoholic father; devastated by the murder of his brother by the SS when he tried to surrender; deep suspicion of authority and father figures.
Likability:
Wisecracking entertainer, who plays hit tunes and hymns on a hot piano, a trickster who bucks the system, speaks his mind and gets into heaps of trouble.
Relatability:
Keeps on saying what the audience thinks. A skinny black guy in a shark tank of racists. Keeps on smiling – mostly.
Empathy:
His alcoholic dad beat him and his brother; raised by his big bro, who was murdered by the Nazis when he tried to surrender – and abused for being black. Now Sam Fuller wants revenge.
Character subtext:
Fuller boils at what he has seen in the concentration camps, and what the Nazis have made his brother go through. Beneath the surface, his determination builds to get revenge.
As a hustler, he is always sizing up opportunities, while keeping the man on side so he can play the system and get away with it.
Character Intrigue:
Hiding the truth about what happened to his brother, so he can take his revenge.
Did he slip Goering the cyanide capsule that killed him? Will this mischievous fixer / trickster push things too far? And can he overcome his self-destructive hatred of every father figure?
Flaw:
Overcompensating for a lack of self-esteem by hustling, and winning plaudits as a performer. Fragile ego. Impulsive. Refusing to heed the wisdom of his father-figure. Complex and conflicted.
Values:
Dollars and cents. Self-respect. Standing up to bullies and racists. Looking after number one. Maximising the main chance.
Character Dilemma:
Will his mischievous taunting give way to something darker? A man on fire. Will he burn first or ignite those around him?
Thanks for reading!
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Paul Dees’ Character Profiles Part 2
My Vision: I am a writer/director/producer that writes and makes films of all kinds and am recognized by the industry as both a highly successful filmmaker and as a person that’s easy to work with.
What I learned from doing this assignment is how to create a character profile that will help influence the beats of the screenplay, which will make them a compelling character audiences will care about, and that an actor will want to play.
High Concept: A nameless villain uses masks to control the minds of the people he sends them to, in order to carry out terrorist acts through the U.S.
Character’s Journey: Rick O’Brien
Arc Beginning: FBI agent haunted by his past, assigned to stop a terrorist.
Arc Ending: His past is resolved; the terrorist is brought to justice.
Internal Journey: From depressed and nearly suicidal to confident and at peace.
External Journey: From being just another FBI agent, to being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction and being promoted to field office supervisor.
Old Ways:
Pessimistic about life, often feels
like he wants to end it all
Blames himself for a work related
scenario that ended tragically
Distances himself from his family
Goes through the motions at workNew Ways:
Optimistic about the future
Reconnects with his family
Inner demons over tragic scenario
are resolved
Exemplary FBI agentThe Actor Attractors For This Character
What about this role would cause an
actor to want to be known for it?Rick is cool under fire, is no one you want to get in a fight with if you’re one of the bad guys, and always gets his man.
What makes this character one of the
most interesting characters in your story?Rick has some vulnerabilities. He’s afraid of heights, which makes his job harder in those situations, and he also blames himself for a botched hostage situation where both the hostage and his partner were killed.
What are the most interesting
actions the Lead could take in the script?Rick investigates a series of terrorist attacks, where a bomb went off on the 20<sup>th</sup> floor of a skyscraper. He has to battle his fear of heights as he checks out the crime scenes, where half of the floor was destroyed, and he’s forced to stand on the edge and look down 20 stories. He also puts together the pieces of the case by making use of his photographic memory. Lastly, he gets into an insane car chase while trying to catch the villain that culminates in a final faceoff at the top of a skyscraper.
How can you introduce this role in a
way that could sell it to an actor?Rick is also a musician, and we are first introduced to him tearing it up on an electric guitar at home.
What could be this character’s
emotional rangeRick is calm, cool and collected, but there are times when he snaps without warning due to the trauma he’s been through. He genuinely loves his family, and also broods over feeling responsible for the death of his former partner and the hostage in a previous hostage situation.
What subtext can the actor play?
Rick is battling feeling responsible for a botched hostage situation, and it’s always lurking beneath the surface as manifest by the things he does and the things he says.
What’s the most interesting relationship
this character can have?Rick’s relationship with the antagonist is particularly interesting, because the antagonist calls him on a regular basis using a disguised voice, to taunt him as the terrorist attacks pile up.
How will this character’s unique
voice be presented?By how Rick goes about the investigation, and we see the different sides of his personality through the choices he makes.
What could make this character
special and unique?His being assigned to a case where many lives are at stake, while trying to process the emotional baggage he carries around as a result of the deaths he was unable to prevent during a previous case.
Character Profile
1. Role in the Story: Protagonist
2. Age Range and Description: Early to mid-40’s, an athletic man with an intelligent look, who is trying to atone for the deaths of his former partner and the hostage they were trying to save.
3. Core Traits:
· Integral
· Compassionate
· Haunted
· Brave
4. Motivation; Want/Need:
· Want: To catch a serial terrorist
· Need: To resolve the guilt he feels from losing his partner and the hostage.
5. Wound: What he can’t face:
Rick lost his partner and a hostage, and tries to bury the hurt he feels, but he needs to expunge it so he can be at peace.
6. Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
Rick genuinely cares about people. He demonstrates this at home in his interactions with his family, with his co-workers, and in trying to protect the people in danger he comes in contact with as an FBI agent.
Rick loves his family, but things don’t always go smoothly at home. Kids act up, sometimes he and his wife don’t see eye to eye, the cars need fixing, the house needs some work, and he has a pile of bills to pay. He also has to take out the garbage or do the dishes when it’s his turn.
Rick is genuinely haunted by the death of his former partner and the hostage he was trying to rescue as shown in the prologue. We all have suffered the loss of someone special and can empathize with his grief.
7. Character Subtext
Subtext Identity: FBI Agent that’s trying to hold it together
Subtext Trait: In denial
Subtext Logline: Rick O’Brien is an FBI Agent that is in denial about the emotional trauma he’s carrying around, after his partner and a hostage are killed during a botched operation he was in charge of.
Possible Areas of Subtext: Always upbeat, blows off inquiries if he’s all right when it looks like something’s wrong for just a moment, doesn’t sleep well or for very long, brief moments when he looks and acts like he’s carrying the whole world on his shoulders.
8. Character Intrigue
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.
9. Flaw
Rick is hyper-critical of himself, which causes him to second guess his decisions while on the job and makes him question his value as a husband and father at home.
10. Values
Family, loyalty, justice, integrity, honor.
11. Internal Dilemma
Fears failure while still having to bring the terrorist to justice.
Character’s Journey: Sean Gray
Arc Beginning: FBI agent assigned to help Rick O’Brien catch the terrorist.
Arc Ending: It’s revealed he’s the terrorist, and he’s brought to justice.
Internal Journey: From wanting to give the FBI real-life training on how to stop terrorist attacks by staging them throughout the country, to feeling satisfied he’s helped the bureau learn their lesson, but despondent because he was found out and brought to justice.
External Journey: From being Rick’s partner to being revealed as the terrorist they’re assigned to catch.
Character’s Ways:
Wants to protect others
Willing to sacrifice some lives if
many more can be saved in the long run
Cleverly presents himself as Rick’s
partner.
Protects the people he sends to
carry out terrorist acts. They don’t remember planting a bomb in the
building they’re sent to, and they’re not in the building when the bomb
goes off.The Actor Attractors For This Character
What about this role would cause an
actor to want to be known for it?He is invisible in the sense that he’s not seen for most of the film, at least we think he’s not.
What makes this character one of the
most interesting characters in your story?He’s a dual character, because he’s Special Agent Sean Gray who also happens to be a megalomaniac and a terrorist that’s the mastermind behind the bombings going on throughout the country.
What are the most interesting
actions the Lead could take in the script?Sean’s ability to make Rick think he’s one of the good guys, when in reality, he sends him down the wrong path ever so slightly, so it still looks like he’s trying to help catch who’s behind the bombings.
4. How can you introduce this role in a way that could sell it to an actor?
Sean is very charismatic and has it together. So when he is introduced in the film, he commands the room.
What could be this character’s
emotional rangeSean is confident, likeable, always has a joke handy, and he enjoys the thrill of the job.
What subtext can the actor play?
Because Sean is also a terrorist, there’s a sense of menace and danger that is underneath all of his likeable qualities.
What’s the most interesting
relationship this character can have?Sean’s relationship with Rick, as he’s been secretly taunting him the entire time they’ve been on the case.
How will this character’s unique
voice be presented?By the duality of his character, which comes full circle when it’s revealed that he and the terrorist are one and the same.
What could make this character
special and unique?His motivation for carrying out the attacks, which is to help the FBI become more skilled at preventing terrorist incidents by responding to real life situations. In his mind he’s doing something good even though there are a certain number of people that will die as the FBI learns how to spot and prevent the attacks, because eventually they’ll be really good at it, thanks to him providing them with lots of practice.
Character Profile
1. Role in the Story: Antagonist
2. Age Range and Description: Early to mid-30’s. Sean is in great shape, he clearly spends a lot of time in the gym, and he has a confident and playful air about him.
3. Core Traits:
· Fun
· Charismatic
· Intelligent
· Purposeful
4. Motivation; Want/Need:
· Want: To give the FBI practical experience with preventing terrorist attacks.
· Need: To protect people
5. Wound: What they can’t face:
It is revealed that Sean lost his family in the 9/11 attacks and was raised by an aunt and uncle. He desperately needs to ensure that further attacks will be prevented.
6. Likability, Relatability, Empathy
Sean is very charismatic, the life of the party who owns the room whenever he’s around. He has a great sense of humor, and people warm up to him as a result.
People relate to Sean because he’s so likable. He’s your best friend as soon as you start talking to him.
When Sean reveals to Rick that he’s the terrorist they’ve been hunting, he tells him he masterminded the attacks so that the FBI would have experience with preventing real-life scenarios, not some pre-planned training exercise. He then goes on to say that even though some people died in the attacks, once the FBI became more skilled at preventing them, many more lives would be saved in the long run. So while Sean doesn’t go about it in a very ethical way, we can all understand wanting to protect people.
7. Character Subtext
Subtext Identity: FBI Agent with a huge secret
Subtext Trait: Deceitful, subversive, diabolical
Subtext Logline: Sean Gray is an FBI Agent that is likeable on the outside, but is actually deceitful, subversive and diabolical due to his being the terrorist he pretends to help Rick bring to justice.
Possible Areas of Subtext: Studied biomedical engineering in college and understands how the masks the terrorist uses to control peoples’ minds in order to carry out his attacks are constructed and how they operate.
Leads Rick to someone we think is responsible for the attacks, only to find it was a false alarm. Expresses admiration for the terrorist’s handiwork.
8. Character Intrigue
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.
9. Flaw
Sean believes that it’s acceptable for some people to die, if countless more can be saved as a result.
10. Values
compassion (in his skewed way), cleverness, tenacity, focus, intrigue
11. Internal Dilemma
How to help Rick catch the “terrorist” and not get caught while carrying out his plans at the same time.
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Renee’s Character Profiles Part 2
My Vision: I will work hard to become a well-respected writer who has her movies produced and who has enough work to keep me busy and keep the lights on.
What I learned doing this assignment is how to look deeper to find out who my characters really are and how they fulfill the high concept.
Character Name: Claire
Concept: A member of a local search and rescue team finds herself in need of rescuing when she comes across a mysterious mountain creature while searching for a missing girl.
Character’s Journey: Claire is a insecure party girl who comes across as uncaring. By the end of the movie she is willing to sacrifice herself to save her missing niece.
Actor Attractors:
What about this role would cause an actor to want to be known for it?
She tougher than she looks and is the only one who can rescue the girl and defeat both the antagonist and the creature.
What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in your story?
She takes on a government entity and a mysterious creature to save a missing girl.
What are the most interesting actions the Lead could take in the script?
She saves a fellow search and rescue team member even though he is working against her. She manages to escape from the members of the group that are working to capture the creature alive. She outwits the bad actors in the group and manages to defeat the creature and save the girl.
How can you introduce this role in a way that could sell it to an actor? What could be this character’s emotional range?
From irritated, to concerned, to scared, to courageous.
What subtext can the actor play?
She’s incredibly concerned about her missing niece, but acts unattached and unconcerned. She still is in love with one of the team members, but acts like she really doesn’t care.
What’s the most interesting relationships this character can have?
The most interesting relationships she has is the one with her sister and one of the other volunteers.
How will this character’s unique voice be presented?
She’s able to get the group calm after the first person is taken and she is able to convince them to ignore the supervisor’s plan and do whatever it takes to rescue her niece.
What could make this character special and unique?
She seems self-centered on the outside, but in reality she is incredibly caring toward those she cares for the most. She hides behind her party girl exterior to keep from getting close to anyone after her heart was broken.
Role in the Story: Protagonist
Age range and Description: mid 20’s; she’s a petite party girl who weighs 90 pounds soaking wet and she’s desperate to find her missing niece in hopes of repairing her relationship with her sister.
Core Traits: Addictive, Insecure, Resourceful, Cautious
Motivation: she wants to prove that she isn’t a bad person and wants to make up for her mistakes.
Want/Need: she wants to save her niece, she needs to repair the relationship with her sister.
Wound:
Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
Likability:
– she has kind words for everyone she meets.
– she loves her niece even if her relationship with her sister is strained.
– she doesn’t take shit from anyone (she stands up for herself)
– she is willing to help the bad guys.
Relatability:
– she’s not perfect. She struggles with addiction.
– based on past heartbreak she keeps herself closed off for fear of getting hurt again.
Empathy:
– she struggles with alcohol.
– she seems to be unlucky in love
Character Subtext: deceitful
Character Intrigue:
– 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.
Flaw: Undervalues herself.
Values: Family
Character Dilemma: She wants her privacy but she wants to be included.
Character Name: Mark Thompson
Concept: A member of a local search and rescue team finds herself in need of rescuing when she comes across a mysterious mountain creature while searching for a missing girl.
Character’s Journey: a man bent on revenging his twin brother’s death no matter the cost, to accepting that he will never be able to fill the void left by his brother’s death.
Actor Attractors:
What about this role would cause an actor to want to be known for it?
He’s a ruthless government official who will do anything to get what he wants, include sacrificing a young girl.
What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in your story?
He appears concerned for the missing girl but is behind the scenes orchestrating a plan to capture the creature without concern for whether the girl lives or dies.
What are the most interesting actions the Lead could take in the script?
He will instruct his “men” to sabotage the efforts to rescue the girl. When the protagonist thwarts his plans he will go into the woods himself to complete the mission.
How can you introduce this role in a way that could sell it to an actor?
He is instructing two of his men that they need to take the creature alive, and not to stress over rescuing the girl.
What could be this character’s emotional range?
From calm and collected to enraged and out of control.
What subtext can the actor play?
He acts like he is interested in saving the girl, but in reality he couldn’t care less whether she lives or dies as long as he takes the creature alive.
What’s the most interesting relationships this character can have?
The relationship with one of his men.
How will this character’s unique voice be presented?
He will be overbearing and dominant with everyone.
What could make this character special and unique?
He will be ruthless in his pursuit.
Role in the Story: Antagonist
Age range and Description: late 50’s; he is an obsessed control freak who believes that capturing the creature that killed his twin brother even if it means the missing girl will die will help him to find closure for his brother’s death.
Core Traits: Controlling, Obsessive, Callous, Persistent
Motivation: revenge against the creature that killed his twin brother.
Want/Need: he wants to avenge his brother’s death but he needs to forgive himself for not being able to save his brother.
Wound: his twin brother was killed by the creature and he wasn’t able to save him.
Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
Likability:
– nothing
Relatability:
– he wants revenge on those who hurt the people he loves.
Empathy:
– his twin brother was killed by the creature he is now hunting.
Character Subtext: evil
Character Intrigue:
– Hidden agendas: he wants to bring the creature back alive, no matter what.
– Conspiracies: working with Scott and Adam to bring the creature back alive even if it means the girl dies.
– Deception: he assures the parents that he will do whatever 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.
Flaw: Over confidence
Values: Family and strength
Character Dilemma: Ultimate Control vs. Chaos
Character Name: Adam
Concept: A member of a local search and rescue team finds herself in need of rescuing when she comes across a mysterious mountain creature while searching for a missing girl.
Character’s Journey: From a ridged ‘yes’ man to someone willing to go against orders even if it costs him everything.
Actor Attractors:
What about this role would cause an actor to want to be known for it?
He has a tough exterior but a soft heart. He struggles to do what’s right if it means going against orders.
What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in your story?
He’s a former Marine that is hesitant to go against orders, but understands that a young girl’s life is at stake and he’s torn about what to do.
What are the most interesting actions the Lead could take in the script?
He tries to sabotage the protagonist’s rescue plan, when he finds out his orders will put the girl in jeopardy he starts to have second thoughts. He confesses to the protagonist what the antagonist is willing to do. He openly defies the antagonist. He sacrifices himself to help the protagonist achieve her goal.
How can you introduce this role in a way that could sell it to an actor?
I’m not sure yet.
What could be this character’s emotional range?
Calm and collected, to angry, to mournful, to sad and sorry.
What subtext can the actor play?
He seems to be following orders without question, but isn’t sure he wants to be a ‘yes’ man anymore.
What’s the most interesting relationships this character can have?
The relationship with the protagonist and the antagonist
How will this character’s unique voice be presented?
He will be disciplined but also understanding.
What could make this character special and unique?
His ability to look past his training and disciplined to see the protagonist’s need to get her niece back.
Character Subtext: Lying
Character Intrigue:
– Hidden agendas: he is under orders to bring the creature back alive.
– Competition: he is in competition with Scott to gain favor by being the one to capture the creature.
– Conspiracies: working with Marc to bring the creature back alive even if it means the girl dies.
– Unspoken Wound: being discharged from the Marines because of an injury.
Flaw: Overconfidence
Values: Duty
Character Dilemma: love vs. duty
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Amy’s Character Profiles Part 2
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 at first, I was overthinking things, then I remembered Hal’s advice to just fill in the blanks, so I used the lists that he gave and that’s what I did. In almost every instance, I was able to find something on the lists that fit with my characters.
Stephanie
A. The High Concept: a princess who turns out not to be a princess
B. This Character’s Journey: Shallow and proud to reflective and caring
C. The Actor Attractors for this Character: Despite her selfish desires, down deep, she is a very caring and empathetic person.
7. Character Subtext: Hiding the fact that she’s trying to figure out a way to stay a royal
8. Character Intrigue: hidden agenda-trying to hang on to the throne
9. Flaw: makes poor decisions that just make her situation worse
10. Values: protecting her family from public shame
11. Character Dilemma: wants external admiration versus loving herself
Jack
A. The High Concept: a princess who turns out not to be a princess
B. This Character’s Journey: from immature and arrogant to mature and humble
C. The Actor Attractors for this Character: He’s a royal, but he has the ability to fit right in with commoners.
7. Character Subtext: Luring-seducing-trying to get Stephanie to fall in love with him
8. Character Intrigue: competition-it’s a challenge for him to see if he can get Stephanie to fall in love with him
9. Flaw: over-confidence in his position as royalty
10. Values: winning
11. Character Dilemma: the need to come across as having it all together versus the need for validation
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Module 3, Lesson 7 – Character Profiles Part-2
Subject: Rob Ingalls’ Character Profiles Part-2
MY VISION:
To be a Talented writer that delivers quality fast, with the film industry seeking me out.
WIL: keep filling in the blanks
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PROTAGONIST
A. The High Concept:
A TikTok Influencer, wanting to increase his followers and energize his current followers, hires a guide to take him deep
in the jungle, while he vlogs the search for the legendary giant golden Buddha statue.
B. This character’s journey:
TikTok Influencer wanna-be, self-centered, shallow, fake-it-’til-you-make-it, no real friends, is forced on a real adventure to reclaim
his status and pride, ultimately connects with local villagers and saves their prized statue, which gives them hope as well as gives
himself new meaning to life.
C. The Actor Attractors for this character:
1. What about this role would cause an actor to want to be known for it?
This is a popular TikToc Influencer who travels the world in seach of new adventures, but in reality is faking it with a green screen.
He’s scared of heights and hates vaccine shots. His insecurities and fake life are the only reality he knows.
And he’s about to lose his followers when they find out the truth (presented by the Antagonist).
From creating fake adventures (green screen) to an actual adventure deep in Thailand jungles in search of a mysterious golden Buddha statue.
2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in your story?
Popular Influencer on TikToc/Instagram whose life is fake and his followers abandon him.
Loves/cares for Grandmother in nursing home. She gives him map from his granddad.
3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead could take in this script?
Death-defying adventure that turns out to be fake with green screen.
Later, a true death-defying adventure walking a rope bridge across a wide gorge and raging river.
4. How can you introduce this role in a way that could sell it to an actor?
A fake Influencer who loves his grandma and wants her to be proud. Struggles with reality and the internet world he creates.
5. What could be this character’s emotional range?
Being abandon by his followers to having a deep inner change that brings truth and reality into forfront, as well as true followers.
Transformational journey from narcisistic showman on TikToc to caring for others even if it goes against his ego world.
6. What subtext can the actor play?
His actions hide the fact he’s insecure, has strong need for affection. His grandma is dying and doesn’t know how to express his feelings.
7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character can have?
Holly, the triangle character, feels hurt from Protagonist and creates unnecessary turmoil between Protagonist and Antagonist.
Protagonist is still in love with Holly but afraid to getting close, since that also means losing them at some point (eg Grandma)
8. How will this character’s unique voice be presented?
Self-created Got-it-made positive attitude that hides his insecurities.
9. What could make this character special and unique?
Charisma/Pride ego (that also looks down on others, in beginning) in the beginning that later becomes humbled, caring for others beyond self.
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1. Role in Story: Protagonist
TikToc Influencer who fakes his adventures to gain Followers.
2. Age range and Description: Age 20s. Josh wears stylish gym clothes and gold chains (rapper apparel??)
3. Core Traits:
– Initially: Cocky, Cool Attitude (fake), Intolerant (short temper – deep down he’s afraid to get caught), love his Memaw
– After Change: Humble, tolerasnt, considerate
4. Motivation; Want/Need:
– Want: More TikToc Followers
– To feel important/loved. To fill an emptyness
5. Wound: Bullied in grade school to the point where he felt toally insecure
6. Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
– Likability: He takes care of his ailing grandma/Memaw in nursing home
– Relatability: Girlfriend problems. Growing up issues.
– Empathy: His TikToc Influencer business falls apart, crumbles
7. Character Subtext (Lesson 3):
Josh is a Social Media Influencer Fake who keeps the truth secretive
8. Character Intrigue (Lesson 4):
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.
9. Flaw: Scared to do the adventures he portrays himself on TikToc
10. Values: Family (Memaw), Fame
11. Internal Dilemma: Wanting external admiration vs. loving himself
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ANTAGONIST:
A. The High Concept:
A Competitor TikToc Influencer feels slighted when Josh doesn’t give him the time of day (at TikToc convention).
An unknown person (Triangle character – Holly) tells Cashus how to get even by revealing secrets of Josh.
B. This character’s journey:
Hurt/pain when slighted by Josh at a convention, to angry and vengeful, to ……
He loses quest, loses his own followers, broken down
C. The Actor Attractors for this character:
1. What about this role would cause an actor to want to be known for it?
Hot TikToc Influencer who is envious of Protagonist’s success and is willing to knock him down.
2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in your story?
He’s being fed info from the Protagonist’s former girlfirend who was hurt that he cheated (misunderstanding)
3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead could take in this script?
Finds gold statue first. Steals it by removing (melting gold) beneath it.
4. How can you introduce this role in a way that could sell it to an actor?
Jealous/angry that protagonist is rated higher than himself, thus less ad revenue, less girlfriends, etc
5. What could be this character’s emotional range?
Jealous/angry to winning after destroying protagonists ratings to excited finding gold statue first, to giving up after losing battle
6. What subtext can the actor play?
Insecure/Jealous/angry
7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character can have?
He and protagonist used to be best friends. When they discover ex-girlfriend caused problems, they bonded stronger
8. How will this character’s unique voice be presented?
Precise, intelligent, but not too social (thus his real problems with social media)
9. What could make this character special and unique?
Techno-nerd
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1. Role in Story: Antagonist
2. Age range and Description: Age 20s, focuses too much on other Influencer’s traits, tries to be like them
3. Core Traits: Bully, conniving, mis-treats oters, Treats Chihuahua nice like his baby
4. Motivation; Want/Need: Wants to Make more money/ Needs confidence
5. Wound: His father bullied him, never appreciated him
6. Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
– Likability: Has a pet Chihuahua that he loves/adors
– Relatability: Dog shits/pee all over white carpet.
– Empathy: Humiliation – TikToc Followers compare him to Josh, and not in a nice way, and troll Cashus.
(Later he fights back with revenge…not nice)
7. Character Subtext (Lesson 3): Cashus King is a TicTok Competitor who connives to out-win his competition
8. Character Intrigue (Lesson 4):
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)
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
9. Flaw: Cowardice, can’t look at his fears
10. Values: knowledge/scientific (nerd)
11. Internal Dilemma: Winner vs. Loser
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TRIANGLE Character
A. The High Concept:
Logline: A spurned ex-girlfriend is hired, unknowingly by her ex, as his Virtual Assistant.
Her goal: To make him pay for the perceived hurt he gave her.
B. This character’s journey:
Spoiled brat who wants revenge on Josh
C. The Actor Attractors for this character:
1. What about this role would cause an actor to want to be known for it?
Spurned ex-girlfriend of Protagonist who can’t stand to see him with another girl.
2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in your story?
Former girlfriend and fellow Influencer, hurt that he cheated (misunderstanding). Feeds antagonist with info (false info)
Revenge? Getting even? Payback?
3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead could take in this script?
Devious plans to wreck havoc with protagonist by using antagonist (without either knowing she’s the one)
4. How can you introduce this role in a way that could sell it to an actor?
Angry/hurt ex-girlfriend with attitude.
5. What could be this character’s emotional range?
Angry/hurt to vengeful to apologetic to needy (he forgives but doesn’t want to go further)
6. What subtext can the actor play?
Know-it-all
7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character can have?
Ex-girlfirend of protagonist. He still cares for her but in the end, decides not to pursue again
8. How will this character’s unique voice be presented?
Know-it-all
9. What could make this character special and unique?
Had other boyfriends that she caused turmoil afterwards
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1. Role in Story: Third character, creates issues between Josh and Cashus.
2. Age range and Description: Age 20s. Colorful hair. Long finger nails. Wild dresser.
3. Core Traits: Nasty, mean, conniving, scheming.
4. Motivation; Want/Need: Wants Josh to feel her pain. Needs to learn to love herself.
5. Wound: Daddy issues
6. Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
– Likability: Fake Friendly, outgoing. Later learn her core traits.
– Relatability: We initially think she’s suffered in relationships due to the guy, (but later learn it’s her).
– Empathy: Why would anyone (Josh) cheat on her (or did he??)
7. Character Subtext (Lesson 3):
Holly is a victim of Josh’s seduction/dumping and manipulates Cashus to hurt Josh.
8. Character Intrigue (Lesson 4):
Hidden Agendas: Plans to take Josh down
Conspiracies: Conspires with Cashus (directly or hidden) against Josh
Secrets: She cheated on Josh and was afraid he’d find out
Unspoken Wound: Doesn’t trust men. Her dad left her mom and herself to fend for themselves
Secret Identity: Travel Agent to troll Josh
9. Flaw: Undervalues herself.
10. Values: Fame
11. Internal Dilemma: Excitement vs. safety
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This reply was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by ROBERT Ingalls.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by
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Joe’s Character profiles, part 2
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: It’s getting easier to narrow down their traits, or to think I have “enough”, but through this some key ideas are getting more solidified. One of my problems with my last script that I’m still rewriting is that the characters had too much going on.. in an attempt to make sure my characters had depth and multi-dimensions, my characters had too many dilemmas; problems; character traits. The next time I go through this list, I hope to chisel down more than I add.
2. With each of your lead characters, first tell us the following:
Character Name: Lorenzo Locatelli
A. High Concept: A blue-collar business owner/aspiring chef who falls for upscale dancer who owns a studio above his pizza shop.
B. This character’s journey: Thinks the new teacher who rents upstairs is not only from another world, but way to stuck-up and prejudiced. He feels sorry for the poor shmo who ends up with her. But while getting to know her as they fight against their sleazy landlord together, he realizes he’s got her all wrong. He ends up willing to give up his future business plans for her.
C. The Actor Attractors for this character.
– He’s a blue-collar guy with lots of loveable energy, who ultimately wins the heart of the “Uptown girl”
– He seems like an extroverted opinionated control freak at first but he’s really got a huge heart.
– He slings pizza dough and other culinary delights like a master sculptor but never talks about how awesome he is (only how awesome the food is)
– He is alone for noble reasons, but is initially blind to the fact that he should give Emily a chance
– He stands up to the landlord and comes to Emily’s defense when she needs it.
– He’s passionate and charismatic enough to draw a crowd of devoted customers.
– He’s very much an everyman, so we all can relate to him because he lives and works on our level, but is a master craftsman in the kitchen… turns out in the bedroom too!
– He is “king of the castle” in his domain of the pizza parlor, but take him out of that comfort zone, like on a dance floor, or courtroom, and he’s introverted and sinks into his shell.
– He thinks he’s making the most mature, somber decision of his life to leave pizza store, but by leaving Emily in America, he realized he made the biggest mistake of his life. At that point, he’s ready to swing in on a vine (or Elevator cable) to rescue her, no holds barred.
– Everything’s out on the table; on the nose; guns blazing, which is a turn off to Emily, but his actions make him a hypocrite, when he tells people he’s not int0 Emily.
– Before Emily, his biggest relationship is the one with his pizza parlor, as he’s ready to give it all up, as much as Abraham was ready to give up Isaac to sacrifice to God. Later, that’s exactly how he feels about Emily, and is ready to give up the pizza shop for her.
– He’s such an extrovert, but is a creative and passionate soul, so he’ll probably use colorful metaphors with the things he loves the most: his food, his pizza parlor, and his livelihood, like it’s fine artwork, a sanctuary, and a sacred order. His family and his homeland are next in line as well: his trip to the motherland of Italy is a “pilgramage”, and to make Emily his clan would be the ultimate expression of acceptance and inclusion into a most sacred order.
Character Name: Emily Wakefield
A. The High Concept: After not making the cut in a 2nd Broadway show, she decides to open her own dance studio, but must settle for a suburban location above a seedy looking pizza shop.
B. This character’s journey: The landlord leads her to believe she can’t trust the pizza owner, but over time, she learns it is the landlord she can’t trust, and ends up falling in love with the pizza maker. He teaches her how to deal with her own inner-demons that she’s a “failed broadway dancer” and forces her to discover how she uses prejudices to protect her from things she is naiive about.
C. The Actor Attractors for this character.
– She is an extremely beautiful dancer and performer but is also an excellent down-to-earth teacher.
– She is not afraid to rise to the challenges of owning and running her own business. She refuses to be put in a box, and will accept any challenge thrown at her.
– She goes through the journey of the initial clash with Lorenzo, to finally wanting to build a life with him as a lover AND a business partner.
– after her partner bails on her on the phone, she signs the lease on opening her own damn studio.
-She takes on the shapeshifting landlord and takes him down
-She encourages a student to overcome a major obstacle, and then later uses that same empowerment to help Lorenzo overcome his own mental obstacle, persuading Lorenzo to come back to the states and buy a building with her.
– She is revered by her students for her caring nurturing spirit
– She’s got a lot of great funny one-liners.
– She goes from ambitious to defeated to rising again and falling for someone she intially thought was her enemy
– she goes from naiive blindly trusting the landlord, to feeling betrayed, to becoming wiser and going the distance to take down the shifty landlord.
– First part of the movie she’s hiding that she has pre-judged him and despsises him. The second part of the movie she’s hiding that she’s falling for him.
– Her phrases that start with “when I was on broadway” should change over time to something… maybe “when I go to broadway” or “when I visit brodway” or “when I think of my friends still stuck on Broadway”
3. Brainstorm the first 6 parts of the profile for each of your lead characters.
Emily:
Role in the Story: Female protagonist in Rom-com who ends up falling for the guy she initially thought was the enemy.
Age range and Description: early 30s, but has the body of a dancer, so she looks 25 or younger.
Core Traits: Ambitious, artistic, blind to her own naivitees about business.
Motivation; Want/Need: Wants business to succeed. Also longs to be made to feel as special and beautiful as she felt when she was performing on broadway.
Wound: when the show ended, she didn’t make the cut on a 2nd audition for a show, and now that her business partner bailed on her, she couldn’t possibly bear to have the studio fail on top of that. She’d feel like a total wash-up in her 30s.
Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
– She’s beautiful and a great dancer.
-She’s a very nurturing gifted teacher.
-Even though she takes care of her body, on the rare occasions when she does indulge, she wholeheartedly embracces the pleasure.
– She is geniunely hurt by the two-facedness of the landlord and feels humiliated by it. She’s determined to rise above it though.
Lorenzo:
Role in the Story: Male protagonist in Rom-com who ends up falling for the girl he initially thought was stuck-up, pretentious, prejudiced and a total ameteur at running a small business.
Age range and Description: early 30s, keeps himself fit and extremely active with his business.
Core Traits: Very house proud about his business and extremely passionate about his cooking. Has a huge heart for his customers, but he won’t take crap from anyone, no matter who you are.
Motivation; Want/Need: Wants business to continue to thrive and grow, but deep down he knows that a pizza joint has its limitations for growth and expansion; longs for something more but is in denial about it.
Wound: Every time the landlord raises rent or adds an expense, its like a punch in the gut to him. Also, even though he acts like he doesn’t care if people like Emily think he is beneath them, it really does bug him.
Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
– He’s very expressive and loves his customers as much as they love his food.
– He makes great pizza and other things.
– He’s got a lot of smart advice about running a business.
– Super hard member of the honest, tax-paying working class.
– Feels the pressure of keeping the business afloat, and cant stand seeing people fall for inferior pizza of his competitors as a result of their slick advertising.
– knows for sure that the Landlord is no-good from years of working with him, but feels trapped in his lease conditions.
7. Character Subtext (From Lesson 3)
EMILY:
Hiding something – hiding her naivite about business, building specs and lease clauses. She pretends to be “all-knowing”
Being polite – she may start doing this to landlord, so once she totally has lost faith in him, she’ll start acting extra-nice to him. (Landlord will flip and treat Lorenzo like he first treated Emily, and treat Emily like he first treated Lorenzo)
With her students; they admire her ’cause she’s always so “real”. But when something is really troubling her, she’ll put on her super-happy-pleasant demeanor, and the smart students will not buy it.
Plotting – seems like she might do this too. Maybe at first with Lorenzo, but then with landlord.
LORENZO:
– Hiding something: when something bothers him, he gets extra “doesn’t bother me” proud.
– one other layer with Emily?
– No subtext whatsoever with Landlord at first, but then when he and Emily start “plotting” he’s totally subdued.
8. Character Intrigue: (From Lesson 4)
You’ve also worked with intrigue before. Don’t shy away from giving your character some level of intrigue that makes them more interesting for actors and audiences.
Which of these will give this character more depth and make them more interesting?
Hidden agendas – Lorenzo secretly is working on his stratchiatelli and other soups, but is very shy about telling others about it.
Competition – Lorenzo is lousy at fighting back at compettion at first, until Emily intervenes and does some for him (he gets mad and defensive at first)
Secrets – Emily has a genius lawyer for a sister that she’s not going to. Lorenzo has rich relatives back in Italy that he’s not asking for any money from.
Deception – All kinds of deception with Landlord in 2nd half.
Unspoken Wound – Emily in denial about broadway rejection. Lorenzo in denial about his fears of losing business.
9. Flaw: (how they sabotage themselves)
Both Emily and Lorenzo are too proud to ask for help in their weakness areas.
10. Values:
They both have the same values in the end, that’s why they are so good for each other.
Since both of them are kind of seperated from their families, they treat their clientelle like their Family.
They also are huge “Duty/loyalty” freaks (while they NEVER guilt trip their students about duty, they do LOOOVE when they here students freely pledging their loyalty to them, and they even “confess” when they say they “cheated” and checked out the competition, it does pinch them a little bit; but they do their best to hide that (more subtext)
They both believe wholeheartedly in striving to Be your best
11. Internal Dilemma:
They both desire Fame & glory, but they do not openly admit that to themselves, or others, because that’s not necessarily a “noble” pursuit.
Since they’ve both somehow failed at being the “center of THE world”, they have chosen instead to be the center of their own world.
Somehow going “down” in the elevator to Lorenzo’s is what ends up elevating her spirits, and for Lorenzo, going up in the elevator elevates him to Emily’s world.
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Lesson # 7 – Nancy’s Character Profiles Part 2
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: my characters are becoming more interesting the more I build out the character profiles.
The High Concept: A grieving investigative reporter discovers she’s the reincarnated wife of the fugitive killer that killed her.
This character’s journey: From suffering with survivor’s guilt to finding the will to live again.
The Actor Attractors for this character: a polished, city slicker with an interesting career that is at the height of her career, to the lowest depths of grief. She will have deep ranges of emotion – sadness, fear, bravery and will need to confront her past to live alone, find the will to write, the will to live and to fight off a deadly storm. She also must navigate the agenda set by the antagonist. She is a woman who is highly intuitive (i.e. can sense things happening before they do), discovers she has had a past life in which she was killed by the very person she shares an uninhabited island with.
Role in the Story: Freya, protagonist. She’s the cutthroat journalist that will do anything for a good story. When she loses her husband, and can’t pull it together after many months and loses the will to write, she loses her job. As a result, she flees to an uninhabited island to grieve – even though she’s deathly afraid of water. She discovers a mystery that she’s intent on solving to absolve her own grief, and by writing about it, the hope to get her job back. She faces her fear of water to get to the mainland in a deadly storm, and in doing so finds her will to live again.
Age range and Description: late 20’s, young professional/yuppy type , slender, sophisticated but gritty and tough. Historically a work-a-holic that puts her job in front of her family.
Core Traits: Haunted, argumentative, walled, problem solver
Motivation
Want: to solve the island’s mystery to prove that she can still write despite her loss.
Need: to forgive herself and allow herself to move on
Wound: What they can’t face: Her stories have exposed important people and destroyed lives in the past. She is haunted by this. Obsessed with her job, she didn’t focus on her family like she should – thinking they had forever. And then she lost them and she was helpless to save them.
Likability: A good mother, hard worker, she is personable/polite to mainlanders, self-deprecating about her inabilities to be alone
Relatability: Freya has experienced trauma, she has lost her job, lost her will to live
Empathy: Freya couldn’t save her husband/daughter, she’s alone and grieving, she has writer’s block, believes she is losing her mind (when Noah is stalking her), she has to face a deadly storm and get back to the mainland but is deathly afraid of water
Character Subtext: doesn’t want anyone to know her weakness: afraid of water, writer’s block, has survivor’s guilt. She’s hiding thing (bad dreams, visions of the past, death of husband), feels wounded, beaten down so often combative when triggered/or ability question
Character Intrigue:
Hidden agenda: to dive back into work, ignore grief, dig up a story to find recognition/fame
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
Flaw: overly combative, workaholic with focus on the wrong things – afraid to be alone in country, takes risks because she’s lost everything
Values: Approval from others, fame/recognition for work, exposing the truth through writing (condemning villains by exposing thru stories)
Character Dilemma: in past, recognized for career versus being a good wife. Now, live in guilt versus doing the selfless thing
Antagonist:
The High Concept: A grieving investigative reporter discovers she’s the reincarnated wife of the fugitive killer that killed her.
This character’s journey: from fugitive on the run also haunted by loss to embracing his past and ability to move on to his next life.
The Actor Attractors for this character: highly dark, interesting character that has lived alone for years as a fugitive. He is a master of disguises, ensuring those who meet him do not recognize him. He pretends he’s someone that he’s not — a caretaker. Great range of emotion in his role/relationship with Freya… and he actually doesn’t exist… he’s a spirit.
Role in the Story: Antagonist. The caretaker to the Ericksen home on the island… but no one on the mainland knows he exists. He’s been hiding out because it is believed he killed his wife Lisbeth Ericksen and her child. He’ll work to prevent Freya from learning the truth.
Age range and Description: late 40’s, man of few words, burly and strong
Core Traits: Manipulative, paranoid, curious, loving
Motivation;
Want: to hide the truth about what he has done
Need: find forgiveness
Wound: Never found love, the one person he opened up to and cared about – his wife – was killed (and he feels responsible).
Likability: intelligent/knows the land, shares great stories of the island, shows interest in Freya/what she does for a living
Relatability: Noah has lost someone he loves, he doesn’t like himself for what he’s done, he’s alone
Empathy: Freya reminds him of Lisbeth and this hurts him
Character Subtext: Hiding that he is not who he presents to be (caretaker), paranoid because he is afraid he will be pinned for his wife’s death. Will not share who he is.
Character Intrigue:
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
Flaw: shuts down, hides, tells lies but then gets caught in them
Values: Family, love, truth
Character Dilemma: wanting exoneration from the outside versus living with the internal truth, fear of being caught versus clearing name
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George Petersen CHARACTER PROFILES PART 2
My Vision is to direct one of my screenplays as a low-budget indie feature
What I learned from this assignment is that a lot goes into a character before you write about them
LONGFELLOW. Protagonist
The High Concept.
Longfellow is an attorney who believes in following the law no matter what it costs him personally
This character’s journey.
From an affable, perplexed attorney who can’t figure out what is going on to a dogged attorney who solves the mystery
The Actor Attractors for this character.
It’s his dogged detective work. His relentless pursuit to find his friend or what happened to him no matter what.
His insatiable curiosity
He gets to dress up undercover as a hippie. He gets to kill the bad hippie.
Sharp. Witty. Detached intellectual.
Role in the Story: Protagonist: the attorney who draws up the will at the center of the conflict. He surreptitiously investigates Youngblood until he solves the mystery.
Age range and Description: 50s. Erudite. Impeccable dress and manners. But drinks too much when under pressure. Likes things to be in order and straight, especially picture frames.
Core Traits: Loyal. Perfectionist. Everything by the Book. Curious.
Motivation;
Want: to expose Youngblood for who he really is. Need: to protect Jonathan and keep him safe from Youngblood but also from himself
Wound: his loss of Maggie, the only woman he truly loved
Likability: he’s charming, respectful, cheerful
Relatability: he takes great care of his dog
Empathy: he struggles with being a borderline alcoholic
Character Subtext: Hiding something
Character Intrigue: he sets out on a secret investigation of Youngblood, who he is and what’s he up to
Flaw: Undervalues himself
Values: Loyalty. Friendship.
Character Dilemma: should he ignore what’s going on and just relax and have a good time with Jonathan or should he break his promise and investigate this hippie who may want to murder Jonathan? Love versus approval.
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YOUNGBLOOD. Antagonist
The High Concept.
Youngblood is an amoral hippie who pursues his desires passionately without regard for anyone else
This character’s journey.
From fun-loving hippie to serial killer
The Actor Attractors for this character.
Short, pale, young and handsome, but lacking all forms of social grace, Youngblood presents himself at times as pure animal — a quality that some nubile flower girls find irresistible
He gets to frolic with attractive flower girls. He gets to intimidate everyone he speaks to.
He is introduced living it up at the Fillmore doing body painting. He covers himself with DayGlo paint, then splays his nude body over long sheets of butcher paper creating abstract “art.” Laughing gleefully through it all.
When he speaks, he conveys the uneasy feeling that he would like to lunge for your throat
Role in the Story: Antagonist: the hippie who is the beneficiary of the will. His hunger for pleasure is insatiable. He needs Jonathan’s wealth to keep it going.
Age range and Description: Late 20s. Unkempt. Wild hair and beard. But handsome. Virile. Has a limp, walks a little crooked with a cane.
Core Traits: Selfish. Secretive. Reckless. Absolutely no sense of humor.
Motivation;
Want: to pursue all pleasure without limits
Need: to kill for the thrill of power over life and death
Wound: Nobody ever loved him. From as long as he can remember — which isn’t all that much — people have always hated him
Likability: his desire for fun, fun, fun.
Relatability: he’s a down and out hippie without a penny to his name
Empathy: he struggles to walk straight
Character Subtext: Lying. About everything.
Character Intrigue: has a secret identity
Flaw: his inability to feel genuine emotion
Values: Absolute freedom to do whatever he wishes whenever he wishes.
Character Dilemma: should he kill Longfellow or allow him a few days more of freedom? Wealth versus trying to be a little nice.
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JONATHAN Triangle
The High Concept.
Jonathan is an eccentric research scientist who has devoted his life to helping others and cares little for his own welfare
This character’s journey.
From enthusiastic scientific researcher who is the life of the party to withdrawn shut-in
The Actor Attractors for this character.
Gifted, a bit reckless, jumps about from topic to topic freely, hard to keep up with him, instantly likable
Role in the Story: Triangle: Jonathan is a successful research scientist. He inexplicably protects Youngblood from Longfellow and the police.
Age range and Description: 50s. Aristocratic. So brilliant that sometimes it’s hard to keep up with his line of thought as he jumps from subject to subject. Subject to bursts of enthusiasm followed by bouts of deep depression.
Core Traits: Academic. Adventurer. Enthusiastic. Distant.
Motivation;
Want: to protect Youngblood from inquiries from Longfellow and the police
Need: to secure Youngblood’s financial security no matter the cost
Wound: his being fired unceremoniously from the position of top researcher at the Royal University in London
Likability: he has an infectious enthusiasm for new ideas. He’s always upbeat. Positive.
Relatability: he loves his house and has lovingly restored it with care
Empathy: he suffers from the burden of carrying a dark secret that he cannot share with anyone, even his best friend, Longfellow
Character Subtext: Withholding. He won’t tell Longfellow what’s going on with Youngblood, why he protects him with such passion
Character Intrigue: Deception.
Flaw: Over-confidence in his scientific abilities, knowledge and experiments
Values: Scientific achievement. Bravery. Being your best.
Character Dilemma: should he confide with Longfellow or keep him in the dark for his own safety? Love versus loneliness.
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<div>Mod. #3: Lesson 7</div>
Wil: I need a definite antagonist.
vision: I want to write memorable scripts which actors want to perform.
A. The High Concept. When his professor is attacked, a Shakespearean scholar accepts the search for the attacker and the professor’s damaging manuscript which ruthless people want to destroy.
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B. This Character’s Journey. Cole pulls the short straw and gives up finals and graduation to search not only for his professor’s attacker, but also for the lost or stolen manuscript which Cole knows contains allegations contrary to his own.
C. The Actor Attractors for this Character. Strong, brave, principled, loyal, but he’s unsuited for the journey and goes in spite of his beliefs and comfort zone with an assistant who hates him and groups who want to beat him to the manuscript to destroy it.
3. Brainstorm these profile components for each character.
7. Character Subtext: Cole struggles between his loyalty to his professor and to his strong support for Shakespeare’s legacy.</div>
8. Character Intrigue: He uncovers people who will stop at nothing to maintain the accepted identity of Shakespeare’s authorship, for their action shake his beliefs.
9. Flaw: As an adamant grammarian, he angers most of his classmates, especially women, so he ignores them.
10. Values: honesty, loyalty
11. Character Dilemma: On his journey he encounters strong opposition and even his fellow classmate assisting him worries him. Will his beliefs crash when he finds clues in an old play Cardenio? Can he protect the manuscript if he finds it?
A. The High Concept. When his professor is attacked, a Shakespearean scholar with a belligerent classmate accepts the search for the attacker and the professor’s damaging manuscript which ruthless people want to destroy.
B. This Character’s Journey. Delaney fakes the next round and shows the shortest straw so that she can decipher clues and destroy the manuscript before Cole returns it so that two of her ancestors’ identities may be revealed as authors of Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets..
C. The Actor Attractors for this Character. Trying to look dowdy, Delaney’s attractiveness eventually appears. She is a strong, woman, intelligent and determined to go anywhere to have proof her ancestors wrote the plays.
7. Character Subtext: Appears docile, but she will go to any lengths to further her goals.<div>
8. Character Intrigue: No one suspects that Delaney has her own crusade.
9. Flaw: She is vulnerable, because Laurel is the beauty of the class and the others will do anything to please her.
10. Values: Delaney believes in giving credit to those who deserve it no matter how many years have passed or how it will upset a strong financial network based on what she considers a lie.
11. Character Dilemma: She can’t hate Cole forever. He has qualities she admires , but he is her enemy.
<div>
A. The High Concept. After the professor is attacked, a Shakespearean scholar with a belligerent classmate accepts the search for the attacker and the professor’s damaging manuscript which ruthless people want to destroy.
B. This Character’s Journey. the professor has his upward climb to recover from the beating which took his speech and his mobility.
C. The Actor Attractors for this Character. In spite of his injuries he is able to communicate somewhat and help in the investigation.
7. Character Subtext: He knows Cole doesn’t believe as the professor does, but he admires his intelligence and hopes to persuade him he must see another side of facts.</div>
8. Character Intrigue: Will he recover? Could he recreate the manuscript?
9. Flaw: physically unable to defend himself.
10. Values: The truth is more valuable than money or any deeds by ruffians.
11. Character Dilemma: He should have been quiet about his manuscript and used more protection.
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Marcus’ Character Profiles Part 2
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 showed a good way to continue to develop characters and have a reference for them during script writing.
Movie Title: “Beyond the Faded Trail”
Character Name: Jake Barnet
High Concept: A building contractor desperate for lumber takes his crew on a risky journey into a lawless place to salvage wood from abandoned buildings and save his business.
Character Journey: An ex-soldier and adventurer trying yet another in a series of get-rich-quick schemes becomes part of his community committed to creating a legacy in his town.
Actor attractors: An ex-soldier who designs his life around hiding PTSD.
1. Role in the Story: Protagonist.
2. Age Range and Description: Mid-40s. A good-looking fit man.
3. Core Traits: Devil-may-care, seeks the easiest path, can’t commit to his business
4. Motivation; Want/Need: Have a normal life with money and a wife.
5. Wound, What They Can’t Face: The horrors he witnessed as a cavalry officer during the Mexican-American war.
6. Likability, Relatability, Empathy: He is very good to his horse. Jake falls in love with a prostitute, or thinks he does. He can’t have her. Jake tries really hard, but he’s a bad businessman. His business goes up in smoke when someone burns his lumber. Jake’s men don’t respect him.
7. Character Subtext: Traumatized. He tries to escape his memories of wartime horror by focusing on making a quick buck. He’s a good time guy who’s secretly looking to settle down.
8. Character Intrigue: 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.
9. Flaw: Can’t look at his fears. Wants to stay out of danger and away from potential horror.
10. Values: Peace, wealth, love.
11. Character Dilemma: Deal-making, excitement and partying versus normalcy.
Character Name: Isaac Castle (aka Holland Whitaker)
High Concept: A wanted criminal hides in plain sight and plots an elaborate revenge against his former partner in crime.
Character Journey: Former member of Lucien’s gang, he gives up crime to work as a carpenter, keeps his background secret, convinces the builder to take a risky trip for a potentially lucrative reward. All to win back his girlfriend.
Actor attractors: A criminal hiding in plain sight determined to get restitution and revenge.
1. Role in the Story: Triangle
2. Age Range and Description: 30. Neatly trimmed hair, sideburns and mustache.
3. Core Traits: Intellectual, skilled carpenter, mentor
4. Motivation; Want/Need: Wants to get his girlfriend back.
5. Wound, What They Can’t Face: Betrayed by his best friend, Lucien, who stole his girlfriend.
6. Likability, Relatability, Empathy: He’s smart. Takes his younger workers under his wing. Tries to do a good job and mentors his workers. He is faced with stupidity of those around him that impacts his work and even his everyday life. Later we will find out he has been in love and lost that love. His boss doesn’t always do what’s right for the business, and Isaac must work hard to make up for it. His former partner in crime stole his girlfriend.
7. Character Subtext: Hiding something. Isaac is a former criminal who detests criminals. He must plan for covert criminal behavior to rescue his girlfriend. Character Intrigue. 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 hires his workers based on gunfighting ability. 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. He fears that his girlfriend she may actually love Lucien Rickey.
8. Flaw: Too easily angered by what he sees as stupidity. Becomes brash.
9. Values: Intelligence, devotion.
10. Character Dilemma: Honesty versus being a criminal.
Antagonist Character Name: Lucien Rickey
High Concept: The leader of a gang of successful stage coach robbers uses an abandoned town as a hideout and storage for plunder, which he will protect at any cost.
Character Journey: A hardened criminal who was previously a law-and-order town sheriff dies for his crimes.
Actor attractors: A man doing bad things for (what he believes to be) a good cause. A variation on a Robin Hood type.
1. Role in the Story: Antagonist.
2. Age Range and Description: Late 30s. A fit man.
3. Core Traits: Air of superiority, anger issues, prideful
4. Motivation; Want/Need: Revenge against the railroad company.
5. Wound, What They Can’t Face: His town will never return. He will never be the most important guy in town again. He will be furious to find out that Barnet is dismantling it.
6. Likability, Relatability, Empathy: A former law-and-order sheriff, he kept his town peaceable. Might possibly show him as a popular man. His men are fiercely loyal to him. Wanted a good life for himself and others. The railroad reneged on its deal with his town and as a result, the town died. He’s getting revenge on them.
7. Character Subtext: Secret. He leads his gang to make money, but he really wants to bring his town back to life. Misses being the most important guy in the town.
8. Character Intrigue: He must find ways to justify how he’s not really a criminal.
9. Flaw: Cannot admit to himself the futility of his quest to reinvigorate his town.
10. Values: Respect.
11. Character Dilemma: Being a criminal versus devotion to law and order.
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Bice-Stephen’s Character Profiles Part 2
2022 is my year to break through
What I learned—How incredibly important this preparation is.
Lead Character—Brandy
High Concept—A young psychopath kidnaps a baby to manipulate the ex who rejected her.
Character Journey—Normal to Trashy to crime queen
Actor attractors—No boundaries personality, but actually very damaged psych for a reason
Profile:
1. Role in story—Antagonist, an ex who won’t let go
2. Age range—20s, looks like any girl on the street
3. Core Traits—Mentally unbalanced, narcissistic, selfish, broken
4. Motivation—Wants her own family at any cost/Needs to replace the family she lost
5. Wound—Dad killed her mother, lost 2 babies
6. Likability—At first seems like a normal girlfriend who just wants a guy
Relatability—None of us have complete control over what happens to us
Empathy—She is broken from a damaged life
7. Character Subtext—Hiding her real life while luring Alex
8. Character Intrigue—Hidden agenda of trapping a guy no matter what the cost
9. Flaw—Overconfident that she can get away with anything because she’s absolutely special and convinced she’s above everyone
10. Values—Family and Winning
11. Character Dilemma—Wants to be legitimately loved but will resort to criminality if needed to get the guy she wants
Lead Character—Alex
High concept—A young psychopath kidnaps a baby to manipulate the ex who rejected her.
Character Journey—Happy go lucky to ultimately destroyed
Actor Attractors—Forrest Gump II, the friend we would all like to have
Profile:
1. Role in story—Protagonist, the ex being manipulated
2. Age range, description—20s, Clean cut law student, smiley
3. Core traits—nice guy, cheerful, intelligent, vulnerable
4. Motivation—Wants to have his own family/Needs to make up for being abandoned as a baby
5. Wound—Thinks if his parents didn’t want him nobody will
6. Likability—Best friend ever to everyone, just wants to have a good time
Relatability—His situation could happen to anyone
Empathy—He can’t see how Brandy is breaking him
7. Character Subtext—Hiding that he’s not really so happy inside
8. Character Intrigue—Unspoken wound of being abandoned as a baby makes him want to be liked by everyone
9. Flaw—Overcompensates to get approval from everyone
10. Values—Family and Duty
11. Character Dilemma—Intent on being the parent he wanted to have but can’t be bound to two moms at the same time
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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.
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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!
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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.
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Protagonist:
A. The High Concept: My protagonist is a nineteen-year-old fast food worker who is down on his luck and feels he has no way to make his dreams come true.
B. This character’s journey:
Arc Beginning: Down on his luck, no confidence or belief in himself or his dream, fast food employee.
Arc Ending: Completely confident, no one’s fool who has achieved his dream of owning his own fast food restaurant.
Internal Journey: From weak and afraid with no confidence to strong, fearless high achiever..
External Journey: From depressed fast food employee to highly successful restaurant owner.
C. The Actor Attractors for this character: Large transformational journey. Wide range of emotions. Gets to be depressed, clumsy, and awkward as well as confident, brave and badass. Gets to participate in several cool action set pieces including fighting, BMX style bike riding, and other cool action. Gets to be the hero.
Protagonist Character Profile:
Role in the Story: Protagonist
Age range and Description: Male aged 19. A little doughy but not too bad, awkward,
Core Traits: Introvert in a group of extroverts. Dreamer. Responsible. Survivor.
Motivation – Want/Need: Wants to be able to take care of his father and open his own business. Needs to find the courage to speak up and not care what others think.
Wound: His mother died recently and now his father is dying and he can’t afford to care for him properly.
Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
Likability: Feeds the homeless guy behind the store. Is shy but tries hard with his friends. Has dreams and goals.
Relatability: Takes care of his dying father. Can’t afford to feed him and get his medications. Afraid to share his true dreams for fear of ridicule.
Empathy: Is positive with his father while barely holding it together on the inside.
Character Subtext:
Subtext Identity: nineteen-year-old, bullied, insecure, introverted fast food employee who is part of a group trying to become YouTube famous (he’s the camera man) but really dreams of owning his own fast food restaurant one day but won’t tell anyone that because they would ridicule him for it…and he always wanted to be a Ninja.
Subtext Trait: Believes in his dream but won’t share it because he knows everyone else would ridicule him for it. People always tell him his dreams aren’t big enough.
Subtext Logline: Tiberius is a bullied, insecure fast food employee and part of a group trying to be YouTube famous but really longs to open his own fast food restaurant one day.
Possible Areas of Subtext: His heart isn’t into the YouTube group but he does it to belong. Want’s to be a Ninja but his friends ridicule him for it cuz that’s cultural appropriation etc. Tells one person about his real dream and they laugh in his face, then he has to admit he was only kidding, but he wasn’t. When in training he gets the nickname Ninja when he lets it slip that has been a dream of his. And he shares his restaurant dream with someone in the group and they think it’s a good idea.
Character Intrigue:
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.
Flaw: Undervalues himself and is afraid to take risks.
Values: Family and providing.
Internal Dilemma: Wants to realize his dreams but not disappoint his friends. Wants to run a business but is afraid to put himself out there. Fean versus his need to avenge his friends.
Antagonist:
The High Concept: My antagonist is the head of a high tech criminal organization who has promised the delivery of a prototype future tech bracelet to the head of an extremist government and will face death if he fails.
This character’s journey: Tragedy – From leader of an evil empire to death OR faked death and life on the Island.
The Actor Attractors for this character: Supervillan in charge of an evil organization. He’s evil and funny. He has a dream that he feels can never be his so there’s depth. He’s not a one note character.
Antagonist Character Profile:
Role in the Story: Antagonist.
Age range and Description: Male mid-thirties, sharp features, tall and well built, confident and strong.
Core Traits: Duplicity. Strength. Resolve. Tender. Longing. Stressed out.
Motivation – Want/Need: Wants to get the bracelet back or he will face elimination from the bigger fish. Needs to get away from his job for his health.
Wound: Lost a daughter. His wife believes he’s the world’s greatest man and wants to try again to have a baby because he would make a great father.
Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
Likability: He’s evil but funny. Stays strong even though his heart isn’t into being evil. Has a ‘beautiful dream’ of life as a bartender on a tropical island. His wife loves him.
Relatability: Stuck in a job that he hates and fears he will never be able to escape and realize his true dream.
Empathy: Trapped. Must succeed or he will be killed. Everyone is after his job, he has to watch his back. Longs for the simple life but is trapped.
Character Subtext:
Subtext Identity: Leader of an evil high tech organization who longs to live the quiet life on a tropical island.
Subtext Trait: Longing for peace and no stress. Tired of being the “buck stops here” guy.
Subtext Logline: Crypto is the leader of an evil organization dedicated to bringing the downfall of civilization through any means possible who feels trapped in his job and longs for peace and quiet and a simple life tending bar on a small tropical island.
Possible Areas of Subtext: Every time someone comes to him with a problem, verbal fights where he snaps for no apparent reason, general fatigue when others aren’t looking, moments alone pining for the simple life, photos on his tablet/phone of his true dream.
Character Intrigue:
Hidden agendas: Would love to find a way to leave the evil organization for 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: His sweet wife doesn’t know what he does and thinks the world of him and that haunts/tortures him endlessly.
Secret Identity: From his wife: loving husband really leads a division of a super evil organization.
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.
Flaw: Afraid to change.
Values: Power and his wife.
Internal Dilemma: Being powerful versus being loved. Feeling important versus feeling free.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by Alan Wood.
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Chris Blanchett’s Character Profiles 2
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 that contradictions aplenty reside in every character.
Unwoke
After his politically incorrect rant accidentally goes viral, a timid office-worker becomes a modern day thought criminal to one half of the country and an unintentional hero to the other. Can he elude the clutches of the “woke” mob and successfully avoid sparking a second American civil war?
Character Name: Tim Walters
Character journey: from timid and acquiescent office-worker to confident, powerful leader inspiring authentic and respectful human interaction.
Actor attractor: Incredibly rich emotional range
Role in the Story: Protagonist
Age range and Description: 38 years old. Would be good-looking if anyone noticed him.
Core Traits: Timid and acquiescent. Doesn’t want to rock the boat… until he does.
Motivation: Wants to return to his old life. Needs to unleash the leader within.
Wound: The world he’s always known is being taken from him
Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
-Likability: smart, funny, genuinely decent human being
-Relatability: put upon by bureaucracy at work
-Empathy: put in situation where he’s forced to choose between staying true to his own values or “going along to get along” to avoid losing his job by rocking the boat.
Subtext: Hiding true thoughts, feelings, and opinions; afraid to honestly speak his mind lest he engender rejection from “the group/tribe.”
Intrigue: Secret Identity – doing best to avoid revealing “unwokeness.”
Flaw: Overly concerned with opinions of others.
Values: Ultimately, living in truth with integrity.
Internal Dilemma: Being accepted versus living in truth with integrity.
Character Name: Cassidy Perino
Character journey: From Machiavellian manipulator and operator apparently without the capability of truly connecting with others to acknowledging her own humanity and allowing herself to connect on a human level.
Actor Attractor: Intelligence, humor, an aura of mystery, and multiple layers.
Role in the Story: Triangle and Love Interest
Age range and Description: 28 years old. Radiates an alluring beauty that is enhanced by her intelligence.
Core Traits: Intelligent, creative, strategic-thinker, empathetic, but is any of it authentic, or is all an act?
Motivation: Want/Need: Wants to orchestrate a conflict that will dominate the news cycle in perpetuity. Needs to find something and someone she can truly believe in and trust.
Wound: Grew up is a perfect family and was the perfect daughter. Went to the best schools and was an excellent student. Wanted for nothing, accept genuine affection and approval from her parents. She tried to win that approval and affection by outward success. When that failed, the outward success became a substitute for genuine affection and approval.
Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
-Likability: Highly intelligent, extremely good at what she does, helps Tim navigate the new world of political communications
-Relatability: Balancing numerous interests in her job at times her drive to succeed and innate humanity are at odds with one another.
-Empathy: apparently torn between personal feelings for Tim and the demands of her job, which may not be in his best interest.
Subtext: Lying; her real assignment is to steer Tim into prominence (she claims she will help him negotiate his way through the maelstrom back to his old life), generate conflict, and whip up hysteria – all in the service of ratings.
Intrigue: Secret Agenda; while posing as Tim’s (supportive) political handler she is really tasked with generating controversy and conflict.
Flaw: Overly transactional; puts goal-achieving and career success ahead of personal connection and her own values.
Values: Love; unfortunately, she associates allowing herself to feel love with the pain of having her love rejected.
Internal Dilemma: Allowing self to feel and reciprocate love versus protecting self from the pain of rejection.
Character Name: Rachel Donahue
Character Journey: From uptight and woke “thought-police” to a genuine human-being who is able to admit to himself and others he’s figuring it out like everyone else and able to extend real tolerance to those who don’t agree with him rather than demanding a “tolerance” which really amounts to agreement, compliance, and bending of the philosophical knee.
Actor Attractor: The role calls for a specific physical type that imbues visual humor, but also requires absolute truth in the performance (no mugging). There is a mystery to Rachel’s true motivation and an element of contained hysteria.
Role in the Story: Antagonist
Age range and Description: 32 years old. Five-eleven or so, muscular if a bit flabby, clearly masculine features which are softened not at all by wig, make-up, lip-stick, and dresses.
Core Traits: Argumentative, acerbic, hostile, and judgmental… all in the name of tolerance.
Motivation: Want/Need: Wants to compel others to acknowledge and celebrate whatever identity he assumes. Needs to relax and realize no one is giving his gender identity much thought unless confronted by him. Needs to find something and someone she can truly believe in and trust.
Wound: Never had a core motivation, cause to champion, or strong sense of self, or a strong group/tribe related sense of belonging. Adopting a new identity as Rachel addresses all four.
Likability, Relatability, Empathy:
-Likability: competent and driven, an acerbic wit, but with nonetheless
-Relatability: Tim represents an obstacle toward fulfilling his/her job function “nothing personal (maybe), it’s strictly business…”
-Empathy: At a certain level, overworked and just trying “to get the job done…”
Subtext: Projecting; deep down, Rachel doesn’t (fully) believe trans-theory and his anger at Tim is displaced anger really directed at himself.
Intrigue: Hidden Agenda (even from himself); Rachel’s rabid anger at Tim is transference of anger he feels towards himself, both for his lack of belief in Trans-theory and his getting involved in the Trans lifestyle at all.
Flaw: Seeks revenge stemming from an empty life of isolation.
Value: Love and connection; entire life has been an unsuccessful quest for just that.
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(Patty Ruland’s) Character Profiles Part 2
My vision: To get better and better so that I gain representation and one day earn a good living in this profession.
What I learned from doing this assignment is: The process is my best friend, for it helps me combat fear and insecurity, as it reliably leads the way to progress. Each lesson yields another epiphany or two about what this story could be. It also helps console me over losing so much time due to my surgery: If I just go with the flow, really commit to it, I don’t feel so bad about being behind, I feel good about moving forward a little more.
Alexandra, protagonist
The High Concept.
A youth and a child set forth in the perilous Amazon rainforest to locate the elusive pink river dolphin.
This Character’s Journey.
After a storm seems to wash away her famous explorer parents, Alexandra takes the lead in an expedition to document the elusive Amazon River Dolphin, in order to win a prize and fame, but all the while she also feels compelled to search for her parents.
Jag, antagonist
The High Concept.
Jag trails Alexandra so he can avoid the trouble of navigating the dangerous route himself from scratch, usurp her expedition, fake documenting the dolphins, then selling them dead or alive on the illicit market. [I don’t like the implied demonization of the descriptor “black,” so I avoid the term.]
This Character’s Journey.
Jag starts out by just wanting to sell the pink dolphins he finds, but due to the high price they bring, dead, he plots to kill them—a family of them.
Alexandra
The Actor Attractors for this Character.
This is a role for a powerful, precocious female youth, who more than shows up her adult competitors with her athleticism, ingenuity, and fearlessness.
Jag
The Actor Attractors for this Character.
This villain is supremely charming, who entertains as he ensnares in his web of deceit and lies. His “prey” see his dashing side up until it is too late, when his diabolical side comes to the fore.
Alexandra
Profile components.
Character Subtext:
She wants her parents to treat her as an equal or better to her brother, obviously their favorite child.
Character Intrigue:
She secretly defects to the company and training provided by native Amazonian villagers to learn superior survival skills. Her adopted sister, an orphan whose family is ties to them, paves the way.
Flaw:
Adrenalin-addict, who performs death-defying feats just for the sport of it
Values:
Knowledge, achievement
Jag
Profile components.
Character Subtext:
He is a cowardly but contented child, until he survives an attack by a jaguar. Then, there’s literally no living with him.
Character Intrigue:
He conspires in his every waking moment to be king of the human jungle.
Flaw:
Bravado, desire for attention
Values:
Money, power
Alexandra
Character Dilemma:
No matter how much she outgrows her childhood ways, she still longs for those innocent days spent learning by her parents’ side.
Jag
Character Dilemma:
He loves animals, but he also loves to kill them.
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Erin Ziccarelli’s Character Profiles Part 2
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 values element of the character profiles is so important to understanding the lead character – by specifying what he believes in and cares about, we can understand what drives his actions.
With each of your lead characters, first tell us the following:
Alex Donovan
A. The High Concept: Family secrets unravel a Boston crime family’s struggle for control of the Black market.
B. This character’s journey: from imprisoned counterfeiter with a cocaine addiction to used car salesman actively trying to end the family feud.
C. The Actor Attractors for this character.
What about this role would cause an
actor to want to be known for it?A varied character with a variety of personal and professional roles. He’s wresting with his past as an inmate, counterfeiter, and drug dealer, while trying to build a new identity as a businessman and a father. He wins in every gambling scene/poker game. He even wins at roulette, a game of complete chance.
What makes this character one of the
most interesting characters in your story?His ties to crime families, his struggle to stay sober.
What are the most interesting
actions the Lead could take in the script?Doing drugs, counterfeiting, being around cars a lot, and final speech where he rejects his old way of life.
How can you introduce this role in a
way that could sell it to an actor?Introduce him as intimidating/muscular/hardened, but still weak and vulnerable underneath. He’s been beaten down but he’s not dead yet.
What could be this character’s
emotional rangeFrom angry/bitter/resentful to normal to change-maker.
What subtext can the actor play?
He knows he’s going to have to make a public stand and reject his criminal ties. Before accomplishing that mission, he tries to hide behind his new identity and play it safe.
What’s the most interesting
relationships this character can have?Uneasy and suspicious relationship with Roger Tate, a social worker on his case. Charged relationship with his daughter, Scarlett Caden who struggles to accept him after finding out his identity. Difficult relationship with his colleagues who look down on him because of his past.
How will this character’s unique
voice be presented?Unique voice shows hurt and resentment. Character’s loyalty comes out in his unique voice and through interactions Roger, Will, Scarlett, and his old friends. He treats people a certain way based on their family name.
What could make this character
special and unique?His confidence, loyalty, ability to go from angry to compassionate and reasonable in a scene once he has connected with his fellow character(s).
Brainstorm these profile components for each character:
7. Character Subtext: afraid to say what happened in his life before prison, hiding his fear of being alone and without the family, withholding information from Roger
8. Character Intrigue: secrets about Scarlett, unspoken wound from his time with Kitty and feeling abandoned by Patrick and the rest of his old friends
9. Flaw: gives up easily, doesn’t want to pursue the business because nothing may come of it, cares too much about what others think of him
10. Values: family, loyalty, and love – everything he does is driven by creating a support system and having family at the center of his life
11. Character Dilemma: he wants the family system but struggles with the fact that the only remaining family member he has is from a rival family
Scarlett Caden
A. The High Concept: Family secrets unravel a Boston crime family’s struggle for control of the Black market.
B. This character’s journey: from eating-disorder stricken dependent to realizing that she doesn’t need convoluted family connections to be successful
C. The Actor Attractors for this character.
What about this role would cause an
actor to want to be known for it?A seemingly normal DMV worker who is a witty counterfeiter and excellent card player. She knows how to get the best of anyone in a card game. Has a great poker face.
What makes this character one of the
most interesting characters in your story?She has a complicated family history – she’s the product of an affair between star-crossed lovers.
What are the most interesting
actions the Lead could take in the script?Her allegiances are tested after finding out her identity. She has a transformation on her definition of family.
How can you introduce this role in a
way that could sell it to an actor?A woman with a double life – DMV customer service by day and drinker, gambler, and counterfeiter by night.
What could be this character’s
emotional rangeCharacter spends a lot of time drunk, high, or hungover. She’s loyal, manipulative, and a product of her system. Can go from charming to backstabbing within a scene.
What subtext can the actor play?
Subtext involves hidden dislike of the head of the family, animosity towards her family members, and a well-hidden desire to even destroy Alex after his identity is revealed.
What’s the most interesting
relationships this character can have?Interesting relationship with Will. She respects him and his law-abiding ways. She and her boyfriend have a transactional relationship.
How will this character’s unique
voice be presented?Presented showing bitterness, animosity, frequently slurring her words because of her inebriated state.
What could make this character
special and unique?Her hidden talents, her acts of betrayal, and her devotion to the family business.
Brainstorm these profile components for each character:
7. Character Subtext: plotting to overthrow the South End and later on, Alex. Lying to herself about her shallow relationship with Joseph.
8. Character Intrigue: unspoken wound and fear of being abandoned, secrets about the family business and competition with Richard to take her place as leader of the family.
9. Flaw: bad judgement, gambles on obtaining Richard’s trust by revealing a major secret, self-sabotaging by resisting Alex’s help and advice
10. Values: family, duty, and loyalty – these drive her to want to lead the family and continue Nathanial Caden’s legacy. Can’t accept Alex as family because of her loyalty to the North End.
11. Character Dilemma: desires family and loyalty – but the only person that is loyal to her is a family member from the opposite side. She must chose between accepting Alex and abandoning the North End.
Roger Tate
A. The High Concept: Family secrets unravel a Boston crime family’s struggle for control of the Black market.
B. This character’s journey: from imprisoned counterfeiter with a cocaine addiction to used car salesman actively trying to end the family feud.
C. The Actor Attractors for this character.
What about this role would cause an
actor to want to be known for it?The chance to play a social worker with an interesting twist at the end of the story. The one who’s constantly motivating others to be better all while facing a dark past. The “adult in the room.”
What makes this character one of the
most interesting characters in your story?The mysterious character, his transformational journey of learning how to face his past.
What are the most interesting
actions the Lead could take in the script?Incredible scenes with Alex and Scarlett and being the one that brings them together. Manipulating Alex, trying to help Scarlett.
How can you introduce this role in a
way that could sell it to an actor?The character with a mission, higher purpose, and seeking a “greater good”
What could be this character’s
emotional rangeFrom angry and fierce when facing his past to warm and caring when dealing with Scarlett and Alex. Not afraid to show them some tough love.
What subtext can the actor play?
Dialogue is filled with subtext when describing Alex’s old life. He dislikes everything Alex was and where Alex came from, but he still treats him as an equal.
What’s the most interesting
relationships this character can have?Interesting relationships include his working relationship with Nathanial Caden’s lawyer, and his relationships with old friends and enemies. They still haven’t forgotten him.
How will this character’s unique
voice be presented?The optimistic character – he wants to strive high to improve things, wants to pursue his mission, and wants to always seek truth
What could make this character
special and unique?His mysterious past, his unfailing will to help anyone despite their previous allegiances, and his never-ending desire to make the city a better place
Brainstorm these profile components for each character:
7. Character Subtext: hiding his past from Alex, afraid to say he’s from the North End
8. Character Intrigue: secret identity as Roger Tate, unspoken wound from his past in Boston, hidden agenda to bring Alex and Scarlett together despite Alex only being his assignment
9. Flaw: can’t bring himself to admit to Alex or Scarlett that he’s from the North End, can’t bring himself to even revisit his old stomping grounds, too fearful of descending back into it
10. Values: values family, love, and being your best – he knows the importance of family. Mentions his wife and family multiple times despite us never meeting them.
11. Character Dilemma: wants to bring Alex and Scarlett together, must face his past in order to do so.
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WIM, Joel Stern Lesson 7 Continuing Act 2
Vision: To write eight Hollywood blockbuster scripts and get a speaking line in at least one.
What I learned from this assignment: To maintain speed writing and avoid the temptation of making the scenes perfect in the first draft.
I find that ideas flow faster with this method. I also realize I need to fill in plot holes along the way.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by JOEL STERN.
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