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Lesson 10
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Assignment One – Layers in my example series: Game of Thrones (season finale)
Many, many layers.
The surface plot layer is now the war of the Starks against the Lannisters, but within this plot is Arya and her keeping hid until she can get back to Winterfell, Jaime Lannister taken prisoner JUST as Joffrey has Ned Stark beheaded, so what does he have now to bargain for his Uncle’s life?
Daenerys and the plot of her taking command of the tribe, layered upon the revelation that the funeral pyre of Drogo also hatched the dragon eggs, AND showed the tribe that fire cannot touch Daenerys.
Tywin Lannister as a spoil for the Queen Regent, having been appointed by their father to look over Joffrey and keep him under control. Seems an impossible task for Tywin, as it appears Joffrey will threaten and execute anyone who stands in his way of governing.
Under all this are the White Walkers and how victims of the walkers tend to rise up as zombies after a few days… as Mormont found out when a dead Ranger arose and attacked him, with Jon Snow (and his puppy) saving him from the zombie.
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David Wickenden Plot and Character Layers
Assignment 1
Mr. Robot
Layer #1: Elliot suffers from mental health issues.
Layer #2: We find he is using morphine to control his anxiety rather than the medicine prescribed to him by his doctor.
Layer #3: His paranoia has him hacking anyone he comes in contact with, to protect both himself and those closest to him.
Layer #4: He joins a group of Hackers who want to save the world from ECorps.
Layer #5: He immediately becomes essential to the group’s tactics.
Layer #6: Elliot has forgotten that he has a sister.
Layer #7: It turns out that Mr. Robot is Elliot’s father, who dies years ago.
Layer #8: Elliot then finds out that his father is dead, and that Mr. Robot is, in fact, Elliot himself, just an unknown personality.
Layer #9: When Tyrell confronts Elliot, he forces the entire sabotage plan from Elliot.
Layer #10: Elliot wakes up 3 days after, with no knowledge of what has happened, he finds that he, in his Mr. Robot personality, has orchestrated the hack, destroying ECorps and killed Tyrell.
Assignment #2
Plot Layers
· A well-known child abuser is assassinated upon being released from prison.
· Mystery – who killed him and why?
· Seems to be a revenge story.
· Vigilante has been killing child abusers for years.
· Vigilante plans to cause a political storm to force the government to change laws.
· Vigilante is using her best friend to discover the plans of the police.
Character Layers
· Laura is the vigilante.
· She is best friend to the investigator and has been stealing information for her crusade.
· Janice knows nothing of Laura’s crusade. Laura is doing this partly to protect people like Janice who have been targeted by pedophiles. Hopes that the public outcry will for the government to change the penalties to reflect the crime.
· Laura’s sister committed suicide because the man who raped her walked from the charge because of the system.
Plot Surface
· Layer 1: Janice is a cop hunting child abusers. Laura is a physiatrist who councils first responders on PTSD.
· Layer 2: Janice still has mental health issues over her past trauma. I tis what pushes her to be the best cop out there. Laura helps and protects Janice from herself and her bosses.
· Layer 3: Janice is assigned to a task force to hunt down vigilante.
· Layer 4: Janice discovers that Laura is the vigilante and has been killing child abusers.
· Layer 5: Janice is almost paralysed with the fear that she may have kill Laura.
Character Surface
· Layer #1: Janice is haunted but driven to apprehend child abusers.
· Layer #2: Janice is torn between her duty and following orders to join task force.
· Layer #3: Once vigilante is discovered, Janice has a conflict of interest, but upper management force her to continue. Scapegoat.
· Layer 4: Janice is almost paralysed with the fear that she may have kill Laura.
· Layer 5: Janice works to ensure that Laura is treated fairly under the law and not killed outright.
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Assignment Two:
Angels of Vengeance
What I learned doing this assignment is that, like a nice chocolate cake, the best TV show is one with many, many layers.
Plot Surface:
- Layer 1: Tracking a serial killer on the surface AND The Furies
- Layer 2: Serial killer is possessed by a demon and the Furies are vigilantes
- Layer 3: Dan is trying to get to the bottom of who killed his niece, all while
- Layer 4: Hades is missing, the Underworld is on the brink of war
- Layer 5: Serial killer is also a FBI profiler
- Layer 6: Megaera doesn’t care if Sorath kills all humans, just leave her alone
- Layer 7: Dan is related to a demi-god, making him a demi-god himself
- Layer 8: Hades is betrayed by his youngest daughter
- Layer 9: All being orchestrated by a major god, perhaps Zeus, or even Gaia
Dan Character Surface: Just a cop.
- Layer 1: Huge softy for animals
- Layer 2: Lonely, but covers up
- Layer 3: Battles depression and uses alcohol to numb himself
- Layer 4: Has anger against anyone harming a child.
- Layer 5: Previous marriage ended in divorce after his wife was in a wreck that killed his daughter and another man, and she was charged with DUI.
- Layer 6: Is an atheist after the death/murder of his mother, blames God.
- Layer 7: Deathly afraid of not being “good enough” of a cop
Megaera Character Surface: A goddess. Literally.
- Layer 1: Beautiful woman, confident, poised
- Layer 2: Can kill a dangerous murderer without batting an eye.
- Layer 3: Name means, literally, “Jealous Rage”
- Layer 4: Loathes humans, mostly.
- Layer 5: Loves animals
- Layer 6: Can time travel.
- Layer 7: Easily hurt emotionally, and covers this up.
- Layer 8: Has OCD when it comes to going after her targets
Lord Bune: Shape shifting demon/dragon of the Underworld
- Is a brilliant military strategist
- Prefers to be the power behind the throne
- Doesn’t feel the need to destroy the Furies
- Has a soft spot for humans
- Knows that Sorath will fail and intends to grab the throne of the Underworld for himself.
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Module 1 – Lesson 10: Creating Intriguing Layers – Assignment
Mike – Plot and Character Layers
What I learned doing this is… the two layers are symbiotic, each has its role in creating a binge worthy TV show.
====================================================================ASSIGNMENT 2: Your Show
I. Brainstorm a list of possible PLOT layers.
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
Caleb S.(1) Major scheme revealed – His ability to go to Shangra La at will, teleport anywhere (2) Mystery revealed – abilities told by Andrew in the van, later revealed w/ FBI agent (3) Thought the story was one thing, but it is another – (4) Major shift in Meaning – (5) Hidden history – his history with Lyderia (6) Hidden plan – find Raquel and a way to live in Shangra La full time with her (7) Major betrayal – Caleb is betrayed by his son & daughter; they murder Lori, his new love
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
Victoria M.
(1) Major scheme revealed – (2) Mystery revealed – thing w/ a boy in phx., he used her, tricked her; did a porn flick. (3) Thought the story was one thing, but it is another – (4) Major shift in Meaning – from teen love to surviving in two different realms. (5) Hidden history – in Phx, she got pregnant, had an abortion. (6) Hidden plan – to get pregnant, marry Caleb & start a family of her own. (7) Major betrayal – her ex boyfriend, Victor, murders her.
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
Rick S.
(1) Major scheme revealed – (2) Mystery revealed – Rick’s powers, he is the next shepherd (3) Thought the story was one thing, but it is another – business man turned shepherd (4) Major shift in Meaning – his life shifts from the pursuit of $ to saving crossovers (5) Hidden history – he was visited by Lyderia in his sleep as a teen. He ignored her advice. (6) Hidden plan – Rick wants to bring his dead wife & daughter back, way Caleb did Victoria (7) Major betrayal – Ms. Westfall signs him to a huge contract then kills his wife and daughter
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
Charles S.
(1) Major scheme revealed –
(2) Mystery revealed – He is one hundred fifty years old; he has history with Andrew. (3) Thought the story was one thing, but it is another – he is Caleb’s mentor, he wants to return to the past, have a family of his own. (4) Major shift in Meaning – (5) Hidden history – His love affair with Natalie (6) Hidden plan – To return to his time, 1850s (7) Major betrayal – Andrew at the party, attacking his beloved Subira
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
Andrew S.
(1) Major scheme revealed – His need for Caleb’s life force to keep from aging and dying. (2) Mystery revealed – (3) Thought the story was one thing, but it is another – He seems a bad guy, but he is not (4) Major shift in Meaning – (5) Hidden history – (6) Hidden plan – To reunite the Sutherlands old and new. (7) Major betrayal – He tries to steal Charles’ woman
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
Shuri.
(1) Major scheme revealed- (2) Mystery revealed – (3) Thought the story was one thing, but it is another – (4) Major shift in Meaning – (5) Hidden history – (6) Hidden plan – (7) Major betrayal –
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
Annabelle Lee.
(1) Major scheme revealed – (2) Mystery revealed – (3) Thought the story was one thing, but it is another – (4) Major shift in Meaning – (5) Hidden history – The fall of the Old South ruined her life (6) Hidden plan – To bring the Old South back to life and living in the present day. (7) Major betrayal – Natalie steals her fiance.
———————————————————————————————II. Brainstorm a list of possible CHARACTER layers.
CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.
Caleb S.
(1) Secret identity = Sylvan Park Robin Hood | The Ghost – art thief | Savior (2) Character intrigue = Caleb’s loner, outsider vibe at school (3) Hidden relationships & conspiracies = his relationship with Lyderia (Raquel’s older sister) (4) Hidden Character history = frequent moves; people are after them, paranoid thanks to his mother’s fears
CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.
Victoria M.
(1) Secret identity = (2) Character intrigue = (3) Hidden relationships and conspiracies = (4) Hidden Character history =
CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.
Rick S.
(1) Secret identity = The Shepherd (2) Character intrigue = (3) Hidden relationships and conspiracies = (4) Hidden Character history = his dreams of Lyderia as a teen.
CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.
Charles S.
(1) Secret identity = (2) Character intrigue = (3) Hidden relationships and conspiracies = (4) Hidden Character history =
CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.
Andrew
(1) Secret identity = (2) Character intrigue = (3) Hidden relationships and conspiracies = (4) Hidden Character history =
CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.
Shuri
(1) Secret identity = (2) Character intrigue = (3) Hidden relationships and conspiracies = (4) Hidden Character history =
CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.
Annabelle Lee
(1) Secret identity = Belle of the Ball (2) Character intrigue = Beneath the debutante facade, she is a powerful witch (3) Hidden relationships and conspiracies = (4) Hidden Character history = ———————————————————————————————III. Organize them each into a possible PLOT SEQUENCES reveals.
A. Plot Surface: Caleb is kidnapped by strange old man and a witch, get in a head-on collision & vanish. (1) Layer 1: Caleb, in hospital, psychically helps little boy; meets FBI agent assigned to him. (2) Layer 2: Caleb falls off roof, is unharmed. Leaves w/ cowboys on horses. Ride at supersonic speed. (3) Layer 3: FBI agent finds Caleb at crash site; he reads her thoughts; teleports off. Blows her mind. (4) Layer 4: Caleb communes with a buffalo in Yellowstone, FBI agent chases after Caleb.
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(1) Plot Surface: Victoria falls for Caleb (handsome son) of Natalie (a famous painter) (2) Layer 1: Victoria discovers Caleb is able to do a number of supernatural things. (3) Layer 2: She becomes his advocate; gets tangled up in his life and the law enforcement agencies (4) Layer 3: She is murdered and crosses over to Shangra La, where she meets up with Caleb. ————————–
(1) Plot Surface: Rick w/ his wife & daughter at home; has a psychic episode scares his wife, he ignores it (2) Layer 1: Rick is rescued by Charles as Andrew is about to drain him. (3) Layer 2: Rick’s new reality is brought about with the Riders and his joining their cause (4) Layer 3: Rick goes to the Sanctuary (Yellowstone) and becomes the Shepherd for new crossovers.
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(1) Plot Surface: Charles walking at side of road. Caleb in van passes by; he sends Victoria to save him. (2) Layer 1: Charles and Caleb rescue Rick from Carolyn (3) Layer 2: Charles goes to rescue Olivia and is imprisoned by Annabelle Lee (4) Layer 3:
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(1) Plot Surface: Andrew kidnaps g-g-g grandson, needs some of his life force. Gets in wreck & vanishes. (2) Layer 1: Andrew is blown up by Annabelle Lee and vanishes for half the season; shows up changed (3) Layer 2: Andrew returns to help/save Rick from the evil after the crossovers (4) Layer 3:
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(1) Plot Surface: Shuri a member of the Council of Elders (2) Layer 1: She realizes what is coming for them and takes matters into her own hands (3) Layer 2: Tries to help their plight, is jailed for what she did. (4) Layer 3: New reality, Shuri ascends to the next plane of existence, the Quorum
————————- (1) Plot Surface: Annabelle is talked about by Andrew; Natalie stole her man (2) Layer 1: Annabelle rescues Olivia from Andrew; only to enslave her at her plantation. (3) Layer 2: Annabelle and an old witch create a barrier around her plantation and it’s impenetrable (4) Layer 3:
================================================================
Character Name: Caleb Sutherland
Role: Protagonist – fated to become the leader of the good guys
[1] Hidden agendas: find Raquel in Shangra – La & be w/ her || Save Rick & gain his respect
[2] Competition: for leadership of the Riders, for Victoria’s affections in spite of her father
[3] Conspiracies: People are always after them, paranoid thanks to his mother’s fears
[4] Secrets: his psychic abilities: teleportation, telekinesis, reading minds
[5] Deception: deceiving Victoria on ‘why’ he is going to Shangra La
[6] Wound: death of Raquel & the subsequent death of his father
[7] Secret Identity: Sylvan Park Robin Hood | The Ghost – art thief | Savior
————————————
Character Name: Charles Stewart
Role: Mentor – teacher and protector of Caleb and Rick
[1] Hidden agendas: Return to 1850s and be w/ Subira, his woman
[2] Competition: Alexander for Subira, a slave back in 1850
[3] Conspiracies: He and Natalie…
[4] Secrets: his immortality, his search for a way to return to Subira and the 1850s
[5] Deception: tricks Caleb into using his power to bring memories into reality so he can leave
[6] Wound: Death of Subira, outliving his whole family
[7] Secret Identity: Standfort’s bodyguard/mentor
—————————————
Character Name: Rick Sutherland
Role: shepherd – leader of the crossovers
[1] Hidden agendas:
[2] Competition: Ultra-competitive at everything, win-at-all-costs kind of guy.
[3] Conspiracies: He and Caleb….
[4] Secrets: ??
[5] Deception: ??
[6] Wound: Death of his wife and daughter
[7] Secret Identity: Shepherd
————————————
Character Name: Tarek Swaine
Role: Riders 2<sup>nd</sup> in command
[1] Hidden agendas:
[2] Competition: ??
[3] Conspiracies: He and Caleb…
[4] Secrets: his past
[5] Deception: tricks the Riders into thinking he fought for the Union
[6] Wound: pregnant wife killed in the Civil War
[7] Secret Identity: One of Quantrill’s raiders in the Civil War
——————————————
Character Name: Shuri
Role: Council of Elder member
[1] Hidden agendas: 1. recreate a reality so the good guys win; 2. bring Shangra – La and Earth together w/out Feeders or Necros
[2] Competition: other members on the Council of Elders
[3] Conspiracies: with Victoria against Council of Elders
[4] Secrets: she is ascending
[5] Deception: tricks the Council of Elders…
[6] Wound: ??
[7] Secret Identity: Quorum member
————————————-
Character Name: Victoria
Role: Love Interest of Caleb
[1] Hidden agendas: Marry Caleb and become a mother; she wants a family
[2] Competition: the other women in Caleb’s life || his role as leader of the Riders
[3] Conspiracies: with Shuri against the Elders…
[4] Secrets: thanks to Shuri, being able to return to earth for week at a time
[5] Deception: Not on the pill, wants to become pregnant
[6] Wound: her mother’s death and the boy who filmed them having sex without her knowledge
[7] Secret Identity: human and a crossover, thanks to Shuri
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10. AG’s Plot and Character Layers
ASSIGNMENT 1: UNORTHODOX
Plot Layers
These are not chronological: We see Esty escaping her marriage before we see her being taught a wife’s sexual responsibilities and then see their wedding and frustration having sex. At the beginning, after she escapes, it is revealed that she is probably pregnant.
Character Layers
The non-chronological plot layering is possible because Esty has distinctively different appearances. We first see her in a Hassidic wig as she escapes from Brooklyn to Berlin, where she will let the wig go in a lake near the birth of the Third Reich. In later episodes, we see her lovely youthful hair as she is courted, married, then shaved, and wigged. In Berlin, she wears a short, stylish crop of hair. Her appearance helps us orient ourselves to the layers of the story.
<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>
<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>ASSIGNMENT 2: ABOVE US ONLY SKY
What I learned: this has been the most challenging, but important step, sorting out the layers in a true story. I think it has to be largely chronological.
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Plot Surface:
• Layer 1: For a few seconds, we see a woman stop where a car has driven off the road. She approaches the door, and sees a woman unconscious behind the wheel. She searches for the woman’s pulse. We notice she is speaking nonsense words under her breath, possibly praying with her eyes wide open, searching the woman’s face, noticing her purse open on the seat beside her. She is talking to Jesus.
• Layer 2: [Heavenly-Minded, 1950-1965] At 4, Anne accepts Jesus at a tent meeting revival and begins a process of internalizing the doctrines of her Pentecostal fundamentalist Christian faith, escaping the threat of hell. Her father takes her and her brother to the Methodist Church, where they meet the pastor and see his son, Phil, who is four years older than Anne. Her mother gives her banana curls and they wear mother-daughter dresses to church. Anne internalizes her parents’ faith, including “Joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart….”
Layer 3: Anne reveals her anger when she has to move from her brother’s room to a feminine room her mother has planned. Occasionally she reveals sarcasm and anger that she is not allowed to take shop or to work on the car with her brother’s friends. She gets no explanations of confusing things — just that she should pray about them, and God will work them out. But frankly, prayer is boring. She just tromps in the woods with Jesus and takes things to heart. After she reads Bambi, she follows the hunters, shouting for the deer to go away.
• Layer 4: After she marries at 19, a new phase begins [Liberating Marriage, 1965-1980] when she gets more in touch with her anger and depression. A therapist helps her connect her rebellion against her mother’s sweetness. Phil encourages her to join the women’s movement and many changes are forthcoming, which Anne still attributes entirely to God’s leading and purpose.
• Layer 5: After she is ordained, she enters her next phase, [Pastor-Prophet, 1980- 2003], which she again attributes entirely to God’s leading. She explores many different kinds of ministry: chaplain to recovering addicts, clowning, church pastor, programmatic and charismatic ministries, trip to Africa, executive director of a shelter for battered and homeless women and children, and inner-city church repairs. She learns about problems in family court and DCYF. When President GW Bush threatens to invade Iraq, she recognizes his behavior is coming from the same magical religious thinking as hers and declares: “You’ve cut my umbilical cord to Christianity.
• Layer 6: When she leaves church ministry and volunteers to work with more mothers in the family court system, she sets out to learn about the healing of memories and the new discoveries of trauma therapists in a phase of [Healing Memories, 2003-2023] In 2009, she and Phil had a watershed moment recognizing that they no longer believe in an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God, and that the human soul is, in fact, the brain, and it is not immortal. This proves to be a liberating experience, though some old friends stop talking to them. They have become secular.
Character Surface:
Anne:
• Layer 1: Intrigue: What is happening when Anne finds the woman by the side of the road, but only prays in tongues?
• Layer 2: She accepts Jesus at 4 years old. He will become her only “real” friend until Phil replaces him when they are old.
Phil:
• Layer 1: Self-assured, can-do man frustrated that he cannot please his wife tries to understand her depression. He sees similarities between her depression and anger and that of Black youth he worked with in the Bronx and Harlem.
• Layer 2: He learns about women’s movement, urges her to join even though she wants nothing to do with women.
Layer 3: An invitation to the Playboy Club makes her eager to join the women’s movement, and she sets out to change discrimination against girls in NYC public schools.
• Layer 4: This is the beginning of many changes in their lives and Phil preaches a series of sermons on the place of women in the church.
• Etc.
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Moses Quainoo “What I learned doing this assignment is…?”
Module 1 – Lesson 10: Creating Intriguing Layers
ASSIGNMENT 1: Mr. Robot Show
Watch Episode 10 of Mr. Robot Show and notice how layers show up in this show — both in this episode and throughout the episodes you’ve already seen.
Tell us the layers you have discovered in Mr. Robot Show.
Plot Surface: Krista goes to a dinner meeting with his ex-boyfriend Michael.
Layer 1:
Secret Agenda – Lenny wants Krista’s help to get Elliot arrested by the police.
Layer 2:
Hidden history – Lenny says Elliot hack into his phone and it is illegal.
Layer 3:
Hidden plan – Elliot confronts Krista’s boyfriend Michael and says Michael cheated with seven women and he has digital evidence to prove it. He tells Michael to stop seeing Krista from now.
Layer 4:
Major shift – Lenny says one of Krista’s patients Elliot hacked him and made him say all those things to Krista.
Layer 5:
Major betrayal – Lenny is not seriously dying like he told Krista
Layer 6:
Wound – Elliot confiscate or took ownership of Michael’s dog.
Layer 7:
Character Surface: Michael is at Pierre Late, waiting at the dinner table when Krista arrives at the meeting.
Layer 1:
Secret Identity – Krista forgets, mentions Michael’s name, and remembers that is not the real name. She tells him.
Layer 2:
Character Intrigue – Michael says his real name is Lenny.
Layer 3:
Secret Agenda – Lenny wants Krista’s help to get Elliot arrested by the Police
Layer 4:
Hidden relationship – Lenny says his wife found out and left him
Layer 5:
Hidden conspiracies – Elliot and fsociety plan to take down Evil Corporation
Layer 6:
Hidden character history –
Layer 7:<div>
<b style=”background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Layer 8:
Etc.
ASSIGNMENT 2:
<div>
Old Toms TV Show
Discover the layers that could exist for Old Toms TV show.
PLOT SURFACE
Layer 1
Layer 2
Layer 3
Layer 4
Layer 5
CHARACTER SURFACE
Layer 1
Layer 2
Layer 3
Layer 4
Layer 5
1. Brainstorm a list of possible PLOT layers.
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
Major scheme revealed – Elliot sleeps for two days and the world systems crashed. Everyone’s debt is wiped off the face of the world.
Mystery revealed – Mr. Robot is dead and his real name is Edward Alderson. Wellick’s wife leaves him after the birth of their daughter.
Thought the story was one thing, but it is
another – Mr. Robot did not push Elliot from the rail in real life. Gideon’s secretary says Gideon has no debt.Major shift in Meaning – Elliot is the spearhead of everything that’s going on. Mr. Robot says he is Elliot. Wellick goes for a facelift to change looks and takes a new identity as James Plouff and shoots himself on national TV.
Hidden history –
Hidden plan – Wellick commits suicide on national TV. Lenny tells Krista, that Elliot is the enemy.
Major betrayal – Angela turns down the invitation to the Press conference.
2. Brainstorm a list of possible CHARACTER layers.
CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.
Secret identity
Character intrigue
Hidden relationships and conspiracies
Hidden Character history
3. Organize them each into a possible sequence of reveals.
Plot Surface:
Layer 1:
Layer 2:
Layer 3:
Layer 4:
Etc.
Character Surface:
Layer 1:
Layer 2:
Layer 3:
Layer 4:
Etc.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Moses Quainoo.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Moses Quainoo.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by
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Syd’s Plot and Character Layers (Assig. 2)
<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>M1_L10_Creating Intriguing Layers
What I learned doing this assignment is that the story is starting to write itself.
3. Organize them each into a possible sequence of reveals.
Plot Surface: In Golden City, a prosperous trading hub, Charita celebrates the birth of her cousin with Queen Vanhi, her aunt. A well-educated intellect and artist, Charita hopes her auntie will now stop resisting her marriage to Jagger, the soldier who saved her from rape by the King’s cousin Rajendra. Now exiled, Rajendra was the King’s only heir and tried to prevent the marriage by falsely claiming they were unworthy courtesans (tawaif). General Veer continues insisting on vigilance to the point of paranoia.
Layer 1: Queen Vanhi concedes to her wish when suddenly King Abzar is assassinated. Rajendra returns stealthy to the Palace Fort with an army of strongmen. Holding Charita responsible for his exile, she, Queen Vanhi and the infant crown prince flee the city.
Layer 2: Queen Vanhi finds friends in the Mughal Emperor’s court in Lucknow, though the alliance comes with a price. Charita and Jagger pledge their love before they’re separated. Vanhi’s ally, Bhadrabahu, is of questionable character, but effective. She doesn’t want her son to become king of Golden City, but she believes if she doesn’t fight for it, he will always have a target on his back. Charita is not cousin to the crown prince, she’s his sister (but that’s a secret and a whole other story).
Layer 3: Anala, the king’s cousin welcomes Rajendra, supporting his bid for the throne. He’s suspicious of her, but will take it. Veer is stripped of his title, imprisoned and sentenced to death. Anala arranges Veer’s escape. Veer is recked by guilt because not only did the King die on his watch, his is the king’s bastard half brother. He regrets not telling him while he lived. If he tells anyone now, people will think he was responsible for the assassination.
Layer 4: Bhad wields far more power in the Empire than he lets on — running a large network of spies. He wants Queen Vanhi, she knows it and will use that. He’s expecting her to manipulate him, but he’s got many agendas and Golden City is strategic for the Empire.
Layer 5: The Portuguese have come to trade. The Amir has correctly discerned that they want to invade/colonize/take territory. In order to gain her own autonomy and to buy protection and support from the Mughals, Charita agrees to spy on the Portuguese — disguised as tawaif. Master manipulator Bhad will be her liaison and protector in the field.Character Surface: Charita is an educated, privileged artist in the royal family who fell in love with a soldier.
Layer 1: Hidden Agenda — In this world, females are not free to make an impact on the world and choose who they will love. Charita has other plans.
Layer 2: Secret Character History — she’s actually a village girl, raised to be an artist and, like her mother, reinvented herself when she came to Golden City.
Layer 3: Intrigue — she can play the role of courtesan — she can dance, sing, write and perform poetry — though she’s not actually been one. How far will she have to go to get what she wants.
Layer 4: Wound — her father died, and now her father figure and protector, King Abzar has been murdered
Layer 5: Secret Identity — becomes a spy, pretends to be a tawaif; has the artistic training, but not the experience with men -
Leona Heraty’s Plot and Character Layers
What I learned doing this assignment is…using this method to add intriguing plot and character layers is fun and easy and adds a lot of depth to my show!
LOST | Season 1 | Episode 11
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
Plot Surface: Jack is a surgeon, who has survived a plane crash and he has a drinking problem. This episode flashes back to Jack’s problems with his father, who is also a surgeon.
Layer 1: Major scheme revealed: Jack’s Dad, also a surgeon, tricked Jack into signing off on a surgery where Jack’s Dad’s patient died.
Layer 2: Mystery revealed: We find out that Jack’s Dad drinks at lunch, while on duty at the hospital.
Layer 3: Thought the story was one thing, but it is another: Jack’s Dad lied about where he was. It turns out he was drinking at lunch.
Layer 4: Major shift in Meaning: Jack’s Dad appears like he has Jack’s best interests at heart, but we find out the Dad can’t be trusted.
Layer 5: Hidden history: Jack’s Dad has a history of alcoholism and drinking while on duty at the hospital.
Layer 6: Hidden plan: Jack’s Dad had a plan to coerce Jack into signing off on a surgery where his Dad screwed up because he was drinking, and the patient died as a result.
Layer 7: Major betrayal: Jack’s Dad lied to Jack and didn’t tell Jack the patient who died was pregnant.
CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.
Character Surface: Jack is a surgeon and a nice guy, who survived a plane crash.
Level 1: Secret identity: Jack is an alcoholic, like his late Dad.
Level 2: Character Intrigue: Jack was in Sydney to find his father, who committed suicide while there.
Level 3: Hidden relationships and conspiracies: Jack’s dad tried to betray him by getting him to sign off on a patient’s death, that was caused by the Dad.
Level 4: Hidden Character History: Jack has a troubled relationship with his Dad, and he is possibly an alcoholic, like his Dad.
Level 5: Wound: Jack’s Dad was aloof emotionally and so is Jack.ASSIGNMENT 2: Your Show
Discover the layers that could exist for your show.
1. Brainstorm a list of possible PLOT layers.
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
Plot Surface: An earthquake causes amphibious sea creatures to come onshore and invade a small town’s apartment complex and the residents must fight for their lives.
Layer 1: Major scheme revealed: Genesis, the property manager, took this job that nobody wanted because she’s there to look for hidden treasure on the island.
Layer 2: Mystery revealed: The apartment residents assumed the sea creatures came from a crack in the ocean floor, because of the earthquake, but it’s revealed they’re mutant creatures lying dormant in a sea cave, and were exposed to toxic waste from a government experiment in the 1950s.
Layer 3: Thought the story was one thing, but it is another: We thought Genesis was retiring to write her book, and that’s why she took the job as the property manager, on this small island, but she’s really there to search for hidden treasure.
Layer 4: Major shift in Meaning: After the earthquake, we find out that the amphibious sea creatures have been dormant in a cave on the island and they’ve been exposed to toxic waste and come alive. The island is full of toxic waste.
Layer 5: Hidden history: In the 1950s, the government was using the island to test toxic substances for warfare. Parts of the island aren’t safe, and some sea creatures were exposed to the toxic waste in the 1950s.Layer 6: Hidden plan: The owner of the apartment complex only hired Genesis to be the manager for one year, and has plans to sell it back to the government, because the government plans to buy back the island and kick everyone off of it.
Layer 7: Major betrayal: Genesis and the tenants find out that they will soon be out of a place to live, if they survive the invasion of the sea creatures!
CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.
Character Surface: Genesis is sweet lady who wants to live a quiet life as the new property manager, but she’s really there to search for hidden treasure.
Level 1: Secret identity: She has a historical as a gambler and is addicted to online gambling. That’s why she moved from Las Vegas to Washington.
Level 2: Character Intrigue: She comes across as a sweet, middle-aged lady who hasn’t made the best choices in men, and now she wants to wash her hands of men and finally write her novel. However, she’s really addicted to something but we’re not sure what it is.
Level 3: Hidden relationships and conspiracies: The previous property manager is her cousin, who left because they suspected the property would be sold soon, but Genesis doesn’t know this.
Level
4: Hidden Character History: Genesis
has been married four times and has a gambling problem and lots of debts. She
left Las Vegas to get away from gambling and casinos, but started online
gambling.
Level 5: Wound: Her parents
abandoned her as a kid and she was raised in foster care. So she is too clingy
and needy with men and drives them away.-
This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Leona Heraty.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by
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ASSIGNMENT 1:
Watch LOST, note layers in this episode and throughout, & tell us layers you discovered.
Surface: How shall all these people survive and/or be rescued form the island.
LAYER-1: What is the “thing” that seems so large and kills!
LAYER-2: Each person has a unique and unresolved backstory.
Kate had been in the custody of an Air Marshal.
Jack was escorting his father’s body, with whom he had unresolved problems.
John Locke had bee handicapped, and miraculously cured.
Sayid had been a Republican Guard (Iraqu)
Charlie had been a rock star (& drug addicted).
LAYER-3: Island is mystical: “You must give it something to receive what you’re looking for.”
LAYER-4: Doc Jack & Kate continue to hide their love from themselves, (only).
LAYER-5: What became of the people who’d been stranded there 16 years earlier?
How did a polar bear get there?ASSIGNMENT 2:
Wayne’s Plot and Character LayersWhat I learned doing this assignment is there are many possibilities for layers to choose and develop.
1. Brainstorm a list of possible PLOT layers.
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
• Major scheme: Mike is stranded on Desae’s planet. Desae saves him.
• Mystery revealed: Desae is exiled from her society for having a child out of wedlock.
• Thought the story was one thing, but it is another: It appeared to be a story of survival, but it is a love story.
• Major shift in Meaning: Mike was an alien who needed help and Desae saved him, now they are finding each other very interesting and compatible in increasing ways.
• Hidden history: Desae does not know her neighbor was the one who had killed her betrothed.
• Hidden plan: Now he feels guilty, so he took retirement to buy this farm and keep an eye on her, help her.
• Major betrayal: It appear that Desae’s neighbor has betrayed them but he has not, he saves them.
2. Brainstorm a list of possible CHARACTER layers.
CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.
• Secret identity: The neighbor had been a security force leader.
• Character intrigue: They plan and steal the spaceship’s onboard computer, HAL.
• Hidden relationships and conspiracies: They befriend the planet’s foremost computer scientist, who had been trying to analyze HAL.
• Hidden Character history: Desae’s betrothed was the leader of a secret “Believers Group” sought by the atheistic government security force.
3. Organize them each into a possible sequence of reveals.
Plot Surface:
• Layer 1: Astronaut, Mike, stranded on a planet 6.2 light years from earth.
• Layer 2: Desae saves Mike and nurses him to health, hides him from authorities.
Security Force leader suspects Desae is harboring the “Alien Invader.”
• Layer 3: Desae had been exiled from her society for having a son, Nome.
She was betrothed to Nome’s dad who was killed by the security force.
• Layer 4: Desae does not know her best friend’s husband had killed her betrothed.
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Character Surface:
• Layer 1: Mike is a family-oriented guy who’d hoped to marry and raise a family.
Desae believes Logard (God) sent Mike to her.
HAL, the onboard computer AI becomes an instrumental character because he studies “humanoid character.”
• Layer 2: Mike does not want to bring danger to Desae and Nome.
Desae wants to protect and keep Mike secret.
• Layer 3: Yardas doesn’t know her husband had been a Security Force leader.
Yardas’ husband bought a farm and leased to purchase land to Desae, in order to help her and keep an eye on her.
• Layer 4: Mike and Desae’s interest and help for each other evolves into a love and marriage in the traditions of the planet.
• Layer 5: They do not expect they are reproductively compatible until the last episode of season 1 when they discover Desae’s pregnant. (Season 2 hook)
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