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Lesson 2: Heroes and Villains That Sell The Roles!
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4 Replies
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Lee’s hero and villain
What I learned doing this assignment is that all aspects of the plot and characters need to be kept open throughout the process.
Concept:
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Hero Morally Right: Hero is fighting to stop terrorists and prevent
a catastrophe -
Villain Morally Wrong: Wants to set off a dirty bomb in the heart of
the city
Hero
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A. Unique Skill Set–skilled marksman, FBI training, worked in
fast food as a kid. Extrapolation: What if the hero can read minds? -
B. Motivation—Prevent a disaster, keep the restaurant employees
safe -
C. Secret or Wound—undercover status which must be maintained if
he is to continue to be effective. Extrapolation: Nobody knows the hero can read minds.
Villain
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A. Unbeatable—Terrorist gang with ties to foreign hostile
governments, well equipped. -
B. Plan/Goal– Conduct an event with heavy casualties that remains
undetected until it happens. -
C. What they lose if Hero survives– Their freedom and martyrdom.
Impossible Mission – Hero
must learn what terrorists plan without being detected or harming the
bystanders he works with.-
A. Puts Hero in Action– Hero thwarts thieves and muggers one at a
time to keep from being detected and drawing police attention to the
restaurant. -
B. Demands They Go Beyond Their Best: Hero is in nonstop battles
with hoodlums while watching terrorist plans take shape. -
C. Destroy the Villain—By foiling the plan, ultimately ending in a
shootout at the restaurant.
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ASSIGNMENT
What I learned doing this assignment is … a tool that defines lead characters and their conflict.
FILL IN THE BLANKS: AND SEE WHAT SHOWS
GENRE: Gangster.
TITLE: The Golem of Gangland.
Max Levitsky is a New York Jewish gangster who possesses a golem and a proven effective black magic death curse with which he fights Nazis and then fights a fellow gangster who wants to kill him to possess the golem and the death curse in order to expand the criminal empire of which both he and Max are members.
Concept:
Hero Morally Right: Max Levitsky, a Rabbi’s son turned gangster in the New York Crime Syndicate – Murder Incorporated. He initially wants to protect the Jewish community in which he was raised from the dangers posed by the American Nazi Party (The German American Bund)..
Villain Morally Wrong: Abe “Kid Twist” Reles is a ruthless contract killer of thousands who only wants power for the Syndicate and his advancement in its leadership. cares nothing for the Jewish traditions in which he grew up, but still hates the Nazis and fights them..
Hero
Unique Skill Set: Max knows Jewish tradition and antiquities market. Runs guns to the Haganah in Palestine who teach him Krav Maga, Israeli martial arts. He also has been given a golem and a proven effective black magic Aramaic death-curse, called the Pulsa di-Nura (Lashes of Fire) prayer.
Motivation: He wants to fight the American Nazi party and thereby protect the Jewish community. Later, he wants to kill Abe Reles before Reles kills him to obtain the Pulsa di-Nura and the Golem.
Secret/Wound: Max is conflicted over his choice to abandon his faith and become a gangster.
Villain
Abe “Kid Twist” Reles is a ruthless contract killer and a leader in Murder Incororated, the crew of contract killers for the Syndicate headed by Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky
Unbeatable: Reles is backed by the Syndicate and Murder, Inc. His weapons are a gun and an icepick.
Plan/Goal: To kill Max and capture the golem and the Pulsa di-Nura death curse in order to expand the criminal power of the Syndicate and Murder, Inc., as well as himself.
Impossible Mission
Max wants to fight the Nazi Party using the secret weapons of the golem and the death curse.
The golem and the death curse go beyond the best of Max as an individual.
Destroy the Villain (Abe Reles), Max must kill Reles before Reles can kills him, and Reles does try to kill him.
EXTRAPOLATIONS:
If Max knows Krav Maga, Reles would beat Max with his weapons of choice, the gun or machine gun.
Max wants to protect the Jewish community from Nazis. Reles wants to do the same but still, as a mobster, he exploits the vulnerability of his own Jewish neighborhood, forcing them to pay protection (extortion).
Max’s wound is his conflict with his having chosen gangsterism over orthodox faith. Reles views this as a weakness of Max.
Reles’s wound is his extreme poverty that he sought to escape through his life of crime.
Max possesses the secret weapon of a golem and a proven Black Magic death curse. What would Reles do? Reles would double down on this goal to capture the golem and the death curse.
If Max’s motive is to fight Nazis with his secret weapons of a golem and death curse, Reles would love to beat up Nazis and join Max in doing so along with other Jewish gangsters at Meyer Lansky’s command but using the solidarity of purpose against Nazis, Reles would lull Max into trusting him, thus making Max vulnerable to Reles’s violent intentions against him.
Both Max and Reles share the desire to protect the Jewish community from Nazis.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by Robert Smith.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by
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RAMSAY – ACTOR ATTRACTORS Template
Ramsay: Actor attractors for Columbiana
My Vision: Creating worlds for my characters. Producing my films will be my ultimate gratification.
What I learned:
Movie Title: Columbiana – Action/Drama/Thriller
Lead Character Name: Zoe Saldana1. Why would an actor want to be known for this role? Cataleya, who has buried the pain of seeing her parents murdered, becomes the most dangerous woman on the planet; she is emotionally unflappable and gets the bad guys.
2. What makes this character one of the most exciting characters in the movie? She causes herself severe pain every time she takes an action that harms someone she loves. But she continues.
3. What are the most exciting actions the Lead takes in the movie? In the opening scene, she escapes her parents’ killers at age 9. The shark scene. In the end where, she fights and kills Jordi.
4. How is this character introduced that could sell it to an actor? Two introductions: Her courage escaping Jordi and her second. Deceiving cops to get in and out of the jail to kill her target.
5. What is this character’s emotional range? Cold-blooded killer to regretful and moved to tears.
6. What subtext can the actor play? No matter what she says, she is always moving toward her goal.
7. What are the most exciting relationships this character has? Her uncle gives her targets to kill.
8. How is this character’s voice presented? Her voice is consistently demonstrated through action.
9. What makes this character special and unique? Cataleya never deviates from her goal of revenge. She is emotionally weary and depleted every time someone close dies because of her actions.
10. (Fill in a scene that shows the character fulfilling much of the Actor Attractor model.) The transformation jumps from a 9-year-old with one goal to an assassin with the same goal. -
ACTOR ATTRACTOR TEMPLATE 2
RAMSAY- My Vision: My ultimate gratification will be creating worlds for my characters and producing my films.
Lead Character Name: Michaela “Mic” Alverez
Role: Protagonist
1. *What about this role would cause an actor to want to be known for it? If time allows, Mic will explain to the bad guys why she must kill them. But really, she is justifying her actions, permitting herself to take their lives.
2. *What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in your story? Mic is indifferent and derisive toward her adversaries and pretty much everyone except Hannah, and over time, she softens to David’s charisma and influence.
3. *What are the most exciting actions the Lead could take in the script? Mic has high-pressured, violent interactions, all ending in the death of those harming children or involved with Carlito. In the last scene, she tries to do the right thing, the Godly thing, and let Carlito live. But….
4. *How can you introduce this role in a way that would sell it to an actor? It’s a two-part introduction. We see Michaela relive her sister’s murder in her dream. When she awakens, she is undercover with the cartel and moves into a situation where the cartel’s terrorist clients try to rape her. She tries to handle the situation, but she ends up mercilessly killing all three terrorists, blowing a two-year operation.
5. *What could be this character’s emotional range? Mic is merciless toward all those related to Carlito’s organization. Yet she can quickly turn merciful toward Hannah and the trafficked girls she and David rescue.
6. *What subtext can the actor play? Mic always has seconds of doubt before she takes what appear to be emotionless actions against her adversaries. Her doubt gradually reduces as she gets closer to her forgiveness of God.
7. *What are the most exciting relationships this character can have? Mic’s tolerance of Hannah. Mic’s opposition and collision with David’s Christian point of view. Mic’s indignation with Carlito’s contempt for the value of life.
8. *How will this character’s unique voice be presented? Mic hates God, David loves God, and Carlito is Godless.
9. *What could make this character special and unique? Since her sister’s murder, she has spent every moment becoming powerful and invulnerable while hunting down and killing Carlito. Only to attempt to show him mercy in the end, but Carlito will not allow her to spare his life.
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