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Lesson 3
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SUBJECT: Mark Napier’s Character Profile 2
4. Answer the question “What I learned doing this assignment is…?”: I am learning to delved down further into the psyche of the character and develop them. The empowerment you speak of quite often in your lecture could not be achieved without your mentorship and guidance on how to go about this assignment. I appreciate the guidance.
2. Fill in Part 2 of the character Profile for your two lead characters.
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What draws us to this character? (Protagonist) The audience should be able to be drawn to this character because of not just his caring nature, practical jokes and sarcasm, but for taking the right course of action in standing up for someone who was being wrongfully ejected from the country in Iraq. The audience should also feel appalled by and relate to the protagonist for being pursued and eventually punished for reporting the child porn incident that proved embarrassing to the bullies in positions of power. This is the Biblical “David meets Goliath” scenario. Everyone sees the CIA as the untouchable and the protagonist who over the years continues to be a ‘hemorrhoid in the ass of life’ to the CIA to get it to change how it does business.
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Traits: The protagonist is really introverted and reluctant to speak his mind openly until it is time to toss out the “Bull Shit Penalty Flag.” The protagonist tends to give the benefit of the doubt (trust but verify) and strongly believes in the military values of leadership. The protagonist has a history of bucking the system and uses common sense and logic to analyze the best course of action to take in responding to the powers that be, even if it means tossing the baby out with the bathwater.
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Subtext: Protagonist hides his reluctance for confrontation, but once he is pissed he is very icy cold and puts up a wall. Protagonist will respond to questions with succinct answers to an adversary where normally he tries to give too much information than requested.
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Flaw: The protagonist does not trust his gut feelings when all signs point to impending threat to himself.
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Values: Military leadership values (loyalty, duty, honor, respect, selfless service, integrity and personal courage) is what the protagonist holds dearly to even when the chips are down. His love for animals and particularly his dog. The protagonist will kill to protect his dog.
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Irony: The protagonist reporting of child porn reveals that the CIA has a history of not prosecuting child porn cases. The protagonist helps in the defection of 14 Taliban commanders and 2 suicide bombers of all but one befriend the protagonist. The protagonist uncovers a high level asset that turns out to be a double agent working for a US adversary where professional Case Officers who recruited the individual and handled him overlooked simple security assessments that could have exposed the asset two years earlier. The protagonist having previously worked to analyze Iranian backed Hezbollah operations was able to realize Hezbollah was operating in Iraq two years before the CIA officially recognized their presence in country. The protagonist is compassionate, but has no problem killing and suffers from PTSD after 4 years in the combat zone and looks upon altercations as “physical therapy” when he gets into fights. The protagonist during his darkest hours on the streets homeless as a strip dancer where survival of the fittest is the rule, he watches over and protects younger dancers from sex traffickers and exploitation. Though he can appreciate a woman’s touch, he secretly hates women who come to exploit the Gay community for peep shows almost to a point that he violently wants to beat the hell out of them for taking food out of his hand to feed his dog and himself. When the protagonist decides to run for political office he is considered to be the underdog for the discarded and forgotten, but the liberal media see him as the greatest threat to their Democrat candidate because of the real world experience and homelessness the protagonist brings.
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What makes this the right character for this role? This protagonist has gone through the ringer for his country. When he made his “Commitment to America” he devoted over a quarter of century of his life in service to the nation that owes him a “Debt of Gratitude.” Instead he is tossed aside and fights an uphill battle reaching for an impossible dream to restore his honor, seek justice, accountability and seriously consider vengeance against the antagonist.
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What draws us to this character? (Antagonist) The audience will see how the antagonist as a powerful figure in the CIA who is two-faced. He is forward leaning, self confident and seen as a ‘god like deity’ because of his positions he has held or holds. He is a Case Officer by trade in the Special Activities Division of the Directorate of Operations and former Special Forces.
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Traits: The antagonist has a chip on his shoulder and is overconfident. He is a risk taker and ambitious to step on others to the top.
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Subtext: Antagonist will smile in your face while contemplating how he will backstab you, if it benefits him particularly if he feels wronged.
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Flaw: The antagonist has a pattern of abusing his title, position and authority that ultimately results in retirement after the CIA puts his foot down on such practices.
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Values: The antagonist values his self importance and ability to manipulate and control the destiny of operations, let alone people’s lives.
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Irony: The antagonist with all his experience in the US military continues to feel it is beneath him to support the conventional Warfighters on the ground who are not members of an elite force. With all his experience he is unable to figure out culturally why CIA Station and Afghan NDS (Intel Service) are unable to intercept the Taliban/Al Qaeda communications effectively, given the fact the answer is quite simple. He claims ignorance of nearly 3,000 Taliban who were captured by the Northern Alliance in November 2001 (“Massacre: Convoy of Death-Kunduz”) that were left to die in the desert in train box cars, despite being in constant communications with the Northern Alliance.
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What makes this the right character for this role? This antagonist is a cut throat go getter. His ego is big and how he carries himself is like an ‘ambulance chasing’ attorney. He doesn’t care who he steps on to get to the top, nor who is sacrificed along the way.
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Character Profiles Part 2
What I learned doing this assignment is how much I already enjoy spending time with my lead characters.
Fill in Part 2 of the character Profile for your two lead characters.
Carla
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What draws us to this character? Carla is kind and genuine. She notices special details and takes her time. In a world that is moving fast and disconnected Carla stands out as moving, slowly and quietly. There is a melancholic undertow that we wonder if she can stop from pulling her under.
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Traits: Quiet. Doesn’t like to be rushed. Kind. Genuine. Observant. Depressive.
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Subtext: Clamming up.
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Flaw: Fear of disapproval that stops her from living her life outside herself and her house.
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Values: family, creativity, honesty
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Irony: Craves the spotlight; a bit of a potty mouth. Fuck is her favorite piece of punctuation.
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What makes this the right character for this role? The type of mom who has a swear jar in the house and surprises you that she is the main contributor to it. Carla has the right amount of hutzpah bubbling beneath the surface that we want to see her come out of her shell and be rewarded with a real transformation.
Harriet
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What draws us to this character? Her charisma and exuberance. We feel both taken care of and empowered by Harriet. She owns the space she takes up.
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Traits: Loud and exuberant. Very open. Colorful.
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Subtext: She knows the power of a silent stare.
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Flaw: A disregard for reality and rules of society. Wants to be real. Envious that Carla gets to be human.
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Values: Love and happiness. Personal authenticity not worrying about anyone else’s opinion.
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Irony: Can’t be seen.
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What makes this the right character for this role? This is a magical yet grounded character. There is something so deeply real about Harriet that we wish she could be more than just imaginary.
3. Make any improvements you think of to your Part 1 profile and bring the two parts together.
Carla
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Role in the story: protagonist/lead
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Age range and Description: 30s any ethnicity. Stay-at-home mom who sometimes works as a part-time substitute English teacher.
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Internal Journey: starts off totally stuck in life with low self-esteem and depression. Ends with her dream job, high self-esteem and tons of confidence.
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External Journey: her marriage is crumbling, her clothes are drab, her job is beneath her and in the end her marriage is back on track, her clothes are fierce and she is at her dream job.
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Motivation: Carla wants recognition and to belong. She feels like she is stuck on the outside looking in. She’s lonely.
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Wound: Never being cool enough as a kid. Carla has always felt like an outsider.
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Mission/Agenda: Carla is determined to get unstuck.
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Secret: Ever since Harriet left when Carla was a kid her life has been less fun. Harriet is an imaginary friend, but Carla doesn’t know this.
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What makes them special? A childlike delight in the world. Carla is great at being present and being kind.
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What draws us to this character? Carla is kind and genuine. She notices special details and takes her time. In a world that is moving fast and disconnected Carla stands out as moving, slowly and quietly. There is a melancholic undertow that we wonder if she can stop from pulling her under.
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Traits: Quiet. Doesn’t like to be rushed. Kind. Genuine. Observant. Depressive.
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Subtext: Clamming up.
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Flaw: Fear of disapproval that stops her from living her life outside herself and her house.
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Values: family, creativity, honesty
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Irony: Craves the spotlight; a bit of a potty mouth. Fuck is her favorite piece of punctuation.
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What makes this the right character for this role? The type of mom who has a swear jar in the house and surprises you that she is the main contributor to it. Carla has the right amount of chutzpah bubbling beneath the surface that we want to see her come out of her shell and be rewarded with a real transformation.
Harriet
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Role in the story: antagonist/lead
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Age range and Description: 30s Black. Harriet is the coolest chic you’ve ever met. She is fun and confident. Wears bright clothes that are ahead of fashion. Strong and intelligent. Mischievous.
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Internal Journey: overcompensating with exuberance to calm and confident in her role.
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External Journey: from imaginary friend who is loud but unseen (except by Carla and Sam) to an accepted part of who Carla is, a recognized alter-ego almost as well-known as Sasha Fierce.
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Motivation: love
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Wound: terrified of being abandoned again.
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Mission/Agenda: to get Carla out of her depression. To bring Carla back to her vibrant true self.
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Secret: she’s not real but wishes she was.
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What makes them special? Can be seen by children or those who are truly young at heart if her person truly believes she is real.
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What draws us to this character? Her charisma and exuberance. We feel both taken care of and empowered by Harriet. She owns the space she takes up.
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Traits: Loud and exuberant. Very open. Colorful.
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Subtext: She knows the power of a silent stare.
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Flaw: A disregard for reality and rules of society. Wants to be real. Envious that Carla gets to be human.
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Values: Love and happiness. Personal authenticity not worrying about anyone else’s opinion.
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Irony: Can’t be seen.
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What makes this the right character for this role? This is a magical yet grounded character. There is something so deeply real about Harriet that we wish she could be more than just imaginary.
4. Answer the question “What I learned doing this assignment is…?” and put it at the top of your work.
What I learned doing this assignment is how much I already enjoy spending time with my lead characters.
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#4: What I learned doing this assignment: I was blown away by how my characters started coming to life. Perhaps not fully in focus, but they started talking to me, even creating dialogue for future scenes filled with complex subtext and ironic plot twists. This also interweaved well with the previous assignment. This character profile template helped me guide or how to start fleshing out my characters with confidence and conviction, and without having to know everything right now.
Michael’s part 2 Character Profiles of main two lead characters:
Protagonist: Dr. Robert Amador
Antagonist: Dr. Peter Rosinski
2. Protagonist: Dr. Amador:
* What draws us to this character? : He’s intriguing and highly cultured. He’s an astrophysicist but also an anthropologist: He’s cracked the riddles of the Mayan calendar and explains the Mayan’s advanced astronomy via lectures and dialogue. His daughter, half-latina, half-anglo, awaits his visits when he returns from mexico and learns about the Mayan’s knowledge of astronomy. “Did the mayans make contact with beings from outer space? He’s faced some racial discrimination in the past which has affected him. He’s angry when someone makes a comment to him about “how come he never knew his father.” He’s a scientist but also a good storyteller, and he knows how to box!
* Traits: super smart, one can listen to him for hours; he gives a great lecture. He’s vulnerable dreamer but he’s also a risk taker. He stands up for what he believes in: the future, humanity, his own background half-latino, half???, his mother won’t tell him. He’s ambitious for attention and respect but not for money; he’s frequently broke. His gift to his daughter are his stories. He brings home a piñata but it’s to big to bring onboard the plane: he checks in the piñata but it’s destroyed upon arrival.
*Subtext: Hides his wound of not having a father by overcompensating with his own daughter. He overcompensates by picking up the bill when taking his students out for dinner. “I got this” is one of his lines. He masks his enviousness when he hears others–including his ex-wife talk about what a great father they had, what a happy childhood they had. He frequently brings up his grandfather in his place. When asked about his father: he says he was killed in combat. But what combat? to which he answers:”Aren’t they all the same.” He masks confrontation with attitude.
*Flaw: Gullible, too much of a dreamer. Needs to to take action. in this sense, he’s kinda like hamlet; in his head for too long until he takes action. Lacks some compassion when he’s angered.
*Values: Integrity, honesty, Respect, Courage , perseverance.
*Irony : He’s generous with strangers but then he’s tight with money with his wife and daughter. He’s got all this knowledge and he’s super smart but he has no money, or lives off stipends. He overpromises but he can only underdeliver. He’s in his head too much and does not take action.
<i style=”font-weight: bold;”>*What makes him the right character for this role?: He’s fatherless but what’s to become an amazing provider and champion to gain his daughters respect. Even though he has no money he try’s his best with his adjunct professor salary and stipend–And he never stops dreaming, he will take risks to prove his theory about how we can communicate with intelligent life in outer space. He’s a little like Steve Jobs–that absentee father made him creator of apple computers which changed the world, showed us how to think different.
ANTAGONIST: DR. PETER ROSINSKI:
*What draws us to this character? : He has amazing comebacks and one liners to put people in their place. You wouldn’t want Dr. Rosinski as an enemy. He’s commanding of a room and is blazingly smart; most of his knowledge goes over his head. He’s intriguing and we’re intrigued when he takes Dr. Roberto Amador under his wing.
*Traits: He’s persuasive but also manipulative. He’s charming but he’s putting you down condescendingly.
*Subtext: His encyclopedic knowledge of human nature is spot on. He tells you what you want to hear but he’s stabbing you in the back. He’s a bit like IAGO from Othello. Every word out of his mouth is a lie, or is it? Appearing to be a wise angel, he’s a devil in disguise.
*Flaw: He’s slightly sociopathic, a bit of a misanthrope, he’s lost all confidence in human progress and he’s mad he’s realized too late that he should’ve been more epicurean in his outlook of life. He’s not compassionate.
*Values: Power, culture, Respect, dominance ! rewards intelligence.
*Irony: even though people seem him as a modern day Albert Einstein, his goal is to limit human progress, stay away from people as much as possible. He’s a fake, But he’s also a father figure to Roberto, ironically he’s using this knowledge he has about Roberto to manipulate him.
<i style=”font-weight: bold;”>What makes this antagonist the right character for this Role?: He’s highly intelligent. He will take us on a rollercoaster ride of deception: At first he will befriend Roberto and the public of this new mentor/protege alliance only to betray Roberto in the end, which will unravel Roberto’s insecurities of never having a father, thus adding more conflict to the story: Betrayal from those we most trusted and and most admired. This is very juicy role for a very seasoned complex actor.
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Trish’s Character Profile Part 2
What I learned doing this assignment is how intricate the components of the characters are. A lot goes into making them interesting and different.
Protagonist:
What draws us to this character? She’s relatable in that we all want to be loved and we all struggle to be successful at work and in life. We want to know if she’ll succeed in the situation she’s in.
Traits: She’s resourceful, driven, open-minded, and hard working.
Subtext: She acts businesslike to stay in control of herself and others.
Flaw: She’s emotionally cut off from herself and others.
Values: She values success, but also close connections with others. She believes people can change.
Irony: Being emotionally distance creates her lack of love and connection.
What makes this the right character for this role? Like Richard, she’s hiding and repressing the past, but she’s willing to face it and become better for it. She fulfills his mission.
Antagonist:
What draws us to this character? Richard’s enigmatic nature and charismatic charm draw us in. His motivation makes him intriguing, because we want to know why he’s doing what he’s doing.
Traits: He’s charming, manipulative, intelligent, insightful
Subtext: He hides his motivations and even actions, behind a veil of obfuscation and deceit.
Flaw: He wants to be in control of everything, including the lives of others.
Values: Honesty, control, being strong
Irony: His love of honesty and integrity is ironic, since he is neither. Like Emma, repressing his pain, keeps it alive.
What makes this the right character for this role? He’s a good foil for Emma. He’s complex and mysterious enough to be capable of great damage.
No changes to Part 1 of the profiles at this time.
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