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Lesson 3
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Lynn’s Right Characters!
What I learned doing this assignment is that I came up with some good characteristics that cause problems and conflicts internally, among the good guys, between the bad guys, and between the good and bad guys. I also had a child in the story (creating concern for the child’s welfare), but now changed it to the woman being pregnant & concerned about expected baby’s welfare.
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Compare your concept to your lead characters to find unique ways for them to fulfill the concept.
1. Think about your Concept Hook and Contained Setting.
HOOK: “How can an old man survive when the world is out to kill the elderly?”
CONTAINED SETTING: (1) a house in the year 2108 with a hiding room and (2) a place where the bad guys plot their moves.
2. With each of your main characters, how can they uniquely fit with the Hook?
LEW (age 88)
– resourceful, smart, scholar who did urban combat (secret – he participated in the earlier geronticide), but feeble, somewhat suicidal
JOSH (Lew’s grandson)
– loving (wife & grandfather), provider, torn between past (grandfather) and future (wife and expected baby), indecisive
MEGAN (Josh’s wife)
– strong, practical/pragmatic (willing to sacrifice Lew, if necessary), focused on her expected baby
HILLARD (bad guy)
– angry, out for blood, grieved by past ???, hot-headed, influenced by Roz
ROZ (bad gal)
– steady, determined, ideological, pathological, focused on the bigger “pathological” worldview
3. Thinking about the conflict that hook creates, how does each main character enhance or cause that conflict?
– Lew & Josh in conflict (Josh wants Lew to live; Lew is despondent, somewhat suicidal)
– Josh and Megan (fight over whether to protect Lew)
– Hillard and Roz, the bad guys (Hillard too rash, Roz has to keep him focused and calm)
– Hillard & Roz v. Lew (Hillard falls into trap Lew has set; Roz gets Hillard back on track of finding and killing Lew);
– Hillard & Roz against Josh & Megan ????
4. Tell us what makes these characters the “right ones” for this story?
-Both among the good guys & between the bad guys, and between good & bad: Their strengths create greater conflict, their unique backstories create internal and external conflict/suspense, their weaknesses cause problems
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Writing the Ultimate Contained Movie Script
LESSON 3: Who are the Right Characters?
Susan Willard’s Right Characters!
What I learned doing this assignment is… as I flush out the people in my story, I do have room enough to make them each uniquely different yet fit together for my story. I have more ideas in mind, and ready to use that I realize.
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- Concept
Hook:The family’s BBQ is all hotdogs, and ice cream, until mom is mysteriously missing.
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- Contained
Setting:The family’s two acre, half wooded backyard.
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- How
do the main characters uniquely fit with the Hook:1. Dad: Purchased his childhood home for his family, this started the BBQ adventure
2. Mom: Mysteriously becomes missing, which gives the story an inciting incident. Who is good friends with her husband’s elderly aunt who lives down the street from his childhood home.
3. Daughter: As a teenager, wrapped up in her secrets and the past life she left behind turns away from everyone else.
4. Son: Youngest member of the family, (middle school) is a double foot amputee, who longs to be “normal,” has new troublesome prosthetics, and tries to fit in and help whenever possible, but is at a lost and lonely at the BBQ.
5. Dad’s Elderly Aunt: No one knows how old she is, but she’s old, old. She is a reclusive, but loving aunt that can’t wait for family to live close to her.
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- How
each main character enhances or causes the Hook’s conflict:1. Dad: Created this entire adventure by buying the house, which he believes will bring the family closer together.
2. Mom: Initiates the first real hurdle of the BBQ adventure by going mysteriously missing.
3. Daughter: Keeps the tension pushing on everyone because she is not into moving, the BBQ, Mom missing or anything else. She’s in complete denial.
4. Son: Keeps the distractions coming by looking outside the box, discovering the newness in all the events, and trying to help everyone he can so that they can find mom.
5. Dad’s Elderly Aunt: Is a bit of an odd ball, but she adds definition and clarity to Dad’s journey for truth, family, and happiness.
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- Tell
us what makes these characters the “right ones” for this story?Dad, Mom, Daughter, Son, and Elderly Aunt are at typical family, just trying to make it through the tough times. They all mean well, but well-meant actions don’t always work out as expected.
- Concept
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