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Lesson 3: Character Subtext
Posted by Laree Griffith on January 8, 2024 at 3:40 pmPost your assignments here
William Whalen replied 1 year, 5 months ago 3 Members · 2 Replies -
2 Replies
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Pam’s Character Subtext
One-Sentence Vision: I will turn my ideas into produced movies and live a happy, successful life as a writer and industry professional.
What I learned from doing this assignment: Creating the subtext identities and behaviours for my characters is tricky, so I’m just taking it one step at a time and allowing non-perfect answers.
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Part 1. With your example movie, give us the following answers for the character with the most subtext:Example Movie Title: HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS
Character Name: Andie Anderson
Subtext Identity: (The Pretender)
An Advice Columnist who pretends to have an annoying personality in her new relationship, just to prove a point for an article she’s working on.
Subtext Traits: Manipulative, Scheming
Subtext Logline: Andie manipulates Ben, purposely sabotaging their budding relationship for her own career advancement.
Possible Areas of Subtext:
– Andie makes Ben miss seeing the final shot in a Knicks game by sending him to get her a soda
– She moves her things into his apartment, gets him a fern plant to represent their relationship.
– Takes him to a Celine Dion concert when he was under the assumption he was going to see a Knicks basketball game.
– Fed up with the project, Andie throws a fit at Ben’s boys’ poker night to finally drive him to break up with her.– – – – –
Part 2: For your two leads, brainstorm these answers:
Character Name: EVE GARDNER
Subtext Identity: (Overcompensater)
A washed-up graphic designer who’s freaked out that she just turned 50.
Subtext Traits: Polite, Falsely Calm, Evasive
Subtext Logline: Eve is in a midlife crisis, and tries to overcompensate by appearing calmer, more confident than ever. When triggered, she will over-react in the opposite way of what she’s feeling inside. Example: Laughing hysterically at a joke at her expense.
Possible Areas of Subtext:
– Eve plays along when a bartender refers to her as a “Young Lady.”
– She compliments the work of a younger employee who gets promoted over her.
– She hides her work from the 20-somethings in her art class, claiming that “it’s so good, it can only properly be shown in a gallery.”
– – – – – – –Character Name: JESSICA LeZARDE
Subtext Identity: (Evil Schemer)
A businesswoman who tests her amazing new anti-aging night cream in Eve’s hometown.
Subtext Trait: Seducing, Sneaky, Concealing
Subtext Logline: Jessica is an entrepreneur who will stop at nothing to get her product on the market, despite suspicions of danger.
Possible Areas of Subtext:
– Jessica tricks her niece Zivia into being one of her first test subjects.
– Jessica sweet-talks Zivia into promoting her products on Zivia’s TV station.
– When folks around town notice some strange things happening, she offers up some clever misdirection to take away any suspicions towards her.
– When folks actually figure things out, she justifies their youthful appearances by saying that “we all suffer for our beauty, right?”-
This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by
Pamela Rice.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by
Pamela Rice.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by
Pamela Rice.
-
This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by
Pamela Rice.
-
This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by
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William Whelan – Subtext Characters
Vision: To write a screenplay which will become a successful movie.
What I learned from doing this assignment is to develop subtext for my characters.
<ul type=”disc”>
- Movie Title: Chinatown
- Character Name: Jake Gittes
- Subtext Identity: Ex-cop
private investigator who has left the force under questionable
circumstances.- Subtext Trait: Guilt,
suspicious, emotional scars- Subtext Logline: Jake’s past as a police officer influences
his investigative style, and his interactions with Evelyn.- Possible Areas of Subtext: Jake’s interactions with Evelyn reveal deeper emotional wounds, particularly related to a failed marriage and a case gone wrong.
<ul type=”disc”>
- Character Name: Liza Valente
- Subtext Identity: Mafia
princess who desires to break with the family and pursue an acting career.- Subtext Trait: Manipulative,
distrustful, secretive- Subtext Logline: Mafia princess
who desires to be an actor and is secretly falling in love with Professor
Shaw.- Possible Areas of Subtext: Liza
continues to take theater classes against her father’s wishes.<ul type=”disc”>
- Character Name: Professor Shaw
- Subtext Identity: Cambridge
theater professor on sabbatical at Brooklyn college.- Subtext Trait: Confident, condescending,
snobbish- Subtext Logline: Cambridge
professor who is secretly falling in love with Liza Valente.- Possible Areas of Subtext: While
mentoring Liza he has an attraction to her.
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