Lesson 3: Character Subtext

[Pamela Rice]

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.
– – – – – –
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.
• 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  Pamela Rice.

[William Whalen]

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”>