Lesson 4

[Ed Lusk]

Ed Lusk – Character Profiles:

What I learned doing this assignment is characters are ever evolving. Even with preassigned traits another more dominate trait may emerge. I find traits are good for creating dialogue and actions. If only I can keep them in mind!

LOGLINE:

A Jesuit Priest, specializing in virology, is summoned to a secret Vatican research facility where he finds his faith and science challenged by a diabolical virus causing vampirism, which if he does not cure will destroy the world.

1. Character Name: Father Simon Merchant

Role: Jesuit Priest and expert virologist

Core Character Traits:

High Intelligence /Scientific Acumen

Guilt ridden

Messiah Complex (corrected)

Physically Fit

Character Subtext LogLine: Merchant is an intelligent person seeking to do what is right yet is conflicted over what is required of him by God and his peers.

Character Arc: Merchant finds his faith and scientific intellect challenged beyond comprehension until he realizes combining them is the way to salvation.

Secret: He’s conflicted about his vow of Chasity and his feelings towards Olivia.

Mission/Agenda: Merchant will redeem himself over his mother’s death by saving his friends and the world from the vampire illness.

Wants?Needs?: Understand his purpose in life. Need, to sincerely believe. Want, cure the vampires, Need, protect Olivia, the only other women in his life.

What makes this character unique? He’s a paradox, a conflict of doubt and faith, rationalism and spirituality, conflict over guilt, forgiving himself, while being forgiven. He has trepidations yet a strong resolve.

Elevation Correction:

He doesn’t have a “Messiah Complex”, per se, he’s more genuinely concerned about the well being and safety of others, not for his own gratification. I’m changing and going to use the trait of ” Compassionate”

2. Character: Father Gerald O’Hara

Role: Head of Vatican’s Institute for Occult Studies.

Core Character Traits:

Shrewd, Politically Motivated

Skeptical when it comes to the occult

Arrogant (always right)

Can’t be trusted (Devious)

**Added trait after consideration- pettiness

Character Subtext LogLine: Father O’Hara convinces others occult phenomena can be scientifically proven, while he secretly manipulates the diabolical for his own rise to power.

Secret: He’s in cahoots with the vampires trying to find a vaccine allowing them to exist in sunlight.

What makes this character unique? His a priest with a strong inclination toward villainy.

Want & Needs: Want to discover scientific solution to vampires. Needs to believe science is the ultimate solution to life’s problems. Want to live up to his reputation, Need to be justly recognized.

His World View, science is the answer, use the church as a smoke screen to power.

**Elevation trait addition, I find at the core of O’Hara is he’s insecure over not getting the recognition he feels he deserves. He’s lashing out, conspiring against the church for this snub. Let’s call it “Pettiness”

3. Character Name: Father Paolo Collini

Role: Priest specializing is the occult and exorcist

Character Subtext Logline: Father Collini seeks to serve mankind by defeating evil through his devote faith and scholarly wisdom.

Core Character Traits:

A true erudite

Good natured

Strong loyalty

A paternal nature

Doddering

Stickler for rules

Character Subtext Longline: Father Collini is naive when it comes to the of the machinations of the Vatican but resolute when caring for his friends and encountering challenges to his faith.

Life Metaphor: Soccer is not just a game, it’s a solution to the world’s problems.

Needs & Want, defeat vampirism, wants to protect the church and his friends. Need defeat evil, wants, to validate faith. Needs, find compromise, wants a peaceful world.

What makes this character unique? Father Collini, a fatherly figure, rapid soccer van is a bad ass exorcist and loyal friend.

Secret: His own stash of ancient scrolls referencing the occult and debunking myths.

4. Character Name: Olivia Norcross

Role: Father Merchant’s Graduate Assistant and temptress

Core Character Traits:

Attraction to forbidden fruits (strong men)

Demureness

Assertive

Stubborn

An Egalitarian

Cleverness

Character Subtext Longline: Olivia studies under Merchant not for the benefit of his acumen but for his allure.

Secret: Oliva is torn between her feeling for Le Nguyen, former college BF, available but complications (she aborted his baby), and Simon Merchant, unavailable yet perfect for her.

Something she does not want to admit: She seeks self-sufficiency yet wants a man in her life who provides a level of security she won’t deny is gratifying.

Needs/Wants – Needs to play a bigger role in Merchant’s life. Wants him to leave the church for her.

**Elevation correction to Olivia – Olivia in the end is a hero. Her cleverness is what enables Merchant to save them from the vampires. We call that -what makes her unique!

5. Character Name: Yofiel

Role: The leader of the vampires

Core Traits:

Evilness

Cunning

Political /Strategic

Adaptable

Intimidating

Character Subtext Logline: Immortality is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Secret: He inhabits the body once belonging to a roman centurion.

Worldview: Use whatever means available to destroy the church and all god’s creation.

Flaw: underestimating humans.

What makes this character unique: He has a secret longing to be free of his infliction

• This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by  Ed Lusk.

[Michael Williamsen]

That old conflict between science and faith. Tho, I suppose if you have an absolute faith, you must believe there is a absolute science. I have long argued with scientists their science has been historically based on faith, and continues and science evolves.

[Randall Stevens]

Randall Stevens; Character profiles: <st1:street><st1:address>Revival Road</st1:address></st1:street>

LOG <st1:stockticker>LINE</st1:stockticker>:

A woman who denies she possesses the hidden dominant trait of a Norse goddess gets abducted by a Norse religious cult to be sacrificed to bring about the end of the world. She discovers she must liberate the trait to prevent it.

What I learned from this assignment is that I have no idea what the subtext is on these characters. What I wrote is pure speculation.

NOTE: It was very difficult, like most assignments so far, when one cannot ask questions of the teacher.

Character Name: Susan Waythill

ROLE: Protagonist

Core Character Traits

– Serious

– Likes animals more than people

– Self reliant

– Suspicious

FLAW: Trust issues that affect her life negatively.

CHARACTER ARC:

Estranged from her Father, because of opposite beliefs.

CHARACTER DOESN’T ADMIT ABOUT HERSELF:

She lives in fear.

SUBTEXT:

Goes on this quest to prove her Father wrong.

CHARACTER NAME: Sam Masters

ROLE: Protagonist love interest.

<st1:stockticker>CORE</st1:stockticker> CHARACTER TRAITS:

– In charge

– Self Confident

– Few Friends

Identifies mission and makes it a priority.

SUBTEXT:

None.

CHARACTER NAME : Lord Lokan

ROLE: Antagonist.

<st1:stockticker>CORE</st1:stockticker> CHARACTER TRAITS:

– Kill his enemy in process of new world order.

– Evil

– In control

– Has a secret passion for Karin.

This character uniqueness is that he is a mythological God.

SUBTEXT:

He must have revenge on his antagonist Susan who is responsible foe revival’s in the past.

CHARACTER NAME: Erik Nygaard

ROLE: Nemesis

SUBTEXT:

He must act as one of the towns leaders while at the same time plotting he and his wife’s escape.

CHARACTER NAME Karin Nygaard

ROLE: Wife of Erik.

What makes her unique is that she’s only twenty and is Susan’s Grandmother and Susan’s Dads Mother.

SUBTEXT:

She’s becoming slowly becoming aware of what happened to her, but unsure where it leads.

[Michael Williamsen]

Randall, I’ve had the same obsession with raising my hand. If you put your question in your What I Have Learned – I will ponder it as well.

[Ed Lusk]

Your protagonist, Susan, has a terrific profile, I can see her as an entertaining character. Try to develop the antagonist, Lord Logan, even more. You’ll have a great paring!

[Michael Williamsen]

why can’t we delete when posting in the wrong place?

• This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by  Michael Williamsen.

[Michael Williamsen]

WIL: I have always thought of keeping a character description handy while writing. This assignment. Here is what I have so far. This will definitely be much more developed before I start the actual rewrite.

LOGLINE of VICTORIA LOVE INTEREST obviously a looker in her day now weathered by too many expectations leading to disappointments.

Role in the story Single mother Victoria (Victory in Latin) is caught in the middle of her ex-husband, Sheriff Mike* who seems to killing off his kidnapping suspects while her new billionaire/defense attorney boyfriend $Bob$ appears to be the kidnapping ring leader. Her daughter disappears. She has to rise up against all her traits to save her daughter.

Core Character Traits (no more than five)

Flaw – she relies on men for support and life decisions.

Want/Need – to be simply a mother

Mission/Agenda – she must manipulate her ex-husband, current boyfriend and Mexican gang to save her daughter with no skills.

Character Arc (if any) Meek and insecure, all is hopeless, she pulls it together, saves her daughter, rejoins her daughter in a simple life

Secret -. She is of Mexican decent and connected to the Mexican Gangsters. both Sheriff Mike’s side/kick deputy and Billionaire boyfriend Bob’s driver are her cousins.

Subtext Logline – Victoria is sweet, caring, and honest to a fault. She learns to lie. Then she learns to lie in her caring.

Sheriff MIKE*, (apparent HERO) 50, going on 70. His shoulders slump to one

side, his face has the nose that found itself in the wrong

place too many times. A sheriff’s badges glistens, hanging

crooked, on a uniform almost as wrinkled as the man wearing

it, all under the hair of a fashion magazine cover.

Flaw -Being sheriff too long has made him overly bold, mistakenly confident in his abilities, and too loyal to marginal friends.

Want/Need –Save his daughter, make his late father proud, reunite his family with Victoria, have his grandkids grow up at the mansion he inherited from his father.

Mission/Agenda - to find the kidnappers and serial killer

Secret- he is dying of cancer, he may actually be the serial killer killing off his kidnapping suspects – the story ends without a clear answer.

Something they don't want to admit about themselves: he is way out of his league opposing billionaire Bob. His mansion is in ruins.

BILLIONAIRE $BOB$,VILLAIN dominating, wickedly handsome, always dressed like he was just modelling for GQ Magazine, never met a mirror he didn’t like. Jokester –

Flaw – self-confidence beyond realty. Narcissist and sociopath.

Want/Need – to make his late father proud by extending family wealth exponentially at all costs to the little people.

Mission/Agenda – Power and riches, more is more

World View – all the world is his servant

Secret he really is the kidnapper ringleader, doesn’t get that because the words came out of his mouth makes them true.

Something they don't want to admit about themselves:

What makes this character unique? A billionaire willing to spend

MAYOR

Role – Sheriff’s Mikes long-term trusted friend. Mayor betrays him - Mike finds out too late.

Core Character Traits – many sided, plays people easily, makes practical decisions

Character Subtext Logline – he charming, well spoken, a great liar

OPTIONAL:

Flaw – womanizer

Want/Need -

Mission/Agenda -

Character Arc he is loyal friend, gets blackmailed, joins kidnapping ring, brings ring into human trafficking, greed gets him blown up

Life Metaphor/Identity

Secret – he betrays his long-time friend Mike early in the story known only to Bob and audience