Lesson 4: Character Intrigue

[Pamela Rice]

Pam’s Character Intrigue

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: I found this to be challenging, but understand that creating intrigue layers is necessary, and will help prevent OTN dialogue.
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Character Name: EVE GARDNER
Role: Protagonist / Washed-up graphic designer
Areas of Intrigue/Subtext:
Competition: Her friend Zivia has outshone Eve since high school. She’s had enough, and is making it her personal mission to finally out-do her.
Unspoken Wound: She’s having an inner meltdown re: her 50th birthday, but she’s trying to
pretend it’s no big deal.

How will her subtext show up in the movie?
– Eve will try to prove that she is equal to or better than Zivia.
– When Zivia announces her engagement, Eve tells her that her boyfriend Todd most likely will be proposing as well — they’re meeting for a special dinner (where he breaks up with her).
– She starts wearing clothes that are a little too young for her; she flirts with younger men (Zivia’s throw-backs); she starts using “Younger Generation” slang.
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Character Name: JESSICA LEZARDE
Role: Antagonist/Villain/Cosmetics
Entrepreneur
Areas of Intrigue/Subtext:
Hidden agendas: For financial gain, she wants to get everyone hooked on her anti-aging products before they
discover the ugly truth.
Secrets: She tested the product previously
in another town, with disastrous results.
Secret
Identity: She’s much,
much older than she tells people.

How will her subtext show up in the movie?
– When people assume her husband Louis is her father, she doesn’t always correct them.
– She practically gives her anti-aging night cream away initially, then gradually raises the price.
– She gets out in front of the oncoming side-effects, giving users false reasons as to why strange things are happening around town.
– She lies about where she used to live, lest anyone discover dangerous truths about the secret ingredient used in her night cream.
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Character Name: ZIVIA WEST
Role: Eve’s best friend/Jessica’s
niece/Local TV personality
Areas of Intrigue/Subtext:
Competition: One of the reasons that Eve is
her best friend is that she typically looks that much better when compared
to her. There is an unspoken rivalry between them.
Secrets: She is one of the first people
that discovers the night cream is dangerous, but uses it anyway (since she
looks fantastic).

How will her subtext show up in the movie?
– Zivia and Eve were in the same graduating class, but Zivia considers herself to be younger than Eve, and reminds her of that on Eve’s birthday.
– When people compliment her on her remarkable appearance and ask her how she does it, she claims it’s all from “healthy living and sunscreen.”
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• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by  Pamela Rice.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by  Pamela Rice.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by  Pamela Rice.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by  Pamela Rice.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by  Pamela Rice.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by  Pamela Rice.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by  Pamela Rice.
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[William Whelan]

William Whelan – Character Intrigue

Vision: To write a screenplay which will become a successful movie.

What I learned from doing this assignment is to add intrigue to my characters.

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