Lesson 5

[Will Jennings]

Will Jennings: Likability/Relatability/Empathy

My Vision: I will write movies that are extremely funny and entertaining that bring a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment to a world starving for true enjoyment.

What I learned from doing this assignment is how to fool the audience into believing your characters are somewhat likable when in reality they are trash.

Brainstorm one or more ways you can present your Protagonist through each of these:

Likability:
The protagonist cheers up a kid who was chastised and humiliated by a cool
clique member. Within a few minutes, the protagonist transforms a sad teen
into laughter and happiness. <div>

Relatability:
As a motorcycle gang invades their neighborhood party, they use drones that
sound like police helicopters to force the gang to speed away to the
delight of the party members.

Empathy:
The twins march into the school principal’s office and demand the abusive
actions of the cool clique be stopped. The principal and secretary laugh
at their request and shove them out the door.

Just to get the experience, give us one or more ways that your Antagonist could be presented through each of these:

Likability:
The bad girl relentlessly mocks the nerdy kids to the amusement of the
cool clique.
Relatability:
To keep their status in the cool clique, the members fall in line with
undying respect for their leader. </div>

Empathy:
Seeing that the antagonist grew up with some seriously damaged parents, the
clique members realize they are damaged goods themselves and can only hope
their lives don’t end in complete and total tragedy.

[Tony Scott]

Tony J Scott Likability/Relatability/ Empathy

My true vision as a writer is to fall in love with writing and stay motivated to write from the love of writing and not as a chore and then hoping others will love my creations and become well known as a top writer in the screenplay community.

I learned that unless it’s truly a horror film even the monster can be likable, relatable and empathetic and this is another way of learning more about your characters even before you begin to write.

Protagonist: Najah Blackman

Old Ways

· Likability: Before the ceremony her uncle visits her in her room. She looks at a picture of her and her mother together when she was a child and wishes her mother was still around for her big night.

· Relatablility: She has always been of a free mind, disobedient, stubborn. She really misses her mother and asks her uncle why she left her all those years ago.

· Empathy: During the ceremony, Najah has a traumatic memory triggered seeing her mother sealed in a plastic bag and hanging from a hook in the secret food processing plant owned by her father.

New Plan

· Likability: Preferring to live her life as a human, she’s determined to kill her grandfather and end the curse.

· Relatability: The more Najah denies who she is meant to become the sicker she gets.

· Empathy: She is willing to die rather than become a Vampire like her Father.

Newer Plan:

· Likability: Najah discovers that she can time travel.

· Relatability: She wants to discover her family’s roots

· Empathy: When she returns to the present, her and her uncle bond over what she’s learned from the past. They can research the archives together to help her with her quest.

Newer Plan:

· Likability: Najah discovers that her grandfather’s life is in danger from the Vampire hunters.

· Relatability: She tries to help her grandfather fight them off but he is losing to them.

· Empathy: She has to bite a soldier and become a vampire to save her grandfather’s life.

Antagonist: Horace Blackman

· Likability: He misses his dad

· Relatability: Competed with his older brother as kids. Loved his father.

· Empathy: His happy childhood changed when he witnessed his father being captured by slavers.

· Likability: He admires his father’s accomplishments.

· Relatability: He falls in love with a human even though he hates them.

· Empathy: He believes his brother is sleeping with his wife and is heartbroken.

· Likability: He tries to help his Najah forget seeing her mother hanging dead in the food processing plant.

· Relatability: No matter what he does he can’t get Najah to like him.

· Empathy: Horace has Najah hypnotized to help her forget what she saw.

[Claudia OBrien]

Subject Line: Claudia’s Likability/Relatability/Empathy.

My vision: To become the best screenwriter I can be, and to find success in the industry.

What I learned from doing this assignment is: the incredible importance of likability, relatability and empathy. I watched Basic Instinct last night for the first time, so I could see in real time the intrigue and subtext discussed in this class. (Between a full time job, night law school, a wedding, then an intense job at BigLaw plus having two kids, I missed the 1990’s. As in, the entire decade. Just – missed it all.) In my view, Nicky completely fails in the likeability/relatability/empathy category. He’s just an asshole dripping with misogyny and self-pity. There’s nothing in the movie that makes you want to root for this guy. (Sure, somewhere in the second half of the movie, his wife’s suicide is referenced, but he’s so thoroughly unlikeable by then that it’s like, yeah, sure, cuz you drove her to it, you asshole.) Contrast that with mass-murderer John Wick – whom we love. The difference between these two characters is stark. And it makes a difference in the quality of the movie.

Grace O’Malley:

· Likability: She’s kind, friendly and eager to please.

· Relatability: In trying to do what others expect of her, she almost loses herself.

· Empathy: She faces an agonizing choice: her family or the man she loves.

Ann Wahl:

· Likability: Her devotion to her patients shines through whenever she interacts with them.

· Relatability: She’s not afraid to speak truth to power.

· Empathy: She’s been disowned by her family for who she is.

[Anna Burroughs-Merrill]

Anna’s Likability/Relatability/Empathy

My personal vision: to get my writing mojo back.

What I learned from doing this assignment: its great to think about likeability, but at this point, I’m focused on creating my inter-character intrigue.

Title: La Sirène (The Mermaid)

Protagonist: Jacob Staat

Likability: While a bit cocky, Jacob’s an all-American guy from rural Appalachia who would put his life at risk in a heartbeat to help you.

Relatability: He grew up dirt-poor, raised by his grandfather and widowed mother, and helped her raise 8 brothers and sisters. He is not ostentatious.

Empathy: His wife miscarried her four prior pregnancies while he was out at sea. He is determined that this time he will be there for her, and maybe the reduction of stress will allow her to bring this child to term. It is his whole reason for taking a “job in a cage” instead of out in the roughest water running life-threatening rescues. We can all relate to having to give up your dream in order to take care of your family first.

Antagonist: Capt’n Jack

Likability: He’s a mysterious character who we never realize we are crossing paths with, but there is something admirable about his quest for vengeance against “the system.”

Relatability: We all want to “strike out against the system” at times. Capt’n Jack just does it in a clever and violent way.

Empathy: We hear Capt’n Jack’s views through the voices of the young “direct action” eco-anarchists who have read his writings and are inspired by his work to commit their own small acts of monkeywrenching and vandalism.

[Mahee Sanapareddy]

Mahee’s Likability/Relatability/Empathy

My Vision – I want to be a great writer who is well-respected and recognized in the industry, with successful books published and blockbuster movies produced. I want to create a successful movie franchise that audiences all over the world will love, rave about, look forward to, and continue to enjoy many years from now.

What I learned from doing this assignment is making my intriguing lead characters likable, relatable and empathetic.

Protagonist: Trevon Campbell

Likability: No matter how big the problem is, he is ready to face it head on. He’s methodical, calculated, and always cuts to the chase.

Relatability: A bright young kid, who has been taken advantage of and led down the wrong path, is now trying his best to find his way back as he searches for his father’s killer.

Empathy: He has lost everyone in his family and is now the only one standing.

Antagonist: Reverend DuVernay

Likability: He is charming, well-spoken, clean-cut, and a devilishly handsome man.

Relatability: His unwavering focus, relentless desire, and unstoppable mindset to achieve greatness in life.

Empathy: He had lived a childhood of poverty, walked the harsh road, and ain’t going down that route ever again.

[Maureen Tilyou]

Maureen’s Likability/Relatability/Empathy

MY VISION: By nurturing fun and curiosity in the writing process, I will do my very best to create a successful writing career full of love, full of awe, full of productivity, and full of joy!

What I learned doing this Assignment is that listing out the likability, relatability and empathy for each main character stimulates the mind into tapping in, deepening the instances of these traits that you have, and creating more instances.

State: I
have fun…

Activity: …making
my characters likable, relatable, and empathetic!

Film: The Sovereignty Code.

DANIEL: PROTAGONIST

Likability:

ACT
1: As he hacks into computers and cameras, he sees people in
need or in danger and finds inventive ways to help them from his
keyboard. Possible Example: There is a female jogger who
Daniel likes and ‘follows’ online. He likes to think that he
is watching over her on her jogs. When he sees she
is about to be mugged by thugs waiting on her usual path, he hacks
into a nearby Male Athlete’s phone and talks him into warning her
from going down that path. OR Hacks into her heart rate
monitor and makes her heart-rate soar, so she doesn’t take the
steep path.

MIDPOINT:
Daniel tries to save the Rookie Cop, putting his own life in
greater danger.

THROUGHOUT
THE FILM: Despite the grave danger he is in, Daniel is always
aware that innocent bystanders could be hurt, and avoids that
possibility vigilantly. Is he completely successful?
Does anyone else get hurt? Die? How does Daniel
respond?

Relatability:
In the above ACT 1 example, he’s jealous when the Athlete gets the
jogger woman’s gratitude, and they exchange numbers.

Empathy:
As soon as Daniel witnesses the Reboot murder, his distressful
situation causes us to have empathy for him. This becomes even
more intense when he has to leave the safety of his bunker, and go
on the run from Reboot, and accelerates from there.

In
the ACT 1 Likability example above with the jogger, we empathize
with his distress in trying to save her from a mugging, then with
his distress that he sent her into the Athlete’s arms, then with his
genuine caring about her when he tells himself ‘ Don’t be like
that, Danny. At least she’s ok.”

In
the MIDPOINT example above, We empathize with Daniel’s distress at
being cornered and in danger of being killed. Then again when
he becomes concerned for the Rooky cop and risks his own safety to
try to save him, and then the additional distress of seeing
that the Rookie is killed despite his effort, followed by
intense fear of what is going to happen to Daniel now if the FBI
Goon gets to the gun before he does.

JOHANNA:
ANTAGONIST:

Likability: Johanna
is a horsewoman. Loves her horses. Great rider.

Relatability: Johanna
works hard on her marriage, as well as her passion for her work.
(Nuclear Fission. ) She believes her work will save the world some
day.

Empathy:
She and Gideon lost their young son years ago. She holds her
grief back, and resents Daniel, because she believes Gideon is
trying to use him to replace their son. Unknown to Gideon,
every year on the anniversary of their son’s death, she drives
hundreds of miles and spends the day on the beach where they
had shared their best times as a family.

GIDEON
– MENTOR / RED HERRING CHARACTER

Likability:
Gideon genuinely cares for Daniel, and has always tried to help him.
/ Even though he was part of Reboot, he realizes their dark
intentions and has been working against them.

Relatability:
Gideon feels torn between his love for his wife, and his growing
fear of what she and Reboot are trying to do.

Empathy:
Loss of his son at a young age. Daniel’s betrayal, which was that when
Daniel’s Mother falsely accused Gideon of seducing Daniel, Daniel
was too afraid of his Mother to speak up and tell the truth – that nothing like
that ever happened. Gideon was cleared, but Daniel was never
able to face him again- until now.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by  Maureen Tilyou. Reason: Unwanted font characters
• This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by  Maureen Tilyou.

[Ron Johnson]

My Vision: I want a space that is dedicated to writing, so I can have an entire wall for notecard storyboarding. I want my projects to advance in competitions and then be requested by the studios. I want to see those projects in festivals, in theaters, on streaming platforms. I want writing and producing to be my full time job.

What I learned doing this assignment is is that it’s far easier to create a characters dimensions rather than trying to add it after one or several drafts have been written.

Title: 8 Balled

Eddie Tanner-protagonist.

Likability: party time, break time at work he’s fun loving, tells jokes, has trivia.<div>

Relatability: hard working guy at work, helps the newcomer get adjusted to the job.

Empathy: lives alone trying to get by. loves his two ferrets and talks to them like people. Has an incredible computer system with multi screens.

Det. Taylor- Antagonist

<font color=”#4d5c6d” face=”SF UI Text, sans-serif”>Likability: trying to help the victim of a previous crime or op that went bad.</font>

<font color=”#4d5c6d” face=”SF UI Text, sans-serif”>
</font>

<font color=”#4d5c6d” face=”SF UI Text, sans-serif”>Relatability: being micro managed by his supervisor and receiving pressure from a 3 letter agency running their own op in his jurisdiction. </font>

Empathy: lays out the plan again for his boss who’s a career long desk jockey. The Boss want’s results for his press conferences in front of the media even though he himself has no practical field work experience

</div>

[Tully Archer]

Kavish and Lacy are in a doomed relationship, and move into a house haunted by Matt, whose life stopped the day his wife went missing (which we find out as part of the midpoint).

LIKEABILITY

Kavish: Thoughtful. Tries real hard. Loves Lacy very much.

Lacy: Funny. Empathetic. Loves Kavish very much.

Matt: Not at first, but after the midpoint: Loved Claire so much he never stopped looking for her, kept everything exactly the same so she’d feel right at home when she got back, for 30 years.

RELATEABILITY

Kavish: Feeling stupid and unsure in a relationship. On the wrong side of the balance between protecting yourself and committing your whole self to your partner.

Lacy: Feeling stuck in a relationship, despite all the positive feelings. Has given up, for now, in many ways; just so tired.

Matt: Suffered a major loss, like most of us have.

EMPATHY

Kavish: He’s being haunted! He almost lost his girlfriend, and scrambled to fix it. When we meet his dad (if I decide to do that LOL) it’ll be like, well shit, no wonder.

Lacy: She’s being haunted! Her family is truly antagonistic. And things keep blowing up in her face.

Matt: He has been suffering every day for decades.