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Lesson 6
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9 Replies
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Ken Wood’s Character Death Track
Concept: The longer an arachnologist keeps a mysterious, new, highly-venomous Amazonian spider alive, the more it kills and multiplies, and the questions remain, “How did this monster come to exist?” and, “Should it be allowed to live?”
Deaths 1-4
Crewmen aboard the Banana Cargo Ship
Why? To establish the atmosphere of horror in the opening two scenes. To establish that this is no ordinary spider, but one of cunning, ferocity, aggressiveness, and lethality.
How? We don’t see these deaths, we see these men who have been killed in their bunks in the sleeping birth of the ship.
Death 5
Port Supervisor
Why? Deny’s the warnings of the Captain, who is telling him there is a spider on board.
How? The Captain goes below deck into the engine room to shut off the engine in anger, rather than find out first why the Captain is so hysterically insane.
Death 6
Cali Ann, University student and lab assistant in the Anti-Venom Lab
Why? A character is in denial of the seriousness of the danger the spider poses. It increases the horror.
She dies because she and her boyfriend, Reese, also a lab assistant, disregard safety protocols and use their time in the lab for romance instead of feeding the creatures. They carelessly fail to put the weight back on the lid of the highly-dangerous Spider’s enclosure.
How? Teras, the spider, sneaks up behind her, while she and Reese are kissing. Crawls up her back and bites her.
Death 7
Reese Robbins, University student and lab assistant in the Anti-Venom Lab
Why? A character is in denial of the seriousness of the danger the spider poses. It increases the horror.
Reese disregards safety protocols and uses his and Cali Anns time in the lab for romance instead of feeding the creatures. They carelessly fail to put the weight back on the lid of the highly-dangerous Spider’s enclosure.
How? Teras, the spider, emits urticating hairs from its legs into Reese’s eyes and lungs. These are extreme irritants which spiders use to blind and restrict breathing in their prey. When Teras is finished with Cali Ann, Teras stalks Reese, who is now blinded, Reese tries to put of a good fight, but Teras bites him in the face. We then see Teras feast on Reese’s face.
Deaths 8-12
King Cobra and other Venomous Creatures in the lab
Why? We see an even greater example of the monster’s ferocity, cunning, aggressiveness, and lethality in defeating other venomous creatures. We establish the fact, that if Teras and any offspring are allowed to live as a new species, that they may endanger hundreds, if not thousands of other species, perhaps even the human species.
How? Teras finishes killing Cali Ann and Reese. A nearby spider provokes Teras. Teras exhibits a skill, she can tap glass with her pedipalps so hard, she can break it. Teras does this to get into the other spider’s terrarium and kill it. She goes on to kill everything in the lab by entering their enclosures.
Deaths 13, 14
Anon, a CIA Agent, and his Fellow Associate
Why? Denial of a character. Immoral guys meet their deaths.
How? The CIA Operatives enter the warehouse with Atticus to retrieve the egg sacs which Teras has laid among the bananas. Teras arrives and sees they have the egg sacs in their hands. They are warned to drop them, which they do. This causes the egg sacs to split open and thousands of baby spiders swarm out and over the men. Teras attacks and kills Anon first, then his Fellow Associate.
Death 15
Bob Crutchfield, Owner of Crutchfield’s Produce Warehouse
Why? Denial of danger. Careless in not inspecting the banana crates more thoroughly. We see that their venom will be as strong as their mother’s, Teras.
How? He tries to fight the spiders and Teras with his homemade flamethrower, but the baby spiders bite him enough that their venom finally defeats him.
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1. Jalynn’s Character Death Track
What I learned doing this assignment is that it helps to know why someone deserves to die in a script or live to terrorize another day.
Characters:
Cole – Fraternity Bro
Ethan – Frat Bro
Axel – Frat Bro
Creighton – Frat Bro
Malcolm – Frat Bro
Phillip – Frat Bro
Kellie – Housekeeper
Gary – Pledge
Benji – Pledge
Wesley – Pledge
Monster/Ethan:
Kills by pushing people or animals too far for the excitement/fun of it.
Monster/ Cats:
Kill by mauling
Going for the throat
Ripping off an arm or leg
Eating a person live
Character Death 1: Benji, Pledge
Why: He drank too much too fast and got alcohol poisoning.
How: This caused him to have a seizure and choke to death on the vomit.
Character Death 2: Axel, Frat Bro
Why: He followed Ethan, a sociopath and sadist, in everything. While trying to save themselves and finding knives in the kitchen, a big cat found them.
How: Ethan threw a knife at the cat and ran, leaving Axel to face the cat alone. The cat won when he chased Axel around the kitchen island and was faster than Axel. He ripped Axel’s arm off and Axel bled out.
Character Death 3: Malcolm, Frat Bro
Why: Malcolm thought he could scare a cat away with a whip. He was wrong.
How: Two cats chassed him at once, and one got him and started eating him live.
Character Death 4: Phillip, Frat Bro
Why: Tries to hide in a shower stall with a door. The panther outsmarts him.
How: The panther jumps into the shower, slashing Phillip from head to toe.
Character Death 5: Gary, Pledge
Why: Gary got away, but then went back to the scene of the kills. He could have saved himself if he’d allowed common sense to protect him, but he wanted to be a part of the fraternity too much. He decided saving a frat bro would gain him entrance into the fraternity.
How: He tried to distract a panther from killing Ethan. And he did, but the cat bit his head off for it.
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Mike’s Character Death Track
What I learned from this assignment is that the people who choose to go on their own are the ones who die.
David
How: Has to choose which noose to put his head in. Chooses wrong one.
Why: Made out with the wrong person. I could look like someone else did it.
Madison
How: Chooses the wrong drink. Drinks poison.
Why: Selfish; also can play into conspiracy.
Jacob
How: Chooses the wrong pistol. Shoots himself
Why: He had been released but chose an extra credit question to leave the group.
Heather (maybe)
How: Throat slashed in detention.
Why: It was her idea go into the building in the first place, and she tried to escape on her own.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by Mike Coste.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by
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Kris’ Character Death Track
What I learned from this assignment is that I needed to clarify Lonergan’s death. His is accidental, but realized that I could make it more gruesome by getting specific about it.
Character Death 1: Fergus Brody
Why: For crimes committed by his father
How: Drawn and Quartered by horses
Character Death 2: Nurse O’Leary
Why: Youngest living descendant O’Leary bloodline of Quarterman’s betrayers.
How: Strangled/dismembered.
Character Death 3: Kieran Boyle
Why: Youngest living descendant Boyle bloodline of Quarterman’s betrayers.
How: Strangled/dismembered.
Character Death 4: Charlie Drake
Why: Youngest living descendant Drake bloodline of Quarterman’s betrayers.
How: Strangled/dismembered.
Character Death 5: Lonergan
Why: Wrong place, wrong time.
How: Severed artery while being pulled through window.
Character Death 6: Mrs. Boyle
Why: Quarterman needs a new arm, and she is Youngest living descendant of Quarterman’s betrayers.
How: Strangled/dismembered.
Character Death 7: Officer 1
Why: Invading Quarterman’s space/threat to him
How: Strangled/dismembered
Character Death 8: Officer 2
Why: Invading Quarterman’s space/threat to him
How: Strangled/dismembered
Character Death 9: Briggs
Why: Threat to Quarterman’s escape
How: Strangled/dismembered.
Character Death 10: Henry
Why: Part of the Sullivan bloodline/threat to Quarterman’s survival.
How: Beheaded with family sword.
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Spike’s Character Death Track
What I learned doing this assignment is making sure I work out the timeline. I had to change up the story a bit from this.
Order characters die in:
Death 1: Karen’s Cat
Why: To scare Karen
How: Minion has voodoo doll of cat. Puts string around it’s neck and pulls. Cat dies tangled in the curtain pull string.
Death 2: Old Bruha lady
Why: She chose to try to counter the actions of the voodoo priestess with her own magic.
How: She is with a client doing some ritual for her and it backfires. Client becomes possesed in a way and kills Bruha lady.
Death 3: Chad
Why: He gets lost with Logan in maze. They find a room with a minion who kills Chad
How: We never see it. We just hear it from Logans POV.
Death 4: Logan
Why: He gets lost in maze with Chad
How: Maggots burst out of his skin leaving bones and skin behind
Death 5: Karen
Why: She falls behind in maze
How: Her hair keep growing to the point its getting caught on everything in the maze. The maze has so much hair in it, it starts to look like spider webs. Eyes appear as spider legs start to poke out of hair. She gets killed by a spider that looks like a minion.
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Bill Anderson’s Character Death Track for MOTHERLAND
What I learned doing this assignment is that summarising the death track crystallises the horror concept very effectively – I also learned that I’d basically done most of it as part of my Horror Plot in lesson 4 – maybe why that assignment took me so long!
Character Death 1: Michael
Why: Michael’s trying to help Jeb (who the monster’s already attacked), and threatens to hurt Beth
How: Chased and grabbed by monster root which makes him smash his head on rock and drown.
Character Death 2: Jan
Why: Jan conspires with Beth, deliberately sending Leah into danger into the known path of the monster, hoping the monster would kill Leah and not them. Subsequently Jan attacks her pregnant sister who’s trying to stop Jan sacrificing her father
How: Monster root smashes her against the wall as it pulls her outside through a window
Character Death 3: Jack
Why: He betrays his pregnant partner Beth by having sex with Jan – with Michael killed by the monster, Jack plans to undermine family and replace Jeb, insinuating himself as the singular patriarch.
How: Two monster roots snap his body – break his back and neck.
Character Death 4: Beth
Why: Conspired with Jan, deliberately sending Leah into danger into the known path of the monster, hoping the monster would kill Leah and not them.
How: Burns alive, trapped in fire accidently caused by Jan’s killing by monster root.
Character Death 5: Jeb
Why: Ignored Mother’s warnings and poisoned the earth/farm with chemicals to unsustainably over-exploit the land – caused the Mother to commit suicide in despair.
How: Left paralysed by monster root attempting to asphyxiate him as he’s trapped in a landslide crevasse; lungs attacked by spores from fungus sent by monster; finally when he confesses and asks for forgiveness monster root decapitates him.
Survivor: Leah
Why: She respects, nurtures and heals all living things and is untouched by the corruption in her family and its land. She saves Beth’s child.
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Rachelle’s Character Death Track
What I learned doing this assignment: The time I spent on the previous lesson made this one roll a little quicker. Doing a solid job on each assignment sets up for an easier time on the next assignment.
Order of Character Deaths
1. The Complainer dies first, because they are betrayed by the Loner. The Complainer has all of their limbs severed by the Kamaitachi and bleeds out.
2. The Loner dies second, because they choose to jump from the roof of the building rather than face the Doctor. Though the fall does not kill him, the Loner is picked apart by harpies.
3. The first Lover dies, because the monster made the decision. They are surprised/blindsided. Cerberus kills this character, because they are no longer needed in the story.
4. The second Lover dies, because the monster made the decision. Their escape attempt takes them into it. The doctor kills this character himself, because they are no longer needed in the story.
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Rad’s Character Death Track
What I learned:
So many ways to die! A challenge to link the style of death with the character in some way.
Character Death 1: Emma
Why: It Starts the horror
How: She dies alone smothered, suffocated by clothes after craving attention through her OnlyFans instead of caring for her family
Character Death 2: Bentley
Why: Moral reason: Her forgave his girlfriend for cheating on him with an older, richer man and agreed to take her back
How: Crushed under a huge weight
Character Death 3: Jessica, Bentley’s GF
Why: Moral reason: She cheated on Bentley and he forgave her but both must die bc they didnt separate
How: she is pelted to death with gold coins by a baying crowd
Character Death 4: Zoe (M2F trans)
Why: Moral reason: Zoe slept with Jamie’s father and stole a family heirloom
How: Forced to drink alcohol, take drugs and die a lonely death in a cage
Character Death 5: Jamie F2M
Why: Moral reason: Didnt forgive Zoe
How: Charge blindly into action
Character Death 6: Emily escape from death
Why: Betrayed / Character flaw / Moral reason:
How: Emily forgives him and says they cant be friends anymore
Character Death 6: Jaiden escape from Death
Why: Betrayed
How: Confessed to sharing intimate pics and vids of her online. Agree cant be friends
Character Death 6: Cayden
Why: Monster made the decision
How: Surprised / Blindsided because he thought everything was over.
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Andre’s Character Death Track
What I learned doing this assignment is,
1) Organize
a) Make list of Characters who will be terrorized.
b) Make list of ways monster kills people.
c) Choose whether the deaths of my story will have meaning or if they are just random.
2) Choose the order of deaths
2a) Start with the Survivor. The survivor (Our Audience, the 4<sup>th</sup> Wall) is the one We live through, all the way to the traumatic ending. The survivor will often fit the theme of my movie.
2b) Who dies first? Perhaps our Protagonist, then fetus after fetus. This one starts the horror and should be unexpected and shocking. The most beloved character. The leader or strongest of the group. The one most in denial. The innocent one. The one who is doing everything right.
2c) The Middle Deaths. Middle Characters can die in any order. Each death escalates the horror. Each death teaches us something about the monster. They display the rules of the monster, so the final characters cand defeat it. Some are morality deaths, meaning the character violated an important value.
2d) Apparent Death. Kill someone they loved, then bring them back in the end to save the day. My protagonist NDE.
3) Choose the “Why”. Adding a why to the deaths can add more depth to the movie. Obvious or subtle.
Choose the “How”. Each
character dies in a different way, but it fits my monster’s way of killing. The
early ones are “standard” for the monster. Later in the script, we need more
unique versions or circumstances for the deaths.THE ASSIGNMENT…
Transformational Journey / Logline:
Perfecting imperfection, the Divine Plan, consequences of the default of the Luciferin Rebellion, leading to the subsequent miscarriage of modern-day humanity.
Give the order in which
Characters die, Why and How.1) Character Death – Main Protagonist Death
a) Why: An accident; subsequently used by Transformational Character To cross him over “the veil”. Our Protagonist’s talent as a writer is the reason he is “brought back” from the dead, thus experiencing an NDE. That talent as a writer is used by Transformational Character as a proverbial get out of hell card, and redemption from annihilation.
b) How: Vehicle accident.
2) Character Death – Just one of many aborted fetuses.
a) Why: Various reasons why: Irresponsible, accident, rape, molestation.
b) How: Various methods: Coat hangers, back-alley procedures, standard clinics, etc.
3) The Corrupt Medical Board that aligned to discredit our Hero Indigo, and destroy his career.
3a) Character Death – Male Antagonist Medical Board member David.
i) Why: Medical malpractice. He commits suicide.
ii) How: Dies of Terrorist Act.
3b) Character Death – Antagonist Female Medical Board member Michelle–
i) How: Guilty of Medical malpractice, she chokes on a dick.
ii) Why: caused by his medical decision.
3c) Character Death – Male Medical Board member Biff-
i) How: He is smothered in herpes infected hairy muff, during cunnilingus. For some reason, females recommend him, because they somehow are attracted to his dirty sidious nature.
ii) Why: Guilty of medical malpractice, this corrupted fuck is reassigned to obgyn, where he has molested and raped numerous women, infecting them with genital herpes and impregnating them.
3d) Character Death – Antagonist Female Medical Board member Dianne-
i) How: dies of Terrorist Act due to lapse in security, lack of integrity.
ii) Why: caused by his decision.
3e) Character Death – Antagonist Female Medical Board member Phyllis-
i) How: dies of Terrorist Act due to lapse in security.
ii) Why: Caused by his medical malpractice and no accountability in decision making.
4) Character Death – Two-Thirds of the Black Community. Sorry Ass Niggas (SANs), Dead-Beat-Dads (DBDs), Thieves, Murderers, Jive-Ass Hustlers and Boss-Bitch-Baddies (BBBs)!
a) How: Spiritually they die. Then mentally they die. Which leads to their families and communities dying.
How: Lynchings, but done by blacks dressed in klansmen wear.
How: Middle Deaths.
b) Why: They forgot who they are, as a people. They aligned with the false narrative.
5) Character Death – Lucifer, The Devil, & Satan
a) How: Annihilation, from existence.
b) Why: All these precious endowments were lost by giving way to impatience and yielding to a desire to possess what one craves now and to possess it in defiance of all obligation to respect the rights and liberties of all other beings composing the universe of universes. Ethical obligations are innate, divine, and universal.
This rebellion would have taken from man and angel.
Why: “There are an equal number if reasons for not arbitrarily stopping the Lucifer rebellion which would be partially comprehensible to us, but not permitted to narrate. It is taught, that there are 48 reasons for permitting evil to run the full course of its own moral bankruptcy and spiritual extinction. No doubt, there are just as many additional reasons not known.
Why: Lucifer’s folly was the attempt to do the non-doable, to short-circuit time in an experiential universe. Lucifer’s crime was the attempted creative disenfranchisement of every personality in Satania, the unrecognized abridgment of the creature’s personal participation-freewill participation-in the long evolutionary struggle to attain the status of light and life both individually and collectively.
In so doing this onetime Sovereign of our system set the temporal purpose of his own will directly athwart the eternal purpose of God’s will as it is revealed in the bestowal of free will upon all personal creatures.
The Lucifer rebellion thus threatened the maximum possible infringement
of the freewill choice. In short, what God had given men and angels, Lucifer
would have taken away from them, that is, the divine privilege of participating
in the creation of their own destinies and of the destiny of this local system
of inhabited worlds.-Andre
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