Lesson 8

[Lloyd Shellenberger]

Lloyd Shellenberger Supporting Characters

Working hard every day to become the best writer I can be and as a result becoming the best writer in Hollywood.

Lesson 8: Purpose Driven Supporting Characters

Supporting Characters:

Name: Farida Aziz

Role: Interpreter’s Wife

Main Purpose: She and her children are the reason Reese and his men risk their lives to help her. She gives his life a meaning and focus it has not had for a long time.

Value: The family’s value is to to humanize the war conflict and help Reese seek much needed redemption for his brother’s death. Reese can finally forgive himself and move on.

Question 1: Why is the Interpreter, his widow and children vital to this script? The death of the interpreter is the inciting incident but the Widow and her children represent the change agent to Reese and his soldiers.

Name Robert E. Delaney

Role: State Department official

Main Purpose: Ambassador Delaney is the Bureaucratic foil needed to add tension and barriers that Reese must navigate.

Value: The impossible odds that Reese faces may be is just the thing to make him realize there is something happening here that is bigger than himself. It is worth risking his career over.

Question 1: Why is Ambassador Delaney important? This is the transition from the old rigid ways to the new ways as Reese realizes he cannot take on the ambassador alone, he needs to bring in the Congressman. He becomes defiant, something that a career soldier shouldn’t be.

Name: Ahmed Al-Sadar

Role: Terrorist Antagonist

Main Purpose: Al-Sadar is the greatest problem that Reese must face for himself, his soldiers, and finally the family’s well being. He forces Reese to up his game or die.

Value: Al-Sadar figuratively represents the gang that killed his brother in a drive by so Reese sees this as his second chance to stop this tragedy since he couldn’t help his brother. Reese is also forced to seek out a confrontation with Al-Sadar to protect the family.

Question 1: Why is Al-Sadar vital? He represents to total commitment from old ways to new ways by helping this family to the point where he is willing to die to protect them.

Name: Gary E. Hamilton

Role: Commander of Reese’s unit

Main Purpose: The Commander’s role is to enforce a set of guidelines and rules on his unit, Reese, and his men. In some ways the Commander is a foil as well.

Value: The Commander adds another lever of conflict that presents a major conflict that could get in the way of Reese accomplishing his mission.

[Margaret]

Margaret’s Supporting Characters

Margaret’s Vision: To be the best screenwriter for faith-based movies

What I learned: The importance of giving supporting characters purpose and value.

Movie Title: Rock of Cashel

Supporting Characters:

Name: Bacrah

· Role: King Aengus’ Chief Druid. Bacrah is a druid under Morrigan’s control.

· Main Purpose: His purpose is to keep the High King loyal to Morrigan and teach the King’s children the same.

· Value: He functions as Morrigan’s spy and voice to influence the High King.

Name: Milcho

· Role: Patrick’s Master in Ireland

· Main Purpose: Helps Patrick escape from Morrigan.

· Value: Shows us the hardened hearts of the Irish against any belief in Patrick’s God and their deep rooted loyalty to Morrigan.

Name: King Loeghaire

· Role: Irish King who gives insight into the pagan culture

· Main Purpose: Set Patrick up with his traveling companions, Dubtach and Lizzie

· Value: He introduces us to the power of the Kings and gives Patrick safe passage on his journey to meet another king and seek permission to proselytize

Name: King Eochaid

· Role: Irish King who chooses death over healing by Patrick’s God

· Main Purpose: Sends Patrick to the High King

· Value: Reveals the stronghold Morrigan has over the Irish Kings

Name: Dubtach

· Role: Converted Druid who betrays Patrick

· Main Purpose: To set Patrick up as the one who would fulfill the legend, seducing the people and subverting the old order of things

· Value: Shows the stronghold fear has over the druids

Name: Alita – Patrick’s sister

· Role: Sister who was kidnapped with Patrick and taken to Ireland

· Main Purpose: Promotes empathy for Patrick, reveals how the rebellious teen has strayed from his Christian upbringing

· Value: Intrigue. Patrick searches for her throughout the story.

Name: Elizabeth McGee (Lizzie) Slave woman Patrick mistakes for his sister

· Role: Mistaken for Alita, Patrick’s sister, becomes his traveling companion

· Main Purpose: Saves Patrick’s life

· Value: Voice of reason between Patrick and Dubtach. Able to give Patrick insight into the culture.

Name: King Aengus – High King

· Role: High King who becomes a Christian

· Main Purpose: Set up trials for Patrick, allows Patrick to show the way to God

· Value: Opens the door for Christianity in Ireland

Name: Angel Victor – St. Patrick’s protector

· Role: God’s protecting Angel

· Main Purpose: Protect Patrick from Morrigan’s attacks

· Value: Show God’s protection of Patrick

Background Characters:

1. Milcho’s wife

2. Meraxes – Morrigan’s Dragon

3. Abhartach – Dwarfs, undead creatures of the Otherworld

4. Slaugh- Otherworld spirits of the dead

5. Druids – under Bacrah’s leadership

6. King Aengus’ army

7. King Loeghaire’s army

[Ruthie Harris]

Ruthie’s Supporting Characters

My Vision: To be known for and make a living from female-driven, dark comedy, while remaining confident that I have the skills and knowledge to elevate my ideas to their highest potential.

What I learnt: It’s fun to round out the next layer of characters. Just because they have smaller roles, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be as fleshed out as your leads.

2. Tell us your supporting and background characters.

Supporting Characters:

Audrey – Zadie’s Assistant

Ludicia Harding – LGBTQ+ Comic

Emily Patterson – Rival Agent

Background Characters:

Roland Silver – Producer

Molly Palmer – Director

Evan – Agency owner and Zadie’s boss.

Lenny Mayer – New Talent

Joel – Emily’s assistant

Juniper – Audrey’s girlfriend

Actors & employees at the agency

Media and film production people

TV/Podcast presenters

Paparazzi

Award show and party attendees

Fans etc.

3. Focusing on those supporting characters, fill in the basic profile for each.

Support 1:

Name: Audrey

Role: Assistant (and revealed to be Zadie’s daughter.)

Main purpose: To be Zadie’s conscious and cheerleader.

Value: She’s a big proponent in Zadie finally overcoming her imposter syndrome and reaching the big leagues.

Support 2:

Name: Ludicia Harding

Role: LGBTQ+ Comic

Main purpose: After drunken high jinx, a kiss between Ludicia and Zadie goes viral, and people assume Zadie is gay.

Value: This moment becomes a catalyst for Zadie when she’s outed as straight and faces a backlash from the LGBTQ+ community.

Support 3:

Name: Emily “Mother Fucking” Patterson

Role: Rival Agent

Main purpose: She poaches Zadie’s clients, including Jasper.

Value: To highlight the cut-throat nature of Hollywood and add to Zadie’s lowest moments. It also provides comic relief when Zadie goes after her.

[Lenore]

WIM Module 3, Lesson 8

Lenore Bechtel’s Supporting Characters

My vision: I want to create enough salable screenplays that an agent will want to market my work and recommend me for writing assignments.

What I learned from doing this assignment is that supporting characters must be required in multiple scenes to make the lead character’s journey happen, as opposed to background characters who have few if any lines.

My Title: Berlin Rendezvous?

Concept: Keeping her promise to Zhores, the Russian soldier she loved until the Berlin Wall went up in 1961, Libby—flying to meet him when the Wall is coming down in 1989—is stunned to learn how her seat-mates lives intertwined with theirs.

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS (all in flashback).

YOUNG LIBBY ENGEL

Role: to establish Libby’s independent spirit at age 20.

Main purpose: to show how she was in Berlin and fell in love with a Russian soldier

Value: Libby’s present journey would not be possible without Young Libby’s story.

MARILYN ENGEL

Role: The Major’s new wife, without whom Young Libby could never have been invited to Berlin.

Main purpose: To change Young Libby’s opinion of the Major from the birth father who sent money and an occasional postcard to the birth father who truly cares about his daughter.

Value: Young Libby will learn the value of family the way the older Libby must re-learn it on her present journey.

MAJOR STUART ENGEL

Role: to help establish the political tension that caused the Russians to put up the Berlin Wall.

Main purpose: to show Young Libby how much a father will do to earn a daughter’s love

Value: Libby will later realize she neglected her own son the very way she resented the Major neglecting her.

STEPHANIE ENGEL

Role: Marilyn’s 10-year-old daughter adopted by the Major

Main purpose: to give Young Libby a reason for being at Schulenberg Park babysitting her

Value: Her contact to Sonja Gohkle demonstrates how West Berliner children were indoctrinated to admire Russian rule.

HELGA GOHKLE

Role: to befriend Young Libby and introduce her to Zhores

Main purpose: to show the hopelessness of being under Russian occupation

Value: to be the grown-up friend that the older Libby later visits with her 15-year-old son

SONJA GOHKLE

Role: Helga’s 10-year-old sister who marches with the children’s troupe

Main purpose: to demonstrate the harm done to indoctrinated children

Value: to show how the Russian regime turned children against parents

ZHORES BUKOVSKY

Role: Russian soldier who broke rules to fraternize in East Berlin

Main purpose: to fall in love with Young Libby and make a promise to meet her at Schulenberg Park on the day the Wall came down

Value: He is the story’s main suspense. After the older Libby has overcome many obstacles to make it to the park on time, will he show up?

HEINZ MARX

Role: Helga’s boyfriend who will never be at peace until he finds the mother who left him on a church’s porch when he was a newborn baby.

Main purpose: to have the mother, an heiress, find him years later and bring him and his wife and pregnant daughter to the USA

Value: Allison figures out that he and her grandmother, Hank and Helen, are the Heinz and Helga in Young Libby’s story.

BACKGROUND CHARACTERS:

Ticket agent in Chicago

Flight attendant

Louvre guard

Cab driver

Ticket agent in Paris

Car rental agent in Hamburg

Celebrants in Berlin

One particular celebrant who gets them to Schulenberg Park

Helen and Hank—the older Helga and Heinz

The older Stuart Miller

The older Zhores Bukovsky

BACKGROUND CHARACTERS IN FLASHBACK:

Many Vopos (police)

Department store cashier

Frau Gohkle

Herr Gohkle

[H. Vince]

Student Name: H. Vince

WIM – 2023

Lesson 8: Purpose Driven Supporting Characters

My Vision: I am going to go to the theater in disguise and watch a movie I wrote and listen to the reactions of the audience.

What I learned from doing this assignment is…

That this is a point where things are getting questionable. Is it possible that this story may no longer be a Dramatic Triangle like I thought it was? Maybe it was a Buddy Movie all along and I had to discover it and the doctor was a supporting character? Since the script is not finished, are we able to change things at this point? I thought about this and realized Dr. Ria must be the antagonist because he set James up on this edible that caused his memory loss. It was antagonistic behavior causing the whole reason why James lost his memory and caused Clara to be in a very difficult situation. I am also struggling with giving Clara a new male friend in the country that helps her but he falls for her while he’s helping Clara. I’m also toying with the idea of Clara blaming James for withholding the truth and maybe she wanted to go somewhere else on their dream vacation??

Tell us your supporting and background characters.

Supporting Characters: Doctor in a foreign land, a friend of Clara’s,
a younger sibling of Clara’s, James & Clara’s children, Clara’s hairdresser,
James’s boss at work <div>

Background Characters: People at airport, people on flight, people
at a restaurant, people at James’s work, other background scene people

Support 1: If the story became a buddy movie rather than a Dramatic Triangle..

Name: Dr. Ria </div>

Role: Family Doctor

<div>

Main purpose: Suggests James take part in a clinical trial for an
edible to help him with his anxiety

Value: Was not forthcoming about the results of memory loss and put
James and Clara in this situation without their consent

Support 2:

Name: Dr. (Unknown) </div>

Role: Doctor in a foreign
country

<div>

Main purpose: to evaluate James and what has happened to him

Value: Gives Clara more insight into what has happened to James,
shows the need for travel health insurance

Support 3:

Name: Unknown – not sure if this should be male or female at this
time </div><div>

Role: a new friend to Clara

Main purpose: To help her find James in a foreign country

Value: Someone Clara comes across on her journey. If it’s a woman friend
then she could be an empathetic friend that saw Clara struggling at the
hotel when she goes to ask if anyone has seen James. If it’s a male friend,
maybe he takes a liking to Clara and she later rejects him because she’s
married.

Support 4:

Name: Josie (child) </div><div>

Role: Clara’s younger sister

Main purpose: to show a time when Clara had to be a leader and take
of her sister

Value: Being a leader and helping her sister on her own showed that
there was a time when she would rise on her own even when her sister was not
being so friendly to her

Support 5:

Name: Josie (adult) </div><div>

Role: Clara’s younger sister

Main purpose: is someone Clara calls when she doesn’t know what to do

Value: Shows the support system Clara has

Support 6:

Name: Rocky (adult) </div><div>

Role: James and
Clara’s son

Main purpose: tells
his mom he is taking a flight to help her

Value: shows
that James & Clara have a support system

Support 7:

Name: Rocky (child) </div><div>

Role: James and Clara’s son

Main purpose: to show a time when Clara had to be a leader and take
of her son when James wasn’t there

Value: Being a leader and a mother without James around to help

Support 8:

Name: Sam (child) </div><div>

Role: James and Clara’s son

Main purpose: to show a time when Clara had to be a leader and take
of her son when James wasn’t there

Value: Being a leader and a mother without James around to help

Support 9:

Name: Lisa </div><div>

Role: Clara’s hairdresser

Main purpose: to show a time when Clara was discussing different
ways to develop dementia
Value: Reminds Clara about the research she did, reminds her how she
had no clue James would develop it

Support 10:

Name: Unknown </div>

Role: James’s boss

Main purpose: to show a stressful boss and work environment

Value: This gives a main reason for his anxiety

[Melissa Barreca]

Melissa Barreca’s Supporting Characters

My vision: Melissa Barreca is one of the most sought after writers in the movie industry because of the artistry of her writing, professionalism and exceptional ability to tell important, entertaining, joyful, and heartbreaking stories that inspire audiences and become legendary classics.

What I learned…Thinking about the character’s purpose in moving the story along helps identify key traits for that character.

Tell us your supporting and background characters.

Supporting Characters: Adoption agents husband and wife, Doyle, NYC Neighbor, the children (three), Adoptive parents in Missouri

Background Characters: Orphans; Potential adoptive couples; City people; tenement people, factory people, railway workers, adoption agency workers

Focusing on those supporting characters, fill in the basic profile for each.

Support #1 – the children

Name: Bridget, Donal and Maeve Murphy

Role: The children of Norah and Doyle Murphy.

Main Purpose: These are the most important people in Norah’s life and they are the least important to Michael. He sees them as standing in his way of accomplishing his dreams and Norah is completely consumed with caring for them and when she loses them, she is heartbroken. The children are young, sweet and good natured in general. But Bridget can be mouthy, Donal is energetic and mischievious and Maeve is the baby who has a cherub face but is high maintenance and never wants to leave her mother’s side.

Value: The whole story and conflict revolves around the question of whether these children will ever be happily reunited with their mother again. We see their journey as the outward expression of Norah’s gut wrenching internal struggle throughout the film and what the children is experiencing is often the exact opposite of what Norah is experiencing in the moment.

Support 2 Norah’s husband:

Name: Doyle Murphy

Role: Norah’s husband who dies in an accident (we think).

Main purpose: Doyle anchors Norah to her past, gives her something to fight for and makes her remember the best parts of herself. His memory and his love is a powerful motivator for her to keep fighting to reunite with her children. Doyle also provides motivation for Michael, as he felt competitive with him and has unresolved issues from their history that make his conquest of Norah even more important to him.

Value: We see the idealized vision for Norah’s future (and past), and we see why, through his relationship with Doyle, that Michael felt so compelled to insert himself in their relationship and win out over his rival, Doyle.

Support #3 – adoption agents

Name: Jack and Helen Taylor

Role: Adoption agents that place the Murphy children on the Orphan train

Main purpose: They are the ones who place the children for adoption, and help provide assistance in eventually reuniting them with their mother. They are a calming and nourishing and guiding influence on Norah and all of the children who lovingly call them Grandpa Jack and Grandma Helen.

Value: Show an idealized form of familial love and ties with a loving father/mother figure for both Norah and her children. Provide a pathway for Norah to take back control of her life and fight for her children.

Support #4 – NYC Neighbor

Name: Matilda McTavish

Role: Neighbor of the Murphy family in the crowded NYC tenement building, she often helps with the children when Norah needs it.

Main Purpose: Matilda is truly the only support that Norah has in New York and she is unreliable and crabby much of the time. Norah hates leaving her children in the care of Mrs. McTavish, but she has no choice.

Value: The crabby Mrs. McTavish is a symbolic representation of the harshness of life in America for this Irish immigrant family and the willingness of Norah to leave her precious children with her is one of the first indications we see of the slow degradation of her life and the hard choices she is having to make in order to survive.

Support #5 – Adoptive parents in Missouri

Name: Genevieve and George Valle

Role: The kind and generous adoptive parents of Bridget and Donal Murphy.

Main Purpose: The Valles rescue the Murphy children from a horrible life in the dirty tenements of New York. When they arrive in their home, the children are shellshocked and malnourished. Through the loving care of the Valles, the children begin to heal and thrive in southern Missouri.

Value: The Valles offer hope for the Murphy children and later for their mother and father. They are the symbolic representation of goodness in the world and good people willing to help others and support them with a loving community. The role of the Valles is to show a healing solution that allows the entire family to heal and thrive, but Norah must make the right moves and take initiative to make it happen.

[Alyssa Giannola]

Alyssa’s Supporting Characters

One Sentence Vision: I want to be the best writer I can be and a go-to writer in the industry, crafting scripts that become successful movies which make a lasting impact on people.

What I learned from this assignment is…how important it is to make sure all the characters are valuable and have a purpose, even if they’re only in a few scenes. I’m still pondering if I need to add more supporting characters.

Supporting Characters: Parker, Lila, Jo, Mikhail

Background Characters: Lab Techs, Cops, Robots, Gala Guests, Pedestrians, Alex’s Parents (intro), Church Attendants/Workers, Vendors, Shop Owners

Support 1

Name: Parker

Role: Cop, Celia’s partner at the precinct

Main purpose: He is a sounding board for Celia, helps her with transportation to the Fate Walker, and kills Alex in the end.

Value: He helps Celia out, as her friend and partner, while trying to pit her against Alex causing tension in their marriage. He adds stakes as the assassin who is after Alex, although we don’t know it’s him until the end.

Support 2:

Name: Lila

Role: Lead scientist, Alex’s right hand tech

Main purpose: She is the expert Alex consults regarding the serum throughout and lends her aid when they need help.

Value: She offers exposition regarding the science and is the one who helps them access the lab before it’s incinerated. At the very end, they have to get the information about the serum safely to her, in order to mass produce it.

Support 3:

Name: Jo

Role: Alex’s assistant

Main purpose: She is a sounding board for Alex in the beginning; he has to chose between saving her life and saving the serum, and he choses the serum.

Value: She helps set up the world with exposition in the beginning and her death shows how far Alex is willing to go for his goal, setting up his arc.

Support 4:

Name: Mikhail

Role: Works for the church

Main purpose: He tells Alex and Celia where to find the Fate Walker and sets up more of the mystery around the church and who is behind everything.

Value: He adds mystery and assists with exposition about how the church works and who the Fate Walker is; his death adds tension and stakes as we see someone else die who has the death fortune by the hands of a mysterious assassin.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by  Alyssa Giannola.

[Christopher Confer]

WIM Module 3 Lesson 8 Purpose Driven Supporting Characters

Vision:

To write and sell excellent, original, enticing screenplays in order to take audiences on cinematic adventures that satisfy their need for great stories.

What I learned doing this assignment is that each day of writing moves the ball down the field.

Supporting Characters in Rotary Phone Star Chamber

Support 1:

Name: Emily

Role: Judge Ken’s administrative assistant

Main purpose: Her legal problem of 5000 Rice Suave coffee mugs that should say Rico Suave. She and her husband were trying to sell mugs in an online business that say Rico Suave, but the mug company made a mistake.

Value: To show Ken’s helpful side, he wants to help her sue the mug company if she can’t resolve it. That he cares about his employee’s life/business.

Support 2:

Name: Zappa

Role: Neighbor high school aged kid who helps Judge Ken make the rotary cell phones.

Main purpose: Show off Zappa’s skills of being able to crank out lots of rotary cell phones.

Value: To show Ken’s helpful side, wants the next generation to achieve great things and the high school kid who is on his school’s robotics club helps Judge Ken soldering the rotary cell phones.

Support 3:

Name: Judge Jason’s daughter who did not get killed by a distracted driver.

Role: Oldest daughter who is in middle school, eighth grade.

Main purpose: She makes Judge Jason vulnerable to Kirill.

Value: To give Jason another reason to fight the evil that is being done to civilized society.

Support 4:

Name: Judge Jason’s wife, Alyssa

Role: Jason’s wife

Main purpose: She makes him vulnerable to bad guy Kirill to harm his family and further gives Judge Jason a reason to fight the bad guys.

Value: To give Jason another reason to fight evil that is being done to civilized society. She helps Judge Jason fight Kirill.

Support 5:

Name: Kirill, the Russian spy sent here unofficially as an illegal spy runner/control agent.

Role: Protagonist, lead bad guy.

Main purpose: Judge Ken and Judge Jason must fight and stop him.

Value: Does evil, subversive activities against America that the Judges must stop because no one else is doing anything about it. He is here to create subversion by making Manchurian type candidates who are Americans that he kidnaps and programs to cause all sorts of trouble.

[Marguerite Langstaff]

Module 3 Lesson 8 Purpose Driven Supporting Characters

Marguerite Langstaff: THE BILLIONAIRE IN 501

Vision: I want to learn to write and market movie scripts.

What I learned while doing this assignment: I learned that two of my supporting characters are essential to the subtext of this movie, and that I will need some minor supporting characters but haven’t really thought about them until this lesson.

State: I have fun with my two important supporting characters.

Activity: to focus on the name, role, main purpose and value of my supporting characters.

Supporting Characters: Alexander, the 10 year old grandson, the computer whiz who works with Grandmother’s new profession.

Sally, Pappy’s middle aged daughter, who wants to tell him everything to do and not to do.

Background Characters: Other residents of the senior residence who are friends of Grandmother and Pappy.

Support 1:

Sally:

Role: Pappy’s middle-

aged daughter who interacts with Pappy and in important in one of the subtexts.

Main Purpose: Sally is like so many people with their parents…wanting to tell her parent (Pappy) what to do and what not to do. She is so against his friendship with Grandmother, because she thinks there may be a love affair and thinks that Grandmother is only eager to get Pappy’s money.

Value: Sally is absolutely necessary in the script because in the stories of the lives of so many people there is an adult child to interfere and try to tell the parent what to do. As seniors say, “Our children turn into our parents.” So goes the subtext.

Support 2:

Alexander, Grandmother’s 10 year old grandson.

Role: Alex helps Grandmother through the senior jungle of computer skills….while she is writing her advice column he helps her with the computer and is supportive of anything she does or wants. He lets her know he thinks she’s just perfect. She thinks he’s perfect too.

Main Purpose: Alex helps provide the subtext , because without him Grandmother could never complete her advice column or market it. Alex helps to guide her through the maze of complications. He is able because he is confident in his own computer skills and doesn’t have a clue in the world that he might fail at some of his directions.

Value: Alex is essential to Grandmother’s success. It’s no secret that in today’s world our 10 year olds are much more accomplished with computer skills than most of the seniors living in retirement homes. n

[Paul Schutte]

My Vision: I am going to study, learn, and practice to hone my natural talents to become a master writer who creates works that people love and that make an impact on their lives. These works will be published, produced, distributed, and seen by a wide audience.

What I learned from doing this assignment is …?

I definitely hadn’t put much thought into supporting characters. This forced me to consider them on a deeper level.

Supporting Characters: Sasha, Barbara, Dean Wilkens, FBI Deputy Director Bennet, Roland Hendricks

Background Characters: Protesters, Law Enforcement, Military, Tech Owners

3. Focusing on those supporting characters, fill in the basic profile for each.

Profiles:

Support 1:

Name: Sasha

Role: Sarah’s virtual assistant.

Main purpose: To set up meetings, run searches, do some background investigations, process data.

Value: Sasha acts as a conscience character for Sarah. She helps remind Sarah of her goals and her worth.

Support 2:

Name: Barbara

Role: Sarah’s sister

Main purpose: Provide emotional support, someone that Sarah can be totally honest with.

Value: Barbara acts as Sarah’s unconditional cheerleader. She doesn’t care about Sarah’s goals, she only cares about Sarah’s well-being.

Support 3:

Name: Dean Wilkens

Role: Sarah’s boss

Main purpose: A gatekeeper on resources for Sarah.

Value: Wilkens is neutral regarding Sarah’s success or well-being. He serves as a mentor with regard to dealing with the politics of the university and donors.

Support 4:

Name: FBI Deputy Director Bennet

Role: In charge of investigating and thwarting the alleged AI-uprising

Main purpose: To provide necessary information for the plot

Value: While not an antagonist, Bennet provides the strongest opinion against Sarah. He is certain that the AI is evil and must be destroyed. He can cause Sarah to doubt herself.

Support 5:

Name: Roland Hendricks

Role: Owner of robot that needs Sarah’s help

Main purpose: To assist Sarah in her first legitimate Cy-chiatric case

Value: Represents the opinion that robots should be slaves and should not be bothered by abuse.

[Cassie Randall]

Cassie’s Supporting Characters

My vision: I am a dynamic, respected, constantly learning and growing writer with an ever-growing and improving library of A-list quality, genre-diverse scripts that present genuine stories that audiences love to watch and that producers love to sell, and boy, do I make that MONEY, y’all!

What I learned from doing this assignment is…I didn’t think there was a difference between developing main characters and supporting characters, because they’re all in your story, right? You need to know them completely? I’m interested to see how developing supporting characters continues, because I have often fallen into the trap of spending a lot of time on stuff that isn’t necessarily important to understanding my supporting characters, which leads to including too much unnecessary information in the story, because I spent the time putting it together, right?! I also love the continued focus on how characters support and drive the story: since we have our lead characters supporting the story already, how do these supporting characters support the main characters in their journey, and therefore the full story? It is so exciting to see all of these pieces as individual and essential pieces in the full structure. It feels very empowering knowing that you’re discovering and molding the right piece in the right place, and you can keep taking one piece out to refine further without the whole thing falling apart, and you can put it back and each time you do that you make the story stronger and more exciting.

NOTE TO SELF: I need to develop the mom character as the antagonist. Yay, story development!

2. Tell us your supporting and background characters.

Supporting Characters: Dad, ghost hunter

Background Characters: Dan’s wife, landlord…

3. Focusing on those supporting characters, fill in the basic profile for each.

Support 1:

Name: James Harris

Role: Dan’s dad

Main purpose: Show what happens when someone completely gives over to Dan’s mom/James’s wife.

Value: Provides Dan with insight and motivation to stand up for himself. Also is the reason he moves out of the new apartment and back with Greg: his dad has a secret apartment next door to Dan’s new apartment and mom discovers it.

Support 2:

Name: Ginny Montrose

Role: Novice ghost hunter

Main purpose: She’s the new tenant who moves into Greg’s unit when Dan finally moves out.

Value: Makes Greg want to get Dan back as a roommate, which will cover PP2 and lead through Act III to the climax as Greg helps Dan stand up for himself against his mom.

[Ashley Sarikaya]

Ashley’s Supporting Characters

Vision: I write enthralling, entertaining, and transformational scripts that win awards, get produced and create positive change in the world.

I learned that I have A LOT of characters. I need to relook at the plot and see which background characters from my first draft I really need.

Supporting Characters:

– Governor of Cuba

– Martin, Malinche’s son

– Jeronimo, a Spanish friar and Hernando’s translator of Chontal Mayan

– Francisco, an Aztec prisoner and Hernando’s translator of Nahuatl

– Emperor Montezuma II

Background Characters:

– World Tree

– Ixchel, Itzamna’s sister

– Catalina, Hernando’s wife

– Totonac Chief of a disgruntled Aztec tributary city-state

– Chief Tlahuicole of the Tlaxcalan tribe, a former ally and now enemy of the Aztecs

– Goddess Coatlicue

– Aztec magicians from the prophecy

– Old woman who spits on Malinche in the opening scene

– King Charles of Spain

– Conquistadors, Hernando’s crew

– Mayan villagers mourning on the Tabasco battlefield

– Neighborhood children cared for by Ixchel

– Mayan villagers during Itzamna’s performance

– Spanish cook on Hernando’s ship

– Alonso, Hernando’s best friend and captain

– Tendile, Aztec emissary

– Pitalpitoque, Aztec emissary

– Aztec warriors

– Pedro, the nastiest of the conquistadors

– Juan, the Spanish assistant

– Carlos, the traitor

– Rodrigo, the traitor

– Diago, a scrawny sailor

– Juan de Escalante, a trusted captain in charge of the Veracruz settlement

– Emperor Montezuma’s palace guards

– Tlaxcalan warriors

– Xicotencatl, a Tlaxcalan war chief and one of the conquistadors’ captives

– Wild Aztec adolescents playing music

– Emperor Montezuma’s assistant

– Cholula girl

– Cholula chief of an Aztec tributary city-state

– Cuitlahuac, Emperor Montezuma’s younger brother

– Cacamatzin, co-regent of Texcoco

– Aztec noblemen

– Aztec war chiefs

– 2 Aztec women and a farmer in the crowd

– Garcia, one of Hernando’s men

– Prison guard

– Priest to sacrifice Malinche

– Acatl, Aztec elder

– Chipahua, Aztec elder

– Aztec elders

– Aztec messenger

– Anton, Diego’s loyal captain

– Sick man on Diego’s ship

– Aztec villagers celebrating the festival of Toxcatl

Support 1:

Name: Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar

Role: the Governor of Cuba

Main purpose: He is a regal, father figure who represents the rule of law. He helps the Aztecs defeat Hernando and his crew to keep the status quo.

Value: To trigger Hernando’s childhood wound of not being worthy or good enough, causing Hernando to grow up.

Support 2:

Name: Martin

Role: Malinche’s son and the spirit haunting Itzamna

Main purpose: To fan the flames of Itzamna and Malinche’s relationship and to drive the ship.

Value: His presence increases the mystery and creates anticipation that Malinche might uncover the truth. He also may be the only thing that can save the world.

Support 3:

Name: Jeronimo

Role: a Spanish friar and Hernando’s translator of Chontal Mayan

Main purpose: He represents the ‘old world’ and tries to keep Malinche in her place.

Value: He tries to belittle Malinche in front of Hernando. His presence pushes Malinche to break free of the old-establishment and to step into her power.

Support 4:

Name: Francisco

Role: an Aztec slave and Hernando’s translator of Nahuatl

Main purpose: He is in competition with Malinche to be head translator.

Value: Eventually, he betrays Hernando, helps Malinche, and escapes with her.

Support 5:

Name: Emperor Montezuma II

Role: the last Aztec emperor who has lost his patents of nobility and connection with Spirit

Main purpose: He forces Malinche to reveal her true identity.

Value: Shows us the stakes for the Aztecs.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by  Ashley Sarikaya.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by  Ashley Sarikaya.

[Brian Bull]

BRIAN BULL – Supporting Characters

VISION!!!
My ultimate goal is to get my scripts from my hands to the SILVER SCREEN!!

“What I learned from doing this assignment is…
In order for a movie to be incredible, the supporting characters need to have worthy roles, serve a purpose and have value. These things will add to the depth and complexity of the movie.

The ONE THAT GOT AWAY – A Fisherman’s Tale

A fisherman is determined to catch the fish he blames for his younger brother’s death, however, in the end, it turns out the fisherman is the one who had gotten away.

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
Teresa – John’s wife
Billy – John’s son
Old-Timer at the Trading Post
Father – John’s dad

BACKGROUND CHARACTERS
Customers at the Trading Post
Girl

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS BASIC PROFILE
Name: TERESA
Role: John’s wife
Main Purpose: She is trying to get John not to go fishing and to stay home.
Value: She represents the present – what John has to live for but John is living in
the past until he can accomplish this one thing – KILL “The Fish”!!! It’s his FLAW.

Name: BILLY
Role: John’s son
Main Purpose: To side with his mother. A take me or leave me.
Value: Billy is the younger version of John and now John is doing the exact
same thing HIS father did when he was Billy’s age.

Name: OLD-TIMER at the TRADING POST
Role: Mentor, Gift-bearer
Main Purpose: Provides knowledge that Jim didn’t have before. Talks about the native Indians and the legend of “The Fish” and how they could feed a village, the type of bait they used is unknown today but…. He might recommend some different equipment, things one might wish they had when the time comes.
Value: These are the things that John needs to accomplish his task. John failed in the past because he didn’t have the knowledge and the proper bait/equipment.

Name: Father/Dad
Role: He’s John’s wound. An older version John himself.
Main Purpose: Symbolically he is many things to John. John holds his father in the highest regards for being so dedicated to fishing. John also dislikes his father for not teaching him more about fishing something he covers up when teaching Jim how to fish. John becomes his father when confronted by his wife and their son and doesn’t take Billy along. The Old-Timer remembers a fellow, a fisherman who dropped a girl off at his Trading Post and went fishing and disappeared, but she was hitchhiking, they weren’t together if he recalls.
Value: Provides many answers to John’s questions.

[Veronica Turowski]

Veronica Turowski’s Supporting Characters

My Vision: My Vision: I want to be a successful writer who writes several scripts yearly and then sells them to producers who create my vision for the big screen.

What I learned from doing this assignment is adding purpose and depth to the supporting characters helps move the story forward in a meaningful way.

Supporting Characters: Clover, Neta Kestner, Evren Kestner and Palmer McKee

Background Characters: Cops, doctors/nurses, the ministers, and people mourning at funerals, ghosts in the cemetery, kids/ice cream patrons, Hayden’s victims

Support 1:

Name: Clover

Role: Psychic

Main purpose: To get Eppsa to realize she’s a ghost and help her pass over.

Value: Clover’s the only living person who talks to Eppsa. Eppsa thinks Clover can help her find Hayden and let her talk to her husband to end her grief. Clover tries to advise Eppsa regarding Hayden and guide her to the truth.

Support 2:

Name: Neta Kestner

Role: Hayden’s Wife

Main purpose: To show Hayden’s not the man he portrays to everyone else because he’s abusive.

Value: She is Hayden’s calming voice when he gets angry. In the 3rd Act when Neta believes Hayden is a serial killer, he confesses to her and explains that it will continue to run in the family. Now, she must protect their son, Evren.

Support 3:

Name: Evren Kestner

Role: Hayden’s son

Main purpose: To show his bond with his son like the bond he had with his dad.

Value: He makes Hayden look like a loving man. He will become possessed by the demon who dwells in his dad and will become a future serial killer.

Support 4:

Name: Palmer McKee

Role: Pastor

Main purpose: He was a pastor at the church. Now, he is a ghost, but Eppsa doesn’t know it.

Value: He was possibly killed by Hayden’s dad and hasn’t passed over. He tries to help counsel Eppsa because she is depressed and sees dead people.

[Adrienne Watkins]

Adrienne Watkins Supporting Characters Module 3 Lesson 8

My Vision: I am going to work as hard as I reasonably am able to succeed at script writing to be recognized by multiple movie producers as a skilled script writer, and to have my scripts produced worldwide.

What I have learned from this assignment fits in supporting and background characters into script to make it intriguing to the audience.

Supporting Character 1

Name: Flavia

Role: Roy’s business manager

Main Purpose: Manipulate friction between Fransie and Roy.

Value: Discover’s she’s Fransie’s half-sister. Her mission is to reunite Fransie and Roy after she instigated a break-up.

Background Character 1

Name: Denise

Role: Fransie best Friend

Main Purpose: Fransie’s emotional support.

Value: Encourages Fransie to pursue her dancing and singing career.

Background Character 2

Name: Rick

Role: Band Member

Main Purpose: Encourages Roy to get move on after his bitter divorce.

Value: main musician in band

[Haley Chambers]

Haley Chambers’ Purpose Driven Supporting Characters

Haley’s Vision: I am going to work hard to be recognized as a successful screenwriter with many of my scripts made into films/TV shows.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM THIS ASSIGNMENT IS…Characters must have a reason to be in the movie/tv show otherwise they serve no purpose.

Concept: A recently hired dishwasher boy discovers the strip mall sandwich shop in which he works is actually the front of an underground factory for manufacturing dreams.

Supporting Characters:

Lionel Crowfoot/Henry Rosie/Marigold Mr. Moon/Mr. Watson

Background Characters:

Dream Factory WorkersSandwich shop costumers

Support 1

Name: Lionel Crowfoot/Henry

Role: Dream Factory Recruiter/Friend

Main Purpose: Introduces Charlie to the Dream Factory

Value: A piece of the puzzle Charlie is trying to figure out. Lionel Crowfoot is a figment of Charlie’s imagination, and is a real person in real life that Charlie has seen before.

Support 2

Name: Rosie/Marigold

Role: Charlie’s coworker, love interest

Main Purpose: Love interest, but shows Charlie that there are people who love him, and he is worthy of being loved.

Value: Causes Charlie to discover dream factory by taking extra shift for her. Marigold is a figment of Charlie’s imagination, which is based around Rosie.

[shira marin]

SHIRAMARIN’S Supporting Characters

WIM-MOD 3-L8

MY VISION: I commit to doing everything from my strongest, most creative writer self to learn the course material as thoroughly as possible, then, revise and sell my screenplay to a producer who can’t wait to make it into an unforgettable film that everyone, everywhere can’t wait to see, be inspired by, and fulfill their best, most creative selves.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM THIS LESSON IS: that I can illuminate quickly the characters’ core functioning in the story. Another great exercise.

Supporting Characters: Oliver Ashe, Calum Ross, Jenn Loon Jamison, Mom/Stella,
Dad/Aldo, Amuna Khan.

Background Characters: Nikki Fitz, university/in class students, audience

Support 1:

Name: Oliver AsheRole: BoyfriendMain purpose: Essential role to accomplish a story purpose (Brings out a side of the theme that is missing) To show that there are good men in the worldValue: To love and support Kara. Subtext: to help her heal her traumatic past, though both are unconscious about the actual trauma.

Support 2:

Name: Calum RossRole: Dissertation Advisor; Professor who sponsors Kara’s TA position; he’ also in the running for the Chancellorship. Main purpose: To be an mentor/ally to Kara and support her research/writingValue: He’s a man with a good feeling function. He’s able to relate to Kara’s challenges. He’s a bit of the good father Kara never had. He intervenes on her behalf with Grayson Benoit/Academic Dean/Antagonist. He is essential to Kara’s completing her dissertation/doctoral degree.

Support 3:

Name: Jenn Loon JamisonRole: Kara’s Jungian AnalystMain purpose: helps Kara to heal her distrust of men due to her traumatic past and grow less anxious about being with Oliver. She shows us that Kara is bright, multi-dimensional, worthy of caring about.Value: She is a kindly, wise, and true supporter of Kara’s; she helps her gain perspective and take herself seriously. She’s essential to Kara’s transformation.

Support4:

Name: Stella Cavalli/MomRole: MomMain purpose: Reveals influence on Kara’s emotional state and challenges to action; unconsciously colludes with dad in abuse; ostensibly supports Kara, but in fact, she undermines Kara’s fledgling self-esteem and self-worth through her narcissistic behavior.Value: She clarifies that there is a real reason for Kara to feel anxious, depressed, and mistrusting of men and women, which is essential to seeing how women fall under the spell of men’s authority, especially in marriage. This is a key point in Kara’s course syllabus.<div>

Support 5:

Name: Aldo Cavalli/FatherRole: Father/deceased. He comes up in a traumatic memory. Main purpose: He physically abuses Kara in her childhood.Value: Shows the most rank depiction of male aggression, essential to the storyline.

Support 6:

Name: Amuna Khan.Role: School doc student friend </div><div>

Main purpose: who Kara commiserates with about the trials of completing her degree and her love life. She’s functions as an encouraging other. She helps to move the story along through their conversation and connection to others in the storyValue: She is a kind, smart, funny presence who lifts Kara’s spirits and anchors her. This shows that Kara is not alone in her plight as a woman and that Kara isn’t so solitary and is worthy of friendship.

Support 7:

· NAME: Nikki Fitzgerald

· Role: Executive Assistant to the Dean. Grayson Benoit

· Main purpose: She runs interference between Kara and Grayson. She’s emotionally astute and shows the contrast between Grayson/boss/antagonist, plagued by his inner world, and a more balanced, even-keeled, compassionate person.

· Value: The story requires Nikki to offset the damage that Grayson does to Kara and others in the story.

</div>

[shira marin]

SHIRA MARIN’S SUPPORTING CHARACTERS––CON’T.

BACKGROUND CHARACTERS

• Students for Kara’s class
• Audience for Kara’s TEDX TALK
• Bookstore clerk

[Bent Hanlen]

BENT’S SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

MY VISION IS THIS…… TO BE A TELEVISION WRITER AND RESPECTED IN THAT PROFFESSION AND SEE THIS SCREENPLAY GO TO THE SCREEN.

WHAT I LEARNED DOING THIS ASSIGNMENT IS THIS …………. SUPPORTING ROLES MOVE A STORY FORWARD, THEY ARE THE REASON FOR CHOICES THAT MAIN CHARACTERS MAKE. OR THEY FACE THE CONSQUENCES BASED ON CHOICES THE MAIN CHARACTERS HAVE MADE.

Support 1: INDIGO’S FATHER

• Name: PAPA
• Role: HE WAS THE PREVIOUS SANTA UNTIL KRAMPUS RIPPED OFF HIS ARM TO KEEP HIM FROM BEING ABLE TO DO THE JOB.
• Main purpose: HE REVEALS THE TRUE COLORS OF THE GENERAL. HE GETS THE FINAL KILL ON KRAMPUS
• Value: HE REVEALS ALL THE BAD

Support 2: ELF SLEIGH PILOT

• Name: NOT SURE YET
• Role: SLEIGH PILOT
• Main purpose: COMEDY RELIEF. EDUCATES INDIGO ON DELIVERIES
• Value: HE IS KILLED BY KRAMPUS TO MAKE THE AUDIENCE HATE THE DEMON MORE.