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Post Day 3 Assignment Here
Reply to post assignment.
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15 Replies
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Lois’ Engaging Main Characters
What I learned doing this assignment is the importance of characters facing moral dilemma, and making audience worry about them.
Lost – Kate
A. Role in the show: Female lead
B. Unique Purpose / Expertise: She is an escaped criminal starting a new life where nobody knows her past.
C. Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? She killed her father
D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing? She is hiding her past
E. Unpredictable: What will they do next? Is she a killer? Or was this a one-time, possibly justified event?
F. Empathetic: Why do we care? She seems helpful and daring, and concerned about the welfare of the crash survivors.
Skunk-Boy – Meff Polecat
A. Role in the show: Boy with the newly discovered ability to turn into a skunk
B. Unique Purpose / Expertise: He knows a lot about skunks – but not as much as he will need to know NOW
C. Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? He likes to sneak into places he doesn’t belong. That will be easier for him now that he can be a skunk.
D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing? He’s sneaking around, spying and stealing – for reasons that make sense to him.
E. Unpredictable: What will they do next? Will he sneak into the enemy’s lab to discover what the enemy is up to?
F. Empathetic: Why do we care? What the enemy is doing could kill the whole Polecat family. Meff sneaking into his lab could get Meff killed or captured.
5. Post your assignment in the forums at https://www.screenwritingclasses.com/forums/
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Griff’s Engaging Character Model
What I learned from doing this assignment: Character is plot.
Example Series: Stranger Things
Assignment 1
Main Character(s): In a way, I could roll the four boys into one main character because they often act together. But Mike Wheeler is really the leader among them and embodies all the aspects of an intriguing main character.
Mike Wheeler
A. Role In The Show: Leader of the conspiracy to find Will and protect Eleven.
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: He is curious, intelligent, resourceful, loyal, protective, and persuasive. He is expert in science (the four boys are all science nerds) and strategy (the boys play World of Warcraft together.)
C. Intrigue: Mike is secretly leading the search for Will against the admonitions of parents and Chief Hopper. He is also the one protecting Eleven from discovery.
D. Moral Issue: Lying to everyone. Mike must not be found out while he both searches for Will and protects Eleven. To do this he must deceive all the authority figures while he tries to keep a normal face on the home situation.
E. Unpredictable: We never expected Mike, Dustin and Lucas to go out looking for Will the night they discover Eleven in the woods. We certainly never expected him to bring Eleven home with him and enlist the other boys into his deception and protection of Eleven.
F. Empathetic: We care about the boys because they have lost one of their inner circle of friends with whom they have a special bond. We forgive Mike his deceptions and prevarications because we know its all in service to the search for Will and protecting the seemingly innocent and helpless Eleven.
Joyce Byers
A. Role In The Show: Alarm sounder. As the mother of missing Will Byers, Joyce’s hysteria and agony keep the ticking time bomb ever-present.
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: Joyce is the best equipped to predict Will’s behavior and recognize clues (she interprets the weird phone calls and flashing lights as communication from Will.)
C. Intrigue: At first Joyce is embarrassed to let on that she thinks she is getting messages from Will from “The Beyond” but eventually it becomes clear to Will’s brother Jonathan and even to Chief Hopper that Somebody or Something is trapped in the walls of the house.
D. Moral Issue: Joyce will stop at nothing to goad everyone into focusing on Will’s disappearance, there is no one she won’t cast suspicion on or throw under the bus.
E. Unpredictable: Joyce goes off the deep end wiring up the house to receive Will’s communications.
F. Empathetic: We forgive Joyce’s eccentricities at first because we know she is in distress over Will’s disappearance, then later because we become convinced she might be onto something. Something really weird.
Eleven
A. Roll In The Show: Guide to the underworld. Eleven has escaped from a nightmarish situation that is beyond what anyone could imagine in terms of twisted reality, and she is the only one who can lead us back there.
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: Eleven has paranormal powers that can counter the Monster and protect her friends.
C. Intrigue: Eleven was a part of the secret experiments going on at the laboratory that led to the release of the Monster.
D. Moral Issue: From time to time Eleven has to use her powers to harm in order to protect.
E. Unpredictable: Eleven is unnerved whenever she encounters Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine) leading us to wonder as to the nature of the relationship between Eleven and Brenner (is he her father? she calls him “Papa”)
F. Empathetic: We have nothing but empathy for this little girl who is obviously being hunted by bad guys who want to return her to an abusive and dangerous situation. It also becomes clear that there is good reason to fear her.
Assignment 2: Griff’s Engaging Characters for The Last Straw
Journey: Two teenage boys must deal with the disappearance of the only parent they have known and are accelerated into adulthood.
Randy Sherwood
A. Role In The Show: Outrage. Randy is the older brother who is somehow much smaller than his younger brother, Todd. Randy represents the outrage against unfairness in life. He is motivated by anger, which often blinds him. He must learn to slow down, stop reacting and start pro-acting.
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: Momentum. Randy, while hot-headed, is also clever, resourceful, and driven. He will never give up. His need for constant action pushes the story forward, sometimes recklessly.
C. Intrigue: Randy’s secret is that he is an outstanding athlete, but has never had a chance to shine in sports due to his diminutive stature; he has always tried to prove himself in sports that advantage size over skill, so he carries a chip on his shoulder about being overlooked.
D. Moral Issue: Guilt. Randy feels like his mother’s disappearance after a nasty argument is all his fault because he accused her of bad parenting. Stephanie is not around to forgive him, and he can’t forgive himself.
E. Unpredictable: Randy will often act impulsively, throwing himself and those around him into difficult situations.
F. Empathetic: We relate to Randy’s fear of losing his mother, but also his turmoil at feeling as if it’s all his fault.
Todd Sherwood
A. Role In The Show: A Cooler Head. Todd is Randy’s younger, bigger, and arguably smarter brother. He doesn’t react to things the way Randy does, but that does not mean that his reaction to their predicament is more mature. His Achilles heel is letting Randy goad him into arguments.
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: Todd is analytical whereas Randy is choleric. Todd is sometimes able to settle Randy down and get him to focus. They can then come up with solutions together.
C. Intrigue: Todd seems like a big, dumb lummox, but his lack of loquaciousness belies a cooly analytical mind. His interests tend toward artistic endeavors and reading. All the while the kids at school try to get him on their sports teams because of his size, something that drives Randy nuts.
D. Moral Issue: Todd secretly condemns his mother for running out on them.
E. Unpredictable: Just when Todd seems like an inert marshmallow, he manifests physical strength to protect his brother.
F. Empathetic: We feel sorry for Todd losing his mother, but also for the constant harassment he has to take from Randy.
Stephanie Sherwood (Mom)
A. Role In The Show: Catalyst. Stephanie is a single mother struggling to raise two teenage sons while trying to prove herself to be a talented writer worthy of more important assignments.
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: Stephanie is actually a skilled and resourceful parent who has done well by her two boys in the face of daunting challenges. It is unfortunate that her life crisis happens at a time when the boys need her the most.
C. Intrigue: Stephanie has a secret connection to the daughter of the across-the-street neighbor, Brad. Marcey is perceived as an out-of-control Party Girl, but it turns out there is much more to her than that, something that Stephanie has discovered and exploited.
D. Moral Issue: Stephanie puts her career ahead of her responsibility to her two children at a critical time.
E. Unpredictable: Although we don’t know why in the first season, Stephanie’s disappearance is much more like something we would expect from Marcey than the usually rock-steady Stephanie.
F. Empathy: If Stephanie really did “run away from home” we can somewhat sympathize with this as a reaction to no one in her life appreciating her for who she really is.
Brad (neighbor across-the-street)
A. Role In The Show: Trickster. Brad is nerdy and eccentric. He also turns out to be full of surprises.
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: Sleuth. Brad has a talent for worming his way in where he is not welcome and finding out … stuff.
C. Intrigue: Nerdy Brad turns out to have an alter ego: he was once a famous rock legend. He left that life behind years ago in order to bring up his daughter, Marcey. Brad feels that his former lifestyle directly contributed to Marcey’s mother’s death.
D. Moral Issue: Brad feels like he can never make up for the loss of Marcey’s mother and is easily manipulated by her.
E. Unpredictable: When Marcey goes missing longer than usual Brad becomes a bit unhinged.
F. Empathy: We feel sorry for Brad due to the way Marcey appears to mistreat him.
Marcey (Brad’s 20-something daughter)
A. Role In The Show: Conscience. Once we are disabused of the notion that Marcey is a self-destructive Party Girl we find that she is focused on a mission of very great importance to her.
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: Strategist. Marcey is driven to a purpose by her mother’s death. She feels like she has to make her life count for something.
C. Intrigue: Marcey’s Party Girl persona is a mask to protect Brad from worrying about her because what she’s really up to is far risker than going out in the desert and doing drugs with her friends.
D. Moral Issue: Marcey can’t sit by while injustices go on around her.
E. Unpredictable: Marcey plays it that way to keep Brad and others off her trail. Eventually, Stephanie finds out about her secret life and gets sucked into it.
F. Empathy: When we find out how her mother died we understand what drives Marcey to seek justice for “her people.”
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This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by Griffith Lambert. Reason: Typo corrections
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This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by Griffith Lambert. Reason: Adding Assignment 2 to complete Lesson 3
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This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by
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Brenda Clarke
Engaging Main Characters Exercise 1.
This assignment taught me how to “look” for characters that were engaging by watching a binge worthy show to highlight how engaging the characters were and to see how the depth of this certain character was developing.
RIVERDALE – Archie
A: Male Protagonist
B: He was at the lake and heard the gunshot, as a witness he eventually comes forward to the police
C: He is secretly having a sexual relationship with his music teacher
D: He has crossed the moral boundaries by having a relationship with a teacher, he also lies about being alone at the lake at the time in order to protect the teacher
E: Despite being grounded by his father, he still sneaks out in order to work with the “pussycats”.
F: The audience will feel empathy toward him as he is conflicted about the morals of the relationship as well as trying to do whats right by telling the police he was there at the lake at the time of the murder.
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Brenda Clarke
Engaging Main Characters Exercise 2.
I learned that by going through these steps thoroughly, it has shown me where I need to develop a character and add more of these “engaging character models” to increase both their depth as individuals and make them more engrossing from the audiences’ point of view.
1. Journey of the show: working title: “Convicts” other suggestions; “The Antipodes” (Greek word attested in Plato’s dialogue Timaeus, already referring to a spherical Earth, explaining the relativity of the terms “above and below”) COSTUME DRAMA/LGBTQ theme/characters.
Three Part Series: #1 England early 1800’s where crime is rife and people sentenced by the Old Bailey to hard labour in Australia. #2 Transportation, life on the ship as convicts are transferred to this great new south land, (which took 3 to 4 months). #3Life in Australia.
2. Main Characters That will sell the show:
Harriet Wright (late 30’s early 40’s) only child from a middle class family, lives with her widow mother. She breaks horses in for a living, doesn’t like seeing animals mistreated. Strong opinionated lesbian who falls in love with her maid.
Elliot Otto Edwards English Gentleman (early 30’s) oldest sibling of two, son and aire to Lord Edwards. Closeted homosexual, handsome/debonair in a foppish way. Immaculately dressed. In love with a young sailor, Richard.
Rosie Cook working class/common (early 20’s) honest/open, vivacious, younger sister to Tillie. Falls in love with her mistress.
Richard Smith (late 20’s) only child of deceased parents. A sailor (coxswain/helmsman) who lives under the charity of the “Dodd’s Boarding House for Sailors”. Handsome, tattoos of mermaid/anchor, hides his homosexuality with his overtly butch behaviour/mates. Young lover of Elliot.
3. Character Models:
HARRIET: A, Protagonist/Heroine, is in a more than physical relationship with her maid. When Rosie goes missing she searches high and low to find her lover, nothing will stand in her way.
B, Unique/Expertise, strong individual, good at reading/judging character: Purpose: to prove her maids innocence and to reunite with her. Irony, her mother brought her up to be of good strong morals and work ethic, however, she makes connections in the criminal world in order to find answers.
C: Intrigue, She has tried to hide her sexuality from her mother and others around her.
D: Moral Issues, she crosses both moral and social boundaries when she falls in love with “the help”.
E: Unpredictable, she defies both social norms and morals when she seeks the assistance of the criminal underworld to find answers of the whereabouts of her young lover.
F: Empathetic, we care about her because she has lived a lonely life up till finding her true love, she will do anything to get her back into her life, even if it means sailing to the other end of the world.
ELLIOT: A; Protagonist/reluctant hero. Doesn’t care for his ancestral home/heritage/wealth, deeply in love with Richard. When his young lover is arrested, he’s unsure whether to bail him out.
B: Unique/Expertise, he’s an expert swordsman, steps up to the mark when needed. He too decides to seek out his lover.
C: Intrigue, he hides his sexuality from his father but opens to his younger sister and reveals his torment.
D: Moral Issue, he crosses both moral and social boundaries with his relationship with the young sailor.
E: Unpredictable, he eventually has the courage to track down Richard, goes to the extend of a “lavender marriage” to save his reputation at home and new life abroad.
F: Empathetic, we care about him because he leaves all his wealth and stately home in order to find true love and happiness with Richard.
ROSIE A; Protagonist, madly in love with her mistress. Innocently gets involved in a crime with her older sister Tilly and is sentenced to 7 years in Australia for being in possession of stolen clothing.
B: Unique/Expertise, happy go lucky working class lass, who deserves to have more in life. She likes to see the best in people, her sister which brings her undone.
C: Intrigue, she has no doubts about her sexuality and is not worried about her feeling for Harriet.
D: Moral issues, her sexuality doesn’t bother her but being involved with criminal activities with her sister enrages her.
E: Unpredictable, after being raped on board ship she decides to keep the child and names her daughter after her deceased sister.
F: Empathetic, we care about her because she is really innocent as far as the crime is concerned, her life has been uprooted and takes a turn for the worse.
RICHARD: A: Protagonist, Richard assists Elliot’s escape the night the “molly house” is raided and is arrested for “crimes of an unnatural act”, he escapes the death penalty and is sent to Australia for 7 years hard labour.
B: Unique/Expertise, as an experience coxswain/helmsman his skills come in handy when the ship is struck by a severe storm.
C: Intrigue: his father was an experienced sailor, who was lost at sea, his mother died when he was only 10 (joined the Navy as a “boy” and worked his way up the ranks).
D: Moral Issue, he too hides his sexuality by his overtly masculinity.
E: Unpredictable, despite being sent to the colonies as a convict he is able to shave the ship during the voyage and thus earns the respect/hero of everyone on board.
F: Empathetic, he has had a hard life since a young boy, a hard worker and good person. Despite being transported he too wants to reunite with his lover Elliot.
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Frank’s Engaging Main Characters
What I learned doing this assignment is…
I noticed that when I created the character profiles for my project, the structure of these questions helped me to brainstorm more ways for them to be intriguing. I feel that there is still a lot of room for them to grow, but this structure is a really good tool for figuring that out. I especially liked answering the Intrigue question for each character because it helps me to build up the inter-character subtext possibilities as I explore the secrets that each main character is withholding from the others.
Assignment 1: Engaging Profile of Jessica Jones
Name of the Main Character: Jessica Jones
A. Role in the show: an emotionally-wounded private investigator in NYC who must prove that a young woman named Hope didn’t intentionally kill her parents but was manipulated into it.
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: Jessica possesses super-strength, can leap up onto high ledges and balconies, and has a keen investigative mind. Her unique purpose is to prove Hope’s innocence and stop the man who manipulated Hope into the crime – the same man who also manipulated Jessica Jones over a year ago into committing a different murder.
C. Intrigue: what is the secret beneath the surface? Jessica Jones has started a romantic relationship with Luke Cage, but cannot bring herself to confess to Luke that she was the one responsible for his wife’s murder a year ago.
D. Moral Issue: what moral boundaries are they crossing? Jessica Jones knows she shouldn’t be sleeping with Luke Cage after what she did to his wife, but she initiates the relationship anyway. Jessica drinks too much, which affects her judgment. She often breaks into people’s homes to find clues, into a hospital pharmaceuticals room to steal powerful sedatives, lies to people in order to attain information on her cases, and uses her friends to get what she wants – even if it places her friends at risk with the law or worse.
E. Unpredictable: what will they do next? Her volatile temper causes her to damage property and intimidate others until they bow to her wishes. She does anything necessary to track down Killgrave, placing herself in great danger repeatedly.
F. Empathetic: why do we care? Jessica Jones can be grating with her snarky attitude and indifference to the feelings of others, but then she’ll have moments where she displays real compassion for another. By the end of the pilot, she has a chance to flee from the horrible circumstances of Hope murdering her parents in the elevator of Jessica’s apartment. But Jessica chooses to do the heroic thing and stay in NYC long enough to solve the case and prove Hope’s innocence.
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Frank’s Engaging Main Characters, Cont’d
Assignment 2: Engaging Profiles of The West Moon Chronicle Main Characters
Name of Character: Jae-Sun Baek
A. Role in the show: an embittered Korean-American man who’s life has been an aimless slog since his infant daughter and his ex-girlfriend disappeared and were presumed deceased 18 years ago. Now he discovers they are both alive and his infant daughter was abducted tos an alternate realm of existence where she has aged only 7 months.
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: He is determined to save his daughter. He is highly skilled in Taoist martial arts and has a good working knowledge about this other realm of existence from growing up near a haunted forest where he befriended supernatural creatures known as dokkaebi.
C. Intrigue: what is the secret beneath the surface? Eighteen years ago, just before his baby girl was born, he abandoned his girlfriend Maddy when he found out she was pregnant. Also, ever since that terrible decision, he’s never been able to have sex with another woman.
D. Moral Issue: what moral boundaries are they crossing? He has lived an aimless life as hired muscle for various criminal underworld figures since skipping town 18 years ago. As the story progresses, he’s willing to lie and manipulate others to achieve his aims. He even gets into a physical fight with his grandfather at one point.
E. Unpredictable: what will they do next? He’s going to tear down walls to save his daughter. He’s not willing to be polite or go easy on those standing in his way. Later, during his character transformation moment, he’ll have to acknowledge that he’s been a coward and has wronged his grandfather, and apologize to him.
F. Empathetic: why do we care? Jae-Sun has moments of roguish charm. As the story progresses, we learn that he cares about his daughter and is anxious to make amends to his ex-girlfriend. When she verbally unleashes her anger and bitterness at his betrayal, he doesn’t protest or try to defend himself. He is willing to accept full responsibility for what he did.
Name of Character: Madison Green
A. Role in the show: a young woman who had to become a single parent after her boyfriend abandoned her. She is unstoppable in her desire to save her daughter.
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: Maddy trained in martial arts as a teenager in secret because her strict Baptist Caucasian parents didn’t like the idea of her studying under a Korean Taoist master. She is also able to speak the empathic language of water dragons.
C. Intrigue: what is the secret beneath the surface? She wished for Jae-Sun’s death and even fantasized to herself about killing him after he abandoned her.
D. Moral Issue: what moral boundaries are they crossing? She is willing to steal food when she journeys through the Sky Wyld realm, in order to survive. She is prepared to kill the being that holds her daughter captive – even though this being was once her friend.
E. Unpredictable: what will they do next? She lets Jae-Sun have it when they finally reunite after 18 years. It’s clear that, for her, the wound of that betrayal is still fresh. And afterwards, she is willing to forgive Jae-Sun when he proves he will do anything to save their daughter.
F. Empathetic: why do we care? She spent 7 months all alone in a strange dimension of space and time, journeying by herself and doing whatever was necessary to survive in an alien wilderness. She loves her daughter fiercely.
Name of Character: Joon-Ho Rhee
A. Role in the show: an elderly Korean man who had to raise his grandson Jae-Sun by himself after Jae-Sun’s parents died in an auto accident. Joon-Ho is both the source of Jae-Sun’s greatest conflict and the source of Jae-Sun’s salvation.
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: Joon-Ho is a Taoist warrior with superior fighting skills and a knowledge of arcane subject matter — which aids him in navigating the strangeness of the Sky Wyld.
C. Intrigue: what is the secret beneath the surface? Joon-Ho was forced to abandon his platoon in the Vietnam War in order to save a Vietnamese woman and her infant daughter. By doing so, his platoon went on to massacre the villagers without Joon-Ho there to stop them. The infant is Joon-Ho’s daughter and she would grow up to become Jae-Sun’s mother. Jae-Sun is unaware of any of this until the climax of the season.
D. Moral Issue: what moral boundaries are they crossing? Initially, it seems that Joon-Ho committed the massacre of civilians along with his squadmates. But later, it’s revealed that he had to kill one of his squadmates after that soldier killed Joon-Ho’s lover. These actions earned him a dishonorable discharge from the ROK Marine force, but he was able to raise his baby daughter as his own back in South Korea.
E. Unpredictable: what will they do next? He will step in and risk his life to help save his great-granddaughter.
F. Empathetic: why do we care? Joon-Ho has the traits of being a tough man of high integrity. But he also has a sense of humor and enjoys a good drink and having a good time when the occasion allows for it.
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Lesson 3: Engaging Main Characters That Sell Your Show.
Big Little Lies: S1E3 “Living the Dream”
Jane Chapman-this episode started and ended with her scene
A: Role in the Show
New young secretive mother arrives in this very upscale beach community with no job…and no background… with her somewhat strange son Ziggy, the same age of the children of all the mothers involved and the children are all in the same grade.
Madeline (lead mother) befriends her when Janes stops her car to help Madeline when she has stopped HER car and then twists her ankle on the way to the first day of school for both children-Chloe and Ziggy. Madeline accepts the ride and when arriving, introduces her to all the friend and other mothers, and Chloe, the ‘it’ of the class, befriends Ziggy.
B: Unique purpose/Expertise
Jane adds the mystery to this town were everyone knows everyone, but maybe not all the secrets. Also, gives Madeline someone ‘under her wing’.
Expertise: Raising her son with no father/husband and is taking great care of both.
C: Intrigue
In this episode we see her explode. We have seen ‘flashback’s of her in a torn blue dress running by the ocean water and then into the ocean. Also following shoe prints in the sand..that stop suddenly.
D: Moral Issues:
No father contact..no family close…no reason to have moved here with no job..what is she hiding?..and is something very wrong with Ziggy?
E: Unpredictable:
What is she running from..or to? Will she explode again? What isn’t she revealing? What happened to her in the past…and to Ziggy. Will she leave again?
F: Empathetic:
Likable and troubled, she reveals to Madeline that she was brutally raped on a first date and couldn’t stop it..as she thought ‘he would kill her’. Never seeing him again, she has only a name. We see that she sleeps with a loaded gun under her pillow every night.Also, she really loves her son Ziggy and cares for him, wanting to ‘make the best possible life for him’.
Thank you for allowing me to post.
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What I learned doing these assignments: The assignment forced me to give up on “knowing” the answers and got me guessing and brainstorming, even when it came to the example show. I feel like it was a way of exploring without committing yet. When I’d been thinking about this concept as a feature comedy, I had a cast of quirky characters. This has pushed me to add more depth. I think I can still blend in humor but I think I have to start with a more serious undercurrent to make the story and characters more intriguing.
Assignment #1:
The show I’m watching is Scandal
1<sup>st</sup> Lead: Olivia
A.
Role in the show: Boss and brilliant fixer
B.
Unique Purpose / Expertise: Fixes scandals of powerful people (esp. the
President)
C.
Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? She’s in love with the
President
D.
Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing? She exploits people’s weaknesses and
bullies them to get them to back off; in this episode, she asks a few of
her team members to cross a line they shouldn’t (e.g. CIA guy who has
given up torture uses it to find Amanda)
E.
Unpredictable: What will they do next? She emotional and trusts her gut so
sometimes she pivots without warning; she is creative with tactics as
situations evolve
F.
Empathetic: Why do we care? We know she’s trying to do good; she screws up
and feels horrible about it; she’s trying to disentangle from the
president but it’s painful for her2<sup>nd</sup> Lead: Quinn (I chose Quinn because she’s our “eyes” into what’s going on)
A.
Role in the show: newbie; smart but innocent
B.
Unique Purpose / Expertise: Does Olivia’s bidding without knowing the
reason for what she’s doing; she’s put in the position of witness
C.
Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? She had some “difficult
times” but it hasn’t been revealed yet
D.
Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing? She does things that
don’t seem quite right to her (seducing the reporter, convincing Amanda to
work with Olivia, etc.)
E.
Unpredictable: What will they do next? She’s star struck and prone to
screw up
F.
Empathetic: Why do we care? She wants to do good as well; she’s out of her
depth but hangs in thereAssignment # 2:
The Journey: The journey begins when the club of Senate wives and widows decide to kill the first old white guy in power. They find that they are good at it and in some ways enjoy the results they’re getting—which becomes the dilemma: Where do they stop?
The Characters to Sell the Show: Best guess at this point: Abigail (the oldest and most powerful politically); Rose (the only Black Senate widow); Wali (the 30-something detective
Answer these questions for each of those characters.
1<sup>st</sup> Lead Abigail:
A.
Role in the show: The leader of the group; When Abigail talks, everyone
listens
B.
Unique Purpose / Expertise: She knows Washington and how to pull strings
in that world
C.
Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? She pulled some strings
decades ago that led to disaster (only the club knows her role in it)
D.
Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing? She is killing off
old white men in power…for a good cause
E.
Unpredictable: What will they do next? She’s very pragmatic and will turn
on a dime if she thinks there’s a better angle to work
F.
Empathetic: Why do we care? She is very patriotic and wants the best for
her country and its people; she isn’t nice sometimes but she’s kind and
defends the underdog2<sup>nd</sup> Lead: Rose (I just made her up so not totally sure)
A.
Role in the show: Rose is one of the widows; she loves Abigail but will
stand up to her and question her motives
B.
Unique Purpose / Expertise: She’s the moral compass for the group; she
makes sure they face what they are doing
C.
Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? She was always the brains
behind her husband??
D.
Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing? She’s killing old
white guys in power—and is terrified that she’s enjoying it too much
E.
Unpredictable: What will they do next?
F.
Empathetic: Why do we care? Of all of them, she has suffered the most at
the hands of old white guys in power;3<sup>rd</sup> Lead: Wali
<div>
A.
Role in the show: The detective tracking down who is killing the old white
guys in power
B.
Unique Purpose / Expertise: She’s smart and intuitive and, unlike her
counterparts, she knows that little old ladies can be deadly
C.
Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? She has fantasies of offing
her patronizing counterparts in the department???
D.
Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing? She defies her
Captain’s orders and investigates the club; she ends up covering up for
them
E.
Unpredictable: What will they do next? She wants promotion and respect, and
we don’t know how far she’ll go to get it
</div><div>F.
Empathetic: Why do we care? She’s held back by the old boys network of the
police culture; she’s smarter than others but can’t get acknowledged</div>
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Engaging Main Characters – Assigment #2
What I learned from this assignment is: The 3rd episode seems perfect for ‘fleshing out’ the main character circle (other than the lead-which is ‘circled back to thruout’)
Big Little Lies-S1 E3 “Living the Dream”
1) Journey of the Show
The ‘mothers’ take a stand and the ‘war’ is on.
When Jane’s Ziggy is not invited to Renata’s daughter’s b’day part..the only one in the class..Madeline buys ‘Disney on Ice’ tickets for the same time as the party and ‘party bus’s’ away the popular class people and moms. The group is now in different ‘camps’.
We discover more about the different moms, including Madeline.
2) Main characters: Madeline, Jane , Celeste, Renata
A: Role in the show
Madeline- Main mom and friend to most
Jane- Mystery mom just arrive in the town
Celeste- Friend but is she ‘caught’ in this marriage?
Renata- Wants to take Madeline’s place in the mom’s group.
B: Unique Purpose/Expertise
Madeline- Friend to most with her own way
Jane-mystery and hiding what it is
Celeste- Is she caught in an abusive marriage?
Renata- Wants to take Madeline ‘place’
C: Intrique
Madeline:Her life is not all it seems
Jane: Something is very wrong…and son Ziggy is part of it
Celeste: Could she lose her adored twin sons?
Renata: Will her money buy her what she wants?
D: Moral Issue
Madeline: Is she having an affair?
Jane: Why does she have a gun under her pillow?
C:Is the marriage enough to put her in physical danger?
Renata: Is she lying to herself?E: Unpredictable:
Madeline: Just what will she do next?
Jane: Will she reveal herself and stay?
Celeste: Will she return to work as a lawyer and risk her marriage?
Renata: What will she do to get ahead?
F: Empathetic
Madeline: We like her and are on her side.
Jane: So likable and we want to help her.
Celeste: We don’t want her hurt..or lose her twins.
Renata: Can she help the way she is?
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Kathleen’s Engaging Main Characters
What I learned doing this assignment is that the main characters need to be engaged and work together.
The Young Pope
A. Role in the show
Lenny becomes Pope Pius XIII and is suppose to lead the Catholic Church.
Sister Mary raised him in an orphanage and asks her to join him at the Vatican to become his personal assistant.
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise
Sister Mary joins Lenny in Rome and becomes his personal assistant.
Lenny becomes Pope Pius XIII and works on his own.
C. Intrique: What is the secret beneath the surface?
Pope Pius XIII doesn’t really want Sister Mary’s advice or opinions.
Sister Mary is concerned that he is leading the Catholic Church down the wrong path.
D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crosssing?
Pope Pius XIII asks a Cardinal at the top of the roof about other people’s confessions. He’s breaking the seal of Confession.
Sister Mary follows a Cardinal at night to see where he is going.
E. Unpredictable: What will they do next?
Pope Pius XIII asks people questions and does things on his own. He doesn’t want help from anyone.
Sister Mary likes the speech that was written for Pope Pius XIII and he decides to write his own.
F. Emphatic: Why do we care?
Pope Pius XIII is leader of the Catholic Church and the Cardinals are concerned he may lead the church down the wrong path. He has a diiferent approach to things.
Sister Mary wants Pope Pius XIII to do the right thing.
My Show
A. Role in show
Julie Felton is a Teacher at a Catholic School. She becomes a Reporter for the Pope at the Vatican and reports back to him on things that are going on at the school/parish.
Sister Margaret is the school’s Principal.
Father John is the Parish Priest.
B. Unique Purpose/ Expertise
The Pope is concerned about abuse at the school and sent in Julie to work as a Teacher to uncover anything.
C. Intrigue
Julie is working as a Teacher and no one knows that the Pope sent her there to uncover things and report back to him.
D. Moral Issue
Julie uncovers things and her position was all a lie.
E. Unpredictable
People get in trouble and lose their jobs.
F. Emphatic
The school and church are suppose to be a safe place and things are uncovered.
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MICHAEL GRECO’S ENGAGING MAIN CHARACTERS – Lesson 3
WILDTA is that exploring multiple layers and facets of main characters deepens them and opens up potential storylines and subplots.
Assignment 1
Asst. 1 – American Horror Story:
A.
Role in the show:Vivian: mother and wife – center of the family trying to hold them together.
Ben: floundering psychiatrist, faithless husband and marginal father trying to repair past errors.
B.
Unique Purpose / Expertise:Vivian: passionate in defending her family and daughter.
Ben: psychiatry education, training and experience enables him to see personalities and motivations of those around him clearly.
C.
Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface?Vivian: angling exclusively to protect and solidify safety and position of herself and daughter Violet.
Ben: still maintains contact with mistress Hayden, effecting abandonment of Vivian and family and impelling Hayden to volatile, vengeful behavior, posing risk to Vivian and Violet.
D.
Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing?Vivian: Shuts out Ben sexually, thwarting his efforts to rehabilitate marriage and denying him forgiveness or any way forward within the marriage.
Ben: secretly continuing affair with Hayden, protracting deceit of Vivian.
E.
Unpredictable: What will they do next?Vivian: Abandon Ben and throw him up to the demons swarming the Murder House.
Ben: Deceive Vivian, depriving her of her marriage and their family, and exposing her to risk of STD, pregnancy of Hayden depleting Ben’s resources and murder of Violet and Vivian by Hayden.
F.
Empathetic: Why do we care?Vivian: Earnest in efforts to keep family together; victim of broken marriage wrought by Ben’s infidelity.
Ben: Trying to repair marriage, victim of his own feeble will and lust / passion. Gets in over head with Hayden, and with his tormentor, the man who murdered his family and stalks and blackmails him – becomes a victim to both of them, and other forces in the Murder House.
MICHAEL GRECO Concept – Miles and Fritz
A. ROLE IN THE SHOW
MILES is the environmental scientist making his mark as a radical.
FRITZ is the FBI Agent who does things his own way now must ‘toe the line’ to keep his job as he infiltrates the militant environmentalist radical fringe groups.
B. UNIQUE PURPOSE / EXPERTISE
MILES wants to save the planet from environmental implosion in 20 to 50 years, by plundering the commercial enterprises and structures which are causing the overconsumption and degradation of resources and the natural environment.
FRITZ is the plays-by-his-own-rules hotheaded FBI Agent impassioned to protect ordinary people and their lawfully-acquired jobs and property against all competing forces whether they be criminal or radical.
C. INTRIGUE UNDER THE SURFACE.
MILES is an outside with a nihilistic streak, and caused a lot of pain, trauma and even death as a driver for human traffickers; he is now out of the black market, organized crime world, and aims to settle the score he built up against himself by protecting human life on a dramatic scale.
FRITZ tried to play clean in the Bureau to escape his family history of corrupt cops, including his grandfather, uncles and an aunt who was both town mayor and convicted prisoner, but has found the straight-shooting path in his work ineffective in the competitive law enforcement world.
D. MORAL ISSUES
MILES wants to create structure and a contented life for himself and his partner WOLF. At the same time he wants to mobilize substantially the intransigent state of environmental protection, and knows that only high-impact way to do this is to disrupt the corporate and large commerce pipelines of income, consumption and pollution.
FRITZ is hamstrung within his own agency as he fights to keep his job in the wake of disciplinary issues and his colleagues keep him at a distance, and also in the field as he tries to penetrate crime structures while playing ‘straight.’
E. UNPREDICTABLE.
MILES struggled with ADHD and struck out working in a laboratory, which originally drove him to the human-trafficking ring. Now he fights to maintain income and structure while getting over-exuberant about environmental activism initiatives. MILES is willing to take chances to get the radical message across in a loud, dramatic way. And he only has one gear: Overdrive.
FRITZ is not greedy or self-interested, but he sees no problem in cutting corners and doing things his own way when it comes to thwarting criminal activity and exposing and punishing his targets – where they are brutal narcotics traffickers or radical environmentalists.
F. EMPATHETIC
MILES has overcome personal struggles with ADHD and being targeted for harassment because he is gay. And he is earnest in his drive to force change in improvements in environmental protection initiatives and regulation.
FRITZ came out of a family plagued by organized crime and corrupt cops, and is a black sheep in pursuing his work for the Bureau. FRITZ is ruthless, but is so clearly dedicated to protecting the public and rooting out crime and the menace – as he sees it – of radical activism, in the interest of preserving an orderly, law-abiding society and country. FRITZ’ ‘heart is in the right place.’
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What I learned from this assignment is how easier you can build an interesting show when you try to build a dark side to every character, instead of a good side. Which is the same actually, because you need to give them reasons for their behavior, which takes us back to their humanity. Also, trying to flesh the dark side of a character builds plot. Which is great.
ASSIGNMENT 1: Prison Break
Tell us the name and Engaging Profile answers for at least one character from your example show.
• A. Role in the show: Sucre is Michael’s cell mate. Michael has no choice other than tell him about the break out.
• B. Unique Purpose / Expertise: Keep his girlfriend / Thief
• C. Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? The main secret is that anything Michael does has to do with planning a break out, but he can’t tell anyone, foes or friends. Only those he needs for the break out have to be informed, and the problem is you never know how reliable they are. Also, because Michael only tells what he must tell to go forward (even to his brother) makes the audience stay in the dark on how he plans to do it.
• D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing? Michael sets up Sucre to check if he’s reliable, and Sucre loses his conjugal visits in the process. T-bag, the meanest of them all, knows exactly how immoral his conduct is, or anyone else’s, and gets a kick out of it.
• E. Unpredictable: What will they do next? Michael lets Abruzzi chop off his toes instead of telling him the name of an eyewitness, so we know he’ll go through with whatever pain it takes to break his brother out. What we don’t know yet is how far morally he is prepared to go. Abruzzi: He chooses to make friend with Michael instead of trying to break him, and has Michael’s worst enemy beaten up to prove his goodwill.
• F. Empathetic: Why do we care? Michael: lets Abruzzi chop his fingers off. Sucre: Everyone around his girlfriend is trying to convince her to ditch him. Michael’s brother: Has to choose who he want’s to be there at his execution and talks to his son about it. Veronica: the case breaks her wedding and she looses her fiancé. Abruzzi: His accomplice outside holds his children and will harm them if he doesn’t break Michael.ASSIGNMENT 2: LIMBO (my show)
Concept: An old woman commits suicide and ends up in limbo (the parallel world of an intensive care unit) where people in a coma gather and socialize, and where she has the body she had as a teenager. There, she falls in love with someone in his thirties, who is unaware of her real age. Will she allow herself to live this ultimate love story? And if so, will she have time to enjoy it before she is unplugged from the machine that keeps her alive?A. Role in the show:
• Jaqueline: Old lady trying to live a last love affair in limbo before she is unplugged.
• Med Student: Lousy student who lets himself be used as a link between limbo and the ordinary world.
B. Unique Purpose / Expertise:
• Jaqueline: She can communicate with the Med Student, and tries to use him to interfere with the ordinary world.
• Med Student: has the power to hear what happens in limbo and uses it for his own benefit.
C. Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface?
• Jaqueline: Every body in limbo think she’s a teenager, while in fact she’s over eighty.
• Med Student: Will do whatever it takes to hide his blunders.
D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing?
• Jaqueline: She realises that law and order from the ordinary world don’t apply in limbo, but moral issues do. Or do they?
• Med Student: He knows his medical abilities are lousy and dangerous, and although it affects him when he hurts someone badly, he goes on.
E. Unpredictable: What will they do next?
• Jaqueline: In the opening scene, she catches her grand-daughter committing suicide. Instead of stopping her, she joins her.
• Med Student: His stupidity varies according to circumstances, which brings unexpected outcomes, sometimes horrible, sometimes brilliant.
F. Empathetic: Why do we care?
• Jaqueline: We se her husband trying hard to save his grand-daughter from suicide and neglecting her, which makes us feel her own family doesn’t care about her.
• Med Student: Disregarded by everyone, who take it for granted he is stupid. -
What I learned from this Assignment is:
That this a great test to put your characters through. I found it key in creating interesting and complex characters to populate the particular world I’m creating. As I ran each main character through the different questions, it not only forced me to think and change/tweak them for the better, but found it effected the plot line as a whole, which I thought was really fun! The beauty of this formula is that it can be used for any character in any story idea and have the same great result.
INVASION – APPLE +
CASPAR MORROW
A. Role in show: British Schoolboy
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: Has psychic connection with the alien invaders.
C. Intrigue: His psychic abilities, feelings of guilt over the death of his mother.
D. Moral Issue: Must be induced into grand mal seizures to “connect “ with aliens. Must do whatever he has to make contact.
E. Unpredictable: He is somewhat frail and could possibly die from the seizures. He could potentially stop the invaders, but will he?
F. Empathetic: He is a good kid who grew up being bullied. We are rooting for him.
“THE EMM TRIANGLE”
Ancient artifacts have been discovered on the dark side of the Moon and Mars. An archeologist/Linguist is rushed through OWSA (Off World Space Administration) training to assist in the investigation. Her life soon gets intertwined with others involved including OWSA members, unscrupulous politicians and military leaders, both on the Moon Base, Mars Colony and Earth who are on the verge of discovering the biggest secret in the Universe.
LIEUTENANT Dr. XINGGUANG “SHING” LILIANG Phd.
30 year old CHINESE – AMERICAN
ARCHEOLOGIST/LINGUIST/PROFESSOR
TRAUMATIZED AS CHILD-ABDUCTED BY ALIENS
Both PARENTS (Archeologists) KILLED BY CHINESE GOVERNMENT (disguised as an accident)
SUFFERS FROM CLAUSTROPHOBIA AND DEPRESSION
HAS PSYCHIC ABILITIES
Attempts to continue and finish her parents work.
A. ROLE IN SHOW: OWSA (Off World Space Administration) Astronaut, Archeologist/Linguist/Psychic, brought on to aid in the investigation of ruins found on the Dark side of the Moon and Mars.
B. UNIQUE PURPOSE /EXPERTISE: Former UC Berkeley professor of Archeology-and Ancient Linguistics. Alien abductee/survivor with psychic abilities. (Unknown alien implants?) Suffers from depression.
C. INTRIGUE: What is secret beneath the surface? Abducted by Aliens as child-Suspects Parents were murdered by Chinese Government. Approached by the same government to spy for them. Unknowingly holds the key to completing her parents work and unlocking the biggest secret of the universe. Suffers from depression and has suicidal tendencies.
D. MORAL ISSUE: Forced to secretly gather information for the same government she fears are responsible for the death of her parents. Can she exact revenge? Pulled ever forward by a psychic vision she can’t get out of her head. Will she go against her Christian beliefs and kill, destroy and face going to Hell by committing suicide?
E. UNPREDICTABLE: What will she do next? Will she give the Chinese false information? Seek revenge? Sabotage? Keep her discoveries to herself? Destroy the evidence? Commit suicide?
F. EMPATHETIC: Why do we care? She’s been wronged in more ways than one, will she make those responsible pay? Can she overcome her depression? Her claustrophobia? Will she put all the pieces together and discover the secret? Will she share it with Humanity? Will she destroy it?
· DR. ZANG WEI CHEN, Head Archeologists, OWSA-Science Division
· FORMER HEAD OF CHINESE ANTIQUITIES, PROFESSOR TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY, BEIJING Educated at Harvard, University of London as well as TSINGHUA university.
A. Role in Show: Good Leader, Keeps team on point, Father like figure to Shing.
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B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: Has a good eye for discovering/identifying artifacts and a knack for seeing the “bigger picture”.
C. Intrigue: What is the secret beneath the surface? He is an MSS (Ministry of State Security) informant.
D. Moral issue? Is science more important than loyalty to country?
E. Unpredictable: What will they do next? Might hide or destroy vital artifacts or information. May give away vital information/artifacts or might distort the truth.
F. Empathetic: Why do we care? He’s a good man and a grandfather with many grandchildren he loves. He wants them to be part of a much better future both on Earth and off world. Will he do the right thing?
COLONEL MARTIN LAMB, 30 year OWSA Astronaut assigned Moon-base Gamma II. Commands company of soldiers who’s mission is to defend the base from any and all threats. Also in assisting scientists with their hyper detailed mapping of the Moon’s dark side.
a. Role in Show: American OWSA/Military Division officer.
b. Unique Purpose/ Expertise: Ranking officer Moonbase Gamma II
c. Intrigue: What is the secret behind the surface? Disagrees with OWSA policy of international cooperation. Believes the USA should be in charge.
d. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing? Deliberately keeping information from some of the other countries military officers.
e. UnpredictableStart a war.
f. Empathetic: Why do we care? It could mean the true extinction of humanity on all three worlds.
COMMANDER RAYMOND “RAYBEAM” BEECHAM –12 year OWSA Astronaut and Veteran Triangle Shuttle Craft Commander. Was one of the first Pilots to complete the first nonstop Earth-Moon-Mars circuits. His experience transporting passengers all these years has made him the eyes and ears of OWSA (in the field).
A. Role in Show: Veteran Pilot/Shuttle Commander
B. Unique Purpose/ Expertise: Extremely experienced space traveler hot shot pilot who has the “right stuff”.
C. Intrigue: What’s the secret beneath the surface? Wants to retire but has no retirement plan, he’s broke. He’s starting to gradually feel the early stages of Alzheimer’s.
D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing? Flys by the seat of his pants, instruments, instinct, training & luck. Loathes and distrusts computers and A.I. robotics. Doesn’t always obey orders. Has never lost a passenger.
E. Unpredictable: What will they do next? Turn off A.I./computer control. Take the wheel. Ignore OWSA. Do what he thinks is the right call.
F. Empathetic: Why do we care? He’s a likable “old school” kind of guy who is extremely human.
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What I learned doing this assignment is that you need to have engaging characters that the audience cares about.
ASSIGNMENT 1:
Vampire Diaries: Elaina
A. Role in the show: She’s a fish out of water, a human who becomes a vampire and her world completely shifts.
B. Unique Purpose / Expertise: She cares so much about the animals and the environment. She’s good at biology, so she is working on a way to grow blood in a lab.
C. Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? She’s a vampire
D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing? SHe has a thirst for human blood, which goes completely against her morel compass.
E. Unpredictable: What will they do next? Tries to find people she doesn’t feel bad about killing.
F. Empathetic: Why do we care? Because she is good and she loves animals and takes care of her mom and wants the world to be a better place.
ASSIGNMENT 2:
1. Tell us the journey of your show.
Jane becomes a vampire. She has to find a way to control her thirst for blood in an ethical way. She struggles to control her deep desire for blood and nearly kills someone who she didn’t intend to kill. She makes attempts at various ethical lifestyles of being an ethical vampire.
2. Who are the main characters that will sell your show?
Jane and Marc
3. Answer these questions for each of those characters.
JANE:
A. Role in the show: She’s a fish out of water, a human who becomes a vampire and her world completely shifts.
B. Unique Purpose / Expertise: She cares so much about the animals and the environment. She’s good at biology, so she is working on a way to grow blood in a lab.
C. Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? She’s a vampire
D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing? SHe has a thirst for human blood, which goes completely against her morel compass.
E. Unpredictable: What will they do next? Tries to find people she doesn’t feel bad about killing.
F. Empathetic: Why do we care? Because she is good and she loves animals and takes care of her mom and wants the world to be a better place.
MARC:
A. Role in the show: possible love interest of Jane. He’s sarcastic and jaded. He doesn’t agree with the other vampires human farms, even though he is disconnnected with humans.
B. Unique Purpose / Expertise: Despite being disconnected from humans, since they are his food, he’s somewhat of an ethical vampire as well, becasue he only hunts instead of killing farmed humans. He’s learning from Jane
C. Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? He’s a vampire, maybe he’s in love with Jane.
D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing?
E. Unpredictable: What will they do next? Will he feed in any of Jane’s friends or people she loves?
F. Empathetic: Why do we care? Because he has some goodness and he cares about Jane and protects her.
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I decided to come up with an entirely new concept for my bingeworthy TV show. So here are my new answers to Assignment 2 of Day 3 of Module 1:
1.) Tell us the journey of your show: two children find themselves in very strange versions of America where history seems to have gone in different directions than what we know. When the authorities try to discover where these children came from and who their parents are, they learn the children are suffering from amnesia. Foster families come in and adopt each child. As the series progresses, we learn that the children have lucid dreams at night. In the dreams, they remember their real parents, who impart knowledge and wisdom, but the children remember only fragments when they awaken — and they never remember who these real parents are or where they come from. As the children grow into adulthood, they will discover that they were sent into these alternate versions of America from our universe and that their parents did this in order to protect them from government forces in our universe who want to experiment on them.
2.) and 3.) Who are the main characters that will sell your show? And answer the Engaging Character Model questions for each.
Name of Character: Marjorie Euri Hak-Jordan
A. Role in the show: daughter of Barbara and Sung, finds herself in the Free People’s Nation.
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: she learns how to fight and how to think critically from her parents over years of dreaming with them every night. She uncovers a conspiracy in the Free People’s Nation that threatens their 100-year-old democracy and becomes a leader among a group of activists that aims to stop it.
C. Intrigue: hides her multiverse-spanning dreams from her adoptive parents, fearing that they’ll think she is crazy. As an adult, she had a romantic relationship with one of the conspiracy members that she tries to hide from her fellow activists.
D. Moral Issue: she lies to her colleagues, and is willing to use violence to stop the conspiracy. She even uses sex as a weapon when necessary.
E. Unpredictable: she uses her knowledge of advanced tech to overcome security measures in the less technologically-advanced Free People’s Nation. Or, she will suddenly spout knowledge of advanced electrical engineering to illustrate how to fix a 60s-style cathode ray tube TV set. She kills her ex-lover at his most vulnerable moment, after lying to him about wanting to get back together.
F. Empathetic: as a child she was ripped from her home because of the dangers her family faced from their repressive dystopian government. She found herself alone and scared in a completely different universe and had to fend for herself until she was eventually adopted by a foster family. As an adult, she helps people with her knowledge of advanced medical science.
Name of Character: Henry Tae Hak-Jordan
A. Role in the show: son of Barbara and Sung, finds himself in the Tribal Nations.
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: he learns how to fight and how to think critically from his parents after years of dreaming with them every night. He grows up to be part of the Tribal Nations’ space exploration corps and is stationed on terraformed Venus. There he discovers the ruins of an ancient underground city built by an alien civilization millions of years ago. European explorers land on the planet and a war begins for control of the alien tech.
C. Intrigue: he doesn’t hide his lucid dreams about his real parents from his adoptive parents because dreams and the messages they impart are respected in the Tribal Nations. But he does hide a relationship with a European woman from his colleagues because of the security threat that represents.
D. Moral Issue: trained by both his dream parents as well as by his Tribal teachers to be a warrior, he is willing to use physical violence to protect himself and his people. Later, he must hurt his fellow warriors in order to protect his love interest. He betrays his own people later when he must use the alien tech to reunite with his biological parents by opening up a new multiverse portal.
E. Unpredictable: is passionate and can fly into a rage if people he cares about are threatened.
Empathetic: as a child he was ripped from his
home because of the dangers his family faced from their repressive dystopian government.
He found himself alone and scared in a completely different universe and had to
fend for himself until he was eventually adopted by a foster family. As an
adult, he shows kindness to people and animals.Name of Character: Sung Hak
A. Role in the show: father, husband, and a genius in applied physics. He creates the device that allows travel between universes. He, along with his wife, are the sources of the secret knowledge that get imparted to Marjorie and Henry through the course of the series. They are the parents in the shadows of the dream world who are helping to protect their children from the agents of evil.
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: Sung is a brilliant physicist and engineer. He is able to invent new technologies that vastly increase the capabilities of the human race, like teleportation to alternate universes. His genius helps protect his family, but later it could be subverted by the bad guys to endanger his children when they take over his tech. His technical brilliance could also be used by the bad guys to make life on Earth Prime more miserable for others, such that he is blamed by the masses for causing suffering on a global scale.
C. Intrigue: he hides the invention of his portal device from the bad guys until he is captured and interrogated. His inventions have been used by the bad guys to enslave, torture, and kill others and he feels great shame and regret because of it.
D. Moral Issue: he is willing to lie to the government in order to protect his family. He and his wife have tinkered with the DNA of his children in order to increase their chances at survival, knowing that this could place their health in danger. He is willing to use violence, and even kill others, in order to protect his family.
E. Unpredictable: during a moment of crisis, he lies to his children because he knows that is the most expedient way to get them to do something that will save their lives. He kills his best friend because he discovers his best friend is working for the bad guys. While in prison, he shanks a fellow inmate in order to assert his dominance and be seen as the alpha male.
Empathetic: he demonstrates a deep love for his
family. He’ll do anything to ensure that his children have a better life. After
he kills his best friend, he sobs in bleak sadness and despair at what he had
to do.Name of Character: Barbara Hak-Jordan
A. Role in the show: mother, wife, and brilliant neurologist. She works with her husband to develop a technology that can safely allow humans to traverse the multiverse. Uses it to send her children to two different alternate universes as a last-ditch effort to save them from oppressive government forces. She appears in her children’s dreams, along with her husband, and helps to educate her children as best as possible to help them adapt and survive in an unfamiliar universe.
B. Unique Purpose/Expertise: she is an accomplished medical doctor and her knowledge of how the human brain works is without peer. She has pioneered advances in medical science that utilize a holistic approach to brain health. She can advise her children on what to eat, meditation practices, NLP exercises, and other techniques to keep their minds sharp.
C. Intrigue: she hides her and her husband’s portal technology from the bad guys. Lies to her colleagues at the hospital in order to protect her family.
D. Moral Issue: is willing to use violence and kill other if that will protect her family. Made radical changes to the DNA of her children in order to increase their chances of survival in alien environments.
E. Unpredictable: lies to her colleagues, uses her training in martial arts to beat up the bad guys with no warning beforehand. In prison, she uses her expertise in human psychology to manipulate her fellow inmates into doing things that put them in danger in order to protect herself.
Empathetic: she demonstrates a deep love for her
family. Gives her children a puppy as a gift before they are separated. She had
saved the puppy from medical experimentation.What I learned doing this assignment is: that I initially resisted doing this assignment for four main characters because I knew it would entail a lot of work. But when I actually did it, I realized that the amount of work required is only half the story. By going through these questions for each character, I discovered some wonderful and even mind-blowing things about each character that I would not have discovered without going through the assignment in its entirety. This has given me a renewed enthusiasm for this story idea.
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