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Post Day 5 Assignment Here
Reply to post assignment.
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11 Replies
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Lois’ Character Emotions
What I learned doing this assignment is…thinking about triggers helps me think about the plot.
MEFF
A. Situational: Hope / Fear : Protect his family / Be stuck as a skunk / killed
B. Motivation: Want / Need : Avoid change / safety
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask: fear of being caught / acting cool
D. Weaknesses: risk taker, rule breaker
E. Triggers: threat to safety of anyone he loves
F. Coping Mechanism: becomes a skunk and hides or runs away
HOWLAND MANN
A. Situational: Hope / Fear : power, wealth, admiration / being denied what he wants
B. Motivation: Want / Need : power, wealth, admiration / to be part of community
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask: greed / has-it-all
D. Weaknesses: greed, anger, feels inferior
E. Triggers: being denied anything, being discovered
F. Coping Mechanism: attempts to physically or financially harm anyone who blocks him
KAMALI PARKER
A. Situational: Hope / Fear : to find a true home / being rejected
B. Motivation: Want / Need: wants to live her true life / needs community
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask : protective nest building / sweet and kind
D. Weaknesses: animals that don’t like her, people who don’t fall for her sweetness act
E. Triggers: missing or upset pets, anyone who would harm an animal
F. Coping Mechanism: She goes into Mama-Bear mode. No more sweetness.
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Lesson 5: Depth of Emotion
Big Little Lies-S1 E5 51 mins.
Assignment Example Show
Joan
A: Situational: Hope/Fear
Her child Ziggy is really ok/ Ziggy is damaged and dangerous
B. Motivation: Want/Need
That she is recovering emotional from the rape that became the pregnancy/ find and get revenge on the rapist
C: Mask: Base negative emotion/Public Mask
She is not doing well mentally/she is fine
D: Weakness
Shy, secretive, not making friends easy, not having a job
E: Triggers
Ziggy be accused of violent acts at school; nightmares about rape
F: Coping mechanism
Running along the ocean, target practice with gun, taking good care of Ziggy
Celeste
A: Situation: Hope/Fear
That they as a couple can work thru the violent nature of their love making and he will stop abusing her/That she will be really physical hurt or killed by him
B: Motivation: Wants/Need
To return to her practice of law
To be able to tell husband that she wants to return to work
C: Mask: Base Negative Emotion/ Public
Fear she will be hurt more or killed by husband
That they are the perfect couple
D: Weakness
Not able to speak up to her husband
Worried he will take the twins away from her
E: Triggers
Any comment to her husband caused violence on his part
F: Coping Mechanism
Denies real problem to therapist, doesn’t speak her mind to her husband to make ‘peace’
Assignment 2: Your show.
With the audio introduction and the first 2 pre-course assignments, it became clear to me that the script I was basing this class on was flawed in so many ways..esp. learning about the ‘circle of characters’, and what we have learned so far. I need more characters, more depth, more situations.
Yet I do think, once I learn from the class, the basic idea of this project may be a good one!
I also understood that it could be used as a ‘base’ but was not necessarily a ‘streamer’..and my script is DEFINITELY lacking on all levels.
Only recently familiar with the concept fo ‘binge watching’, with the knowledge I am gaining, I will need to completely re-work my ‘idea’ and put it in better form.
I had actually thought, up to this point, that ‘your show’ meant the ‘example show’, so did Assignment 2 for the lesson in a duplicate form.
That being said, I now realize I should have been working on ‘My Show’..but it isn’t there.
What I now need to do is continue with the lessons and Assignment #1 and when we have a ‘break’, use all that I have learn to re-write the concept that I have…and then I should go thru every lesson again.. with Assignment 2.
Sorry for the confusion…and I know I will ‘catch-up’ when I have a viable project.
Thank you for your time.
.
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SU Bingeworthy Lesson 5
Griff’s Internal Struggles
What I learned doing this assignment: Delving into the inner struggles of characters who are still in development provides depth that comes to the surface in surprising ways. I’m getting to know my own characters, and they are surprising me.
Assignment 1
Example Series: Stranger Things
Internal Character Struggles
Mike
A. Hope: That Will is alive/ Fear: Will is dead.
B. Want: To be the leader/ Need: Validation.
C. Mask: Base Emotion: Self-Doubt/ Public mask: In charge.
D. Weakness: Hot tempered.
E. Triggers: Being doubted, confronted.
F. Coping Mechanisms: Anger, bravado.
Joyce
A. Hope: That she finds Will/Fear: Will is dead.
B. Want: To be proved right about Will/Need: Validation
C. Mask: Base Emotion: Outrage/Public Mask: Mama Bear
D. Weakness: Despair
E. Triggers: Being doubted, ridiculed for believing Will is alive.
F. Coping Mechanism: Moral outrage.
Hopper
A. Hope: There’s a simple explanation for Will’s disappearance/Fear: Something weird is involved.
B. Want: To uncover the mystery/Need: Solve the mystery of Will’s disappearance.
C. Mask: Base Emotion: Fear/Public Mask: Control
D. Weakness: Self-doubt
E. Triggers: Being lied to or disobeyed.
F. Coping mechanism: Violence
Assignment 2
Griff’s Series THE LAST STRAW – Character Internal Struggles
A. Situational: Hope / Fear
B. Motivation: Want / Need
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask
D. Weaknesses
E. Triggers
F. Coping MechanismStephanie
A. Hope: To do important work/Fear: Relegated to fluff assignments.
B. Want: Published investigative journalist/Need: Validation
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: Overwhelm/Public Mask: Control.
D. Weaknesses: Self-doubt, quick temper, passive/aggressive.
E. Triggers: Being lied to, disobeyed, or bullied.
F. Coping mechanisms: Punishment (then feels guilty.)
Randy
A. Hope: To be recognized as an athlete/Fear: Nobody will give him a chance.
B. Want: To get on the team/Need: Validation.
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: Anger/Public Mask: Cool
D. Weaknesses: Quick temper, violent temper.
E. Triggers: Confrontation, snubbing (being overlooked.)
F. Coping Mechanisms: Arguing, bullying, fighting.
Todd
A. Hope: Father will turn up someday/Fear: Not being loved
B. Want: A more tranquil home life/Need: Nurture
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: Low self-esteem/Public Mask: Not caring.
D. Weaknesses: Fear of confrontation, cowardice.
E. Triggers: Bullying, stupidity.
F. Coping Mechanisms: Withdrawing, eating.
Brad
A. Hope: Daughter Marcey will be okay/ Fear: Marcey is on a self-destructive path.
B. Want: Marcey will settle down and go to school/Need: Emotional security.
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: Judgemental/Public Mask: Permissive.
D. Weaknesses: Self-doubt, a pushover.
E. Triggers: Threats to Marcey, unjustice.
F. Coping Mechanism: Humor, often inappropriate.
Marcey
A. Hope: She can help “her people.”/Fear: It’s all futile and the world is a shithole.
B. Want: For Brad to trust her and not worry/Need: To protect Brad.
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: Pessimist/Public Mask: Bravado
D. Weaknesses: Self-doubt, quick-tempered, doesn’t suffer fools.
E. Triggers: Unfairness, bullying, confrontation.
F. Coping Mechanisms: Secrecy, outrage, fighting.
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Heather Estay’s Character Emotions
What I learned: Somehow, this seemed easier than the prior assignment. Still feel like I need to go deeper but the process doesn’t have to stop on the first round. I’m feeling like this will be very useful for all of my characters in various scripts going forward.
ASSIGNMENT 1: Example Show
Olivia
A. Situational: Hope: She’s doing the right thing / Fear: Her intuition is off and she’s making bad calls
B. Motivation: Want: To be the hero / Need: To be right
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: Fear, weakness / Public Mask: Tough and confident
D. Weaknesses: Feels the pain of her clients, sometimes too much
E. Triggers: Being deceived, especially by the president
F. Coping Mechanism: Fights back, toughens up
Quinn
A. Situational: Hope: That she’ll measure up / Fear: That she’s not good enough
B. Motivation: Want: To be part of the team / Need: To feel accepted
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: Insecurity / Public Mask: Eager to be challenged
D. Weaknesses: Feels pain of the clients, feels sorry for them
E. Triggers: When she thinks there’s an injustice; when she screws up
F. Coping Mechanism: Seeks help; Seeks comforting
President (he’s showing up as more of a main character now)
A. Situational: Hope: That he can save the country; that he can still have Olivia / Fear: That he’ll fail and is being played; that he can’t have it all, including Olivia
B. Motivation: Want: Olivia / Need: to be loved
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: Needy / Public Mask: World leader
D. Weaknesses: Gets “lonely” without a lover
E. Triggers: Feeling constrained; that he’s being played
F. Coping Mechanism: Run to Olivia (or another woman?)
ASSIGNMENT 2: Your Show
Abigail
B. Motivation: Want: Power, domination / Need: Acknowledgement, respect
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: Resentful, furious that “lesser beings” wield the power / Public Mask: Playing the Washington power game
D. Weaknesses: Cannot be wrong
E. Triggers: Stupidity, ignorance
F. Coping Mechanism: Sarcasm
Rose
A. Situational: Hope: That eliminating a certain Senator will put her son in office / Fear: That the group will get caught
B. Motivation: Want: To be moral / Need: To get justice
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: Revenge / Public Mask: Highly moral
D. Weaknesses: Unforgiveness; won’t let her guard down
E. Triggers: Being snubbed, racism
F. Coping Mechanism: Appearing calm and unflappable
Wali
A. Situational: Hope: To catch the killers and get promoted / Fear: She’ll fail and be stuck where she is
B. Motivation: Want: To be promoted / Need: To be respected
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: Frustration, impatience / Public Mask: Calm, competent
D. Weaknesses: Sense of superiority
E. Triggers: Being patronized
F. Coping Mechanism: Keeps to herself; goes off on her own investigations
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Brenda Clarke
I have just skimmed the surface with regards to my characters, this exercise has shown me where I need to go deeper for the characters emotions to make them more intriguing I have to put more work into this area.
Assignment 1: RIVERLAND character ARCHIE
the less her parent tell her about her sister Polly, the more she wants to knowA: Hope to get Captain of Football team FEAR: he will fail
B: Motivation Want a Scholarship NEED so he can study music
C: Base negative emotion: fearful Public Mask: he’s coping/ok
D: Weakness, sex with teacher/girls he doesn’t believe in his talents?
E: Triggers not revealed yet?
F: Coping Mechanism: he has a tendency to lie.
BETTY:
A: Hope to be liked by others FEAR she won’t be popular
B: Motivation: Want relationship NEED to be loved
C: Base negative emotion: upset/uneasy Public Mask: happy go lucky
D: Weakness: uses people, fake date to find out info about death
E:Triggers: the less her parent tell her about her sister Polly, the more she wants to know
F: Coping Mechanism: her friends, keeping close to them
Assignment 2. MY SHOW: CONVICTS
HARRIET
A: Hope she will have a happy life FEAR that her mother will find out her secret
B: Motivation WANT to get on with her life NEED the love of Rosie to be happy
C: Base negative emotion: Fear PUBLIC MASK: she is in control
D: Weakness, will have to think about this one, perhaps lacks belief in herself?
E: Triggers: doesn’t like being threatened
F: Coping Mechanism: fights back/lashes out
ELLIOT;
A: Hope to live with Richard FEAR his father will find out his secret
B: Motivation WANT his father off his back NEED to be loved by Richard
C: Base negative emotion: Fear/shame PUBLIC MASK proud/straight/English Gent
D: Weakness: Alcohol
E: Triggers Father pushes his buttons
F: Coping Mechanism: he tends to shut down/hide/cry/seclusion/inaction
ROSIE:
A: Hope to have a good life FEAR unhappy future/like her childhood
B: Motivation WANT people to like her NEED to have a happy family
C: Base negative emotion: unsettled PUBLIC MASK: happy go lucky
D: Weakness: low self esteem
E: Triggers: Stress of going back to having nothing/poverty
F:Coping Mechanism: denial, ignore it, pretend it didn’t happen
RICHARD:
A: Hope to have a good life FEAR that people will find out he’s gay
B: Motivation: WANT to be popular NEED to feel loved
C: Base negative emotion: solitude/alone PUBLIC MASK; butch bravado
D: Weakness: belief in himself
E: Triggers: threat/negative emotion?
F: Coping Mechanism: fights back/lashes out
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Kathleen’s Character Emotions
What I learned doing this assignment is that characters need to have emotions and needs to make a story believeable.
The Young Pope
A. Situational: Hope/Fear
Pope Pius XIII – He hopes he changes will lead the Church in a positive direction. His fear is his past.
Sister Mary – She hopes the Pope will lead the church in the right direction. Her fear is that he is changing things.
B. Motivation: Want/Need
Pope Pius XIII – He wants power. He wants to do things his way.
Sister Mary – She wants Pope Pius XIII to do the right thing.
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion/Public Mask
Pope Pius XIII – He works alone. He doesn’t want people to see him.
Sister Mary – She wants to support Pope Pius XIII. She respects him because he is the Pope whether she agrees with him or not.
D. Weaknesses
Pope Pius XIII – He doesn’t understand why is parents left him. He’s arrogant. He doesn’t want people to see him. He believes Jesus should have the only images. He wants to know people’s secrets.
Sister Mary – She supports and respects him even though she doesn’t always agree with him.
E. Triggers
Pope Pius XIII – He got upset when someone flashed a light on him. He doesn’t want to be seen.
Sister Mary – She doesn’t trust others. She followed a Cardinal one night to see where he was going.
F. Coping Mechanism
Pope Pius XIII – He is Pope and lives in the Vatican.
Sister Mary – Pope Pius XIII made her his personal assistant.
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Lesson 5: Depth of Emotion
WHAT I LEARNED DOING THIS ASSIGNMENT IS THAT “PRISON BREAK” DOESN’T TOTALLY SEEMS TO FIT THE MODEL. BUT I REALIZE EACH OF THESE SHOW MUST HAVE THEIR OWN WAY OF GETTING HOLD OF THE MODEL. IN PRISON BREAK, WHICH I STILL FIND VERY “BINGE WORTHY”, I DON’T FIND THE CHARACTERS FROM THE FIRST CIRCLE AS ENGAGING AS THE ONES FROM THE SECOND CIRCLE, WHO ARE THE OTHER INMATES MICHAEL IS ENROLLING IN THE BREAK OUT.
ALSO, Michael doesn’t really show any weaknesses and isn’t triggered out of emotional control. So what is it that makes this show so Binge Worthy? It is something I’m eager to find out as I get deeper into the model.
Assignment 1:
COMPILED PROFILES FOR THE SHOW Prison Break
Michael
• A. Situational: Hope – Break his brother out of jail / Fear – Run out of time or be discovered
• B. Motivation: Want – Control over prison world / Need – Save his brother
• C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: Fear / Public Mask: Composed
• D. Weaknesses: his family was abandoned by his father when he was a kid, then his mother died, and then his older brother abandoned him. I don’t know if it is relevant to mention as a weakness, because it doesn’t really look like it’s making him weaker. Almost the opposite, Michael doesn’t show any signs of weakness.
• E. Triggers: doesn’t loose control emotionally, except a bit when warden accept his transfer, which makes him plead.
• F. Coping Mechanism – Analyze (problem solving)
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Veronica (old friend and lawyer of Michael and his brother)
• A. Situational: Hope – prove evidence has been tampered / Fear – that she can’t prove it
• B. Motivation: Want – save Michael and his brother / Need – justice and get to the bottom of it
• C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask – I don’t know
• D. Weaknesses: underestimate what she’s against
• E. Triggers – I don’t know
• F. Coping Mechanism: withdrawal or distractWarden
• A. Situational: Hope – Please his wife/ Fear – she knows about his secret son
• B. Motivation: Want – pleasant life with wife/ Need – self esteem as moral man
• C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion – Shame for abandoning his son / Public Mask : Public servant
• D. Weaknesses: Doesn’t dare tell his wife about secret son he left to die
• E. Triggers: being told how to manage his prison ?
• F. Coping Mechanism: prayer, talk to priestAssignment 2:
COMPILED PROFILES FOR MY SHOW Limbo
Internal struggles
• Jaqueline
• A. Situational: Hope – experience love / Fear – die unloved
• B. Motivation: Want – seduce / Need – feel alive
• C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion – Victim ? Worthless ?/ Public Mask – Benevolent
• D. Weaknesses: Obedient
• E. Triggers: Injustice? Questioning her sincerity ?
• F. Coping Mechanism: ordinary life Denial – in Limbo Fight back? Scheme?
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• Lousy Med Student
• A. Situational: Hope, pass medical examinations / Fear, be discovered as a fraud
• B. Motivation: Want to be a respected doctor/ Needs recognition
• C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion feels worthless/ Public Mask, efficient
• D. Weaknesses: Terrible memory for anything that has to do with medicine
• E. Triggers: Expectations from others ?
• F. Coping Mechanism: Crying
• Head of Department
• A. Situational: Hope – being praised for his efficiency / Fear to be overthrown by one of his peers
• B. Motivation: Want – recognition from his mother and peers / Need – feel loved? Self esteem?
• C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion – Weak / Public Mask – Competant
• D. Weaknesses: ego driven
• E. Triggers – being disrespected or facing arrogant incompetency
• F. Coping Mechanism – fight back -
What I learned doing this assignment is:
That this simple exercise provides such an additional depth and rich dimensions to each character which directly results in bringing the entire series into a sharper focus. I’m starting to really love this entire process and am really starting to “get it.” It’s exciting to realize that I can not only use this (entire) formula to create awesome interesting characters for this project, but for ANY project that my imagination can create. “The sky’s the limit” so to speak or more appropriately “The sky’s the UNLIMITED!”
Assignment 1
“INVASION” – APPLE +
“ANEESHA”
HOPE: That she can protect her children/survive the invasion. FEAR: Losing her children/ not surviving.
WANT: Her children to be safe/to help others. NEED: To survive this.
BASE NEGATIVE EMOTION/Shock, betrayal/fear, inadequacy. PUBLIC MASK: Strong/Confident/Hopeful
WEAKNESSES: Too emotional/Too Unsure/Too attached
TRIGGERS: Motherly instincts/Jealousy/Criticism.
COPING MECHANISM: Love for/from her children.
“ MITSUKI”
HOPE: She can get Hinata back/FEAR: She’s already dead.
WANT: Get Hinata back/To contact her/aliens
BASE NEGATIVE EMOTION: Fear/Jealousy/helplessness.
WEAKNESSES: Ruled by her emotions.
TRIGGERS: Men in general/Authority Figures/The system itself/regulations.
COPING MECHANISM: Hinata’s memory/Beer/Bowie.
“CASPAR”
HOPE – Bring his mother back, Connect with the aliens/Stop them/Save Jamila, Trevante/Survive. himself. FEAR: Being too weak, Living without his mother, Failing.
WANT: Jamila, Get his mother back, Stand up for himself. NEED: Jamila & Trevante’s help/Connect with alien “Hive Mind.”
BASE NEGATIVE EMOTION: Fear/Inadequacy/self doubt/PUBLIC MASK: Unafraid, Strong.
WEAKNESSES: Epilepsy/Frailty.
TRIGGERS: Bullying/Aliens mind melding/Thoughts of his mother.
COPING MECHANISM: Medication/Artwork/Jamila/Trevante.
Assignment 2
“THE EMM TRIANGLE”
“SHING” PROFILE
HOPE: Decipher the alien enigma/Survive/Get back to her daughter. FEAR: Never knowing the answer/Never seeing her daughter again/Dying.
WANT: To figure it out/to find those responsible for the death of her parents/get back to Earth. NEED: To survive, to understand everything.
BASE NEGATIVE EMOTION: Feels smarter than everyone /Under appreciated/Resents Authority. PUBLIC MASK: Team player/good subordinate.
WEAKNESSES: Plagued by her nightmares/physically weak/suffers from claustrophobia.
TRIGGERS: Thoughts of her parents killers/Stupidity/Greed/Not taken seriously.
COPING MECHANISM: Calls to her daughter/ Green Tea, Yoga/ Tequila/Weed.
“RAYBEAM” PROFILE
HOPE: Retire with honors/Be remembered as the best pilot ever. FEAR:Early Alzheimer’s symptoms/ That he won’t live long enough to retire.
WANT: Retire wealthy to his own private island with beautiful female servants/ To be known as the best. NEED: To make it through his last missions without screwing up and dying/Make it home to Earth.
BASE NEGATIVE EMOTION: Feelings of irrelevancy/Second guessing himself/Struggling Memory. PUBLIC MASK: Cocky/Hot Shot/Womanizer/Charming
WEAKNESSES: Early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease/Fear of dying.
TRIGGERS: Unfair Fights/Loudmouths/Asshole superiors/Younger pilots who think they “know it all”/Blondes/Jim Beam.
JONCCC
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What I learned doing this assignment is to dig deeper into the minds of my characters to get to know them more.
ASSIGNMENT 1: Example Show
Vampire DIaries
Elaina:
A. Situational: Hope:recover from the loss of her parents / Fear: that she’ll be sad forever
B. Motivation: Want: to feel powerful emotionally, validation / Need: love
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: depression / Public Mask: well adjusted highschool student
D. Weaknesses: cute vampire guys with blue eyes
E. Triggers: her brother using drugs
F. Coping Mechanism: writing in her diary
Stephen”
A. Situational: Hope: to be with Elaina / Fear: to be alone forever, hurting Elaina, people finding out he’s a vampire
B. Motivation: Want: love, a happy relationship / Need: love,
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: He’s afraid of hurting people / Public Mask: he’s a smart high school student
D. Weaknesses: Elaina, his thirst for blood
E. Triggers: his brother always gettitgn in the way and trying to sabatage him
F. Coping Mechanism: journaling
Damon:
A. Situational: Hope: to be part of society and have power / Fear: Stephen living a happy life
B. Motivation: Want: to Sabotage Staphen / Need: to be validated and loved
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: he hates Stephen / Public Mask: dreamy heartbreaker
D. Weaknesses: thirst for human blood
E. Triggers: Stephen getting the girl
F. Coping Mechanism: tries to set Stephen up to get him in trouble.
ASSIGNMENT 2: Your Show
Jane:
A. Situational: Hope: that her mother gets better and she can support her comfortably/ Fear: HEr mom dying and never seeing her become successful
B. Motivation: Want: to be successful, her mom getting better / Need: support
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: fear of failure, not making a difference in the world / Public Mask: vegan activist, scientist PhD student
D. Weaknesses: animal suffering, human suffering
E. Triggers: animal suffering, being bullied
F. Coping Mechanism: avoidance, until she becomes a vampire
Marc:
A. Situational: Hope: to find love, to stop the human farms / Fear: being alone, being hunted
B. Motivation: Want: jane / Need: love
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: feels bad about killing / Public Mask: PhD Student
D. Weaknesses: Thirt for human blood
E. Triggers: mistreatment of people
F. Coping Mechanism:
Dr. Doloris Berkwood:
A. Situational: Hope: to help her students be successful, spiritual enlightenment, changing the world by mentoring the youth to go vegan / Fear: not making a difference, being powerless
B. Motivation: Want: to make a difference in the world/ Need: love and acceptance
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: fears she won’t be able to do enough / Public Mask: Vegan activist, successful teacher and mentor
D. Weaknesses: suffering of animals, oppression
E. Triggers: seeing oppression
F. Coping Mechanism: activism and mentoring students to go vegan
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MICHAEL GRECO’s Character Emotions [Mod. 1 Lesson 5]
What I Learned Doing this Assignment is the
internal emotions, conflicts, secrets and defense / coping mechanisms are [to
an outside observer] somewhat obvious or intuitive, and simultaneously intricate,
and especially evocative as they most immediately evoke the subconscious and
the dream state. Or the reality of the character that inheres in the interstices
of his/her active attention and awareness.Ass. 1 Example Show
American Horror Story
Vivien:
A. Situational: Hope: family, love / Fear: abandonment; isolation and exclusion from loved ones.
B. Motivation: Want: love / Need: protection and loyalty
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: needy, dependent, frail, a pushover / Public Mask: loyal, giving wife and devoted motherD. Weaknesses: failure of fight or flight capacity; cannot get out of grim situations, shuts down emotionally and gives up
E. Triggers: disloyalty and deceit; threaten children, babies
F. Coping Mechanism: throw energy into protecting Violet, childrenBen:
A. Situational: Hope: Keep Wife with him. / Fear: Being Alone, without a sex partner
B. Motivation: Want: sex / Need: affection
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: manipulate patients and wife/ mistress into dependence / Public Mask: helpful, conscientious psychiatrist, counselor
D. Weaknesses: vanity, lust, sex addiction; uses guilt and professional position / knowledge to control othersE. Triggers: Threaten his professionalism or his capacity / skills as father
F. Coping Mechanism: sexual relations, love of a woman.ASS. 2 – MICHAEL GRECO Concept – Miles v. Fritz
MILES
l A. Situational: Hope: To lead and guide society and government to better protect natural resources, environment / Fear: that he will be exposed as a past black marketer / human trafficker – that he will be discredited.
l B. Motivation: Want: authority power and respect / Need: to be important – no make a difference in the world.
l C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion: lust for power and sex, self-aggrandizement / Public Mask: major influence in environmental protection radicalism movement.
l D. Weaknesses: Hotheaded; ruled by emotions; vengeful.
l E. Triggers: any suggestion that he is powerless or unimportant.
l F. Coping Mechanism: manic pursuit of radical activist agenda; ignite support of ground level activists like Mussolini or Franco did with ordinary Italian and Spanish people of their time.
FRITZ
l A. Situational: Hope for a world where Fritz Is On Top, The A#1 ‘Go-To’ Guy / Fear that his wayward actions will prevent him from advancing in the Bureau
l B. Motivation: Want love and sex / Need trust, connection
l C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion – mistrustful, suspicious, always believes the worst about people and recasts his experience to justify that belief / Public Mask – dedicated public servant, catching the perps., putting away the “Bad Guys”
l D. Weaknesses – Self-absorbed; fascinated with his own power and ability, and driven to make sure everyone around him recognizes it.
l E. Triggers – exposure of his blind spots and weaknesses; being ridiculed
l F. Coping Mechanism – throws himself into martial arts and firearms as well as his job so that no one will even dare challenge him or minimize his achievements.
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Frank’s Character Emotions
What I learned doing this assignment is…
…that the problem of character is a worthy problem to solve because it’s what makes the difference between the indie film feel of grounded characters (like in LICORICE PIZZA) vs the action-drenched and very cool storytelling of Marvel and other superhero content (thinking of JESSICA JONES). As much as Licorice Pizza fails as a good movie, the one thing Paul Thomas Anderson excels at is telling stories that are grounded in the authentic emotions of psychologically complex characters. His main characters are very deep (even when they’re foolish like William H. Macy’s character in MAGNOLIA). They have needs and wants, they have despair covered up with all sorts of charismatic masks, and sometimes they possess bizarre or outlandish coping mechanisms that still tend to make sense in hindsight, and they get triggered at appropriate moments in the story that propel the story forward whilst revealing more character.
Jessica Jones contains examples of this kind of deep character work, but the presentation of it is so very different! I’m sure a lot of that is the “voice” of the storyteller(s). The showrunner for Jessica Jones is definitely going for an overall vibe of near-constant tension and fast-paced superhero thriller storytelling. If one had to prioritize the importance of the various storytelling elements, I’d hazard to say that plot ranks just a bit higher than characterization in Jessica Jones.
Whereas, one gets the feeling that Paul Thomas Anderson prioritizes character over plot. Think of THERE WILL BE BLOOD. Why does he put a twenty-year jump in time right before the last act? It’s very sudden, and he forces the audience to piece together key details about father-son relationship quickly before the audience is ushered into the bowling alley scene. There is no doubt in my mind that the bowling alley scene is powerful and entertaining and serves as a great ending to the movie. But it’s not exactly plot-friendly. Oh well, that’s the writer’s prerogative: what to prioritize in order to the tell the story that they need or want to tell.
Getting back to the internal design of characters, what I’m learning is to understand what the final product of my characters will look like on the screen once the show is filmed. In order to get there, I need to clearly understand for myself how these characters think, and I need to imagine in vivid detail how they act:
Mannerisms, nervous tics, the way the form sentences when they speak, the things in life they focus on and the other things they avoid, the dreams and aspirations they have, the fears and insecurities, their self-destructive tendencies, their contradictions, their ignorance (willful and not), their masteries, their practices and habits and compulsions and addictions, their habitual ways of responding to disappointment and obstacles – all these things can be figured out if I understand the character’s Emotional Profile.
Assignment 1: Emotional Profiles for Jessica Jones
Jessica Jones
- · Hope: to stop Killgrave. / Fear: becoming mind-controlled by Killgrave.
- · Want: to help Hope. Need: to redeem herself.
- · Base Negative Emotion: self-hatred. / Public Mask: tough private investigator.
- · Weaknesses: drinking, toxic relationships
- · Triggers: anything to do with Killgrave, victim-shaming, liars
- · Coping Mechanism: don’t show emotions and run away from her problems.
Luke Cage
- · Hope: to find out who murdered his wife. / Fear: to fail as a business owner.
- · Want: to be a good man. / Need: to be accepted by others.
- · Base Negative Emotion: anger. / Public Mask: Cool and always in control.
- · Weaknesses: pretty ladies
- · Triggers: dishonesty
- · Coping Mechanism: sleeping around, fighting
Assignment 2: Emotional Profiles for my THREE WORLDS CONCEPT
Henry Hak-Jordan
- · Hope: succeed in his mission. / Fear: losing to the enemy.
- · Want: to be a hero. / Need: validation.
- · Base Negative Emotion: fearful and uncertain of himself. / Public Mask: confident soldier, engineer.
- · Weaknesses: a player
- · Triggers: being rejected
- · Coping Mechanism: becomes angry, seduces ladies, gets reckless in battle
Marjorie Hak-Jordan
- · Hope: to preserve peace and justice. / Fear: the conspirators win.
- · Want: to leave her world a better place than how she found it. / Need: to be with people that she can trust.
- · Base Negative Emotion: angry and hurt. / Public Mask: polite.
- · Weaknesses: vanity
- · Triggers: breaking of trust, being lied to.
- · Coping Mechanism: gets drunk, hooks up with people she regrets later
Ennio Torquemada
- · Hope: to find the Hak-Jordan children. / Fear: failing and being punished by his superiors.
- · Want: status and power. / Need: to be loved.
- · Base Negative Emotion: terror. / Public Mask: confidence and strength; power.
- · Weaknesses: penchant for being cruel, vindictiveness, fragile ego.
- · Triggers: defiance of his authority, anything that makes him look bad.
- · Coping Mechanism: inflicting violence on others, secret visits to his invalid daughter.
Sung Hak
- · Hope: to be reunited with his children. / Fear: they will be caught by Torquemada.
- · Want: freedom and justice. / Need: to be the protector.
- · Base Negative Emotion: Angry. / Public Mask: the enlightened teacher.
- · Weakness: pride
- · Triggers: threats to his family, being wrong
- · Coping Mechanism: becomes emotionally distant – especially when he can bury himself in his scientific work.
Barbara Hak-Jordan
- · Hope: to be reunited with her children. / Fear: they’ll be caught by Torquemada.
- · Want: freedom and peace. / Need: to stop suffering.
- · Base Negative Emotion: despair. / Public Mask: the competent healer.
- · Weakness: pride
- · Triggers: threats to her family, failing at things important to her.
- · Coping Mechanism: becomes critical of others.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by Frank Kim.
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