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Post Day 8 Assignment Here
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10 Replies
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Matthew Frendo’s Likability/Empathy/<wbr style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Justification
What I learned doing this assignment is how to make a character more empathetic and likable.
Jacob is one of the best black ops agents working today. He has done horrible things to keep his country safe. But then a mission goes bad. He ends up responsible for the death of 29 children…and it happened on the day his wife gave birth back home.
Jacob’s PTSD from it all caused him to go into a Buddhist Monastery. There he takes a vow of nonviolence and decides to stay. Partly out of guilt for what he’s done and partly because he can’t face his family after what he did.
He stays at the monastery, in a small South American town. Right when he arrives, he has to stop a local thug from stealing a horse and does it with nonviolent aikido. The family whose horse he saved feels indebted and takes him in. Soon, he’s like a new member of the family, even teaching their kid some basic martial arts and about nonviolent Buddhism.
Then some goons arrive and want the family’s farm to turn it into cocaine fields. Jacob battles them off, using nonviolent aikido again, but they swear revenge. When they get back to base, Nestor shoots them both for failing him.
Nestor, who is using kids as drug and weapon mules, sends out some thugs to rough Jacob up. When they do, they kill the kid Jacob cares about right in front of him.
Now, he has to stop them for everyone involved.
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Subject line: Joan Edwards’ Likability/Empathy/Justification
What I learned doing this assignment is that I already had good reasons for people to like or respect Bladen. I needed to add more to insure the likability/empathy/justification for my hero.
1. Brainstorm answers to Likability/Empathy / Distress/Justified for your Hero.
LIKABILITY/LOVABILITY
· A. Other people like or respect the character – Man taught him Tae Kwon Do, People come to his restaurant to eat.
· B. The character shows love for something – Family is really important to him. He takes care of his parents and grandparents, his nieces and nephews. Bladen loves his grandmother and will protect her.
· C. They’re trying to do something good – Bladen wants to dismantle Ansaca to protect senior citizens from having their fortunes taken away.
· D. Save the cat — rescue or do something good for someone else.Bladen gets his grandmother’s money back and also the money for the homes and finances that his parents and others were cheated out of.
· E. Funny, humorous, witty.
· F. Kindness – gives shelter to homeless.
· G. Good moral decisions and actions. Being on the right side. He protects those who have been abused by others
EMPATHY / DISTRESS
· H. Undeserved misfortune – When parents home was foreclosed, Bladen as a child was homeless and lived in a car.
I. External Character conflicts.
J.Plot intruding on life. He’d building a respectable life and reputation. No tickets. No fights. Installed security systems. Opened own restaurant.
K. Moral Dilemmas
L. Forced decisions they’d never make. When grandmother’s savings are threatened, he loses it. Rampages because he didn’t know Ansaca was at the Bulwark bank.
M. Wound attacked – This brought back memories of his parents being cheated because of two mortgages for the house and foreclosed on.
JUSTIFICATION
N. The character and his family abused. When parents home was foreclosed, Bladen s a child was homeless and lived in a car.
O. Threatened by others – Grandmother’s life savings are threatened by bad investments by bank agent ordered by Ansaca. When he knew the stocks were failing.
P. The Hero is the victim of attacks. After Ansaca finds out that Bladen got inside his bank, then he is attacked by Ansaca’s men.
Q. They’ve suffered major losses. When parents home was foreclosed, Bladen as a child was homeless and lived in a car.
R. The Villain or their representatives have trespassed – Came to Bladen’s restaurant after hours. Bladen gets them out.
2. Organize them into a sequence that happens in the first Act of your script and tell us the story in a concise form (like I did for John Wick and Salt above).
3. Decide which ideas you’d like to keep and add them to your structure/plot/outline
Bladen’s Revenge
Bladen suffered undeserved misfortune when they
foreclosed on his parents’ home because of Ansaca’s mishandling the sales
of mortgages,· Bladen and his family suffered major losses. Bladen and his family were homeless and lived in a car for 4 years. Bladen was abused by children making fun of him.
· Neighbor from old neighborhood says he has evidence that would put Ansaca in jail for what he did to him, Bladen’s parents, and others.
Bladen and his family earned respect for themselves.
Korean man taught Bladen to defend himself against bully kids using Tae
Kwon Do. They all worked at restaurant. Bought it after 10 years. Parents
turned it over to Bladen.
Bladen shows care for homeless by feeding them once a
day at his restaurant if they will wash dishes. He helps refurbish hotel
to house the homeless. He doesn’t want anyone to live in their cars.
Bladen cares very much for his grandmother. He interrogates
her to find out what kind of papers she signed. The deal that was
fraudulent. Looked in paper. Many
others were also cheated out of life savings. No one caught as being
responsible. All of them have bank accounts with Bulwark Bank.
When Ansaca’s Bullwark Bank sold his grandmother fake
stocks and bonds, it opened the old wounds and he went into protective
mode and rage. He went to bank and threatened agent’s life. Not at all
like him.
Bladen is so wounded and cares so much for his
grandmother that he goes into a rage and does things he usually wouldn’t
do. He also wants to protect other senior citizens who may have lost their
life savings through this fraudulent action. He goes to bank and talks
with bank official, named Hank Smith who set up his Grandmother’s account.
When Bladen leans on him by throwing a knife and barely misses his chin
and hits the wall. Hank tells that Ansaca made up the deal and told them
they had to sell it or be canned. Hank says, “My children need food.”
Bladen told Hank, “You’d better give me more facts or your children will
be fatherless.” So Hank told Bladen about the banking convention. And gave
Bladen his credentials for getting in.Bladen disguises as Hank Smith and gets to Convention of Banking CEOs. When Ansaca brags that, it stirred up feelings Bladen never knew he had. His competition mode, his humanity mode to do something other people say is IMPOSSIBLE regardless of any danger to himself.
Bladen hears from his old neighbor, Craig Newhouse that he has condemning evidence from foreclosed homes that would put Ansaca in jail. Ansaca learns the same information. Craig tells both Ansaca and Bladen about his having the info trying to get the most money from the deal to see them race to get it first.
Chase drives fast to get to Craig Newhouse first. “Turns out that someone else learned about it and wrapped Craig up and there was a note there when Bladen got there that said. “What you seek is gone.” With a funny signature. Bladen decided to hide out to see what happened when Ansaca came.
Ansaca thinks Bladen has the information. Evidently he had someone watching and he never showed up. Actually, his car ran out of gas. He sent one of his guys to look. His men came back and told him about the note. Ansaca asked, “Where is the information?” They thought Bladen has it. “If Bladen enters my bank, I’m going to kill him.” One of his buddies said, he might not have the information with him. Ansaca says no one has the incriminating evidence except for me. No one, especially not anyone from that decrepit neighborhood could get him arrested.
Not to worry.
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Rebecca’s Why We Care
What I learned from this assignment is that doing this assignment helps to define the protagonist and antaganest and provide opportunities for conflict and action.
LIKABILITY/LOVABILITY
1.Ragman returns from WWI a hero but haunted.
2.He loves his wife, mother, two sons, and family.
3. After his carpenter brother is beaten, he takes over building barracks for the evicted mine families to live.
4. He rescues his brother and another prisoner from jail and Bucholtz torture.
5. Ragman acts tough but laughs at a good joke.
6. Built stoves for the barrack families so the children could have warmth.
7. Helped his former neighbor by getting him medical help loaning a grave for him to be buried.
8. He can be skeptical and gruff, his temper easily triggered, but he does kind acts for his family and neighbors.
9. Found places to hide the mine family survival possessions before the auction.
10. Makes a hard decision to kill one more time to save the mine families from being murdured.
EMPATHY / DISTRESS
Budholtz whips Ragman’s brother and leaves him for dead, rapes his wife, inpregnates his young sister-in-law, and plans to kill Ragman’s friends, neighbors, and coworkers.
He is haunted by the sixteen German soldiers he killed during the war and suffers from PTSD after watching his brother blown up by a mortor shell and other autrocities.
Busholtz, commander of the coal and iron police, targets Ragman’s family for harm.
After the war Ragman vows never to kill again. Bucholtz forces him to break that promise in order to save the mine families from being killed by the coal and iron police.
Bucholtz brings up Ragman’s killing of the 16 soldiers under his command but letting Bucholtz to live in shame. Bucholtz confesses he is the 17th man.JUSTIFICATION
Ragman must kill Bucholtz to stop the planned massacre of the mine families.
Bucholtz threatens to torture Ragman before he kills him and takes his wife.
Bucholtz murders his brother and plans to kill another, a union organizer.
Ragman loses his job, family members, and the sanity of the one he holds most dear, his wife.
Buchotz holds the town’s people captive as he and his men ignore Constitiutional rights. The force into homes for search and seizure, take away freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, the right of ingress and egress, and act as judge, jury, and executioners.
Bucholtz decides to end the strike by killing the miners on the picket line. -
Dwight Tincher’s Likability/Empathy/Justification
What I learned from this assignment is that not only does it help connect the audience to the hero it also is a great way to add depth to the scenes.
Likability/Lovability
A. She is respected by her C.O., she is also loved and respected by the Kenyans she works with.
B. She loves the people and the wildlife of Kenya.
C. She strives to protect those who need help.
D. She helps save a baby elephant injured in the first poachers’ attack.
E. She shares jokes with her partners while on patrol.
F. She is loving and giving.
G. She defends her fellow marines and the wildlife.
Empathy/Distress
A. She suffers the loss of a good friend who turns out to be a traitor, she suffers from an estrangement from her father.
B. She is searching for a place to call home.
C. Hunting the giant beast takes her away from her friends.
D. She must try to kill her good friend.
E. Shooting her good friend.
F. Her friend stabs her before escaping.
Justification
A. The elephants are killed, and their tusks harvested. This is devastating to her because they are part of the wildlife she loves and is trying to protect.
B. The poachers try to kill her and her patrol.
C. She is injured stopping her good friend.
D. Some of her fellow marines are killed in the raid.
E. Her friend raids a supply depot, the poachers raid a herd of elephants.
I actually like all the ideas and am adding them to my outline, if they don’t work out, I can always cut them out later.
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Cameron Martin’s Likability/Empathy/Justification
What I learned doing this assignment is…a quick way to brainstorm more dimensions of how we might care for the hero. I think finding the appropriate mission will cover half the distance of this goal, as long as the mission is something people can understand, relate to, or put themselves in similar shoes with. But the different angles of empathy, likability and justification can add a richer depth. John Wick continues to be a perfect example of this, as revenge is already an inherently relatable mission. Making it about seeking revenge for an innocent puppy adds a comedic angle to it, much like Doomguy seeking vengeance against the demons of hell for the slaughter of his pet rabbit (coincidently also named Daisy). But the additional angle of the dog being a symbol of the healing process over the loss of his wife makes the John Wick story mean so much more, and gives weight to the line, “It wasn’t just a puppy.”
Possessing Eden – Why We Care
We follow a young boy who was separated from his parents. He’s in a post-apocalyptic landscape and doesn’t know where he is. What he does know is to follow a light, shining on the horizon against the backdrop of a night sky. His troubles go from mere uncertainty to turmoil when a viscous robot yells at the boy, telling him he doesn’t belong. When the robot is about to kill the confused boy, we meet our protagonist, Janus. She’s reckless with unearned confidence as she throws herself at the robot to save the boy’s life. She’s severely injured in the conflict, but refuses to back down until the robot is defeated and the boy is safe. When she engages the boy, she learns that the boy is an outsider from the underworld, and didn’t know he’d crossed a border into the outskirts of the heavenly city of Arcadia. Janus, though, isn’t concerned, as she leads the boy to her creator, an artificially intelligent, digital being, and pleads for the boy to be accepted into the city and be offered eternal life through the Afterlife Protocol, so that the boy can one day be reincarnated into a mechanical surrogate.
Throughout the first act we watch her use her powers differently from her other created siblings, as she works to connect with an understand her fellow citizens who were born, not created. She has the personality and innocence of a Disney princess, and is exceptionally capable, winning over her creator, Adam, who offers her the option to learn more about what she was made to be able to do.
Her curiosity leads her to discover through Adam’s teaching that she can make copies of herself. She does this by copying her consciousness within a surrogate, robot body. Unfortunately, she learns that the process is permanent, and that the person she copied herself into was deleted, murdered in the process. This shatters her understanding of her creator, the city she loves, and the morality she’s been taught.
Despite being told she cannot bring the person she killed back to life, similar to the opening scene, she recklessly throws herself into a mission to try anyway. She is willing to throw everything she knows away in exchange for the chance that she may correct her mistake and bring someone back to life for a second chance.
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Tarina’s Likability/Empathy/Justification
“What I learned doing this assignment is…?”
The hero’s likeability becomes the pivotal point for the story. Why would the audience keep watching if they don’t feel connected to this person? Something in this person needs to connect with the audience. JW – he may have been an assassin but his love for his wife and the caring for the puppy and his grieving is something we all can relate to even if we can’t relate to the deeds he might have done in his past or will be doing in his future. Therefore, the hero needs to be connectable and kind of disarm the audience in a way.
LIKABILITY/LOVABILITY
A.
Other people like or respect the character.
F. Kindness.
G.
Good moral decisions and actions. Being on the right side.EMPATHY / DISTRESS
B.
External Character conflicts.
C.
Plot intruding on life.
F.
Wound attacked.JUSTIFICATION
A. The
character or their family abused.
B.
Threatened by others.
C.
The Hero is the victim of attacks.
D.
They’ve suffered major losses.Likability/Lovability — They make him human.
Helping the neighbor next
door by doing something for him\ her before going to work. This is something that happens every day
and the neighbor need it.
Greet people on the train or
commute – they talk as if they know each other. How are the kids etc. She is genuinely
interested in the people around her and care.
She brings the security
guard at the office something he needed to get after work. Now she spares him the trip. Showing she listens to the people around
her.
Greeting people in their
cubicles. Someone warns her not to
go into a grumpy person’s office.
Something comes flying out the door. She walks in all friendly and cheery and
put down some coffee and saying good morning as if nothing happened.
Showing the disgruntled person losing the momentum of the tantrum and half
smiles.
Someone says “you truly have
no fear” – she pauses and suddenly fear is clear on her face before being
masked again with a smile.
Don’t you love living….Empathy / Distress
The world and freedom she loves
are being threatened by the same man whose father imprisoned her family
and killed her parents.
She lost her parents when
they gave up their lives to save her from a life of imprisonment and torture.
She is ambushed by her own
office workers. They try to kill
her and this sets of a chain reaction of events that where pre-programmed into
her mind by her parents.
She needs to save the world
she loves and her own life that already cost her so much. Her freedom to live came at a steep
price. She is not willing to just give
it up.Justification
She is confronted again with
her past and must face the demons she thought she left behind.
Krueger is hunting her down
for power, greed and revenge for his father’s imprisonment and death. She gave the evidence for this
imprisonment.
He will stop at nothing to
kill or capture her.
His cruelty and what would
happen to world if he came into power is shown.
When she is back in the lab,
she tries to safe another girl that is in the same position she was, and
this is her ultimate justification for killing Krueger. She is not doing it out of fear or
revenge but to save someone from the same fate that she had. -
Ramelle’s Likability Empathy Justification
What I learned doing this assignment is showing how my character can have depth and range.
Cinnamon Johnson is a vivacious, young woman out to get justice for father/stepfather/boss untimely death.
Cinnamon Johnson has a great deal of love for humanity.
The one thing I know Cinnamon wants to do is give justice to those less fortunate.
At 17 years old Cinnamon finds her mother’s fiancé dead of a gunshot wound on his wedding day.
Cinnamon Johnson finds joy and comfort in being in love. She falls for the owner of the Firm where she works but he mysteriously ends up dead.
Cinnamon’s kindness and soft-heartedness comes out of growing up faster than she ever expected with experiencing loss of her father at the age of 5 followed by finding her mother’s fiancé dead of a gunshot wound and on top of that her lover’s death. She has consistent loss and devastation but seems to smile outwardly; still carrying a big smile.
Undeserved misfortune- Death has exposed itself to Cinnamon but steadily she endures. Deaths of father/stepfather/lover
The love of her mother. Cinnamon’s mom Chay knows everything but will not divulge information. Chay is a former detective married to Grover, a hired assassin.
Is Chay protecting her daughter? Or is she the villain? For not wanting to talk about what she knows, even with her own daughter.
Cinnamon suffers from PTSD; she claims to have seen someone dressed in black pull her from the wreckage of the car accident she was involved with her dad.
For many years rumors have spread throughout the town where she grew up that her mother, Chay, had motive for Grover and Rick Devin.
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Brenda Lynn’s Likability/Empathy/Justification
What I learned doing this assignment is this is a great way to add empathy for the character. I’ve been trying to figure this out for other scripts so, believe me, this is a tool going into the toolbox. The tangibility of creating this ethereal quality is terrific.
LIKABILITY/LOVABILITY
A. Other people like or respect the character: She was a talented ballet dancer turned Israeli soldier.
B. The character shows love for something: She loves the art of ballet, but is unable to do it anymore.
C. They’re trying to do something good: She teaches children ballet.
D. Save the cat — rescue or do something good for someone else: Several kids are making fun of one girl. Lisa takes them on.
E. Funny, humorous, witty: She uses humor to get the little girl to stop crying.
F. Kindness: She encourages the young girl. You can be anything you want to be.
G. Good moral decisions and actions. Being on the right side: She wants to return stolen artwork to its rightful owner.EMPATHY / DISTRESS
A. Undeserved misfortune: Because of an injury, she is no longer able to perform as a ballerina.
B. External Character conflicts: Marcus suspect her at first. She has to convince him to trust her.
C. Plot intruding on life: In her past, her family’s artwork was stolen during WWII.
D. Moral dilemmas: She must choose between returning the painting to the FBI or returning it to the painting to the original owner.
E. Forced decisions they’d never make: Sleeping with Marcus.
F. Wound attacked: Stripped of their wealth, she had to come up through poverty. She resents this position.JUSTIFICATION
A. The character or their family abused: Stripped of their wealth, she had to come up through poverty. She resents this position.
B. Threatened by others: She is in a dangerous situation on her own. She has to use her wits to survive.
C. The Hero is the victim of attacks: She is chased by the mob.D. They’ve suffered major losses: She’s orphaned. Her parents were in the Secret Service and died under mysterious circumstances.
E. The Villain or their representatives have trespassed: She has to seduce Marcus in order to get the paintings back. She has to harden herself to sleep with him in order to find out where the artwork is.2. Organize them into a sequence that happens in the first Act of your script and tell us the story in a concise form (like I did for John Wick and Salt above).
Sequence for Act 1:
Ballet music plays. Lisa watches a video of her past performance in Gisele.
Children begin to arrive. She gets ready to teach them ballet when she sees a young girl being bullied outside of the classroom.
She stands up for the child and runs off the bullies.
She talks to the child, letting her know that their meanness has nothing to do with her. She can be anything she want to be.
In her history, artwork was stolen from her great grandparents by the Nazis during WWII. She is searching for the return of this artwork.
A special task force is formed to find stolen art and return to the documented owners.
Lisa is the perfect woman for the job. She has a history and understands the heartache of the stolen artwork.
As an orphan, she has been on her own for a long time. Her parents worked for the Secret Service and died under mysterious circumstances.
Lisa was brought into the country’s ballet program and was on the path to be a great dancer when an injury brought all of that to a crashing end.
Hardened by the experience, she accepts the fact the she must seduce Marcus to get the artwork back.
She uses her body and wit to get through dangerous circumstances and to correct long-standing injustices.
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Diana T. Black… Likability/Empathy/Justification (of and on behalf of, the Protagonist)
What I learned doing this assignment is that having created an in-depth, comprehensive Character Profile for each Character via the lessons provided in the Pro-Series and MSC, this assignment was easy. Many of the attributes were naturally generated within the original narrative – a relationship drama. However, the project has evolved in terms of genre and associated conventions. The 2<sup>nd</sup> rewrite was that of a Thriller and with this course, it’s now going through another rewrite as an Action/Thriller hybrid.
I see two components here
– the Character as a person throughout their “normal” every-day life, what values have they formed and abide by since childhood into adulthood,
– who is this Character in relation to this specific narrative? How do these character traits play out across the narrative and character arc?
One is likely to inform the other…
LIKABILITY/LOVABILITY
A. Other people like or respect the character.
Throughout his life Keylan has been treated with respect. His sincerity, intelligence, compassion, and strength of character shines through and manifests in about everything he does.
In relation to this narrative – as a Lead firefighter of a local Firehouse, he’s a great Leader. He never asks his crew to do something he wouldn’t do himself and he always has their back in the field. He’s loved and respected not only by his crew who affectionately call him “Cap”, but also by the Community at large, and his children – Reuben (12) and Lily (8). The only person who truly detests him, out of jealousy is the Villain – Dominic Tarrega.
B. The character shows love for something.
Keylan since childhood, has demonstrated courage, love, and loyalty in great abundance.
In relation to this narrative, apart from his children, Keylan is deeply loyal to his crew – they’re his extended family. Victor, his best friend and 2IC in the firehouse, is considered a “brother”. He loves him dearly. It’s mutual. They’ve saved each other’s lives numerous times and there’s nothing that Keylan wouldn’t do for Victor. In relation to this narrative –
C. They’re trying to do something good.
Keylan harbors guilt from his childhood – the loss of his parents in a house fire, started by his older brother… it’s embedded in his psyche, fueling him with a need to be “good/better” and to “fix’ and “rescue” people.
In relation to this narrative Keylan is trying to get justice for his murdered girlfriend, Louise. He’s also moonlighting for his friend, the DA – Adriana Tanaka, by secretly investigating the rise of a new (resurrection) crime syndicate. Adrian doesn’t trust the local police or many in the judicial ranks – he sniffs “corruption”. Initially Adrian doesn’t divulge and/or explain his suspicions to Keylan. Adrian secretly suspects Dominic Tarrega of being involved somehow in a lot of the corruption in town but can’t be seen to openly criticize this ruthless man with many connections who’s after his job. By keeping Keylan in the dark about Dominic serves the genre well – it helps us worry more about Keylan who’ve we’ve come to like. For a plotting POV, this means Keylan is much more vulnerable, making his character arc more interesting to explore.
D. Save the cat — rescue or do something good for someone else.
Keylan’s line of work as an adult has always involved rescue of some kind. Initially as a Navy SEAL and now as a Firefighter.
In relation to this narrative, in the fire sequence of the first episode (the climax), Keylan desperately tries to save Victor. When it becomes obvious Victor is beyond hope, dying in Keylan’s arms, Keylan’s only recourse is to save Victor’s reputation. He assumes Victor’s crime of “intoxicated on duty” by swapping the blood sample and dragging Victor’s corpse back into the fire. A subsequent autopsy will not be able to confirm Victor’s inebriated state. This will ensure Victor’s daughter gets Victor’s insurance payout and Victor’s memory and standing within the Community will not be sullied.
F. Kindness.
Keylan is always kind to those who deserve it. He has no time for those that don’t. He does not suffer fools gladly, and he can easily see through people as to their real intentions.
In relation to this narrative, he works hard to contribute meaningfully to the Community, not only as a Firefighter, but also as a Board Member of LAYCT – supporting and guiding disadvantaged youth.
G & H. Good moral decisions and actions and being on the right side (of history).
Keylan’s natural parents were fine and upstanding people and when they died, his adoptive father – Adriel (Haida First Nation) continued to hold Keylan to high moral standards. Keylan lives by a self-imposed code of ethics, honor, and loyalty towards those dependent upon him or under his command (this is why Alfonso is in his and Adrian’s corner). He’s maintained that code throughout his adult life.
In relation to this narrative – he’s determined to root out corruption wherever and whenever he finds it in this narrative and he has the muscle and intelligence to deliver on that. He’s a good man, but he has a dark side. When he discovers that Dominic, a trusted colleague is THE Villain behind the murder of Louise et al and the attempts on his life and that of his son, Reuben, it sets him on a path of righteous vengeance.
EMPATHY / DISTRESS
A. Undeserved misfortune.
Apart from losing his parents in the housefire when he was 12 years old, Keylan has been blessed with a strong, loving adoptive father, Adriel, and growing up with loving brothers – Blaze, Adriel’s son (same age as Keylan), and his own older brother, Richard, who unfortunately died while on his final tour in Iraq. H is career as a former Navy SEAL and now a Lead Firefighter has seen him decorated numerous times.
In relation to this narrative, Keylan is being set-up, misled and severely compromised/distressed (LTS) orchestrated by Dominic, Nicole, and Torera across the entire narrative arc. He’s suffering from guilt, fear, remorse, and loss.
B. External Character conflicts.
Keylan does not routinely experience external Character conflicts. He leads an organized and highly successful life. He’s solved the problem of the conflict between him and Nicole via an “amicable” divorce. They seem to have resolved the issues of child custody and property rights with ease. He’s unaware that this is not the case. Nicole is just pretending to be amicable. In reality she hates him for having gently divorced her (ego bruised) even though she and Keylan both agreed that their marriage was a failure from the get-go (she got herself pregnant with Reuben and Keylan felt compelled to marry her, then when he was going to leave her, she got pregnant with Lily). He is unaware that Nicole’s been plotting revenge for a very long time (Reuben is aware of her duplicitous nature but has no evidence)
In relation to this narrative Keylan’s lost his girlfriend, Louise. In the earlier episodes “The Villain” is responsible for killing an innocent woman (actually two, with Louise’s look alike also killed). At the end of Episode One, he’s also lost his best friend, Victor, to suicide.
C. Plot intruding on life.
Keylan has always had this notion that he should take some responsibility for other people’s failings and that he is duty-bound to fix things. This is a preposterous notion but brought about by his childhood guilt of not saving his parents from a lethal house fire. This notion of being a “super fixer” also reflects a sizable ego. He can’t help it – his “modus operandi” is to take the weight of the world on his shoulders. Ange is constantly on his back about this.
In relation to this narrative when Victor commits suicide, Keylan has a plan in place to “fix” the situation by taking Victor’s place re the charge “intoxicated on duty”. Keylan, by swapping the blood samples will be charged with involuntary manslaughter by a corrupt Judge (bought and blackmailed by Dominic) who refuses to consider other supporting evidence. Due to Dominic being the Prosecutor, and after telling Keylan he’d be lenient and get him off, he throws the book at him – introducing the corrupt Patrick as a “witness” and insinuating that Keylan in collusion with Louise – his lover, stole the $2M. He knows that Keylan was romantically connected to Louise (framed for stealing the money) because Keylan confided to him.
D. Moral dilemmas.
In relation to this narrative whether to abide by the law and bring in Patrick, Dominic, Torera, and Nicole alive when in Episode 6 – for most of the Villains, especially Dominic, it’s a fight to the death. Keylan. Some of these people’s fates are taken out of his hands – killed by others, death by suicide etc. However, in the case of Patrick (who fell through the remains of a burning floor to his death), Keylan will be forever haunted that he could have stepped closer and saved him… in his head as Patrick’s scream of agony is cut shot, he hears Ange say, “Some people are just plain broken”…He is caught in a moral dilemma when Reese decides for himself (disobeying orders) to stand and fight alongside Keylan and dies as a result.
E. Forced decisions they’d never make.
Keylan was prepared to tough it out with Nicole is their loveless marriage but her implied infidelity (sleeping around… she wasn’t she was just trying to get Keylan jealous and couldn’t – he didn’t care), depression, and obvious unhappiness forced him to give up on the marriage – another reason to feel guilty.
In relation to this narrative – fighting the bad guys in Acapulco, actually going through with the plan to “incinerate” Victor’s body in the fire, beating the shit out of “The Boys” in prison – putting them in the prison hospital, getting extremely violent to fight Torera over the abduction and imminent torture of Reuben.
F. Wound attacked.
In relation to this narrative when Dominic goads him for having failed to save Louise, that she died like a chicken – getting it’s neck sliced. Keylan’s response is to violently attack him, but it’s the fatally wounded Reese who delivers the final bullet into Dominic’s chest. Keylan without mercy or remorse, watches him die – making no attempt to save him (Dominic).
JUSTIFICATION – in relation to the events occurring in this narrative…
A. The character or their family abused.
It’s not until Episode 3 of the is 6-episode mini-series that Keylan discovers the identity of the Villain. It’s Dominic – a man he may not be close to or chummy with, but considered to be a trusted, professional colleague, with them both serving on the Board of LAYCT as Directors. Once Keylan realizes his misplaced trust (cursing himself for confiding in this asshole), there’s no holding back – he’ll bring Dominic (and his ex-wife, Nicole) to justice – whatever it takes, and with a hefty dose of vengeance thrown in. He has an ego after all.
B. Threatened by others.
Throughout this narrative Keylan is constantly under threat (LTS) – murderous attempts in Los Angeles, California (land and sea), Acapulco, Mexico etc.. When incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit but doing it to save Victor’s reputation, this plays right into the hands of Dominic and further attempts are made on his life on “the inside”. It’s only that he has friends on the inside that counter these attempts. Later in the narrative when he’s been exonerated and on the hunt for Dominic, that his son, Reuben is abducted and his life threatened (by Alfonso’s son, Torera). This puts Keylan’s lust for vengeance in overdrive.
C. The Hero is the victim of attacks.
Keylan is constantly under threat and while attacks are made he does not fall victim to them. Not only is this guy a former Navy SEAL and a brilliant, albeit unconventional firefighter who can turn the tables on the perpetrators, someone (remains a mystery… it’s actually Alfonso) is on his (and Adrian’s) side i.e. is on the side of justice.
D. They’ve suffered major losses.
The loss of Victor has cut deep into Keylan’s psyche. That and losing Louise in such a manner – at some unconscious level, someone must pay. Hence his willingness to take the rap for Victor’s suicide. He’s punishing himself for having failed both of them. Keylan’s consumed with guilt for not saving them. Louise died for inadvertently discovering a crime – theft of the $2M. Victor’s suicide was largely due to Victor’s inability to not get over his first wife’s murder and guilt for not being there for her. That murder (and vicious rape) was carried out by Torera Azarola. When Keylan discovers this AND the fact that Torera is responsible for abducting his son, Reuben, he’ll stop at nothing to destroy Torera – within the confines of the law or outside it – he no longer cares.
E. The Villain or their representatives have trespassed.
When Keylan discovers Torera is responsible for abducting (and on the brink of torturing) his son, Reuben, who’s rescued just in time (with Alfonso’s help), Keylan sets out to destroy Torera. However, he’s saved from having that on his consciousness – someone else executes Torera for him.
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Christopher Dalbey’s Likability/Empathy/Justification
What I learned doing this assignment is that this is a great way to make it easy for your audience to root for your character. I’ve been actually trying to figure out ways in which the audience can side with the protagonist or antagonist right out of the gate. That said, I found this assignment very helpful and constructive!
LIKABILITY/LOVABILITY
A. Other people like or respect the character: She respects her political adversaries and always tries to see their side first. Her main priority, if she were elected, is to better the city of New Orleans. In return, the people of New Orleans respect her for that.
B. The character shows love for something: Phara loves the culture that is deeply embedded in New Orleans.
C. They’re trying to do something good: She tries to make New Orleans a better place and restore the rich culture that is somewhat lost.
D. Save the cat — rescue or do something good for someone else: There are several outreach groups that she is very involved in, organizations that she organized to help less fortunate peoples of New Orleans get back on their feet.
E. Funny, humorous, witty: Humor is her go-to for awkward political situations and difficult subject matter being discussed.
F. Kindness: She treats everyone with respect, diffuses an attempted robbery by seeing them as equals, as a human being, not as a criminal.
G. Good moral decisions and actions. Being on the right side: Has a solid moral base and knows when to draw the line when her political adversaries go too far with their agendas.
EMPATHY / DISTRESS
A. Undeserved misfortune: Trying to connect with her opponents by attending an esclsive party she is brutally raped and murdered.
B. External Character conflicts: Her coming to terms with being reincarnated as voodoo deity Maman Phara.
C. Plot intruding on life: How she is to adjust with her new identity as voodoo incarnate Maman Phara while her biggest opponent gains momentum in the political race.
D. Moral dilemmas: The voodoo culture that is embedded in Phara’s family background and that she very much separated herself from now circumscribes her afterlife as Maman Phara.
E. Forced decisions they’d never make: Embracing her inherited voodoo power.
F. Wound attacked: Taken from the mortal world by the very criminal acts that she fought against in her political campaign when she ran for mayor.
JUSTIFICATION
A. The character or their family is abused: She is stripped of her mortality and must find a way to embrace her new identity and prowess if she is to fortify the justice she fought so hard for in her mortal life.
B. Threatened by others: She finds herself in very dangerous situations both in her mortal life and as voodoo incarnate from her opposition (Senator Triano and the underground world).
C. The Hero is the victim of attacks: She is constantly being attacked and hunted by Senator Triano, whether it be in the political realm or in the underworld.
D. They’ve suffered major losses: She is excommunicated from her family because of her distancing herself from the voodoo culture her family is tied to. She is brutally raped and murdered and is seperated froom her nuclear family in the afterlife.
E. The Villain or their representatives have trespassed: Phara is invited to an exclusive party by her rival, Senator Triano, where she is in over her head and is raped and murdered by memebers of an underground cult that is secretly led by Senator Triano.
2. Organize them into a sequence that happens in the first Act of your script and tell us the story in a concise form (like I did for John Wick and Salt above).
Sequence for Act 1:
A campaign rally at which Phara Ady gives a speech.
The rally is broken up by criminal activity. Phara helps diffuse the violence with acts of kindness and respect towards the criminal.
She struggles with her double duty as a single mom of two and is made apparent when the father, whom she is separated from, comes in and plays hero.
She attends a political convention where most of her adversaries are present, trying to win favor of opponents who despise her and what she stands for. Senator Triano kind of hit it off and invites her to an underground private party.
She is advised by her team to not attend the party as it would hurt her image and won’t serve her any good by attending.
Without anyone knowing, she slips out to attend the party. When she arrives at the address, there are a profusion of access points to get into the party that makes her think she is in over her head. But she proceeds anyway.
Once she is admitted, she is submerged into an elite party that is associated with an underground culture where sex and drugs take precedent.
Phara realizes this is not for her and unsuccessfully tries to flee the scene. But the mansion is on lock down and the party is about to begin …
Phara is the guest of honor and brought in front of the high priests and then escorted off to private quarters of the mansion …
She is coerced into taking drugs then raped and murdered by other attendees!
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