Week 1 Day 4: Secrets and Reveals – LOST

[Nora B Anderson]

So, first I have to admit I didn’t watch LOST, so I don’t if that helps or hinders. In any case, Kate is a mysterious woman who is wanted for several reasons and there are several views of her, which create dimension, the mystery being is she a bad guy or was the murder justified. If she’s in a triangle, is it because the two guys appeal to her noble and not so noble sides, like an angel and a demon. So we find out what she did, but from the second clip she seems to have accepted it, not wracked with guilt or gloating about it, either.
I don’t know if this is a breakthrough or not, but I realized establishing her character furthers the plot. Or am I just late to the party?

[karl gromelski]

There are several items in these scenes that make the Kate character more intriguing.
For one, her secret is sort of a surprise when doc Jack finds out. For another, her secret is pretty radical – not something we'd expect from a pretty, young girl – it goes against who you'd expect her to be.
When Sawyer finds out, it ups the stakes because we know Sawyer to be the type that uses every means possible to control those around him. But at the time, he doesn't know the circumstances or that there was a Marshall on the plane who was taking her into custody.
What great about this writing is her secret is split in two: Jack knows that she's wanted but not why. Sawyer knows she killed a man, but not who or how. And it's not until the flashback that we get the full picture so that the audience can judge for themselves whether or not to continue rooting for Kate. This is a very good way of drawing out a secret/surprise so that we continue to be intrigued and continue to watch.
I also appreciated the game Sawyer plays (although the scene goes on for a bit too long) – and how Kate reluctantly admits to her crime passively – without admitting guilt, fault or reasons. I also liked how Sawyer reveals this himself – adding to his multi-layered background – making his character more complex. (BTW – he also doesn't explain his killing, leaving the audience to wonder who either are.) Having two "killers" bond in this fire-side chat scene ups the stakes for everyone around them – because we're now privied to how far these characters may go to get what they want, which may put other characters at risk.
A character reluctant to admit their secret past rings true and makes their wound more believable. A secret revealed bit by bit causes the audience to remain engaged. These are two insights that could work in nearly any type of script.

• This reply was modified 11 months ago by  karl gromelski. Reason: trying html tags

[Judith Watson]

LOST –

Didn’t get any insights in this lesson. However, I was reminded to use what I already know which was a set-up in video three. When it shows Kate taking her husband to bed, he says, “What is that smell?” She says that it’s probably your breath. Then when she leaves and the house blows up, we realize that that was a clue to something she had set up to have the house blow up.

The other two videos show us the secret that Kate is a killer. The drama in the first video shows the Marshall dying. And instead of him allowing himself to be helped, he keeps talking about his jacket. Jack checks it out and he finds out Kate is being arrested for murder and she is a fugitive. Big secret revealed here.

Then in the second video, the game reveals that Kate is a killer and so is Sawyer. I wasn’t really aware of how the secret’s reveal was set up unless it was with the use of the game, I never. Maybe, that was it, since Sawyer tells Kate if she wants a drink, and she appears to desperately want one, she has to play the game where he tricks her into revealing her big secret.

Traits revealed??? – Kate? Brave to play the game, defiant, and Sawyer???? Charming, rebellious. Not sure.

[Sherry Miller]

The important thing in the first scene are the words Marshall uses concerning “Kate” as he lay dying. He keeps saying she’s “dangerous.” which implies he knows something sinister about her. And now we do, too. She’s done something very wrong. Jack, I noticed, doesn’t pay much attention to him because he’s intent on saving a life, staying in character. (after seeing this scene, I wish I had watched “Lost.” I did religiously watch “Once Upon a Time” which I believe were the same writers.) It’s not until Marshall insists on Jack pulling paper from his pocket that Jack pays attention. It’s Kate in the photo. It’s clearly a wanted poster. Then come the words, “she’s dangerous.” “Must find her.” Then “Must stop her.” Basically, the 3 commands. The next scene between Kate and Sawyer was very well-done. Well-written. Clever to reveal important points using a drinking game and series of questions and answers. Expressions on their faces give away secrets beyond their taking sips or not, the game rules they set up for themselves. A bit of comic relief broke the tension with the Disney question. No, she had never been to Disneyland. “That’s sad,” he states. Whether, we as observers have been to Disney or not, we feel like we missed something or have regret or a memory. Brilliant that that question came up. Then the personal questions started…about marriage etc. We learn so much about the characters in this scene. Then…the key. About murder. “We have alot in common” final response Wow! That was the perfect ending to that scene and encourages us to keep watching for who? What? Why?
In my coming-of-age historical novel, my characters aren’t harboring any deep secrets that contribute to the plot. So I don’t use the “keeping a secret” device. That seems to work well for mysteries, thrillers, drama. But my main character feels loss, has memories, and then takes action. My 2nd protagonist, Wild Bill Hickok, as a young boy, does don a disguise, and secretly uses it to help transport slaves across parts of Illinois.
Also, this scene reminded me of a play I wrote years ago that was performed at Lewis University in Illinois. It was about a soldier who captures a Nazi youth in a winery in France at the end of World War II. The soldier holds the youth prisoner, then draws some lines on the floor. It’s a game the soldier sets up for them to play. The game ends with the soldier trying to get a confession. He asks the youth, “With all you’ve done, have you ever killed anyone?” The youth never admits to it. But the soldier sadly says that he had. He confesses his own guilt. I should drag out that play and rewrite parts of it.

[Rebecca Sukle]

Rebecca’s Day 4 Secrets and Reveal

insights/breakthroughs into what makes this character great from a writing perspective. There are many sides to Kate and each reveal adds another layer. We learn she is dangerous, wanted by the law, and she nonchalant admits to killing a man. In the last reveal we see how Kate killed the man and that creates even more questions and future layers. We also learn that cunning Kate planned a perfect crime. She got the drunken and to bed, misled him about the smell, and began her getaway after he passed out. On her motorcycle, Kate watches as the place blows up. Is she a professional assassin, disgruntled woman, or a cold hearted killer?

What I learned by rewriting a reveal scene, was to go back through my script to hint at secrets, and carefully construct a dramatic set up for the reveal.

• This reply was modified 10 months, 2 weeks ago by  Rebecca Sukle.