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Week 3 Day 1: Clarice and Hannibal Character Structure – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMB
1. Please watch this scene and provide your insights/breakthroughs into what makes this character great from a writing perspective.
2. Read the other writers comments and make notes of any insights/breakthroughs you like.
3. Rethink or create a scene for your script using your new insights and rewrite that scene/character.
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3 Replies
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Clarice is a rookie FBI agent that has no experience or training for dealing with a psychopath of Hannibal’s level. She has to overcome any self doubts to survive. She successfully engages him just enough to avoid being trapped or lose her sanity.
Hannibal’s journey:
Hannibal has had his way with victims, law enforcement and institutions. But now, he’s a prisoner who needs a victim. His only chance for his perverse satisfaction is to manipulate Clarice. But he’s never faced someone who he can’t completely manipulate as her.
A breakthrough for me is that characters don’t have to change to be on the journey that further defines them. Hannibal doesn’t change as he’s at once difficult to figure out, but has been predictable. His journey might be developed by what Clarice does and how she changes during her journey.
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Hannibal uses his relationship with Clarice to escape prison. Clarice uses her relationship with Hannibal to catch Bill. Both learn to understand a bit and possibly even respect each other along the way.
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She releases him, the psychopathic psychiatrist, and he provides the dark fascination an FBI agent pursuing serial killers wants at some level. They are well matched to play the cat and mouse game they undertake together as perpetrator and detective.
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