WIM+AI – Module 3 – Lesson 3: Character Subtext

[Frank Gaide]

FRANK’S SUBTEXT CHARACTERS

I SEE MYSELF WRITING two great, marketable screenplays every year going forward and teaming up with a manager/friend. Short term, I imagine a very difficult but valuable and rewarding six months going balls to the wall in this class.
COMPLETING THIS ASSIGNMENT, thank God for cut and paste! Lol. I am discovering not just how layered my characters are growing systematically, but how my concept is ever changing with all the new information collected through each lesson and assignment. It covers A Lot of pages already. Guess it’s good to keep accurate files for every element and review new information daily.
EXAMPLE MOVIE TITLE: Gran Torino

CHARACTER NAME: Walt Kowolski.
Subtext Identity: An angry old racist and proud Marine who hates everyone.
Subtext Trait: Concealing and kind.
Subtext Logline: Walt Kowloski is an old Marine who loves America and hates the immigrants surrounding him but reveals his hidden humanity when protecting those less fortunate than him.
Possible Areas of Subtext: Walt helps the Vietnamese kid next door: he protects the Vietnamese family from thugs: he sacrifices himself so the thugs go to prison: leaves his prize automobile for the kid next door, his gran torino.
MY MOVIE TITLE: Hell of a wedding

CHARACTER NAME: Lily
SUBTEXT IDENTITY: Ever the victim bride protecting her eco wedding plans from bitterly divorced parents who control her every decision.
SUBTEXT TRAIT: Wily and designing always in denial.
SUBTEXT LOGLINE: Lily uses her cunning wit to cover for her parents’ abusive behavior to her and themselves and now she’s determined to use it to make them murder each other. Lily is an environmental bride masking her rebellious, vengeful side, using her eco-wedding as a smokescreen to drive her parents apart.
POSSIBLE AREAS OF SUBTEXT: Lily plays the scapegoat when her parents fight with each other: she exploits their criticisms and ruthlessness to make them appear guilty: she is trying to help them resolve differences but secretly sabotaging their every action to hurt them.

CHARACTER NAME: Isabell (Izzy)
SUBTEXT IDENTITY: Very independent bitchy mom to Lily who believes she is helping her daughter through controlling her every decision: She tried this with her ex, Frankie, and drove him away. Now she hates him for her own failures.
SUBTEXT TRAIT: She is the boss of everyone and everything in her life, and very treacherous.
SUBTEXT LOGLINE: Izzy will go to extreme measures to make sure Lily has her wedding at the Ritz instead of a lakefront campground, and she’s ready to go to war with Frankie, her ex, to prove she is better than him, even if it kills them both! Izzy is a protective mother masking her bitterness, orchestrating petty schemes under the guise of helping her daughter.
POSSIBLE AREAS OF SUBTEXT: Izzy goes above Lily’s wishes and designs everything needed for a wedding at the Ritz: she attempts to bring it all outside at the campground to replace Lily’s eco plans: she goes out of her way to embarrass and harass Frankie, her ex, at every opportunity: she turns maniacal and evil by staging dangerous pranks that could maim or kill Frankie.

CHARACTER NAME: Frankie
SUBTEXT IDENTITY: Frankie is a failed mobster, dad, and husband: he’s failed at everything in life. He’s hanging on financially by pulling small robberies. And now, after his 25-year absence, he’s headed back home at lily’s invitation ready to pay for his guilt and ready to go back to war with Izzy and her dad, Nico.
SUBTEXT TRAIT: Frankie is secretive about his life and very suspicious of everyone.
SUBTEXT LOGLINE: Frankie has failed at everything in life, but he is especially sorry for abandoning Lily, and now he has an opportunity to right the wrong while getting even with Izzy and her dad, Nico, who he blames for all his failings in life. Frankie is a failed mobster and absent father disguising his guilt, driven to compete for redemption while plotting subtle revenge.
POSSIBLE AREAS OF SUBTEXT: Frankie secretly robs a couple small banks to help pay for Lily’s wedding: he attempts to help set up eco decorations for the wedding but fails badly ( or is it his ex, Izzy, who is sabotaging his efforts in front of Lily): he lies to everyone about his present situation, especially Izzy and Nico: he plants accusations about Nico in people’s minds: believing Izzy is sabotaging his help with Lily, he escalates dangerous pranks with Izzy until there’s no knowing who is really responsible, and he doesn’t care, as long as Izzy’s out of the picture.

CHARACTER NAME: Coop(er)
SUBTEXT IDENTITY: Coop is the almost-too-good-to-be-true affectionate groom/husband with a blank history: no parents, no family to speak of, and few friends. He wants so desperately to help Lily get rid of her problem parents, but at what cost, and why?
SUBTEXT TRAIT: Coop is quietly manipulative, scheming, and deceitful.
SUBTEXT LOGLINE: Coop appears to be the perfect man for Lily but at every turn he’s manipulating her actions/decisions for supposedly good reason. But it all unwinds like a staged plan forced upon her and her whole family culminating in her parents’ deaths. But to what end? Coop is a flawless groom masking a sinister agenda, steering Lily’s actions with strategic affection.
POSSIBLE AREAS OF SUBTEXT: Coop always has a tear jerking answer about loss of family and friends: he befriends Izzy, Frankie, and Nico to appear impartial whenever Lily retaliates against them: he tricks Lily into causing Frankie and Izzy to kill each other.

[Demethress Davis]

Deme’s Subtext Characters

MY VISION: I am a EGOT writer who is very successful and revered by the industry for writing amazing stories that will live on in history.

What I learned from doing this assignment is my character are being flushed out and I see more ideas of how to make them even more appealing. Perfection be damned! LOL!

Example Movie Title: REBEL RIDGE
* Character Name: Terry Richmond
* Subtext Identity: A former marine who exudes calmness and respect.
* Subtext Trait: He conceals the fact he is a martial artist.
* Subtext Logline: Terry, a calm and respectful former marine, until he unleashes his Martial artistry on the corrupt police who stole money needed to bail his brother out of jail.
* Possible Areas of Subtext: When he is run down by cops and they steal his money; when he goes to the sheriff’s office to inform them that his money was stolen and the perpetrators enter the office; when he is promised the money back in time for him to get his brother out of jail before he will be killed by those he ratted on and it is too late; when he finds out his brother has been beaten, stabbed and dies.

Movie Title: THE DEVIL’S PUNCHBOWL
* Character Name: Henry Carpenter
* Subtext Identity: An out of work
* Black accountant whose wife is dead and son is in a coma
* Subtext Trait: Conceals his true identity and guilt of being the cause of his wife’s death.
* Subtext Logline: An out of work Black accountant masquerades as a White man and hides his inner guilt when he moves to a small Southern town in Alabama, and is taken in by a White Supremacist hiding behind a facade of being “The Good Samaritan.”
* Possible Areas of Subtext: When he moves to Alabama town, he changes his identity, voice and mannerisms; when he is discovers the true heritage of Lillian the Good Samaritan who he works for; when he discovers Lillian is a White supremacist; when he is kidnapped and tortured by Lillian’s henchmen; when he enlist the help of Jewel, a neighbor to help end Lillian’s reign of terror in the town.

* Character Name: Lillian Whitehead
* Subtext Identity: The town’s Good Samaritan who doesn’t know her true heritage.
* Subtext Trait: Lillian is a cruel, sadistic leader of the White Supremacist group in the town
* Subtext Logline: The town’s cruel, sadistic White supremacist leader hides behind the facade of being the “Good Samaritan” until she is confronted by Henry who not only discovers her role in town but also her true heritage.
* Possible Areas of Subtext: Lillian offers Henry, homeless and new in town a job and lodging; Lillian suspects Henry is not who he says he is and she begins investigating his background; Lillian entertains past lodgers in her home-Henry notices that all are missing a part of their body; Lillian cooks a soul food meal for Henry in an attempt to yak get him to reveal his true identity – she suspects he is a Black man; Lillian tasks Henry with fixing something in the attic, he falls through the floor and is maimed.

* Character Name: Jewel Stillwater
* Subtext Identity: A loyal neighbor who is like a daughter to Lillian.
* Subtext Trait: Jewel conceals her fear that Lillian will eliminate her if she goes against her in any way.
* Subtext Logline: Jewel, a loyal neighbor to Lillian, a White supremacist who runs the town, fears retaliation of the worst kind if she goes against Lillian in any way.
* Possible Areas of Subtext: Jewel spies on Henry without him knowing it; She reluctantly agrees to help Henry look into Lillian’s background; She takes care of Henry when he gets out of the hospital; She prepares a “special” meal for Henry that is laced with a knock-out drug; She rescues Henry, risks her life doing so.

• This reply was modified 7 months, 1 week ago by  Demethress Davis.

[Brian Bull]

BRIAN BULL – SUBTEXT CHARACTERS

My Vision: I’m a writer that producers want to work with and can’t wait for my next script!!!

“What I learned from doing this assignment is…?” Layers and layers and layers…. This is what is going to give my characters the depth that is required.

ASSIGNMENT
2. With your example movie, give us the following answers for the character with the most subtext:

Movie Title: DIE HARD
Character Name: JOHN McCLANE
Subtext Identity: A COP WHO IS TRYING TO REPAIR HIS MARRIAGE
Subtext Trait: TRICKY, SLY, SHIFTY
Subtext Logline: JOHN LOVES HIS JOB BUT HE LOVES HIS FAMILY MORE AND WHEN HIS FAMILY IS THREATENED HE WILL RESORTS TO EXTREME MEASURES
Possible Areas of Subtext: WHEN HE DISCOVERS HIS WIFE IS A HOSTAGE, WHEN HE HEARS THE TERRORISTS KNOW SHE IS HIS WIFE, WHEN THE ANTAGONISTS THREATENS TO KILL HER.

3. For your two leads, brainstorm these answers:

Character Name: TOM WALKER
Subtext Identity: A PROP MASTER WHO IS TRYING TO REPAIR HIS MARRIAGE
Subtext Trait: TRICKY, SLY, SHIFTY
Subtext Logline: TOM LOVES HIS JOB BUT HE LOVES HIS FAMILY MORE AND WHEN HIS FAMILY IS THREATENED HE WILL RESORTS TO EXTREME MEASURES
Possible Areas of Subtext: WHEN HE DISCOVERS HIS WIFE IS A HOSTAGE, WHEN HE HEARS THE TERRORISTS KNOW SHE IS HIS WIFE, WHEN THE ANTAGONISTS THREATENS TO KILL HER.

Character Name: EL JEFE
Subtext Identity: A CARTEL BOSS WHO LOVES MOVIES
Subtext Trait: QUOTES MOVIES ALL THE TIME
Possible Areas of Subtext: WHEN HE IS INTRODUCED, WHEN HE HAS TOM KILL A HOSTAGE, WHEN HE CAPTURES SARAH WALKER, WHEN HE DISCOVERS TOM WALKER WORKS IN THE MOVIES, EVERYTIME HE INTERACTS WITH TOM WALKER THEREAFTER.

4. Then use this prompt to brainstorm the character subtext with AI.

Tom Walker
Subtext Identity: A reluctant survivalist masking deep insecurity.
Subtext Trait: Hides self-doubt about his ability to protect Sarah and himself, even as his actions prove otherwise.
Subtext Logline: Tom is a quiet observer who uses his technical skills and acute attention to detail to mask his fear of inadequacy.
Hiding Something: His guilt over feeling inadequate as a husband.
Afraid to Say: He worries Sarah doesn’t respect him, but he avoids confronting her about it.
Withholding: He keeps his inventive ideas close until they’re absolutely necessary, unsure if others will trust him.
Plotting: Uses his Prop Master ingenuity to craft a strategy for their escape.

Sarah Walker
Subtext Identity: A resilient woman hiding vulnerability.
Subtext Trait: Suppresses fear and doubts about her pregnancy while projecting calm determination.
Subtext Logline: Sarah is a conflicted wife who conceals her vulnerability with sharp resourcefulness and maternal instincts.
Hiding Something: Her pregnancy, initially concealed out of fear it will weaken their resolve or strategy.
Afraid to Say: She doubts she’s strong enough to survive and protect her unborn child but refuses to vocalize it.
Secret: Feels guilt for dragging Tom into the trip, believing her need for distraction endangered them.
Being Polite: Initially defers to Tom’s leadership but quietly takes control when necessary.

El Jefe
Subtext Identity: A ruthless cartel leader projecting invulnerability.
Subtext Trait: Masks his insecurity and moral conflict beneath calculated cruelty.
Subtext Logline: El Jefe is a feared leader who manipulates others while secretly questioning his own code of honor.
Hiding Something: Fears his cartel’s operation is more fragile than it appears, driving his brutality.
Afraid to Say: Respects Tom and Sarah’s resilience but views acknowledgment as a weakness.
Plotting: Always one step ahead, setting traps to assert his dominance and control.
Secret: Holds a private disdain for violence but sees it as a necessary tool for survival.

Marie (El Jefe’s Assassin)
Subtext Identity: A conflicted killer with a hidden conscience.
Subtext Trait: Suppresses empathy, especially when faced with Sarah’s resilience and determination.
Subtext Logline: Marie is a cold assassin who secretly questions her loyalty to El Jefe and sees herself in Sarah.
Hiding Something: Her disillusionment with El Jefe’s methods and her role in the cartel.
Afraid to Say: She fears leaving the cartel will make her a target, so she remains loyal outwardly.
Luring/Seducing: Uses Sarah’s empathy to gain an edge in their confrontation.
Withholding: Deliberately avoids killing Sarah immediately, giving her an unspoken chance to fight back.

• This reply was modified 6 months, 3 weeks ago by  Brian Bull.

[David Mailman]

ASSIGNMENT

Mailman’s Character Subtext

2. With your example movie, give us the following answers for the character with the most subtext: