[Bryan Koss]

Bryan Ko's Intriguing Character Layers
　
The Queen's Gambit
　
Character Name: Beth
Role: A young orphaned girl who lost her mother early in life, and is a chess prodigy.
　
Hidden Agendas:
Beth's hidden agenda is, strictly speaking, her search for a true sense of belonging. She doesn't open up much to her mother and is secretive about her interactions with boys.
　
Competition:
Beth faces competition in every episode as she participates in different tournaments, going up against increasingly stronger opponents. In this fourth episode, Beth experiences her first major loss.
　
Conspiracies:
There aren’t any significant secretive schemes for Beth.
　
Secrets:
The fact that she haven't found her real father remains a secret.
　
Deception:
Beth doesn’t seem to lie much.
　
Wound:
This episode reopens Beth’s deepest emotional void—without chess, what’s left in her life? It also brings up her being an orphan again. Then, her adoptive mother passes away, meaning she has now experienced the loss of a mother twice, deepening her original wounds.
　
Secret Identity:
This episode serves as a reminder or revelation to the audience that Beth has always harbored a lot of anger since childhood. Despite her current image of a relatively well-behaved girl, the angry “beast” inside her has not yet come to the surface.

• This reply was modified 9 months, 1 week ago by  Bryan Koss.
• This reply was modified 9 months, 1 week ago by  Bryan Koss.
• This reply was modified 9 months, 1 week ago by  Bryan Koss.

[Bryan Koss]

Bryan Ko's Assignment 1

ASSIGNMENT 1:

⭐︎Watch the next episode of your Example Show to see any places the lead characters might fit this model.
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⭐︎A. Role in the show:
An orphaned girl who lost her mother gradually rises to fame as a renowned chess player due to her exceptional chess skills.
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⭐︎B. Unique Purpose / Expertise:

She is an extraordinarily intelligent chess prodigy
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⭐︎C. Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface?
The whereabouts of the female protagonist's father remain a mystery to the audience, and the depth of her inner emptiness is also unknown.
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⭐︎D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing?
She takes too many Tranqulizer.
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⭐︎E. Unpredictable: What will they do next?
The audience will be curious about how Beth's extraordinary talent will help her overcome challenges. What if she gets defeated? How will she rise again, and so on?
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⭐︎F. Empathetic: Why do we care?

After her mother's death, Beth, now an orphan, still doesn't receive genuine care. Coupled with the fact that she entered the adult world too quickly, this makes people worry about her. Her loneliness and emotional void are being filled by her success in chess, as she doesn't have much warmth or love outside of it. This makes the audience sympathize with her.
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• This reply was modified 9 months, 2 weeks ago by  Bryan Koss.

[Bryan Koss]

Bryan Ko’s three circles of characters
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The Queens Gambit
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A. Main Characters Circle:
Beth
Beth’s step Mon
Mr. Shabal

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B. Connected Circle
Beth’s best friend in Orphanage
Beth’s Stop Father

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C. Environment Circle:
Orphanage principle and teacher,
Kids in orphanage,
Players in chess competition
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——–
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Assignment B

not yet

• This reply was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by  Bryan Koss.

[Bryan Koss]

Show Analyzing : The Queen’s Gambit
⭐︎
Outline:
A 9-year-old orphan, Beth, who has just lost her single mother in a car accident, is sent to an orphanage. Bored with the monotonous routine of her new life, she begins learning how to play chess with the school janitor. At night, she secretly saves and takes tranquilizers, using the effects to visualize chess games in her mind and practice. Before long, she defeats the janitor, an amateur chess player. Her talent catches the attention of a local high school chess club, where she is invited to play against 12 students simultaneously, beating them all.

However, due to a change in government policy, the orphanage is no longer allowed to distribute tranquilizers. Beth starts to experience withdrawal symptoms and, in desperation, she breaks into the school infirmary to steal a large amount of tranquilizers, consuming them in secret. Unfortunately, she is caught by the entire orphanage staff and, possibly due to the overdose, she collapses in front of everyone.

⭐︎
THE 5 STAR POINTS
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1. Big Picture Hooks

A story about a hopeless orphan girl who rises to become a top chess player in an era where only boys play chess.

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2. Amazing and Intriguing Character

Beth's greatest appeal lies in her extraordinary talent and intelligence.
Her refusal to give up is another key trait that makes her compelling.
Even at a young age, she understands that losing her "queen" doesn’t mean the entire game is lost.
Fearless, she’s willing to do things others wouldn’t dare, like stealing Tranquilizers.
Her cunning and antisocial personality may resonate with those who feel stifled by societal norms.
She’s straightforward, even a bit rough around the edges, but because the audience understands her tragic backstory, they are willing to accept her flaws. Being a young girl, she also retains a sense of purity, which makes her less unlikable despite her harsh demeanor.
Her social awkwardness might also connect with many introverts, making her even more relatable.

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3. Empathy / Distress

At a very young age, Beth lost her single mother in a car accident, with no idea where her father is. She was then sent to an orphanage, left without any support. This kind of hardship evokes deep Empathy

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4. Layers / Open Loops

The story begins by showing Beth as an adult, struggling with drug addiction and a messy personal life. However, it's soon revealed that she is a female chess prodigy,
with a crowd of spectators waiting for her to start a match. The story then quickly flashes back to her childhood, which makes viewers curious about how she transformed from such a bleak starting point into a chess master.
This creates what feels like the biggest unresolved question.

Also, It shows Beth’s curiosity about the opposite sex and her longing to be loved, stemming from her experience as an orphan. And makes me wonder how will her relationship be like when she’s an adult? Will it be toxic?

Next is the mystery surrounding Beth’s father. Will she eventually find him later in the story?
Finally, after Beth consumes a large number of tranquilizers and passes out at the end of the first episode, the question arises: will she survive?

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5. Inviting Obsession

In the first episode, Beth gradually becomes addicted to drugs, and her exceptional chess performance often relies on taking tranquilizers. This central issue feels like the phase in the second act of a three-act structure, where she's either winning or losing repeatedly, edging closer to the core conflict. Then, after the government changes its policy, viewers become increasingly concerned for her.
Without the drugs, will she still be able to maintain her chess prowess?
At the end of the first episode, after Beth takes a large amount of tranquilizers and passes out, the question arises: will she survive?
Personally, I keep returning to the main theme: how did this child slowly but surely become a chess master?

• This reply was modified 9 months, 4 weeks ago by  Bryan Koss.
• This reply was modified 9 months, 4 weeks ago by  Bryan Koss.

[Bryan Koss]

Bryan Ko, I agree to the terms of this release form.
As a member of this group, I agree to the following:
1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class available to anyone who is not a member of this class.
2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.
I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.
3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.
4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.
5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.
6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.
This completes the Group Release Form for the class.

[Bryan Koss]

Hello everyone, I’m a writer-director Bryan Ko.
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I was born in the United States and grew up in Taiwan. After receiving formal training at a film school in Taiwan, I spent 8 years directing and producing short films, music videos, and commercials with my production company in Taiwan. Last year, I moved to Los Angeles where I worked on two feature-length documentaries as editor, and this year, I am expanding my career in New York.
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I’ve written 1 feature script, 5 short film script. My works often explore reflections on personal growth, and I strive to incorporate elements of Eastern culture and spiritual cultivation into my writing and visual storytelling. Through this course, I hope to learn how to craft compelling scripts that captivate audiences, and I look forward to meeting like-minded creative partners.
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Here is my website: https://www.driftwoodfilmproduction.com/
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I’m excited to meet everyone!

• This reply was modified 10 months ago by  Bryan Koss.