Chris Lee
Forum Replies Created
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Chris’ Transformational Events
What I learned doing this assignment is that diving deeper into my characters can result in figuring some things out and helping over all.
OLD WAYS: Selfish, conceited, lying
NEW WAYS: Resourceful, helpful, trusting
CHANGES NEEDED:
– Taking the ‘job’
-realizing loss via death and insanity
-accepting the ‘task’ at hand
-trying a new thing by getting a job on the movie
-accepting a love interest
-accepting the fact that the love interest sucks and moving forward
-realizing that the whole ‘game’ is rigged and fucked up
-making adjustments, so she can win
TRANSFORMATIONAL EVENTS:
-People killed on boat
-Tries to escape from mountain
-Gets job on movie
-Meets love interest
-Love interest betrays her and dies
-Enlists help from crew
-Is betrayed by crew
-Revealed that she had an arrangement
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Chris’ 4 Act Transformational structure:
What I learned doing this assignment is that focusing on the journey of the character is essentially just creating my outline.
CONCEPT: Following the subsequent disappearance of a package that she was tasked with delivering as well as her friend in Lake Arrowhead, CA, Cora finds herself playing a game of detective for her life.
MAIN CONFLICT: Cora is told in no uncertain terms that if she doesn’t find the package, she will die. The last person she and her friend were with when it disappeared, was the director of a pornography movie being simultaneously shot at one of the lakefront estates. Cora needs to figure out what is going on with the film crew, that is a big mystery in itself in order to find the McGuffin.
OLD WAYS: Unmotivated, takes the easy way out, pathological liar, untrusting.
NEW WAYS: Resourceful, ambitious, selfless, helpful.
ACT 1
-OPENING: Cora and her friend are driving up the mountain without a care in the world. A porn film is being shot close to where they are staying. They end up on a boat, partying with the drug addled director of the movie.
-INCITING INCIDENT: Cora is drugged, very hazy memory, wakes up alone on the boat without the package, her friend or the director.
TURNING POINT: She tries to leave the mountain and informs the people that she was supposed to drop the package with what happened. She is convincingly told that she will die if she attempts to leave again without finding it. Simultaneously, Brooke, the Antagonist First AD is convinced to take over directing duties on the porn movie.
ACT 2
NEW PLAN: Cora gets herself a job working in the costume department of the movie in order to try to find out what happened to her friend and recover the package.
PLAN IN ACTION: People on the movie start disappearing and or turning up dead.
MIDPOINT/TURNING POINT: Cora discovers that the bartender at the resort with whom she has become romantically involved with, Chet, is actually the son of the owner of the resort, who she has discovered is connected to the McGuffin and or possibly the disappearance of it.
ACT 3
RETHINK EVERYTHING: Cora is discovered as a liar and fired from the film as she’s uncovering information that leads her to believe that Brooke might actually be behind the McGuffin disappearance and subsequently the mysterious ongoings of the film set.
NEW INSIGHTS: Cora also finds Brooke sleeping with Chet.
TURNING POINT/HUGE FAILURE/MAJOR SHIFT: Chet attempts to retrieve the McGuffin for Cora and is killed.
ACT 4
CLIMAX/ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF THE CONFLICT: Cora ends up fighting to the death with Brooke and ultimately killing her. We then find out that the editor of the movie has been secretly savvy of what Brooke had been doing all along and actually helped her and even threw in a kill of his own because he admired what she was trying to accomplish. He also has the McGuffin. He and Cora make a deal for it.
RESOLUTION: The premiere of the porn film. The company has covered everything up, the film is being released successfully, is a huge hit and the editor is offered a three picture directing deal.
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Chris’ Character Interviews
What I learned from doing this assignment is that it was sort of freeing to just answer the questions from the characters perspective without putting anything on it and just ad libbing off the top of my head what and how they would answer. I mean, my Protagonist is a pathological liar, so that’s kind of fun as well.
PROTAGONIST:
-My name’s Cora, I’m a cocktail waitress at a bar in Venice Beach that decided to take some sketchy guys up on an offer to deliver a package to Lake Arrowhead. It’s only an hour and a half away. What could go wrong?
-Because I’m clearly someone who will go along with something in order to make easy money without asking too many questions. I’m of questionable moral fiber.
-I don’t really know what I’m up against. There’s a few things going on and I’m just trying to figure shit out and not die.
-I suppose that I’m going to need to double down and commit to finding answers, I don’t really have an option to half ass it or quit, like I normally do.
-I don’t have habits that I want to let go of.
-Fears, insecurities and wounds are for small people.
-I’m pretty confident in my ability to adapt and ingratiate myself into new situations and with different groups of people. I’m almost, hmmm.. Reptilian, if you will.
-What am I not hiding? They can and will know exactly what I want them to and when I deem it necessary.
-I think of lot’s of things. Mostly sex. Well, that’s not entirely true, mostly I think about baking cookies.
-My side is that I’m caught up in a bunch of bullshit that doesn’t even concern me and now people are trying to kill me. What’s new?
-If I succeed here, it will allow me to continue living my life, and or just have one. So, that’s sort of a bonus.
-No other questions, we’re finished here.
ANTAGONIST:
-I’m Brooke, I’m directing the porn movie that is at the center of all this.
-My strengths are that I’m pulling all the strings and in control of the situation. I’m the boss bitch. My weakness, I suppose, if I were to have one could be that I will end up in prison for the rest of eternity if certain things come to light.
-I don’t have anything personal against her, I actually kind of like her, but for me to complete my project she can’t be in my way or, do her job, if that’s more to your point.
-What I get is knowing that I’ve accomplished a thing of beauty, a masterpiece if you will, I will have undoubtably and inarguably created the most pure “Giallo Film” ever made. Hands down. End of story. I win.
-I’m driven by the motivation that I have an opportunity to create one great thing, undeniably, that nobody can ever make go away. If you had an opportunity to do something like that and didn’t take it then you’re a fucking loser.
-Secrets? Quite literally, where the bodies are buried. There’s a lot of secrets that I’m harboring in this whole thing. Do you think my friends and family even know that I’m working in porn? Jesus, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
-That I’m actually willing to put my money where my mouth is and follow through on something and sacrifice in order to achieve my objective. Most people just talk a bunch of shit and lack drive. I’m not one of those people.
-The Rabbits? We all know how that story ends.
-My side is that I win. I sacrifice. I make the art. I finish the project. At any and all costs. End of story. What else is there, who cares? You’re boring me.
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Chris’ Character Profile – Part 2
What I learned doing this assignment is .. that doing all the check list work is going to make it much easier writing my characters. We’re basically ‘filling ourselves up’ with all this information and if done properly, putting ourselves in a position to succeed in properly never being ‘lost’ in as much as wondering what the character would or should do.
CORA:
WHAT DRAWS US TO HER: She’s been put in an awful position on multiple levels, that is going to be almost impossible to get out of.
TRAITS: Intelligent, Untrusting of others, Very good at reading people.
SUBTEXT: Pathological Liar, Lies to manipulate people to get what she wants, whether that’s information or just for them to like her.
FLAW: Selfishness, Arrogance- She thinks people are stupid.
VALUES: Her personal freedom and basic rights.
IRONY: She leads a fairly no frills, straight forward life in a large city to tag along to a pristine, mountain community and winds up fighting for her life and playing detective.
WHAT MAKES HER RIGHT: She’s grown up in different worlds, including being bi racial, she’s savvy enough to fit in with the pornographers and the Art heist underworld people.
BROOKE:
WHAT DRAWS US TO HER: She’s a great leader, compassionate and singularly focused. She’s a direct, no bullshit type of person, who empowers her team as she’s literally constructing their demise.
TRAITS: Kind and motherly at times, or ball busting, depending what she needs from the situation.
SUBTEXT: She’s singularly focused. Regardless of what she’s saying, she’s only focused on her goal.
FLAW: She’s a psychopath.
VALUES: Achieving her goal at any cost.
IRONY: People listen to her and respect her. She’s genuinely like able and likes CORA, and the others, she just needs them for her project.
WHAT MAKES HER RIGHT: Who else would be willing to go these extents for the sake of accomplishing what she’s trying to accomplish? All the while, getting people to go along with it.
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Chris’ Character Profiles, Part 1
What I learned doing this assignment is that I found it beneficial to specifically narrow down the Cat and Mouse characteristics between my protagonist and antagonist.
-PROTAGONIST: CORA is a FIGHTER because she is capable and will rise to the challenge. Initially, I thought that she could be a RUNNER, but I don’t think so because she is serving as the driving force for discovering information, primarily acting as a detective while seeking information and overcoming physical challenges coming at her. Female, bi racial, 20’s. INTERNALLY, she is non committal, takes shortcuts and has a selfish streak. She becomes self reliant, resourceful, selfless and determined. EXTERNALLY, she goes from someone who’s just along for the ride to someone who out smarts everyone, stays alive and comes out on top. Her MOTIVATION is to stay alive. Her WOUND is that her family life was unstable and it messed with her confidence and ability to set goals. Her MISSION is to find the McGuffin and her SECRET is that she is a pathological liar. What MAKES HER SPECIAL is her ability to chameleon her way into social situations and fit in with many different personality types or groups of people.
-ANTAGONIST: BROOKE is a CHANGE AGENT primarily because in her role as the New Director of the film, she has a major vision, (undermining her producer bosses and essentially changing the genre of the film) is in charge of the film and ultimately is responsible for everything that is going on here on multiple levels. Female, 30’s, Artsy. INTERNALLY she doesn’t really change because she may be a psychopath. EXTERNALLY she evolves from being a rule following AD to being a huge catalyst and force as the director of the film and shot caller. Her MOTIVATION is to make ‘The Most Pure Giallo Film Ever Made.’ Her WOUND is that she has never been ‘good enough’ in life and as a result is working as crew on a porn film. Her MISSION is to complete her work of art/ masterpiece while hiding her SECRET which is that she may be insane and killing people. WHAT MAKES HER SPECIAL is her singular drive and tunnel vision on route to getting what she wants.
-SUPPORTING CHARACTERS:
SHANE: The belligerent, misogynistic, drug addicted original director of the porn movie.
CHET: Bartender at resort and son of the wealthy owner. He becomes a love interest for Cora. He’s a constant mystery as information is slowly revealed about him. Never what he seems.
KARLA: Employee at a local boutique who witnesses more than she lets on, ultimately demands blackmail money and or position from production.
JOLENE: One of the more seasoned porn actresses, smart about what’s actually going on when others don’t realize .
-MINOR CHARACTERS:
BRIAN: Braggart, poser, low level on set “producer” in name only, he is a blowhard always hanging around but basically has no power.
STEVEN: Promoted to First AD and is basically the voice of reason.
JACK LYNNE: Porn actress, new to the world, insecure.
WHITNEY: Porn actress, diva and constant source of angst.
ROB: Young guy, intern. Wide eyed and always logical to a fault.
-GENRE: Is THRILLER. People definitely die and it is a Giallo film deconstruction but at the end of the day it is essentially a Noir and a detective story.
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Chris’ Transformational Journey
What I learned from doing this assignment is largely just taking a deeper dive into my characters emotional states and qualities. I honestly hadn’t given a ton of thought to what we’re calling the Old Ways vs New Ways and found it informative when the instruction said that if you know the end result, one way to find the Old Ways is to go opposite.
My hero is Cora, a 20 something, bi racial (black/white) girl, living in Los Angeles in the mid 1990’s who accompany’s an acquaintance to the pristine mountain community of Lake Arrowhead. They’ve been tasked with making a delivery, which is essentially a McGuffin, it’ll be revealed to be a smallish piece of art, for some slightly below board types in exchange for some quick cash.
Simultaneously, a pornographic film is being shot remotely at a rented lakefront estate. This is pre internet / online porn, so it was actually shot somewhat like an actual film, it’s digital obviously, not Boogie Nights, but they did have actual budgets and small crews.
The stories cross over when the McGuffin disappears, along with Cora’s friend. Cora desperately needs to find the merchandise. Her life literally depends on it. The porn movie has basically been turned into a Giallo film where everyone now feels that they are actually making “ART”. I mean, if you watch Giallo films, what’s more punk rock than making an actual porn that masquerades as Giallo. But when people are disappearing, it’s almost like someone might be making a snuff film and possibly “the most pure Giallo film ever.”
Cora’s character arc will be:
Internal Journey- From transactional and non committed to compassionate and resourceful.
External Journey- From being along for the ride to being a survivor and boss.
Old Ways- Self involved, taking shortcuts, judgmental.
New Ways- Self reliant, resourceful, out smarting everyone, becoming her best self.
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Hi, I’m Chris, I live in Los Angeles with my wife and spoiled Cockapoo, Dexter. I’ve written probably like fifteen or so scripts but I pretty much always abandon them after the first draft. Sometimes before. I think I like outlining more than I like actually writing.
My wife is a television writer and she encouraged me to take this class as a means of discouraging my procrastination, making deadlines and finishing my screenplay. HA! I’m in agreement with all of this, so that’s what I’m hoping to get out of it.
I own a 1962 Airstream trailer that I had converted into a mobile bar service for weddings, tv and film wrap parties, special events and what not.