[Christine Torres]

Thriller Assignment #3
Chris’ World and Characters!
What I learned doing this assignment is… Doing all the character work now, will pay off later.

1. Remind us of your CONCEPT and the Big M.I.S. of your story.
• Big Mystery: Who are these members of the coven and why did they kidnap Jake?
• Big Intrigue: Sam tries to romance and manipulate Sarah to stop the ritual and save her son.
• Big Suspense: Will she save Jake in time?

2. WORLD: The secret Occult World in the backwoods bayou in Louisiana.

3. With your top 2 or 3 characters, tell us the role they play and then answer these three questions:

HERO: Sarah
• Mystery: Why did she leave her husband? Why did she leave her home town?
• Intrigue: She suffers from memory loss/fog. Has she been drugged or hypnotized? Is she under a spell?
• Suspense: As she gets closer to saving her son Jake, the more she finds herself in danger, her memories start coming back. Will she be stopped by the Witches?

RED HERRING: Sarah’s ex-husband, Remy
• Mystery: Did he kidnap his own son?
• Intrigue: Is he part of the Coven?
• Suspense: Will he kill Sarah to keep his son and will he steal their daughter as well?

VILLAIN: Det. Sam
• Mystery: Why is Sam going to such lengths to help Sarah get her son back?
• Intrigue: Who is Sam really and why is it so important to help Sarah get Jake back from his father, and the Coven?
• Suspense: Will the Demon succeed in preventing the coven from regenerating itself?

• This reply was modified 10 months, 2 weeks ago by  Christine Torres.

[Christine Torres]

Thriller Assignment #2
Subject line: Chris’ Big M.I.S.

What I learned doing this assignment is…?” – Be patient and don’t rush the story.

Logline: When her only son is kidnapped by a coven of ancient witches, a single mom is confronted with an impossible choice: rescue the boy and condemn the world to unimagined evil or sacrifice him to prevent demons from taking over the earth.

1. What are the conventions of your story?
• Unwitting but Resourceful Hero: Sarah – Mom of Jake who goes missing, and Jenny, 9 month old daughter
• Dangerous Villain: Sam, a detective who helps her track down those who kidnapped her son. He turns out to be a manipulative but very charming demon trying to take over the earth.
• High stakes: If the coven doesn’t renew itself in time, earth will fall under demon control.
• Life and death situations: Sarah and her children are always in jeopardy. They are in the company of a demon and kidnapped by witches.
• This story is thrilling because? Sarah is a modern woman caught in an ancient curse. She just wants to be free of her past and find a future for herself and her children. She moves from a rural town, where her family has lived for generations, to the big city in search of opportunity and a fresh start. But just when she thinks she is free, she gets sucked back into the world she so desperately wants to leave.

2. Tell us the Big M.I.S. of your story?
• Big Mystery: What is the main mystery of your story that will keep us wondering throughout the story? Who are these members of the coven and why did they kidnap Jake?
• Big Intrigue: What is the covert, clandestine, underhanded plot that will live under the surface for most of the movie? Sam tries to romance and manipulate Sarah to stop the ritual and save her son.
• Big Suspense: What is the main danger to your Hero that will continue to escalate throughout the script? Will she save Jake in time?

• This reply was modified 10 months, 3 weeks ago by  Christine Torres.

[Christine Torres]

Thriller Assignment #1 – Conventions of a Thriller

NO WAY OUT (1987) – A coverup and witch hunt occur after a politician accidentally kills his mistress. (imdb).
By Chris Torres

What I learned doing this assignment is – pacing is everything.

• Unwitting but Resourceful Hero: Navy Lt. Tom Farrell – falls in love with the wrong woman. But does he really?
• Dangerous Villain: Scott Pritchard – Chief Assistant to the Secretary of Defense.
• High stakes: When the Secretary accidentally kills his mistress, Pritchard becomes the architect of a coverup which misdirects the investigation pointing to another lover, a KGB mole. Problem is that Tom is that other lover. And he is in charge of the investigation, reporting to Pritchard, his college friend who got him this cushy post.
• Life and death situations: The mistress dies. Everyone is desperate enough to kill to protect their respective secrets.
• This movie is thrilling because? At every turn, there are secrets and contradictions. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Tension escalates throughout. With a big final twist at the end.

What is the BIG Mystery, Intrigue, and Suspense of this story?
• Big Mystery: Tom needs to expose the Secretary before he is exposed as the lover and traitor.
• Big Intrigue: Pritchard wants to protect the Secretary at all costs. Even though he has no idea that Tom is the one he is framing for murder and as the KGB mole.
• Big Suspense: He must hide his identity as the lover of his boss’ mistress, because once revealed, he will be framed for her murder and accused of being a KGB mole.

Anything else you’d like to say about what made this movie a great thriller?
A very young Kevin Costner gives a great performance as Tom, opposite Sean Young (The Mistress), Gene Hackman (The Secretary), and Will Patton (The Villain). An amazing cast directed by Roger Donaldson, screenplay by Robert Garland.
Right from the opening credits, the soundtrack by Maurice Jarre, sets the tones as he starts you off with a feeling of tension and unease…
You can argue that Tom is the villain here and Pritchard is the unwitting hero. But I chose Tom as the hero, even though he is ultimately revealed to be the KGB mole, under what was very unfortunate circumstances. Tom is the one who tries to save the innocent bystanders and civilians while Pritchard is a very unscrupulous character, willing to do anything to save his boss.

• This reply was modified 11 months ago by  Christine Torres.