Elizabeth Corinth
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Elizabeth Corinth – 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.
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Looking forward to this class and to getting to know everyone! I’m Elizabeth Corinth. I’ve written one short film script, in addition to about ten playscripts. I’m looking forward to better understanding the various components of a screenplay and how to make each one particularly compelling. I create escape rooms as a hobby.
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Where is Junah coming from?
The disappointment of the fall from greatness to mediocrity. He probably once defined himself by his abilities and success; in losing those, he has lost his sense of himself, and he wants it back.
Where is Bagger Vance coming from?
He is a mystery, who literally emerges out of the darkness. He wants something, but we don’t yet know what. He knows Junah. He has both technical skill, and a mystical intuitive ability. He is what Junah needs, but he probably needs Junah too for some reason.
What makes them right?
They both have a need that only the other person can meet. They both have greatness inside them but need the other to activate it. They are both the best at what they do.
Drama:
The tension between Junah’s belief that he can’t do it and his obvious desire to play.
The mystery of who Bagger Vance is and what he wants.
The mounting frustration Junah feels about Bagger’s interruptions.
Junah’s traits:
Frustrated
Impatient
Generous / compassionate
Bagger’s traits:
Capable and confident
Mischevious / playful
Insightful
A consummate performer – aware of his impact on others and able to adjust his mode of being to a range of circumstances
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Continuing the insight from yesterday’s lesson, which was about contradictions and their power to intrigue an audience and propel them forwards with the urge to solve the mystery — another way to introduce contradictions is to have the action undercut the dialogue. In this scene, there is a contradiction between the lack of confidence Sarah expresses in her ability to become “the legend,” and the innate skills and instincts that she displays through dressing Kyle’s wounds. There is also a contradiction between the way Sarah views herself and the way Kyle views her. Both of these contradictions plants the seed of wanting to know — how does Sarah get from her first field dressing to training the person who saves the world? how has she already become a person who dives into creating a field dressing without realizing that she is a survivor and the kind of person who can handle unexpected and difficult circumstances?
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FUTURE:
Sarah: Becoming the legend she feels like she could never possibly be
Becoming a mother to the son who saves the world — the mother who shapes him to be ready to do thatKyle: Helping Sarah become the legend she doesn’t know how to be
Bringing about the future he has seen and needs to happen<div>
Sarah’s implied TRANSFORMATION:
From scared to courageous </div><div>
From helpless to powerful
From ignorant to expert
DRAMA:
They’re on the run; there’s a huge manhunt going on. Will they be found? </div><div>
Kyle has a bullet wound that needs dressing.
Sarah is trying to process the news that she is somehow supposed to be “the legend” who is key to saving the future of humanity.
TRAITS:
Sarah:
Lacks self confidence
More capable and tougher than she realizes
Open
Kyle:
Committed </div>
Principled
Faithful
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I was also sparked by @C A Holmes to think about my characters’ vulnerabilities. I realized that vulnerabilities seem to come from having either a strong desire for something, or a strong desire to avoid something — either way tied to a fear of either getting or not getting that thing. My protagonist’s vulnerability is a fear of causing pain to others; my antagonist’s vulnerability is a strong craving for love/approval.
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My insight for today was that planting a seeming contradiction in your character’s core traits sparks a drive in your audience to understand how that contradiction came to be, which can make the characters and story very compelling. I realized that my main character has a similar contradiction to Will’s — they are both exceptionally gifted people who have nevertheless made the seemingly passive, but in fact active if unconscious decision not to pursue the levels of success they are capable of achieving. I also realized I had “given away” the answer of why my protagonist is like this in the opening scene, and that if I instead held that information back and revealed it in the lead-up to the climax, the curiosity about what mysterious turning point moment in my character’s past had brought about that unexpected reluctance to step into the limelight would get my audience much more fully engaged in the story. Thinking about this gave me a new idea about how to more fully flesh out what it was that had driven my main character away from the future you would otherwise have expected them to pursue.
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Another insight that has clicked into place — there is an interesting interplay in this scene between the three men in terms of what strengths they believe they have and attempt to bring to bear in the situation, how accurately they assess their own strengths, and what goals they use those strengths to pursue.
Chuckie believes his strength is in smooth talking / passing himself off as someone he’s not. His belief is a bit misplaced, as he’s not actually very good at this; his real strength is in his playfulness and good-heartedness, which luckily shines through even though that’s not what he’s aiming to deploy. His goal is to connect with Skylar.
Clark believes his strength is in his intelligence / education, and he uses these with the goal of humiliating Chuckie and impressing Skylar and everyone else in the bar. As it turns out his possession of these strengths is pretty easily punctured since they aren’t especially robust. He then falls back on his wealth, which is where he really has the upper hand in this group.
Will has the most accurate sense of his own strength, which is in not only being able to regurgitate the academic points but also understand how they are interrelated and to think about them deeply enough to formulate his own opinions about them rather than just parroting them. He uses this to defend his friend and turn the tables on a bully — not to gain anything for himself.
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Traits:
Will:
-Well-read, with remarkable recall, and understands what he’s read Incredibly intelligent
-Values original thinking
-Stands up for himself and his friends / won’t tolerate bullying
-Chafes at being looked down upon by students whose wealth has given them an easy path, and looks down on them in turn
-Works hard for what he has achieved
-Also not afraid to get tough / physical if need be
Skylar:
– Open-minded, curious, willing to give people a chance
– Doesn’t look down on “townies”
– Not impressed by bullying, willing to stand up against bullies
Chuckie:
– Puts on an air of confidence
– Not afraid to fudge the truth to get what he wants, but in a good-hearted way
– Relies on words and charm to get through life
– Playful
– Polite
Drama:
Setup: Charlie is trying to pick up Skylar. He uses a fib about being in a class with her as an in. A student overhears and decides to call him out and embarrass him.
Trigger: The student pulls out a bunch of academic mumbo jumbo and Charlie is left at a loss. He’s about to be humiliated in front of the girl he likes and everyone else at the bar.
Payoff: Will turns it around by going several steps beyond what the student threw down, citing sources and pointing out that he’s still early on in a learning journey. When the student comes back with a follow-up retort, Will completes the quote, names the exact source and even the page number, calling out the student for trying to pass it off as an original thought. He also explicitly confronts him for trying to embarrass Charlie, and makes a direct cut against his use of wealth as a substitute for hard work and personal drive.
The student’s final attack, trying to put Will in his place as doomed to a life of lower class servitude and impoverishment, paints him in a negative light without Will even having to do anything. Rather than letting it get to him, he takes the cut in stride with good humor, brings the focus back to his own previously-expressed value of originality, and then subtly indicates another likely area of inferiority by making a proposal for physical combat that he knows will go unaccepted.
What makes this character great:
– Brings together traits you don’t expect to see together – makes him interesting and brings more depth
– Has the chops to out-bully the bully but only uses them “for good”
Why did they choose a Harvard bar?
It shows that they are somehow drawn to this world which they know they can’t be fully a part of. For various reasons they’ll never be insiders here, and this seems to attract them even as they might put up the defense of looking down on the students who are insiders.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by Elizabeth Corinth.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by Elizabeth Corinth.
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Another point which I didn’t consciously pick up on in my viewings but was highlighted in other people’s comments was how Will initially stayed in the background as an observer, and only stepped into the spotlight to save his friend. I agree with the points above about how this indicates a lack of self-confidence which is surprising given his intelligence and obvious skills. This plants a seed of curiosity — what is going on here? Why doesn’t this gifted young man take advantage of his capabilities to get ahead? That question drives the audience to want to better understand the character, to uncover the hidden source of that seeming contradiction. That’s my big breakthrough for today — a compelling character presents a puzzle that the audience wants to crack, a mystery to solve. The payoff of a well-written script is to deliver on the promise of providing an insight into what makes this person tick, since something about them is not what you would initially expect and there must be a reason for that. That’s what I want to explore in my rewrite — what is the seed I am planting early on that makes my audience want to find out how my character can possibly have come to be this way.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by Elizabeth Corinth.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by
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This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by
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Looking forward to this class and to getting to know everyone! I’m Elizabeth Corinth. I’ve written one short film script, in addition to about ten playscripts. I’m looking forward to learning how to create compelling, nuanced characters who will make my story come to life and my writing more deeply impactful to my audience. I create escape rooms as a hobby.
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Elizabeth Corinth
I agree to the terms of this release form.
GROUP 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.
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Hi Dia! A couple of the scripts were produced but just by college classmates — nothing professionally. My main escape rooms are for my kids for their birthdays, though I have also sold tickets to one for a school auction, and made some for my family for a holiday get-together.
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Really great insights about Will’s staying on the sidelines initially, his isolation, and the fact that those things indicate a fundamental lack of self-assurance and even feeling like he deserves the success he has the capacity to achieve. This really unlocked something for me. Thanks!
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Yes, I didn’t really register that the shift from brains to brawn was an indicator of a nerve being touched. Great insight.
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Ooh, I like that point about vulnerability — yes, a character’s vulnerability is what makes them deep and therefore compelling. That is a breakthrough for me! Thanks!
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This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by Elizabeth Corinth.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by