[Gabrielle Nehring]

Gabrielle’s Characters for Horror

ASSIGNMENT – Day 3

Specifically designed as a Contained, elevated horror script with limited cast.

“What I learned doing this assignment is…?”

I enjoyed the specificity of the character archetypes. It’s interesting to see it distilled down to a formula this way.

1. SOCIAL GROUP – (but not everyone knows everyone else at the beginning)

2. DYING PATTERN – The characters experience the terror and survive together, but one or two die.

3. Character Types:

Leader (Introvert/Loner, love interest to one of the other characters): without any actual outdoorsy experience, the leader uses her book smarts and obsessive prep to help everyone survive the forest monster. Her kind nature often has her helping others to the detriment of herself.

Out of Control/Obnoxious (love interest to another character): Prissy bitch, always looking out for number one, but this is a lesson that the leader needs help in learning.

The Carrier (Also red herring, love interest to the leader): His idea of a romantic anniversary is taking his allergy ridden girlfriend camping, with hidden motives. He brings the beast out of hiding and is the first to be taken.

Complainer (Also red herring, love interest to obnoxious girl) The kind of guy whose every word is double sided, and a often a complaint about something. A perfect fit for his obnoxious GF. The 2nd to be taken by the beast.

[Gabrielle Nehring]

Gabrielle’s Terrifying Monster

Answer the question “What I learned doing this assignment is…?” – To whittle down to a clearer image in my head of what the monster’s fear inducing qualities are.

Create an early version of your monster.

1. The monster is an unknown entity stalking its prey.

2. Give us a few sentences for each of the following for your monster:

Their Terror: it stalks prey through the woods

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Their Mystery: it is never seen, but it can be heard and evidence of it is seen all around.

Their Fear Provoking Appearance: Since it’s unseen, the fear provoking appearance is the marks it leaves. Huge, slashing claw marks. Dripping blood trails. Trampled vegetation. Also, it emits a terrible growl that sounds like it’s coming from everywhere all at once.

Their Rules: It hunts. It stalks until it kills. Unseen, it sounds and hunts like a mindless beast, so it is assumed that it is a deranged wolf or bear or enormous forest animal. It cannot be reasoned with. The best to hope for is to evade it and make it to safety.

Their Mythology: It’s not a monster or beast at all. This is the elevated part of the film. it is a carefully thought out plan designed to elicit a certain response from the victims, or they die trying.

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[Gabrielle Nehring]

Name – Gabrielle Nehring

Written – Several features and a few shorts.

I hope to learn a faster, more streamlined way to write scarier horror.

I have a tendency to backasswards my way into pretty much everything I do, but it always works out in the end. 🙂

Nice to meet you all.

[Gabrielle Nehring]

Assignment #1

1) I watched Midsommar (elevated horror)

2) Conventions:

Title: Midsommar

Terrorize: A fragile girl is bombarded over and over with abandonment and death.

Isolation: A remote Scandinavian village.

Death: Villagers kill themselves when they reach a certain age. Also, villagers kill visitors who violate their cultural mores.

Villain: Her boyfriend (for cheating on her). The villagers (for murdering visitors).

High Tension: The villagers make the girl choose to kill either one of their own or the boyfriend who just cheated on her.

Departure from reality: The group drops acid when they get there. They are completely isolated from society. They are forced to observe and engage in village rituals.

Moral Statement: The girl has no self confidence, and cannot stand up for herself. She leans completely on a boyfriend who does not love her. Then, the village shows her kindness and she falls into their groupthink. – I guess it would be those who stand for nothing, fall for anything.

3) The picturesque landscapes, tranquil village setting and calm demeanor of the people made it hard to imagine anything bad could ever happen. It was all the more shocking when they blood eagled one guy, when grandma and grandpa jumped off the cliff, and when one guy’s foot was coming up out of the vegetable patch.

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4) My project:

I am still working out the specifics of my project.

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5) What I learned.

Horror doesn’t have to be in your face to be terrifying. It can happen in pretty, happy-seeming places that aren’t all dark and creepy.

[Gabrielle Nehring]

AGREE, in which case, you Reply to this topic and include three things at the top of the page:

1. Gabrielle Nehring

2. “I agree to the terms of this release form.”

3. Please leave the entire text below to confirm what you agree to.

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.