Jane Turville
Forum Replies Created
-
Jane’s Intriguing Concept and World – What I learned doing this assignment is how difficult it is to condense ideas down into one walloping good concept. Mine certainly isn’t there yet but just getting words on the page helps to make a start. Also, thinking about the world you’re taking the audience into using specific short bullet points helped me understand how I can present this world in the way that I want to – a horrible world coated with a glaze of serenity, peace and innocence.
13 WEEKS
1. Concept
A. The plans of a17-year-old misfit on the verge of kidnapping her younger blind sister to save her from neglect …
B. are blocked when 3 other misfits, each with a connection to a dead human trafficker, involve her in murder.
C. Together with the others, she must discover her own strength and cunning …
D. to save herself from paying the price for murder or being the next murder victim.
2. World
Unique Sub-World: The sordid world of human trafficking
Previously unexplored: Weaknesses in the trafficking ring that leave vulnerability
The unknown: How far into the community does this world seep?
The unseen: Who is actually involved? Who does not want it disrupted?
Unheard of Dangers: Any action could mean death for the ring’s victims as well as those who threaten it.
Reason to explore it: To keep loved ones safe.
-
Jane has completed the BW Framework!
What I learned from doing this process is that characters are the ones that make the story, particularly in a series. Interesting stories are great and work really well for programs like The Twilight Zone. But an ongoing series totally requires characters that the audience wants to see and actually cares about. I didn’t realize this going into this process. Most of my screenwriting has been for features or shorts and I’ve usually started with the story and then populated it before focusing on character development. This process (which in some instances I really had a hard time doing) brings home how a character drives the story. So, now its my characters who create their own problems in how they deal with their lives. Starting out with this class, I never thought I’d end up with a 17-year-old arsonist as my heroine!
-
Jane’s Creating Irony! – What I learned from doing this assignment is irony can be used to set up big, ongoing situations or small moments that reveal another character layer. I think the situational ironies can be helpful in setting the story in motion in a way that consistently provides surprises to the audience. I can see where, if I wasn’t careful, an irony could take the story off on a tangent that might be more confusing than informative or surprising. I will have to tread carefully!!
ASSIGNMENT 1 – RIVERDALE Irony
I skipped jotting down the ironies in RIVERDALE because (a) there are just too many and (b) I was starting to fall behind in the assignments and I don’t want to do that. I will just say that two ironies that stand out are nice Betty/dark Betty and that the richest guy in town, Clifford Blossom, has to sell drugs to keep the maple syrup business afloat!!
ASSIGNMENT 2 – THIRTEEN WEEKS Irony
Character Irony:
1. Lucas is a street smart gang member but also a legal genius.
2. Keith is a kind, nerdy post grad student but also a sociopath.
3. Miguel is super tough but loves (and melts over) little kids.
4. Jodie appears overweight but is incredibly fast and nimble.
5. Susie appears to be a perky girl-next-door all American, but is a blackmailer.
6. Miguel is in the country illegally yet is appalled vacationers litter, enough to point out the fee for littering to them.
7. Lucas is not afraid of anything, except the great outdoors where he will work for 13 weeks.
8. Miguel claims to love his brother and misses him, yet he’s there to find and kill him.
9. Jodie is female and a pyromaniac.
10. Susie is a dreamer, yet her love for her baby drives her to very practical, if illegal and cold hearted, actions.
Situational Irony:
11. The story takes place in a National Park lodge, a place of peace where people go to get back to nature. Then a severed foot turns up.
12. Except for Keith and the four misfits, everyone at the lodge is there because they love nature.
13. Those locally in authority do not seem that interested in finding out the truth.
14. The man living in the woods is actually a decorated veteran from the Afghanistan war.
15. Jodie, who is very prejudiced, lands a job working with Miguel to, of all things, create the summer’s fireworks display.
16. The officer sent to keep an eye on Lucas is actually there as part of the human trafficking gang.
17. Keith did not know that any of the four misfits would be there, although he knows them all outside of the National Park.
18. When Miguel finds his brother, the brother has two very small children who Miguel falls in love with.
19. The staff at the lodge are very much in charge except they don’t seem to know what goes on underneath their noses.
20. Miguel’s brother is a double agent sent to entrap the people trafficking humans.
-
Jane’s Plot and Character Layers – What I learned doing this assignment is it is really hard for me to build more into the characters at this point, so working on plot layers helped me to understand the characters better. I think this is one assignment that shouldn’t be done in a silo. I had to go back to all of my other assignments in order to do this one because I kept hitting a wall with it character-wise. So, it helped me to flesh out the character of Keith who, because of doing the plot layers, I found will actually be in the story much more than I had originally imagined. I had always thought that he’d be presented in each person’s flashbacks but telling his story in Episodes 2 – 11 (each episode is one week at the lodge) will be much more effective in getting the audience hooked on the show. Additionally, each of the four misfit characters has their own plot layers that weave into the larger story. Lots of weaving in to do!!!
ASSIGNMENT 1: RIVERDALE, Episode 10
PLOT LAYERS
Major scheme revealed – Clifford Blossom is the person who sent Veronica’s father to jail. Did her father seek revenge by having Jason killed? Did he hire Jughead’s father to kill Jason?
Mystery revealed – Veronica discovers that the Blossom family has paid her family a substantial amount of money each month for 75 years. Why?
Thought the story was one thing, but it is another – The story is actually about the families interconnections, deceits and intrigue over the years, not just about Jason’s murder. The kids seem destined to carry on the intrigue.
Major shift in Meaning – Was Jason’s murder about his relationship with Polly or was it about his family? Archie’s mother returns home. What does this mean? Why does she look so much like Cheryl and Jason Blossom?
Hidden history – Hints at history between Betty’s mother and Jughead’s father.
Hidden plan – Hints that Jughead’s father is involved with both Hiram Lodge and Clifford Blossom.
Major betrayal – Hiram Lodge threatens Veronica with plans to implicate or hurt her mother if she doesn’t support him at his trial.
CHARACTER LAYERS – Betty
Secret identity – Betty gives hints and actually says that she has a dark side.
Character intrigue – Is Betty hiding something sinister? She is able to switch on Dark Betty when she wants but is keenly aware of how much she hates that part of herself.
Hidden relationships and conspiracies: Did she kill Jason as “Dark Betty?”
Hidden Character history – Betty doesn’t seem to have a hidden history, at least yet.
ASSIGNMENT 2: THIRTEEN WEEKS – Layers
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
Surface: Four misfits work at a National Park lodge for thirteen weeks.
Layer 1: Major scheme revealed – A human foot is found in the forest. At first it seems to be someone mauled by a bear. But then evidence shows that it was sawn off. Someone has been murdered and most likely dismembered in the woods.
Layer 2: Mystery revealed – After several days pass, the body is discovered to be that of Keith Skye, a post-graduate studying human trafficking.
Layer 3: Thought the story was one thing, but it is another – it turns out that all four misfits knew Keith Skye and all had a good reason to kill him.
Layer 4: Major shift in Meaning – A human trafficking ring has been operating through the lodge and Keith had come to the lodge with the goal of usurping the kingpin and running the operation himself.
Layers 5: Hidden history – All four misfit’s histories with Keith are revealed over 12 episodes.
Layer 6: Hidden plan – The four misfits have their own plans and reasons for being at the lodge. Was one of them there to kill Keith?
Layer 7: Major betrayal – One of the misfits discovers their most trusted confidant is the kingpin.
CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity – Keith Skye.
Secret identity – He’s out to become a kingpin in a major human trafficking ring.
Character intrigue – He hides a very dark character under the guise of a nerdy post-grad student
Hidden relationships and conspiracies – He has connections and/or relationships with all four of the misfits at the lodge.
Hidden Character history – He seems omnipotent as he knows almost everyone’s secrets and is not afraid to use them.
3. Organize them each into a possible sequence of reveals.
Plot Surface: Four misfits work at a National Park lodge for thirteen weeks.
Layer 1: When a man’s foot is found in the forest, a death turns to murder.
Layer 2: The misfits all knew the murdered man and had reason to kill him.
Layer 3: The misfits each have their own agenda at the lodge. Did one agenda include murder?
Layer 4: The murder is solved, we think.
Layer 5: On week 13, the misfits, all guilty of the murder, make their escape “Gone Girl” style
Layer 6: They join forces to complete each of their unfinished agendas that the murdered guy interrupted.
Keith – Character Surface: Nerdy grad student.
Layer 1: All of his life he has found out secrets and then blackmailed people. He’s a master at it.
Layer 2: He knows enough about human trafficking to take over, so that’s his plan – kill the kingpin
Layer 3: He uses the misfits to help him with his plan, not knowing they have their own plans.
Layer 4: A sociopath, the one thing he can’t understand is the depth of love and he’ll die because of it.
-
Jane’s Big Picture Open Loops – What I learned doing this assignment is that by looking at how things are playing out in RIVERDALE, I’m able to start seeing my project a bit more clearly. Until I wrote down the big loops for RIVERDALE, I wasn’t really aware of the number of threads that were being woven together. Doing Assignment 1 really helped me see how these loops can be moved forward in each episode without actually ever solving them because they become the springboard for new smaller loops.
I’ve been seeing my characters on a very individual level and my attempts to make them connect have been pretty on-the-nose and trite. In this assignment, bringing the discovery of the dead guy (still don’t have a name for him) to the very first ten minutes of the show has really opened up some interesting ideas for me, including thinking of plots along the lines of THE USUAL SUSPECTS and MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. This has been fun and very rewarding!
ASSIGNMENT 1
Big Picture Loops in RIVERDALE Pilot
1. Jason Blossom’s murder underlies everything going on in the town.
2. Veronica’s father is in jail awaiting trial for major embezzlement.
3. Betty wants to know what is happening with her sister Polly.
4. Archie wants to pursue a music career.
5. Archie’s dad Fred has a construction business that’s not doing well.
6. Betty’s mother is mentally and emotionally unstable.
How Loops Are Used in Episode 9
1. Cheryl has to take Jason’s place at the tapping ceremony and nobody is happy about it.
a. New Loop: Will Cheryl be able to take Jason’s place in everyone’s eyes?
2. Veronica discovers that her friend Ethyl’s family was financially ruined by her dad’s crimes.
a. New Loop: How will Veronica deal with her father and the damage he’s caused?
3. Betty discovers that Polly is spying on the Blossoms to prove they murdered Jason.
a. New Loop: Will Polly be able to prove this before the Blossoms hurt her and the baby?
4. Archie has the opportunity to connect with an exclusive music school if he just does what the Blossoms tell him to do. Loop closed in this episode.
a. Loop Continues: Will Archie make it as a musician without the help of others?
5. Fred discovers that Hermione has sealed the construction deal because she and her husband own the property, which is being fought over by them and the Blossoms.
a. New Loop: Will Fred and his company survive being in the middle of this fight?
6. Betty’s parents split and Betty’s mother needs her now more than ever.
a. New Loop: Will Betty be able to keep her family together and be happy again?
ASSIGNMENT 2:
Big Picture Loops That Could Be in the 13 WEEKS Pilot
1. A man’s foot is found on the trail. Loop: Unidentified murder victim or hiker killed by a bear – what kind of danger lurks in the woods?
2. Jodie goes out into the woods every evening. Loop: Where is she going and why?
3. Lucas arrives with his uncle who is always with him. Loop: Who is the Uncle and why is he there?
4. Miguel is terrified of being alone, especially alone in woods. Loop: Why is he there?
5. Susie observes everyone carefully and continually writes in her diary. Loop: Why is she so obsessed with her diary and recording everything?
6. Hiker’s and new staff report seeing Sasquatch near one of the glaciers. Loop: Who or what is this?
7. Due to potential danger, all staff are required to have a woods buddy. Loop: Will the buddy system keep everyone safe?
8. Lucas becomes sick and has to be quarantined, but it’s a trick to get away from “Uncle.” Loop: Why is he so desperate to get away from this guy and where will he go?
-
Jane’s Show Mysteries – what I learned from doing this assignment is that if I develop characters and then step back and think about how they might be connected on a variety of levels, magic can happen and a strong and compelling story surfaces. I feel like I’m developing interesting characters but I didn’t really have a strong sense of how they actually would come together. This assignment helped me solve that.
Up until now, I’ve really only thought about the characters and what they might be like if placed in an environment that they don’t function well in, even though it is a beautiful and healthy environment. This exercise really helped me with breakthroughs on how I can draw the audience into the intrigue of each character in a way that isn’t heavy-handed. It also opened up a whole ton of possibilities for overlapping layers of intrigue. I feel like some magic happened with this assignment!!
ASSIGNMENT 1: RIVERDALE
Big Picture Mystery – Who killed Jason Blossom and why?
Smaller Mysteries – What are the Blossoms hiding? What is the actual history between all of the parents? Is Veronica’s father the only guilty person for the crimes committed? Did Mr. Blossom rat out Veronica’s father? Is Jughead’s dad a killer? What does Cheryl know about the murder? What dark secrets drive Betty? Is she really unhinged? Why did Polly choose to live with the Blossom’s? What is going on with the gang member who is dating Kevin? Is the sheriff in the Blossom’s pocket or not?
ASSIGNMENT 2: 13 WEEKS
Shocking Event Mystery – Pilot
Shocking Event: Young guy’s body found in the wilderness. Looks like a bear mauling but turns out to be murder.
Secret: The guy is known to all four main characters.
Investigation: Shifts from Park Ranger to local sheriff to FBI over time
Who: Young guy with no ID.
What: He’s found naked with no indication of why he was in the wilderness
When: 12 weeks after the summer season began at the lodge
Where: Deep in the wilderness, or so it seems
How: Initially, appears to be a run in with a Grizzly bear or mountain lion.
Part Withheld: Why was he killed? Who did it? Why take all of his possessions? Who was he and where did he come from?
Over Time Mystery
Cover up: All four main characters know this guy from different angles.
Secret: One of them killed him.
Reveals: It starts when the authorities discover the guy was poisoned slowly and that his fingerprints show up on the staff in a maximum security prison.
Who: A graduate student working as a psychology intern in the state penitentiary.
What: His relationship with each of the main characters reveals their separate goals
When: During the last 12 weeks, but when and where take time to discover.
Where: Was he killed in the wilderness or not?
How: He connected to the four main characters – Susie’s abusive boyfriend; mole for gang Lucas is a witness against; is blackmailing Miguel’s brother; and is one of a string of Jodie’s mother’s boyfriends who Jodie believes tried to molest Penny.
Part Withheld:
1. Did each of them come to the park with a separate mission or did they all come with a mission to kill him. If so, how did they lure him there?
2. When was he actually killed?
3. Role of the man in the mountains
4. Why he was killed is the big reveal and we don’t find that out until the very end of the season (or series)
5. Will the killer get away with murder?
-
Jane’s Show Empathy/Distress – What I learned doing this assignment is that my four characters all have flawed plans for meeting their goals but that within those flawed plans are places where you can really feel for them that they have gotten to this place in their lives. So my task is going to be to get the audience to feel empathy for characters who are trying to accomplish something through illegal and/or harmful actions. This exercise really brought that home to me and helped me think about the characters as being empathetic when their not so great actions get thwarted.
<hr size=”1″ width=”100%” align=”center”>
ASSIGNMENT 1:
Undeserved misfortune: Jason Blossom murdered; Veronica’s dad jailed for fraud; Betty’s sister Polly taken from her; Jughead’s dad an alcoholic and thug; Archie’s dad a pawn in the Blossom’s game
External Character conflicts: Cheryl and Betty continue to spar, hurting Polly; all parents lying to the kids and weaving their own web of intrigue that is based in the past.
Plot intruding on life: Betty and Jughead’s romance takes their eye off the goal of solving the murder; Sheriff in Blossom’s pocket and won’t investigate vandalism on Fred’s worksite; Jughead’s dad forcing guy to continue to see Kevin in order to know what’s going on in the Sheriff’s office
Moral dilemmas: Should Veronica support her dad when she knows he’s guilty? Should Betty tell her parents where Polly is hiding? Should Polly return to her parents home where they’ll make her give up her baby? Should Hermione continue to lie to Fred?
Forced decisions they’d never make: Polly decides to move in with the Blossoms.
ASSIGNMENT 2:
Empathy/Distress for Jodie:
A. Undeserved misfortune: Discovers that her dad is really ill
B. External Character conflicts: Treated unfairly by other staff because of her weight
C. Plot intruding on life: Mother shows up to “help” and Susie drags her into her problems when the diary is stolen.
D. Moral dilemmas: Should she include her dad in her plans or leave him to take the blame for her sister’s kidnapping?
E. Forced decisions they’d never make: Puts her own plan on hold to rescue Susie
Empathy/Distress for Susie:
A. Undeserved misfortune: Discovers that her baby was sold
B. External Character conflicts: Abusive ex-boyfriend shows up
C. Plot intruding on life: Her diary, with an outline of her plans, is stolen
D. Moral dilemmas: Should she continue to involve Jodie when her problem turns to murder
E. Forced decisions they’d never make: Kills abusive ex-boyfriend
Empathy/Distress for Lucas:
A. Undeserved misfortune: Cop assigned to watch him works for the gang in Chicago
B. External Character conflicts: Kept from a computer where his alter ego lives
C. Plot intruding on life: Witnesses Susie killing her boyfriend
D. Moral dilemmas: Has to decide whether or not to tell Miguel about his brother
E. Forced decisions they’d never make: Suicide to save family
Empathy/Distress for Miguel:
A. Undeserved misfortune: Mistaken for someone else and arrested
B. External Character conflicts: Prejudice against LatinX
C. Plot intruding on life: Susie’s diary held information that can get him killed
D. Moral dilemmas: Can he kill a guy who has a family with small kids
E. Forced decisions they’d never make: Must kill brother or mother with be killed by drug gang
-
Jane’s Show Relationship Map – What I learned from doing this assignment is that relationships between characters can go a long way to inciting various situations that reveal differing layers in each character. I have 4 main characters and so explored the interconnecting relationships between all four.
I’m discovering that my 4 main characters have a lot in common and most of it is about keeping control of a situation, whether that be a secretive one or one that is known. So they’ll all battle for control until they have to work together, acknowledging their need for each other in order to come out of their gig at the summer lodge alive!
ASSIGNMENT 1 – RIVERDALE, as of Season 1, Episode 6 _ Betty
Betty and Veronica
Surface – Friends
Common Ground – School, values, interests
Conflict – Relationships, jealousy
History – Didn’t like her at first
Subtext – Trusts her fully
Relationship Arc – From dislike to BFF
Betty and Archie
Surface – Friends/love interest
Common Ground – School, neighborhood, background
Conflict – Values
History – Head over heels in love with him
Subtext – Jealousy
Relationship Arc – From love interest to friend
Betty and Jughead
Surface – Boyfriend
Common Ground – School, values, interests, goals
Conflict – Control, power
History – Friends and school peers
Subtext – Control of relationship
Relationship Arc – From friend to love interest
ASSIGNMENT 2 – 13 WEEKS
JODIE
Jodie and Susie
Surface – Roommate
Common Ground – Job, dislike of job
Conflict – Control, power
History – Don’t like each other at first sight
Subtext – Fellow kingpin and schemer
Relationship Arc – From unknown to best friend
Jodie and Lucas
Surface – Co-Worker
Common Ground – Job, concern for siblings
Conflict – Knowledge and power
History – Superiority at first sight
Subtext – Unexpressed respect
Relationship Arc – From unknown to partner in crime
Jodie and Miguel
Surface – Co-Worker
Common Ground – Job, love of kids, both want out
Conflict – Jealousy
History – Prejudice at first sight
Subtext – Unexpressed love
Relationship Arc – From unknown to lover
SUSIE
Susie and Jodie
Surface – Roommate
Common Ground – Schemers
Conflict – Mistrust; competition
History – Felt Jodie’s prejudice and superiority right from the start
Subtext – Admires her cunning
Relationship Arc – From unknown best friend
Susie and Lucas
Surface – Co-Worker
Common Ground – Intelligence
Conflict – Power
History – Saw him as an oddball then as a criminal
Subtext – Intrigued by his story; attracted to criminal element.
Relationship Arc – From unknown to hero
Susie and Miguel
Surface – Co-Worker
Common Ground – Good at hiding secrets; loves children
Conflict – Mistrust; betrayal
History – Tense around him, senses he isn’t playing straight – A “takes one to know one” relationship
Subtext – Admires his ability with children; initially falls for him.
Relationship Arc – From unknown to co-conspirator
LUCAS
Lucas and Susie
Surface – Co-worker
Common Ground – Both are focused on the kids in their lives; both hate the outdoors
Conflict – Manipulative behavior threatens his cover
History – Thought she was a spoiled snob – wrote her off.
Subtext – Cares about her
Relationship Arc – From unknown to love
Lucas and Jodie
Surface – Co-worker
Common Ground – Focus on siblings; hate Ranger Steve, head of the summer staff
Conflict – Power and control
History – Prepared to do battle with her if she gets too close
Subtext – Admires her courage
Relationship Arc – From unknown to co-conspirator
Lucas and Miguel
Surface – Co-Worker
Common Ground – One of only five males in a staff of 27; dislikes nature
Conflict – Power and control over secrets
History – Recognizes a gang member when he sees one
Subtext – A sense of brotherhood; admires his courage
Relationship Arc – From unknown to respected partner
MIGUEL
Miguel and Susie
Surface – Co-worker
Common Ground – Both recognize how different they are from each other. Nothing in common, it seems.
Conflict – She will blackmail him and he does not like that.
History – Just another spoiled daddy’s girl.
Subtext – Feels sorry for her and senses that she’s in deep pain.
Relationship Arc – From unknown to good friend
Miguel and Lucas
Surface – Co-worker
Common Ground – Both have killed others in gang violence
Conflict – Threat to his cover; pushes buttons about kids
History – Avoids him
Subtext – Cautious and mistrustful
Relationship Arc – From unknown to an unspoken brotherhood
Miguel and Jodie
Surface – Co-worker
Common Ground – Both have a very different reason for being at the lodge
Conflict – Power and control
History – Hates her for her prejudice against him
Subtext – Admires her ability to take on a situation successfully: she’s brave
Relationship Arc – From unknown to lovers
-
Jane’s Character Emotions. I found this assignment pretty difficult and discovered that thinking about the character’s as internal only can really open up some strong motivations for their actions. I also learned a bit about each character, especially in the Want/Need area. It feels like this is going to be a very good exercise to keep massaging but also moving back to, just to see how the characters actually develop. I had no idea that Jodie would be a closet arsonist, but that can be pretty compelling!!!!
ASSIGNMENT 1 – Riverdale Emotional Profiles
Archie Emotional Profile:
A. Situational: Hope – He wants to succeed as a musician / Fear – He’s not good enough.B. Motivation: Want – To do everything / Need – To be validated by othersC. Mask: Base Negative Emotion – Insecurity / Public Mask – In controlD. Weaknesses – Insecurity; wanting to please others; stubbornE. Triggers – Friends being picked on; someone not being supportiveF. Coping Mechanism – athletics – boxing, football; physical punching or fighting
Veronica Emotional Profile:
A. Situational: Hope – That her father is good / Fear – That neither parents are good.B. Motivation: Want – Her old life back / Need – to be accepted and to helpC. Mask: Base Negative Emotion – she has no control over life / Public Mask – she’s in controlD. Weaknesses – insensitive; assumes she can buy/cheer/drink her way out of her fears.E. Triggers – being bullied or watching others be bullied.F. Coping Mechanism – shops to cope with her problems; immediately addresses problems of others.
Cheryl Emotional Profile:
A. Situational: Hope – To maintain her lead-bitch status / Fear – That she is aloneB. Motivation: Want – to be part of a close family / Need – her brother JasonC. Mask: Base Negative Emotion – fear / Public Mask – a bitchy, spoiled girlD. Weaknesses – lets her fear overcome her; pushes others away; uses peopleE. Triggers – anything about Jason.F. Coping Mechanism – manipulating someone
ASSIGNMENT 2 – 13 Weeks Emotional Profiles
Jodie Emotional Profile
A. Situational: Hope – To provide her sister with a safe and happy home / Fear – Her sister will discover that she is responsible for her sister being blind.B. Motivation: Want – To take care of her sister / Need – To be forgivenC. Mask: Base Negative Emotion – self-loathing and guilt / Public Mask – doesn’t give a damn.D. Weaknesses – prejudice; judges other quickly and harshlyE. Triggers – someone speaking another language in publicF. Coping Mechanism – smokes; starts fires
Lucas Emotional Profile
A. Situational: Hope – To be respected for who he is / Fear – Loss of situation controlB. Motivation: Want – To be a good son and brother / Need – AcceptanceC. Mask: Base Negative Emotion – he may not be redeemable / Public Mask – Not scared of anything; cocky.D. Weaknesses – he’s a coward; gamblesE. Triggers – Being alone, particularly in nature.F. Coping Mechanism – shifts to alter ego
Susie Emotional Profile
A. Situational: Hope – To be a good mother to her baby / Fear – That she really doesn’t know what is best for herself B. Motivation: Want – Responsibility / Need – LoveC. Mask: Base Negative Emotion – Pain at losing the one person she loved / Public Mask – Overtly optimistic D. Weaknesses – self-doubt; manipulates for fun; loses track of her liesE. Triggers Being told what to do rather than askedF. Coping Mechanism – Plots revenge, if only in her head
Miguel Emotional Profile
A. Situational: Hope – Stay in America and no longer be part of a gang / Fear – he is at heart a killer.B. Motivation: Want – To be successful at his work / Need – to be part of something goodC. Mask: Base Negative Emotion – he is totally alone / Public Mask – overly friendlyD. Weaknesses – lacks self control; self-pity; lies easily E. Triggers – anything that threatens a childF. Coping Mechanism – hides; hard-core athletics
-
Jane’s Intriguing Character Layers – What I learned doing this assignment is to not over-think things. What helped me most with this assignment was to give each of my characters a secret. I’m finding that it is the secret they each have which is their underlying drive for what they do. This was super helpful and really facilitated fleshing out (at least in my mind) Susie and Lucas who were both fairly flat. I knew they needed work but in giving them each a secret that drives them allowed me to set up some pretty interesting character layers that I’m excited to work with.
Also, I’ve always thought about this project at a mini-series rather than an on-going series. Through these character layers I can see how another season or two of shows could develop.
ASSIGNMENT 1: – Riverdale, Intriguing Characters Layers
1. Hidden agendas: Cheryl to blame Polly for Jason’s death;
2. Competition: Between Cheryl and Veronica for high school queen bee;
3. Conspiracies: Archie and Miss Grundy conspire to hold back information; Archie asks Jughead not to tell about him and Miss Grundy; Veronica, Betty and other HS girls conspire to get back at boys who lie about them.
4. Secrets: Archie’s affair with Miss Grundy;
5. Deception: Archie lies to his dad;
6. Wound: Betty and Betty’s mother for Polly’s breakdown; girls who are lied about by boys.
7. Secret Identity: Betty’s alter ego vixen;
Episode 4 – Layers revealed.
1. Hidden agendas: Betty’s mission to find out who Miss Grundy really is; Jughead to save the drive-in because it is where he lives; Hermione Lodge to launder her husband’s money.
2. Competition: Betty with Miss Grundy for Archie’s affection;
3. Conspiracies: Veronica’s mother and her “business” with the bike gang; Betty and Jughead to find out what happened to Jason.
4. Secrets: Archie’s secret affair with Miss Grundy; Hermione Lodge’s duffle bag of cash; boy scouts cover up of the shot.
5. Deception: Archie lies to his dad; Hermione lies to Veronica.
6. Wound: Betty’s loss of her sister Polly; Cheryl’s loss of Jason; Betty’s mother’s inconsolable hate for everyone.
7. Secret Identity: Jughead is the son of the bike gang leader who is blackmailing Veronica’s mom; Miss Grundy is not Miss Grundy; scout leader is actually a whacked out survivalist.
ASSIGNMENT 2 – 13 Weeks Intriguing Character Layers
Character Name: Jodie
Role: Daughter sent on a mission to save family financially
Hidden agendas: To replace her mother in the eyes of her younger, blind sister
Competition: With her mother for her sister’s affection.
Conspiracies: Manipulates her dad into helping her with her kidnap plan
Secrets: She caused her sister’s blindness
Deception: Lies about her purpose for finding her dad and lies to her dad about his role in kidnapping her sister.
Wound: During her parent’s last epic argument, overheard her dad say that he wished she had never been born.
Secret Identity: none
Character Name: Lucas
Role: Gang member in hiding
Hidden agendas: To save his mother and sisters from the gang he belongs to.
Competition: none
Conspiracies: Conspires with Miguel in order to expose gang mole.
Secrets: He has been studying law online and has been accepted to Stanford. Under his “white” persona, he has a philosophy degree.
Deception: He lies about his intelligence
Wound: He watched his father die in a gang fight.
Secret Identity: He poses online as a 20 year old white college student.
Character Name: Miguel
Role: Brother looking for older brother who disappeared 5 years ago
Hidden agendas: To rise up in the eyes of the drug lord who he works for
Competition: none
Conspiracies: Conspires with Lucas in order to find brother.
Secrets: He does not want to kill his brother.
Deception: He lies about his family and about his reasons for being at the lodge.
Wound: His brother left him when he should have protected him.
Secret Identity: He is part of the drug cartel his brother fled from.
Character Name: Susie
Role: Girl hiding from an abusive boyfriend
Hidden agendas: To get enough money to buy back her baby.
Competition: none
Conspiracies: Conspires with Jodie to blackmail the boyfriend’s parents
Secrets: She had a baby in high school and has found the baby’s adopted family.
Deception: She lies about the boyfriend’s abuse and sets him up “Gone Girl” style
Wound: Her baby was taken from her without her consent.
Secret Identity: none
-
Jane’s Engaging Main Characters – What I learned doing this assignment is that in order to write binge worthy programs, I can’t just do the regular “nice person who has something happen that sets them on a journey.” It has to be extraordinary, almost over the top. For instance, I never thought about Jodie as going on a journey to kidnap her sister to get her away from her mom. She was just supposed to find her dad in the wilderness. This one decision to have her plotting a kidnapping ramps up her interest as a character 1,000%!!!!
Assignment 1: Riverdale – Archie
Role in Show: Atomic center of his group of friends.
Unique Purpose/Expertise: To provide flawed leadership to those around him. To be a model of good.
Intrigue: Archie is not good. He keeps his own secrets, like having an affair with Miss Grundy and holding back information on Jason’s murder.
Moral Issue: Should he remain silent in order to protect Miss Grundy? Lying to his dad.
Unpredictable: Fights Reggie when Reggie picks on Jughead.
Empathetic: He is by nature good. That he screws up and is conflicted makes us root for him.
13 WEEKS – Multiple Character Journeys
Jodie: A leader who takes us into uncharted territory.
Susie: An innocent on a mission in a strange world.
Lucas: A pro on a mission in a bigger world.
Miguel: An outsider who disrupts the current world.
A. Role in the show:
Jodie: Daughter sent on a mission to find father and save family financially
Susie: Girl hiding from an abusive boyfriend
Lucas: Gang member in hiding
Miguel: Brother looking for older brother who disappeared 5 years ago
B. Unique Purpose / Expertise:
Jodie: Planner extraordinaire, capable of 30 mile high decisions and the details needed
Susie: A genuine chameleon – able to pull off any act the situation requires.
Lucas: Street smarts keep him alive and come in useful when boyfriend is dead
Miguel: Quiet, understated and patient during any situation, no matter how stressful
C. Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface?
Jodie: Plans to take her dad’s money, kidnap her sister and get away from their mother.
Susie: Plans to use abusive boyfriend as a stepping stone to his rich relative’s wealth.
Lucas: He recognized one of the cops in charge of him as friendly with the gang.
Miguel: He’s part of the drug cartel that his brother ran from and has been sent by them.
D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing?
Jodie: Plotting against her mother; covering up a murder.
Susie: Lying to her father; killing boyfriend; getting away with murder
Lucas: Lying to the cops to clear a friend and save his family; covering up a murder.
Miguel: Mission is to kill his own brother; covering up a murder.
E. Unpredictable: What will they do next?
Jodie: Helps Susie cover up the murder
Susie: Kills boyfriend
Lucas: Attempts suicide to get away from cop in charge of him.
Miguel: Lets brother go because kids are coming to camp. No death around kids.
F. Empathetic: Why do we care?
Jodie: Her love for her younger, blind sister and desire to do anything to get her away from her negligent mother.
Susie: Her unrelenting optimism that everything will be okay. She inspires others, even if she is totally wrong about herself and her own future.
Lucas: His guilt about his family now being targeted by both gangs and cops and his journey to save them at all costs.
Miguel: His brother was supposed to protect the family, but left and the responsibility fell to him and sent his mother into a mental breakdown.
-
Jane’s Three Circles of Characters – What I learned doing this assignment is that just putting all of the characters that I know about so far down in writing really helps to begin thinking about the different ways that the four main characters may end up interacting, both with each other and those in the connected circle.
Assignment 1: RIVERDALE Circles of Characters
A. Main Characters Circle: Archie, Betty, Veronica
B. Connected Circle: Kevin, Cheryl, Jason, Miss Grundy, Jughead, Josie and the Pussycats, Betty’s mother, Veronica’s mother, Archie’s dad
C. Environment Circle: Moose, kids at school, teachers, football coach, cops and detectives, owner of malt shoppe, town folk
Assignment 2: Thirteen Weeks (working title)
A. Main Characters Circle:
Jodie – age 17, a local girl from a white trash family who must find her father, a veteran living as a hermit in the wilderness, and convince him to show up at a hearing so that his family can continue to receive his veteran’s benefits.
Miguel – age 19, from El Salvador, in search of his brother who his family thought had been killed by drug lords but who was seen working as a park ranger by family friends on vacation.
Susie – age 18, an Asian beauty from a prominent Californian family who has been sent by her father to the lodge for the summer to escape the abusive boyfriend that she met during her first year of college.
Lucas – age 17, a convicted gang member who has been placed in hiding by the Chicago DA until he can appear as a witness in another gang member’s trial.
B. Connected Circle:
Jodie – father, mother, two little sisters
Miguel – older brother
Susie – father, boyfriend
Luke – sister, police escort
All of them – Ranger Jack (head of summer staff), Polly (RJ’s assistant), Carmen (women’s dorm supervisor), Teddy (men’s dorm supervisor), other teens working at the lodge almost all of whom really want to be there.
C. Environment Circle: tourists on vacation, staff working at national park, staff at hospital, police staff in Chicago, townies.
-
RIVERDALE is very similar to the project I want to work on. So, that’s the show I’ll be watching for this course.
What I learned doing this assignment is to re-imagine everything and then go with it, that the wheel does not have to be reinvented, just re-imagined.
I never wanted to watch RIVERDALE because I didn’t think I’d like what they did with characters that I love. However, this pilot made the characters much more three-dimensional and real and so it’s fun to go on this intriguing journey with them. It would be much different if it was the gang from Scooby-Doo because they were always involved in a mystery.
RIVERDALE – 5 Star Points:
1. Big Picture Hooks – We are being told a story, like we are outside a window looking in on what should be very familiar to us. School starting for the year at a small town high school. Flashbacks to a summer death of a teen, supposedly accidental, tells us that under the veneer of small town civility is a dark underbelly. The hook here for me is the world that we’re drawn into.
2. Amazing and Intriguing Character – Part of the success here is that, for some of us, we read the Archie comics years ago and are familiar with the characters. But these characters are NOT anything like the comic book. That establishes a layer of intrigue. The main characters of Archie, Betty and Veronica all seem to align with the ones we’re used to but throughout the first episode, hints are dropped that they all have complexities (both interior and exterior) that impact them and, unlike the flat comic book characters, I’m not totally sure how these characters will actually react. The dead kid Jason, and his sister Cheryl are obviously the instigators and button pushers of trouble, but not sure how the main characters will respond to the throw downs they get.
3. Empathy / Distress – Archie wants to follow his dream of being a musician, but to do that he must use and hurt the people he loves most. Betty feels confined by her sister’s situation and strives to be perfect for everyone around her. In doing so, she risks losing the one thing she wants most – for Archie to love her. Veronica’s world is in tatters. She’s got to get back up and in the game. But a few scenes reveal that she may not be the strong bitchy girl she wants others to see her as and getting back on top will take its toll.
4. Layers / Open Loops – Was Jason murdered? If so, did his sister Cheryl kill him? If not, who did? Why do most people hate Jason? Is Archie really interested in music or did his fling with Miss Grundy incite his love of music? Will their fling grow into a full fledged affair? Will Veronica find her place at Riverdale? Will she have to battle Cheryl to be top scary bitch? Does she even like being “scary bitch?” Will Veronica and Archie get together? Will Betty and Veronica get together? Is Betty the innocent nice girl she seems? Will something start between Archie’s dad and Veronica’s mother? What will happen to Betty if she’s no longer in Archie’s life? Is Betty’s mother truly insane because of Betty’s sister Polly having a nervous breakdown? Did Jason cause the breakdown or did betty’s mother?
5. Inviting Obsession – Teen angst in a small town wrapped up in a murder mystery being told to us by a kid named Jughead. What’s not to love??? This episode invites obsession because it takes characters that we think we know from our own past and recreates them into people that we sort of but don’t recognize. We’re already invested in them and want to see what they’ve become.
-
Jane Turville
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 Binge Worthy TV class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, teaching a class, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the Binge Worthy TV 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 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. The easiest solution if you have similar ideas is to either not look at each other’s work or to agree to take your shows in different directions.
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 Binge Worthy TV class.
-
Hi everyone,
I’m Jane Turville and while I’ve written a number of film scripts, I’ve never written a script for television. So, I’m excited to be learning new methods of writing. My hope is that by the end of 2021 I have a manager and/or agent and have made some sort of deal with a producer. I’m not sure if that will be with the work I do in the course or if it will be with film scripts. One script that I completed in a previous ScreenwritingU course is out to a couple of producers so I have fingers and toes crossed!
Nothing too unique about me. I own my own film production company and do videos and educational films for nonprofits and for-profit companies. It’s fun but I’m getting too old to carry all my camera equipment around!!!
Looking forward to connecting with all of you on our projects. Onward and upward!!!
-
Hi Chris, thanks for sharing these links. Hopefully we’ll be able to post assignments soon!
-
Hi Joseph, I really like the way that you approached is assignment. I’m finding the same thing, that “Loops” are helping me write the farm thing! Good luck!
Jane
-
Hi Meg, Super excited for you starting the 30 Day Class. I haven’t taken it but have heard great things. Keep me posted!!!
-
Hi Molly,
I was just in Walla Walla a few weeks ago! What a beautiful place! Also, about 2 months ago we got 7 chickens and they, along with our dog, cat and bunny, are the light of our lives!!
I haven’t written anything for television either so we’ll be TV novices together.
All the best,
Jane