[Jennifer Snodgrass]

Jennifer’s Character Journey Track

What I learned – It is important at this point to “know” my characters and how they will react and interact so that I can design the action.

Richard – Character Profile

· Role: Leader

· Traits: Deceitful, Conniving, Cocky, Superior,

· Fears: Truth being discovered, losing Kendria

· Wants/Needs : Wants wealth/status; needs to hide truth

· Likability / Rooting factors: protective of family

· How they react under stress: Scoffs; blames others; defends; flees; cowers

· Relationship with other characters: Desires Kendria – to possess her; Torments/taunts/teases Frank; Wary/weirded out by Leya

Character Journey for this story?

· Character Intro: Sneaky hiding things – in garage? File drawer? Office?

· Denial: Is making things up to scare everyone else – which he knows are untrue; denies that they are in danger that he cannot control

· Their reaction at first horror: Has family hide – talks tough to desert killers; Thinks it is just natural stuff – desert animals; is inclined to sacrifice Frank;

· Relation to group after first horror: Acts tough – wants to appear to be in charge

· How they fight back: Tries his wits, then brute strength, then flees

· End Point: Is killed by the forces wielded by Leya’s monster

· What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Richard deserved to die – he killed his friend to get Kendria, he made himself wealthy at others’ expense

Kendria – Character Profile

· Role: Rescuer

· Traits: Apologetic, insecure, protective

· Fears: Unknown; outdoors/animals

· Wants/Needs : Wants to keep the peace; needs to save her family

· Likability / Rooting factors: kindness and loyalty to family

· How they react under stress: Avoids; numbs herself, claws back

· Relationship with other characters: “Owes” Richard – dependent on him, and a little afraid; feels responsible for Frank – protective, defending him; adores daughter Leya, only piece of her beloved husband she has left – also in awe of Leya

Character Journey for this story?

· Character Intro: Loving and indulgent with Leya – taking her to library, putting her to bed; fearful/careful/tip-toe around Richard – intimidated by him; protective of Frank – defending him, explaining for him, encouraging him

· Denial: Tries to keep kids from being scared; goes along with Richard in denial – nothing to be afraid of; then she thinks it may be ghosts

· Their reaction at first horror: Hide and protect kids; obey Richard

· Relation to group after first horror: tries to guide/advise/protect kids; tells kids to run

· How they fight back: tries to draw evil away from kids, outrun & outsmart it

· End Point: Crawls out of her trap and finds the kids

· What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Being good and not preying on others lets you survive.

Frank – Character Profile

· Role: Introvert/Loner

· Traits: Nervous, Fearful, timid, sensitive, frail, crafty, needling/sarcastic

· Fears: heights, dark

· Wants/Needs : Wants to be accepted/understood being different; needs to be seen as a strong and brave young man

· Likability / Rooting factors: adores his niece Leya and appreciates her quirkiness; is grateful to his older sister Kendria and wants to be helpful to her

· How they react under stress: retreats; cowers

· Relationship with other characters: Confrontational with Richard and covertly messes with him; big-brotherly and protective with Leya; looks up to Kendria and is grateful – also wants to do anything to help her

B. What is their Character Journey for this story?

· Character Intro: Plays games and enjoys Leya; listens to Leya when she is reading; respects Leya’s eccentricities & defends her and Kendria when Richard belittles them

· Denial: Tries to keep Leya and Kendria from being afraid, but quickly succumbs to fear that it could be haunted ground

· Their reaction at first horror: screams when dog is attacked and when he gets caught in cactus;

· Relation to group after first horror: hides; tries to figure things out; tries to rescue; runs

· How they fight back: strategy – hiding, evading, trapping, leading into a pit/trap

· End Point: falls into the pit/mine with the creatures he lured there, but survives

· What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? If you are a good person the monster will not kill you.

Leya -Character Profile

· Role: Carrier

· Traits: Precocious/genius; quirky; conspires with Frank;

· Fears: Losing her mother

· Wants/Needs : Wants – to punish the evil-doer; needs to keep her loved ones safe

· Likability / Rooting factors: innocent child who lost her father

· How they react under stress: She is matter-of-fact and governed by facts and knowledge;

· Relationship with other characters: She looks up to her uncle Frank; loves her mother, obeys Richard, but will conspire with Frank to covertly mess with him.

B. What is their Character Journey for this story?

· Character Intro: She chooses unusual books, far beyond her apparent age. She shows wisdom and understanding unusual for a child.

· Denial: She never thinks she is in danger – but she does what she’s told – running, hiding, helping to fight.

· Their reaction at first horror: She is eerily calm, and has to be told to be afraid.

· Relation to group after first horror: She tells them that the animals are more afraid of them – that they should remain calm.

· How they fight back: She doesn’t need to fight back – she is the conduit of the horror.

· End Point: The monster inhabits her body until the end when Richard is destroyed. Then the monster returns to the book and she is unaware of what happened.

· What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? The most innocent and helpless one is the one who wields the power of retribution.

[Jennifer Snodgrass]

Jennifer’s Monster Reveal Track

I learned that it is not enough to create terror – we also need to provide the audience with mysteries and intrigue and gradually reveal the answers and the nature of the monster to create a satisfying horror experience.

Who is your monster and what is their terror?

• Powers? The monster comes out of a book to inhabit the body of a young innocent, and then it controls forces of nature and makes animals terrorize and attack.

• Limitations? It can only work through a human host – a child, it has powers only when the sun goes down,

• Weaknesses? The child needs to be near the book (and book must be open?), it goes dormant at sunrise

• Plan/Purpose/Appetite? It wants to avenge wrongs – rid the world of evil masquerading as good, expose liars and exploitation, make the world a better place for children.

DEMAND: Intrigue – Why did the parents on yacht get attacked?

REVEAL: Maybe they weren’t the best people – little girl survived.

DEMAND: Mislead – Who is the unseen “she” who is shot? Who is the killer?

REVEAL: She is a cow who was torn up in a breech birth. Rancher had to shoot her.

DEMAND: Mystery – Are the gold miner ghosts responsible for the terror?

REVEAL: Nope.

DEMAND: Mystery – Is Dad’s ghost the source of the terror.

REVEAL: Nope. Or maybe, a little?

DEMAND: Mystery – What is the real story of Dad’s death?

REVEAL: Richard let him fall.

DEMAND: Mislead – Are the strangers who wandered into the campsite ghosts? Killers?

REVEAL: They are ranchers who shoot a rattler, and get cactus out of Frank.

DEMAND: When does the terror appear?

REVEAL: At sunset.

DEMAND: Where does the terror appear?

REVEAL: Near the campsite (where the book is) but only if Leya is there as well.

DEMAND: Who is the target?

REVEAL: It always happens when Leya is near.

DEMAND: Did Leya do something? Pick up some gold?

REVEAL: No, nothing ever harms her.

DEMAND: What is the evil voice?

REVEAL: It’s the monster in Leya who knows what Richard has done.

DEMAND: Who is pursuing Richard?

REVEAL: Leya – possessed by monster.

DEMAND: Where does the monster come from?

REVEAL: The book.

DEMAND: Can the monster be stopped? How?

REVEAL: (Close the book?) Destroy the book, or let the monster kill the guilty one.

DEMAND: What happens when the monster has killed its prey?

REVEAL: Monster retreats back into the book.

[Jennifer Snodgrass]

Jennifer’s Death Track

I learned that there are different reasons that characters die – sometimes it is just to elevate the horror. I really only want to kill the one evil character – but I may have to re-think that?

<div>Character Death 1: Unseen “She/Her”
</div><div>

Why: To establish the horror

How: Gunshot, then Her body is
mutilated and disposed of by the creatures of the desert

</div><div>

Character (Apparent?) Death 2:
Frank (Kendria’s little brother, Leya’s uncle)

Why: He was careless and to
heighten the horror

How: Is frightened by the desert
predators and falls down mine shaft

Character (Apparent?) Death 3:
Kendria (Mom)

Why: To maximize the horror –
loss of the little girl (Leya’s) mother is worst tragedy

How: Blindly fleeing, leaving
daughter and little brother behind, she gets stuck in a shack and falls
into next of scorpions

Character Death 4: Richard (Kendria’s
husband, Leya’s step-dad)

Why: His evil is reason for the
horror. He not only is a dishonest businessman who enriches himself by
exploiting others, he also arranged for Kendria’s husband to die so he
could marry her.

How: All of the wrath of the
desert creatures that Leya’s inner monster controls is unleashed on
Richard – finally he is torn to bits by coyotes as Leya watches

</div>

[Jennifer Snodgrass]

JENNIFER’S Horror Situation Track

I learned that it is incredibly helpful to have a list of potential horror situations so that we can have a rich and varied terrifying experience for our audience.

ACT 1 — SET UP FOR HORROR

Atmosphere of Evil established – A killing takes place in the desert and killers say that the desert’s predators will dispose of the body (“The desert is always hungry,” and Nature’s Fixers)

SITUATION: Woman’s voice screams, “No!” We see just the boots, then the hat of killer. Hat has rattler tail on back, and “rattlesnake in mid-strike” head on front. We see boots of woman running toward killer.

REACTION: Woman running to solve/stop. Too late – gunshot.

Connect with the characters – Family packs up the RV for camping trip, Leya packing books, kids’ bedtime, Mom (Kendria) prepping food, watching news

The characters are warned not to do it. – Weather forecast shows severe storms

Denial of Horror – Husband (Richard) says storms will be miles away

Safety taken away – Once out in the desert the RV breaks down

SITUATION: RV breaks down

REACTION: Denial, minimize – says he’ll fix it later, unhitch the car and go to town for parts

SITUATION: Severe storm off in distance

REACTION: Denial, “it’s far away,” set up camp and start cooking dinner

Monster: The nature of the beast – Vultures nearby are circling, diving, and devouring a body

ACT 2 — THE POINT OF NO RETURN

Isolated / Trapped / Abducted – The killers show up at the family’s campsite, shoot rattler, hysterical screams from Frank from the darkness

SITUATION: Sound of gunshots, crunch of approaching horses, Desert Killers show up – rattler hat illuminated by firelight, they’re armed

REACTION: They hide behind RV with little dog

One of us killed – A pack of coyotes run through and snatch the family’s little dog

SITUATION: Dog carried off by coyotes

REACTION: Kendria runs off after dog

SITUATION: Killers search RV, gunshots

REACTION: Escape – they run and hide

SITUATION: The killers come after them

REACTION: They run

SITUATION: Frank runs into cactus – screaming

REACTION: He struggles, makes it worse

RED HERRING – KILLERS SHOT THE COYOTE, REMOVE CACTUS FROM FRANKS BODY, WARN FAMILY THAT THE ROAD BACK IS FLOODED BECAUSE OF STORM WAY UPSTREAM, THEN THEY LEAVE

MIDPOINT: The monster is worse than we thought!

Full pursuit by the killer – Deadly desert creatures (in seemingly orchestrated gangs) terrorize the family: Tarantulas, scorpions, bats, rattlesnakes, bobcats, coyotes, etc.

SITUATION: On the way back to the RV a swarm of bats attacks them

REACTION: Run, duck – also denial “Bat’s don’t attack people – they must have been after the bugs.”

Terrorized – As soon as one enemy moves on, another takes its place

SITUATION: Gila monsters crawl out from under RV and knock over gas can – which begins leaking

REACTION: Try to grab can, but it reaches a spark and flames erupt

SITUATION: Flames approach car they were towing

REACTION: Dad gets in car and backs it up rapidly – getting it stuck in sand, Kendria puts out fire with extinguisher

SITUATION: Car disturbs nest of rattlers that come toward the campsite

REACTION: They escape into the RV, they try to sleep – determined to find help tomorrow

ACT 3 — FULL OUT HORROR

Fight to the death – Family is separated, scattered – all left alone to face their attackers

SITUATION: In the morning tarantulas are coming in through open window

REACTION: Escape from RV

SITUATION: Richard climbs mountain to try to get phone signal, gets lost, caught in barbed wire, drops phone off cliff

REACTION: He tries different paths, climbs higher to try to see RV and find his way back

SITUATION: Dust storm envelops the area

REACTION: Blinded, they all scatter

Hysteria – Each family member can hear the terrified screams of the others

SITUATION: Kendria falls into bloody carcass, vultures descend to pick at the carcass

REACTION: She screams, blindly runs away

SITUATION: Frank finds the mangled corpse of their dog

REACTION: Collapses, cries, wraps it in his coat and begins to carry it back to camp

The thrilling escape from death – Frank falls down into an abandoned mine shaft, Kendria takes refuge in a creepy, dilapidated old shack, Richard finds Leya back at the RV

SITUATION: Frank falls into abandoned mine shaft

REACTION: He screams, but is knocked unconscious

SITUATION: Kendria takes refuge in creepy dilapidated shack, her foot falls through rotted floor, trapping her

REACTION: She struggles to get out, but her leg is getting torn up

SITUATION: She’s disturbed a scorpion’s nest and they start crawling out from under the floor

REACTION: She becomes hysterical, struggling to free herself

Death returns to take one or more – Leya turns on Richard. He runs, loses shoe in quicksand, steps in cactus, Leya and her army of predators destroy him

SITUATION: Richard returns to RV, door is open, Leya is in there with tarantulas behind her

REACTION: Richard fights tarantulas – reaches for Leya – but tarantulas just climb over Leya and/or crawl around her heading toward Richard

SITUATION: Leya’s eyes are huge (completely black/giant pupils). She’s staring defiantly at Richard, and an entirely menacing voice comes from the little girl

REACTION: Richard freezes, then backs away

SITUATION: Leya advances, threatens Richard, calls him out (in the terrifying voice) for the secret evils he’s done.

REACTION: Richard grabs things, tries to hit Leya

SITUATION: Rattlers come from behind Leya, part as they slither past her toward Richard

REACTION: Richard runs, grabs a shovel to fight them off, gets to the car and climbs inside

SITUATION: Leya slowly advances on Richard, loudly enumerating his sins

REACTION: Richard locks the car doors

SITUATION: Leya picks up a huge rock and hurls it at the windshield, shattering it as a boil of hawks descends from the sky and begins to fill up the car

REACTION: Richard opens the door and runs

SITUATION: Thousands of scorpions crawl right past Kendria and Richard runs right into them

REACTION: He stomps them as he runs away

SITUATION: Richard runs through a wet area and his foot sinks deeply in quicksand, as Leya calmly and slowly pursues him

REACTION: He yanks on the stuck leg and loses his shoe in the process

SITUATION: Freeing himself, Richard steps on a hunk of cholla cactus

REACTION: Bloodies and terrified he keeps running, with Leya following behind

SITUATION: Richard runs into a catclaw tree, and become entangled in its branches

REACTION: He struggles, getting himself more entangled and bloodied as he tries to escape

SITUATION: Leya arrives, leading a pack of coyotes who savagely attack and kill Richard

REACTION: Richard dies

Resolution – As dawn breaks a rescue crew arrives to find innocent Leya miraculously unharmed, Kendria emerges from the shack, Frank is found and retrieved from the mine shaft

[Jennifer Snodgrass]

Jennifer’s Horror Plot

I learned that we have excellent tools and a framework to use to create a horror film that will delight and terrify my audience.

ACT 1 — SET UP FOR HORROR

*Atmosphere
of Evil established – A killing takes place in the
desert and killers say that the desert’s predators will dispose of the
body

*Connect
with the characters – Family packs up the RV for
camping trip, Leya packing books, kids’ bedtime, Mom (Kendria) prepping
food, watching news

*The
characters are warned not to do it. – Weather forecast
shows severe storms

*Denial
of Horror – Husband (Richard) says storms will
be miles away

*Safety
taken away – Once out in the desert the RV
breaks down

*Monster:
The nature of the beast – Vultures are circling, diving, and devouring a
body

ACT 2 — THE POINT OF NO RETURN

<div>*Isolated
/ Trapped / Abducted – The killers show up at the
family’s campsite, shoot rattler, hysterical screams from Frank from the
darkness

</div><div>

*One
of us killed – A pack of coyotes run through and
snatch the family’s little dog

</div>

MIDPOINT: The monster is worse than we thought!

<div>*Full
pursuit by the killer – Deadly desert creatures (in
seemingly orchestrated gangs) terrorize the family: Tarantulas, scorpions,
bats, rattlesnakes, bobcats, coyotes, etc.

</div><div>

*Terrorized
– As soon as one enemy moves on, another takes its place

</div>

ACT 3 — FULL OUT HORROR

<div>*Fight
to the death – Family is separated, scattered –
all left alone to face their attackers
Hysteria
– Each family member can hear the terrified screams of the others

</div><div>

*The
thrilling escape from death – Frank falls down
into an abandoned mine shaft, Kendria takes refuge in a creepy,
dilapidated old shack, Richard finds Leya back at the RV

</div>

*Death
returns to take one or more – Leya turns on Richard.
He runs, loses shoe in quicksand, steps in cactus, Leya and her army of
predators destroy him

*Resolution
– As dawn breaks a rescue crew arrives to find innocent
Leya miraculously unharmed, Kendria emerges from the shack, Frank is found
and retrieved from the mine shaft

• This reply was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by  Jennifer Snodgrass.

[Jennifer Snodgrass]

Jennifer’s Characters for Horror

I learned that I can make some big-picture decisions about the potential direction of my story which can be tweaked later if needed.

Concept: A precocious young child unleashes heinous creatures and lethal forces on their family.

Group: Family

Dying Pattern: They all experience the terror together, but only 1 or 2 die.

Characters:

Leader – Richard, the husband overconfident and cocky “outdoorsman” who takes his family on an off-grid adventure in the desert

Rescuer – Kendria, the wife/mother who has fought emotional and financial battles to protect her family, now has to battle deadly forces

Introvert/Loner – Frank, Rosetta’s teenaged brother, beaten down by tragedy and loss and fiercely devoted to his sister and niece

Red Herrings – Desert dwelling hunters who menacingly appear after dark shortly after gunshots are heard

Carrier – Leya, quirky, precocious daughter who innocently channels/conjures up a supernatural force intent on bringing the guilty to justice

[Jennifer Snodgrass]

Jennifer’s Terrifying Monster

I learned that there are several components to devise when creating a monster.

1. TERROR

How does the monster terrorize?

They summon forces of nature and lethal creatures to do their bidding.

How does the monster pursue?

They inhabit the body of a young child in the family.

How does the monster isolate?

They are in the bosom of the family – so they are always with the parents.

What is the terrible thing they do?

They relentlessly unleash deadly forces until their purpose is complete.

How does the monster cause death?

Could be venom, stings, razor-sharp teeth and claws, or terrorizing victims until they plunge to their death.

What makes this inescapable?

Victim does not know it is the child controlling the terror. They trust the child.

2. MYSTERY

The main mystery is who the Monster is after and why the victims are being targeted. They do not even know that the child is controlling the threats.

3. FEAR PROVOKING APPEARANCE — The Many Faces of Fear

IRONIC VISUAL – The Monster inhabits the body of the victims’ own child. (Perhaps the eyes are all black when they are attacking?

4. RULES

The Monster takes residence inside the child, and terrorizes its Victims until it inflicts the final death blow – exacting justice for the cruelty or evil the Victims have committed.

5. MYTHOLOGY

The Monster originates/emerges from a book the child is reading – a collection of moral lessons, fables, and rhymes. It takes over the child in order to punish adults who are cheating, abusing or exploiting others.

[Jennifer Snodgrass]

BEFORE I WAKE – Horror Conventions

What I learned: Horror does not have to be grisly – as long as it honors the conventions well.

· Title / Concept: BEFORE I WAKE – A couple adopt an orphaned child whose dreams – and nightmares – manifest physically as he sleeps.

· Terrorize The Characters: Monsters and ghouls come alive when Cody sleeps. The “Canker Man,” who is always with Cody, absorbs people until they disappear forever.

· Isolation: The horror occurs in his foster parents’ own homes – or wherever Cody sleeps.

· Death: Cody’s mother dies when he is very young, and several foster parents and a bully at school cease to exist.

· Monster/Villain: The “Canker Man” and other frightening ghoulish characters come alive during Cody’s nightmares.

· High Tension: Whenever Cody sleeps those around him may be delighted by his dreams – or terrorized and killed by his nightmares.

· Departure from Reality: Cody has the “power” to manifest things from his imagination – triggered by sleeping.

· Moral Statement: Adults have a responsibility to care for children, with sensitivity.

· Anything else you’d like to say about what made this movie a great horror film?

The use of an adorable child who “channels” the destructive monsters is conflicting for the audience. The pain of the parents who lost a child is relatable and a horror in itself. (I chose this film mostly because of the child as a vessel for the monsters, which is similar to my concept.)

My Concept: NURSERY CRIMES

· Concept: A precocious young child unleashes heinous creatures and lethal forces on their family.

· Terrorize The Characters: Tarantulas, rattlesnakes, scorpions, and coyotes are among the deadly forces that the child can conjure up and control.

· Isolation: The family is stranded while camping in a desert area in their RV.

· Death: Vicious and venomous critters, and other desert menaces threaten the lives of the family.

· Monster/Villain: Their own precious child unleashes deadly forces.

· High Tension: Natural dangers and disasters. Survival in a harsh environment. Impending doom.

· Departure from Reality: Child acquires supernatural abilities and superhuman strength for the purpose of punishing the parents.

· Moral Statement: Parents pay the price for their offenses – enriching themselves by exploiting and swindling innocent people.

[Jennifer Snodgrass]

Hi! I am Jennifer Snodgrass

I am in the process of completing my second script, with MSC 15. I am planning to join MSC 16 to start another script – probably Horror.

I want to learn conventions of Horror, so that I can create unique versions of Horror and terrify audiences for years to come.

At an age (and in a town) where most people are retiring I am just beginning to work. (My new job as a substitute teacher, and my career – as a screenwriter.) I have spent the past 30+ years as a volunteer in schools, hospice, and community theater.

[Jennifer Snodgrass]

Jennifer Snodgrass

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