[Jodi Lustig]

Jodi’s Right Characters!

What I learned: Each character should have a different history with and relationship to the antagonist and each other. I also learned that I’m not sure yet what kind of supernatural powers the antagonist will have. Maybe the ghost of Jewish granny can paralyze people with guilt, like literally?! Maybe she can make them quiet down, too?

With
each of your main characters, how can they uniquely fit with the Hook?

Hook is dead granny shows up to family seder (instead of Elijah) and won’t let her surviving family leave till they figure out how to settle gran’s estate fairly.

Bubbe/Nana – it’s her house but owning a house isn’t the same as owning your family. You can’t control family with things. You can try to force them to do what you want. Ultimately it fails or leaves you feeling lonely or angry or disappointed. Maybe you get some moments of joy and communion. But being omnipotent? Not so fun. And not possible.

“Good girl” Daughter – a rule follower who’s never really questioned her place or choices in life. Is it a big revelation to learn that her sainted selfless mother in death is manipulative and scary about it?

“Black Sheep” Daughter/Son(?) – To suddenly feel vindicated by some measure. Never had as much of the rose-colored glasses on about mom. But still terrifying to think that there is an afterlife. Supernatural. – Didn’t go to family events for a while. Now he’s at the family event from hell. He can’t leave. Not easily.

Unhappily Married Couple – with kid(?) see how it could be for their kid if they got divorced. How forcing some identity onto kids is harmful. Maybe even soul crushing sometimes.

Mercenary Showoffy “successful” Son/Daughter—a chastening. Sure you can buy and sell everyone. You could outbid everyone and lord it over them forever. But that won’t make them want to spend time with you. That won’t make you lovable. Maybe it makes you destined to be bitter in perpetuity.

Thinking
about the conflict that hook creates, how does each main character enhance
or cause that conflict?

In thinking about doing what will make Nana happy, the characters each have to reflect on what they owe to “tradition” and “family” and their “legacy.” Is it our job to honor our parents by imitating them? Reflecting them back to themselves—or maybe reflecting them back “better?” Or is it more important to forge your own way. Be as different as you want to be. As different as you can be to “improve” on the original stock. What do we owe our parents and grandparents?

Tell
us what makes these characters the “right ones” for this story?

If the house—and Nana—are forcing the kids and grandkids to think about their relationships to each other and their relationship to their ancestors, then everybody should have their own differing relationships to both.

[Jodi Lustig]

A. How did this process work for you?

I’m happy to brainstorm, but I’m still reluctant to let go of my original ideas. One of those things that may be a lifelong process.

B. What did you learn doing this assignment?

I really have to push myself to get out of my comfort zone. But I’ll also say that the “Why me? Why now?” questions–about why I’m the only one who can tell this story–add to my angst. I don’t venture far from what I know because I don’t feel like I could or should tell wildly-different-from-my-experience stories.

1. Taking your 5 ideas from the Pre-Lesson, use the techniques below to brainstorm possible major hooks.

A.
Intriguing Contained Setting: Family house on Long Island

Florida condo

Granny’s fabulous CPW apt(?) rent controlled

Catskills house

B.
Unique Device:

Nice granny in life has gotten crankier in death

Elijah (the spirit that’s supposed to be there!) and Granny fight for seat at the table (and for the glass of wine meant for him)

New and/or nuanced take on Passover. Slavery/racism/sexism – make it intersectional—and where does inherited family wealth fit into that scheme? Who is “family?” Who counts? How do they matter? Does there have to be a hierarchy?

C.
Unique Monster/Villain:

Dead Grandma

Possible other spirit-Grandpa?

Sister and brother are at odds?

Evil or “troubled” kid(s)?

D.
Mystery:

Does Granny really have a plan that she’d prefer they pick? Did she make her wishes known and no one’s listened? Is there a secret agenda? What if there’s no “right” answer?

E.
Impossible goal/Unsolvable problem:

Family. Can’t kill ’em. Can’t kill ’em. (Can you?)

House is just a house. Granny is gone. Still. Or will she come back for every seder if we invite her?

F.
Unique layers:

2. Ask the High Concept Question.

Having
to do with ___________, what haven’t we seen before?

Dysfunctional/Jewish Family comedies, have we seen any hauntings? Vengeful (yet loving?) spirits?

3. Pick one and do the Exchanging Components process.

List
the components of your current concept.

A) Seder—Jewish family

B) Ghost of tough cookie grandma shows up

C) No one can leave the house until the family “makes up” and settles granny’s estate

D) Elijah, the ghost/prophet that’s “supposed” to show up is pissed that granny has stolen his thunder and haunted without “proper permission” – is there a war of the sexes in the afterlife, too?

Brainstorm
many alternatives for each component.

A) Seder

High Holidays

Rosh Hashanah

Graduation party

Bat Mitzvah

Destination Wedding

B) Ghost Grandma

Ghost gramps

Ghost of dead child

Ghost of Holocaust victims/1^st gen Americans –

C) Settling estate – who gets the house?

Solving family crime—i.e. who stole the Fabergé egg?

Is the Black Sheep ever going to be forgiven?

Are you Jewish enough?

Must you get a divorce? What is wrong with you??

Gay couple w kids fighting over divorce

Single childless sister at odds with married sister?

Who gets to sing the stupid four questions? Does everyone have to sing it? 😊

Grandma wants bickering couple to get divorce? Tie in the seder. Freedom?

Black family is there and the whole experience is wackadoo.

What if this Jewish family had slaves? What would reparations look like?

• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by  Jodi Lustig.

[Jodi Lustig]

1. Name: Jodi Lustig

2. How many scripts you’ve written? 5 or 6 (not that they’re all ready for prime time–or ANY time)

3. What you hope to get out of the class? I’ve got a fun idea for a contained movie but no idea if I can make it work.

4. Something unique, special, strange or unusual about you? I have been to the Museum of Natural History, and there’s no way Night at the Museum should be a comedy. What kind of sicko thinks the T Rex would come alive to play fetch?😀

PS: Happy to be here but behind already and catching up fast.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by  Jodi Lustig.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by  Jodi Lustig.

[Jodi Lustig]

I, Jodi Lustig, agree to the terms of this release.

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.