[Joseph Herbst]

SUBJECT: Lesson 5 Applying Action Subtext

What I learned from this lesson is that scenes can become much richer and more profound when characters hide what they really want to say under dialogue that is not “on the nose”. Lacing the dialogue with subtext allows the audience to deduce the true meaning behind the character’s words.

Version 1: Dialogue Covers Subtext

Gem and Paladin, Flicker’s parents, argue about Flicker’s lack of discipline and his handicap. On the surface, it appears both are talking about Flicker, but Gem is really referring to Paladin’s youth.

Gem: “How can not feeding him be good for him?”

Paladin: “Discipline! He knows he’s not supposed to go anywhere near Shorehaven Castle.”

Gem: “Unfortunately, he seems to have forgotten much of what he has learned. I so wish he would open his heart again.”

After arriving in San Francisco, Flicker encounters a bulldog with whom he engages in conversation. Flicker believes the bulldog is offering to help when in reality he’s trying to sell drugs to Flicker.

Bull Dog: “Hey pal, you good? You need some stuff?”

Flicker: “Stuff?”

Bull Dog: “Yeah, stuff. You need something or not?”

Flicker: “Oh, yeah. I need to find The Mystic. Will your stuff help?”

Bull Dog: “You’re not from around here, are you pal?

Brought before the Council of Elders, Flicker believes the Council is preparing him to eventually take over the Kingdom. In reality, the Council Leader is declaring him unfit to be a dragon.

Council Leader: “As heir to the Kingdom, young Flicker, we see great potential and leadership ability in you. You will go on to do great things.”

Version 2: Dialogue Points to Subtext

Paladin (to Gem): “Tomorrow we take him before the Council and let them deal with him as they wish.” (Points to Paladin’s disappointment in Flicker, who sees his son’s handicap as a hindrance to the Kingdom.)

Flicker: (to himself): “I’ll fix this, Father. Then you will like me.” (Points to Flicker planning to once again defy his father’s wishes; one of the primary reasons he was stripped of his birthright. He does the wrong things for the right reasons.)

Susie (to Flicker): “Wanna be friends? Maybe I can help you get un-lost.” (Points to Susie’s intent to betray Flicker and destroy him.)

[Joseph Herbst]

SUBJECT: Lesson 5 Applying Action Subtext

What I learned from this lesson is that incredible tension can be built into a story by giving characters hidden agendas and by having them do the opposite of what they say they will do. It creates human, three-dimensional characters rather than just cardboard cutouts.

Version 1: Action Opposite Dialogue

During a Fire-breathing contest at school, Flicker struggles. His sister, Ember, appears to be encouraging him.

Ember: “C’mon, Flick! You can do it!”
But, her actions show she has absolutely no confidence in Flicker’s abilities. Her words become nothing but sarcastic derisions meant to scorn Flicker rather than encourage him.

Flicker’s friend, Pumice, admonishes Flicker to go see his Uncle Firebrand, Summerfjord’s sole Wizard for help. Flicker protests.

Flicker: “No way! Father would never allow it.”
Though his words express obedience to, and even fear of, his father, King Paladin, his actions show complete defiance of his father when he takes off into the woods as a “short-cut” home after school.

King Paladin takes Flicker before the Council of Dragons to seek their wisdom as to what to do with Flicker and his handicap. On the outside, the council members appear compassionate and benevolent.

Council Leader: “As heir to the Kingdom, young Flicker, we see great potential and leadership ability in you. You will go on to do great things.”
In the end, though, the Council declares Flicker unfit to be a member of Summerfjord Kingdom and strips him of his royal birthright.

Version 2: Action hides Something Covert

The Shadow Wolves Flicker encounters in the forest appear to be acting as lone predators. Unbeknownst to anyone, however, they are acting under the direction of Flint, Firebrand’s evil assistant, to get rid of Flicker.

Outwardly, Flint appears to be a loyal and humbly obedient assistant to the Wizard Firebrand. But, as we soon find out, he hides an evil and nefarious plan to take over the Kingdom and to destroy anyone who stands in his way.

After school, Flicker informs Ember he is taking a shortcut home through Darkwood Forest. His true intention, however, is to defy his father and pay a visit to his Uncle Firebrand, the Wizard, to ask for help in learning to breathe fire.

When Flicker finally gets his chance to visit his uncle, the Wizard’s spells don’t appear to work, as he had hoped they would. We learn that Firebrand intentionally sabotaged his own spells so that Flicker can learn to accept his handicap and to use his own inner strength and talents.

[Joseph Herbst]

What I learned from this lesson is how Situational Subtext, if executed properly can be used to create scenes that crackle with anticipation and tension.

Subtext Situation: Misinterpretation

Surface: King Paladin, Flicker’s father, misinterprets his son’s sense of adventure as rebellion and defiance.

Beneath the Surface: By seeking out little adventures, Flicker can be himself and is able to find temporary solace from his father’s disapproval.

Subtext Situation: Superior Position/Unaware

Surface: A young Chinese girl named Susie befriends Flicker, who is lost in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Flicker believes that Susie really is his new-found friend and that she truly intends to help him get back home

Beneath the Surface: By now the audience knows that Susie is not who she appears to be, but rather is Flint, Firebrand’s evil, shape-shifting assistant. Flicker doesn’t know that Susie is really Flint in disguise and that she is hell-bent on destroying him.

Subtext Situation: Misinterpretation

Surface: Early on in his adventure in Chinatown, Flicker encounters a dog who asks Flicker if he needs anything. Flicker says yes, believing the dog can help him find his way home.

Beneath the Surface: The dog is a drug pusher who misinterprets Flicker’s “yes” as wanting drugs. In contrast, Flicker misinterprets the dog’s question of “what do you need” as a helping hand.

Subtext Situation: Deception/Unaware

Surface: Firebrand sees Flint as a loyal and humble assistant. Flicker believes Flint will help him on his quest for the amulet and to seek out the Mystic of the Barbegazi Mountains. They are both unaware of Flint’s true nature.

Beneath the Surface: Flint’s only desire is to ultimately rule Summerfjord Kingdom. He sees the only way to his goal is to deceive and eventually destroy anyone who stands in his way.

Subtext Situation: Can’t say/Misinterpretation

Surface: Pumice misinterprets Flicker’s hesitation to seek out his Uncle Firebrand for help as childish fear of change and the unknown.

Beneath the Surface: Flicker is embarrassed to admit to his friends that his father, the King, has expressly forbidden him from visiting Firebrand. He’s afraid of any harsh punishment that might await him if he disobeys his father.

[Joseph Herbst]

What I learned from this lesson is that applying subtextual layers to my characters helped me to learn new things about my characters that I had not previously considered, or that were hidden to me.

FLICKER

CHARACTER SURFACE: Handicapped by his inability to breathe fire, he desperately wants to learn, believing that doing so will earn him the respect and acceptance he craves from his father, King Paladin.

CHARACTER SUBTEXT: He is conflicted. He longs to go on adventures, but he is also fearful of the outside world; something he would never dare share with his family and peers, thinking it would make him look weak in their eyes.

FIREBRAND

CHARACTER SURFACE: King Paladin’s brother and Summerfjord Kingdom’s sole wizard. He is capable, both through counsel and magic, of affecting great change in others, for good or ill, as he sees fit.

CHARACTER SUBTEXT: He secretly harbors a deep wound from his childhood – his own personal handicap – which hinders his abilities as a wizard, such as casting spells that don’t work. He must learn to put his bitterness aside and to become a wounded healer.

FLINT

CHARACTER SURFACE: Firebrand’s seemingly loyal and obedient assistant, always at his master’s side.

CHARACTER SUBTEXT: Inwardly, he is twisted by jealousy and hate. He secretly desires to steal Summerfjord Kingdom for himself and to destroy Paladin, Firebrand, and Flicker by his evil and nefarious designs.

KING PALADIN

CHARACTER SURFACE: Outwardly rules Summerfjord Kingdom and his family with an iron fist to ensure discipline and obedience.

CHARACTER SUBTEXT: He has a big heart and is deeply concerned for his family’s well-being. He’s incredibly proud of Flicker, his only son, and wants only the best for him, but his arrogance as a leader hinders him from expressing that pride openly.

[Joseph Herbst]

What I learned from this lesson is that building subtext into the various environments in the story creates layers that can enrich the story and can give the movie a deeper meaning.

SUMMERFJORD KINGDOM: Flicker’s medieval home, but it is not a happy place for him. He is shunned and ridiculed for his handicap: the inability to breathe fire.

–The
forest, where Flicker goes for adventure, becomes dark and dangerous, a
reflection of his fears and his feelings of inadequacy. <div>

–The
dragon school, a daily reminder of Flicker’s pain brought on by his handicap.

–Flicker’s
rejection by the Council of Elders is an outward manifestation of his inner turmoil and embarrassment.

<div>

–Flicker
seeks out the local Wizard, his uncle, for help, but the spells don’t work, further deepening Flicker’s self-consciousness.

–Flicker’s
eventual victory over the evil Flint shows his inner transformation is complete.

SAN FRANCISCO: Flicker suddenly finds himself a stranger in a strange land; a new and exciting place filled with music, lights, and weird-looking creatures.

–Soon
the excitement of his new surroundings wears off and Flicker finds himself
lost and alone. He longs for home. </div>

–Flicker
meets a young Chinese girl who befriends him and promises she’ll help
him find a way back home.

–Betrayal
and deception lurk around every turn, making Flicker doubt himself. How can he know who to trust?

–Flicker
meets an old Mystic in Chinatown, who teaches him that disabilities don’t need to be a setback.

–Flicker
learns that he can gain confidence and self-assurance by taking action in spite of his handicap. He can rise above.

–Flicker
learns that Flint has followed him to San Francisco in order to destroy him, but Flicker turns the tables on Flint and fights him, even though he can’t breathe fire.

</div>

[Joseph Herbst]

–What I learned from this lesson is that by building subtext into the overall plot, the story becomes richer and more profound, allowing the audience to participate in the journey on a deeper, more meaningful level.

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Flicker, a young dragon, thinks that no one likes him, especially his father, because he lacks the ability to breathe fire…

…not knowing that all he really needs to do is embrace his handicap and believe in himself, to find his true gift.

–Throughout the story, Flicker makes it his mission to learn to breathe fire in order to be accepted by his family and liked by his friends. His breakthrough moment comes when he learns that he must embrace his handicap and believe in himself and his unique gifts.

–After overhearing his father threatening to have him banished from the kingdom, Flicker decides to run away from home and to seek out his Uncle Firebrand, the Wizard. When Firebrand’s spells don’t help, he tells Flicker that truly the only way he could learn to breathe fire, if that’s what he really wants, is to seek out the Oracle of Fire.

–Firebrand’s assistant, Flint, accompanies Flicker on his quest, ostensibly to find The Oracle. Instead, Flint betrays Flicker and tosses him into the Portal of Tomorrow, sending him to modern-day San Francisco, where he must now fend for himself.

–Flicker finds the Oracle in Chinatown and learns that his inability to breathe fire is not his fault. He was born without the organ that makes breathing fire possible. He must now rely on his own strengths and gifts to prevent Flint from returning to their homeland and taking over the Kingdom.

–In the end, Flicker realizes that what he really needs is not the ability to breathe fire, but rather to believe in himself and in his own unique gifts and talents in order to help his father reclaim the kingdom and to fulfill his royal birthright.