[Lisa Mangan]

Lisa Mangan’s Intriguing Character Layers Assignment 2

What I learned doing this assignment is the depth that my characters are forming already and how this plays into their relationships and creates opportunities for greater intrigue throughout the series.

Character Name: Alice Nichols

Role: Juvenile Probation Officer

Hidden Agendas: Uncovering an underground system that exploits youth

Competition: She is in competition with those in the underground system

Conspiracies: Alice uses Patricia to identify the illegal system exploiting probationers

Secrets: Alice was assaulted when she worked for a treatment center

Deception: Lying about her secret mission

Wound: Assault as a treatment center staff and current sexual harassment by her supervisor

Secret Identity: Rogue investigator of crimes against youth

Character Name: Mike Peterson

Role: Alice’s direct supervisor

Hidden Agendas: Part of the underground system that funnels youth to abusers

Competition: Competition with those higher up in the system

Conspiracies: Works with judges, treatment center execs, and probation officers to manipulate teens

Secrets: He is attempting to sabotage the person running the organization

Deception: Deceiving the main juvenile justice system and community into thinking he is working for them

Wound: He felt powerless in his youth

Secret Identity: Narcissist

Character Name: Patricia Thompson

Role: Alice’s best friend and renown attorney

Hidden Agendas: She wants to become A.G.

Competition: With Alice’s job as it increasingly takes more of her time away from Patricia

Conspiracies: She is working with political figures to become A.G.

Secrets: She has had romantic feelings for Alice since college

Deception: She remains closeted

Wound: She saw her brother get disowned by her family for coming out as a teenager

Secret Identity: Sexually Promiscuous with those in power to become A.G.

[Lisa Mangan]

Lisa Mangan’s Engaging Characters Assignment #2

What I learned from doing this assignment is how the main character’s lives are interwoven and how with just these few assignments, my show concept is starting to take shape.

Show Title: Karma is Alice

Journey: From burned out juvenile probation officer to rogue “detective” exposing the underground dysfunction of the juvenile justice system that exploits youth.

Main Characters:

Alice Nichols: A by-the-book juvenile probation officer, turns rogue when she discovers an underground exploitation system imbedded within the juvenile justice system.

Mike Peterson: Alice’s direct supervisor, is known as the office misogynist and has it in for her by-the-book methods and thinks she needs to lighten up.

Patricia Thompson: Alice’s best friend who becomes suspicious when Alice’s behaviors begin to change.

A. Role in the show:

Alice Nichols: Juvenile Probation Officer who works for Mike Peterson

Mike Peterson: Alice’s direct supervisor

Patricia Thompson: Alice’s best friend since college

B. Unique Purpose / Expertise:

Alice Nichols: Expose exploitive underground system that harms youth

Mike Peterson: Part of the underground system

Patricia Thompson: Renown lawyer and professor

C. Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface?

Alice Nichols: Her abuse in adolescence fuels her persistence

Mike Peterson: He helps funnel probationers into the secret system

Patricia Thompson: She’s in love with Alice.

D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing?

Alice Nichols: Breaking the law to protect youth

Mike Peterson: Breaking the law to harm youth

Patricia Thompson: Covering for Alice when she finds out

E. Unpredictable: What will they do next?

Alice Nichols: Alice wanders farther & farther away from her law-abiding beliefs and begins drinking more heavily to compensate

Mike Peterson: He thinks he’s about to be exposed for sexual harassment at work. If he gets fired, he can’t funnel kids into the system. His behaviors become more sporadic and irrational.

Patricia Thompson: Unsure what steps she will take to cover for Alice. Does it become too risky with her career?

F. Empathetic: Why do we care?

Alice Nichols: She cares about young people and does what it takes to help

Mike Peterson: He seems like he was forced into the underground system, rather than choosing that path.

Patricia Thompson: She is well-intentioned and loves Alice; she is torn between her morals and emotions.

[Lisa Mangan]

Lisa Mangan Engaging Characters Assignment #1

Example Show: Scandal

A. Role in the show:

Olivia Pope: Former Communications Director runs her own “crisis management” company

Quinn Perkins: Newly hired firm associate for Olivia’s company

B. Unique Purpose / Expertise:

Olivia Pope: Expert strategist who uses former connections to solve client problems.

Quinn Perkins: Up and comer in the firm, just getting her feet wet, learning about the organization as the audience does.

C. Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface?

Olivia Pope: Olivia had an affair with the president while she was Communications Director.

Quinn Perkins: Appears naïve and quirky but there are hints that there is more beneath the surface with her. She uses her “gut” as Olivia does regarding cases and challenges Olivia with her intuition.

D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing?

Olivia Pope: Solves client dilemmas outside of the legal system, often bending, breaking rules and laws to do so.

Quinn Perkins: Following the lead of Olivia, often see her discomfort with actions of the firm.

E. Unpredictable: What will they do next?

Olivia Pope: After learning the President lied to her, after she trusted her “gut,” she becomes less sharp and is showing signs of unraveling. Her team is beginning to notice. There is no limit to what she will do to resolve a client situation.

Quinn Perkins: She is passive but developing boldness. She wants to please Olivia but is dealing with her own uncomfortability and “break out” moments. She seems emotionally volatile.

F. Empathetic: Why do we care?

Olivia Pope: Olivia is intelligent and “knows her stuff.” She appears ice cold but we get glimpses of her humanity and underlying brokenness, especially in regard to the President.

Quinn Perkins: She strives to learn her role, do well and is juggling the unorthodox manner the firm operates in.

[Lisa Mangan]

Lisa Mangan’s Three Circles of Characters Assignment #2

What I learned doing this assignment is the beginnings of how my characters are organized and how they will work to develop the journey that the main character will experience. Also, how valuable and intricate relationships and proximity to the main characters are.

My Show: Karma is Alice

Main Characters:

Alice Nichols: A by-the-book juvenile probation officer, turns rogue when she discovers an underground exploitation system imbedded within the juvenile justice system.

Mike Peterson: Alice’s direct supervisor, is known as the office misogynist and has it in for her by-the-book methods and thinks she needs to lighten up.

Patricia Thompson: Alice’s best friend who becomes suspicious when Alice’s behaviors begin to change.

Connected Circle: David Kingston, Judge Matthew Rice, Attorney Juan Gonzalez, Elizabeth Harris

Environment Circle: Probationers, Judges, Probation Officers, Attorneys, Families

• This reply was modified 3 years, 11 months ago by  Lisa Mangan.

[Lisa Mangan]

ASSIGNMENT #1

Show: Scandal

Three Circles of Characters

A. Main Characters Circle: Olivia Pope, Abby Whelan, Quinn Perkins, Huck, Harrison Wright

B. Connected Circle: Cyrus Beene, Fitzgerald Grant, Mellie Grant,

C. Environment Circle: Secret Service Members, White House Staff, Members of the Press, Politicians

[Lisa Mangan]

Scandal 5 Star Model

What I learned doing this assignment is discovering how the subplots and details weave in and out of the major plot points to make the show captivating. The 5 Star Points feel like a framework for a dissertation proposal and this course will be the journey of research and creating theories within my own show. That’s the depth that it feels like, void of the rigidity of a doctoral degree.

Big Picture Hook: A razor sharp lawyer leads a hodgepodge team to solve impossible political problems for their clients through unconventional and questionable means.

Intriguing Character: The bold and daring former mistress of the US President takes on the political realm face-on to solve unimaginable problems for her clients.

Empathy/Distress: Relying on her never-fail gut to guide her, Olivia Pope discovers she can’t fully trust herself as she learns the President lied to her.

Open Loops: Will Olivia get back together with the President? Will Stephen and Abby get together, even though Stephen just proposed to another woman?

Inviting Obsession: Will Oliva trust her gut without wavering? Why are each of the members of Olivia’s team chosen? What will happen when the President finds out Olivia has taken on his mistress as a client?

[Lisa Mangan]

Hello all,

My name is Lisa M. Mangan.

I have written and co-written 4 stage plays but no scripts as of yet.

I hope to complete this course as I took it last year when I didn’t realize I was dealing with COVID long haulers and the fatigue and brain fog kicked my backside. In addition to completing the course, I am looking forward to the entire process of developing my concept and watching it become a reality.

Something unique about me is that I grew up as a military brat and attended 14 different schools by the time I graduated high school.

Have fun, everyone!

Cheers to creating,

Lisa

[Lisa Mangan]

Lisa Mangan, I agree to the terms of this release form.

GROUP RELEASE FORM FOR “BINGE WORTHY TV” CLASS

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.