Robert
Forum Replies Created
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Subject Line: Robert’s World and Characters!
4 – What I learned doing this assignment is: the importance of the thriller world and the significance of the big M.I.S.
1 – Reminder of Concept and Big M.I.S. of story:
Unwitting but Resourceful Hero: Ben is broke and his life is in great danger as a result of his invention attracting the wrong attention.
Dangerous Villain: Gavin, the head of the east coast oil cartel, activates his leaders to track down and destroy Ben’s invention and Ben himself.
High Stakes: Ben’s life, Lucy’s life, Ryan’s life, father’s life, his invention.
Life and death situations: Multiple attempts on Ben’s life; threat to his girlfriend, Lucy; the mistaken killing of Ryan, Ben’s brother; killing of Ben’s father; car chase; filling station explosion.
This story is thrilling because: We are constantly worried about Ben’s survival and the fate of the other people in his life.
Big Mystery: Who from the fuel supply industry is trying to kill Ben and why?
Big Intrigue: Why is a battered car so valuable to make a fuel cartel want to steal it and kill it’s driver?
Big Suspense: Will Ben be caught and killed?
2 – Intriguing World chosen for this story: The chair of the east coast fuel cartel who is resisting the switch from fossil fuels to clean energy, wanting to delay the inevitable changeover for as long as possible and is prepared to kill anyone who is a threat to his world.
3 – Top Characters:
Hero is Ben.
Mystery: Why does the cartel view him as a dangerous threat?
Suspense: Will his old battered car be an asset or a hindrance and will he get caught and killed?
Intrigue: Why was he written-out of his father’s will?
Villain is Gavin.
Mystery: Why is he obsessed with tracking down Ben?
Suspense: Will he succeed and hold onto his power base?
Intrigue: Why does he have such an influential hold on the local community and fuel supply chain.
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Robert’s Big M.I.S.
What I learned doing this assignment is how important the MIS is in the Thriller genre for a thriller to be successful.
Logline: Ben is a science post graduate, Impetuous and broke, who has invented a self charging car battery he believes will help to save the world and make him rich. He soon discovers Gavin’s east coast oil cartel is set on destroying his invention and his life. On his car journey down the east coast, Ben’s every turn is a life or death decision.
Unwitting but Resourceful Hero: Ben is broke and his life is in great danger as aresult of his invention attracting the wrong attention.
Dangerous Villain: Gavin, the head of the east coast oil cartel, activates his leaders to track down and destroy Ben’s invention and Ben himself.
High Stakes: Ben’s life, Lucy’s life, Ryan’s life, father’s life, his invention.
Life and death situations: Multiple attempts on Ben’s life; threat to his girlfriend, Lucy; the mistaken killing of Ryan, Ben’s brother; killing of Ben’s father; car chase; filling station explosion.
This story is thrilling because: We are constantly worried about Ben’s survival and the fate of the other people in his life.
Big Mystery: Who from the oil industry is trying to kill Ben and why?
Big Intrigue: Why is a battered car so valuable to make an oil cartel want to steal it and kill it’s driver?
Big Suspense: Will Ben be caught and killed?
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I, Robert Burns, agree to the terms of this release form
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Marathon Man – Thriller Conventions
What I learned doing this assignment is how important the thriller conventions are and the consequences of getting them wrong.
Unwitting but Resourceful Hero: Thomas “Babe” (Dustin Hoffman) is a history student and marathon runner. When Babe’s brother Doc is murdered and dies in his arms, Babe is targeted by the secret service and by Szell, thinking Doc has told Babe about Szell’s secret plan. Babe is running for his life.
Dangerous Villain: Szell, a wanted war criminal, doesn’t trust anyone; so when he travels to New York to retrieve his valuable diamond collection, he savagely kills Doc, a diamond courier. Szell wants to know if Doc told Babe of his plan before dying. The secret service, working in collusion with Szell, abduct Babe for Szell to torture using dentistry to determine if it’s safe.
High stakes: Babe’s life, Docs life, Szell’s brother’s life, the freedom of a Nazi war criminal.
Life and death situations: Szell’s brother killed in road rage, several murder attempts on Doc, Doc killed by Szell, Babe escaping aided by his running ability, elderly Jewish woman killed in street, shop assistant’s throat cut by Szell, Babe shooting secret service agent after agent killed Elsa (Babe’s girlfriend) at country house. Finally, when Babe throws the diamonds into the water, Szell stumbles and is killed on his own knife blade.
This movie is thrilling because: There is so much mystery and twists and turns, uncertainty and empathy with the main characters.
Big Mystery: Will Szell escape with the diamonds or will he be stopped?
Big Intrigue: The collusion between Szell, the secret service and Doc in assisting with diamond illegal activity and the danger to Babe’s life.
Big Suspense: Will Szell and the secret service kill Babe?