Kasem Kharsa

L'invention de personnages

Hey Elizabeth, thank you for sharing your exercise - I can see you put a lot of time and imagination into it. I left specific comments on your dropbox file, just small notes as I was reading - I'll leave my overall notes here: This was very cinematic and I could easily see it as a screenplay. I really liked the way you structured time (the 'before' and 'after' with some of the 'backstory explanation' in the middle) - that is a classic nonlinear film structure. You also play around with emotional distance, the first scene feels uncomfortably close (we hear his thoughts, see the makings of his plan), the second scene is very sympathetic, and the third scene feels distant (as if we are just observing him from the other side of the table) - I don't know if this was intentional but if so very good choices. As I've said before, you have a strong voice and a handle on constructing images and building tension - so I'm happy/surprised you got something out of the exercise. Do you see yourself doing a similar exercise for the protagonist? And are you envisioning this as a short or feature length screenplay?

Hey! I did do the emotional distance differently in all three scenes on purpose. Partly because I want the reader to get a "freshness" with each scene and partley because I wanted each scene to coincide with the character's growth. Especially the last scene. I wanted it to feel very distant and very unsympathetic toward Jerry. I wanted the reader to see what Jerry has become and in the end he is past hope and remorse.
As for doing this exercise for the protagonist, yes, I am starting work on three scenes for Emma. But doing this character scares me because the protagonist is the most important character and I want her to be complex and relatable and real. But I'm just scared that she will fall flat. So, I'm actually using your sticky note brainstorming exercise to help me create my three scenes for my protagonist. Two birds, one stone! :) 
I envision this as a feature length screenplay. Kind of intimidating but exciting too.

Hey Elizabeth, yeah I get what you mean about the protagonist and 'getting it right' - remember if you do the three scene exercise you don't actually have to use any of that material, it can just be a 'sandbox' where you try out things or get to know her better. As for the post it note class, yes I think that will help too, I know for me I feel a lot less pressure coming up with ideas versus staring at the blank computer screen. If you do the same exercise for Emma, feel free to update your project, I'd be interested to read that as well (drop me an email just in case I don't get the notification). Also, I'll look out for your next project in the 'post it class'!

Hey Elizabeth, great job, I'm glad you were able to take this class as well! Sorry that I asked for regular  prose format, I was trying to make the class accessible to all writers but in the end I think most students who have taken it and committed to the exercise are screenwriters like yourself. But yes, it does allow you to stress out less about formatting, and just get the ideas down on paper and articulate 'unshootable' things like an emotion. Do you prefer that I leave the comments directly on the dropbox file (I think that's what I did last time)?

Sure, directly on the dropbox file works fine. 
I also started your other class with the sticky notes. I'm excited for learning a new way to organize my creativity!

This assignment was SO FUN! I loved it! At first I was disappointed, being a screenwriter, that I couldn't format my three scenes as such. However, It was very liberating and I was able to really focus on the character. I think I am going to do this exercise with all of my antagonists and protagonists in my screenplays to help me in character development.  Anyway, this character is actually the antagonist from a screenplay I'm currently working on. The link to my dropbox file is below.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/seihwzat31nv0fv/Mad%20Love%20-%20Jerry%203%20scenes.docx?dl=0

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