Comments on: Depth-charging your characters… http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/depth-charging-your-characters/screenwriting/characters/2007/01/17/ Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:52:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Jonny Atlas Writes » Blog Archive » Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards Script, and the “Semblance of Truth” http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/depth-charging-your-characters/screenwriting/characters/2007/01/17/comment-page-1/#comment-37585 Jonny Atlas Writes » Blog Archive » Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards Script, and the “Semblance of Truth” Tue, 12 May 2009 23:42:37 +0000 http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/2007/01/17/depth-charging-your-characters/#comment-37585 [...] reading Unk’s writing for very long, go read his posts on Depth Charging your characters - parts 1, 1.5 and 2. That is some seriously required [...] [...] reading Unk’s writing for very long, go read his posts on Depth Charging your characters – parts 1, 1.5 and 2. That is some seriously required [...]

]]> By: The Central Question | http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/depth-charging-your-characters/screenwriting/characters/2007/01/17/comment-page-1/#comment-35567 The Central Question | Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:55:07 +0000 http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/2007/01/17/depth-charging-your-characters/#comment-35567 [...] automatically ask ourselves if this quintessential character is going to REMAIN the same. If you go DEEP ENOUGH with your character, thereby making him or her quintessential, we will almost always subconsciously [...] [...] automatically ask ourselves if this quintessential character is going to REMAIN the same. If you go DEEP ENOUGH with your character, thereby making him or her quintessential, we will almost always subconsciously [...]

]]> By: Eric http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/depth-charging-your-characters/screenwriting/characters/2007/01/17/comment-page-1/#comment-2051 Eric Sun, 21 Jan 2007 18:52:37 +0000 http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/2007/01/17/depth-charging-your-characters/#comment-2051 Unk, One tool that I've adopted is actually from the Scientologists. They publish a booklet called The Emotional Tone Scale, and it ranges from 40.0 to -40.0 (with 40.0 being "Serenety of Beingness" and 0.0 being "Body Death"). Lest you think I'm preaching, I'll just comment up front that the portion of the scale that is actually useful to us as screenwriters happens from 4.0 -- Enthusiasm to .05 -- Apathy. I suppose you could take it to 0.0 -- Body Death; but then you lose your character. The aim of this is similar to the Maslow's triangle: sending your character on a journey up or down the scale to show their emotional path through the story. In any event, you can find the list <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_scale" rel="nofollow">here</a>, and if you're really into it, you can buy L. Ron Hubbard's book on it at Amazon. - E. Unk,

One tool that I’ve adopted is actually from the Scientologists. They publish a booklet called The Emotional Tone Scale, and it ranges from 40.0 to -40.0 (with 40.0 being “Serenety of Beingness” and 0.0 being “Body Death”).

Lest you think I’m preaching, I’ll just comment up front that the portion of the scale that is actually useful to us as screenwriters happens from 4.0 — Enthusiasm to .05 — Apathy.

I suppose you could take it to 0.0 — Body Death; but then you lose your character.

The aim of this is similar to the Maslow’s triangle: sending your character on a journey up or down the scale to show their emotional path through the story.

In any event, you can find the list here, and if you’re really into it, you can buy L. Ron Hubbard’s book on it at Amazon.

- E.

]]> By: Unk http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/depth-charging-your-characters/screenwriting/characters/2007/01/17/comment-page-1/#comment-2009 Unk Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:43:43 +0000 http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/2007/01/17/depth-charging-your-characters/#comment-2009 TCinLA, Get well and WRITE! Unk TCinLA,

Get well and WRITE!

Unk

]]> By: TCinLA http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/depth-charging-your-characters/screenwriting/characters/2007/01/17/comment-page-1/#comment-2004 TCinLA Fri, 19 Jan 2007 06:45:34 +0000 http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/2007/01/17/depth-charging-your-characters/#comment-2004 I just wanted to say thank you very much for this post. I'm just coming back to "operational readiness" after two weeks with The Other Flu (In case anyone's interested, this year's flu shot covered one of two flu bugs out there - coverage for the second was a crapshoot. Which I lost. Big Time.) Trying to write a romantic comedy while believing Death Is A Viable Alternative Here is hard, but I did spend the time thinking about the characters, since I had been quite frustrated with the stuff just before getting sick. (Writing on a production deadline always makes this stuff harder for me) But one night, I wasn't certain if it was me or the 102F fever, all of a sudden I got to that place where I know I am safe: the characters woke me up and started talking about what they'd been doing. When the characters are right, they know what's wrong, and in 20 years' experience, I have learned to listen to them. In fact, I know when they aren't waking me up at 3 a.m., I have not done my homework. I have a joke about why screenplays get rewritten by others. It's for one of three reasons (or any combination of all three in no particular order,it gets scary when the script is at the "we're going to do this" stage and it suffers from all three): a) The writer forgot that American screenplays are written in English; b) The writer forgot that the word "movie" is a contraction of the words "moving pictures," the method by which we tell our story, and has provided no clues; c) the writer has confused the words "character" and "caricature." In my experience, "c" is always involved, followed closely by "b" (which is why I tell young writers to go buy a camera and learn to see pictures and take them). You're also right about a fight. William Goldman once said a writer has to defend "the spine of the story" to the death, though he never defined what that term meant. I think I finally came up with an operational definition: "the spine of the story" is that thing, whatever it was, that made you want to sit down and write the screenplay. (And it better not have just been the money.) Thanks for the site. It's going to take a long time to crawl through it, but it definitely looks worth the effort (Old Hollywood Rule: the truth is always the best kind of flattery.) "I'll be back." I just wanted to say thank you very much for this post. I’m just coming back to “operational readiness” after two weeks with The Other Flu (In case anyone’s interested, this year’s flu shot covered one of two flu bugs out there – coverage for the second was a crapshoot. Which I lost. Big Time.) Trying to write a romantic comedy while believing Death Is A Viable Alternative Here is hard, but I did spend the time thinking about the characters, since I had been quite frustrated with the stuff just before getting sick. (Writing on a production deadline always makes this stuff harder for me) But one night, I wasn’t certain if it was me or the 102F fever, all of a sudden I got to that place where I know I am safe: the characters woke me up and started talking about what they’d been doing. When the characters are right, they know what’s wrong, and in 20 years’ experience, I have learned to listen to them. In fact, I know when they aren’t waking me up at 3 a.m., I have not done my homework.

I have a joke about why screenplays get rewritten by others. It’s for one of three reasons (or any combination of all three in no particular order,it gets scary when the script is at the “we’re going to do this” stage and it suffers from all three): a) The writer forgot that American screenplays are written in English; b) The writer forgot that the word “movie” is a contraction of the words “moving pictures,” the method by which we tell our story, and has provided no clues; c) the writer has confused the words “character” and “caricature.” In my experience, “c” is always involved, followed closely by “b” (which is why I tell young writers to go buy a camera and learn to see pictures and take them).

You’re also right about a fight. William Goldman once said a writer has to defend “the spine of the story” to the death, though he never defined what that term meant. I think I finally came up with an operational definition: “the spine of the story” is that thing, whatever it was, that made you want to sit down and write the screenplay. (And it better not have just been the money.)

Thanks for the site. It’s going to take a long time to crawl through it, but it definitely looks worth the effort (Old Hollywood Rule: the truth is always the best kind of flattery.)

“I’ll be back.”

]]> By: Unk http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/depth-charging-your-characters/screenwriting/characters/2007/01/17/comment-page-1/#comment-2000 Unk Fri, 19 Jan 2007 04:09:02 +0000 http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/2007/01/17/depth-charging-your-characters/#comment-2000 Webs... Sounds like you went way deep! MovieQuill... I was banned from a SIZZLER'S for dumping a huge container of pudding on someone. Better that than a trip to the hospital I guess... And I don't mean me... LOL. Josh... I always marvel at somebody who sits down, writes a screenplay, and then can't even tell me what the damn thing is about... Happens all the time... The most they can scratch out is a couple of action scenes where SO AND SO does this and SO AND SO does that... WTF? Tom... Wish fulfillment is definitely one way to look at it... No wonder so many characters in my scripts get killed. LOL. Emily... GO FOR IT! Clayton... Tom Noonan does rule... Loved him PHOENIX with the lisp. Highly UNDERRATED. Mary Anita... Belief is a powerful thing. Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't... you're right. Now go deep! Ann... Mid-book? Only as deep as I look can I see... Whew... It's hard to be pithy... Unk Webs…

Sounds like you went way deep!

MovieQuill…

I was banned from a SIZZLER’S for dumping a huge container of pudding on someone. Better that than a trip to the hospital I guess… And I don’t mean me… LOL.

Josh…

I always marvel at somebody who sits down, writes a screenplay, and then can’t even tell me what the damn thing is about… Happens all the time… The most they can scratch out is a couple of action scenes where SO AND SO does this and SO AND SO does that… WTF?

Tom…

Wish fulfillment is definitely one way to look at it… No wonder so many characters in my scripts get killed. LOL.

Emily…

GO FOR IT!

Clayton…

Tom Noonan does rule… Loved him PHOENIX with the lisp. Highly UNDERRATED.

Mary Anita…

Belief is a powerful thing. Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t… you’re right. Now go deep!

Ann…

Mid-book? Only as deep as I look can I see…

Whew… It’s hard to be pithy…

Unk

]]> By: Ann Wesley Hardin http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/depth-charging-your-characters/screenwriting/characters/2007/01/17/comment-page-1/#comment-1998 Ann Wesley Hardin Fri, 19 Jan 2007 02:10:42 +0000 http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/2007/01/17/depth-charging-your-characters/#comment-1998 LOL, MaryAn. Shallow character writer or not, you always make me laugh. Great ideas I'm gonna use, Unk. I'm mid-book right now and need to get a better grip on both the lead characters. How'd you know? No longer UnkDead, you're now Unknowing. LOL, MaryAn. Shallow character writer or not, you always make me laugh.

Great ideas I’m gonna use, Unk. I’m mid-book right now and need to get a better grip on both the lead characters. How’d you know? No longer UnkDead, you’re now Unknowing.

]]> By: MaryAn http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/depth-charging-your-characters/screenwriting/characters/2007/01/17/comment-page-1/#comment-1997 MaryAn Fri, 19 Jan 2007 02:02:27 +0000 http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/2007/01/17/depth-charging-your-characters/#comment-1997 My name is Mary Anita Batchellor and I write shallow characters. Whew. Glad that's behind me. Okay, on to step two... My name is Mary Anita Batchellor and I write shallow characters.

Whew. Glad that’s behind me.

Okay, on to step two…

]]> By: Clayton Harper http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/depth-charging-your-characters/screenwriting/characters/2007/01/17/comment-page-1/#comment-1994 Clayton Harper Thu, 18 Jan 2007 22:41:52 +0000 http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/2007/01/17/depth-charging-your-characters/#comment-1994 TOM NOONAN RULES! Seriously, I was rewatching Heat the other day and his performance caused me to pause the movie and go right to imdb. TOM NOONAN RULES! Seriously, I was rewatching Heat the other day and his performance caused me to pause the movie and go right to imdb.

]]> By: emily blake http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/depth-charging-your-characters/screenwriting/characters/2007/01/17/comment-page-1/#comment-1991 emily blake Thu, 18 Jan 2007 17:27:05 +0000 http://www.unknownscreenwriter.com/2007/01/17/depth-charging-your-characters/#comment-1991 Thanks. That post gave me an idea for my current script. I love when that happens. Thanks. That post gave me an idea for my current script. I love when that happens.

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