In my analysis of what makes irresistibly intriguing characters, I learned that, fundamentally, they’re all the same. So let’s look at what’s different…
a) their internal struggles
b) the worlds in which they live.
Mad Men brings us into the sexy advertising industry in 1950/60s' New York Madison Avenue.
Californication brings us into modern-day Los Angeles where it’s all sex, drugs and rock and roll.
House of Lies makes the boring world of management consulting sexy. One of the fundamental basics of the show is how our main characters keep score on who gets laid.
Orphan Black transforms our punk rock protagonist into a woman with a sexy pad, a phallic status symbol of a car, stiletto heels and pencil skirts. Then they put a gun in her hand and sprinkle the show with gratuitous gay sex for her brother.
The Good Wife is about faithfulness set against the backdrop of law, politics and ambition in Chicago.
Sex & the City is about exactly that… the sex lives of four high-flying women in glamorous New York City.… incorporating journalism and publishing, public relations, the law, and the world of art.
And their struggles? Well, as we learn when writing for the big screen, there are only two types of protagonists… those who are broken and those who are incomplete.
All three of our male protagonists are broken. All three of our female protagonists are incomplete. In the immortal words of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in... very interesting.
I’m finding this stream of consciousness very useful… still need three compelling questions, one of which may be: What world can I create that people will want to get into?
There's also something else that strikes me as consistent in these shows, one I'm going to call the "GLAM" factor.
Definition of glamorous:
An air of compelling charm, romance, and excitement, especially when delusively alluring.
Archaic. A magic spell; enchantment.
Hi Lorraine,
ReplyDeleteI didn't know where else to write my thank you for the encouragement, and all those great ideas. I will look into them later, once the kids are in bed. I'm going to need emails cause as much as I love blogging this is ridiculous. So thanks again, your insights are always appreciated, I hope mine weren't too left field. I try to help, but being new to the industry of cinema, I'm sort of treading water, not too sure about my comments. Anyway, I'll keep posting until someone stops me ;)