The report cards are being filled slowly, but a different structure to the initial one I envisioned has presented itself.This is a good thing, playing with the conventional and opening up new possibilities of telling the story is why I use these cards, they offer a flexibility of change that a beat sheet does not. Now I'm looking at a non-linear telling of the story and to be honest it's an improvement and gives the story a greater impact.
I am however, struggling with a subplot. As the story is about prostitution and wanting a better life I am aware that to make this script different I have to steer clear of cliches of the genre. I want the overall feel of the script to be bleak and dark, but the subplot I want to put in does lift the tone slightly. A character offers a regular act of kindness to Faith, but I can't quite decide if he volunteers this regular act (illustrating there is hope out there amongst Faith's bleak surroundings) or if Faith pays him with free sexual favours. The latter would be in keeping with the tone (nothing in this life is free, you have to work at what you want). A bit more thought on that before I make my final decision, I think.
4 comments:
The latter one I would say Dom. Its much less 'Pretty Woman'
Isn't there a third option?
If she pays him with free sexual favours then he's just using her as a cum sponge like everyone else. Ultimately, how will that make him different from her clients.
It doesn't mean he has to turn up in a flipping limo and take her away to a much better life with sunny skies and fluffy bunnies.
Why not just some form of companionship - treating each other like people and finding brief moments of normality in their lives. Of course it depends on what this other character's deal is.
I would explore other options too. What if he's a normal, paying client who also says he wants to help her? Makes him look creepy at first, then you can flip it when he turns out to be okay.
Or maybe he's a Raskolnikov (Crime and Punishment) type who has done something terrible, got away with it, and ends up confessing it to a prostitute. He's helping her as part of his atonement.
These are probably a bit lame, but it's worth exploring things which seem to mess up the story at first, but then you see they make it stronger.
I'd be wary of 'sainted whore' and 'poor unfortunate' cliches. Unless they work.
why not make this character a relation. Maybe brother or father?
This would confuse faith and the audience as to why this man wants to help her, but requires no sexual favours in return.
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