OK. I'm writing a feature film for my course. I've almost completed the treatment, but my second act is rather confused. Essentially, I need to have a taxidermist fall in love with a house wife who happens to be a necropheliac - while he is working for her...The woman wants this taxidermist to help her preserve the woman's dead family, before they decay away. (this is problematic when I start with plot, rather than character.) So? 1. How would a necropheliac-housewife persuade a taxidermist to preserve her family (besides obviously kidnapping him...Misery-style) 2. Why would, or how could the Taxidermist be interested in helping the woman? I've not given character details because I don't want to constrain any possible suggestions - no matter how silly or contrived
What Steer says. Or, she could be paying him an exorbiant amount of money. Or there could be something in it for him, too, if for some reason he doesn't want there to be a funeral (taxidermal = no burial or cremation, so no funeral, right??). Maybe he doesn't want people to know that they died,for whatever reason.
Interesting ideas. That has crossed my mind - especially since they both share death, in one way or another - and the remains of death. Also, if Taxidermist - let's call him Cricket, was actually equally "sick" - I'm just concerned it might be a bit too convenient, or at least - both characters might seem too similar. I mean, if the Taxidermist had a mental illness, it works for thematic unison, but, he'd need something slightly different to be not too repetitive and samey. Hmm. Interesting. Money would work if I make my protagonist a rich woman. Which would make a lot of sense if Taxidermy is a failing business. :redface: The omission of a funeral is interesting as well. I'll note that down.
There's a solution to this problem -- What if the housewife wasn't exactly sick, but she had some other motivation to want to go this route. It could even be that she wants to preserve her family forever in her home, which is waaaaay creepy, but you could make her just a little mentally off, not a complete sicko. The taxiD, however, could be the sick one. Their sicknesses could fuel each other. Like the limitlessness of mob mentality, but with only the 2 of them. The housewife could then get disturbed by what's going on, but the taxi would be taking advantage of her, controlling her, threatening her, etc by this point and she'd be kept in line.
You're on the ball Which is actually what happens in my story . The woman preserves the family out of guilt - she feels responsible for her family's death. In fact, she's not really a necropheliac in the sexual sense So, I suppose I could a relationship reminiscent of Henry: Portrait of a Serial killer with Otis and Henry. A shared kind of madness.
The taxidermist could be very socially awkward, and be willing to do almost anything for the only woman who gives him attention.
Hmmm. The taxidermist and the necrophiliac certainly have something in common. They both enjoy stuffing corpses. Sorry, I just had to mention that when I saw the thread title.
'Birds of a feather flock together' e.g. Fred and Rose West, Myra Hindley and Ian Brady. Could be; magnetic or maniplutave personality, love, blackmail, hero worship.
I'm happy that you've all been taking me seriously, when I've been spelling necrophiliac wrong all this time! The ideas have been quite varied - definitely gives scope for different approaches. What if taxidermy was a challenge? The major philosophy, it seems, of taxidermy is about perfection and anatomical correctness. Perhaps there could be the character's desire to challenge himself with the greatest feat yet: stuffing a human being.
