American Horror Story

As an avid fan of the American Horror Story Series, it was easy for me to decide on what programme I wanted to introduce my two characters into. American Horror Story, at the moment, consists of 4 mini-series (seasons), Murder House, Asylum, Coven and Freakshow. The production team and cast are currently working on the 5th instalment, 'Hotel', starring popstar Lady Gaga alongside the previous cast, to be aired in October. I have chosen Asylum, as I feel I can create the most interesting characters, due to the wide variation of characters already in the series. There are aliens, deformed humans, cruel nuns, mentally damaged patients, and serial murderers in disguise of doctors. When thinking of potential characteristics for Quentin and Claudia, I wanted to do something original, that no one else had thought of. With Quentin, I worked alongside the brief given, but twisted and manipulated it, to give it more depth. The original brief describes Quentin as Claudia's boyfriend, but as a figment of her imagination, changing looks dependent on Claudia's mood. I have twisted this, by choosing Quentin to be a shape-shifting alien that features in the series. That now explains why Claudia sees him in many different ways, but her doctor believes it is all in her mind. He is neither male nor female, but can shape-shift into any person he likes. The brief describes Quentin as a disappointment to her, and as she is never happy with him, he is kept under her thumb. Or so it seems. I have once again twisted this, Claudia believes she is keeping him under her thumb, when in reality, Quentin is using her as an experiment, to study the human form. I enjoyed thinking of potential storylines, and how I could give the brief more depth. I want to show Quentin in his true alien form, as this is the most exciting prospective; I have so many choices to make. I want to make him as artificial and the least natural as I can. Claudia, on the other hand, is going to be in her rawest human form. I want her to be stripped of all indulgences. With her storyline, in the brief, Claudia had little parental guidance, and developed an unhealthy relationship with horror movies. I have manipulated this, that the reason she is in the asylum is because of a horrific experience in her childhood. To escape this, she believes she is in an apartment, segregated from the outside world. She is kept in her cell 24/7, and is subjected to experiments and torture methods to calm her. I am really excited to create my characters, and evolve them.