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Lesson 1 Assignments
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THE 100
5 STAR MODEL
MARY J. ANDREWS
What I learned: 41 minutes flashed by like lightning. The action never let up. Characters were introduced on the run. Only backstory given was through flash dialog and teenage quips–all amidst action. I counted at least 19 problems being introduced nonstop throughout the show on the planet and at least 5 on the ship.5-star points
THE BIG HOOK:
Who will survive, how, and why? Is becoming humane only a side-effect of survival or the other way around? Should humanity survive if they cannot be humane? Does the end justify the means? Do we lose more than it’s worth that way? Both sides are explored here.
AMAZING AND INTRIGUING CHARACTERS
two sets of cast members:
1) Those aboard the Ark (survivors of planetary contamination waiting for the planet they orbit to become safe again.
2) The 100 juvenile reprobates who have been sent as guinea pigs to test the state of the planet to determine if the others can return safly yet.
EMPATHY / DISTRESS
Aboard the Ark, equipment is failing and resources running out,
Final, unthinkable decisions are playing out. DR ABIGAIL is almost spaced for using more than the allotted amount of blood to save the wounded (shot) Chancellor. (At last minute, he appears from the recovery room and gives her amnesty, thwarting Kane, his temporary successor, efforts to seize control.)
All of the 100 (actually 98, lost two in the drop) characters on the planet crave autonomy but now will have to learn to work together to survive the unknown planet they’ve been thrown onto. Most of them are young and undisciplined and all of them come from problematic scenarios.
LAYERS/ OPEN LOOPS The 100…now 98 are all used to living under the tyrannical rules aboard the Ark. Penalty for breaking a rule is death after the age of 18. Young offenders are incarcerated for their transgressions. The 100 prisoners are unceremoniously tagged with a tracking bracelet to keep record and report their vitals, then herded to a hundred-year-old drop ship without discussion. A recording on the way down tells them they don’t matter and if they survive their transgressions will be forgiven.
UNANSWERED QUESTION: ‘Can the citizens of the Ark find a way to survive? Will they cull their population of 109 people after a week? Can the ones planetside make it to the Mountain Base for supplies? Who are the grounders? What will happen when the elders realize their offspring are sabotaging their attempts to prove the planet habitable?
INVITING OBSESSION
pilot episode ends:
Aboard the ship, the ship Chancellor abstains from a deadlocked vote to cull the population of 109 citizens to provide more resources (oxygen) and time to repair failing equipment. Instead, he gives Clarke’s mother, Dr Abigail Griffen, a week to sort out what’s going on planetside since the prisoner’s bracelets are going dead they are being considered dead, meaning the planet isn’t clear of radiation yet. But in reality, kids are destroying them to remove them.
On the planet: with an out-of-nowhere spear to Jasper’s chest while he’s reveling about his successfully crossing of the river on a vine to impress one of the girls. Other than shock value, this reveals they are not alone on the planet and the natives are armed, skilled, and not friendly. We do not even know if Jasper is dead or not. They just roll credits.
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Sample Show is The Vampire Diaries
· Big Hook: Vampires that look like teenagers/young adults return to their small American home town.
· Intriguing Characters:
o ELENA just lost her parents and she’s captured Stefan the vampire’s attention, but how much of that is because she resembles Katherine from 1864?
o STEFAN is a vampire who may have already lived centuries and he has vowed not to drain the blood of humans—just animals. He wants to start over and find a passionate romantic relationship.
o DAMON is the estranged vampire older brother of Stefan and he enjoys feeding on humans. He also has a flair for the dramatic. He is in town to cause trouble.
o BONNIE is a descendent of Salem witches and believes she’s psychic, then has a warning from the beer bottle Elena handed her: a crow, that the audience recognizes is Damon’s signature.
· Empathy/Distress:
o ELENA lost her parents and doesn’t know how to move on. She also has a brother she’s responsible for, who’s getting into drugs and drinking.
o STEFAN wants to curb his vampiric urges and have as normal a life as he can.
· Open Loops: Will Stefan revert to his vampire ways? Will Elena discover that Stefan (and perhaps Damon) is a vampire? Who is Katherine and what was she to Stefan? Will Vicki (and others) be turned into vampires? What powers do vampires have and what are the restrictions on those powers?
· Inviting Obsession: Who will discover that vampires are real and in their town? Will Stefan and Elena end up together? Will Damon interfere with Stefan’s romantic relationship in some way? Will Stefan be able to protect the townspeople from Damon? What other characters (like Bonnie) will show supernatural powers?
What I learned from this assignment:
o That the power of the hook made the characters intriguing, created many questions and invited obsession.
o That an obsessive romance can invite obsession.
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“What I learned doing this assignment is…?” I found it very helpful to pause the episode frequently and write notes to fit the 5 Star Points.
FYI: I was able to download the actual TV Pilot of Mr. Robot for Free. There are many great Pilots available for free if you search. I recommend watching the Pilot first and reading the actual script afterwards.
Binge Worthy example I chose: MR. ROBOT, Ran 4 Seasons on……..USA Network.
Make a list of the 5 Star Points for that show.
1. Big Picture Hooks: What is the big hook of this show?
Elliot Alderson is a computer genius who works as an IT Director by day and Hacker Vigilante by night. Show uses VO to reveal what’s going through his head. He is socially awkward and tries to avoid social interactions (like 40yr old virgin). Up against a evil, nefarious conglomerate who he hates but……his job requires that he help them. His ability to hack into almost any computer gives him a tremendous power thru knowledge.
Big Hook: Mr. Robot is trying to recruit Elliott and plans to hack into e-corp who controls 70 % of All Global Consumer Debt including credit cards, mortgage and loans and erase all the debt to create the biggest redistribution of wealth in history. If Elliot does what Mr. Robot asks it will the biggest revolution the world has ever seen!
2. Amazing and Intriguing Character. Ask this: What makes these main characters intriguing and interesting?
Elliot is complex he’s very intelligent but socially inhibited. He was ordered to therapy and claims he can read people better than the trained psychologist. He hacked into her files. He is angry w society sees all sorts of injustice in the world especially corporate injustice. He says: “Spamming each other with our running commentary of bullshit masquerading as insight, our social media faking as intimacy. But with our things, our property, our money. I’m not saying anything new. We all know why we do this. Not because Hunger Games books makes us happier. But because we want to be sedated. Because it’s painful not to pretend. Because we’re cowards. Fuck society– but I’ve said that already.”
He’s fascinating because he’s very intelligent and even insightful but may be suffering from delusions which he takes medication for. He sees men in Black which is likely a psychosis but might not be.
Halfway through Pilot, Mr. Robot is introduced….he’s apparently the Super Hacker who nearly brought down e-corp and he meets Elliot on an empty subway in the middle of the night. We want to know who he is and the obsession begins.
3. Empathy / Distress Ask this: What situation causes us to feel both empathy and distress for this character?
Elliot is extremely lonely and isolated, feelings we can all relate to. He comes from a broken family so no family or friends for support. He copes with Morphine but is wise enough NOT to use too high a dosage to avoid addiction.
4. Layers / Open Loops Ask this: What questions are created by this first episode that can only be answered by watching the entire season?
Who is Mr. Robot, the Hacker who nearly brought down e-corp? Will Elliott help Mr. Robot take down e-corp? Is any of this delusion?
5. Inviting Obsession Ask this: How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode?
One of the best examples of a Techno-Thriller I’ve ever seen. Very Big Concept, fascinating characters, many open questions I am very curious to see them answered like how will Mr. Robot accomplish his super hack? How will Elliott fit in? What does FBI know? Does e-corp know or suspect Elliott’s role?
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This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by H.G. MIDDLEMASS.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by
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Mr. Robot 5 Star Points Model
I think the biggest thing I learned in doing this assignment and what makes Mr. Robot bingeworthy is something I noticed in the teaser at the start of the show. When Elliot confronts the Coffee bar owner on how Elliot has hacked him and will be turning him into authorities, Elliot offers information about himself. It’s not a simple one dimensional-catch-the-bad-guy scene. It goes much deeper than that. We learn things about our main character right away, but not all at once. It provides a multi-layered scene in place of one that could have easily been one dimensional.
Big Picture Hooks
Ask this: What is the big hook of this show?
A socially challenged computer tech, Elliot Alderson, leads – what he feels is – a purposeless and disconnected life. He finds meaning when Mr. Robot entices him to help take down a conglomerate. Only problem is, is this real or imagined?
Amazing and Intriguing Character
Ask this: What makes these main characters intriguing and interesting?
Elliot is a cyber security engineer which doesn’t sound all that interesting. But what makes him intriguing is that he is a hacker that targets the dregs of society who foster injustice in the world. Elliot wants to right every wrong. It’s his dream to change the status quo.
Empathy / Distress
Ask this: What situation causes us to feel both empathy and distress for this character?
We see that Elliot experiences social anxiety. When his loneliness becomes overwhelming, he undergoes bouts of crying. We learn that he is not in contact with any family, and we see a flashback of an abusive mother. He feels like just a number in life, – anonymous, and he has such a strong desire for a purpose which is very relatable. He doesn’t like to be touched, but he longs for human connection and to be normal.
Layers / Open Loops
Ask this: What questions are created by this first episode that can only be answered by watching the entire season?
Why and how was Elliot “forced”, as he says, into going to therapy? Is FSociety a delusion? Is Elliot going to overdose on Morphine as some point? (They set up his need for Suboxone to counter the withdrawal.) Where will his relationship with Angela go? Will the world’s debt be eliminated? Does E Corp and Tyrell Wellick know that Elliot helped to frame Terry Colby?
Inviting Obsession
Ask this: How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode?
There are countless set ups throughout the pilot that need to be paid off and those questions play in the back of our minds as we watch the final scene. And it is not what we expect: Tyrell Wellick greeting Elliot at E corp. What will happen next?
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Subject: Game of Thrones 5 Star Model
Doing this assignment, I learned that quite a number of characters can be introduced in the first episode and all of them can be made intriguing without causing fatigue in the audience. An advantage is that you don’t have to love every character, but you’ll surely love some of them. There is an enormous amount of story potential opened up, as well. Most of them are at least peripherally involved in the Big Picture Hooks. During this episode, an interesting world was introduced and populated with interesting characters with many issues that seem important.
Basic outline:
Opening scene – Three men in black, assigned to “track wildlings” beyond a gigantic wall, encounter dead people who come back to life with eerie blue eyes. Two men in black are killed, one escapes.
Scene 2 – The escapee is hunted down. We meet Ned Stark and his children. The escapee is a deserter from the Night’s Watch and tells Ned what he saw. In accordance with law, Ned beheads him while his sones and retinue watch. On the way home, they come across a dead Dire Wolf and her puppies, who should not be on this side of the wall. Ned gives each child a puppy and Jon gets the runt.
Scene 3 – Jon Arryn, Hand of the King lies in state. We meet Jamie and Queen Cersei who wonder if Jon knew their secret and if so, told anyone. We don’t yet know the secret.
Scene 4 – Ned is saddened by the news of Jon Arryn’s death and hears that the King is coming north to visit him. He knows what that visit means.
Scene 5 – The King asks Ned to replace Jon Arryn as Hand of the King. Ned is extraordinarily reluctant to do so, but knows he ultimately can’t refuse his King. We also learn that Robert loved Ned’s sister, who died, and is in a loveless political marriage.
Scene 6 – We learn of the fallen House Targaryen whose last scions live in exile: Viserys and Daenerys. Viserys has arranged to marry his sister to a local warlord, Drogo, with a vast army (the Dothraki) who Viserys can then use as mercenaries to reconquer Robert’s kingdom and become King.
Scene 7 – The King and his retinue arrive at Ned’s home, Winterfell. Sansa is immediately smitten with Robert’s son, Prince Joffrey.
Scene 8 – That night is a big feast. Lady Stark does not allow Jon Snow, Ned’s bastard, to attend. We meet Ned’s brother Benjin who is in the Night’s watch. Jon respects Benjin immensely and the feeling is mutual. Jon entreats Benjin to convince Ned to let him join the Night’s watch.
Scene 9 – Later, in Ned and Catelyn Stark are in their bed chamber. They are informed Catelyn’s sister, who was Jon Arryn’s wife, has fled to their ancestral lands because she believes that Jon Arryn was assassinated, not stricken with a fever. Catelyn and Ned have reason to believe this. Lady Arryn warns that the King is now in danger. Now Ned knows that he must shed his doubts about becoming the Hand and go protect his King (and close friend).
Scene 10 – Daenerys and Drogo have a Dothraki wedding. Among her gifts are three petrified dragon eggs and a beautiful horse. She is disgusted by the bloodshed and violence that accompany the festivities and is terrified to have sex with Drogo.
Scene 11 – Ned is departing for the south with Robert. It is a sad time for his family. Robert knows that Ned is his most loyal supporter.
Scene 12 – Bran, forbidden from climbing by his mother, climbs a stone tower. He sees Jamie having sex with Cersei and their secret is revealed to him. Cersei is furious, so Jamie pushes Bran out the window without a second thought to preserve the secret.
1. Big Picture Hooks
Political intrigue surrounding the King and danger to him. Also, unusual signs point to the rebirth of an ancient evil (the White Walkers).
1. Amazing and Intriguing Character & …
2. Empathy / Distress
– Ned Stark – A lord who is friends with the King. He is honest, upholds the law to the letter, but is fair. He commands the respect of his followers and even potential enemies. He tries to teach his children right from wrong and loves his land. But the call comes from the King to service and Ned is reluctant to leave. He hates the capital, but is dutiful to a fault and follows his King. He knows there is a great danger to the King from the Queen’s family but does not fear them.
– Jon Snow – Bastard son of Ned. He is a good brother and mentor and shows great intelligence. But he is a sad character, because his status as a bastard taints his relationships with everyone in his family. He struggles to hide his anger and embarrassment when he is snubbed or even teased for his lowly status. His dream is to escape and work with his Uncle Benjin in the Night’s Watch. We respect him and feel for him. He seems to be a good and strong man who is being cheated in life.
– Arya Stark – Ned’s oldest daughter. She loves the life of a lady and wants to be a queen. She excels at ladylike activities and adores Prince Joffrey (who she actually knows nothing about).
– Sansa Stark – Ned’s youngest daughter. She hates the life of a lady. She is a tomboy who wants nothing more than to be able to do the things her brothers do. She is grimly determined to succeed at “manly” endeavors.
– Lady Stark – Ned’s wife. She came to the north from elsewhere and doesn’t feel entirely comfortable there. She hates that Ned is being called away. She worries for his safety after learning from her sister that the guy Ned is replacing (the King’s Hand) was probably murdered. She worries that Ned will suffer that fate, too. She is a good mother, yet doesn’t treat Jon fairly, even though it’s not his fault he’s a bastard.
– Robb Stark – Ned’s oldest. He wants to follow in his dad’s footsteps, but does not yet know how to earn the respect that he needs from his peers.
– Jamie Lannister – The Queen’s brother. He is handsome and a great fighter. He is a good brother to his brother and way too good of a brother to his sister, with whom he’s having an affair. He doesn’t know what to make of Ned Stark and tests the waters by inviting him to a tournament. Ned refuses, yet his reason gives Jamie something to think about. Jamie will protect his sister and their secret above all else and proves this by Pushing Ned’s son Bran out a tower window when Bran sees them having sex.
– Queen Cersei – She is a schemer. She has secrets including the incestuous affair with her brother and that she may be responsible for the death of the previous Hand. She is extremely cruel, but in a subtle and intelligent way. She is someone to be feared.
– King Robert – A fighter and a lover. He knows his shortcomings but he also knows what to do to make up for them. Hire a loyal, fair and intelligent man to be at his side.
– Bran Stark – Ned’s youngest son. He has insatiable curiosity and is an excellent and avid climber. This get him in trouble when he climbs to a tower window and sees Jamie and Cersei having sex. He may pay for that with his life.
– Tyrion Lannister – Brother to the Queen and Jamie. Cersei hates Tyrion and Jamie loves him. Tyrion, a dwarf, has the same problems that Jon Snow does, but is older and wiser. Possessed of extreme intelligence, Tyrion’s talents are wasted. He uses his position and wealth to drink and whore to excess. We feel sorry for him, but unlike Jon Snow, Tyrion hides any overt anger he might have and bides his time.
– Daenerys Targaryen – An innocent young woman who longs to return home and fears being forced into a political marriage. She also fears the man she must marry. She is a pawn of her brother, though and must go through with it. She is overwhelmed by sadness and inability to improve her situation.
– Viserys Targaryen – Direct descendant of the King prior to Robert, Viserys is determined to become King. He is a petty, hateful person. Selfish to a fault and single minded, he believes the world owes him something. He marries his sister to the savage warlord Drogo to get Drogo to commit his vast army to the overthrow of King Robert. He cares nothing about his sister and is somewhat cruel to her. This character will likely come to a bad end.
– Drogo – A very powerful warlord of few words. It is hard to earn his respect and he sees Daenerys as an object.
3. Layers / Open Loops
What is the deal with the White Walkers, are they real? If so, how much of a threat do they pose? Was the King’s Hand assassinated or did he die of a fever? If so, who did it? Was it the Lannisters? If so, who was complicit? Can Jon Snow find happiness and purpose? Can he finally gain the respect he craves? Will Tyrion use his incredible intelligence to an interesting purpose or will he just remain a drunkard? What price will Jamie pay for pushing Bran out a window?! Can Daenerys escape misery and find happiness?
4. Inviting Obsession
Is King Robert in danger? Is Ned in danger, now that he is the new Hand? Will Viserys mount an attack on Robert’s kingdom? Will Jamie and Cersei’s secret come back to haunt them?
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What I learned doing this assignment:
Keeping track of a five point module will define a story and create intrigue to keep an audience engaged wanting to know what will happen in the next episode. I will use this model for every character I write and story line from now on.
The Handmaid’s Tale:
Big Picture Hooks:
Set in the future, the United States is run by a totalitarian regime that enslaves fertile women named Handmaidens to carry on the human race.
Intriguing Character:
June, a recently enslaved handmaiden now renamed Offred lost her freedom, husband and daughter who was taken from her must navigate in this new world. She is taught what to say and act and must wear the official uniform of a Handmaid. The new regime plan is to have total control over women however they do not control Junes thoughts and she narrates her new life in her head for the audience.
Empathy/Distress
Before the new regime June was happily married with a daughter living a full life in Boston. She is now an enslaved handmaid that serves Commander and Mrs. Waterford to bear child for their family. She narrates her distress in her head of her day to day living along with her memories of her former life.
Open Loops:
Will June get pregnant from Commander Waterford? What will become of June when the baby is born? Will she ever break free? What kind of relationships with other Handmaids develops? Will June find her daughter?
Inviting Obsession:
Will June make a plan to break free from the Waterfords to find her daughter? How will she find her and plan their escape from the United States to Canada?
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This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by Brigitte Timmerman.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by
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SECRETS AND LIES 5 Star Model
What I learned from this assignment is: For me, this 5-star model is a fresh way to think about plotting a screenplay. As a self-described “pantser,” I appreciate this soft delve into planning the story. It’s less intimidating for me. Like dipping a toe into a sea of plot points.
1) Big Picture Hooks: Viewers become armchair sleuths trying to find out who murdered a little boy, what really happened the night Kristi Crawford kicked husband Ben Crawford out of their house the night of the murder, and what does Detective Cornell know that she’s not sharing?
2) Amazing and Intriguing Character: Although we meet Ben Crawford immediately, the more interesting character is Andrea Cornell, the detective on the case. Andrea is cynical, persistent to the point of annoying, severely unfriendly, but exceptionally perceptive. Detective Cornell is not out to make friends, and we get the feeling there’s a very personal reason she’s chosen this profession.
Ben, although a much more sympathetic character, is mostly an emotional mess trying to squelch fires before they become raging infernos. But one thing that stands out: he is a good father, putting his kids’ needs before his own. Perhaps he’s a less stellar husband, however, since his moral compass points to infidelity.
3) Empathy/Distress: Our hero, Ben, has a lot going on. Right out of the gate (or in this case, the forest) he’s thrown into the horrifying situation of coming across a dead body. And not just any body, but the body of a neighbor’s young son. If that isn’t hard enough for our hapless guy, he’s having marital problems stemming from a secret that opens up like a winter rose throughout the pilot. And then he’s hounded by reporters galore while his family is harassed by distrustful peers. A house painter by profession, suspicion seeps through the town, and he soon finds himself without work. At the end of the pilot, although enough clues have been planted for us to have figured this out, we learn the murdered child is his own son, mothered by someone other than Ben’s wife of seventeen years. Whew! A lot to endure, poor guy.
4) Layers/Open Loops: Who killed Tom? Who wrote “Child Murderer” in red paint on Ben’s fence? Who was the mysterious motorcyclist stopped in front of his house at 3:42 a.m.? Why was he there? Where is the flashlight that was discovered near or at the crime scene, and did it belong to Ben, whose very similar flashlight is missing? Why does one of his neighbors dislike him so much? Why does Ben’s brother live on their premises? And, most importantly, why does Ben not remember what happened the night Tom was killed?
5) Inviting Obsession: Now that we know for certain that Ben is Tom’s father, we have a pressing need to know how the heck did he hide this for so long? Who else knows? And could that piece of vital information be the cause of Tom’s murder? Would Tom’s wife, assuming this was the exposed secret that tore up their marriage, be capable of killing a little kid?
I mean, let’s face it. Nothing is more shocking and horrific than a child’s death. Especially at the hands of what might possibly be a trusted adult. Who dunnits are classic suspense tactics, and this one involves an entire close-knit suburban neighborhood. Must. Know. More.
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Kimberly, absolutely loved reading this.
Secrets and Lies was almost my pick, but I went with GOSSIP GIRL because I just love Blake Lively and wanted to see her humble beginning.
Anywhoo, very impressed and looking forward to reading more of your work 🙂
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Aw, thank you, Ahnee. I really appreciate that. I could have gone with GOSSIP GIRL, that would have been in my top three for sure.
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Stranger Things 5 Star Model
What I learned doing this assignment is how to look for those things that are beneath the surface in the pilot episode
1. Stranger Things
2. From that, make a list of the 5 Star Points for that show.
Big Picture Hooks
Ask this: What is the big hook of this show?
Strange Alien or Mystical Creature
Government Cover up
Missing Child
Small Town / Bug Threat
Amazing and Intriguing Character
Ask this: What makes these main characters intriguing and interesting?
Hidden Motives
Unfulfilled Destinies
Broken relationships
Feeling lost or misunderstood
escaped from captivity
Empathy / Distress
Ask this: What situation causes us to feel both empathy and distress for this character?
Missing child
Being Bullied
Outcast from society
strange child being hunted
hurting mother and big brother
Layers / Open Loops
Ask this: What questions are created by this first episode that can only be answered by watching the entire season?
where did the boy go?
Is he still alive?
Who called the mother on the phone?
Who is the little girl?
What is the government hiding?
why did they choose this town to setup lab?
Inviting Obsession
Ask this: How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode?
You want to see the nerds become heroes
you want them to find the boy
you feel for the mother
who or what is the little girl?
3. Watch the same first episode A SECOND TIME while looking at your 5 Star Point analysis. This time, your purpose is to see beyond the obvious answers. Assume there is more to learn and discover it!
Could the dad be withdrawn from the family for a reason or is he just unconcerned?
Why would the sister like this creep?
Is there a need to be liked?
What’s this extra layer of honesty in the boy that went missing?
Why was the shed have a gun?
Why did the boy have a secret hiding space?
Was the monster drawn to the boy for a reason or was it just by chance?
What was the dog barking at that draw the cop to the shed?
where did the gun go?
What is the science teacher so “nice”?
The big brothers seems to be hiding personal hurts?
What’s the band on the Sheriffs arm?
why the radio at school? What for?
What’s the arm thing for? How will that play into the story?
Is the sister really a nerd at school? Why does the “cool boy” like her?
Why is the chief dressed differently?
What happened to the chief’s daughter?
Who’s the government guy with the white hair?
the say, “this is where it came from?” did the creature break in or break out?
Will says, “I don’t get scared like that anymore?” What does that mean?
What are the people in the room taping the phone lines listening for?
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Sample show: Empire
*Big picture hooks
How far will a man go to get what he wants?
Can a terminally ill man get what he wants before it’s too late?
Hero must chose one of his three sons to take over his “empire.”
*Intriguing character traits
Hero is capable of murdering friends, what else is he capable of?
Hero continues to hold on to his business at any cost despite being terminally ill.
Mom is also capable of at least petty crime/has done 17 years in prison.
All the kid’s have private agendas and unique skill sets.
*Empathy/Distress
Hero has built something from nothing.
Hero is trying to level up his “empire.”
Hero must chose between his kids.
Hero is dying.
Siblings are unique from one another and want different things.
Mom served 17 years in prison without giving up her husband.
*Layers/open loops
Every character’s allegiance.
Does the hero love his gay son, or will he ever?
Does he love anybody?
Can he take the company public?
Is he still capable?
What will the ex-wife do?
*Inviting obsession
All this “invites obsession.”
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This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by Kristopher King.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by
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“The Young Pope” 5 Star Model
What I learned from this lesson was that intriguing protagonists are extremely competent in their subworld whether or not they have other issues or deficiencies
Big Picture Hook: How will Lenny Belardo, the young pope, disrupt the status quo of the Vatican? The Catholic Church? The World?
Intriguing Character: Lenny is not what you’d expect of a typical pope. He breaks traditions, violates the sanctity of confession, and provides us outsiders with a look at the subworld of Vatican politics and sins.
Empathy/Distress: Lenny is an orphan. He requires Sister Mary, the nun who raised him, at his side in the Vatican. He carries a reminder of his father since he was seven years old.
Layers/Open Loops: How will the conflict play out between Lenny and Cardinal Voiella, the cardinal who had always run the politics of the Vatican? What part will Sister Mary play? What other traditions will Lenny trample? What part will Lenny’s mentor, the man destined to be Pope who tried to commit suicide, play? Will the pipe Lenny has been holding onto for years be important?
Inviting Obsession: On top of the open loops – is Lenny stable, has the Catholic Church installed a pope who doesn’t believe in God?
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Charles Ferrell’s 5 Star Model
What I learned doing this assignment is to notice that a good pilot hits all the marks.
<div>The Americans</div>
Big Picture Hooks
Ask this: What is the big hook of this show?
Normal looking suburban married couple, with kids who are KGB agents
Amazing and Intriguing Character
Ask this: What makes these main characters intriguing and interesting?Elizabeth is loyal almost to a fault to Mother Russia, Phillip is enthralled with American life.
Empathy / Distress
Ask this: What situation causes us to feel both empathy and distress for this character?Their children were born Americans.
They must endure and go along with everything pro American and anti- Russian.
They must contain their abilities to kill or harm others in personal conflicts ( mission over personal feelings)
Their new neighbor is FBI counterintelligence
Phillip kills the defector for Elizabeth.
Phillip injured a child molester.
Elizabeth was raped during her training.
Layers / Open Loops
Ask this: What questions are created by this first episode that can only be answered by watching the entire season?How will the FBI and American government step up the war on the KGB spies?
Will they defect or remain on the mission?
Will they be discovered by their nieghbor?
Will Elizabeth’s handler make her kill Phillip or end the mission otherwise?
Inviting Obsession
Ask this: How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode?Personal empathy for the characters.
Is their relationship a bigger draw than the mission?
Will their children find out?
They both maintain affairs as part of the mission, how much further will they go for the mission?
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Thanks for your reply and remedy to my inability to get access to assignments and intro. On it!
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Sample Show: The Young Pope
Big Hook: When the ‘fixed’ Conclave goes awry, oversteps the next in line (Cardinal Spencer) and instead elects a young, anti-establishment Cardinal from the US, Lenny Belardo (Pious XIII).
Intriguing Characters:
Lenny Belardo: Ascends to Pope by accident, and now unexpectedly finds himself in a position of enormous power.
Sister Mary: Raised Lenny from childhood after his parents abandoned him, and the new Pope’s right hand ‘man’.
Cardinal Voiello: Realizing he’s not liked by the new pope, embarks on a mission to bring Pious down.
Cardinal Spencer: The one who should be pope, full of anger and jealousy.
Empathy/Distress:
The New Pope is alone, having been abandoned as a child, and desperately seeking a circle of trustworthy allies as he navigates his new role.
Open Loops:
Will the new pope succeed with his anti-establishment platform, or will he be brought down by the old established guard?
Will the new pope remain a heart-hardened ‘child’, or begin to embrace Sister Mary and the surrounding establishment.
Inviting Obsession:
A young ‘underage’ Outsider seeks to up end the Established Order in the most powerful organization in the world.
What I learned from the exercise: Why this is binge worthy, what’s motivating the main character, and where the hazards will most likely come from, 10 miles down the road.
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Sample Show: Game of Thrones
Big Hook: The medieval, castle drama that involves not only typical knight-like characters you would normally see but has little people, kids, and even dragons pushing the story.
Intriguing Characters:
Daenerys Targaryen: former slave, Daenerys rises to power because of her psycho fixation on becoming the queen of the world. She’s likable because of her strong female prescence while at the same time being a badass. She’s kinda evil.
Tyrion Lannester: former hand of the king, Tyrion is really good at manipulating those who are less weak minded. It should be mentioned that he’s pretty smart, and has managed to survive in the dangerous Thrones world because of his wit, charm, funny jokes.
Arya: Youngest daughter of Eddard stark, Arya is also a badass but is empathetic and will help out those in need despite her rebelliousness and eventual murderous and vicious attitudes.
Jaime Lannister: A once hot headed kind of beautiful brute, Jaime starts off as your typical evil knight, looking for powerful and shitting on those below him. But he grows into a more empathetic person having been in captivity for so long and the people he meets and forms relationships with along the way.
Empathy/Distress:
The people in thrones are in distress because of the constant pain of lost ones and manipulation being done to the characters.
There’s empathy sometimes when a character dies, doesn’t get what they want, or is crippled for some reason.
Open Loops:
Which kingdom will rule the other Kingdoms?
Will Tyrion finally find a true love?
Will Daenerys come out on top or will someone else rule?
Inviting Obsession:
What I learned from the exercise: This show is binge worthy because there are so many likeable and interesting characters. People love the medieval castle drama shit so that will always be a hook if produced well with good characters. Part of the reason it’s binge worthy is the violence and sex, and Tyrion and Arya in my opinion carry the show with their strong and interesting personalities.
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Riverdale 5 Star Model
“What I learned doing this assignment is…?”
Big Picture Hooks
Ask this: What is the big hook of this show?The death of a young man and the mystery of how it happened lead us into the “shadows and secrets” of growing up in small-town America.
Amazing and Intriguing
Character
What makes these main characters intriguing and interesting?Modeled after the characters in the Archie comic book, Riverdale’s Archie seems to be the one-dimensional, all-American boy, who grew up over the summer. But he’s lying to his father and his football coach. He doesn’t want to work in his father’s business, and he doesn’t want play football. He wants to write songs and play music. We find out he’s had an affair with the high school music teacher over the summer and they were together, on the river when the young man died. They never told anyone they heard a shot.
The narrator is Jughead, who is writing a novel about the boy’s death the last summer. A mysterious commentator who does his work in Pop’s Cafe. He is our “Nick Carraway;” our first-person narrator. He observes the action and reports his findings to the audience.
Betty has problems with her mother and tries to break away from her control. Unrequited love for Archie when a rival appears for Archie’s affection.
Veronica moves into Riverdale from New York City. She misses her lifestyle but does her best to make friends with the others. Recognizes the mean girl leader and puts her in her place.
Cheryl is the twin sister of Jason, the boy who dies, She is also the leader of the mean girls. Love chaos. She and her brother are on the river when she drops a glove in the water. Her brother reaches for it and falls in, panics, and drowns. That’s her story, but Archie and the music teacher may know the truth. She runs the social life at school with the compassion of a political dictator.
Empathy / Distress
What situation causes us to feel both empathy and distress for
this character?We feel empathy for Archie because he feels pressured to work in his father’s business and play football, taking over for the dead boy, when he doesn’t want to do either. He wants to write songs. We feel his distress because we sense he knows what happened to Cheryl’s twin brother but can’t reveal it because that will also reveal his affair with his music teacher.
We feel empathy for Betty because she tries to be perfect and be everything for everyone. We are distressed for her because she loves Archie, but that love is not returned. Her mother controls everything in her life.
We feel empathy for Cheryl when her brother dies, but distress for her because she might be the one for killed him. Or maybe she knows who did.
Layers / Open Loops
What questions are created by this first episode that can only
be answered by watching the entire season?How did Cheryl’s twin die?
Will Betty break away from her mother’s control?
What does Archie and the music teacher know about the death.
Will Archie and the music teacher restart their summer fling?
Is Betty going to be more than a friend to Archie?
Inviting Obsession
How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode?We find out that Jason has been shot. The world of Riverdale has changed. The following Tuesday, the first arrest in Jason’s murder would be made during 5th period. So it must be a student. We must watch to find out which one it is!
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PRISON BREAK
Big Picture Hooks – whilst revealing layers of the familiar world of the family (love and broken) we are sucked into the intriguing world of crime, prison, and government agency wrapped around a very clear motive by our protagonist to break his brother out of a high-security prison populated by a hierarchy amongst staff and prisoners. Simmering throughout (and climaxed by the murder of the bishop) is a much powerful force intent in ensuring an innocent man is executed.
CHARACTERS
Opening scenes determine Michael’s wants and needs. Single-minded, he takes chances, ‘thinks big’, and doesn’t ‘have a few years’. This man has a plan. That’s the 1st minute. The next minute (armed and shooting) he robs a bank and breaks court convention by insisting on his guilt offering no defense. Instantly we know this character has a mission and we will follow. His systematic stoic behavior only adds to our engagement. The reveals are dotted throughout – he is a successful structural engineer, his brother’s son is troubled, his lawyer is a family friend (she even dated his brother), he quickly sizes up his allies in prison (good and bad) and a potential love interest is the daughter of the prison governor who by the episode’s he is working for. He is brazen in his mission and the final payoff of the tattoo is brilliant. The tale of a successful white-collar ‘breaking into’ prison to plan an escape is unique in a crowded genre of crime drama.
EMPATHY?
Brotherly love at any cost is a well-used emotional connect and here it is mixed with deeper personal family subtexts and plots. The injustice that an innocent man may die is universal. We emotionally join his brother’s quest – especially after he sacrificd his own freedom and maybe his own life to save him.
BIG QUESTIONS
The writer has skillfully designed the classic narrative of a single hero succeeding in a strange world against increasing odds. The reveals are crafted so we return after the CB. End Act 1 – the most infamous isolated prisoner is Michael’s brother. End of Act 2 he is telling his brother that he is going to ‘break him out’. End of Act 3 the only person able to delay his execution is murdered. And the fact that Michael had the prison structural plan inked to his body is genius. That promises innovative and masterful storytelling as the opening ep sets up so many ‘what ifs’ and potential contexts for disaster. e.g. Not knowing the series – the thought struck that if his cell mate’s relationship breaks down so will he mentally. And who knows to what extreme? Will he insist on breaking out too? Or get violent? So now – whatever about the internal/external crime bosses, secret service and prison staff – there is a danger within those tiny 4 walls. That’s why Ep1 is so good. No character or scene is left without planting potential conflict.
BINGE-WORTHY?
There are so many ticking bombs planted below the clever and clear ‘A’ plotline. As flagged will his cellmate – moods and relationship – implode? Will his nephew be caught up in a world he is not equipped to survive? Will the lost and wayward son ever love his ‘dead’ dad again? Will Michael outsmart the prison boss – governor and criminal? Now that his lawyer (who once loved his brother) believes him, how will that impact his mission? Will romance grow with the prison doctor (daughter of the governor)? And will be the Achilles heel that affects his plans? Will she suspect and turn him in? Or will she turn into an ally? Will his friendship with the governor last? Same with the prison crime boss who wants to keep ‘his enemies close’. So many multiple strands up in the air. How will the many egos, threats, and powerplays impact Michael’s ultimate plan of escape from a high-security prison?
Just going to watch Eps 2 & 3 now!
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THE WALKING DEAD 5 STAR MODEL
BIG PICTURE HOOKS- The World as we know it is turned upside down by some unknown conditions, and people become flesh eating Zombies (walkers).
Rick Grimes though, has somehow survived without being affected, wakes up from a gunshot wound in a private hospital room. Though still recovering from his injury he manages to leave the hospital and finds his way home via bicycle where he first encounters other living persons, Morgan and Duane.
INRIGUING CHARACTERS
Rick Grimes, and Morgan are the intriguing characters in the pilot episode. Both having high survival skills, with Rick being a Deputy Sheriff and Morgan surviving the “Walker” infestation to the point where they meet.
Shane who was the partner of Rick, is now with Rick’s wife and child and others at some makeshift camp.
EMPATHY/DISTRESS
The world as they know it has come apart. Rick and Morgan have suffered loss as the later has lost his wife to the infection, while having to care for his young son. Rick has no idea of the whereabouts of his wife and son.
LAYERS OPEN LOOPS
In this world of Walkers and the Living there is the constant threat of the Walkers and the lack of everything else, ie: food, water, ammunition, fuel. The Walkers are mindless they will eat any flesh available. <font face=”inherit”>We know that Rick is alive and that Shane his ex-partner is romantically involved with Rick’s wife Lori. We are also aware that Rick and Lori were having marital problems before the Walker takeover. Rick </font>doesn’t<font face=”inherit”> think much of Shane as a Deputy Sheriff, as he apparently has no trust for him in combat situations. Rick feels compelled to tell Shane how to operate his semi-automatic pistol right before a gunfight.</font>
<font face=”inherit”>INVITING OBSESSION</font>
<font face=”inherit”>Rick, Morgan, Lori, Duane, Shane are colorful characters that one cares about, and they give you a strong desire to know what will happen to them despite their frailties.</font>
<font face=”inherit”>Does Rick find his wife? Does Morgan shoot his wife? Does Rick kick Shane’s ass for being with Lori? Does Lori reject Rick after she discovers he’s alive. How does Carl react to his father being alive?</font>
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What I learned from this lesson is that there are many moving pieces to the making of a binge worthy series. As a playwright it has given me new ideas and concepts to examine in my writing.
THE WALKING DEAD 5 STAR MODEL
BIG PICTURE HOOKS- The World as we know it is turned upside down by some unknown conditions, and people become flesh eating Zombies (walkers).
Rick Grimes though, has somehow survived without being affected, wakes up from a gunshot wound in a private hospital room. Though still recovering from his injury he manages to leave the hospital and finds his way home via bicycle where he first encounters other living persons, Morgan and Duane.
INRIGUING CHARACTERS
Rick Grimes, and Morgan are the intriguing characters in the pilot episode. Both having high survival skills, with Rick being a Deputy Sheriff and Morgan surviving the “Walker” infestation to the point where they meet.
Shane who was the partner of Rick, is now with Rick’s wife and child and others at some makeshift camp.
EMPATHY/DISTRESS
The world as they know it has come apart. Rick and Morgan have suffered loss as the later has lost his wife to the infection, while having to care for his young son. Rick has no idea of the whereabouts of his wife and son.
LAYERS OPEN LOOPS
In this world of Walkers and the Living there is the constant threat of the Walkers and the lack of everything else, ie: food, water, ammunition, fuel. The Walkers are mindless they will eat any flesh available. <font face=”inherit”>We know that Rick is alive and that Shane his ex-partner is romantically involved with Rick’s wife Lori. We are also aware that Rick and Lori were having marital problems before the Walker takeover. Rick </font>doesn’t<font face=”inherit”> think much of Shane as a Deputy Sheriff, as he apparently has no trust for him in combat situations. Rick feels compelled to tell Shane how to operate his semi-automatic pistol right before a gunfight.</font>
<font face=”inherit”>INVITING OBSESSION</font>
<font face=”inherit”>Rick, Morgan, Lori, Duane, Shane are colorful characters that one cares about, and they give you a strong desire to know what will happen to them despite their frailties.</font>
<font face=”inherit”>Does Rick find his wife? Does Morgan shoot his wife? Does Rick kick Shane’s ass for being with Lori? Does Lori reject Rick after she discovers he’s alive. How does Carl react to his father being alive?</font>
..
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Scandal
Big hook of the show is a procedural that takes neutral stance in the world of politics. Fixing problems and protecting their client based on gut feeling and facts that can be proven. They’re the judge and jury.
Amazing and Intriguing Character
Olivia Pope and her team being pretty much better than the judicial system at finding facts and clues, then using them as leverage to fix problems.
Empathy / Distress
In the first episode it feels like everyone around Olivia is living their open truth, even if it’s her being the one motivating them to do so. But it comes at the expense that she’s not living her truth of being romantically involved with the POTUS.
Layers / Open Loops
How will Olivia fare with POTUS asking her to take a case when he’s guilty and she adds the accuser as her client?
How will the new girl do?
What will happen to POTUS if Olivia succeeds at her job like she always does?
Inviting Obsession
In the world of politics the stakes feel high. We get a peek behind the curtain of how this world works. So the cases Olivia take feel like the have so much weight. We’re sort of holding our breath of how will she handle and resolve them.
What I learned from the assignment is how crucial the 5 star points of a show is. Really helps break things out and give you the story engine.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by Marcus Shamburger.
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ASSIGNMENT #1
Series: The Handmaid’s Tale
What I learned from this assignment: Being clear on these 5 points will set up a story for success because it creates the most intrigue. Though it answers some questions within the story, it sets up more that can only be answered by continuing to watch the series.
1) Big Picture Hooks
Ask this: What is the big hook of this show?A woman is forced to live as a concubine in a fundamentalist dictatorship during a dystopian future.
2) Amazing and Intriguing Character
Ask this: What makes these main characters intriguing and interesting?June – A woman with no power remembers her past and is determined to survive and escape.
Mrs. Waterford – A seemingly powerful affluent woman is powerless within her own marriage.
Ofglen – A handmaid learning to trust another handmaid and reveals her mysterious past.
The Commander – A man of few words and great power, clearly involved in governing this new world.
3) Empathy / Distress
Ask this: What situation causes us to feel both empathy and distress for this character?June was kidnapped and imprisoned in Gilead. Her family was torn apart and she is forced to live as a concubine. Her freedom of speech and thoughts have been stripped from her.
4) Layers / Open Loops
Ask this: What questions are created by this first episode that can only be answered by watching the entire season?Who is this woman narrating? Who was she before she was Offred
How does Gilead work? What is the hierarchy of power and roles within them?
Who is Moira to June?
5) Inviting Obsession
Ask this: How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode?They’ve set up a world and an intriguing protagonist with a seemingly impossible mission. We learn there is an “Eye” within June’s residence and don’t know who. We see June finally waking up from her conditioning.
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Sample show: The Americans
What I learned: How important it is to have several interesting plot points that raise questions in the viewers so they will want to return to the show.
Big Picture Hooks:
The idea of KGB agents living in suburban America, raising a family and going about what seems like every day, suburban American life while actively conducting espionage for Mother Russia is an intriguing concept.
Amazing and Intriguing Characters:
The main characters Elizabeth and Phillip were groomed from a young age to become “Americans” for the sole purpose of establishing themselves in the US and spying for Russia. This includes marrying, having kids and establishing a normal existence as a front. We see right away the complexity of this task from the lies to their children to the whatever-it-takes activity including sex with sources to curry favor and get the necessary information to accomplish the mission. The dynamic it creates within the relationship of the two protagonists is intriguing.
Empathy/Distress:
We discover the defected KGB general Elizabeth and Phillip kidnapped to return to Russia had raped Elizabeth when she was just a KGB cadet. This sets up an empathy/distress situation as we become empathetic to Elizabeth’s hatred of this man and her desire to kill him, yet will that emotion jeopardize the remote chance of completing the mission, or move her to a rash act that could blow their cover.
Layers/Open Loops:
<font face=”inherit”>The Americans’ pilot creates several interesting layers, and leaves many unanswered questions on the table. How will they resolve the botched mission? How will the dynamic of their relationship evolve? Will their new FBI neighbor discover their </font>identity? Will they have to kill the neighbor? Will their kids find out their life has been a lie? Will Phillip move toward defecting? Will Elizabeth have to kill him to prevent that?
Inviting Obsession:
The answer to how the show has created an invitation to obsession is answered by the questions above. Taking some characters that we are drawn to, and surrounding them with interesting questions as those above in a strong recipe for creating a show viewers will become obsessed with.
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Nadine’s Assignment #1: What makes a scriopt Bingeworthy?
What I learned in this assignment was about what is a Binge-worthy show, including the 5 Stars
ASSIGNMENT #1:
1. I picked LOST, as my EXAMPLE SHOW and watched the first episode. I made a light outline of the episode. (Just the beats and anything that seems important to you). Done ✓
2. From that, I made a list of the 5 Star Points for that show, as follows:
Big Picture Hooks
<div>
The big hook of this show is that a commercial plane crashed on a deserted island, about 1000 miles off course, so they are unlikely to be found.
<div>
An amazing and Intriguing Character is Jack, a doctor who apparently has an alcohol problem. However, he seems to be a natural leader and saves lives.
What makes these main characters intriguing and interesting is that, as the audience gets to know more about them, we feel Empathy and Distress.</div>
<div>
One situation that causes us to feel both empathy and distress for this character is found in the Layers and Open Loops that are being revealed.</div><div>The questions created by this first episode that can only be answered by watching the entire season (and invite Obsession), are “Will the survivors be rescued?” “Will Kate be found out?” And if so, “what will happen to her?”</div><div>
How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode? By offering up tempting tidbits of information including the presence of a gun, handcuffs, an abusive Japanese husband, what will happen to Charlie when his drugs run out?” etc. ✓
3. I watched the same first episode A SECOND TIME while looking at my 5 Star Point analysis. and was able to see beyond the obvious answers.
</div></div>
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Lesson 1 assignment
RIVERDALE 5 Star Model
What I learned doing this assignment is looking at the layers of the possible future plots and paying closer attention to the intriguing characters. I didn’t have the inviting obsession to watch the second episode though. I regret I didn’t do this exercise with the first episode of « Inventing Ana ».
1. Outline of the first episode:
In a small town, a boy named Jason drowned during the summer. His twin sister, Cheryl, is the captain of the cheerleading squad and is a bully. When school starts, 2 best friends Archie and Betty meet a new girl, Veronica whose father is a millionaire facing embezzlement. Betty and Veronica become friends. Betty would like to date Archie but he is attracted to Veronica and he has a secret. He had sex with the music teacher not far from where Jason drowned and they heard a shot but cannot tell anyone about it. Suddenly Jason’s body appears on the river edge. He didn’t drown, he was shot.
2. List of the 5 Star Points for that show.
Big Picture Hooks:
A normal town with a peaceful life appears to be a dangerous place.
Amazing and Intriguing Character
Betty is too perfect. Her mother destroyed her sister and wants her to be the perfect one. But this is why Archie can’t fall in love with her.
Archie is trying to please everyone at the same time he wants to do his own thing (music) and he is torn between his real love for the music teacher, his attraction to Veronica and his wish to remain Betty’s best friend.
Veronica comes from NY upper society and she is the outsider who can say what she thinks and stands up to the bully Cheryl. But could she be evil?
Empathy / Distress
Betty expected Archie to be in love with her. She is broken-hearted when he tells her he can’t.
Archie feels he is losing his best friend Betty.
Veronica didn’t want to kiss Archie but it happened.
Layers / open loops
Who killed Jason?
Are the music teacher and Archie going to confess that they heard the shot that killed Jason ?
Will Betty and Archie get back to being best friends or more ?
Inviting Obsession
What happened to Jason and why was he killed?
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Sorry, I must I pushed the wrong button, my assignment was posted under your name!!!!!
Marie Sanderson Jordan
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Hi Marie, Not sure if you got my email reply, but regarding the PRE-COURSE work, I was told we keep that for ourself…but do move forward and turn in Lesson 2 Assignment 2, which is a follow up question to our own personal PLOT for the show we are creating.
Hope that helps 🙂
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GOSSIP GIRL 5 Star Model
What I learned from this assignment is: that I have a lot to learn and I look forward to the next 5 months of dissecting the craft of writing for television!!
1. Big Picture Hooks: Told by the mysterious blog called GOSSIP GIRL, the story unfolds and tells the return of Serena. She has everyone on their toes and asking questions about why she left in the first place. If her life and friendships were so perfect why did she leave? Why did she come back, and why is her best friend secretly wishing she never did? What secrets does she have and who is keeping them with her.
2. Amazing and Intriguing Character: Meet Serena: she is obviously the talk of the town, beautiful, young, has a past, yet there is a mystery about her. She is sweet, smiles but is sad inside and hiding something. Blair: her so-called best friend…this girl has everyone thinking she is so confident in who she is and has everyone wanting to be her as long as Serena is not in the picture, because then Blair is jealous, unsure of herself and her self worth, needs to have full control of Nate, her boyfriend; and that brings us to Nate: He has been in a relationship with Blair since Kindergarten, but feels forced to be in it at this point, wanting out but having his wealthy family needing something from her wealthy family, so it has become more of a favor to his dad to stay with her, we can tell his heart is not in it and he is beginning to resent the whole situation. He is secretly in love with Serena and can’t forget their little secret which lead her to move to Connecticut. Then there is Dan: well rounded, very aware that he does not fit in with the wealthy kids, yet has confidence and a sense of humor, so much so that it makes him cute and intriguing. Raised by his dad who is dealing with his own heartbreak. Dan is protective over his little sister. And has secretly had a major crush on Serena for years, but always believing she was way out of his league. And there is Chuck…oh Chuck. A privileged little prick who preys on girls and thinks his parents money and status is enough to make him likeable, and cool; he is out for his own.
3. Empathy/Distress: Serena’s mom is more worried about her stays than Serena’s little brother who just attempted suicide (that’s what initially brought her back home after leaving to boarding school for a year) Although Blair seems to have tall, she is constantly being undermined by her superficial mother. Nate, just wants to be his own person and be with Serena, but feels like he has to line up with bis healthy parents and what they say to do. Dan’s mom left his mom and he can see and feel his dad’s pain and suffering which helps him become more aware of his little sister’s needs. Chuck has it all and only care about himself up to this point, and what he can take from people to satisfy his own selfish needs.
4. Layers/Open Loops: Why is Blair so jealous of Serena if they claim to be best friends? Who is behind the blog “Gossip Girl’? Does Serena have feelings for Nate? Will Dan win her heart? Will Chuck succeed at running her name through the mud? Will Blair get really dirty in her attack against Serena? How soon will everyone know about Dan and Serena’s mom and dad’s past?
5. Inviting Obsession: Both Dan and Serena have a sweet and gentle authenticity about them and it makes you fall in love with them, with their innocence…we want them together; I want them together. Blair’s issue with jealousy and control is so gross that we can’t wait to see her deal with what’s coming to her. Nate is a good guy and we hope he is able to stand up to his dad and become his own man! Chuck is out for himself, even acting as a predator at times so we look forward to watching him get a swift kick in thee ass
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This definitely makes me want to tune in and watch Gossip Girl! 🙂
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Thanks Kimberly 🙂 Believe it or not, It’s my first time…watching it.
But I am a big fan of Blake Lively, there is such a gentleness about her.
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Mary J. Andrews THREE CIRCLES OF CHARACTERS Assignment 2
The Fireborn Chronicles Pilot paranormal sci fi set in distant space faring future.
What I learned from this lesson: That piecework is more fun and not as stressful…and that I need to cull back my words. (Curse this novelist’s mind of mine.)MAIN CHARACTER CIRCLE:
Rael Point: (middle aged, mid 30’s) Universal Government Dark Ops Agent, Captain of the Nemesis, the only person to have ever escaped the Hive Penal Planet as a newborn, rescued by a Gov Agent, Marion Mahata, he had already been implanted with the Hive temple plates allowing him to wirelessly interlink to anything with a electronic pulse as well as to access the universal web. He currently leads a specialized dark ops Nemesis Team, a seeker squad. He is more comfortable with tech than people, he has muted emotions. He mourns in moments, cannot cry for long, anger dissipates as it is born. He has never known elation.Ira Haze: (early 20’s) Wall Master, a highly trained empath, able to rewrite minds and/or control them. He has steel gray multifaceted crystalline eyes denoting him as a rogue talent. He is a psionic Finder, able to track any target from emanations left upon items. Enslaved at a young age alongside his younger sister, Alandra, after his parents were murdered by planetary control during the anti-Psi movement, he was stringently taught control of what powers his captors knew he possessed. He speaks softly but can always be heard and prefers the quiet and safety aboard the Nemesis. He is grateful and loyal to Rael for saving him and his sister from The Wall, a Corporately operated facility used to keep mostly their workers aligned to production by using Psionic manipulation in the guise of an empathy station. He is a tortured young man destined to be alone even in a crowd. Skin-to-skin contact with him can be dangerous. Everyone aboard the Nemesis wears gloves.
Laynald Lockheim: (a smart 63) Team’s Healer/Assassin/Strategist Once a King’s Healer on a backward planet, he is dedicated to Rael for saving his life and giving him a new future. He is older and feels the need to watch over the others. He is also the one who does, without qualm, whatever needs to be done. He doesn’t differentiate between healing or killing and he’s extremely good at both. He is hyper suspicious, always prepared, armed to the teeth, and a little bit sadistic, but beneath it all, he cares for his teammates
Tristen: (early 20s or so) Selected as a CHOSEN one by the 3 Oracles who rule Oracle Earth in another dimension. They prophecy she will save their planet in the future. At the age of 10, she is surgically blinded and set to drift in cryo-ship in Origin Earth’s dimension. She is found as a grown woman by slavers and sold to Mallory Switt, eventually she is claimed by The Corporate Overlord and under the guise of a terrorist Psi Ring who the Nemesis has been searching for, she is used to attract Rael’s attention. She is the one who Psi-jacked the ambassador and when she tries to do the same to Rael, she is captured and taken away. She knows she has a mission and awaits the moment she will know what to do. Until then, she does as she’s told. Her planet’s survival depends on it.
CONNECTED CIRCLE:The Oracles: 3 long-lived balding old men whose predictions always come true. For centuries, they have guided and aided their world’s betterment.
Mallory Switt: Slaver and proprietor of two entertainment facilities on pleasure planet Tanivol. He has a sadistic twisted mind and enjoys his wealth. It is he who enslaves and discovers her abilities. He uses her to ensnare corporate information and prospers greatly doing so. Though he is frequently cruel, he also protects her from other things until Harbringer catches him and takes her away to become bait to lure Rael with.
T.L. Harbringer: (looks about Rael’s age but is centuries old) Known as The Corporate Overlord, his rule spans across galaxies. He runs the Hive Penal Planet for The Universal Government. He is cruel and arrogant, the most powerful man in existence but goes unnoticed. His smile exudes no warmth, his chiseled features and fierce cold eyes are devoid of humanity.
Alandra Haze: (2 years younger than Ira) she is Ira’s sister, a telepath now working for The Universal Government Psi Ops division. She couldn’t handle Rael’s compu-links and didn’t like his disregard of how it hurt her brother. She is very judgmental of her brother’s choice to remain as part of Rael’s team.
Marion Mahata: Head of Dark Ops for the Universal Government. Nemesis Teams sponsor and commanding officer as well as adoptive mother of Rael.
Lythia Lyconza—Marion Mahata’s successor as The Universal Government’s head of Dark Ops and an acquaintance from Rael’s youth. She is Rael’s age and has crimson colored hair and blue-green eyes, a very rare side-effect of genetic enhancement.
Ambassador Walter Dash: Gov ambassador mind-jacked on the way to an important assignment. He is found barely conscious writhing in pain and unable to talk. The team rescues him.
Officer Dinak & Officer Banks: assigned by Planetary Retrieval Bureau on pleasure planet Tanivol, to return Government Ambassador into Universal government control, attempt to capture Rael but are easily defeated and sent to the Planetary Deportation Bureau to be turned over to the Hive Penal Planet.
Rassa Mu: frenemy from his childhood who delivers message that his mother is dying.
ENVIRONMENT CIRCLE:
Tanivol crowds of fun seeking guests on walkways all day and night; a large hall of partying customers, musicians, bar attendants, gravity dancers above at The Palace where they retrieve Tristen.
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Stacy Martin Scandal- 5 Star Model
I learned how much is packed into a pilot episode! I learned that intriguing characters, multiple layers and open loops make the viewer want to see more. In the pilot, you are already connecting with the characters and becoming invested in what happens to them.
1. Big Picture Hooks-A former White House employee (not sure what her position was there) starts her own company as a fixer for the rich and famous in DC.
2.Amazing & Intriguing Character- Olivia is a classy, intelligent, tough woman setting up shop in DC where she has to try and protect her high end clients from their own drama, lies and deceit.
3.Empathy/Distress- Olivia is a strong woman who goes out on her own in a tough city run by men. She is currenntly single, is passionate about her business and obviously cares for her associates. Her past relationship with the President is still a problem for her.
4. Layers/Open Loops- These are my favorites-the stories within the story. What is Olivia’s past relationship with the President? How did each of her associates come to work at the company? Will Amanda come out against the President? How will his denial of their relationship affect her mental and physical health? Will Stephen go through with getting married? How will Abbey handle Stephen’s engagement?
5. Inviting Obsession-Olivia has secrets, some reason for leaving the White House. As an intelligent, attractive, young woman, why is she single? Her employees are an odd mix of characters. Where have they each come from? The President is unfaithful and a liar. Who will their next client be and what problems will they have to fix and how? -
Anne James
The Young Pope – 5 Star ModelBig Picture Hook:
They’ve installed a pope who isn’t holy. He challenges the structure of the Catholic church and all of the devotee’s within it. He peddles an unusual brand of devotion and reverence to God. “I don’t have any sins to confess.” There are some political advantages for those around him with Lenny’s appointment. The hook is how long will they suffer his arrogance in service of their agendas.Intriguing Character:
Lenny is the new pope. He’s a pile of delicious contradictions. He’s an American with a slight New York dialect that gives him a slight mob-like twist to his dialogue. He’s irreverent. He’s arrogant. He’s tough. Vain. Sexy. A performer. Very smart. Articulate. Verbose. In his dream, we see him nude. He’s bronze and muscular. Even the fact that he’s the 13th pope suggests something is askew. He announces support of all the social issues that the Catholic church opposes. He smokes. He doesn’t have much of an appetite (even though he is in the land of pasta, cheese and wine!). He drinks Cherry Coke Zero and coffee. He’s disgusted by the masses that pile into the Vatican. He’s repelled by warmth, kindness and human connection. But he’s clearly moved by the arrival of Sister Mary. She knows him, his secrets, his pain, his vulnerabilities. She’s his protector and ally. She slips him his papal smoke pack. With her, we see his history, the abandoned child. Slivers of vulnerability and doubt.Empathy/Distress:
There are secrets with Sister Mary. She exposes his past. She reminds us that he was Lenny before all of this. Even his name has a lower class ring to it. For me, the empathy and distress, though, were triggered not by situations imposed on him, but by his treatment of some of the more tender, vulnerable characters (the confessional priest, the duomo at breakfast, his cook).Open layers/loops:
Confessions – using the information from all of the confessionsLenny’s history and who is Sister Mary (is she his “Ma”?)
Why doesn’t he have much of an appetite for food? Does he have other appetites?
The smoking — other vices?
The enclave that takes political advantage of his appointment and “telegenic” features.
His dreams and what they really reveal – he wakes up in a sweat.
Cardinal Michael who attempted suicide
Who does Cardinal Angelo visit in street clothing under the cloak of night?
Inviting Obsession:
The contradictions of piety with arrogance and defiance and how everyone surrounding him handles it. How long can Lenny push the boundries of structure and mores before the institution starts pushing back. -
Mr. Robot’s 5 Star Model
What I learned: When a show has many layers and depth, it can be watched multiple times and still enjoyed, because you see something new each time.
Outline of Pilot:
Opening scene: Elliot ruining the career and life of the owner of the coffee houses who has an illegal child pornography site.
Scene on subway where Mr. Robot speaks to Elliott.
Gets to work: Asked to address the hack at work then friend confronts him about missing her birthday party.
Therapy session.
Awkward scene with friend’s boyfriend at work.
E-Corp arrives at work. Senior VP of Tech walks right up to Elliot, creating an awkard moment.
Scene with drug dealer.
Scene on steps reporting someone. He sees Mr. Robot talking to the men in black.
Scene where he “borrows” phone from therapist’s boyfriend.
Scene where Elliot is called in to address the hack in the middle of the night.
Elliot fixes the hack.
Scene on jet when boss outs himself.
Scene on subway when Mr. Robot invites Elliot to follow him.
Scene at hacker central.
Scene where Elliot questions everything.
Scene at Elliot’s when he and his friend find the drug dealer in his bed.
Scene where Elliot tries to research Mr. Robot online.
Scene on ferris wheel.
Scene at subway station, reinforces what Mr. Robot just told Elliot.
Scene at Elliot’s apartment where he researches the economy to decide what to do.
Scene at work with the feds. Elliot plans to turn in Mr. Robot but when they dismiss his friend in the meeting, he changes envelopes and turns in the CTO instead, realizing he is the real enemy.
Scene where Elliot is waiting for the CTO to get arrested.
Scene where Elliot finds Mr. Robot has cleared out.
Scene where Elliot threatens his therapist’s boyfriend and takes his dog.
Scene in therapy with sad therapist.
Scene with friend in office and they almost kiss and then the news comes out about CTO being arrested for hacking into his company’s server.
Scene in Times Square where Elliot learns the CTO has been arrested and taken by men in black to corporate boardroom (Ecorp?) where he finds the senior VP waiting for him among a sea of faceless suits.
On the second round I saw more of the max interest techniques and subtext. Also saw more of Elliot and Mr. Robot’s character traits. Elliot wasn’t protected as a child, so now he feels he needs to protect everyone else from the world, including animals. Whereas, Mr. Robot was brought up by a thief, so he steals people’s data now to create a better world, just like Elliot does, but on a much larger scale. Love the voiceover and the overflowing subtext and intrigue. Creates intrigue right off the bat by hearing the protagonist but not seeing him. Then he pulls us in further by saying what he is about to share with us is top secret. As the show progreses we learn bit by bit who Elliot is and how passionate he is about seeking justice and how he accomplishes it.
Big Picture Hooks
What is the big hook of this show? Hacker who works for a cybersecurity
company is hired by another hacker to take down corporate America. Amazing and Intriguing Characters: Elliot and Mr. Robot.
They are both mysterious. Elliot is a highly functional and intelligent
paranoid schizophrenic with a bad case of social anxiety. He doesn’t hack
for money; he hacks for social justice. Mr. Robot is a cavalier hacker who
doles out information on a need-to-know basis and interviews Elliot by
hacking into his employer’s server to see how he does and whom he will be
loyal to. Early on we see him talking to Elliot on the subway and wonder
who is that guy? Then we see him near Elliot on the streets of New York
and wonder again who is this guy and why does he keep popping up? Then we
see him on the subway referencing the hack and wonder how did he know it
was Elliot who stopped the hack and that he did not press Delete when
given the option so he could stay in touch with the hacker without his
employer knowing? We also want to know how he found Elliot and he targeted
him, which comes out later in the episode.
What makes these main characters intriguing and interesting?
Empathy / Distress
What situation causes us to feel both empathy and distress for this
character? Elliot is sad, mentally ill, and socially awkward. He is just going
through the motions of life and seems to be the IT version of Dexter,
taking down the corrupt by blackmailing them to bring justice instead of killing them. When
he’s done, he places his trophies on CDs with phony album titles and
deletes the files on his computer, akin to Dexter placing the blood of his
victims on slides.
Layers / Open Loops
What questions are created by this first episode that can only be answered
by watching the entire season? Who are the men in black he keeps seeing?
Are they real? Is any of this real? Where did Mr. Robot and his crew go?
Why is Elliot so sad? How long has he been hacking and blackmailing others?
How did all of this start and why? And how did the VP of Evil Corp know it
was Elliot who was involved in framing the CTO of Evil Corp? And what did
he mean by he’s going to enjoy working with Elliot early in the episode?
Did he know what Elliot was already up to? Was the hacker being hacked?
Inviting Obsession
How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode? By
creating a cliffhanger at the end of the pilot. We see Elliot being taken
by the men in black to meet with one of the suits from Evil Corp. We want
to see the next episode to find out what happens next. -
Subject line: Breaking Bad 5 Star Model
What I learned doing this assignment is that hooks, amazing characters, empathy/distress, layers, and obsession to see every episode need to be well thought out and built into every scene. Every scene and every episode should have all of this.
1. Pick a Binge Worthy EXAMPLE SHOW from our list below and watch the first episode, making a light outline of the episode. Just the beats and anything that seems important to you.
Opening – A pair of men’s khaki pants fly through the air. A frantic man drives an RV through the desert. He only has on a gas mask, white underwear and his shoes. There is a man dead or passed out also with a gas mask in the passenger seat. He runs the RV into a ditch. He stumbles out along with a pool of unknown liquid. He tears off the mask. Ganging and breathing hard. Sirens in the background.
He puts on a shirt, enters the RV, grabs a gun off a dead man, his wallet and a video camera. He begins to make a goodbye message to his family. He leaves the message and his wallet on the ground. He takes the gun and points it at the oncoming emergency vehicles. The scene ends with the opening titles.
Cut to: Same man, Walter White arising from bed, working out in a dark room, baby stuff lying around, a framed award on the wall showing he has one the Nobel Peace Prize in Chemistry. At breakfast we find out its his 50 th birthday.
We meet his pregnant wife who is controlling and his feisty teenage child who has cerebral palsy. W. W. has a nasty cough.
He and his son get out at the high school where his son attends and he is a chemistry teacher. He’s over qualified and teaching to uninterested, rude students.
We see him at his second job working as a car wash attendant, he’s working two jobs to keep his family afloat. His boss tells him he has to wipe the cars down if someone called in sick. His rude students see him and make fun of him.
HIs car is falling apart. He enters the house for a surprise party. We meet his hyper masculine brother in law who is handling a gun, boasting about his manhood and pride in his being a DEA agent getting meth off the streets.
W.W. is intrigued by the piles of cash seized.
His wife gives him a hand job all the while shes looking at the computer and making small talk totally not engaging intimately with W.W. She nags him about painting. Teases him for not having an erection.
More demoralizing work at the car wash, more bad cough. Pases out and an ambulance was called. He’s in denial.”i’m fine.” EMT shows concern upon checking his lungs. Cut to MRI – meets with DR. He gets the news – lung cancer and seems completely detached if not relieved.Wife confronts Walt about using the wrong credit card. He doesn’t tell her about lung cancer. The lies begin.Back. at work, his boss pushes him too far and W.W. quits in an agry, highly dramatic way.
Sits in disheveled, unkempt backyard. Depressed. Calls brother in law to go on a ride along.
They’re busting a meth lab they believe to be a dealers called “Capn Cook”.
He observes the DEA take down of the meth lab.. W.W. I want to see the meth lab.
He sees an ex-student sneak away from the raid. They make eye contact. It’s Jesse Pinkman.
He tracks Jesse down and goes to his house. Confronts him about being Cap’n Cook. Asks a lot of questions. Jesse rebuffs him. W.W. makes him an offer.
“You know the business. I know chemistry. You and I can partner up.” Jesse laughs. W.W. manipulates. Partner with me or I turn you in.
W.W. raids his high school chemistry closet for all the tools to make meth. Take the stuff to Jesse’s. He starts to give Jesse a chemistry lesson. There is a lot of animosity. Jesse is angry, Walter is condescending. They argue about the details of cooking meth.
They discuss where to cook. Jesse suggests an RV. Is that the RV we saw in the opening? They decide to buy an RV, turn it into a meth lab and cook in the “boonies”.
W.W. comes up with money for RV.Jesse “Why are you doing this? Jesse presses him because he wants to know W.W. motive for breaking bad at 50. Aha There it is…the show concept and title. W.W. “I am awake”
Walter Jr. tries on clothes. A group of teenage boys make fun of Walter Jr. W.W. gets angry and physically attacks the leader of the bullies. He is empowered, no longer a coward.
Jesse and Walt find a place in the desert to cook with the RV. Walt strips down to his underwear. He takes off the khaki pants and green shirt from the opening. He doesn’t want to smell like a meth lab. They cook. Like pros.
Walt cooks glass grade meth. “This is art.” says Jesse. He’s excited. Walt doesn’t want Jesse to try the product.
Jesse takes the product to a dealer, Crazy 8. The cousin of Emilio who used to cook with Jesse. The dealer accuses Jesse of turning Emilio in. Emilio walks in. Crazy 8 asks “Where did you get this?”
Cut to: Emilo and Crazy 8 and Jesse drive up to the place in the desert where Walt and Jesse cook.
Emilio recognizes Walt and thinks hes with the DEA. Crazy 8 and Emilio pull guns on Walt and Jesse, Walts about to be shot.
He says “I’ll teach me my recipe.” They like his meth so this intrigues them. He invites them into an RV to show them how to cook. In an attempt to save his and Hesse’s life.
RV. He holds the door so the two can’t escape the deadly chemicals. They pass out or are dead.
There is a frie ragin next to the RV Walt cant put it out. Jesse hits his head on a rock and is passed out.
Walt puts on a mask and puts one on Jesse and drives the RV away from the fire frantically. We see the images from the opening scene. We now know it’s Jesse in the passenger seat.
The two dead guys are the criminals who tried to kill Walt and jesse.
We have come full circle to the opening scene. We see Walt with the gun and what happens next. He freaks out, accidentally shoots the gun in the ground. He is ready to surrender. The emergency vehicles are fire trucks, not police. They drive right past Walt to put out the fire that Emilio started with his cigarette.
Walt can’t believe his luck.
Jesse comes to and stumbles out of RV Walt admits to Jesse he poisoned E. and Crazy 8 with phosphine gas.
Walt dries the money he got from the criminals in a dryer
Walt and Skyler in bed. She confronts him. “Where were you Don’t shut me out. That’s the worst thing you can do”. Walt found his erection.
2. From that, make a list of the 5 Star Points for that show.
Big Picture Hooks
Ask this: What is the big hook of this show?An upstanding, nobel prize, high school chemistry teacher finds out he has terminal lung cancer. He “wakes up” from his safe and humdrum life and decides to cook meth to make a lot of money for his family before he dies.
2. Amazing and Intriguing Character
Ask this: What makes these main characters intriguing and interesting?
Walt was an emasculated, powerless high school chemistry teacher who becomes a Meth cook and enters a world of criminals. He goes from good guy to bad guy.
Jesse is his ex student who failed chemistry. He hates Walter and Walter hates him. They make a good team though, Jesse knows the drug world on the streets and Walter knows the chemistry to make the best meth ever created in a lab.
Skyler is his loving yet controlling wife who is pregnant at 40 and raising a 16 year old son with cerebral palsy.
Walt happens to be a DEA officer and locks up guys like Walt.
3. Empathy / Distress
Ask this: What situation causes us to feel both empathy and distress for this character?
Empathize;
We empathize with Walts diagnosis.
Walts crappy jobs
Walts emasculation
His vulnerable family
Distressed:
We are distressed when he finds out he has cancer but doesn’t tell Skyler.
Walt blackmails Jesse to become his meth dealing partner.
Walt treats Jesse badly and puts him down.
Crazy 8 and Emilio (with Jesse) come to the desert location and threatens Walt with a gun.
4. Layers / Open Loops
Ask this: What questions are created by this first episode that can only be answered by watching the entire season?
Will Jesse and Walt become successful drug dealers?
Will they get caught by the DEA?
Will they be killed by other bad guys?
Will Walt’s wife find out?
Will Walt be disgraced and go to jail?
WHat happens to the two bad guys who lie dead in the RV?
How do they get the RV and themselves out of the desert?
5. Inviting Obsession
Ask this: How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode?
As the audience we can relate to Walt’s dilemma and choices. We live out our own disillusionment of life with Walt. We fantasize about breaking bad with him, but happy to see him do it and not us. We wonder if he will get away with it. He’s killed a man or men now. By the end of episode one he’s already in deep. There’s no turning back now.
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Nadine’s LOST, 5 Star Model
What I learned was how in-depth a writer must go to keep viewers hooked and wanting more.
1. I picked a Binge-Worthy show (LOST), from Hal’s list and watched the first episode, making a light outline of the episodes. Done ✓
2. From that, I made a list of the 5 Star Points for that show.
1) Big Picture Hooks ✓ The big hook of this show is that a plane, loaded with passengers, crashes on a deserted island, but rescuers believe they are a thousand miles away. <div>
2) Amazing and Intriguing Character ✓ The main characters are Jack, Kate, Syed, Charley. What makes them intriguing and interesting is that who they were before they crashed is in stark contrast to who they are now, on this island.
3)Empathy / Distress ✓ The situation that causes us to feel both empathy and distress for this character (Jack) is that because he’s a doctor and ran around helping people, they expect him to continue to help by telling them what to do… even though he too, is suffering.
4) Layers / Open Loops ✓ Some of the questions that are created by the first episode, that can only be answered by watching the entire season, include “Will they survive if they never get rescued?” “Is Kate truly a criminal?” Will Charley be able to quit drugs, cold-turkey?”
5) Inviting Obsession ✓ This pilot creates the need to see every episode because the more we see of the characters, the more we care about them and want to see them succeed.
3. I watched the same 1st episode A SECOND TIME while looking at my Five Star Point analysis to see beyond the obvious answers and I discovered some! I also posted my assignments in the forums (although it’s not at http://ScreenwritingU.com/forums), and signed the “Confidentiality Agreement.”
</div>
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Bonneau
Three Circles of Characters
What I learned: It’s valuable to determine who the character are and what niche they fill before starting to craft the plot.
Connected: Kate, Serena Joy, Nick, Moira, Ofglen, daughter
Environment Circle: Waterford household, escapees, government officials, fellow handmaids
Main Characters for Season One: Once in a Blood Moon: Alexandra Degambia, Protagonist, a brilliant, spirited 16 year old who despises having her destiny controlled.
A. Lulu, Alexandra’s best friend from birth and now her serving maid.
B. Josephine, Alexandra’s mother, determined to follow protocol and ascend the social ladder.
C. Amatai: Alexandra’s father, wealthy, free, determined to preserve his Gamibian heritage.
D. Callie: Alexandra’s cousin, spoiled, but with a good heart, confused by what’s happening in her increasingly racist world.
E. Mr. Ball, Callie’s step-father, a racist hell-bent on dethroning Alexandra’s family.
F. Mamou, Alexandra’s grandmother on her father’s side, her soul mate who also possesses second site.
Connected Circle: Jimi, Tante Isabelle, Uncle Paul, Jillian, Grand Mere, The Sheriff, Mr. Masters, Overseer, Oeyi, Cabai, Sampson, Miranda, Mr. Hodges.
Environmental Circle: Law enforcers, Maroon Villagers, Villagers, Big House residents, Mrs. Masters and Sally Ann
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ASSIGNMENT: <strong style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Subject line: (TV Show title) 5 Star Model
I chose LOST.
Big Picture Hooks:
The main character Jack wakes up with greenery surrounding him. He is clearly in a strange place due to his attire. A suit. Out of nowhere a dog crosses his path. Jack makes his way to the shore of a beach to discover the wreckage of a plane crash and several people in a panic. Upon seeing this I became concerned.
Amazing and Intriguing Character:<div>
I counted 19 characters which were introduced to us over a 42-minute period. Jack a doctor is clearly attempting to help everyone he physically can. A man stuck under a wing, a pregnant lady, a lady receiving CPR incorrectly. This guy springs right into action. Go Jack.
During the chaos we are introduced to other characters. A few have one-two liners of dialog some don’t have dialog at all. Thier expressions give us a clue as to who they may be. This stressful situation was a great way of introducing them because it brings out their genuine feelings. I personally empathized with everyone. I would never want to be in a situation like that. A plane crash. When Jack settled down and noticed his own injury, it hit me. Then along came Kate. She patched him up and their journey began.
Open loops:
Charlie has my antennas up. He looks sneaky. Is he the cause of the crash? During a flashback in act ii, Charlie runs across the screen, follow by two crew members. Then BAAM the plane begins falling from the sky. More tension. Our emotions are on a roller-coaster up and down. Another stressful moment. I noticed the cool after the storm because the next shot was the calm ocean waves. Nice way of relaxing the audience.
Do Kate and Jack fall in love?
What are the names of the characters that didn’t speak?
Is the dog’s name Vincent? I heard the boy mention Vincent.
What the hell is the thing in the jungle making the noise? oh that’s the twentieth character.
I noticed the use of questions to provide us with information. Example the pilot asked Jack how long have we been down?
Where did the flight originate from?
What was the destination?
What are they going to do about food besides go fishing?
When will the lady go into labor?
Will the Asian couple split up and join everyone else?
I think all of these questions create the need to see every episode especially with the ending line of dialogue from Charlie. How does something like that happen?
Ask this: How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode?
</div>
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5 STAR MODEL
Breaking Bad
What I learned: Yeah, lots of all the things mentioned in the lesson. To wit:
Big Picture Hooks (What is the big hook of this show?)
Concept: A broke high school teacher who has terminal cancer decides to make and sell meth to care for his family after he dies.
Amazing and Intriguing Character (What makes these main characters intriguing and interesting?)
Walter has been a good boy all his life and has gotten him nowhere and left him emasculated. However, he is liberated from social conventions when he finds out he’s going to die, so he says fuck it and no longer lets those conventions stop him from achieving his goal of leaving his family better off.
Empathy / Distress (What situations cause us to feel both empathy and distress for this character?)
· He’s getting older.
· He’s smart, but being smart hasn’t gotten him much.
· He’s broke.
· His family loves him, but he feels he’s failed them.
· He has skills that can earn him money by making meth, but making meth is against the law.
· Walter has been docile all his life, but his new career is populated by hard-asses.
· When the rival meth gang comes to kill him, he has to think fast to save his life
· He takes a huge risk by blowing them up, then killing them—and most people would feel empathy because they also would be distressed even by killing someone in self-defense.
Layers / Open Loops (What questions arise in the first episode that can only be answered by watching the entire season?)
· Can he become a hard-ass? And if he does, will he become as unlikable as the crooks?
· Will bad guys or the cops (including his BIL) kill him or send him to prison?
· Can he make the money he wants for his family?
Inviting Obsession (How does pilot create the need to see every episode?)
· Lots of mysteries.
· Layered lead characters.
· Moral and societal conflicts are directly expressed or implicit.
· Walter is unpredictable after learning he’s going to die, but he’s so close to the edge that it’s hard to imagine how he can even survive (What will happen next?).
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Assignment 2
What I learned doing this assignment is that my two lead characters seem to represent opposite sides of an issue. While it was not apparent to me at the beginning of the assignment, the answers to the questions made this clear.
ASSUMPTION
JOURNEY: The first transgender priest to become fully ordained, successfully remakes the Catholic Church in his own new image.
Characters who sell the show:
Father Joseph and Father Charles
Role
in the Show:Father Joseph. A 27 year old newly ordained Priest, arrives at his first assignment; learning the ropes under a legendary Parish Priest in Washington, DC.
Father Charles: A 50 year old legendary Parish Priest, who relishes his power position in influence, leading the conservative, affluent Our Lady of Assumption parish in a wealthy suburb of Washington DC.
Unique
Purpose / Expertise:Joseph: Arrives at a time of crisis in the local archdiocese. A progressive, he is best person, the best Catholic in the parish. Comes at life from a position of purity. He lives the seven heavenly virtues(chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, kindness, patience, and humility). That approach to life constantly puts him in conflict with Fr. Charles and the Church.
Charles: Parishioners see him as a man of god. Few see him for what he really is: full of bluster, love of performance, ambitious, upwardly mobile, starstruck, loves the media and being the center of attention.
Intrigue:
What is the secret beneath the surface?Joseph: Not the first to try, but Fr. Joseph is first transgender person to “pass” as male and go through seminary to become a fully ordained Catholic Priest.
Charles: Closeted gay, fighting the feelings with faith. Wants to move up in the organization.
Moral
Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing?Is a celibate transgender male priest less worthy than a homosexual male priest who breaks his vow of celibacy?
Joseph: Carries the secret of being transgender, protects it aggressively. Must lie to get through seminary, attain ordination, and protect the secret. Helping, then sabotaging her mentor, Father Charles.
Charles: Doesn’t make choices based on expected religious need or accepted doctrine principles. Loves the country club lifestyle, the power connections. Makes choices based on seven deadly sins (pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, and gluttony).
Unpredictable:
What will they do next?Joseph: Feels that the end justifies the means. Will do anything to protect the secret and transform the Church.
Charles: Will do anything to protect the church from change. Two-faced when preforming the rituals of weddings, funerals, mass.
Empathetic:
Why do we care?Joseph: Internal conflict of being born a girl, orphaned, and ridiculed and bullied as transgender feeling emerged. Normalizing the transgender persona.
Charles: Successfully fighting off the homosexual feelings within the church overrun by sexual scandals. Fights the guilt constantly.
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(Mr. Robot) 5 Star Model Lesson 1 Assignment 1
My Binge Worthy TV show is Mr. Robot.
What I learned:
I felt that I knew this show as I used to watch it. I saw so many different layers of the story. The characters are so distinct and yet I know that there is so much more I want to know about them. I also saw how leaving what seems like a cliff hanger every episode is so important
Outline
1) Introduced to main character Elliot. We find out that he is an introverted vigilante hacker as he rats out a child pornographer
2) We see Elliot on subway going to work where he sees Mr. Robot for the first time. He is very paranoid and feels that he is being followed all the time. Elliot works for a computer security firm called All Safe. We meet an important character, Angela, who is his one real friend since childhood and Gideon his boss.
3) Elliot meets with his court ordered psychologist, Krista. We find out that Elliot is totally anti-establishment. He refers to the biggest conglomerate, E Corp as Evil Corp. He also really cares a lot about Krista
4) E Corp introduced into story. In the conference room we meet CEO, Terry Colby and a mysterious executive, Tyrel Wellick, who seems very interested in Elliot.
5) See Elliot in his apartment sitting in the corner crying hysterically. He then crushes up and snorts morphine. His dealer, Shayla, comes in and they take moly and end up fucking.
6) Elliot follows Krista and her date Michael. He sees men in black watching him and then he sees Mr. Robot the guy from the subway for a second time. Elliot follows Michael and asks to use his phone to call his mom. This allows Elliot to clone Michaels phone
7) Elliot gets call from Angela. She is panicking because there has been a massive hack of E Corps computer system. She knows that Elliot is the only person that can fix this situation.
8) Elliot and Gideon fly on a private jet to Texas, where there is a server farm. Eliot fixes the problem but he has been left a secret message from the hacker called F Society. The request is for Elliot to leave the backdoor that has been established active. Elliot decides to leave the backdoor available but makes sure it can only be accessed by him.
9) Mr. Robot takes Elliot to an abandoned arcade in Coney Island. This is the headquarters of F-Society. There are a few new characters (young hackers) but there is no info about them. Mr. Robot tells Elliot that he needs to help F-Society frame the hack of E Corp on its CEO Terry Colby
10) Elliot takes subway from Coney Island wondering the whole time if Mr. Robot and F-Society are real or a figment of his imagination
11) Elliot goes back to F-Society HQ and we are introduced to female hacker, Darlene. Mr. Robot takes Elliot on the Wonder Wheel Ferris wheel and while stopped at the top he pitches Elliot the big plan to hack E Corp with Elliot’s help. He says Elliot is the key to their success that he has to put the incriminating evidence into the hands of E Corp. The goal is still to bring down Evil Corp, starting with CEO Terry Colby by wiping out all the debt in the world especially all Student debt. Later that night Elliot checks on line and discovers that Angela owes almost $200,000 in student loans.
12) Big meeting with at All Safe with Terry Colby and E Corp to discuss progress and facts about the hack. It is Elliot’s intention to turn in all his info about the hack which would hurt Mr. Robot and F-Society. Angela starts to give the details and Terry Colby is very dismissive of her. Elliot jumps in to help her which leads to Colby asking for Angela to be sent out of the meeting. When this happens Elliot gets pissed off and swaps the envelope with the real facts to the envelope that will incriminate Terry Colby.
13) Elliot confronts Michael on the street and tells him that he knows all of his dirty secrets and that if he doesn’t want his wife to hear about them he must break up with Krista. He must also tell her the truth about the fact that he is a married, lying, and cheating scumbag. Lastly he tells Michael he needs something in payment so he takes Michaels dog, Flipper.
14) While making up with Angela at All Safe, they notice everybody in the office staring at the TV. Elliot and Angela turn to see Terry Colby, CEO of ECorp being arrested and taken into custody.
15) Elliot is all smiles as he walks around Times Square seeing all the feeds sending info and video of the Colby Arrest. Out of nowhere, two men in black force him into a black SUV.
16) The men take Elliot out of the SUV and lead him into a high rise building in Manhattan. We see him walking into a boardroom. He realizes that it is ECorp’s boardroom when he sees Tyrel Wellick, the mysterious executive that he had met earlier at All Safe
Big Picture Hooks
Will Eliot with the help of Mr. Robot and F-Society take down Ecorp or will they end up in prison
Amazing and Intriguing Characters
1) Elliot is obviously the main character. Right from the beginning you can tell that he is very unique and troubled person. Really can’t tell what he will do from moment to moment.
2) Mr. Robot is the leader of F-Society. WE don’t really know almost nothing about his origins and if he is really trying to help Elliot or to mess him up.
3) Angela is a by the book worker and Elliot’s oldest and best friend. During the Pilot she is very one level but you can tell that there is a lot more there
4) Tyrel Welliver is an executive with Ecorp. The first time he comes into the story you can tell that he will be a very important character which is solidified when his are the last words of the Pilot “ Bon Suir, Elliot”
Empathy/Distress
1) I have empathy right from the beginning of the Pilot for Elliot as he obviously has mental issues and really has trouble getting by in the world that he lives in. You can’t tell if what he is seeing and saying is real or imagined
2) You can tell that Angela wants more control at AllSafe and to be successful in her career. There is a lot going on with her that I want to know about. The empathy and distress in the pilot comes from her getting kicked off the Ecorp account and the frustration from trying to deal with Elliot’s issues
3) From the first time Mr.Robot is introduced I want to know more about him. What is his real history. Is he really doing good or bad for mankind Is he just using Elliot or does he really have good intention
4) I don’t really know much about Tyrel Welliver other then he seems to be the man in charge now that Colby is out of the picture. He is a very charismatic and knows that Elliot is special
Layers and Open Loops
1) What is going to happen to Elliot in the Ecorp Board room.What is going to happen to Elliot in general and how much of what he is doing and saying is real
2) Will Elliot continue helping Ecorp or will he take them down
3) When is Angela going to step up to herb potential
Inviting Obsession
1) Will Elliot continue to work for F-Society or go against them
2) What is Tyrel Welliver up to
3) Will Angela get with Eliot, even with his emotional issues
4) What are Mr Robot real plans. What’s his history
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