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Day 6 Assignments
Reply to post your assignment.
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3 Replies
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Dawn’s Action Structure!
What I learned doing this assignment is building structure foundation first helps improve screenplay layout.
-Opening
<div>Hero’s past and current state introduced. Mother is murdered, father flees,
and hero is kidnapped as a child. Hero currently government agent with
special abilities.
</div><div>-Inciting Incident
Hero searching
for information about who she really is. Her superior finds and sets hero
up as traitor to keep her from discovering his role in her past.– First Turning Point at end of Act 1
Superior send specialized
force to capture hero. Hero receives help from unsuspected source and
escapes.</div><div>
-Mid-Point
Hero seeks hidden equipment in secondary location but is tracked by specialized
forces. Hero and partner fight specialized forces and escape. Hero
discovers superior is attempted to sabotage/disable the tech in her blood
which threatens her life.-Second Turning Point at end of
Act 2
Hero and partner think they’re safer since gunmen can’t track disabled
tech but gunmen find them eventually. They barely escape and decide to
seek out more help to take the fight to the superior.-Crisis
Hero no longer has advanced abilities and finds out explosive info about
family and who she is. Villain prepares to fight hero.-Climax
Final battle between villain and hero. Villain is finally killed by hero.-Resolution
Tech is
fixed; evidence found exposing direct superior as the traitor, what he did
to her parents and her kidnapping</div>
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Dexter Miller: Action Structure
I learned to plot a deeper set of actions to further tell the story
ASSIGNMENT #6:
Create the 3-Act structure for your story.
1. Look through your three tracks (Mission, Villain, and Action) and find the points that could work for this structure.
Opening: We see a man being shot in the corner of a Chinese lab just outside Wuhan. Then we see him getting a syringe inserted into his chest. A nurse comes over with the chart in hand and pronounces him dead as she writes… test patient number five on her chart. The men then take him immediately to the cremation retort and insert him into the blazing fire.
A woman in a secured U.S. lab peering through a microscope at a reddish-blue substance. She snarls in disappointment and leaves. She gets a call on her cell. She hurries to her car and speeds off.
Inciting Incident: A TV news reporter reports the death of 5 scientists at a Chinese lab of a mysterious deadly virus. We see coverage of the area and then all of a sudden scientists come running out of the building, some with masks and some not. They’re coughing profusely! Some are slower than others. One scientist drops to the ground… dead! Penny is contacted.
First Turning Point at end of Act 1: Penny is on a plane to China. We see a tarp-covered fabric entrance to the building. Penny is escorted into the building. She sets up camp and immediately starts to run tests. After many tests, she notifies her contact of her findings. She comes across a folder marked John Doe #5… her dead husband. The file shows, “Cremated!” Senator Hall has agents posing as scientists surveilling her every move. She discovers an anomaly in some of her latest tests. Testing the ashes of the five, patient 5 has a strange blood type. She notices it’s the same as her husband’s.
Mid-Point: Penny continues to find answers, but gets a call that her daughter has been kidnapped. She consoles with Hall.
Second Turning Point at end of Act 2: Penny discovers that Senator Hall is behind the plot to unleash this virus upon the U.S. and that her husband’s death was no accident. She scrambles to find out where they’re holding her daughter and puts her plan in motion to set up Hall and expose his plan to Congress.
Crisis: Penny allows herself to get captured to discover the whereabouts of her daughter.
Climax: Hall is confronted by higher ups and turns the blame on the rouge agent Penny.
Resolution: Penny’s daughter escapes and gets to a safe place. Penny takes out her two captives and gets the test results to Congress just in time at the congressional hearing. Hall is in his office while the hearing is going on CCTV. They call Hall to the room and as agents knock on the door they hear a single gunshot. Hall is slouched back in chair dead.
2. Fill in any missing points and tell us the current version of your structure with a sentence or two for each point.
3. Answer the question, “What I learned doing this assignment is…?” and put it at the top of your work.
4. Post your assignment in the forums at http://www.ScreenwritingClasses.com/forums
Subject line: (Your Name’s) Action Structure! (place in first line)
Deadline: 4 Days
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#6. Kay’s Action Structure!
“What I learned doing this assignment is I have to think of setting & individual skills=more research.”
1. Opening 5 seniors sit in a comfortable setting. Larry & Maurice are playing chess. Rose is reading. A younger man, DeVon with multiple bandaged limbs is on his phone. Lee is looking out the window & wonders out loud when the “Hair Van” will arrive.
Inciting
Incident A nurse/aide rushes in gulping & crying. Everyone looks up
& Lee says, “What’s wrong Nora?” Nora cries then stammers, “Juan is
dead!” Everyone talks at once.Flash back to Juan’s weekly visits, bringing plants & snacks; helping each senior, playing chess.
Nora says, “They found him in his car. They thought he was asleep but now they think it was fentanyl poison.”
<div>
First
Turning Point at end of Act 1
</div><div>Rose, DeVon & Maurice are on computers searching
for information about Mac Janssen owner of company that produces, markets &
sells fentanyl. Lee is getting her hair done in the “Hair Van” &
talking with Tasha the hairdresser, “We need a ride next week. Larry’s son
is having a BBQ. I promise we’ll
save you a plate!!” Larry on phone, “Look I just want to borrow your van
for a couple hours. Hey I’ll get it washed (warshed) & fill tank. Ok, Ok I’ll bring back some MZ Kettle
BBQ for everyone!”Mid-Point
Rose, DeVon & Maurice discuss death of Juan & fentanyl crisis in
general. Lee says one of her cousin died from overdose, too. Everyone does
a few ju jit su moves then gets in Hair Van & starts to discuss/outline
best plans for approaching Mac Janssen at headquarters. Each senior points
out different skills & obstacles as they drive into San Francisco.Second
Turning Point at end of Act 2First they can’t’ find parking. Finally as
they approach & enter the headquarters, everything starts to close
down. Several paramilitary guards come out of the elevator to
headquarters.
CrisisLee
is sure they need to act NOW because Mac Janssen will be headed back East
later tonight, but the guards look very intimidating compared to five
frail elders as they approach each other in the center of the atrium.Climax
Five seniors unexpectedly using ju jit su completely overcome the guards
& tie them up with hair products.
When they exit the elevator, Mac Janssen is dismissive & berating. Silently each senior uses individual skills
on him & then he is forced into his chair & given directions.Resolution
Mac Janssen sends several electronic communications, divesting his shares
of fentanyl empire, then he is recorded on live video declaring from now on
he will fight against the lethal drug industry; this appears on variety of
screens, TV shows, social media including TikToK</div>
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