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Day 13 Assignments
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6 Replies
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Sunil Pappu’s Unique Action!
“What I learned doing this assignment is…to use the brainstorming techniques to find uniqueness in the action by simply asking the questions – What would happen if? Or What haven’t we seen before.”
STEP 1: Places for Uniqueness
1. Environment: Present time: How the Russian War on Ukraine ends; Secret Missile Silo on an Island hidden inside the Siberian Forest.
2. Rules: Conventional Rules of War have been broken when Russia invaded Ukraine; so anything goes in this Rogue war
3. Villain: KGB Commander with an endless supply of highly trained agents who trained the hero in martial arts
4. Mission: to stop the launch of the nuclear weapon and end the war
5. Struggle: Struggle to believe she can beat her master, the villain; to stop the launch of the missile
6. Unique Skillset: excellent marksmanship, sniper shots on the move; marital arts combo of krav maga/systema
7. Meaning: Each step brings her closer to believing in herself
8. Allies: Igor (Ex-military sniper); Israeli fighter
9. Weapon: Guns. Helicopter. Sniper rifles. Timer bombs. Nuclear missile.
STEP 2: STRATEGIES FOR UNIQUENESS
A. What if…?
Struggle/Unique Skillset: what if to stop the nuclear weapon she has to use her sniper skills to shoot the reset button on the nuclear head that is already mid-air through the launch sequence using an anti-ballistic system
B. Take to an extreme
Weapons: Svetlana uses her sniper rifle on the move to take out a target that is also moving at high speed, sometimes even in the opposite direction.
Unique Skillset: She uses her sniper skills to operate an anti-ballistic missile to take out the nuclear missile (ICBM) mid-air.
C. Specific to character or environment
Environment/Unique Skillset: The blanket of snow creates mirages like in a desert and makes it hard to hit targets at long range, even with a sniper rifle. Svetlana uses the natural terrain to get to a vantage point in the trees to set up her shots.
D. Shocking or Surprising
Mission: Svetlana takes out the power to the missile silo by making an impossible sniper shot
E. Go opposite
Mission: She resets the missile target to turn around and destroy the silo itself.
Allies: Israeli fighter turns out to be Mossad undercover agent helping keep an eye on her – a CIA sleeper agent; the Russian ex-military sniper joins the CIA
F. What haven’t we seen?
Unique Skillset: martial arts combo of Russian Systema and Israeli Krav Maga.
Improvements made:
1. Climax: Svetlana uses her sniper skills to shoot the nuclear missile (ICBM) that is already mid-air through the launch sequence, using an anti-ballistic system to destroy it
2. Act 3 (rethink everything): Svetlana takes out the power to the missile silo by making an impossible sniper shot to gain access to it.
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Laura Woodworth’s Unique Action!
What I learned doing this assignment is to really allow myself to brainstorm and imagine the possibilities. In generating fresh ideas, what I gained was a new aspect to my character that could allow me to take my feature film script and expand it to a television series, which has been a consideration.
1. Looking at your entire story, what is unique about each of these places:
• Environment: the supernatural realm; suburban America vs. radical Muslim life
• Rules: When Rachel prays, things change – but not always the way she hoped.
• Villain: Planted in U.S. and in Syria; showing a human side to Muslims with various mindsets and motivations for their involvement and devotion to the cause: greed, true devotion, a better life.
• Mission: to thwart the terrorist attacks God is revealing to Rachel.
• Struggle: the need for Rachel to be aware of what God is revealing to her in the spirit, and the struggle of spiritual warfare.
• Unique skill set: for Rachel it’s prayer that changes things; for villains, it’s high-tech bombs and the weapon of fear.
• Meaning: life or death, love risks all.
• Allies: Rachel’s FBI husband, her Muslim co-worker, FBI force
• Weapon: prayer, insight; bombs.
2. Brainstorm ways to make one or more of those places unique:
What if? – Take to an extreme. – Specific to character or environment. – Shocking or surprising.
Go opposite. – What haven’t we seen?
• Weapon: what if what the villain has is high tech? or activated from overseas? Or extreme: nuclear?
• Weapon: What haven’t we seen? What if the fear of losing U.S. freedoms is the weapon instead of the usual bombs, etc.?
• What if Rachel has been training in Krav Maga in trying to keep up with Evan and his new skill sets in the FBI – and she doesn’t use it! She allows herself to be captured even though she could defend herself.
• What if instead of being queasy with a gun, Rachel is skilled? But – her weapons are not carnal, but are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds.
• What haven’t we seen? A Christian with backbone. Make my hero someone to emulate, a real hero, a Wonder Woman type.
• Shocking or surprising: create angst that Rachel is going to do something incredibly risky! Build the danger of her plan better.
• Rules: extreme: Chicago deaths because Rachel doesn’t pray.
3. Select the parts I like and build them into one or more action sets in my outline. Done.
4. Do #1-3 with as many action sets as you like. Done.
5. Improvements: I’ve improved upon the uniqueness of my Villain and their tactics and, even more importantly, created a hero that is more engaging, unique and motivated!
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Danielle’s Unique Action ! Lesson 13
What I learned doing this assignement is that brainstorming and thinking out of the box can be fun and exciting.
Looking at my entire story, what is unique about :
1.Environment : From the White House to a Washington street market and a suburban apartment.
2.Rules : Inside the White House the Hero decides and the people around him just obey his orders.
Outside he is only relying on himself to survive and anyone could be his enemy. No more rules.
3.Villain : As he coordinates everything in the White House
he is favourably considered which enables him to act
freely.
4.Mission : The Hero must both fight for his life and for
Homeland security. Discovering the traitor(s) is crucial.
5.Struggle : Staying in good shape long enough to solve all the problems and escape the enemy.
6.Unique Skillset : A good sense of psychology. The President knows how to manipulate his opponents and trick them.
7.Meaning : Apart from his closest ones the Hero becomes
aware he should never grant anybody with full power to
act. He also understands the importance of clearing any
confused or illogical situation.
8.Allies : Personal Assistant, a Linen Maid, a toxicologist
who is also a friend of his and his wife.
9.Weapon : A great connection with his closest associate
and his partner. Essential Karate « katas » he practised
with his wife for fun. Poison and guns for the villains,
computer science tricks.
Step 2.
A. What if…The President and his wife used to play a game every evening allowing them to tell about what they have found surprising, weird or funny during the day. They would call this game « The Proof on the Roof » and some details could be very useful to the First Lady’s investigation in that case.
B. Take to an extreme : Normally the PRESIDENT is a smart and well educated person. As he changes his clothes and appearance not to be recognized as he runs away, the PRESIDENT also changes completely the way he behaves and speaks. He gets what he wants when he is taken for a delivery man.
A. Specific to character or environment : He passes in front of some children selling tombola tickets for a charity. One of them is very insistent and he gives him the money he is asking for.
B. Shocking or surprising : The child is happy to take his hand and make him enter the tent behind him. This is the place where people are asked to write down their name and address in case they should be the winner.
By doing so the hero escapes the killers chasing him. They just can see a group of children who have no reason to let them in.
C. Go opposite : When the hero’s allies understand what is going on they make up a plan to trap the villains and turn the situation round against them.
D. What haven’t we seen ?
The FIRST LADY could be quite a strong character. As an ex. Karate champion she is able to fight and be a leader in the allies’ investigation and in the resolution of the conflict.
The improvements I have made :
– Fleshing out my characters more.
– Connecting the dots between the action scenes.
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Nick’s Unique Action!
What I learned: I felt my action could use more…action.
EXT. CLEARING/GULCH – NIGHT
The four skinheads huff their way up to the sharp edge of the black-abyss of a gulch before them. They look around, mystified.
SKINHEAD #1
They cain’t go any furtha. Where’d they go?
He turns with the others and peers off into the woods.
SKINHEAD #2
Maybe they fell into the gulch.
Skinhead #2 leans over the edge to have a look.
THUK! Like the flick of a scorpion’s tail, Juan’s leg blade springs from the gulch into #2’s oesophagus, then flips him SLO-MO, ass over head, disappearing into the dark abyss, without a sound, except for the sound of the landing–like a 300-pound sack of shit dropped from a town water tower.
Skinhead #1 looks back to where #2 was a second ago and sees he’s not there. He darts his head back and forth, looking.
SKINHEAD #1
Hey, Bruno? Where’d you go? You playin’ hide and seek, again?
He drifts over to the edge of the gulch and looks over, his back against us. THUK! The tip of Juan’s blade exits the middle of #1’s naked back by a couple of inches, severed spine curled out on each side, and pulls him over.
SKINHEAD #1
Aawk!
Skinheads #3 and #4 turn to SEE #1’s splayed feet disappear into the gulch. They draw their guns and creep forward.
ON JUAN straining to hold onto an exposed tree root as #1’s 6’5”, 300-pound deadweight of a body hangs by the tip of a rib bone at the end of his leg blade. Normally, just one good flick would release him, but #1’s body is too heavy for such a flippant manoeuvre, although Juan continues to try.
Juan looks up to the edge of the gulch and sees #4 standing over it, taking aim at him with his gun.
We hear what sounds like the passing HUM OF A BUMBLE BEE.
CLOSE ON: SLO-MO on fast-moving disk spinning towards a gunfinger.
THUT!
#4’s trigger finger pops off and the gun flies from his hand as the rotary saw-blade clangs against it and tumbles away, having done its job. #4 stares at his missing finger as the gun falls away. Juan deftly bats it upwards, towards him, with his other bladed leg.
The gun arches at the hight of Juan’s head. He plucks it from the air at the apex with his mouth and struggles to free one hand as he brings the gun towards it, then points the gun at #4 and fires. BLAM!
#4 crashes into the tree root Juan is holding onto and snaps it in two as he continues his plummet to his death. We drop and swing with Juan as he scrambles to hold on for dear life. He crashes and bumps and skitters against the gulch embankment, holding onto the root like a rope.
#1’s rib SNAPS on impact and he falls away. Juan hangs on, relived, then begins to climb the root up the embankment.
BACK ON TOP: Skinhead #2 fires his gun at Emilio as Emilio dives aside and flings a saw blade at him. THOP! Into his face. He topples over the edge.
Emilio runs to edge of the ravine, kneels, reaches down.
EMILIO
Grab on!
He pulls Juan out of the gulch. They collapse together onto the ground.
EMILIO
Now tell me, Where did you get those feet?
JUAN
Same place I got your Frisbees.
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What I learned by using the step 1 and 2 process that my creativity increased and I was able to come up with some ideas that I hadn’t even thought of…
Whether they improve the scene or not I can’t say but the 2 steps helped me to think about the scenes differently and come up with some new ideas…
My example: Mark has just stolen a deadly virus from a local laboratory and Rachel is pursuing him in a helicopter piloted by Dockery. Mark is on the ground in a car and he stops once he gets to a rendeavous point which is a barn way out in the countryside.
• Environment: Country Barn.
• Rules: Rachel has the authority to use as much force as is needed to contain the virus and the villains.
• Villain: Mark has stolen a deadly virus.
• Mission: To stop Mark from leaving the area with the virus
• Struggle: Rachel knows that she might be exposed to the virus and could die.
• Unique Skillset: Rachel is planning to shoot them all.
• Meaning: Each action sequence takes them closer to the leader and his/her attack plan.
• Allies: Dockery in the helicopter.
• Weapon: Guns.
• A. What if…? Rachel is outnumbered…and unaware…her heat sensory binoculars were faulty…
• B. Take to an extreme…The helicopter is armed with a missile…
• C. Specific to character or environment….…there are dangerous animals in the barn…
• D. Shocking or Surprising….Mark is administering the virus…the cat is already dead…and now most of his team are dead so he’s planning to let loose the dangerous animals…
• E. Go opposite….the villains have a rocket launcher…
• F. What haven’t we seen?….Rachel is unaware of the dangerous animals… and now she’s being chased through the woods by an escaped tiger…that’s carrying the virus…and she must kill or be killed…
I added the animals: at the moment the scene is too easy Rachel shoots everyone up and escapes but is then caught by Mark…introducing the dangerous animals is a way to heighten the danger and suspense.
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WAYNE HAZLE – LEVEL 10 – ACTION EMOTIONS
What I learned doing this assignment is that the emotions create far more excitement than chases and fights.
ANXIETY: Janine walks toward the building where the girls are being held. She holds up her press pass. Not sure if they will attack her. She gets invited in. Not sure what will happen.
FEAR:
One of the men gets a phone call. Janine can sense the man is talking about her to someone. Janine knows she is in trouble now.
RELIEF: Just when it seems they are trapped. One of the militia guys has a heart. And shows them a path to escape.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by Wayne Hazle. Reason: WRONG POSTING
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This reply was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by
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