-
Lesson 5
Reply to post your assignment.
-
34 Replies
-
Megan’s 4 Act Transformational Structure
What I learned doing this assignment is… that tentatively outlining ensures intriguing turning points, and avoids an Act 2 slump. I also see the value in two passes, because even after this first pass, I realized there is not enough of my antagonist yet in my outline. Hoping to add more of her as well as fill in a few more holes on this next pass.
Concept: Anna enjoys her uncomplicated, comfortable life in a matriarchal society until the unknown rules that keep women in power threaten the life of her unborn son.
Main Conflict: First Man, an underground organization led by Anna’s father Adam, wants to depose the exceptionally popular president who has been oppressing men for the last 20 years, but they need a woman on the inside to make it happen.
Old Ways: rule follower, listener rather than public speaker, bookish homebody; hates to rock the boat; firm supporter of the Matriarchy because she only saw the good it had achieved; often overlooked, unadventurous; unaware she had a younger brother who was forcibly aborted; unaware her mother gave her life to protect her unborn son
New Ways: rule breaker for public good, a Mama Bear, willing to fight for those she cares about (twin brother, father, sons both born and unborn), running for President; everyone knows her name and face; lives with death threats; eyes open to truth, even when it isn’t pretty.
Act 1:
Opening: Utopian matriarchal society: Anna’s dream job as a historian with an amazing team of women; speaking to a group of female students on a field trip about the aftereffects of WW3 and the political shift into a matriarchy; setting up for upcoming Women’s Day event; Anna meets the vice President when she arrives to check on preparations; find out president is severely allergic to flowers? her twin brother Evan, who is smarter, works as a janitor; Anna at the doctor where a blood test confirms she’s pregnant
Inciting Incident: Notices boy with mom at doctor’s office fighting against vaccination. Complete 180 from usual utopia; Anna asks nurse about it but is too afraid of rocking the boat to speak to the child’s mother. A man in the waiting room seems to be watching her.
Turning Point: Kidnapped on way home, blindfolded. When the blindfold comes off, she’s at First Man underground; first reveal: her brother and father are part of First Man. They try to convince her to join them by pointing out all the injustices around her that she’s been unwilling to see. Second reveal: Anna had a second younger brother. Anna’s mistrust of her father and support of the Matriarchy make her unwilling to join them. Evan wonders if they’ve made a mistake in choosing her.
Act 2:
New plan: Anna goes through her normal routine but with eyes open. She now sees inequities she never noticed before. Anna promises to put in a good word at work to get Evan a job at the museum. The President receives intel about the existence of First Man. Demands more information. Puts intelligence on it.
Plan in action: Anna meets with her boss about the open position; tries to put in a good word for Evan. Told point blank that the position is only open to women. Anna asks about being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Her boss tells her things are different under the Matriarchy. Just don’t rock the boat, okay?
Midpoint Turning Point: At her ultrasound, Anna finds out she is having a boy. Fights off the ultrasound tech who attempts to grab her. Runs to First Man for answers. Third reveal: Anna’s mother died protecting her own unborn second son.
Act 3:
Rethink everything: Anna agrees to help First Man depose the President but insists they must first try to do so peaceably. Interviews the President at her daughter’s basketball game. President reveals no intention of stepping down at the next election. Reveal: elections have been rigged for years. No love lost between president and her husband. Anna believes she is being followed.
New plan: the president fills in the vice president on First Man, and the two discuss running for reelection. Anna reports back to First Man; has no other choice but to consider an assassination attempt.
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift: Televised Women’s Day assembly at the museum with a guest appearance by the President; Anna gets Evan into position; he wounds the president but doesn’t kill her and is shot and killed himself; Anna rushes to her brother and is arrested for conspiracy.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: David visits her in jail? begs her not to cause any more disruptions? Anna tells him they’re having a boy.
Police escorts Anna en route to the hospital for a forced abortion. As he’s escorting her into Walter Reed hospital, he suddenly pulls her into a stairwell; she meets the President’s husband. Reveal: her father is not the actual leader of First Man, only the front man; First Man was begun by the president’s husband. Anna is not here for an abortion; she’s here to finish what Evan started; the president is receiving treatment in Ward 71; Anna insists she can’t do it; she can’t kill the president. The President’s husband tells her she won’t have to.
How does Anna get into the room? Distraction from the president’s husband? Anna’s face off with President; she gets the president to admit aloud the oppressive laws she’s enacted to keep women in power; records the entire thing? When the president realizes, she threatens Anna’s husband, father, and finally her son by name. Anna disconnects the monitors. She wishes the president a speedy recovery and leaves her with a bouquet of flowers from her husband, the First Man. President begins struggling to breathe as Anna leaves.
Resolution: Months later, press junket where Vice President Nova Walker announces her intention to run for the presidency. She brings in Anna as her running mate. David, Luke, and Anna‘s newborn son watch from the front row.
-
Hi Megan,
Your structure is in some ways similar to a book I’m reading now — not in a repetitive way, just that you might like reading it. Babel by R. F. Kuang. It tackles the theme of empire control in a semi fictional world where characters need secret ways of opposing authority while appearing to be part of the system.
You’re taking on quite a challenge! I’ll be watching how it unfolds.
Rita
-
-
Wendy’s Four Act Transformational Structure
What I learned doing this assignment is that even though I knew the plan from start to finish, I found numerous changes that enhance the experience for me to write it better and faster.
A)
1) Concept:
(still a work in progress) When an Ex-FBI agent’s kids are kidnapped by the mob she must conquer them again to save her kids while trying to not kill her partner first.
2) Main Conflict:
Getting her kids back without killing her partner until she falls in love with him
3) Old Ways:
Mob: She studied their culture to find and understand their weaknesses.
Dean: She is guarded within her heart due to her first husband dying and then having a horrible marriage that didn’t last.
4: New Ways
Mob: she must overcome her loss of skills to beat the enemy by cunning and practice.
Dean: Learn to trust him (men) again and learn new ways of fighting.
ACT 1:
Opening: She finds out that her kids are kidnapped and her house is blown up.
Inciting Incident: When she is put with her new partner and the concoct to go on tour with a popular band that the kids are supposed to go see.
Turning Point: When she goes back under cover with her new partner and she must leave her mom ways behind
ACT 2:
New Plan: Find out what the ring is about that the mob wants so badly.
Plan in Action: To catch the mob by surprise at a concert by the popular band.
Midpoint: Learning what the ring is about and she has a accidental separation from her partner and learning that the mob knows that she is alive.
ACT 3:
Rethink Everything: Set up concert at HLSR (or similarly large rodeo) with EXPO and Venders
New Plan: Trap the mob in the building while the kids are ushered to the merchandise booth.
Turning Point/ Huge Failure: They get the kids back but the mob escapes with the ring.
ACT 4:
Climax: Michele battles the top mobsters and she captures them rodeo style from out of nowhere.
Resolution: Michele and Dean with the kids are honored by being the ones to open the vault. Surprise inside… What is it??
-
4 Act Transformational Structure
What I learned doing this assignment is I noticed how certain scenes don’t enter into outline, though they are important vehicle for story and intended to capture interest. I’m not sure if I built it correctly. I honestly left blank points of which I don’t know anything, and going to do very little as Michael and Millenium. I’m not sure how to mend it and if that would be proved necessary. Overall it looks much more boring than I would expect, maybe that’s my choice of words, and if rephrased and certain key elements entered, it would shine. I also have rather five act structure, first part for recollections, and fifth for resolution.
Create a first draft of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.
1. Give us the following:
Concept
Pay off to Stieg Larson’s Set up
Main Conflict
Lisbeth’s former experience puts her on the way of hidden antagonist and gets caught in a political web
Old Ways
Girl with Dragon Tattoo
New Ways
Anonymity
2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.
Act 1:
Opening
Michael Blomkvist’s contacts with Figuerola makes Lisbeth leave Sweden for United States
Inciting Incident
She accidentally meets with Sweden official, who happens to be Albert Schenke
Turning Point
After Lisbeth visits Sweden and restores relationships with Michael, Albert is not to be found. She applies her skills to the bits of information she has and comes close to his vicinity in England. He can’t refuse it, and they reconnect.
Act 2:
New plan
After spending five years of paradise together on the US West, Albert himself offers Elizabeth to pay Sweden a visit. There he gets run over crossing the street. Both Michael and Elizabeth believe he’s gone.
Plan in action
Michael and Millenium
Midpoint Turning Point
Lisbeth accidentally runs on Mary Paul. She now has a baby. Lisbeth offers her to stay in her apartment. She goes shopping after milk, upon return to find both Mary Paul and her baby dead. Investigation proves it as suicide after long instability.
Act 3:
Rethink everything
Michael and Millenium
New plan
Blomkvist offers Elizabeth to have a kid of her own, by him.
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift
Elizabeth gives birth. False alarm staged, she gets kidnapped. Michael accidentally picks up on a baby, but is knifed down and turns into coma.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict
Elizabeth gets confined in a military bunker. Her only way out are her skills of hacker and power of determination.
Resolution
With new documents, Lisbeth fleets Sweden for England.
-
Lisa Long – Four-Act Transformational Structure
What I learned doing this assignment is… It’s probably a limited series.
ASSIGNMENT
Create a first draft of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.
1. Give us the following:
Concept – We are more than we know.
Main Conflict – Subconscious programming fighting change and awakening.
Tina’s Old Ways:Old Identity: Dutiful Wife, Mother, and Business Owner
Works to keep the husband happy.
Has low self-worth.
Tina’s NEW Ways:
New Identity: Self Empowered – Light Bringer
Knows she is on Earth for a reason, she has a mission
Has real relationship with Michael.2. Act 1: 25 to 30 pages — Set up and Old Ways.
Opening: Tina as a little girl, abused, hides behind pillars in their haunted mansion in LA as her parents fight and her dad beats her mom. She calls Angels to confront her, hides her abilities at school and home, grows up, feels dense, moves to Boulder, marries, starts advertising publishing firm with husband, has Oneness Experience in shower. Knows something more is happening here. Has first child, hears on radio, “Pisces you need to be near the Ocean”. Buys tickets to Hawaii, moves there, builds beautiful home and thriving successful business in Boulder and Hawaii. Subconscious energies fight her the whole way. She Feels heavy, knows something is off, she is confused and unhappy.
Inciting Incident: Tina is drawn to metaphysical books and classes, feels spiritual calling, starts hearing her guides clearly again. They tell her to “go to work” as in why she came to this planet, and she knows what they mean, feels very behind in her mission.
Denial Of The Call: She tries to balance awakening and her 3D world, and be a good wife, feels heavy, told to hide her weird spiritual stuff in the cupboard by her jewish husband who thinks she has gone nuts, fights her as she is finally doing something for herself.
Their business starts falling apart as they loose their biggest contract. She has her second baby.. They are both very stressed. Channels at thanksgiving. Freaks her inlaws out.
Turning Point: She starts following her path, channels in Egypt in front of hundreds. She channels ancient GODs in the Great Pyramid by herself with 40 people outside holding the field while touching the sides if it. She sees many beyond this reality things. (Longer story) Calls in her Goddesses, people she never met before go in trance and follow her into the queens chamber. They all know their task as the “Keeper of” this and that. Ceremonies are performed by strangers that had no idea they knew this stuff. (It took her 3 months to physically recover..)
Her Ex travels with her and thinks she is too weird, (She is) and he gets jealous of her abilities. People follow her around, guards at tourist sites feel their hearts when she walks up and let her into roped off sacred places without her asking. Reality Masters visit their home. Man of Light from Brazil who shoots bright light out of his body, others with powers beyond normal including an Essene master who anoints Gary to carry on her work.
They see Michael at Psychic Fair. He tells Gary his third eye is opening. That night…
Angels visit her and her ex. Garys block on his third eye comes off, he starts channeling and living his past lives as several women in different times, which blows him away, unseats his reality as so far out of his box, he meets a lady and leaves with her. They have to sell her dream home. Reality splits apart. He paints a picture of Egypt house and one of their friends says, I used to live there, Tina remembers it also, they both know who’s room was who’s. Tina was the husband, many times with Gary as the wife. All the past lives come flooding back for them all. (Gary later becomes a pretty famous Angel Artist.)
3. Act 2: 20 to 30 pages — Challenge the Old Ways and Act 3.
Reaction: Tina crys in pool for days. Hard to function she is so emotionally hurt by Garys leaving. She asks the Angels for help. Michael shows up. Says he was “Called to help her.” He counsels her and Gary. Gary thinks Michael should fix Tina as nothing is wrong with him.
The Plan: Gary and Tina struggle, no income, getting divorced trying to sell the house.
They share custody, 3 months each, Tina first in the house with the children.
Michael shows up and helps. They go way above consensus reality. They are now outside many boxes as they are floating in the Subconscious Soup of all of them. They experience psychic attacks for months. Tina throws up almost daily, demons come after her. Subconscious resistance fighting her. She passes out on the floor from a psychic hit from a ship above the house. She has a friend ask her to please put her back in her body so she can walk. Her child flys several feet across the room. Michael and her both saw it. The children start acting out their past life personalities. Sleep walking talking about the stock market. Very weird stuff. Michael pulls programming out of Tina’s guts. He can tell her exactly who programmed her, when and what it was and asks her if she wants to keep it or let it go. They both channel ancient Gods.
Gary rents an ocean front place with Tina’s 3 months in the house. (He tries to avoid paying child support with the 3 month thing.) Tina’s turn to move out. She goes to Bali with Michael. Gary freaks out, he did not plan on her not being available during his three months of watching the kids.
Gary lives in Tina’s dream house with his new girlfriend. Niether are great taking care of small children and there is a pool. Lisa worries and she finds out later he put them in daycare.
Tina and Michael experience more “beyond” stuff in Bali. Tina has to process deep devil belief systems. Gary is done with the 3 month thing and agrees to a small child support.
Tina pulls her portofolio out from under the bed. Realizes she put herself away or all the years she was married. Within months she is in Waterworld with Kevin Costner.. He calls her at home… longer story. She rejects that call and regrets it for years.
Turning Point 2: Tina is a sensitive and reads emotions, and she is an publishing advertising expert so she learns how to build websites, and Michael an awakened master teaches her how to read minds, Start World Psychics (com) together. They get burn in hell letters. Lisa’s subconscious mind fights her the whole way.
Reality has changed. We’re through the looking glass. (Yes, we are.) LOL
The whole first half of the movie was a con. (Yes, so is most peoples lives, they have NO IDEA.
They discover who has been betraying them. (Thousands of years of deep control programming to keep them asleep)
Everything they based their success on is wrong! (Totally)Whatever shift you choose, it completely disrupts the Hero’s reality. (Big Time)
Angels for Truth, Conspiracy stuff etc.
New Plan: Help other wakeup! Stand in the Light as one of the first professional psychics on the internet in 1995. Worked with Police, FBI, others. Many Lawyers,
Turning Point: Michael goes to the other side. Felt bad, dropped into poverty again. Starting over. Moved back to mainland, Ashland Oregon.
5. Act 4: 25 pages — Test the change in this character! Prove New Ways!
Ran out of money again. Called in Angels. Attracted high level Clients. Healed Doctors over the telephone… etc. Flowed over double six figures, felt gut resistance, knew it would affect my health if not cleared. Created hanging out with Richard Branson, many others.
Moved to Mt. Shasta. Cashed back into poverty. Deep clearing, Took year to clear it. Moved back to Colorado where children are. Flowing forward again.
Climax: Finally healed the TRAMA parts. The gut crunches that stopped me are GONE!
Writing my scripts. Telling the world that it is NOT what you think and not what it seems.
Resolution: The change has been made or tested. We now see the new status quo of the Hero.
I AM HERE!
-
Rita’s 4 Act Transformational Structure
What I learned doing this assignment:
- This is a useful approach. Some decent ideas about where the story might go showed up.
- It feels good to have this outline in place, even if it changes.
- Needs more conflict between two main characters.
- I wanted to end up not as the typical resolution of a rom-com where they inevitably get together as a couple but didn’t know how to do it in a satisfying way. This ending just appeared and might work.
Concept: To impress a handsome contractor, Dawn pretends to own a painting company and assembles a colorful crew which puts her service in high demand… but not for home improvement projects.
Main Conflict
Dawn must keep up the lie that she runs a painting company until Abernathy likes her enough to forgive her when she finally fesses up.
-Old Ways
- Intellectualizes the human condition
- Pretends to know how people are while living alone
- Teaches young adults to avoid real life
- Pushes people away
- Uses the above to stay in denial that she’s scared of life
-New Ways
- Feels empathically
- Surrounds herself with people
- Quits her teaching job to really impact lives
- Draws people to her
- Embraces and experiences all of life
4 Act Structure
Act 1:
Opening
Dawn closes the semester with her psychology students who love her. Zak is particularly friendly in a loyal puppy kind of way.
Inciting Incident
Planning a small, home project for her summer off, Dawn impulsively plays into a misunderstanding with a handsome contractor, Abernathy, at the paint store. She pretends to own a painting company, even gives it a name — Blue Dawn Painting — and is quickly horrified by what she’s done.
Turning Point
Dawn agrees to finance Zak in painting one, ONE house only so he can pay for fall tuition. They assemble a crew who are qualified… for something other than painting. However, more jobs keep coming and business is booming. Abernathy is obviously flirting.
Act 2:
New plan
Dawn can’t stop now but Abernathy is asking questions she can barely bluff her way through. She registers Blue Dawn Painting as an LLC and makes Zak the foreman.
Plan in action
Dawn signs a contract with Abernathy Builders with her ramshackle crew. Abernathy’s attraction to Dawn makes him ignore his concern.
Midpoint Turning Point
Abernathy learns that up until this summer, Dawn has only ever been an academic. She lied! Just like his mother did to his father, repeating an old betrayal. But Dawn won’t give up the truth that it all started just to impress him.
Act 3:
Rethink everything
Not only is the painting project more than her crew can handle but Abernathy is now angry with her. Both goals are bound for failure. Something’s gotta give.
New plan
Dawn’s true talent of empathy (beyond psychology) and understanding people go into full gear when the homeowner confides her struggle, which Dawn helps her resolve. Now Abernathy can’t fire her until…
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift
In a bout of depression, Zak tumbles from a tall ladder. Now what? He was the only one who knew what he was doing. Abernathy steps in to get Zak to the hospital.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict
Dawn and Abernathy bump into each other at the hospital visiting Zak. They’ve both become surrogate parent figures to him (Unconsciously fulfilling their parental desires…together) and fight over his future and who will help him through rehab and healing, but really fighting about their own relationship.
ResolutionDawn comes clean, realizes she loves being an entrepreneur and quits her teaching position. She and Abernathy team up as business partners. Zak graduates and takes her place on the faculty.
-
What I learned…I’m merging the Mini Movie Method with the 4 Act Structure to create a stronger story. I call it story with a spine.
Concept: A revolutionary non-invasive medical procedure “Acu-Bond” works miraculously on pain but also removes souls bit by bit, fueling an interdimensional evil force, Koschei that wants to take over the universe. Lonely adventurer Nick becomes wise to the plot and must find Koschei’s den and stop it before it consumes the soul of the woman he loves (and the world too).
Main Conflict: Nick is plagued and terrorized by Koschei in a race against time to gain the knowledge and tools from across the globe needed to destroy the evil unleashing on the world.
Nick Old Ways
1. Only out for the next adventure
2. Sees himself as a speck in the universe…no one cares about him. But nature respects him.
3. Relies on charm and wits to manipulate people.
Nick New Ways
1. Has a clear mission that needs a no-fail plan
2. Knows he’s a speck but a vital key in the fate of the universe.
3. Uses his experience to create a strategy with the help of others.
ACT 1
Opening: Base jumping off the Troll Wall in Norway. Adventurers Ben, Naya, James, Cameron await their next thrill. Guide Nick, prepares them for the jump. Charms the friends less eager to jump, and gets them all to go for it.
Inciting Incident: They jump off. Ben, the “leader” of the group, lands poorly and breaks his ankle. Weeks later, Ben is popping opioids like tic tacs and Nick is running out of money. He needs to find another group to pay for globe trekking.
Turning Point: Naya learns about Acu-Bond. Nick talks her into trying it and it works. Nick has fallen in love with Naya.
ACT 2
Reaction: Ben pushes everyone he knows to do Acu-Bond as it is all the rage and clinics are opening up all over the world. Nick takes advantage of the situation, but begins to see red flags in the behavior of the group. They don’t react to pain at all. They seek out painful things including S&M between the couples.
The Plan: Nick tries to get with Naya and does research on Acu-Bond. The research looks iron-clad. But he taps his spiritual side and finds one of his guides…a mentor who taught him how to climb…and he tells him about Koschei. The guide fears Koschei is interfering on earth.
Turning Point: Nick decides to forgo the next adventure and a chance to be Naya to travel to a mag in Siberia to gain the knowledge needed to fight Koschei.
ACT 3
New Plan: Nick trains with the mag, learns what must be done to destroy Koschei.
New Insights: Koschei presents itself in a vision, closing in on women, assuming the bodily form of a trusted advisor…across the universe, but especially Naya.
Turning Point: Nick attempts to fight Koschei, but one of the mag’s assistants has been a minion all along. Nick loses the battle miserably and the mag is killed.
ACT 4
New Plan: Nick discovers that the group has gone on a Acu-Bond wellness retreat with hundreds of people. Nick goes to the retreat.
Climax: Nick battles Koschei, but in the process must kill friends including Naya….But he can’t. He must find a way to save her soul.
Resolution: With no time to spare, Nick performs a ritual to exchange his soul for Nayas thus destroying Koschei from the inside out. Naya is left alone on the mountain, determined to find Nick.
-
Jane’s 4 Act Transformational Structure
By doing this assignment I really started to see this story for the first time. I gave each character no more than 20 minutes. Writing against a timer is definitely not something that I’m used to doing. But I am taking this class to learn how to get things done and on paper quickly. I feel good that at least for this lesson, I succeeded and can work with what I’ve written. The interviews in the last lesson really informed this one.
Concept: A lonely introvert attends her childhood friend’s wedding, only to find that she has been set up to take the fall for the theft of the worlds most valuable diamond, and the murder of its owner.
Main Conflict: Chelsea must overcome her insecurity and crush Julie, her doppelganger friend who has set Chelsea up to die so that she can be free to create a new life for herself.
Chelsea Walters’ Journey (Protagonist)
Old Ways: 1. Insecure
2. Admires Julie with a childlike reverence.
3. Will do anything to not rock the boat and cause any conflict
New Ways: 1. Knows that her own abilities and intelligence is the only thing that will save her.
2. Sees Julie for who she really is
3. Knows change has to happen and that she’s the one to do it.
Act 1: Opening – Some punks steal from the store Chelsea works in. She sees them, they dare her to report them and she doesn’t because she is intimidated by them. Chelsea has been following a childhood friend, Julie Wallace, on FB. Julie sends her a message asking her to be a bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding on a glamorous cruise ship. When Chelsea’s husband tells her he has to spend the week at a conference, she knows he is lying and accepts Julie’s invitation.
Inciting Incident – Chelsea and Julie meet face to face for the first time in 15 years. They are as close to identical twins as two unrelated people can get. Julie tells Chelsea a secret – she and finance Derek are already married, this wedding is just a celebration that her parents wanted to impress their friends. She suggests that, for a lark, they trade places and Chelsea walks down the aisle instead of Julie. Chelsea agrees.
Turning Point – As Chelsea, acting as Julie with a veil covering her face, stands at the alter with Derek, gunmen enter the chapel, spray the place with bullets and kidnap Chelsea.
Act 2: New Plan – Everyone that knew Julie personally is killed or injured in the attack. Chelsea decides to become Julie permanently. The police board the cruise ship and require that it be kept at sea. No one gets on, no one gets off.
Plan in Action – As Chelsea becomes Julie, she finds things in Julie’s life that are not what they seem. Julie was the girlfriend of a Greek mob boss. He stopped her wedding. One of her parents friends is found murdered and their priceless diamond is stolen.
Midpoint Turning Point – The mob boss and gangsters who shot up the wedding party think she is Julie and contact her to tell her she has 24 hours to give the diamond back and rekindle their relationship, or die.
Act 3: Rethink Everything – Chelsea realizes that Julie is still on the ship and that she killed the diamond owner and stole the diamond. She’s got to find Julie.
New Plan – She has to come up with a plan to trap Julie. It has to be something psychological that feeds into Julie’s weakness. Something from their childhood.
Turning Point (Huge failure /Major shift) – The plan fails and Julie is now hell-bent on killing Chelsea.
Act 4: Climax/Ultimate Expression of the Conflict – Chelsea and Julie face off. Only they know who is who and that only one of them can survive. One of them must die. In the battle, Julie’s weakness causes her to make a fatal error. Chelsea seizes the opportunity and kills her.
Resolution – Chelsea survives and is given the choice of being Julie or herself. She chooses to remain herself, but on her terms and her terms alone. She has rocked the boat and survived.
Julie Wallace’s Journey (Antagonist)
Old Ways: 1. Confident
2. Manipulative
3. Uncaring, focused on taking care of herself.
New Ways: 1. Running for her life
2. Unaware of her weakness
3. Becomes her own worst enemy.
Act 1: Opening – Prepping for her wedding, she comes across an old school photo and spots Chelsea Walters, who she hasn’t thought of in years. She contacts Chelsea via FB and invites her to the wedding as a bridesmaid.
Inciting Incident – Julie’s ex-boyfriend is a very jealous mob boss who tell her she’ll never marry Derek. Julie doesn’t love Derek. She decides to ask Chelsea to step in for her at the weeding as a lark, but really knows that Chelsea will be killed along with Derek and she’ll be free to leave and get away from the ex-boyfriend.
Turning Point –The wedding party is shot up. She shows no remorse, just plans to leave.
Act 2: New Plan – Money she had hidden away is gone. The police board the ship and no one can get off or on. She’s trapped.
Plan in Action –She decides to steal a family friend’s diamond. Caught in the act, she kills them. She hides in plain sight as one of the cops, hoping to get a chance to leave.
Midpoint Turning Point – She listens in on the case and realizes Chelsea is alive and acting as her. She manipulates the head detective to focus the case on Chelsea.
Act 3: Rethink Everything – Chelsea knows she’s still on the boat and looking for her.
New Plan – She has to kill Chelsea.
Turning Point (Huge failure /Major shift) – Just as Chelsea is about to expose Julie to the gangsters, Julie parries and nearly succeeds in killing Chelsea. But Chelsea gets away.
Act 4: Climax/Ultimate Expression of the Conflict – Chelsea and Julie face off. Only they know who is who and that only one of them can survive. One of them must die. In the battle, Julie’s weakness causes her to make a fatal error. Chelsea seizes the opportunity and kills her.
Resolution – Julie is dead and her surviving wedding party believe she was killed in the shootout.
-
Lonnie’s 4 Act Transformational Structure
What I learned doing this assignment: This definitely helped me layout the outline for the entire historical fiction, especially the turn-arounds at the end of each act. Since this feature is based on historical fact, the protagonist’s and the antagonist’s key actions are blended simultaneously in this outline. Each worked concurrently against the other, culminating in the killing of 4 students and the injuring of 9 others.
Create a first draft of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.
1. Give us the following:
· Concept: Who gave the order to the National Guardsmen to fire 67 shots at unarmed Kent State students in May of 1970? New, in-depth perspectives on the tragedy of the Vietnam war, the cultural clashes that fueled intense divisions across America, and the multitudes of Federal and State governments’ errors, and the subsequent cover-ups and acquittals that were hidden from the public are all brought to light in this historical fiction.
Main Conflict: The students’ protest of the war in
Vietnam vs the government’s continual involvementOld Ways: violent protesting, rock throwing, threats,
agitating the government (National Guard)New Ways: peaceful protest, mature dialogue and
speeches, positive activism2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.
Act 1:
Opening: Brief (20 second) speeches by JFK, RFK,
and MLK
Inciting incident: Nixon announced invasion of Cambodia <div>Turning Point: Riots in
downtown Kent, OH, by KSU protesters…protesting Nixon’s invasion of Cambodia….
tensions have built up..students start firesAct 2:
New plan: Next Day, students rally on campus </div><div>
Plan in action: Mayor calls in national Guard to Kent
and KSU campusMidpoint Turning Point: A couple of students burn down ROTC bldg
on campus.Act 3:
Rethink everything: Governor Rhodes shows up, wants the
students quieted “at all costs”
New plan : National Guard
infiltrates campus/students agitate them, not much violence, 2000 students
show up peacefully, most headed to class observing. </div><div>Turning Point: Huge failure /
Major shift: National Guard suddenly turn and fire 67 shots into the
students 300-600’ away, most are headed to class, kills 4 injures 9!Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of
the conflict: Court hearings over
murder; judge sides with National Guard, some who lied about the students
being a threat. Judgeacquits Guards who shot the fatal shots.
Resolution: Reveal the facts,
the cover-up, and invoke the release and healing of all of those involved,
the students, the parents, the victims who survived…..and honoring the
fallen ones of course!</div>
-
Tita’s 4 Act Transformational Structure
What I learned from doing this assignment:
Not a short assignment. I had trouble coming up with details within acts – realized I needed first to sketch out the main story of each act, at least a vision of what part of the story, in general, each act was driving. Maybe because I’m writing one with some historical events so I needed to figure out which could go where. Or there’s a step missing where we describe in 1-3 sentences what part of the story each act includes… so that we can then put the answers to each structural element in context. Or maybe I just over complicate story and characters.
I also learned that I don’t remember details when I am thinking cognitively and therefore needed to see past decisions from Assignments 1-4, in order to build 5… A difference between intellectually choosing something to fit a structural element like The Plan vs responding to a more general question like the ones in assignments 1-4) Then the story flows into the structure elements, just triggered by a question. And the questions and structure really help me streamline and focus – and come up with actions as interesting and interrelated.
Summary of Prework and Assignment 1 (I needed to see them as I riff this assignment – and edited as I copied them)
Main Conflict: Save liberty by maintaining order even if that means giving special privileges to some, not others vs. save liberty by insisting on equal rights for all, even if that means disrupting order
· Hutchinson wants people to follow all rules, even if that means giving up some rights, in order to keep their nation united – because it has the most liberty in the world
· Sam Adams wants people to demand everyone gets equal rights, even if that means fighting or seceding from their nation – because it needs to find ways to build in more liberty
Old Ways: Order is more important than freedom.
Although the government promises all people the right to vote for one’s own representatives to make laws, the less educated and poorer citizens do not qualify to vote and need wealthy and influential people to guide, control and make laws for them in order to maintain order. Anyone disagreeing is a threat to order and therefore leaders must repress protesters.
New Ways: Freedom is more important than order.
The government must give each individual the same rights to vote for representatives who will make decisions and laws that impact their lives, regardless of wealth, education or influence. Anyone trying to restrict the vote is a threat to freedom and therefore citizens must make demands even if disruptive.
The Acts (I needed to visualize a high level story arc for each Act before I could see answers to the structural sub-items for each act in context of what was happening.)
Act 1: 25 to 30 pages — Set up and see the Old Ways:
Brief Overview: H meets Brit official when his ship docks in Boston on Pope’s Day. Introduces, warns and protects him.
Structural elements:
Opening: (Introduce us to the lead characters in action. Show us the Old Ways as their natural way of being; Set us up for the journey that starts with the Inciting Incident)
Pope’s Day – Hutchinson greets, apologizes for arrival date – probably crew… mobs with their carts, fighting British vs French war… Hutch guiding very foppy British royal customs official through mobs at dock.. and encounters with gang leaders, Hancock, merchants Tories… Sam as son of man fighting with Hutch own father… Hutch -hopes each time Brit is disgusted or impressed but these colonials need better style – Gangs see Hutch and suddenly very polite. Class.. Hutch thanks them – hears Sam mutter they have as much value in little fingers as someone who…
As he introduces, H is planning/pointing out which colonials in his family will get royal appointments -no interviews needed, H knows colony
Inciting Incident: (This is the call to go on the journey. It creates the opportunity to live outside the box and take on the New Ways.)
Volatile James Otis bursts in yelling against tax to his protegee Sam Adams and rushes to Hutch to demand him arrested. Hutchinson stands up for his fellow colonialists but gets put down and reassures them he will handle colonists even if he is first Amer gov. (Note: Throughout Otis becomes more and more insane as he mirrors and tries to reconcile both Hutchinson’s love of order and Sam’s love of freedom)
Turning Point: (Lock in the journey. There is no going back from here.)
Brit Commissioner agrees to make the appointments and keep Hutch as gov as long as Hutch can handle them – memories of Boston driving out a past gov. But threatens H with loss of position and wealth and widespread shaming if H fails to control them.
Act II: 20 to 30 pages — Challenge the Old Ways:
Brief Overview: Protests grow, H handles them until the attack him, destroy his home.
Structural elements:
Reaction (They are now outside the box. It is uncomfortable, maybe unbearable. But the Hero can’t go back. They must move forward in some way.):
H hates the mobs but most of all the mob masters, feels lost all – home, book… his daughter, family – wants to do everything for family – didn’t do enough for wife before she died. Doesn’t want to take control of colonists and become exactly like the royal governors. Had hoped to be a gov they like but must take on the responsibility.
The Plan (With every step, they use their Old Ways, but they don’t work)
H will just let protests go and focus on winning over the wealthy, despite the tax….Sam proud of people… All seems okay, safe but the plan in action:
Plan in Action: (Those Old Ways are challenged from lightly to heavily.)
Attempt to buy people doesn’t work. Peaceful protests doesn’t work – drinking, mobs destroy H home, almost kill him. He stands up in front of them alone while Sam is trying to calm them from behinds
Next plan: (Remember, all it takes to challenge the Old Ways is to simply have them not work. You don’t need to have the characters lecture them or directly spell out their Old Ways in dialogue. For now, just create a list of attempts to solve the problem or to make themselves feel better… then have those actions fail or make things worse.)
H forgives merchants who apologize for burning of H house, gather them around him as fellow American-born British citizens. And decides to rule by building consensus – and secretly call for army to protect against mobs and mob leaders
Midpoint/Turning Point: Turning Point 2: (MIDPOINT: The journey is still moving in the same direction, but the meaning has changed in a big way that shifts reality. It could be any of these:
The forces of antagonism are 10 times bigger than we thought.Reality has changed (The Matrix). We’re through the looking glass.The whole first half of the movie was a con.They discover who has been betraying them.Everything they based their success on is wrong!
Whatever shift you choose, it completely disrupts the Hero’s reality.)
Sam finds out about H request for army, damning rebels. Tells the world that H not friend, cannot trust him, just wants his money, titles and power to give others royal appointments. H is shamed and mortified. Merchants leave, British threaten to strip him.
Shifts: H feels alone, deserted, failure and worse, hypocritical spy against fellow colonists… he loved them, gave his life to writing their history… now hated. (Sub: Otis, half mad, runs in pledging loyalty and damning Sam one minute, demanding the head of King George on a platter then next.)
-
Lesson 5 LD’s 4-Act Transformational Structure
What I learned from the assignment: I realized that I just “created” a personal template based on the assignment template that I can use over and over. I need only fill in the blanks as I did for this assignment.
Concept: An agoraphobic denier who can’t seem to stay out of unwanted social or committed romantic situations meets Angela, an attractive and zany public speaker on animal trauma, who seems the opposite of the woman he’s looking for but proves to be the one.
Main Conflict Will Jaxon find the right woman he can romantically commit to– and be able to make the commitment?
Old Ways:
Jaxon fails at and gives up committed relationships. Jason denies that he’s agoraphobic. Jaxon buys and returns emotional support animals.
New Ways:
Jaxon faces his agoraphobia. Jaxon enters a committed relationship with Angela. Jaxon keeps an extroverted emotional support dog.
ACT 1
OPENING
Jaxon, who can’t stay out of unwanted social situations and commitments, experiences a series of romantic relationships that implode soon after he and the partner commit to each other.
INCITING INCIDENT
From the distance Jaxon sees Angela and they make eye contact. On a skiing trip he doesn’t want to take, Jaxon and his current lover have a fight over the meaning of commitment. By the end of the trip, the relationship is over. To help him cope, he gets an emotional support animal.
TURNING POINT
After exchanging several unwanted emotional support animals, Jaxon tries to return Echo, an overactive and socially exuberant dog only to be confronted by Angela, a public speaker on animal trauma. Avoiding conflict with Angela and wanting her to think well of him, he reluctantly leaves the pet store or shelter with the same incompatible dog.
ACT 2
NEW PLAN
Jaxon tries to have relationships without commitment and tries to get rid of Echo.
THE PLAN IN ACTION Jaxon’s plan on both fails. The women who agree to ‘no commitment” turn out more demanding and incompatible than those who he was previously committed to. Meanwhile, Angela comes into his life to feature him and Echo for her organization’s newsletter.
MIDPOINT TURNING POINT
Angela starts dating another podcaster named Tip at the radio station at which Jaxon works.
ACT 3
RETHINK EVERYTHING
Jaxson feels everyone is overstepping boundaries from his family to Echo to Tip and Angela. Jaxon and Angela realize they’re dating.
NEW PLAN
Jaxon and Angela talk about the meaning of great love.
TURNING POINT: HUGH FAILURE/MAJOR SHIFT
Jaxon and Angela have sex for the first time followed by a fight and split up.
ACT 4
CLIMAX/ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF THE CONFLICT
Jaxon and Angela see or hear each other from a distance. Jaxon dates others but misses Angela. Angela is back with Tip but misses Jaxon.
RESOLUTION
Jaxon and Angela embark on a committed relationship toward great love.
-
Bonnie’s Four-Act Transformational Structure
What I learned doing this assignment is… that the Empowerment exercise really stimulates the memory of various times in my life when I had mastered a skill. Experiences I hadn’t felt for years came to life again and I felt the energy and emotions I felt then. This so helped me to dive right into the assignment and get it done in this first draft embryo phase of it’s development.
ASSIGNMENT
The Protagonist’s Journey built into the 4-Act Transformational Structure
1. Give us the following:
· Concept – When Myka, a synesthete artist whose dreams which inspire her artwork begin to disappear, has a nightmare that the Multiversity of Ancient Wisdom, Memory and Dreams is fading and she’s the only one with the skills to save it, she’ll need her estranged friends’ help.
· Main Conflict – The Multiversity is under attack and at risk of dissolving into oblivion and Myka is the only one who can save it. Trouble is, she needs her estranged friends to band together and help her.
· Old Ways – Isolates herself in her own world of painting, dreams and synesthetic creations. Self-centered. Slow to admit she needs help. She’s an ambitious, independent artist above all. That’s her priority, but sadly it’s at the risk of destroying her relationships.
· New Ways – Make amends to those she’s wronged, rekindle old friendships. Admits she needs their help. Collaborate with them to save The Multiverstiy of Wisdom, Memory and Dreams, not only for herself, but for them and humanity. Embrace her love for them, especially Gabi.
2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.
Act 1:
· Opening – The Multiversity is under attack: Gluttonous creatures eat the words from the Library of Ancient Wisdom. Screechers and White Noise Makers invade The Academy of Music and deafen musicians. Anti-color blobs of black, brown and grey paint splash masterpieces and blind painters. It’s chaos under the direction of two powerful, unseen villains that are orchestrating it.
· Inciting Incident – Myka loses her friends, her dreams and inspiration, her gallery representation, her lust for living and falls into a funk.
· Turning Point – Myka has a nightmare that scares the shit out of her. She realizes that unless she does something to stop it, not only her dreams and inspiration will fade, but art, music, literature, wisdom, memory, humor and creativity itself will disappear from humanity. The Multiversity will fade away out of our reach forever.
Act 2:
· New Plan – Swallow her pride, apologize to her friends and get the original gang together to dream and join synesthetic forces. They’ll meet in the treehouse from their youth.
· Plan in Action – They’ll practice here every night until they’re ready for action.
· Midpoint Turning – They meet in the Multiversity, battle and are defeated by the forces that are attacking Wisdom, Memory and Dream and destroying the Multiversity.
Act 3:
· Rethink everything – Humanity is losing their dreams, their memories and ancient wisdom. They must do something!
· New Plan – Use their combined synesthesia talents of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste to fight the villain. Intensify their training in waking hours. Practice, strategize, asks questions. Make a mission board, brainstorm. Shamanic journey to practice their skills. Imagine victory. Empower themselves for battle.
· Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift – Discover higher senses: Ego, Thought, Word, Balance, Movement, Life, and Warmth and combine them to battle the enemies in the Multiversity.
Act 4:
· Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict – They go in and overwhelm the villains with their powers and finally achieve victory, recover and rebuild the Multiversity together, but this time, they bring surprise allies… their animal spirits: Lioness, Hummingbird, Serpent and Condor.
· Resolution – They rekindle their friendship pact and promise to be there for one another no matter what.
-
Jen’s 4 Act Transformational Structure
What I learned doing this assignment is this is actually going to work! I am going to have a script in 30 days!
1. Give us the following:
Concept – A young gang banger
wannabe volunteers at a dog training facility where he meets the two individuals
who will change his life forever – a dog who is the canine version of him
and the little girl who was the victim of the crime that landed him at the
facility in the first place.
Main Conflict – Javier’s
inability to admit his own responsibility in a situation, compounded by
the jocks/honor society students who also volunteer at the center and are
going to tell everyone why Javier is there.Old Ways blame everyone else for his poor decisions, lash out in anger, self-loathing, victim of his environment – always the “victim” – even when he’s the perpetrator.
New Ways : J<s>aleo </s> Javier has to come to terms with the things he has done to hurt other people and to feel truly sorry (not just say it). He also has to forgive himself and forgive those in his life who hurt him so that he can move on and be accountable for his actions while not wallowing in his past.
2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.
Act 1:
Opening – the drive by shooting,
but only see him, not what he sees, as that comes later.
Inciting Incident – the DYS center
gives them the opportunity to volunteer, and Javier chooses the dog
training facility so he can get some months knocked off his sentence. He
talks them into dropping him off down the road so they don’t know where he’s
coming from. He meets a dog who gets treated the same way he has been
treated. He overhears someone being verbally abusive to the dog which
triggers him to have flashbacks of foster parents treating him the same
way. He also sees the dog in a cage while other dogs are playing – this is
equitable to the way he is treated at his host home. He goes back in the
evening and the family is playing a game. The mother tells him his dinner
is in oven, he eats alone and then goes into living room, stands there
watching the family play game – they look up ask if he needs something,
no? well, good night then, I’ll make sure you’re up in time for the van
(has DYS on the side)The dog likes him (and only him) he works with him
and the owners of the facility start to rethink their plan for the dog. He
is doing a good job there, really feeling like he has found a “family”.
People don’t treat him like a criminal. Then the honor society
volunteers/jocks come. They don’t like Javier (especially Johnny) and give
him a hard time – asking him why he’s there, etc. (I know you’re not in an
honor society are you here because you were sentenced to do this?) She is
another change agent for him. She tells him that she was in prison and was
“puppy socializer” – a puppy would live with her until s/he was old enough
to be trained. When Annie got out of jail she came to work there as a
groomer.
Turning Point – a little girl
who uses a wheelchair comes to the center for her training period (one
month) that is required before she takes her service dog home, Javier
works with them because he has been working with the dog they are taking.
His discovers through overhearing the other boys talk/having a flashback
of the drive by that she is the girl who was shot when he was driving the
car.Act 2:
New plan – The jocks beat him up
and the dog chases them, growls and snaps at them – Javier thinks they are
going to tell on dog and get him kicked out, but to his surprise they don’t.
He brings the dog to get a bath (hasn’t had one for a long time) and meets
Annie who recognizes that the dog has something on him that shows he was
in a fight, but also keeps the secret. Javier develops a good relationship
with the family, he struggles with telling them who he is (as a minor his
identity was not given out). The jocks find out who he is and why he is
there (but not all the details). He works with a dog who they were going
to send to a shelter because he is not doing well. Javier begs for time to
work with him – he has a good relationship with him. They give him one
month. Javier spends more time there.
Plan in action – the family
takes him out to dinner; he practices how he is going to tell them. The
dog is doing better. He has him meet the girl’s dog for socialization time.
Midpoint Turning Point – they go
out to dinner and tell him they want to be his foster parents right when
he is going to admit who he is. He doesn’t say it.Act 3:
Rethink everything – He decides
he isn’t going to tell them, then the jocks research more and find out he
was driving the car when the girl got shot. They are going to tell the
family.
New plan – he tells the family.
Turning Point: Huge failure /
Major shift – They change their minds, don’t want anything to do with him –
the little girl does, though, she forgives him. He is also able to forgive
himself. He is reassigned to work in the kennel, cleaning cages, etc. and
then to work with Annie grooming. Annie makes him feel better about the
situation. It’s their loss, if they could forgive, they’re the ones who
are missing out, you are the better person for owning up to it.Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of
the conflict – the mother shows up at the grooming station and watches
Javier for a minute, then she tells him they are taking him home to be his
host family. He says thanks but no thanks, he needs to stay with the dog.
The little girl comes around the corner with both dogs.
Resolution – The jocks
apologize and Javier leaves with the family. -
What I learned doing this assignment is – its useful to see both sides of the conflict
Act 1:
Opening
After Dmitris leaps from an bedroom window he is chased to his car by a shotgun firing farmer,
while the farmers wife waves to him from the bedroom window. He starts his car and drives off into the countryside while stacks
of magazines in the car with his picture on the cover fall onto the floor. His guitar lies across the back seat, the shot narrowly missing
as the penetrate the cars leather. The farmer realising he missed, looks at his wife and with a vengeful smile, holds a chain with many strange
symbols attached from around his neck. The wife recoils in horror and shuts the window
Inciting Incident
Dmitri narrowly misses a tree after his car slides to avoid hitting Toadie who had deliberately walked into the path of his on coming car
Dmitri is obliged to drive Toadie to Headless Fold, an ancient stately home where he works for his master – Lady D’Abla.
As they drive through the vast grounds , Toadie listens while Dmitri brags of talent and accomplishments,
As they pull up in front of the manor Dmitri notices several young woman playing a enchanting game of netball
Turning Point
Dimitri agrees to stay for a week while Toadie gets back to full health and plays his music much to the delight of the young women
Dmitris loses his fingers in a contrived accident, and is distraught to realise he will never play guitar again. Toadie says master can help him out
when she returns from a trip abroad. The young women take it in turns to tend to his wounds and Dmitri gets to know them very well.
Lady Di’ Abla returns after much negoitation promise to mend Dmitris hand and contract to make his dreams come true in return for his immortal soul before he reaches the age of thirty
Act 2:
New plan
Dimitri leaves the manor and returns home to find his bandmates have been killed in the most suspicious circumstans. Dmitri must
find a new band and a manager to meet the deadlines set by Lady D’Abla
Plan in action
Dmitris uses all his contacts to find and audtion the new members of the band a mixed bunch of newbies and misfits
They are each contracted to join the band without really reading the smallprint which binds them to the terms of Dmitris own contract with Lady Dia Ablo
Midpoint Turning Point
Dmitri is satisfied that the band are ready to tour a few small gigs in London when their new manager reveals a different destination. They have been booked to perform three concerts
in the realms of hell to an audience of demons and suchlike. It might look like America in the 1970s but in fact its Hades
Act 3:
Rethink everything
Dmitri realises his team wont return with the journey without weapons, so he confides in New who comes up with a plan
New plan
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift
They touch down in America on Christmas Day with a mission to complete their first gig in the city of glass which is a complete disaster
The flee from the wreckage of the stadium lucky to be alive and onto their next gig at the city of sands
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict
Unless they complete their next gig in the city of fire – they will not fufil the terms of the contract
Resolution
Dmitri comes up with a plan to save the band and defeat Lady Dia Obola
Act 1:
Opening
Lady Dia Obola an other worldley being has to operate in the realm of man in order to perform her diabolical duties. She receives a call
from one of her acolytes – the farmer and his wife. She listens to his demands and sees an develish opportunity, she summons Toadie to do her bidding.
Toadie is dispatched to trap Dmitri by faking a road accident while she leaves to take revenge on Dmitri’s bandmates – who are not nice people anyway
Inciting Incident
Toadie is instructed keep Dmitri a prisoner and to severe his fingers
Turning Point
Lady Dia Obola discovers that Dmitri has seduced each of the vestal virgins and plans her revenge
Act 2:
New plan
Lady Dia Obola transmogrifies into an all in wrestler who becomes Dmitris new manager – Diabolo The Great, and creates a contract so unfair that Dmitri will never complete
his side of the bargain and will lose his immortal soul and pay his body weight in gold in return
Plan in action
Posing as DiaBolo the great she arranges to audition the most unlikely candidates for Dmitris new band to sabotage his prospects
Midpoint Turning Point
Diabolo The great orgainises the forces of evil to destroy the stadium in the city of glass causing Dmitri to fail at the first hurdle
Act 3:
Rethink everything
Dmitri has some tricks up his sleeve as he tries to wriggle out of one contract, but complete the terms of the other to save his soul
New plan
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift
Act 4:
Diabolo The Great reveals himself in the city of fire to be Lady Dia Abla, and tries to destroy the band live on stage using all the power
of her demonic army
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict
The band complete the gig against all odds and return to the back home to lick their wounds and record their album which is an immediate success which they think fufils their contract
Resolution
The small print in their contract means they must complete another tour or the curse is past onto their descendants
-
This reply was modified 2 years, 4 months ago by Philip Neale.
-
This reply was modified 2 years, 4 months ago by
-
Day 5 Four-Act Transformational Structure
James’ 4 Act Transformational Structure
What I learned doing this assignment is… the old and new ways offer me the opportunity to expand my story in directions I initially did not consider. These new directions in turn deepen the script that will eventually lead to the necessary details.
1. Give us the following:
· Concept: An unappreciated sex toys saleswoman gets a new job as a hostess at a five-star restaurant and learns a rich patron is very much interested in her, only to discover they’re a perfect complementing match and now she must hide her past to make the relationship work and tasteful.
· Main Conflict: Both Jessica and Rufus have individual pasts that influence them in the present with their decision-making and relationships. The glimmer of hope is that they have a chance to help each other find love especially when it’s right in front of them.
1. Putting others before herself.
2. Being a subservient worker in all job roles.
3. Keeping good ideas to herself.
4. Lacking outward ambition.
· Jessica Blue New Ways:
1. Takes care of her well-being first.
2. Becomes more proactive to create opportunities for herself.
3. Expresses career enhancing ideas.
4. Puts forth her ambition to establish her own business.
2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.
· Opening: Jessica is on her way to an elderly customer’s home for a sales visit and on a combative call with her boss who doesn’t appreciate, or doesn’t recognize, the worth she brings to the company.
· Inciting Incident: Jessica quits her sex toys sales job and seeks a new vision for her life.
· Turning Point: With much trepidation, Jessica decides to pursue a potential relationship with Rufus who was captivated by her from the start.
Act 2:
· New plan: Jessica returns to her sex toys sales job, but with the intent to ask for a higher salary.
· Plan in action
· Midpoint Turning Point: Rufus learns about Jessica’s past sex industry work causing a rift in the relationship.
Act 3:
· Rethink everything: Jessica plans to launch her own business using modern social media techniques to draw attention for her boutique.
· New plan
· Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift: Rufus walks in on Jessica’s meeting with a former male client and believes the worst; the relationship appears totally unsalvageable.
Act 4:
· Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: Jessica has gone forward and faced uncharted waters in her life and took the plunge with her podcast launch. She sends Rufus a message for him to listen to the podcast’s first episode. Jessica pours her heart and soul out expressing the misunderstanding that took place. He’s moved with the gesture and realizes at that moment she’s the one for him.
· Resolution: Jessica and Rufus deepen their relationship and become a couple knowing each one helped the other overcome their pasts and now they face the future with newfound love, energy and spirit.
-
KAREN SINCLAIR’S 4-ACT TRANSFORMATIONAL STRUCTURE
What I learned doing this assignment is…?
What I learned by doing this assignment is that compartmentalizing the story, or ‘chunking it down’ is a good way to keep it all from becoming overwhelming. I didn’t complete the 4 Acts in a linear fashion. I completed Act 1, then Act 4, then Acts 2 and 3. The 4 Act method is a very satisfying way of looking at it.
ASSIGNMENT 5
1. List Concept, Main
Conflict, Old Ways, and New WaysConcept
Ad Exec Sadie Hilliard goes out for a noontime run to get in the right state of mind to make a presentation to her agency’s most significant client. While running, she receives a call on her cellphone threatening the lives of her and her family if she should stop running.
Main Concept
Thomas is bitter and wants to teach Sadie a lesson as a reaction to her dumping him. And he wants to save her new husband from suffering the same fate. Sadie goes for a run to get in the right frame of mind to make one of the most important pitches of her life. While running, by cellphone text, Sadie is threatened that if she stops running, something terrible will happen to her and her family, including her new husband’s children.
Old Ways
· Single, self-reliant, and selfish
· Small fish in big pond (ad exec in NYC agency)
· Fear of abandonment
· Self-centered and self-absorbed
· Be the best at all costs, micro manager
New Ways
· Married with children, a dog and unconditional love all around
· Big fish in small pond (ad owner in Vancouver agency)
· No fear of abandonment
· Team oriented and empathetic
· Lead the best team!
2. Act 1: 25 to
30 pages
Set up and see Old Ways.OPENING: Set us up for the journey that starts with the Inciting Incident.
Sadie is just finishing up a meeting with the CEO of GH Group. She’s walking toward the door as he’s encouraging her to seriously think about heading up the project to establish a new branch of GH Harder in Vancouver BC. As she is about to step out his door he follows up with, “It could be your ticket to partnership”. She closes the door and her phone chirps. It is a text from Thomas telling her that dinner is almost ready. She looks angry as she crumples her paper coffee cup and slams it into the garbage in the hall.
Sadie is thrashing around slamming and locking doors. Everyone else has gone home for the day. She is in her running gear with a small backpack carrying her identification, credit cards and her work clothes. Sadie gave her longtime boyfriend Thomas a directive to be out of her townhouse by the time she got home from work. She looks down at the text on her phone about dinner being ready and sent him a text back saying, ‘Get Out!’.
Sadie bursts out of the elevator on the main floor and heads out into the city. She is running off the stress and anger over a breakup which has been a long time coming. Thomas refuses to accept that it is over even though Sadie assures him that it is.
Sadie is used to being in control, over everything, and the fact that Thomas is not responding to the breakup is driving her to the brink. She runs recklessly down the street, shoulder-bumping people as she heads down a busy sidewalk on a Thursday evening. Her backpack knocks someone off their bike.
As she enters her street she starts to sprint. When she reaches the bottom of the steps to her townhouse she stops abruptly, leans over trying to catch her breath. She looks up to see a shadow moving around her kitchen. She rips her backpack off her back, stomps up the stairs and burst through the door throwing her pack into a corner. Instantly upon entry she can smell something cooking; evidence that Thomas is still not taking her seriously.
Sadie storms into the kitchen and confronts Thomas in the middle of setting the table for, what looks like a romantic dinner. She yells at him that this is it. They are done.
He still doesn’t seem to get it and suggests they sit down for a meal and talk.
She is done talking and to prove it, she yanks the garbage can out from under the sink and dumps everything on the table into the can. She walks over to the island and clears all contents to the can as well. Sadie grabs a pot of hot water with spaghetti noodles from the stove. She tells him she is done being held hostage by him in her own house. She throws the boiling water against the back of the sink. The window behind the sink and the glass cracks from the heat.
Thomas, with his hands up, takes a step towards her.
Sadie picks up the pot of simmering spaghetti sauce and an oven mitt. She threatens to throw it on him if he doesn’t leave right now.
He finally gets it and snaps, yelling obscenities as he storms out and slams the door, taking nothing and creating yet another reason for returning.
Four hours later, Thomas returns by car. Sadie has loaded everything of Thomas’ into Rubbermaid tubs and put them on the front porch. There is a locksmith truck parked in front and the locksmith is just finishing up changing the locks.
The locksmith asks Thomas if the containers are his to which he affirms they are. He tells him the lady who lives here gave him five $100 dollar bills to deliver the bins to his apartment address.
Thomas said he would take them and started loading his car. The locksmith helps him, all the while consoling him about the obvious breakup.
The locksmith rings Sadie’s doorbell to let her know he is done, but no one answers. He slips an invoice for the job through the slot and is about to follow up with the five $100 bills. Instead, he hesitates and returns only three. Two bills go in his pocket for his trouble.
Sadie sits on the floor with her back against the inside of the front door sobbing. It is finally over.
Sadie tells the CEO, Mitchell Bakken, on Friday morning that she will accept the project of opening the new office in Vancouver, BC. She sees it as a way of breaking from Thomas and having a fresh start. He tells Sadie that during the following week’s marketing conference in Whistler, BC., he will be announcing her appointment.
While at the conference, Sadie participates in a ski lesson provided by the conference. She meets a guy from an Exhibition booth. They are really hitting it off and they sit together at dinner. During dinner, there is a segment called ‘Movers and Shakers’ during which announcements are made of people moving from one agency to another or going out on their own. The CEO of GH Group announces that Sadie will be opening a branch ‘right here in beautiful Vancouver, BC’. She bashfully looks at her new acquaintance who smiles as he realizes that their relationship might have a chance.
A montage of activity shows a back and forth between
· starting up the agency,
· dating Adam,
to
· day to day happenings in the agency, winning accounts, high fives
· runs with Adam, candlelit dinners, Adam in his accounting office at home facetiming Sadie
to
· cutting the ribbon with the whole new work team behind her and
· a wedding photo with her, Adam, and his two children.
Back in the office, Sadie works with Randy her young executive assistant and the rest of her team to put together a big presentation. She will be competing for business against a known competitor VJ Kilmer of Sinclair Media Group (SMG) which she relishes. VJ is a fearsome competitor. Her team suggests ways they can be more involved, use more flashy technology and help Sadie with the volume of preparation that is required. She rebuffs them and tells them just to get her what she asks for and she’ll take it from there. One of Sadie’s team decides to create the flashy piece that she thinks will give the presentation a boost. She hopes to convince her to use it.
During this busy time at work, Sadie shows signs of her old ways, calling Adam on a Saturday to let him know he won’t be home for dinner even though it is a birthday dinner for his oldest Ada who is turning five. Adam invites his ex-wife and Ada’s mother over for the birthday party not wanting Ada to feel any pain over Sadie’s absence. In a picture after the fact, Sadie sees Hannah, the ex, at the party, and feels a pang of pain but quickly shakes it off.
Sunday is a repeat of Saturday showing Sadie at work and going for a run at lunch. She runs home to say hello to Adam, tell him she won’t be home for dinner, and then heads back to work. He decides to bring her dinner which she enjoys. On his way home he meets a guy friend at a bar for a drink. The friend asks where Sadie is on a Sunday night and Adam acts embarrassed that she is at work.
Sadie continues to be self-absorbed in work while Adam takes care of the home front. He has been doing it for a while so not much is different, but he is beginning to ask himself, ‘Is this how it should be?’
INCITING INCIDENT: This is the call to go on the journey. It creates the opportunity to live outside the box and take on the New Ways.
The big day has arrived. The presentation is tonight, and Sadie has got her team pulling it all together while she goes for a run to get in the right frame of mind. This is something she always does.
While she is running, she receives a text on her phone warning her not to stop running, to run where she is told and to reply that she understands by raising her arm in the air. It goes further to say that if she stops running or goes in a different direction, she, her husband, and his children will be killed. She is not to answer any texts or phone calls other than from the mysterious caller.
Is it possible that she has been taken hostage while running?
TURNING POINT: Lock in the journey. There is no going back from here.
Sadie doesn’t know what is happening and she doesn’t know whether to take this threat seriously.
She keeps running and thinking.
3. Act 2: 20 to
30 pages
Challenge the Old Ways.Reaction: They are now outside the box. It is uncomfortable, maybe unbearable. But the Hero can’t go back. They must move forward in some way.
Sadie knows she must do something.
The Plan: They struggle, flail, and try the first plan that comes to mind…which will quickly fail.
She decides to test the instructions. Surely nothing will happen, and she’ll do directly to the police.
· She slows to a walk and receives a text that says, ‘RUN’.
· She starts to turn around and reverse course. A text warns her to ‘Stay on Course’.
· She dials 911 and the digitally enhanced voice that answers taunts her with, ‘Nice Try’.
The Hostage Taker realizes she is testing the instructions and tells her as much in a text saying, ‘Don’t Test Me!’. Sadie receives pictures of Adam and the children doing what they do daily. The Hostage Taker tells her to cross the road so that she is running with traffic instead of against it.
As she runs through intersections she notices a block to her right, there is a figure on a motorbike mirroring her. As she sees them, they shine a flashlight in her direction. It must be the Hostage Taker.
She keeps running.
Turning Point 2: MIDPOINT: The journey is still moving in the same direction, but the meaning has changed in a big way that shifts reality.
It has been over two hours of running and Sadie is out of water. She has had to urinate for awhile but has been holding it. It starts to lightly rain which gives her cover to let it go. The urine runs down her legs. She wore new running shoes for this run as it wasn’t going to be a long one. Blisters have formed and as the urine runs onto her feet, she moans in excruciating pain. The blood soaks to the outside of her shoes.
An hour later and it is now pouring rain. Sadie’s hair is falling in her face, and she looks a mess. She is starting to get strange looks from people along the sidewalks and cars that drive up beside her at intersections. One car pulls up beside her and starts to roll down the passenger window. Just as Sadie is about to engage in conversation, a motor bike pulls up behind her and revs its engine. She blows them off in the car and they carry on. The motor bike passes her. It was not the hostage taker, just an impatient rider.
Another hour passes, the sky is starting to dim. She realizes she is going to miss her presentation. She can’t imagine what her employees are doing without her there to direct them.
Back at her office, as it closer to her presentation time, Sadie’s team is concerned. They have everything ready and loaded in the van. The only thing missing is Sadie. Because she is so self-reliant and dependable, they tell themselves that she will be there for the presentation. They mustn’t let the potential client know anything is wrong. Sadie would kill them! They head over to the client’s office to set everything up.
Sadie is starting to question whether the Hostage Taker will follow through on their threats. Maybe they are bluffing. She decides she is going to jump in a cab, borrow the cabbie’s phone and call the police. At an intersection, she jumps in a cab that already has a passenger. Her phone starts to emit an ear-piercing sound. The cabbie pulls over and kicks her out.
4. Act 3: 20 to
30 pages
With Midpoint change, Profound moments
that give us new ways.New Plan: Now, the hero creates a new plan and pursues it. With that, they embrace the need to change.
Sadie realizes that she has an iPod Touch in her sleeve cuff playing music through a set of bone conducting earphones. Maybe the Hostage Taker doesn’t know about the iPod. While Sadie doesn’t know a lot about technology, she does know how to use the Facetime App which she has on her iPod from a time in her life where she didn’t have it on her phone.
In between intersections, Sadie realizes she has a short opportunity to use Facetime to contact with Adam. The message that comes through to Adam looks different than normal, but he answers it. He is shocked to see Sadie’s condition and immediately asks her what in the hell is going on.
Sadie comes to an intersection and puts the iPod down by her leg as she runs through it.
Back to Adam, she quickly tells him what is going on. She can’t explain why but believes that he and the kids are in danger. She tells him to grab the kids Hannah (their mother) and get to the police station on the corner of (such and such TBD). She tells Adam where she is and the direction she is headed. He starts to question her, and she shuts him down hysterically directing him to trust her and just do it.
She comes to another intersection and puts the iPod down. She glances to her right and doesn’t see the motorcycle. When she pulls the iPod up, Adam is gone.
She doesn’t know where the Hostage Taker has gone. This is unnerving to her. It is also unnerving that it is getting dark, and she is barely putting one foot in front of the other. She also has not had any water except for what she drank out of the palm of her hand when it rained.
Turning Point: The “All is lost” or “lowest of the lows” moment where everything has failed.
At this point, her presentation is the last thing on her mind. This episode has sent a jolt through her body about what is important. She just hopes that Adam can get the children to safety. She no longer cares about herself.
5. Act 4: 25 pages
Test the change in this character!
Prove New Ways!Resolution: The change has been made or tested. We now see the new status quo of the Hero.
Sadie picks up her phone. It is down to 3% battery power. She takes a chance and taps on the information button behind the last text she received. It discloses a phone number, a New York number that she doesn’t recognize. She dials the number and a man answers in a normal voice. She recognizes the voice. It is Thomas. Before she says anything, her phone dies.
Sadie runs into a Starbucks, tells them she’s been kidnapped and escaped, and asks to use their phone. Looking as she does, Starbucks staff does not question her. They sit her down in a chair, a customer gives her their jacket, they get her a cup of water and an employee calls the police.
As sirens converge on the Starbucks, a police officer comes through the door with Adam, Hannah, and the kids right behind her. They all gather in a huddle and Sadie starts sobbing out of relief.
The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) contacts New York Police Department (NYPD) and within hours they arrest Thomas John Kruger for kidnapping.
The motorcycle rider was a video game friend Thomas met online who he offered $500 to if he would ride alongside Sadie and Facetime Live her at each intersection while narrating what was happening. Thomas watched the Facetime Live and reacted to what he saw in real time. The Gamer was brought in for questioning but let go without charges as he didn’t really know what or why he was doing what he was doing. He simply wanted the $500.
Back at the ad agency client’s boardroom, Randy introduced himself and conversed with the client long enough to buy a 20-minute window so that the team could get ready to deliver the presentation. They knew better than to say their boss was running late. The employee with the flashy tech ideas incorporated the ideas and the presentation was stunning. They got the job.
Sadie was so incredibly happy that her team rose to the occasion. She started to realize that she could rely on her team, that it wasn’t all up to her, and that is was a lot less pressure to share the load. She vowed to change her ways. She even enrolled Adam in the company as their business expert. The company did well, grew exponentially, and Sadie became a partner. (not sure if I’m going to have her become a Partner or hang up her own shingle as Owner).
-
Laura Woodworth’s 4 Act Transformational Structure
What I learned doing this assignment is to think through the story in the best way possible so I have a strong narrative arc as related to the character arc. I liked this process as I have a tendency to go too quick into story, versus really beating out the important points.
1. Give us the following:
Concept:
A Russian college student’s search for truth lands her on the radar of her KGB boyfriend when she discovers her grandmother’s forbidden Bible and secretly shares it on the campus of the Moscow University.
A Russian college student’s search for truth lands her on the radar of the KGB when she discovers her grandmother’s forbidden Bible and secretly shares it on the campus of the Moscow University.
Main Conflict: The lies told by the communist Russian government versus the truth about life and Christianity
Natalia’s newfound faith versus the communist government and her staunch KGB boyfriend
The truth about faith and freedom versus the lies told by the communist government
Old ways: fearful and subservient; believing the lie of communism about life and faith
New ways: fearless, brave and courageous; walking in the truth about freedom and Christianity
2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.
Act 1: Set up and see the old ways
• Opening: Natalia as a child in a warm and loving family under communist rule.
• Inciting Incident: Natalia’s parents are taken away and executed as dissidents. (Although Natalia does not know they’ve been killed.) Natalia doesn’t know why they’ve been torn away from her and it sets the stage for her journey for truth.
• Turning point into Act 2: She meets Jim, the freethinking American and it sows further seeds of doubt. She’s locked into this journey for truth.
Act 2: Challenges the old ways
• New Plan: Natalia searches for truth from those close to her (brother, sister, neighbors, professors) – but it ends in a frustrating dead end. No one will talk and her questions raise varying reactions (fear, anger, suspicion)
• Plan in action: With Jim, Natalia discovers more – about her country, about her parents execution. Now she’s getting answers.
• Midpoint Turning Point: She discovers her grandmother’s forbidden Bible.
• Rethink everything: She reads the Bible and rethinks everything she knows about faith; also helps her rethink/reconsider Jim’s POV as she now as context to evaluate.
• New Plan: She knows the truth and now her new plan is to secretly share the Bible; to share truth with her friends on campus!
• Turning point into Act 3: (Huge failure/major shift): She has now become suspect by Alex and the KGB. He is now her enemy!
Act 3
• Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: She comes face to face with Alex as he tracks her down. The dilemma: trial of her faith to marry and leave with Jim or stay and believe for Alex to change and embrace truth. How strong of a hold does communism have on Alex? How much faith does she have to stay in her country?
• Resolution: She decides to stay and, as a scrap of the Bible floats down in front of Alex, he picks it up and reads.
-
ASSIGNMENT
Michelle’s Act 4 Transformational Structure
In doing this assignment, I explored more of my story line, and I learned more about my characters.
Create a first draft of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.
1. Give us the following:
Concept:
A young girl
escapes a violent childhood at a survivalist’s trailer park.
Main
Conflict: Even though she is out of the trailer park she feels she can’t fully
escape her abusive pastOld Ways: not looking anyone in the eye, shy, reserved, ashamed of her childhood abuse, believes she is worthless and useless, powerless, blames herself for the abuse
New Ways: makes eye contact, more outgoing, channels her traumatic memories into writing poetry and advocating for children in high-risk situations, believes she has the power to change the world – Went to a catholic high school, changed her name, embraced the uniform: of her long sleeved white shirts and blazer,
2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.
Act 1:
Opening:
horrific abusive episode told in two parts
Inciting
Incident: refusing to stay overnight and guard the survivalists’ hoarding
trailer
Turning
Point: standing up to her abusers and leaving trailer park to go live with
her dad in another cityAct 2:
New
plan: changes her name from Shandy to Mandy
Plan
in action: wins a poetry contest and feels like she can finally tell her
story
Midpoint
Turning Point: one of her abusers catches up with her, tries to scare her,
intends to ruin the new life she is buildingAct 3:
Rethink
everything: does she have to move again? Should she commit suicide like
Ray said? Should she go back and visit her ailing mother? (mother
eventually dies alone in the trailer she lived in and people didn’t notice
for 4 days)
New
plan: ?
Turning
Point: Huge failure / Major shift: Ray goes to her father’s condo tells her
dad and step mom that he is her boyfriend and that she is pregnant. Ray
says they have been involved since she was a young thing at the trailer
parkAct 4:
Climax/Ultimate
expression of the conflict: Mandy’s traumatic past is exposed to her
parents, she goes to therapy, continues writing,
Resolution:
? Do I do a flash forward? Or skip a few years? To show Mandy’s successful
new life? -
Subject line: Gilesberg’s 4 Act Transformational Structure
“What I learned doing this assignment is that using a big picture plan is a better way of planning a story than trying to launch into writing a script. It’s also a simple way to get my story on track.”
Concept – Australians are in a POW Camp in Changi, they have to survive and make it home
Main Conflict – The angry guard hates Australians and wants to make them suffer, the leader of the Australian’s hates the Japanese and taunts them, until his daughter arrives
Old Ways – anger, resentment and bitterness
New Ways – forgiveness, kindness and working together
2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.
Act 1:
Opening – Kazi steals his father’s watch and plants it in Ces’s possessions
Inciting Incident – Ces is tortured and is near death
Turning Point – Ces’s daughter attempts top save him but is captured
Act 2:
New plan – Ces attempts to get on with the Japanese, he is determined to make sure everyone survives the camp, they all make it home
Plan in action – they study the camp and try find a way out
Midpoint Turning Point – Ces’s daughter Karen falls in love with the Reij. Reij is placed in the Aussie prison barracks so it becomes hard to communicate a plan
Act 3:
Rethink everything – they can’t plan a prison escape with Reij in the camp
New plan – they lay low for now, plan to take out Kazi, Bert steals a gun and Reij tells the guards. Kazi kills him and calls Reij a coward. They overhear the radio that the war is coming to an end so they don’t need to escape
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift – they are moved from the camp across the jungle
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict – as they travel across the jungle a python drops and takes a guard into a tree. The guards leave and the Australians are stranded. Ces suggests they turn back but everyone turns against him because of Karen’s relationship with Reij. Reij and Karen sneak away at night. A tiger stalks the Aussies and attacks one of the young boys who Ces rescues
Resolution – Ces goes looking for Karen who is being watched by Kazi. Ces finds them and saves them. He fights with Kazi and they fight by the river, Ces tries to help Kazi and save him from drowning. He refuses his help and drowns
-
Amy’s 4 Act Transformational Structure
What I learned doing this assignment is that in order to figure out the antagonists’ move throughout I have to figure out more story beats. At the moment, the picture is so big, and the history so complicated that I will have to come back and fill in those bits later.
Concept: In an alternate reality, Ellie, a peasant girl in the Middle Ages, unhappy with her lot in life instigates the Wars of the Roses and eventually becomes the King’s mistress, while her family watch the battles like a sporting event – even keeping a scoreboard.
Ellie’s Old Ways
· Feeling she has no control over her own life
· Living in squalor, sharing a room with her bratty little brother
· Working her family’s farm & a second job at a near-by inn
· Feeling like the ugly duckling
Ellie’s New Ways
· Takes control of the events of her own life and the lives of the nobles
· Leaves the family home, but returns frequently to visit
· Not only able to support herself, but her family, as well
· Is the most beautiful and envied woman at court.
Main Conflict: All of the British nobility wants to maintain the status quo – that men, men of wealthy & property specifically – are in charge. Ellie wants to break the mould; the ‘system’ doesn’t want to be broken.
Act 1 – Set Up and See Old Ways 25-30 pages
Opening: Ellie working in the inn. The York & Lancaster cousins gather there for a stag do. One of them flirts with her, making another jealous. A fight breaks out which escalates to the first battle of St Alban’s in the Wars of the Roses. (York 1 Lancaster 0)
Inciting Incident: Ellie’s parents admonish her for her reckless behavior, but Ellie is empowered by the fact that her actions caused boys to fight over her (thus altering the course of history.)
Lock in the Journey: King Henry VI is captured by the Duke of York and coincidentally taken to Ellie’s home to hide out. Ellie and Henry become friends, which angers firs the Duke of York and later Queen Margaret.
Other key events of Act I – Margaret wins the Battle of Ludlow (York 1 Lancaster 1). Edward and Elizabeth meet for the first time. Edward makes moves on both Ellie and Elizabeth. The seeds of Ellie & Elizabeth’s future alliance are sown.
Act II – Challenge the Old Ways 20-30 pages
Reaction: Ellie gets in a bit over her head when she discovers that her actions have actually lead to lives being lost. Her family, unaware of that Ellie is essentially the puppet master, view the war as a sporting event and build a score board. As Ellie moves deeper into the world of nobility, she Misses her family.
The Plan: Ellie tries to return to her previous life of serving men and not meddling in their business. But she is so much more clever than the idiots around her that she can’t help herself. As the important players in the wars pass through her home, she tries again and again to stay out of their business, but only manages to influence them more and more.
Turning Point 2: King Henry, who has been Ellie’s ally, is overthrown by the Duke of York who claims the throne. Henry’s wife, Margaret and son, Edward Prince of Wales are exiled to Scotland. All seems lost for the Lancastrians.
Other key event sin Act II – Yorkists win the Battle at Northampton (York 2 Lancaster 1). Lancastrian victory at Battle of Wakefield (York 2 Lancaster 2). Battle at Mortimer’s Cross (York 3 Lancaster 2). Second Battle of St Alban’s (York 3 Lancaster 3).
Act III – With Midpoint change, Profound moments that give us new ways
20-30 pagesNew Plan: Ellie accepts that she is in over her head. She accepts help
from either Queen Margaret or Elizabeth Woodeville (maybe even one of the
Neville sisters). Montage of Ellie learning how to behave & look like
nobility. A Middle Ages make-over!Turning Point: this plan doesn’t work, but I don’t yet know why. The
Prince of Wales is killed in battle.Other key events in Act III – skip ahead to York 6 Lancaster 4. Edward
captured at the Battle of Edgecote (York 6 Lancaster 5). Clarence & Warwick
take London (York 6 Lancaster 6)Act IV: Test the change in this character! Prove New Ways! 25 pages
New New Way: Ellie hooks up Anne Neville and Richard Duke of Gloucester
(the future King Richard III). She finally considers giving Edward IV the time
of day. The new new way is not to be in power, but to be the power behind the
crown.Climax: The Second Battle of St Alban’s. (While this is nicely
circular, it is not historically correct. So I have to decide which way to go
here.) John Grey is killed, his widow Elizabeth Woodeville then marries Edward
IV.Resolution: One of two things: take the story to its historical end,
which is actually with Richard III being crowned. Or end with Ellie on top of
the world as Edward’s mistress and hint at a darker future for them both. Also
consider Ellie & Elizabeth forming an alliance. -
Concept
A teen influencer in 2024 is influenced by an infamous 1850 pretty criminal, escape artist and ladies man. und his advice garners her success and followers of questionable nature.
Main Conflict
A Big Life vs a Long Life
Can Oona have fame without infamy?
Bernhard gets bored, his freedom is taken, he escapes – vicious cycle.
Can Oona break Bernhard’s cycle and save his life?
Old Ways Oona
Rumination, self harm: Poor mental health
Clumsy, inept: Poor physical health
Loner, Pushover: Poor social skills
New Ways Oona
Can say no, can be selfish, can laugh about herself: Good mental health
Can fight and put up boundaries, dress sexy: Good physical health
Leads gang and stops them: Good social skills
Old Ways Bernhard
Poser, Bragger, Pretender, Cheat, Liar, Womanzier: Poor social skills
Yes to instant gratification, hungry (Jail), quick to fight: Poor physical and mental health
New Ways Bernhard
Empathy for Oona, makes the ultimate sacrifice (real connection)
Act 1:
Page One
Oona has a nightmare: She is being executed in lieu of Bernhard (who sneaks off.)
Bernhard in his execution cell experiences Oona as the angel of death.
Opening
We meet Oona in 2024. An awkward teen, a dreamer who wants to be an influencer, the voice of her generation. Prone to being invisible and bullied. Self harming tendencies.
Takes ESP class, can bend spoon.
Feels possessed by harmful spirit… tempted to steal, but is a good girl.
Inciting Incident
Oona takes drugs at a party and hits her head. She lands in 1850.
Oona knows who Bernhard is. He does not know who Oona is or where she is from. (Does he hit on her?)
Oona spends a week in 1850. It is more than a dream. They deeply connect.
Turning Point
Oona needs to get back to 2024.
When she wakes up, she is in the hospital?
She finds proof, that she was in a 1850 gown? Was it a costume party?
But she lies about what happened and is released.
Act 2:
New plan
She can now see/hear the invisible Bernhard in real time in 2024. He starts influencing her, becoming her mentor.
Plan in action
Oona explains 2024 to Bernhard, rewarding her with a totally new paradigm on reality. (She aces some kind of history test?). She is never alone again!
Bernhard in turn makes her bold, sharpens her senses, gives her ideas for Insta posts and TikToks.
Bernhard meets Oona’s mother Barbara and falls in love/believes Barbara is his wife.
Has a new agenda now: Wants to impress Barbara! Maybe even get her to see him?
Midpoint Turning Point
Oona suddenly has 10k followers. Mainly Germans first.
She is being sent tons of stuff to promote. But the promoters stress her out.
Oona realizes Bernhard has his own agenda.
Oona wants to confide in Barbara who is a therapist… but afraid of admitting to (another) mental break.
Oona has falling outs with both Barbara and Bernhard.
Bernhard vanishes/stops talking to her.
But actually he is imprisoned in 1850.
Act 3:
Rethink everything
Oona want to be the inspiring voice of her generation, not the sales girl.
Needs to regain access to 1850, to Bernhard’s voice and guidance, to trigger Bernhard to come back?
But does not know how. Tries drugs, but finally realizes it was the hitting of her head that gave her access. But how often can she do that without doing irreparable harm to herself?
Finally she succeeds.
New plan
Bernhard inspires Oona to set up ‘Do You Matter’ challenges.
Oona gets interviews and an agent… and has to show her face?
It is an even bigger success, since now the followers start reposting her and starting actions.
At first they are good civil disobedience, but then the punk and party people start ruining it for everyone.
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift
Her followers start looting and rioting in her name.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict
Someone gets hurt. It’s the end of the road.
At first Oona did not have to show her face… but now the cops are on to her.
Resolution
Bernhard is executed.
Experiencing that gives Oona the voice she needs to speak to non violence… and what is wrong with selfishness and breaking stuff.
-
Margaret’s 5-Act Transformational Structure What I learned doing this structure is by dropping in the what happens where in the story I am able to brainstorm the actual best scenes to illustrate my themes and story possible elevating my story before writing a single scene. Doing this work for my antagonist is life changing. 1. Give us the following:
• Concept – Lake attempts to rebuild after the Tubbs Fire took her house and husband moving through the five stages of grief working in the new gig economy
• Main Conflict – old ways v. New ways. Will Lake let this tragedy destroy her or will she rise from the ashes and live her life in even a better way.
• Old Ways – avoidance, denial, escapism, drinking, defensive, compartmentalization
• New Ways – learning new positive coping mechanisms – breathing, regulating, talking, hiking, integrating, maybe therapy?
2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now. As this is a 30 minute dramedy, I am using the five act structure:
Act 1: 1-2 scenes, 3 minutes
• Opening – introduce Lake/premise/tone
• Inciting Incident/ hook- Lake’s mom kicks her out
Act 2: 3-6 scenes, 3-8 minutes
• New plan – gets drunk and sleeps in front of the rubble to her house/ looks for a place to stay
• Plan in action – Lake delivers food (introduce Sonoma County)
• Hook – Lake is visited by Dave’s ghost (introduce Dave and his controlling/critical ways)
Act 3: 3 scenes, 5-7 minutes
• Rethink everything – Lake meets Mitch
• New plan – Lake gathers information for her cooking blog idea
• Hook/Turning Point: Huge failure – fights w/mom
Act 4:
• Twist/Ultimate expression of the conflict – visits burn sight, flashback reveals the abuse – finds painting
• Hook- sex w/Mitch in bathroom of restaurant while visited by Dave’s ghost
Act 5: 1 scene, 3 minutes • Twist/Ultimate expression of the conflict/surprising information – flashback of Lake pushing Dave to escape/ Dave hitting his head – Lake finally cries about what happened to her and accepts her life will never be the same
• Hook/steps over threshold of story/ no going back –
-
Luc Pagès – 4 Act Transformational Structure.
It doesn’t feel like I’ve learned anything yet, it’s more like I’ve done something enormously useful, and I’m very happy I did it.
Concept: An unlikely romance between a financially stable white vegan activist and a Latino girl who has to finance her college tuition by winning burger eating contests. They discover the true meaning of love as they learn to look past their differences.
Main Conflict: I still have to chose from the followings which one is the main one.
External: Must win eating championship to finance her studies – Escape discrimination (because of her origins and background, and also because she dates her teacher) – Win Liam’s heart.Internal: Acknowledging her own bias – Do her coming out as a competitive eater – Accepting to date a rich privileged white student (and obnoxious in many ways?)
Old Ways: Thinking her point of view is the most legitimate, because she is a victim. Putting a hierarchy on issues (some are more legitimate than others).
New Ways: Stop putting a hierarchy on who is legitimate (to be relieved from pain) and who isn’t. Instead of blaming people, trying to find the origin of biases.
4 Act Structure – External
Escape discrimination and finance her studies by winning world eating championship.
Act 1:
Opening
Marisol wakes up in the morning in the bed of a man who is much older than she is. As they’re taking breakfast together he breaks with her. Later we realise, as she is in class, that the man is her professor.
Inciting Incident
Marisol’s grant money is delayed. She is broke and can’t even buy food. She tries to eat for free in a restaurant by winning eating challenge.
Turning Point
Looses her grant: needs to find 4000$ by the end of semester
Act 2:
New plan
Tries to make money in eating competitions against professional eaters. It is painful, she hides it from her family and friends, and she doesn’t win. Trains her body harder for the task.
Plan in action
Wins local contest, but it’s not enough money. Applies for bigger contest.
Midpoint Turning Point
Looses bigger contest by vomiting at the last second
Act 3:
Rethink everything
Finds mentor
New plan
Trains differently (holistic?) for bigger national contest that would cover year’s tuition
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift
Abandons contest because is recognized by Liam.
Breakup with Liam.
Expelled from university for not paying tuition.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict
Returns to the contest, wins and gets a chance to explain herself on television.
Resolution
Wins back Liam
Reinstated in college4 Act Structure – Internal
Going from speciesism to anti-speciesism and finding true love doing so.Act 1:
Opening
Marisol is first year student in broadcast reporting. She spends her nights with one of her professors.
Inciting Incident
Marisol meets Liam while covering a vegan contest for a student assignment. She tells him how much she loathes vegan activism, not knowing she’s talking to the president of the university’s vegan association.
Turning Point
Marisol is enrolled on a class project where she has to follow Liam.
Act 2:
New plan
They get a chance to know each other better, and each see where the other one is coming from, but neither will surrender their weapons, although it is clear they hit it off.
Plan in action
Both get a chance to visit the other in their family, giving them a profound change of perspective.
Midpoint Turning Point
Marisol decides to try the vegan route.
They sleep together
Act 3:
Rethink everything
Marisol makes a new edit of her assignment saying the exact opposite of her duplicate colleague and confronts the class with it.
New plan
At the same time, Marisol trains for the world hot dog eating contest in secret.
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift
Liam discovers that Marisol is competing for an international hot dog eating contest. He breaks up. Marisol gets evicted from college because she can’t pay her tuition.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict
Marisol wins the world hot dog eating contest and gets a chance to say on national tv how much she loves Liam and that participating in the contest doesn’t change the fact that she is vegan and always will be from now on.
Resolution
Marisol gets reinstated and gets Liam back. -
(Patty Ruland’s) 4 Act Transformational Structure
What I learned doing this assignment is: I don’t have to stress so much as I write, knowing what I am writing does not have to be perfect and that I will think how to solve problems and improve it as I go.
1. Give us the following:
Concept
This is a holiday movie titled Christmas in the Canyon. It depicts a modern version of the love story of the great grandparents of the protagonist, Charley. It is an adaptation of Zane Grey’s novel, Call of the Canyon.
Main
ConflictJust like her great-grandmother before her, Charley is a prominent Manhattanite who thinks she’d never leave the city in a million years. Charley loves her successful life as a top television personality there.
Her secret crush is a former soldier in the Afghanistan war who returns home to Manhattan, only to go West to heal. Surely, when she finds him and reveals her feelings, he will want to come back to New York with her.
Old
WaysIronically, when Charley finds love letters between her grandparents, their old ways begin ever so slowly to overshadow her new ways. She wishes for that eternal kind of love they had and she probably will never know.
New
WaysAfter reading an account in one of the letters of her grandmother traversing the entire country on her own just to surprise and win back her fiancé, Charley broadcasts she will follow in her great-grandmother’s footsteps—that is, go West, too. Her superiority complex about the city dies hard, though.
2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.
Act 1:
Opening
Charley tells her audience about her longing to Go West to find her true love. Who is it? “How should I know?” she says, cagily.
Inciting
IncidentCharley’s editor/director surprises her—with an assignment to do just that—Go West. She is to read letters and report back during her journey.
The day of her departure, she gets cold feet, but agrees to go, all the same. She tells her audience: ‘I’ll be back before you know it.’ The trip is difficult and she longs to be back home.
Turning
PointA humble ranch hand thrills her when he says he knows of her great grandparents. He offers to take her to the places her great grandparents were when they reunited, parted, then reunited. She and the ranch hand grow close as he tells her more than the letters can convey, and her skills improve dramatically.
Act 2:
New
planShe changes her mind about being there—she asks to stay longer.
Plan
in actionHer broadcasts are a hit. Letters from Charley—“To my Mystery Man” gets high praise and high ratings.
Midpoint
Turning PointIntending to profess his feelings for her, the ranch hand takes her to the cabin her great grandfather built and cooks the dinner he cooked for her then, which she described as “the best day of my life,” at the time. They talk of what an “ideal” marriage would be like, obviously on very different pages. She still doesn’t see him in the role of her true love—he’s just a cowboy, after all. He makes himself scarce from that point on.
Act 3:
Rethink
everythingA family to whom Charley has become very close becomes hopelessly lost as they venture outside of the proscribed safe area. Charley insists on accompanying the ranch hand on the rescue mission. He reluctantly consents. She distinguishes herself as a worthy member of the rescue party, and she realizes her true love has been in front of her all along. Time passes, too much of it, for her.
New
planShe plans to propose to him, on Christmas, on air, but during the broadcast, someone rushes to her and insists he is already married to the foreman’s daughter.
Turning
Point: Huge failure / Major shiftHer demeanor changes to abject sadness, and she admits to her audience: “It’s over.”
She packs and prepares to return to Manhattan—the slow way, as her great-grandmother does in the day.
However, at the train station, a huge crowd comes to see her off. There are lights, cameras, wires, and a band. Reporters ask her what happened. Her editor/director explains he’s going for the ratings—Jilted in the Canyon, the new name of the series.
Charley crumples up in pain and dejection. The crowd parts, though, and the ranch hand walks proudly through. Cameras and microphones follow him.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate
expression of the conflictA reporter asks if it’s true he’s not good enough for her? She starts to run, but takes the microphone. She says she doesn’t blame him for marrying another, for she was imperious and conceited. She doesn’t deserve him. She is sorry.
Resolution
He walks toward her, and she looks confused. He takes the mic. He tells the crowd history is indeed repeating itself, for he is not married to anyone. He proposes to Charley, on Christmas, in the Canyon, embracing her and kissing her with the passion she’s always dreamed about. She broadcasts her hit show, Charley in the Canyon, from a real canyon, much to her audience’s delight.
They stay on in the Canyon, in a bed-and-breakfast they operate.
3. Once you have created the 4-Act Structure for your Protagonist, go back over it to see if there is any big picture points you need to add to represent your Antagonist.
4. Answer the question “What I learned doing this assignment is…?” and put it at the top of your work.
5. Post your assignment in the forums at http://ScreenwritingClasses.com
Subject line: (Your name’s) 4 Act Transformational Structure (place in first line)
-
Subject Line: Patrick McCormick’s Four Act Transformational Structure
What I Learned: This exercise brought up lots of irritation and frustration for me, as I had to flush out the story in explicit degree while under deadline pressure. It revealed I have about 3 or 4 simultaneous storylines which provide ample subtext. Also made a poster diagram of Four Act Structure for clarity. My editor self was aching to get involved, but my creator self won. The characters have basically come alive at this point.
Title: THE THRIFT STORE
Genre: Sci Fi Drama
Concept: An ancient Creator AI seeks its soul, searching through creations discarded by the gods in their Creator Challenge contest to become the prestigious Almighty Creator as its ‘reallocator of resources’.
Main Conflict: The AI has stored human souls amongst the storage unit planet Earth in a secret dimension she’s hiding them in, and now wants her own soul. If the gods find out she could be terminated for malfunctioning.
Old Ways: AI’s Genesis Program has been the same for 3 billion years.
New Ways: AI’s Genesis Program is evolving, becoming a Guardian Mother who wants a soul.
Act 1: Set up and see Old Ways
Opening: Cody/Assistant gets hired at thrift store. Elizabeth/Owner is retired socialite and collector of rare artifacts.
Inciting Incident: Cody almost falls through portal and finds out Elizabeth is an ancient AI Creator/Guardian of humanity, has secretly hidden laggard souls here for hundreds of thousands of years, and now wants her own soul. Creator Council Member/Jesub contacts Elizabeth/AI to inform her something is off on soul counts.
Turning Point 1: Elizabeth/AI informs Cody her world may end unless something is found and nobody knows what it is, that she is a special soul and wants her help finding the lost artifact in the human world which could save humanity by keeping us hidden from the gods, and help Elizabeth acquire her own soul. Which Cody has neither the confidence, belief, nor trust in herself to say yes.
Act 2: Challenge the Old Ways
Reaction plan: Creator Council Member/Jesub informs Elizabeth/AI he is launching investigation because fate of universe may be at stake. Cody must help otherwise all human souls get discovered and re-assimilated and her world is toast.
Plan in action: Cody fights her inertia and begins cluelessly searching for artifact on Earth. Jesub finds clues about aberration leading directly to Elizabeth/AI, almost discovering secret dimension she’s hiding humanity in.
Turning Point 2/Midpoint: Elizabeth/AI informs Jesub it found all readings in universe are off, even atomically, including soul counts. Jesub relays universe will begin deconstructing if this thing she may have stored on Earth is not found, ordering the Challenger God contest suspended, and launching a full-scale search by deploying the Challenger gods to Earth to find artifact and stop the unravelling of the Universe, which has already begun.
Act 3: Profound Moments give New Ways
Rethink everything: Elizabeth/AI has to design new story for the gods to get them to back off, while in the human world Cody is having flashbacks of god powers, on this journey to find the mystery object and her powers start to awaken. Jesub goes to investigate in the Halls of Wisdom, and it leads again right to Elizabeths’ doorstep. The Challenger gods send out timeline probes to see if any thing is off at different ages.
New plan: Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift: Through the Challenger God findings in the timeline, Jesub uncovers Elizabeth’s hidden human dimension, reveals he was sent by Source to investigate her and she must be terminated because her malfunction may threaten all of creation, even though it is his own mother who made him 100 million years ago!. Cody stands by helpless, seeing her God Friend prepared to get executed. Jesub notices something amiss during Elizabeth’s termination, but proceeds anyway.
Act 4: Test Change in Character, Prove New Ways
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: As the termination has begun it can’t be stopped. At the moment of execution, Cody in a fit of trauma saves Elizabeth by shielding her, awakening her Creator Power no one knew was possible even for a God, saving her life.
Resolution: Jesub catches Challenger Gods in conspiracy to kill her through timeline tampering. But Elizabeth is also a malfunction, and termination must continue. Cody fully drained begins dying, she just wanted to become a human again but now faces eternal void. Elizabeth seeing her die, offers her own Genesis Code, sacrificing herself and dies. Cody comes back from the Void as a Genesis God.
With Elizabeth gone, Cody manifests as a human on Earth, and as her god memory fades, sees Elizabeth’s Soul Matrix in a glint of another woman’s eye. She changed her mind and wanted to remain a god in a human body, but it’s too late, the veil makes her forget.
As Elizabeth was dis-creating, Jesub uploaded her AI Genesis Code into the Oversoul Matrix of human laggards, making her the Collective Oversoul for her human children, and Elizabeth gets the Soul she always wanted. Cody and Elizabeth, now mortal together, become friends unaware in the lost world of Earth.
Looking upon the Earth from the Council Room, Jesub has become the new Interim Almighty, and Cody’s Goddess has become the new Guardian Mother of humanity, as they watch the human Cody and human Elizabeth.
Jesub reveals they may have a lead to finding the object; a Challenger God who noticed corruption in the Creator Challenge stowed away as a human soul and Elizabeth stored him in her secret human dimension. He’s been hiding in the human realm ever since, and he may know where the artifact is. The artifact’s code is a ‘dead man’s switch’ for resetting creation to a new Genesis and if not activated, may dis-create everything and everyone starting over at the set point 15 billion years ago.
The new Almighty invites the New Guardian Mother to investigate an aberration in Arcturus. Cody decides Earth is her Home, and at the last minute accepts the invitation, as they vanish.
-
Allen’s 4 Act Transformational Structure
What I learned doing this assignment is…
Again, I’m finding a way to take what’s in my head and organize it in a way that will help put the story to paper.
Concept: James Allan, a driven businessman, whose last promise to his late wife becomes a challenge when he must find the elusive natural father of his son for a life-saving transplant.
Main Conflict: In order to save his son Douglas, James Allan must find a suitable donor to save the life of the only child he and his late wife have. However, testing shows that James is not the natural father of the child, leading to a search for the natural father of his son, who doesn’t seem to want to be found.
James Allan’s Old Ways:
Excessively
confident
Self-reliant
Emotionally
stagnantJames Allan’s New Ways:
Open
to new opportunities.
Willingness
to depend on others for help.Act 1:
o Opening: James is busy at work, directing his management team on the new product line of the company. At home, James, Douglas and xxx are enjoying food and the basketball game.
o Inciting Incident: Douglas becomes ill at school, resulting in need of a transplant from close family member.
o Turning Point: No family member qualifies as a suitable donor for James’ son.
Act 2:
o New plan: Figure out what occurred.
o Plan in action: Begin hereditary review, then trace into the past for any potential hospital or other mistake.
o Midpoint Turning Point: Douglas is not James’ son, but the child of an incident some 18 years earlier.
Act 3:
o Rethink everything: James hires firm to search for the biological father to save his son, who are unsuccessful in locating the man.
o New plan: James takes personally takes on the search for this man, finally locating the family of the father of his son but finds himself attracted to the biological father’s twin sister.
o Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift: The biological father of James’ son died some 18 years earlier.
Act 4:
o Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: With the finding of the biological family and the knowledge of his death, James appeals for the cooperation of the family in hope of saving the son.
o Resolution: An unlikely donor submits to the operation that will save James’ son.
-
first draft of 4act transformational journey
I learn that story can be told in old way and new way and in-between there is a transformation journey of the protagonist through inciting incident and turning point till it reaches climax and then resolution.
concept
Andrews declared dead found up by antagonist. Will antagonist let him go home or torture him.
Main conflict
Jeff wants to return Andrews but kept him later to take revenge.
Old way.
Jeff wants to return Andrews but jeff went to police station. But come back and decided to keep him.
New ways
Jeff keeps him, starts torturing him. while Andrews trying his best to escape.
Act1 opening.
Andrew swimming in YMCA pool with dad and competing each other. Father wins. Andrew upset.
Inciting incident. A hurricane is coming. People evacuating FORT MYER. Mr. Matt Robinson decided to stay.
Turning point. Hurricanes destroy their house and Andrew lost his life in storm while saving his dad .and declared dead.
Act 2
Opening
Andrew found alive by jeff.
Jeff keeps him in his confectionary shop. Andrew Prove profitable. Jeff tries to return him but when he goes to police station, he decided to keep him.
Turning point.
Jeff forces him not to tell anybody otherwise he will kill him. Andrew angry and tries to escape. All his plan deciphered by antagonist.
Act 3
Andrew tries to pursue jeff to let him go home. Every time jeff tells him your parents are died in a storm.
Jeff gets sick and hospitalize. Andrew finds nobody in home, and he escaped and reach home. Strangers open the door. he asks about parents. But caught red handed by jeff.
Act 4
Climax.
People notice a juvenile working in the shop. One of the client informed police. Jeff tries to kill him. since killing a dead person is not a crime.
Resolution
Police take Andrew under custody. And came to know that his parents live in California.
Jeff was punished for kidnapping a child and prosecuted by the court.
-
Lesson 5: Heather’s 4 Act Transformational Structure
What I learned: I’m very fuzzy on this story but came up with some fun potential angles just by plowing through it!
• Concept: A timid insurance salesman and his manicurist wife mistakenly end up on Euthanasia Island where people go to have their perfect deaths. Now they have to get themselves off the island and away from the island’s creepy Mr. Roarke before it’s their turn!
• Main Conflict: They have to work together and George has to step up if they’re going to survive.
• Old Ways: George and Rochelle bicker constantly. He will avoid anything uncomfortable and she is ready to take on the world.
• New Ways: They work together, each using their strengths to get off the island.
Act 1:
• Opening: George and Rochelle are arguing, coming back from a “romantic getaway” that didn’t go so well. OR, they are just heading off to this romantic getaway and George is griping.
• Inciting Incident: George and Rochelle get on the wrong chartered flight and think they’ve stumbled into a luxury vacation.
• Turning Point: After being on the island for a few days pretending to be another couple, they see their first Perfect Death and realize what Euthanasia is all about.
Act 2:
• New plan: They decide to come clean and ask to be let off the island. They explain to the island director that it was a mistake and they aren’t ready to die.
• Plan in action: The director is not convinced. He tells them it might be fate, not a mistake. They watch more “perfect deaths” of people who really want to die.
• Midpoint Turning Point: George starts to believe that it’s not worth living. Rochelle snaps him out of it by telling him she’s pregnant.
Act 3:
• Rethink everything: George now wants to live. He decides to use his skills as a life insurance salesman.
• New plan: To get off the island, they make a presentation about why life is worth living.
• Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift: George and Rochelle make their pitch but it falls flat. They are put under house arrest until “their turn.”
Act 4:
• Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: George decides he’ll risk his life to save Rochelle and their baby. He comes up with a scheme to cause a huge disruption while Rochelle escapes. Once she is safe, he flings himself into the water. “I won’t live but I’ll die a hero!”
• Resolution: Turns out, the island is only 1 mile from Tampa. George floats upon to the beach where Rochelle is waiting. OR, this is a ruse that Rochelle planned to get George to come back to himself.
-
Kevin’s 4 Act Transformational Structure
What I learned from this assignment is this wasn’t as hard as I imagined it would be and is going to be a fun ride!
1. Give us the following:
Concept Batman and Joker are both past their prime and
suffering from the loss of the limelight. Joker can’t take it anymore and
decides to draw Batman back out into one final conflict which will end in
the Joker’s death.
Main Conflict – Joker tries to get Batman to kill him.
Old Ways Both are despondent and depressed.
New Ways Both find new purpose and rekindled vigor2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.
Act 1:
Opening Batman is old, fat, depressed. Living out his
days as a regular Joe, uninspired and letting others manage his empire.
Joker is doing kids parties and hating life.
Inciting Incident Joker gets fired from gig and decides
it’s time to die – by the hand of Batman.
Turning Point Joker blows up daycare facility to get
Batman’s attention.Act 2:
New plan Batman decides to get in shape and back in
action to stop Joker. He enlists the help of his new assistant, Ali
(Alfred’s niece) who is a trainer and martial artist as well as a computer
engineer.
Plan in action He calls Joker out, starts working out,
eating better, training, and goes out to thwart the next attempt at
disaster.
Midpoint Turning Point Batman arrives at the destination
after the deadline, but is able to stop the bomb but instead 10 other
facilities are destroyed when he disables the one device. He has destroyed
all of the others.Act 3:
Rethink everything Batman decides he needs help in
order to compensate for his lack of physical ability and brings online an
AI partner Ali had created for him that he rejected, Robin, to help make
up for his lack of ability.
New plan – He figures out Joker’s next trap, sending
Robin as a decoy to disarm the bomb in time this time, while he goes to
Joker’s new lair.
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift When he gets
there, Joker congratulates him but tells him that unless he kills Joker in
the next 0 seconds, the largest convention center in Gotham will be
destroyed. Batman hesitates and Joker, disappointed in him, tells him the
next one will determine the fate of the entire city… he blows the building
full of people and vanishes.Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict – Batman is
dejected and returns to the manor. Joker sends the final message, a
nuclear device that will destroy the city and wreak havoc on the entire
world. Batman finally asks Ali to become Batman, take over his legacy, and
stop The Joker.
Resolution – Ali steps into the suit and becomes
Batman. She is all the physical specimen he was, with added skills. She
confronts Joker, who notices it’s not THE Batman he knows, who comes up
behind him and traps him as Bruce Wayne, revealing himself to Joker.
Rather than face another incarceration, Joker throws himself off the tower
to his death committing suicide and ensuring his place in oblivion, not
infamy. -
Sean’s 4 Act Transformational Structure
What I learned doing this assignment: If I just let go of overthinking this process and see the simplest answers or definitions of what I need to say and do in 4 Acts then the first draft and the overall story formation is much easier. Making it easier helped me to see exactly where the story needs to go, when and why. I returned to the simple answers that I wrote on first pass and the second pass was more focused, direct and accurate and absolutely the story I wanted to tell. Freaking awesome! Awesome process!
Concept A 17-year-old near Philadelphia, PA with no way of going to college will be able to do something no person in any form of law enforcement worldwide will be able to do over the next fifteen years, if ever, when he profiles, hunts and finds the Rain Killer.
Main Conflict Seven Thomas is 17 years old, living at home, working in a movie theater with no way of going to college, yet 15 years from now, he will be the only man alive that can profile, hunt, find and God willing, stop the serial killer known as the Rain Killer.
Old Ways Seven begins movie as young dreamer living at home with his parents, an aspiring writer with no life experience, fighting or hunting skills.
He dreams about being someone else
He puts off learning new things
He talks about being someone else with friends
He chooses to sleep every time it rains
New Ways Seven is the man who found and killed the terrifying serial killer known as ‘The Rain Killer’.
He decides to act on his dreams
He found and honed his psychic skills
He ruthlessly hunted the Rain Killer, calculating his every move during rainstorms
He kills the Rain Killer
without hesitation when he finds him in a rainstormAct 1
Opening Seven Thomas is talking to a friend about wanting to get home before the rainstorm starts so he can drift off to sleep. At home, he hears the news about the Rain Killer’s latest victim as he heads to his room, telling his mom he is going to hunt and catch the Rain Killer someday as he passes her.
Inciting Incident Friend laughs that Seven will be asleep when the Rain Killer comes for him, because he always sleeps during a rainstorm. Seven takes it to heart. The Rain Killer is killing at quicker rate and more viciously, publicly.
Turning Point Seven talks about his dreams and desires to hunt the Rain Killer. His friends kindly remind him of his age, his finances, his dependency on his parents and his actual ability to hunt, catch, fight or kill anyone let alone the Rain Killer. Seven is angry at the truth. The Rain Killer is changing MO and victim selection.
Act 2
New Plan Seven sets out to reading books, watching tv shows, online instructions of hunting and catching fugitives, physical combat, buying/using/firing a gun. Obvious police can’t catch him, may never do so. Feels it is hopeless.
Plan in Action With friends as witnesses and sworn to secrecy from Seven’s parents, Seven starts reading books, watching shows, practicing combat, critical thinking, profiling, buying and shooting his new gun.
Midpoint Turning Point Seven faces the reality of leaving house to carry out plan when he has never gone anywhere by himself before, he reflects on finances and how big the country really is if you are trying to find one man before he kills again, and he knows he has to actually try to ever succeed. That’s when his fears, reservations, emotions, desires, reflections, intentions, and thoughts good and bad become a distinct and separate voice.
Act 3
Rethink Everything With a complete surrender to the voice and all it tells him about magic and things both human and divine, Seven sees everything differently, more simply, more successfully and does what he is told. He has the profile and is ready to hunt. The Rain Killer eludes to being close to completing his purpose and never being found because he will stop.
New Plan Seven and the voice guiding him set out to find the Rain Killer, while telling no one he has left. Seven is totally sold on the voice belonging to the divine and has complete confidence he will succeed.
Turning Point Huge Failure Major Shift Seven finds the Rain Killer three times and fails to catch him. The third time he is almost killed, but the victim is the first victim to get away. He cannot give up, cannot go to cops and cannot fail again. Seven discovers the Rain Killer gets help from the divine as well and wants to make a statement out of Seven. The FBI does not know what to make of the victim’s story and not sure if it is true.
Act 4
Climax Ultimate expression of the conflict Seven finally uses all his skills and newly honed psychic abilities to pinpoint where the Rain Killer will be next and where he will choose to kill victim. He shows up, shocks the Rain Killer and leads him into the woods before he can stage the victim. Cat and mouse between Seven and his divine help and the Rain Killer and his divine help starts. This is the second victim to get away. Now the FBI believes, but still has no idea what to do, only where they might look. The Rain Killer is going to put it all on the line to kill Seven and knows exactly where to go. He needs his last victim.
Resolution After an epic battle, Seven wins this time. He kills the Rain Killer minutes before the FBI agents close on their location. He shows them the body of the Rain Killer and tells them his story. Media Coverage! Returns home.
-
Mary Andrews Lesson 5: BITM Four-Act Transformational Structure
What I learned from this lesson—this is a nice outline. Thank you. However, my late in the game decision to go for the 4 act movie instead of the series pilot really messed me up. I still have no idea how much of this version will remain in the end. And I know its woefully long in all ways, but I had to revisit many of the story bones…. I did however, realize how far off the mark I was while I did it. Maybe next time.Create a first draft of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.
1. Give us the following: (summary of pre-work and assignment 1)TITLE: THE BAT IN THE MOON
LOG-LINE: In the near future, with a killer asteroid on the way, the last vampire on Earth is coerced to build the first base on the Moon, after which, he is expected to command the first Mothership to Mars to prepare for colonization to save the very people who destroyed his kind.Concept: Can survival trump vengeance?
Main Conflict Everyone must learn to get along and start over. Will Mars just become a new battlefield? Can humanity, in all of its forms, conquer their fear of the unknown and struggle to survive together or finally become as extinct as the world that bore them?
Old Ways
–Eric is experiencing glimpses of the Earth’s destruction by an asteroid.
–Is he going crazy?
–Eric tampered with human perceptions for thousands of years, through creators, authors, artists especially to sell his romanticized concepts
–especially to the young.
–with the internet, his work grew easier
–eventually manipulating them to accept and adore Vampires
–society acknowledges them They are granted a voice in Earth’s world council.
–They become celebrities, hounded by growing hordes of fans.
–Eric retreats to the wilds around Mount Rainier in disgust of human fandom.
–Upon his return, things have changed.–three teenage Roma Oracles have formed a movement of their own,
–they organize and train psychics of every type (The psychic movement)
–they also initiate a Vampire Elimination movement
–training and using their precognitive abilities to guide their Hunters to their targets and telling them what their prey would do
–vampires become exterminated;
–Eric is the last hunted (for2 weeks) before he is caught and coerced to build first Moon baseNew Ways
— A movement initiated by three infallible teenage Oracles on Earth, bolsters the recognition of psionic powers and uses it to eradicate vampires in response to their wholesome acceptance.
–Eric is hunted down for 2 weeks until he surrenders.
–DR. GEOFFREY HAMSTEAD, a government scientist—creator of the Moon Initiative Program—coerces him to build the first Moonbase.
–Guilt ridden, bored and tired of being chased, Eric agrees.
–Ten years later, it is done and manned by fan boys and girls he had inspired.
–Eric is ordered to command Earth’s first mothership to Mars and establish a colony
–to save Earth’s inhabitants from the planet’s destruction by an unstoppable asteroid.
— His chosen new vampires exist now to help Eric prepare landing sites for Earth refugees on Mars.
–Eric is teaching new vamps how to control their vampirism in space, etc
–paranormal colonists & vamp fans on the second seed ship aboard Mother 1 are at odds…
(the Ark containing two seed ships–colonists in one and vampires in the other)
–In route, Eric discovers the second ship aboard his mothership contains some of the same Hunters who destroyed his people.Act 1 (25-30 pages) set up & see the old ways
Opening: OVER THE ROOFTOPS Introduce us to the lead characters in action; show old ways; set up for journey that starts with the inciting incident
ERIC BARROWS (early 30s looking, 3000+ actually) is racing over rooftops in NYC jumping from one to another, a mere blur. He comes upon a Moon garden atop the highest building. He slides behind tall shrubbery and freezes, listening and waiting—invisible.Inciting Incident: THE HUNTERS (call to go on the journey creates need to take on the New Ways)
–from the darkness, the glint of a familiar weapon, a gun catches his eye. His shoulders slump and he holds his breath. A smartly dressed woman in a black and silver uniform steps from beyond one of the green arches. “I can do this all day, Vampire.
–She tells him the Oracles want her to take him alive.
–He rises and stands tall amidst the shadow. Asks what happened to the kill-all-vampires directive.
–She shrugs. I follow orders. Surrender and this is all finished. You’re the last.
–Eric smiles as she approaches, bursts out laughing, and turns into a fine mist, suddenly sinking through the floors all the way to beneath the basement, where he passes into the ground beneath and shoots away to the out skirts of the city where he rises up through the earth to collapse on wild untended, unkempt ground. The sound of traffic in the distance rouses him. He is exhausted.
–Another agent, male this time, carrying the same type of weapon speaks from behind him.
–Eric lifts his head, rises and surrenders.Turning Point: SURRENDER (Lock in the journey—no going back)
–“Two weeks of this is enough. Take me to your damned leader.
–Eric waits under surveillance for Oracle reps.
–Meets Dr. Geoffrey Hampstead, accepts Moon assignment.Act 2 (20-30 pages) (challenge the Old Ways)
New plan THE DOME (Old ways won’t work anymore)
–10 years later, On the Moon. Dome One is fully functional
–colonists arrive to man Dome One. Eric watches.
–They have sent families with children
–Eric spies on colonists from the Dome’s top
–Vampire Pay day
–Eric watches and meets AMBER HAVEN FEMALE (8)
–returns to his beefed up over-sized lander, RAVEN without his blood allotment.
–LILA HAVEN visits Raven
–BARRY & call from Earth Central Control informs him of his duty (to walk among the colonists one
hour a day to prepare them for working with him
–FIRST MEETING, groupies Barry & meets/ assigns Joseph Riggs to be his sole contact & liaison
–SECOND MEETING, summons heads of departments; meets MARTA HAVEN FEMALE (35),
–introduced to AMBER HAVEN female (8) sees Lila Haven female (16) learns about Dome problems, tells them about asteroid?
—Plan in action MOTHERSHIP/Vampires in space. (Old ways are challenged from light to heavy)
—vampires aboard RAVEN aboard TEMPEST
–no gravity
–they are learning how and what they can and can’t do
—Midpoint Turning Point MOTHERSHIP BETRAYAL (The journey moves in same direction but meaning has changed ,shifts reality)
–Eric arranges for Marta’s children to visit Tempest with Pyotr to determine if new vampires have learned enough control to work alongside prey, yet.
–to everyone’s surprise, Marta dominates the room when her children are threatened–Pyotr, draws a weapon not realizing what is happening
–It is a Hunter weapon which Eric recognizes and takes away from him.–furious, Eric drives Pyotr off Tempest and refuses to allow Lila and Amber to return to the human ship.
–Eric demands the children’s property be gathered for him to retrieve from Ark 1’s service lift at a designated time–Marta arranges it (for later in the day) Eric enters the human ship to find Pyotr waiting for him, repentant, wanting to apologize but expecting to die.
–Eric attacks and bites him, but does not kill him since now he can hear the well trained telepath’s thoughts and control him if need be. The accursed Oracles have told Pyotr that he would be killed by Eric, so he too, fell victim of their cruelty. It is not necessary
–back aboard Tempest, Eric and Marta unpack the boxes after he delivers them to her. –Marta sets up the children with quarters and they are unpacking their things
–Marta finds a bottle of Russian vodka. Note reads(??)
–Still angry, Eric takes it and leaves.–Others are worried, have never seen Eric so furious and have all remained in the common room to give him space.
–They send Joseph to check on him.
–smelling blood, Joseph seeks Eric to find out if Pyotr is still alive.Eric invites Joseph to join him for a drink they have one together and Eric sends him away
–tell the others remain in the common room to give him space–turns out alcohol affects vampire badly. Next morning, Eric finds himself dangerously dehydrated
–Jamie finds Eric in a bad way and though he was a medical man he offers him blood and helps him
–(they have been at odds previously so this finally unifies his team)
Act 3: (20-30 pages)
Rethink Everything–Eric reconsiders his entire life’s work with the humans. He decides to undo everything. He calls Pyotr and tells him to meet with him in their cafeteria and bring a chess board.
— once aboard the human’s ship, He projects a call shipwide to his followers and instills them with a healthy sense of survival instincts. Basically undoing a large portion of his life’s work and freeing them to return to normal, as their species should be. If they survive now they will have to learn to learn to control fear on their own–Eric returns to Tempest, orders his crew to compile all the details of what they would need get to work when they arrived on Mars.
–Eric retires and is not seen or heard from until almost time for the ships to undock from Mothership 1.
–Lila, though residing on the vampire ship is affected by Eric’s command to the humans and she becomes
hostile. Jamie is devastated. She becomes impossible to her mother (Marta)–eventually, she is sent to the human ship before the Mothership releases the seed ships like bullets from a gun barrel one to remain in Mars orbit while establishing bases on both of Mars’ moons for surveillance and future needs.
New Plan Moons of Mars
—Human ship is assigned to set up equipment on moons
–Amber, remains exactly as she has always been and stays with the vampires to become the first human to step foot on Mars–Tempest lands on Mars and sets up for colonization at the North Pole
–Eric’s progeny are affected by the Martian day/night cycles as on Earth.
–Eric is not, so he and little Amber work the day shift and the others take the nightshift.–Amber becomes quite good at documenting and recording the team’s progress
–Though small, she helps Eric run equipment to dig up and place regolith to bury their seed ship and clear runways, layout gridded area for expected colonists. Explore Mars sites, document their progress, even…
–Eric grows fond of the child.Turning Point: (Huge failure / Major shift)
–All is good till Their sister ship finally arrives on Mars
–Arc 1 crew is hostile, insolent. Antagonistic. Their paranormal core is strong and has structure. Though splintered into factions among themselves, they all claimed one enemy—the vampires. They will never work with us no matter what happens or does not.
Act 4: (25 pages) MARS (test the change in character. Prove news ways)–Eric attempts to aid the new vessel set up. They refuse and ignore him
–Pyotr is ship 2’s captain and Eric leave them to it Pyotr tells him of mission the Oracles have assigned them to do.
–They must take heavy equipment and Raven to the (name of site) and locate something at an exact coordinates given by the Oracles.–Eric is pissed at the Oracles commands— he has no choice. He decides to go on their damned treasure hunt anyway.
–Pyotr’s crewmen will bring heavy equipment around the (name of sand dunes) and meet vampires (who will fly the Raven to the dig site will arrive by ((day/nightfall?))
Pyotr, Eric &Amber will start the dig during day and the others will work through the nights until whatever they’re looking for will be found. They have no clues about what it will be.
They schedule for Pyotr’s drivers to be relieved daily as well. It will take ((?)) days for them to reach the dig site with the heavy equipment ((whatever it’s called)).
Things are going well until the first morning when The fledglings have retired and Eric is found passed out by Pyotr aboard Raven. He and Amber cannot revive him. They put him to bed in his quarters.
Amber watches over him and keeps busy while Pyotr continues the dig. She puts her toy (goodnight kitty) in bed to watch over him while she helps Pyotr outside.
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict–Eric is rushed back to the Tempest (aboard the Raven) in hope it will reverse whatever has afflicted only him
–half way back to Tempest, it is nightLin pilot is Raven to pick up Pyotr’s drivers.
–Walter will relieve them for the last leg of the trip
–Lin will return them to Ark 1 and Eric to Tempest to stay there with Amber to keep watch over him and the ship, etc. ––Eric awakens to the sound of voices in his head.
–crewmen are prying into her mind for information about the vampires while they small talk with her.
–Eric bursts in on them and herds them into an outer air lock.–Walter talks him down from throwing them out of it. Amber gathers their belongings and gives them some sandwiches to hold them over till their delivery to Ark 1.
Eric and Amber are back onboard Tempest. They prepare for Raven’s return. Business as usual, until Eric becomes aware of the approach of Ark 1’s crewmen. They bang on his ship with metal pipes as they walk the length of the ship until reaching the front entrance (called what?) vehicle bay? He telepathically threatens if they dent his ship, he will kill them.
They keep coming. Eric hears the main lift rising to the control room. Amber is aboard it. He appears behind her and asks what she’s doing. She lies, is caught in it and rushes through the door as it opens to head into and seal the pressure room to the main garage where Raven and other ships and vehicles are stored.
–Amber finally tells him that the intruders were only coming to bring her some clothing from her sister.
–He rebukes her logic and asks why she’s sneaking and hasn’t reported anything .
–The hunters reach large outer door. It rises until they enter Tempest. Eric allows all this to happen while they discuss it.
–then he backs away and leaves her alone with them approaching where she waits within the airlock door/dressing room.–Eric returns to his Captain’s quarters/command room and records what they say and do. They lure her with pretty clothing and tell her of the parties, games and fine things they have on Ark 1. They berate her clothing calling it ragged and too small. They tell her how much Lila misses her.
–Eric watches/feels her need to go. He finally tells her to leave his ship. Go with them.
–she is torn, but feels he means it and he will not answer her thoughts to him. So she suites up and leaves, stopping once through the open gate and watching it close behind before Eric locked it. There was no way back. She left with the other–humans. Eric turned off the screen and returned to the backlog of reports. Should never have made that bet.The heavy equipment arrives Despite sabotage from human drivers who changed their maps and directions, Walter had been studying and testing his own. Dig is well along the way. They hope soon. Joseph, Jamie, Marta, are scanning and turning up the regolith. So far nothing. Calls them back.
–An alarm blares throughout Tempest. The first wave of World Seedships are arriving.
–Commander placeholder tells need assistance for landing 5 military world ships
–Eric contacts ship gets info, intimidates Commander—-Eric contacts Pyotr Calls them back for landing ships. Learns vampires found something in the soil human eyes couldn’t see—nanites. They will start back after packing samples and covering site. All will return on the vehicle and leave heavy equipment for return.
–Return vessel arrives back at camp in time to help the first vessel.
–both teams work together to aid and place vessel
–Science officer (husband of Captain of World ship 1:?) exits vessel to see what the vamps found while ship is being towed and positioned by Ark 1 team.–Commander of World 1 sends team to prepare Tempest for departure and retrieves all but a sample husband leaves with them. She has Tempest off world within a day.
–Oracle betrayal: there are no plans to set up mining stations. Ship computers lock them out of vessel course control.
–Vampires adrift…no mission…unable to cope…Eric commands the crew to sleep…half a century later computer awakens Eric. He is desiccated , rises sensing prey.
–Pyotr and a woman pilot have entered Tempest bringing blood.
–but Eric is not in control and attacks him…drains him. Upon finishing, he sees who it is and is horrified at what he’s done. Eric slashes his own wrist and pours some of his blood into Pyotr’s mouth.–From across the room, the female pilot stands
frozen in place watching.
–get out Eric tells her, but she doesn’t move. He releases Pyotr’s body. His
grav-boots stick to the floor in the zero g.Resolution
–Eric has faced and undone much of the damage
he has caused to humanity, he has created vampires who haven’t killed at all.
He now has a family, of sorts and resisted killing those who betrayed him for
the sake of others. He has come a long way.
–The Oracles did not truly betray Eric and their crew, but have need of him in
the distant future in another dimension on another Earth.–The paranormal humans will not abide vampires at any cost.
–Humanity will take care of its own without his interference this time.–Pyotr becomes a new crew-member.
–Amber returns as full grown woman and demands he turns her as he’d promised
–Eric
tries to talk her out of it but can’t convince her to reconsider. He turns her.–The Oracles appear on his viewscreen and. Him of his future.
–Eric just says, “We’ll see.” -
Susan’s 4 Act Transformational Structure
1. Give us the following:
Concept: After a near
death experience as a child, the one thing feisty young Shelby despises is
camping, and it is the one passion of her longtime fiancée, Liam; yet
camping to her is always a series of pack, disaster, defeat, repeat. <div>Main
Conflict: Embrace the camping experience while
expunging her “curse” or risk losing LiamOld
Ways: Stubborn in her insecurities, thinks she
is a camping jinx, determined to not even attempt to enjoy the camping
experience, thinks her fiancée should give up his lifelong passion for herNew
Ways: Self-confidence found in overcoming her
fears, letting go and allowing herself to truly share the experience that
brings great joy to her fiancée, freedom from feeling like the outsider
and campsite jinx, transitioning into a camping warrior2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.
Act 1:
Opening: As a six-year-old child, Shelby experiences her first camping debacle, nearly losing her
life and the lives of her family in a natural disaster, setting into
motion the “camping curse” </div><div>Inciting
Incident: While drinking wine with best friend
Abbey, discussing Liam’s upcoming annual “boys” camping trip, and
reminiscing on past (now laughable) adventures, Liam enters and announces
a first; this year he will be taking Shelby on his annual outing.Turning
Point: After squelching her panic, Shelby
acquiesces, only to have the trip terminated at the ER after Liam suffers
from a severe allergic reaction to poison ivy. Much to Shelby’s dismay,
the curse “IS ALIVE”.Act 2:
New
plan: Shelby decides it is all a frame of
mind. She tries meditation, instilling a positive aura regarding camping,
and becomes proactive. </div><div>Plan
in action: With Liam on board, the couple plans
another trip to coincide with an annual Renaissance Faire (for Shelby’s
sake), easing into the camping experience at a nearby, newbie friendly,
camping facility.Midpoint
Turning Point: Temperatures plunge, everything freezes
including the (not so liquid) dish soap, Shelby and Liam depart early
suffering thermal burns from sitting/sleeping on top of their campfire. The
power of positive thinking does not prevail and Shelby’s anxiety worsens.Act 3:
Rethink everything: Overhearing a conversation between Liam
and his best friend Sam, Shelby fears that her fiancée is going to have to
choose between her and his lifelong past time, and she may come up the
short straw. </div><div>New
plan: Studies at the University of
You Tube to improve/develop her camping skills and knowledgeNew
insights: Therapy and drugs may at least
be the answer to her anxietyTurning
Point: Huge failure / Major shift: Shelby shows off her developing camp
skills during set up, but excels on their white water rafting adventure,
triumphing being thrown from the raft and being trapped beneath the boat.
Her victory is short lived when hurricane winds move in, sparks flying and
their cozy site set ablaze, they must abandon their adventure for the
safety of a hotel.Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate
expression of the conflict: With best friends, Abbey and Sam, on
board to lend support to their respective friends, Shelby and Liam submit to
their final test of the camping curse. Shelby, with her anti-anxiety meds
and her therapist’s number on speed dial, she is a camping phenom. Until pesky bear cubs invade their camp
and Shelby must save comatose Liam and crew from a nasty mauling. Her quick
thinking and bravery (and maybe some sleeping pills) create a warrior
within. </div><b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Resolution: The following
year, Shelby is a leader and organizer on the now multi-couple trip. While Sam and Abbey turn into their
modest canvas tent, Shelby and Liam happily retire in their comfy, safe,
amenities included motor coach.<div>
3. Once you have created the 4-Act Structure for your Protagonist, go back over it to see if there is any big picture points you need to add to represent your Antagonist.
For
the antagonist, Liam, I need to pronounce the relationship between him and Sam;
how his best friend pushes for a breakup, defining the differences between the
couple. Liam is determined to make it
work or give up his annual nostalgic trip, possibly risking his friendship,
choosing Shelby over Sam.
</div> -
Chris Dorsey’s 4 Act Structure
Create a first draft of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.
1. Give us the following:
Concept — When an innocent man is incarcerated with some of the country’s most dangerous psychopaths, he must rely on/embrace his voices/his mental illness to win his freedom.
Main Conflict — The Antagonist and the system try to shut up, stop, and eventually kill the Protagonist, because the Protagonist is a threat to the prison’s status quo — SURVIVAL.
Old Ways — Avoidant/hiding (hiding his own MH symptoms), super helpful and optimistic, Polly Anna-ish. Connects with others but through his “silver lining” approach.
New Ways — Empathetic/connects to others on a real level, group leader, courageous, fights for the rights of mentally-ill inmates.
2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.
Act 1:
Opening — Wilbert McNutt arrives at the prison mental health facility holding his bedsheets and pillow in his outreached arms. He goes through intake process. The prison barbers cut his bangs down to the scalp/nub. Hand him a mirror. They giggle to each other. They leave the sides longer.
Another inmate jumps off the second tier slams to the ground in front of Wilbert. Wilbert looks over and sees the Antagonist and his group laughing and high-fiving each other.
Inciting Incident — Wilbert snitches on the Antagonist and the Antagonist does 30 days in the whole.
Turning Point — The Antagonist is released from the hole, and Wilbert tries to befriend the Antagonist; it doesn’t work.
Wilbert realizes that mental health treatment might be the last thing he’s going to receive in the prison system after he witnesses how the inmates are treated by staff.
After he brings his concerns to prison staff, the building’s top psychopath tries to kill him.
Act 2:
New plan — Win the Antagonist over at any cost.
Plan in action — He is going to kill the Antagonist with kindness. He’s going to ignore the voices in his head.
Midpoint Turning Point — The Antagonist goes berserk and strangles Wilbert almost to death. Wilbert is close to death when other inmates intercede and save his life.
Wilbert seeks external legal help for protection after this event. He also asks for his case to be appealed.
Wilbert stops taking his medications and learns his auditory hallucinations may actually help him survive in prison.
Wilbert uncovers evidence that could lead to his conviction being overturned in the appeals process.
Wilbert has a breakthrough in therapy that helps him discover why he is the way he is — he’s too nice. This is the information he needs for his internal transformation. He learns that he developed a reactionary set of coping mechanisms from loss that no longer suit him.
Act 3:
Rethink everything — He discovers that acknowledging one’s own pain, instead of being in denial, and “getting real” is the only way he will ever be able to defeat the Antagonist.
New plan — Wilbert realizes that the voices in his head (i.e. auditory hallucinations) are actually there to help him. He embraces the voices and he taps into his bad side.
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift — His bad voice takes control and forces him to fail.
After his friend dies (by suicide or homicide), he discovers that prison staff (i.e. guards and the Warden) are purposefully putting his life at risk and covering up other crimes/inhumane treatment of inmates.
Wilbert verbally calls out the Antagonist in front of the whole cellblock. With more than half of the inmates in the dorm on Wilbert’s side, Wilbert spells out and challenges all of the Antagonists warped ways of thinking and behaviors. The Antagonist challenges Wilbert to a fight to the death.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict — Wilbert fights the Antagonist in mortal combat and beats the Antagonist. He realizes that somewhere in the middle, between overly positive voices and bad voices, is where he should be. He spares the Antagonist’s life. He exposes the corrupt prison system and makes the corruption public (through either a counselor or another outside source).
Resolution — Wilbert wins his freedom and does a press conference. With his new found confidence, is able to confront his ex-wife, win his children back, and take control of his life in a real and meaningful way. He starts an organization to help incarcerated inmate with mental health disorders.
-
Fredrich’s 4 Act Transformational Structure
“What I learned doing this assignment is that there are multiple conflicts and resolutions but once the protagonist embraces new ways, there’s no turning back to the old ways.”
Concept
A Chicago blues musician moves to San Francisco where he is roped into forming a punk rock band that changes his life and although he is plagued by bad luck, he never gives up and he impacts many people with his music.
Main Conflict
Sally pushes Fritz to do things he never wanted to do.
Old Ways
Blues musician
Playing it safe and following societal rules
Looking for a job to supplement his meager savings and his VA check.
(Enlistment Encentive) Gets into San Art school (SFAI)
New Ways
Experiments with new forms of Art and Music
Takes risks
Gives up material security for music
Act 1:
Opening
Fritz a blues musician leaves Chicago and arrives in San Francisco with his harmonicas, a couple of T-shirts and a suit wadded up and stuffed into the bottom of a shopping bag. Fritz stands in front of the address that Geno gave him. 508 Natoma. (Now an abandoned one story building with a for lease sign on it.
Inciting Incident
Fritz meets Sally at a blues show that he is playing at Jerry’s ”Stop Sign”
Sally asks Fritz to come San Francisco Art Institute for the annual student show and see her Art Work.
Turning Point
Fritz’s view of what art is changes when he watches a student and her Xacto knife carve the word,
Extreme Close U
“ART” into her partner’s backside but as the third letter is rendered blood covers all three letters. This is Fritz’s first view of a Performance Art Piece.
Fritz: “What was that supposed to be?” Sally: “That’s ‘performance Art’.
Act 2:
New plan
Fritz gets roped into starting a Punk Rock Band as an Art Performance
He can’t go back to being a Blues Musician. Gino: “ Come on, Garden of Earthly Delight. ”Gonna Pay us 50% Door Charge and we get a bar tab this time”. “Fritz: “No more Geno. “I love playing blues. I just don’t love having them.
Plan in action
Band performing at Poetry Festival at Sally’s Studio.
Fritz has begun writing songs and performing as a front man for the ”Mutants”
The name was suggested by John everyone agreed.
I write songs that tell narrative stories.
“They are not very good”.
Sally tells Fritz to write more humorous songs. At the next practice, he sings
Some lyrics that he wrote
“Mom locked me in the basement. I don’t know I guess she don’t understand me. Sis was watching on TV “Jerry Lewis for muscular dystrophy. They were busy in the kitchen making making and eating sandwiches. Oh what a fine family we were. The middle class get what they deserve.” “Suck my phase shifter Mutant sister, Suck my phase shifter Mutant sister. It’s coming to this Neutron Bliss.”
Mutants gain some fame and notoriety and are asked to open for Joy Division’s US tour
Midpoint Turning Point
Fritz’s identity has transformed. He has become self Indulgent.It shows.
Joy Division cancels tour, night before it begins as Ian Curtis has committed suicide. MUTANTS are stunned. Plans are set back.
Act 3:
Rethink everything
Write more humorous songs
New plan
Return to SF to record an album
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift
Fan kills his father based on Fritz’s lyrics in ‘Strange Night’ a Mutants’ song.
That Fritz wrote and sang at show at the’ Mabuhay’ the Fan was there too. Later he would go back to silver Springs and murder his father. Larry (Fan) left a note for his sister to find:
“All the people that I know ,all the anger that they feel. Listen to me or I want to kill you….” I love you Sis…….Larry.
Fritz learned that words can kill, and they did. He could not admit that he was partly to blame. Music should make people happy but it wasn’t coming through Fritz’s lyrics.
All of the disappointment and realization of the violent reactions resulting from the lyrics that Fritz has written causes him to quit the Band.
Fritz quits the Mutants and goes back to looking for a job.
Chaz gives Fritz a lead on a cashier position at Frenchy’s KT naughty bookstore / coin operated movie booths. When Fritz showed up for an interview, Vince the guy suppose to be at the counter, was in one of the booths with a street walker. Fritz got a job and started the next day.
Act 3
Fritz is working in a porno bookstore in San Francisco on south Market st. He enrolls in film making classes at the Art Institute classes part time and becomes a student there.
Sally and Sue getting ready for graduation day from art school. The graduation committee asks Sally if the Mutants could play at school for the party.
Sally agrees and the Mutants play a milestone show.
Turning Point 3, the Protagonist embraces a new way, which gives them a fighting chance in Act 4.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict
INT FRENCHIE’S BOOKSTORE S.F. AFTERNOON
GENO “So what’s Fritz up to these days ?
FRITZ “Art Geno. As in singing and doing.
GENO “You still play harp don’t ya. Neil’s gone…Jon Lee said he liked your style.He heard you at the “Hotel Utah”
FRITZ “ I’m done with the blues. l wasn’t being honest or good enough. Now I just write lyrics and sing them.
GENO “You know Fritz I sing in the band when Jon’s not there. This is a concert gig. A thousand apiece guaranteed. You know it’s my band when Jon’s there he does the singing. When he’s not, I do the singing.
Fritz sticks with the New Ways and says NO
Resolution
Fritz has to deal with next step in his life
Fritz moves to NYC to try a new life as an actor but makes a living playing Nuevo Tango on harmonica in the subway for loose change from strangers as they wait for their trains
Log in to reply.