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Day 1 Assignment
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TV show: RIVERDALE
What I learned from this assignment was the importance of big hooks and open loops (and empathy for the characters, of course). In virtually every scene, one of the 5 star points was illustrated. A few scenes contained multiple points. The pilot creates obsession because there are so many mysteries/open loops to solve and you’re engaged with the characters.
I. EXT. RIVERDALE
Aerial view, then shots of town, VO about the town has secrets.
II. EXT. CAR, DRIVING
50’s sign, car, and music, VO ‘what the Blossom twins did this summer’
III. EXT. LAKE
Boat ride, Cheryl on rock, Jason dead. Dragged river. See riverbed, Betty’s mom glad. ‘Burn in hell.’ BIG HOOK: Jason died. Who did it?/EMPATHY/DISTRESS for Cheryl, town.
IV. DINER
Jughead typing story, doing VO
V. SHOTS CHERYL and JASON
VO about how he drowned
VI. CAR DROPS OFF VERONICA
New Mystery appears. AMAZING/INTRIGUING CHARACTER: Veronica described as ‘new mystery’
VII. APARTMENT
Smithers, knows town, V’s mom. Used to have $
VIII. EXT./INT BETTY’S HOUSE
Betty and gay friend, gonna see Archie. Betty likes him. EMPATHY: Betty’s too shy to ask him out.
IX. EXT/INT DINER
Betty and Archie, talk about summer. ‘One summer can change anything.’ Archie writes songs. Only tells her. Veronica shows up- Archie’s intrigued. Betty’s mentor. AMAZING/INTRIGUING CHARACTER: Archie writes songs, friendship between him and Betty. Is it more? Does he prefer Veronica?/EMPATHY for Betty- doesn’t get chance to ask A out
X. EXT/INT ARCHIE’S HOUSE
Talks dad about working at company. EMPATHY for A, stuck working with dad.
XI. EXT/INT BETTY’S HOUSE
Mom’s demanding, mentions Polly (sister). Refilled Adderall. EMPATHY for Betty, having deal with demanding mom.
XII. EXT/INT. HIGH SCHOOL
Locker, Archie’s ripped, talks with friends about football
XIII. INT. HIGH SCHOOL
Betty gives Veronica tour. Gay friend mentions V’s dad. DISTRESS for V- what happened with dad? OPEN LOOP: What happened?
XIV. INT HIGH SCHOOL
Archie walks music room, talks to Josie & Pussycats. EMPATHY for A, not allowed to show music.
XV. INT. HIGH SCHOOL
Hallway. V asks B if A’s her boyfriend. V asks who’s Jason, what happened?
XVI. INT. AUDITORIUM
Cheryl gives eulogy in front of students. Formal’s staying. Looks between A and Ms. Gundy
XVII. FLASHBACK
Gundy giving A a ride, then fucking/intercut with previous scene. AMAZING/INTRIGUING CHARACTER: Archie has sex with teacher- not the all-American kid we thought.
XVIII. INT. HIGH SCHOOL
A asks Gundy to teach him music. Stand offish. EMPATHY/DISTRESS for Archie- awkward situation after sex.
XIX. EXT/INT CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
V’s mom asks for job, used to date A’s dad. EMPATHY for V and her mom. The dad did terrible crime.
XX. EXT. HIGH SCHOOL
V sits with B & A. A plays music for B. Cheryl sits down. Invites V to cheerleading. Cheryl talks down to B. V helps B, show moves. EMPATHY for Betty, not making squad last year, called fat.
XXI. INT. MUSIC ROOM
A shares music with Gundy; she refuses. Talk about shooting- they heard it. She couldn’t explain why together. OPEN LOOP: Will they ever say something?
XXII. INT. GYM
Cheerleading tryouts. They kiss. V defends B, turns table on Cheryl. C asks about Polly, had breakdown after dating Jason. B hides it, is nice. V says they’re a package deal. AMAZING/INTRIGUING CHARACTER: Veronica helps Betty. DISTRESS for Betty not making squad at first.
XXIII. EXT. FOOTBALL PRACTICE
A made varsity, not sure time commitment, got Jason’s number, lies about dad’s company. OPEN LOOP: Will A commit?
XXIV. INT. LOCKERROOM
B & V are cheerleaders.
XXV. EXT. STREET
V tells B what happened to her. Wants a fresh start. B talks about Polly & Jason. Blames her mom. ‘Broke her.’… V forces B to ask A to dance. Asks for both of them, A accepts. EMPATHY for Veronica, talking about past. DISTRESS for Betty asking A out.
XXVI. INT. BETTY’S BEDROOM
B stands up to her mom. ‘Won’t allow it.’ DISTRESS for Betty, standing up to mom. OPEN LOOP: How will this progress?
XXVII. EXT./INT. V’S MOM APARTMENT
Missing bag full of money. OPEN LOOP: Where did it come from?
XXVIII. EXT. PORCH, A’S HOUSE
A and his dad argue. A lied to both. Doesn’t want be like dad. Dad gives advice. DISTRESS for A, lying. OPEN LOOP: Which path with A take?
XXIX. INT. DANCE HALL
B, V, A. Music or football? Deadline weekend. A and Gundy. Talk about secret. DISTRESS for A and Gundy. Set up music lessons…. Cheryl announces Jose & Pussycats… A & B dance… B about to ask A out, he looks at Gundy. Cheryl wants invite them aftermath, ‘in the mood for chaos.’
XXX. EXT/INT. CHERYL’S HOUSE
Spin the bottle, between B & V. A & V go closet, ask questions, kiss. Come out and B’s gone. Cell phone off. EMPATHY for Betty- where is she?
XXXI. EXT/INT V’S HOUSE
V and his mom.
XXXII. EXT/INT. DINER (POP’S)
A comes in, Jughead VO. ‘Looking for girl next door.’ They talk about Jason. Archie did something to him in past. OPEN LOOP: What happened in the past?
XXXIII. EXT. BETTY’S HOUSE
A meets B, talk. ‘If you love me.’ A says not good enough for you. VO ‘two hearts broke that night.’ EMPATHY/DISTRESS for A & B./OPEN LOOP: What happens now?
XXXIV. EXT. LAKE
Kevin & Moose see dead Jason in water. Shot. VO, ends with someone was arrested (first). Town shadows & secrets. BIG HOOK: Who did it?/OPEN LOOP: Who will be arrested?
INVITING OBSESSION: Combination of big hooks and open hooks. 1) who killed Jason? 2) who will be arrested 3) Will Archie choose football or music 4) Will he choose Betty or Veronica 5) What will happen now with Betty and her mom? 6) Will we ever see Polly? 7) What did Veronica’s dad do? 8) Will Cheryl change after what Veronica said 9) What happened between Archie and Jughead 10) Will Moose and Kevin develop a romance 11) Will Archie and his dad talk like they used to? 12) Will Archie and Gundy continue romance 13) Will they say anything about shotgun blast
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Assignment one Module 1
TV SHOW: LOST
<font face=”inherit”>What I learned from this </font>assignment<font face=”inherit”> is there are man ways to analyze a show I never considered. And I see the connection of this show to a BW list. I think I started to see the parts that go into a BW show. And I am glad I did. </font>
Outline of the show
-PASSENGERS ON A PLANE CRASH FROM MIXED BACKGROUNDS ARE STRANDED ON A REMOTE ISLAND.
-AFTER A FEW DAYS ON THE BEACH WE SEE WHO AND WHAT IS MOTIVATING EVERYONE ON THE PLANE WHO SURVIVED: THEIR FEARS, WORRIES AND HOW THEY ARE COPING IN THIS NEW SITUATION.
we meet our first character as the show opens up.
-Jack, a selfless doctor emerges and starts organizing and helping others.
Another character Kate is introduced shortly after as she reluctantly helps sew up Jack and forms a friendship
-night time sounds of trees falling terrifies the people still awake that survived on their first night
-the people who survive slowly recount their memories of the plane crashing what little they can remember. It is many view points or an ensemble cast.
Action starts to happen or pacing begins.
-one group of 3 people (Jack, Kate and Charley) decide to look for the cockpit while everyone stays back.
-the group of 3 find the cockpit.
-they find a pilot barely alive and he recounts what happened from his point of view that rescuers are looking in the wrong direction and area.
-after they revive the pilot and have the special walkie there is a sound and shadows over the cockpit window.
-then suddenly the pilot is snatched and blood spills on the window and they run out of the plane with the walkie that doesn’t work for their lives as the planes fall from the upright position down.
-we find out later that the character Charlie has a drug problem he is hiding.
-We meet an array of people who have their own dynamic-from a Korean couple who’s husband asks his wife to stay close by him and to talk to no one.
-we also meet an over-weight guy who is helping everyone out.
-another scene is showing two people blaming each other because of race for the plane going down (Sayid and Sawyer).
-it is a large ensemble cast that slowly realize they have to trust or at least work together if they are going to survive.
-their transmitter is broken and one guy Sayid (from Iran) is trying to fix it to help send a message out. His suggestion once it is fixed that they need to go to higher ground. This time an array of about 7 people go off to look for higher ground.
-while out looking for higher spot they encounter a polar bear until one unruly passenger brandishes a gun and kills a polar bear,
5 Star Points for that show.
Big Picture Hooks
Ask this: What is the big hook of this show? Trying to figure out what will happen next. Where they go, we want to follow.
Amazing and Intriguing Characters. All of the actors we meet from the doctor and families. They all have amazing revealing characters and we want to see how will they interact with others. <div>
Ask this: What makes these main characters intriguing and interesting? We get flashes of their back stories and we want to know if they same situations that they all seem to be escaping from has paid off.
Empathy / Distress For the fugitive girl, will she be redeemed. Or the pregnant mother will her baby be safe. Or the Charles, who is taking drugs, will he be okay or at least stop taking drugs.
Ask this: What situation causes us to feel both empathy and distress for this character?
When the fugitive Kate was forced to help sew the doctor’s injury we really can understand her not wanting to help in this way.
Layers / Open Loops
Ask this: What questions are created by this first episode that can only be answered by watching the entire season?
We want to know will they survive the Island, each other and be able to hid their secrets from each other and be the new people they are projecting to other people?
Inviting Obsession
Ask this: How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode?
We start to care about the characters like Kwon who is helping by feeding people from food he caught in the sea. Will his character change and will he allow his wife to speak to others.
Will the father with his young son be able to redeem himself as it looks like they don’t get along fully.
Will Kate be able to keep up her secret that she was the prisoner and be rescued and stat a new life?
Will the doctor Jack be able to start a new life after his mistakes as a doctor ?
Will the pregnant girl be able to have her healthy baby despite her circumstances.
Will the self-absorbent Claire have any empathy for others than just herself?
Will Sayid and Sawyer be able to make peace and not kill each other?
Will Hugo find himself useful to others and himself?
</div>
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What I learned from the LOST pilot:
Open big with the Big Picture Hook! In this case, it plays on one of our known fears.
Big
Picture Hooks – a) almost every flyer’s biggest fear is experiencing an
airplane crash; b) where in the world has this plane crashed?; c) they are
at least 1000 miles off-course with no contact possible; d) as if the
survivors don’t have enough to worry about to stay alive, something
mysterious and malevolent is stalking them. <div><b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>
<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Amazing
and Intriguing Character – Jack is courageous and kind in spite of his
own injuries and fear; he is a take-charge, highly competent, likable, yet
humble servant-leader physician.Empathy
/ Distress – we can’t help but feel empathetic toward the survivors in
a highly distressed situation; it’s easy to put yourself in their
circumstance since it’s a common nightmare of a scenario. My niece’s plane
crashed in the Andes on her honeymoon in <st1:country-region w:st=”on”><st1:place w:st=”on”>Peru</st1:place></st1:country-region> and lived to tell about
it — which actually occurred during the run of Lost!<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Layers
/ Open Loops – having a huge cast of people of various ages,
ethnicities, nationalities, and established relationships that would be
aboard any plane of strangers, I am interested in getting to know each one
more personally; the cast provides layers/open loops among the people, but
the mystery of the creature is a bigger open loop — is it something like
we’ve seen in King Kong/Godzilla movies? Is this a sci-fy jungle island?
It’s not Gilligan’s <st1:place w:st=”on” style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Island</st1:place>, which was
established clearly within the first 5 minutes. Will they be stranded for
as many seasons?<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Inviting
Obsession – this first episode ends with a cliffhanger question that
invites you back: “How does something like that happen?” when
viewing the mangled body of the plane’s pilot high in the tree canopy
after being snatched by the unseen creature. I want to find out along with
the characters, too, even though I’m afraid for them.</div>
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Outline of Episode One – Big Little Lies
What I learned: I need to dig deep into my characters and let what I find that s festering lie beneath the surface until it is time to blow away the smoke so we can see the truth.
Big Picture Hook
We explore the lives of three wealthy women living in the post community of Monterey. We will observe the surface of these glittering beauties, but more importantly we will be privy to what goes on behind closed doors. Each character immediately draws us in as clues are sprinkled out to her internal secrets.
Episode 1 – “Somebody’s Dead”
1. Police sirens and flashing lights at a crime scene. A murder has been committed at a elementary school. We get the information that the victim suffered a broken pelvis and a fracture at the base of the skull.
2. Glimpses of witness interviews commenting on the politics of the community are woven throughout the episode. Probably throughout the entire show.
3. We meet Madeline Martha Mackenzie, Reese Wtherspoon, displaying her usual bossy, angry self, when she jumps out of her car and approaches a teen and tears into her for driving while texting. She sprains an ankle.
4. Jane Chapman, the new mom, and her son, Ziggy, stop to help Madeline. She gets a ride to school with Jane. There Madeline introduces Jane to other moms including the aloof Celeste, Nicole Kidman, her twin sons.
5. Jane has flashbacks to a torn dress and footprints in the sand.
6. We also meet Nathan, Madeline’s ex-husband, his new wife, the lithe, Bonnie and their child who also in the first grade.
7. Enter Renata Klein who mistakes Jane for a nanny. She’s a professional. Brags about being on the board of PayPal, and her daughter Amabella.
8. Jane’s son, Ziggy, is accused of trying to strangle Amabella. He staunchly denies it.
7. Ranata threatens Ziggy
8. Children damaged by parents overreaction
9. Shots of Madeline, Celeste, Ranata individually examining their lives at sunset
10. Jane making up pull-down bed after unpleasant conversation with her mother. Something sinister but not revealed.
11. Madeline suffering from fear of losing her children…envey her ex-husband Nathan and Bonnie who’s happy.
12. Celeste and Perry have violent sex
13. Ranata complaining about what happened at school to Amabella. Her husband says can women have it all and still be liked?
14. Evening: Perry reading to boys. Celeste has confused feelings of loving him for being a good dad and craving him for the dark sex they have.
15. Madeline plays piano. Abigail spends some sweet time with her mother who once again is emotional about her children growing up.
16. Cut to – footprints in the sand
17. Flash on detective giving information at press conference about murder.
18. Flash of Perry playing with boys on the beach
19. Flash: gun being cleaned
20. Flash: Zigging getting into bed with Jane
21. Flash: Montage of interviews
22. Flash: Detective examining ground at beach overlook
23. Flash: Footprints in sand
24. Flash: Woman in blue dress
25. Flash: Jane unlocks drawer, pulls out what appears to be a gun, puts it under her pillow
26: Somebody having sex
27: Hands on glass
28. Flash: just one footprint.
Screen goes black
5 STAR POINTS
Picture Hook: A look at what goes on behind closed doors and inside their hearts and brains of glittery, wealthy women.
Amazing/intriguing characters: Madeline, aggressive and afraid, Celeste, aloof and afraid, Jane, the underling and afraid, Ranata, narcissistic, afraid
Empathy/Distress: Jane draws the most empathy having to deal with these wealthy women who have everything that she doesn’t.
Layers and open loops: Who was murdered? Who committed the murder?
Inviting Obsession: Audience has an opportunity to see how the other side live, but clearly it’s not perfect. Will any of them find peace within?
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What I learned doing this assignment is that many of these Binge Worthy shows use flashbacks to tell the main story so they can introduce the “big question” for the season in the first episode and string it out throughout the season. Most have a murder/death.
Big Little Lies
Beats
Beats —
Ext – Murder scene – night
Detectives come to scene of crime at a school fundraiser. Either murder was shocking or the detective knew the victim.
INT – Interview Room – Day
All spill the info on the toxic school environment
EXT – Driving to school – DAY
Madeleine twists her ankle, meets Jane and takes she and her son under her wing socially.
Madeline’s ex (Nathan) and his new wife, Bonnie, have an awkward moment regarding their unmarried status and the daughter joining them at Bonnie’s mom’s for the weekend. Obviously stress there.
Jane reveals herself to be a little strange to Madeline and Celeste as she ingratiates herself with them. A man spies on her at the restaurant.
Jane runs on the boardwalk and thinks about running on the beach in a dress and a man’s footprints.
Bonnie has signed a petition to stop the play that Madeline is working on in community theater.
In an incident where someone hurt Renata’s daughter, Jane’s son is accused but swears he didn’t do it. This leads to overt animosity between Madeline and Renata.
Madeline and her older daughter bicker over Bonnie and the family bends over backwards to keep her from going off.
Celeste’s husband is overly handsy and uses gun images and money to get the twins to obey.
Madeline’s husband tries to talk her down and Madeline confesses she feels she’s losing her identity since her kids are growing up and is jealous of Bonnie.
Jane (of modest means) has a fight with her mom about having moved to Monterey. She flashes back to wearing the blue dress we saw on the beach.
Madeline and her daughter have a career chat.
Perry reads to the twins and then startles Celeste again and then gets angry when she doesn’t initially agree to keep the twins away from Jane’s boy.
Madeline plays the piano and has a heart to heart with her older daughter who says she will always be Madeline’s daughter and only friends with Bonnie. When the little girl joins her at the party, the older daughter looks disappointed and leaves.
MONTAGE of open questions/hints of mysteries.
The detective says she has no suspects as yet (in a flash-forward).
Jane is surprised when her son surprises her in bed and tells him he is sleepwalking.
More interviews — they now talk about men and women at the school.
The detective returns to the scene of the crime and flicks the lighter some more — something we heard in the very beginning of the show.
Jane gets a gun out of her drawer
Footprints in the sand and the man’s print ends.
2. 5 Star Points for Big Little Lies.
Big Picture Hooks —
World of the politics/parents/ at an elementary school for the children of elites in Monterey. (World we haven’t seen)
Dead body at a school fundraiser and lots of cryptic comments about rivalry between the heroine and her nemesis.
Heroine is divorced and remarried, 2 daughters who are growing up leaving her feel displaced and jealous of her ex’s new wife
Friend has twins and a husband who suggests violence with his actions (gun hand signal used often, reads books about death to first grade twins, likes to sneak up on his wife and “surprise” her, actually grabs her while telling her to keep their twins away from a boy who was accused of attacking a female classmate
Newcomer to town with little money, a son (the boy accused of trying to strangle the little girl), a gun in her drawer, flashbacks to running on the beach
A nemesis of the non-working wives who likes to make them jealous of her, but is angry when her husband says she doesn’t like it when they envy her to the point of not liking her — she is the mother of the little girl who got attacked.
Unsolved murder mystery where the police hint they’ve talked to the murderer (talked to all but the 4 primary women so we don’t know which of them was murdered)
Told in flashback so they can keep bringing up the murder without making progress in solving it since the bulk of the action is weeks (months?) before the murder.Ask this: What is the big hook of this show?
A murder has taken place at the school and Madeline is being trashed as the “cause” of it. Since she is the star of the show, we assume she is not the victim.
Amazing and Intriguing Character — Madeline seems to be in the center of it all — we empathize with her because she is feeling lost as her kids are growing up. We dislike her because she is an opinionated buttinsky. We like her because she does 20 hours a week organizing community theater and dislike her because she is doing a weird play (not necessarily age appropriate puppet characters?). We like her because she welcomes the new mom and preaches safety first to teen drivers. We dislike her because she is gossipy and dislikes her nemesis who happens to be a successful working mom.
Ask this: What makes these main characters intriguing and interesting?Madeline — A woman who defines herself as a mom and whose daughters are growing up. She is extremely jealous of her husband’s new wife/girlfriend and seems oblivious to the feelings of her boyfriend.
Celeste — Has connected herself to a man who seems to be violent (cliffhanger) and one wonders if she will be strong enough to get out if she needs to
Jane — Mystery character with son who she trusts, but her having a gun and being concerned with safety and her son sleepwalking makes it possible that he did try to hurt the girl at school. We wonder what she really does for a living, why she moved to the area (since she is obviously poor) and whether her son really tried to strangle the little girl
Renata — A bully and we wonder what her role will be in this or if she is the victim.
Empathy / Distress
Empathy – Each of the mothers loves her kids and wants them to succeed
Empathy – Each is successful in her own way
Empathy – Each has a significant other (except Jane) who she has relatable minor issues with like most people do.
Distress – Madeline’s play may be cancelled, she is losing her oldest daughter (she thinks) to her ex’s new wife (Bonnie), she has a nemesis in Renata
Distress – Celeste has a husband who seems to be gravitating toward violence and she is in denial
Distress – Jane is afraid of someone (keeps the gun, following men’s footsteps on the beach), is afraid for her son after he is accused of choking the little girl, has left her mother’s home in a more reasonably priced nearby town to live in a small apartment (presumably in hiding)Ask this: What situation causes us to feel both empathy and distress for this character?
Madeline gets empathy when she laments her children outgrowing her (or just growing up), she treats Jane with kindness and inclusion, she is against texting and driving. Distress comes when her daughter won’t get in her car (she’s losing control), the newcomer’s son is being accused by her nemesis, she is sad about losing her husband and living in the past to some extent since she is missing out on her current relationship;
Layers / Open Loops
Layer – 1st grade class and teacher and their “issues” (choking, new kids, etc.)
Parent relationships with their kids
Parent/ex relationships
Murder
Madeline vs. her Nemesis
Why all the people talked to by the police so readily trash MadelineAsk this: What questions are created by this first episode that can only be answered by watching the entire season?
Who killed who?
Will Celeste’s guy get violent with her?
Will Madeline lose her guy because of her obsession with her ex?
Did the little boy hurt the girl? Did he see who did? Why did the little girl lie if she did?
Who is after Jane?
What is the significance of the footprints on the beach, the runner on the beach and the end of the footprints?
What does Jane really do for a living (her claim of being an accountant was an obvious lie)?
Will the cops find the real killer?
Inviting Obsession
Ask this: How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode?The large number of questions invites multiple episodes to resolve them. The culture of wealth surrounding the school invites intrigue, invites us into an unfamiliar world of politics/competition in a wealthy grade school and we may just be seeing the tip of the iceberg. What happens to these people?
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Subject: Big Little Lies – Five Start Model
What I learned Doing This Assignment – To put conflict and drama in every scene. There are many scenes that get to the point almost immediately, especially considering it’s a drama wrapped in a murder mystery. They even started with the inciting incident without even explaining or setting it up. It’s really presented in a unique way. They use sound effects like heavy breathing and whispering to create atmosphere in world building. This is a world where gossip rules, which makes everything surreal and a pretense. The people being interviewed in the murder also are used as commentary and create a quirky/comedic narrative.
<div>
Big Picture Hooks- Who was
murdered, Why and Who murder him or her?
Amazing and Intriguing
Characters: They all have different
personalities, but they appear to be normal, foremost part, but it’s all
artifice. It appears like a perfect world, but it’s far from it.
Empathy/Distress – They are
all relatable, and super nice, and they all seem normal. However, every
couple has some conflict they are hiding behind the scenes. It’s
distressing to think one of them is a murderer. We also see the distress
within their families, so we feel for them.
</div><div>Layers/Open Loops – Can
Madelaine keep her family together?
Who hurt Celeste’s daughter and why is she saying it’s the new boy
in town? Is Janet’s son dangerous? Why is she arguing with her mother
about this? What happened in Celeste’s husband’s past that he is so adamant
about keeping her children away from the new (Janet’s) boy? Each couple in this show
have a secret. This is in addition to the murder that occurs.</div><div>
Inviting Obsession: How does this pilot create the need to
see every single episode?</div>
Everyone loves a murder mystery. I think because this show deals with families and children, we feel a sense of our social values and the fabric of our communities being challenged.
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WHAT I LEARNED DOING THIS ASSIGNMENT IS: there is always a way to make your story and your characters fresh and different and personal both to you as a writer and to the audience watching. I watched lost. Not, this shouw could have been GILLIGAN’S ISLAND 50 YEARS IN THE FUTURE. Ho hum. But iwas the show that took the viewing public by storm.
LOST 5 STAR MODEL-
After surviving a horrific plane crach on a remote and uncharted island in the South Pacific, the passangers on the flight have questions and very few answers. There are 48 survivors and they all have secrets, problems, mucky pasts and things to hide, And the island has secrets as well. There’s a doctor who tries to save as many of the wounded ad he can. A strong young woman who attracts the doctor’s attention, but who may be a fugitive being brought back to the States by a cop. There’s a weird and hostile guy who fights with everyone, especially with an Iraqi, who has his own secrets. A former British Rock & Roller is htere, along with a awkward large guy who faints at the sight of blood. There’s a father trying to make up to his son for the loss of his mother and the disappearance of the kids’s dog on the island. Ther’s a pregnant teen-age who is about to POP. And a lot of others. This is a BIG cast with a lot of secrets. IN this epsiode, Jack the doctor, Kate the criminal and Charlie the musician go off intot the woods to try and kind the plane cockpit. They hope to fing soemthign with which they can contact the outside world and be rescued. Whe they do find it, the pilot is barely alive. An unseen monster grabs the pilot out of hte cockpit and slaughters hi in a truely horrific way. And that’s the first episode.
1. THE BIG HOOK OF HTE SHOW- Where are these people, what exaclty happened, where have they landed and what the hell is that thing roaming in the forest?!
2. AMAZING AND INTRIGUING CHARACTER(S)- Our lead- JACK is luckily a doctor and does his best to treat the wounded and the dying. If I crash landed on a tropical island, I’d want a doctor in the group. And the woman he’sd attracted to is calm and collected in the beginning. She’s ste4ady enough to sew up a wound on the doctor. But how did she get so competent and brave, compaired to the other women in the group. What happened in her past to make her so strong and perhaps ruthless. This show has such a big cast, they had to try to give a WHOLE lot of people a snippet ofbackstory and they did a pretty good job. That’s partially what made it so watchable. The audience wants to find out more about these survivors.
3. EMPATHY/DISTRESS- what situation causes us to feel both empathy and distress for this/these characters?
Jack has the thankless job of being the only medial person int his group of 48 survivors of a HORRIFIC PLANE CRACH, as far as we know from the first episode. He has to be in 8 different places at once. I couldn’t do that. He tells Kate a story aobut his first big operation where he was workig on a girl’s spine. Something went really wrong. But he had to fix it and edeal. So he gave himself 5 nseconds to be afraid, and then get over it and go on. In a later part of the episode. Kate is all alone and terrified and hte monster could be anywhere near her and she remembers that story. She gives herself 5 bseconds and then is able to go on as well. I was terrified that both or either of them was going to be killd by this monster and I hoped in my heart of hearts that I could be as brave and steady in the kind of situation I pray I am never in.
4. LAYERS/OPEN LOPS- What questions are created by this first epsioe that can only be answered by watching the entire season?
Why are these people here? WHERE are they? Will they get rescued? Who will survive the weeks ahead? Will someone of them get rescued? Will they turn intoo Lord Of The Flies? Will the mosnter pick them off one by one? Will it be revealed LIFE OR EATH? Is htere anything more compelling than that? I think jnot.
5. INVITING OBSESSION- How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode?
I had not watched this show when it first came out. So all this was new to me. I stayed up until 2:00am and watched four epsiodes and every episode left me with more questions and a stronger desire to see what would happen next. The storeis were open-ended and changed with every episode. The twists were fresh and new. The people were people I could care about, I oculd empathize with. I don’t have time for this show, but you can bet I’ll watchmore episodes tonight.
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I learnt just how much you need to think about and have in your pilot and each episode. that I need to make sure all of these questions posted are included in my own show.
I did ‘Handmaid’s Tale’
What is the big hook of this show?
A virus has made the majority of women infertile. In response, the US becomes a totalitarian, God fearing, state where the few women who can become pregnant, are forced to live with and become surrogates for wealthy families.
Amazing and Intriguing Characters
Aunt Lydia – so passionate and caring in some ways about her handmaidens and yet follows the rules to a t- has no hesitation in torturing or killing those that break the rules.
June is fiercely strong – they haven’t broken her. On the surface she follows the rules and speaks the way she has been taught to speak but her voice overs show what’s really going on in her mind.
Handmaid, Oglen – she is distrusted by June at first, but now we see she is a rebel, she tried to escape, she warns June. She knows a lot more than June does.
Nick – seems to like June but can he be trusted, is he just trying to test her?
Empathy / Distress
Opens with June and her husband and child on the run. June is forced to separate from her husband and she hears gun shots. They are then captured and her child is taken from her. Now June lives in a harsh environment kept prisoner, forced to have sex with a stranger each month in order to get pregnant, and has no idea where her daughter is or who she can trust.
Layers / Open Loops
What has happened to June’s daughter? Will she see her again?
Will June get pregnant? What is the ‘colony’ that is even worse than Gilliard? Is her friend, Moira, dead?
Who can she trust? Who is the ‘eye’ in the house that she needs to be careful of? Can she trust Nick?
Inviting Obsession
will June ever escape, will she see her daughter again?
How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode?
We are introduced to a new world and we want to see more of it. The world itself is terrifying. No one can trust anyone. Punishment is severe. How did it come to be? What chances could there be of escape? We want to see how June can navigate and survive this new world, how can she escape. How can she find her daughter? Who are these other characters and how did they come to be this way? -
TV Show: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES 5-STAR MODEL
What I learned is that the pilot I watched had all five of the 5 Star Points. When you watch a show, you don’t think about these points. However, watching it with the purpose of finding those points, it is plain to see what they are and how they were executed and layered.
Opening scene: a couple on the road hit someone. They stop. The man goes to check. Gets attacked. Mysteriously falls on their car, freaking the girl out. The girl runs screaming. Attacked but we can’t see who/what it is.
Stefan’s bedroom: Stefan has to know her. Who?
Elana’s Bedroom: Elena writes in her diary about starting fresh. Intro of Jenna- scatter-brained aunt, Jeremy, her stoner brother.
Bonnie’s car: Intro Bonnie talks about her witch grandmother. Doesn’t believe her. Hits a bird. Scares Elena. Bonnie predicts that the sadness is over and Elena be beyond happy.
Kids at school. Elena spots Matt. Matt turns away. There’s something between them. Intro of Caroline.
Jeremy doing drugs with Vicky. Intro of Tylor. They fight over Vicky. Jeremy likes her too.
School: Stefan in office – mind controls secretary. Elena confronts her brother in the boys’ bathroom for smoking. Bonnie gets bad vibes from Stephan. Carolyn is very interested. Elana bumps into Stefan – instant connection.
History class: Elana and Stefan google-eye each other.
Graveyard: Elena sits at her parents’ grave and writes about her day, how she fakes making it through the day. She gets scared by the strange fog and a figure and runs. She falls, hurts herself. Stefan is there. She thinks he’s followed her. Misunderstanding, he’s visiting the cemetery too. Family. They connect. She notices his family ring. It’s a family heirloom. She likes it. Something is wrong. She pulls up her pant leg, Blood! He turns away his face is weird and tells her to go take care of it. She turns and he is gone.
Stefan’s bedroom: That night, Stefan writes that he can’t resist her and knows that it’s dangerous.
The Mystic Grill: Vicky busts tables. We learn she deflowered the younger Jeremy. They fight about Tyler. Carolyn spills everything she’s learned about Stefan to Bonnie.
Elana’s house: Elana goes to leave. Stefan is at the door. He apologizes for earlier. Gives the diary she dropped at the cemetery. She finds out that he keeps diaries too. They connect again. She didn’t quite invite him in. He tries but can’t. She invites him to go with her to meet a friend. They leave together.
Mystic Grill: Matt talks to Bonnie about his and Elana’s breakup. Elana needed space and in she walks with Stefan. Awkward. The three girls drill Stefan with questions. Invites him to the back-to-school party at the falls. Stefan asks if Elana is going.
Stefan’s house: Uncle Zak accuses Stefan of the latest attacks. It’s not him. Zak wants him to leave. Stefan wants to stay. Stefan pulls out an old diary. A picture of Elana in Colonial dress! But it says Katherine 1864.
History class; Teacher is mean to Elana. Stefan shows up the teacher with his knowledge of dates and Mystic Falls history
Mystic Falls: Night of the party: Stefan seeks out Elana, using super hearing, Bonnie and Elana joke about her psychic abilities, they grab a bottle, Bonnie gets a vision about a bird and fog, it freaks her out. Elana bumps into Stefan. Stefan gets her to talk about the car accident last year, her parent’s death. She survived.
The Woods: Tylor tries to force sex on Vicky. Jeremy comes to the rescue. She’s not happy about it. Thinks he too only wants sex.
The Party: Stefan asks Elana about Matt. She admits that it wasn’t passionate. His face changes. She notices and he makes an excuse and leaves.
The Woods: Vicky is alone, calls for Jeremy. The fog returns. A figure is behind her. She turns. He’s in front now and attacks. She screams.
The Party: Matt confronts Elena about leaving him and he’s not giving up on them.
Carolyn a little drunk flirts with Stefan, he tells her it’s not going to happen. Elena explains Carolyn’s personality to Stefan then sees her drunken brother. Goes after him.
The Woods: Elana chases after Jeremy. Jeremy stumbles over Vicky on the ground. Her neck is covered in blood. Thinks she’s dead. She’s not. Matt goes crazy and looks accusingly at Stefan.
Stefan’s house: Stefan tells Zak there’s been another attack and it wasn’t him. Upstairs, Daman appears. It’s been 15 years. Stefan’s not happy and wants to know why he’s there. There’s bad blood between them. Stefan calls Daman messy re: Vicky. Damon knows why Stefan is back in Mystic Falls – Elana.
The Party: Vicky is taken away by ambulance. Matt goes with her. Bonnie tells Elana there’s no way she’s psychic but she has this feeling that this is just the beginning.
Stefan’s bedroom: Daman says Elena is a dead ringer for Katherine and reminds him how that didn’t end well. Damon goads Stefan about drinking animal blood. Makes him weak. Pushes him to taste human blood – Elana’s blood. Daman knows what blood tastes like and loves it. Stefan flips out. Vampire angry face. Flies at Damon. They crash through the window…
Outside Salvatore house: …and land on the ground two stories down. Stefan gets up. Where did Damon go? Damon sits casually to the side. He is fast. Teases Stefan some more. Stefan accuses Damon of killing people. Demands him to stay away from Elena. Damon has taken Stefan’s ring unbeknownst to him. Without it, he will burn in the sun. Again, Damon is teasing(in a bad way) and gives it back. Stefan doesn’t trust Daman, takes it cautiously, and puts it on. Damon attacks, picking up Stefan by the throat and tossing him. Damon is stronger because he feeds on people. Their fight wakes up Zak.
The Party: Jeremy is drinking. Police are there. Elana makes him throw it away. People don’t care anymore that their parents are dead. The world has moved on. Jeremy accuses Elana of not moving on either re; the diaries.
Mystic Grill: a drunken Carolyn moans to Bonnie about why Stefan didn’t go for her and went for Elana who doesn’t even try. Bonnie tries to smooth things out. Carolyn views it as a competition
Hospital: Vicky’s neck is bandaged. Wakes up. Matt’s there. She tries to talk and says one word – vampire.
The next two scenes are intercut:
Elana’s house: Elana writes about her day. Pretend like it all be okay, without the pain VO, someone alive(they say at the same time), It’s not that easy.
Stefan’s house looks at Katherine’s picture VO of him writing He had planned to change who he was, create a life with someone new, without the past, without the pain, someone alive( they say at the same time). They follow you.
Jeremy’s room: from the doorway, Jenna watches Jeremy stare at a photo of his parents.
Mystic Grill: Bonnie gets up. Damon is behind her at a table. Carolyn, looking sad, spots him. He nods her over. She smiles.
Elana’s house: Elana spots Stefan through the window and goes to the door. He wants to make sure she’s okay. She tells people she’s fine. He asks if she means it. She says ask her tomorrow and invites him in. He steps in. She closes the door.
Five Key Points:
1) Big Picture Hooks
Ask this: What is the big hook of this show?Vampires! Someone who looks just like Elana from 1864.
2) Amazing and Intriguing Character
Ask this: What makes these main characters intriguing and interesting?Stefan’s a vampire but he seems kind and doesn’t want to drink human blood.
Damon is Stefan’s brother and the complete opposite. Trouble with a T.
3) Empathy / Distress
Ask this: What situation causes us to feel both empathy and distress for this character?Elana lost her parents a year ago. She’s feeling lost.
Stefan wants to be close to Elana but wars with his vampire side.
4) Layers / Open Loops
Ask this: What questions are created by this first episode that can only be answered by watching the entire season?Who are Stefan and Damon? Who is Katherine? And what is her connection to Elena.? Will Elana hook up with Stefan? Will she find out he’s a vampire? Who else will Damon hurt/kill? Elana? Does Bonnie really have abilities?
5) Inviting Obsession
Ask this: How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode?Interesting characters. The dynamics between Stefan and Damon. VAMPIRES!
Supernatural feel. Dark and gritty, not just your normal teen drama show.
Watch the same first episode A SECOND TIME while looking at your 5 Star Point analysis. This time, your purpose is to see beyond the obvious answers. Assume there is more to learn and discover it!
The Salvatore brother’s feud goes back from the ‘beginning.’ What beginning. Damon has promised an eternity of torture. Who is Uncle Zak? Is he really related to them? What is their relationship with Katherine?
Stefan knows things about Mystic Falls that others do not.
Aunt Jenna is Elana’s and Jeremy’s only relative. There had to be others.
Bonnie’s grandma is a witch.
Elana and Bonnie are best friends with Carolyn a close second.
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What I learned doing this assignment is just how many layers are packed into a pilot episode to make that episode work and to set up a whole season with foreshadowing and identification with the characters.
“Supernatural” Pilot Synopsis
We open with a loving family at bedtime, a young boy, Dean and his parents tucking a baby (Sam) into bed. (EMPATHY)
Later that night a demon kills the mother. The father and two boys escape from the house.
OPEN LOOP: who is this demon and why did it kill the mother?
A normal, loving family upset by tragedy and violence (EMPATHY)
22 years later …
Sam’s girlfriend (who looks remarkably similar to his mother) is encouraging him in his application to law school. They are at a Halloween party which adds to the sense of something supernatural, creepy going on. She has great sex appeal. Sam doesn’t like Halloween (INTRIGUING CHARACTER)
A normal life here, just an average kid dealing with everyday issues, relatable wants and objectives. (EMPATHY)
Sam LSAT results lead his friends to identify him as the “Golden Boy” of his family, but he says they don’t know about it. (INTRIGUING CHARACTER: Clearly there is family tension and disconnection now.)
Sam loves his girlfriend: “What would I do without you?” (OPEN LOOP)
Sam’s brother Dean turns up unexpectedly, breaking into Sam’s house. Through a martial arts fight we learn that:
– They have a chequered history
– Both are fighters
– They haven’t seen each other in a while (INTRIGUING CHARACTER)
Dean seeks to draw Sam away from his girlfriend to “talk about some family business” but Sam says he can say it in front of her (Sam is seeking to hold onto his normal life and not let his old life take him away from it). Dean says their Dad is missing. Sam suggests he is a drunkard and that this is normal, he’ll turn up, etc. But Dean says he’s been out “hunting” which refers to something meaningful which Sam wants to keep hidden from his girlfriend, so they go elsewhere to speak. (INTRIGUING CHARACTER)
Through mentions of an unusual childhood, mentions of “silver bullets”, poltergeists etc we learn that Dean and Sam have been raised to hunt supernatural beings and that those are the times that their dad went “missing”. (INTRIGUING CHARACTER)
THE BIG HOOK / INTRIGUING CHARACTERS: This is a family of supernatural hunters
We learn that “Don’t be afraid of the dark” is nonsense. Dean: “You know what’s out there.”
Sam was afraid of the dark – for good reason. (EMPATHY / DISTRESS)
Mention of “Dad’s obsession to find the thing that killed her … and we still haven’t found the damn thing.” A clearly stated objective. (OPEN LOOP)
Sam is unhappy with their childhood and wants to leave it behind. “We were raised like warriors”. But Dean embraces it. Sam want’s a “safe” life. We discover Sam’s tension with his Dad “I was just going to college. He’s the one who said if I was gone to stay gone.” (INTRIGUING CHARACTER).
We have inherent conflict here as Dean offers the “call to adventure” which Sam refuses (Hero’s Journey). Sam: “I swore I was done hunting, for good.” Still reluctant but intrigued Sam asks “What was he hunting?”
Dean reveals the contents of his car – knives, weapons and various unusual items. (INTRIGUING CHARACTER).
Dean reveals that he hasn’t seen his Dad for 3 weeks. Their Dad was investigating the disappearances of ten men on the same isolated stretch of road out in the country over the last 20 years.
We also learn that Sam thinks it unusual that their Dad let Dean go on a hunting trip by himself, his “own side gig.” Something unsaid here between them. (OPEN LOOP)
Dean plays a recording of a voicemail from his dad with which has only one voice on it but once slowed down and put through a filter it reveals another voice saying “I can never go home.” OPEN LOOP
Dean tells Sam “it’s like riding a bike” – clearly their shared history has stuck with Sam, in spite of his attempts to leave the “hunting” life behind. His reluctance is being clearly telegraphed here, all ready to crumble as events progress. (LAYERS)
Dean offers another call to adventure which Sam accepts in a limited way “just to find his Dad” so long as he can get back in time for his law school interview. We establish that this is super important to him, his “future on a plate.” (EMPATHY)
We meet Sam’s girlfriend again as he chats with her about his trip, downplaying it as a “family drama.” (LAYERS)
He promises that “everything is going to be OK” which is never going to end well! (EMPATHY)
Meanwhile, a mysterious woman in white hitchhiking beside an isolated stretch of road is picked up by a young man and seduced: “Take me home”. More sex appeal for what is probably a predominantly male audience. Her “home” is a creepy derelict farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. She is clearly supernatural, as demonstrated by her movements and ability to disappear, mysterious fingerprints on the windscreen etc – but the young man doesn’t realise … yet. As they arrive and she looks at the house she repeats the line from Dean’s voicemail: “I can never go home.” Then she disappears. He tries to find her in the derelict house, where we see a photograph of a couple of kids. Suddenly he flees in terror at some apparition and drives away. She appears in the back seat of his car and, as he comes to a halt on an old bridge, kills him, sending blood all over the car interior. (OPEN LOOP)
Dean and Sam stop at a gas station for supplies where we learn that the family are running credit card scams because “hunting” doesn’t make any money, and learn the fake names that they use for the false credit cards. (INTRIGUING CHARACTER)
Sam criticises Dean for his cassette tape collection of “mullet rock”. He objects to being called “Sammy”. Ie. “I’ve grown up now.” Possibly setting up a conflict over seniority at some point? (OPEN LOOP)
Dean and Sam enter the district of Jericho 7 and establish that their dad isn’t in the morgue. Good news but where is he then? OPEN LOOP
Dean and Sam arrive to find the cops investigating the missing young man’s car. We see that they have a history of false identities (ID cards, FBI badges, etc). Dean impersonates a US Marshall to get information out of the cops. (INTRIGUING CHARACTER)
The car is completely clean of blood, “almost too clean”. (OPEN LOOP: what happened here after the young man was killed?)
Also, Sam is unhappy with Dean’s methods.
Dean and Sam find and speak with the girlfriend of the young man and learn of a local legend about a girl who was murdered on that stretch of road. A bit more research reveals that the girl suicided from the bridge after her children SUPPOSEDLY drowned in the bathtub.
They investigate the bridge where she suicided. Sam reminds Dean about his interview “I’ve gotta get back by Monday”. Another reminder of his reluctance to be involved in all of this and his desire to live a normal life. That life is calling to him continually. (INTRIGUING CHARACTER / EMPATHY)
Dean again urges Sam to embrace this life but Sam says he doesn’t remember his mum outside of pictures and “finding the thing that killed her” isn’t going to bring her back. A taste here of the series objective outside this single episode, and the ongoing tension between the boys. (OPEN LOOP and a reminder of the BIG PICTURE HOOK).
The ghost-girl appears on the bridge, jumps off again, then takes control of Dean’s car and drives it at them. They barely escape, but establish that the girl isn’t happy about them investigating. (OPEN LOOP)
They find a room at the local hotel and discover that their Dad stayed there too. They find his research and establish that the dead girl is a “woman in white”. (OPEN LOOP: What is a woman in white?)
Dean, having previously wondered what the connection between the girl’s victims is, refers to them as “sly dogs” (OPEN LOOP). They are clearly familiar with “women in white” from previous experience and indicate that their dad would have destroyed the girl’s corpse and wonder why he hasn’t. (OPEN LOOP).
We see through friendly banter the affection the boys have for one another and their father. (EMPATHY)
Sam listens to a phone message from his girlfriend, reconnecting him with and inviting him back into his normal life. (EMPATHY).
Dean gets arrested for impersonating a US Marshall and using fake credit cards. The cops see him as a suspect, having seen their dad’s “satanic mumbo jumbo”, and ask him about a coded message from his Dad. (OPEN LOOP)
Sam seeks out the woman in white’s widower in the hope of finding his Dad and establishes that the man was unfaithful to his wife. Sam reveals the phenomenon of “the woman in white” in which betrayed women kill their children and then themselves, and their cursed spirit preys upon other unfaithful men. (OPEN LOOP)
Meanwhile, Dean dodges questions about the coded message then escapes when Sam distracts the cops. Their shared history is coming to the fore as we see how they work well together, and the skills they have to operate outside the law. (INTRIGUING CHARACTER)
In speaking to Sam on the phone Dean reveals that the coded message means their Dad has left town. But Sam is attacked by the woman in white who asks to be “taken home”. Sam refuses, demonstrating that he has experience with this situation, but she takes control of his car and drives him to the derelict house against his will. (EMPATHY / DISTRESS, INTRIGUING CHARACTER)
He says she can’t kill him because he has never been unfaithful (INTRIGUING CHARACTER) but she says he will be, and kisses him, then turns into a demon and tries to kill him. (EMPATHY / DISTRESS)
Dean arrives, distracts her, then Sam “takes her home” by driving his car into the house, where she encounters the ghosts of her dead children, who embrace her. They and the demon then fall into a vortex in the floor and are gone.)
After she’s gone the boys revert to their friendly banter (EMPATHY) which represents another subtle invitation to Sam to join with his brother in his “hunting”. Dean presents an overt invitation too when they work out where their Dad has gone (“We made a hell of a team back there”) but Sam refuses again and asks to be dropped home so he can go to his law school interview.
Everything appears to be resolved, Sam is about to return to his normal life when …
… he finds the same demon who killed his mother has now killed his girlfriend! (EMPATHY / DISTRESS, INVITING OBSESSION). Dean rescues Sam.
Sam’s normal life is now over and any incentive to refuse Dean’s call to adventure is now gone. The finale of the episode, concluding with Sam saying “We’ve got work to do”, is a beautiful inciting incident for the rest of the season.
1. THE BIG HOOK: Two “supernatural detectives” hunt the demon that killed their mother
2. The characters are intriguing because of their shared history as demon hunters.
3. We feel empathy for them because a demon killed their mother and Sam’s girlfriend, and they have a loving, brotherly relationship.
4. OPEN LOOPS: Who / what is this demon and why did it kill their mother and target Sam’s girlfriend too? Will they catch it? What does it want and why is it after them in particular? Where has their Dad gone and why did he leave Jericho when the woman in white was active in the area? What is he up to? What other supernatural beings will these young men encounter and how will they deal with them? Will Sam ever return to his normal life?
5. INVITING OBSESSION: This demon is really, really nasty and clearly has something against this family. What the hell is going on there?
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The Americans – 5 Star Model
What I learned doing this assignment is…
1/ Creating a lot of questions/mystery/layers, is a good way to get people hooked. 2/ Starting a few storylines (where the main characters are introduced (each with their own, different storylines) also helps with people/viewers getting hooked. 3/ The combination of the double lives/storylies we create, works extremely well when they are completely different from each other and/or have a big contrast: contrasting storylines seem to work, not sure if extremer in difference is always better. It makes viewer even wonder more: What kind of people are these? And that’s what we all want to know…
1. Big Picture Hooks
Ask this: What is the big hook of this show?
– KGB couple (Philip and Elizabeth) trying to stay under the radar while their neighbour is an FBI-agent working in Counter Intelligence Department.
2. Amazing and Intriguing Character
Ask this: What makes these main characters intriguing and interesting?
-These people want/need to be ‘normal’ in order tor survive, meanwhile, are still able to kill, do the spy-job it seems. Their ability to two lives that so totally seem to be the opposite of each other, makes some of these characters very intriguing.
3. Empathy / Distress
Ask this: What situation causes us to feel both empathy and distress for this character?
-The family situation at home: they dont want to involve their family in their work. The fact that they are left with a prisoner just by being a bit too late makes me feel empathy. I start feeling more empathy when I discover that these people (Philip and Elizabeth actually have kids). The fact that their neighbour works at the FBI.
4. Layers / Open Loops
Ask this: What questions are created by this first episode that can only be answered by watching the entire season?
-Are Philip and Elizabeth gonna get caught/how will the relationship between the new neighbour Stan Beeman and the family develop? Will the relationship between Philip and Elizabeth warm-up a bit? What about the kids?
5. Inviting Obsession
Ask this: How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode?
-We all want to know how this relationship will develop AND if and when Philip and Elizabeth when/how will they get caught by their FBI-neighbour and how are they going to avoid being caught?
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Hello Cheryl, I read that I need to post my own Show Concept as a pre-assignment. Where do i post it?
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What I learned doing this assignment is that unless I feel emotionally attached to characters, I’m not interested in what happens to them. The plot or premise isn’t enough to keep me engaged.
WALKING DEAD
Opening scene:
– Sheriff’s car driving through town, cars overturned & burnt
– Walks to fill jerry can at gas station
– baby toys, dead bodies – looks like some type of camp?
– NO GAS sign at station
– sees young girl walking in sleepwear holding a stuffed bunny
– she turns around – she’s a zombie
– Sheriff shoots her in the head
Scene 2:
– Two cops having lunch in cruiser talking about women
– Sheriff from Opening Scene having problems with his wife
– Call comes in – they race off
Scene 3:
– Two cruisers racing to scene, one lays spike belt across the road
– Pull back, guns drawn
– Sheriff reminds one of the rookies to stay focused, chamber his weapon, turn off the safety
– Car headed their way being chased by two more cruisers
– Lead car hits spike belt and rolls
– Suspect starts shooting – gets shot
– Sheriff gets shot
– Gun fight ensues with other passengers from crashed car – they get shot dead
– Sheriff was hit in vest – seems okay
– Another suspect shoots him again – injured this time
Scene 4:
– Partner visits Sheriff in hospital – brings flowers
– Sheriff is delirious
– Wakes asking for his partner, Shane
– Notices flowers are dead and dry – wall clock has stopped
– Tries to get out of bed – falls down
– Calls for help – no one comes
– Finds a sink and drinks from tap – thirsty
– Leaves room – finds hospital abandoned
– Phones don’t work – finds matches
– Sees dead body in the hall – mutilated
– Bullet holes and blood all over the walls
– Exit doors pad-locked from inside – spray painted “DON’T OPEN, DEAD OUTSIDE”
– Sees fingers reaching through crack between doors
– Goes to elevators but they don’t work
– Stairwell is pitch black- lights matches to see
– Makes his way outside – blinded by the light
– Sees rows of bodies wrapped and covered
– Goes into shock – sees abandoned trucks loaded with bodies
– Climbs grassy hill still barefoot and in hospital gown
– Sees military helicopter, tents, and trucks – all abandoned
– Finds a bicycle – sees a zombie with no legs
Scene 5:
– Rides to his house and goes inside
– Calls for his wife Laurie and son Carl
– House is empty
– He cries, curls up on the floor
– Starts panicking, asking if this is real – thinks he’s dreaming
– Smacks himself in the head
– Goes back outside and sits on step
– Sees someone walking up the street and starts to wave
– Someone approaches him from behind and hits him in the face with a shovel
– Father and son – gun pointed at him
– Sheriff passes out
Scene 6:
– Sheriff wakes up tied to a bed
– The Father asks him questions about his wound, “Did you get bit?”
– Checks his temperature
– Sheriff explains that he was shot, not bit – was in hospital recovering
– The Father cuts him loose and invites him to join them in the other room
– Sees supplies piled around, windows covered with blankets, they’re using candles and burners to cook
– Sheriff says to the Father “You shot that man in the street”
– The Father tells him it was a “Walker”
– They say grace before eating then tell him about the dead people “The Walkers”
– Sheriff didn’t know
– Father explains to stay quiet, warns him not to get bit – “Bites kill, fever burns you out, then you come back”
– They go to bed on mattresses in the living room
– Father asks the Sheriff who Carl is, and where is he, and how did he get shot
– Sheriff says he’s a Deputy
– Car alarm goes off, they turn down lamps, look outside and see Walkers wandering the street
– Sees the Boy’s Mother – Boy runs to bed crying, Sheriff keeps watching
– the Mother tries to open the door
– the Father explains that when she died he wished he’d “put her down but couldn’t”
Scene 7:
– the next day they go outside – see zombie
– Sheriff beats it with a baseball bat
– Sheriff knows wife and son were alive when they left because they took photos and albums
– the Boy thinks they went to Atlanta – to the CDC
– Sheriff grabs keys and gear
– they all have hot showers at the police station – moment of joy
– the Father tells him they tried going to Atlanta but had to turn back – too much panic
– Sheriff puts on his uniform, gathers guns & ammo
– Father and Son stay behind to practice
– Boy’s name is Duane, Sheriff is Rick
– Rick sees zombie cop – guy he used to work with but didn’t like
– Shoots him in the head because he didn’t want to leave him like that
– they leave
Scene 8:
– Father boards up the house, Rick goes back to park
– Father looks at photos, Rick walks around
– Father sets up to shoot from upstairs window, starts picking off zombies
– Rick finds zombie with no legs, feels pity, apologizes, and shoots it
– Father sees his wife outside, can’t shoot her, cries / breaks down
Scene 9:
– Rick driving and broadcasting on CB – no response
– Group of people pick up and answer
– Rick’s partner Shane is part of the group – lose contact
– Shane argues with a woman about not putting up warning signs about the city
– The move the argument into a tent so her son doesn’t get upset
– The argument ends and they kiss, her son arrives and Shane leaves
– Rick looks at a picture of his wife and son on the back of his visor
– It’s the same woman and boy that his partner was with
Scene 10:
– Rick approaches a house looking for gas / supplies
– looks through windows and sees a dead couple – died by suicide
– checks their truck for keys – doesn’t find any
– sees a horse, talks to it, rides off on it
– approaches the city – road going in is empty, road going out is jammed with stalled traffic
– No people in the city – empty streets, cars & busses abandoned and burned
– Zombies start to follow him
– He hears a helicopter and starts riding in that direction
– runs into a hoard of zombies, races back on his horse, gets surrounded and pulled down, zombies eat the horse
– Rick crawls under a tank, starts shooting at the zombies, almost kills himself but sees a hatch and crawls up into the tank
– shoots a zombie inside, loses hearing, looks out the top of the tank and sees his weapons laying in the street, closes tank lid before the zombies can reach him
– checks ammo, one clip left
– voice comes over the radio, someone knows he’s there
– outside the zombies keep eating the horse and crawling over the tank
End
2. From that, make a list of the 5 Star Points for that show.
Big Picture Hooks
Ask this: What is the big hook of this show?What happened while Rick was in a coma? What started it? How did it end so badly, so quickly?
Amazing and Intriguing
Character
Ask this: What makes these main characters intriguing and interesting?Rick is tough enough to kill a child-zombie, level-headed in a crises, cares about his wife, feels empathy for zombies, psychologically weakened by situation
Empathy / Distress
Ask this: What situation causes us to feel both empathy and distress for
this character?He’s scared for his wife and son, he’s on his own, hurt & confused
Layers / Open Loops
Ask this: What questions are created by this first episode that can only
be answered by watching the entire season?Will Rick escape the tank? Who’s voice was on the radio? Will he find his family and partner? Will he find out that they’re romantically involved? Who are the other survivors? With the father and son who saved him meet him in Atlanta?
Inviting Obsession
Ask this: How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode?Will Rick or anyone survive? If so, how? Who will live and who will die?
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