Day 10 Assignments

[Lois Wickstrom]

Lois’ Plot and Character Layers

What I learned doing this assignment is…my plot doesn’t really lend itself to layers. Neither did LOST. The key example was Sixth Sense, which was a movie – not a series. The plot was much more simple than what you are explaining here.

ASSIGNMENT 1: Lost

Watch the next episode of your Example Show and notice how layers show up in this show — both in this episode and throughout the episodes you’ve already seen.

Tell us the layers you have discovered in the Example Show.

Claire is pregnant. A psychic put her on the plane that crashed so she couldn’t give her son up for adoption. We thought she was going to LA to meet the adopting family, but she was intended to crash on the island, and keep her child.

Sawyer carries a letter he claims was written to him, accusing him of evil deeds, but he wrote it to the man who hurt his family, the man he has tried unsuccessfully to emulate.

Deadline: 1 day

ASSIGNMENT 2: Your Show

Discover the layers that could exist for your show.

1. Brainstorm a list of possible PLOT layers.

PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.

Major scheme revealed: Mann runs a chemistry lab. He can make custom medicines for townsfolk. Meff’s family wants a supply of a drug that could keep were-skunks from morphing.

Mystery revealed: Mann really wants the mephiderite, which is only on the skunk farm, and which is a key ingredient in both the anti-morphing drug, and in his nefarious drugs.

Thought the story was one thing, but it is another:

Major shift in Meaning

Hidden history

Hidden plan

Major betrayal

2. Brainstorm a list of possible CHARACTER layers.

CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.

Secret identity: Meff, his aunt, and his dad are were-skunks

Character intrigue: We thought Aunt Abigail was just a mean skunk who sprayed Meff to irritate him. She was actually trying to make him morph into a skunk.

Hidden relationships and conspiracies

Hidden Character history:

3. Organize them each into a possible sequence of reveals.

Plot Surface:

Layer 1: Parker enters Meff in the Skunk Beauty Contest

Layer 2: Parker believes in her skunk so much that she helps him destroy the contest

Layer 3: Mann appears to be funding the skunk beauty contest

Layer 4: He is using the contest to get everybody in town away from the Skunk Farm so he can steal truckloads of mephiderite

Etc.

Character Surface:

Layer 1: Mann appears to be a greedy businessman

Layer 2: He is a were-owl, if he gets his mephiderite-based drug.

Layer 3: Polly is selling home-made jewelry made from mephiderite

Layer 4: Mann buys it to get mephiderite.

Etc.

[Brenda Clarke]

Brenda Clarke Creating Layers

I have realised that by creating a tv show that has great intrigue, I need to continually keep questioning my characters and plots by adding multiple layers and that one or two are not sufficient either for the audience or from a producers point of view. Keep an open mind and keep exploring the possibilities. I am only scratching the surface to date.

Assignment #1 Riverdale #10 The Lost Weekend

The over all arc is trying to find out who killed Jason Blossom, Why and what do they have to gain from this? This is the first layer. Many layers are slowly unfolding by revealing possible characters that may have a motive. For example we now know that the Blossoms were the ones who got Veronica’s father arrested, which may give him the motive to murder their son.

character reveals / secrets eg: Jughead’s Dad confronts Betty’s mum, Alice says that she really is a girl from his side of the tracks – does she have a dark side to her?

Archie’s mother turns up in episode 10 makes the audience wonder, where the family dynamics will go now that she comes back home.

Betty reveals to Jughead she has a deeper/darker side to herself, that she really didn’t want people to find out about herself. Perhaps they have more in common than they realise. Which is also a relationship angle, we want to see where these two will go and what will happen.

The return of a character, Chuck who reunites with Cheryl and they crash Jughead’s birthday party. Also the undercover relationship with Kevin’s boyfriend and the secret meeting with Jughead’s dad. Will Alice uncover what he is up to? (as she was spying on them the night of the party).

Veronica is suspicious now about both parents, who can she trust, great example of an OPEN LOOP, we don’t know the answer to this yet, so WATCH THE NEXT EPISODE!

Assignment #2 Convicts

Plot Surface:

Layer 1: Hidden Story: Elliot arrives home early one morning, injured and out of sorts. Why? What happened to him that night? Why is he drinking and locked himself in his room?

Layer 2:Major Event: Harriet wakes up to find that her maid Rosie hasn’t returned from her day off. Where is she? What has happened to her?

Layer 3: Hidden History: Both Elliot/Harriet are hiding their homosexuality

Layer 4: Hidden Plan: Elliot/Harriet meet by chance, discover they have common ground and together hatch out a plan to solve both their problems

Character Surface:

Layer 1: Wealthy gentleman who has it all. Elliot seems to be bothered and hits the bottle

Layer 2: Hidden Character History: Elliot / Harriet cover up their homosexuality. Why this sudden change in behaviour? What’s happened to them?

Layer 3: Character Intrigue: Harriet seems on the surface to be an in control, hardworking, moral woman. Something else is going on, what depths will so go to, to get what she wants.

Layer 4: Hidden relationships: Harriet secretly in love with her maid Rosie. Elliot in love with a handsome sailor. Both want to keep it a secret from their respective families.

[Griffith Lambert]

I had posted my module 1 Lesson 10 here in error.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by  Griffith Lambert.

[Lois Wickstrom]

It looks like i put the answer to Mod 1 lesson 10 in this section too.

Lois Episode Titles:

Episode titles:

season one:

He’s a Skunk

He’s a Boy

He’s a Party-Animal

He’s Been Sold

Who’s the Prettiest?

In Skunk Mind

His Rear End

Not a Rotten Egg

Biting the Tire

Spray Away

season two:

Selling Out:

Mouse Catcher:

Stealing the Asteroid:

The Friend of my Asteroid

Spray-a-Lot

Captured, Caged and Controlled

Last One Out

Never Leave the Farm

Asteroid as Bait

Where’s My Skunk

season three:

Stop That…

Not Here

Blockade

He’s Sick

Conspiracy Theory

Taking His Medicine

Who’s a Good Skunk?

Asteroid Hangs Tight

Sneaky Skunk

Morph Away

[Lisa Molenda]

Lisa’s Episode Titles

What I learned doing this assignment is that I’m a little stubborn. I brainstormed a lot of ideas for my show title, but Jane the vegan is still the one I like best. Also, it’s really fun coming up with titles for all of the episodes and seasons, although it’s a bit challenging.

[Griffith Lambert]

Module 2 Lesson 10

Griff’s Riveting Episode Titles for THE LAST STRAW

What I learned doing this assignment: Episode titles can come from anywhere. As long as there is even the loosest connection to what’s happening in the episode you can find something evocative. My favorite place to go brainstorming is the Classics – Shakespeare, Machiavelli, Plato, Oprah – whatever! This was fun!

Pilot: “Form Follows Dysfunction”

We meet the chaotic Sherwood household – Randy, Todd and Stephanie.

Episode Two: “Snot Sucker”

Stephanie turns in her parenting columns despite feeling like a shill for manufacturers of products vanity products like The Snot Sucker.

Episode Three: “Life Isn’t Fair”

Randy bullies Todd, taking out his frustrations at being smaller than his younger brother.

Episode Four: “Gimme the Ball, Gimme the Ball, Gimme…”

Randy’s passion is sports but he can’t get considered for a team due to his small size.

Episode Five: “Martha Stewart You Ain’t”

Todd, signing up for a Home Economics class in cooking, tries to keep it quiet because he knows what Randy will do if he finds out.

Episode Six: “Whatever Became of Crash Damitch?”

Brad struggles to find satisfaction in his teaching and longs to get the old band together.

Episode Seven: “Cul-de-sac Diplomacy”

The mysterious Agent Vaughan continues to stake out the cul-de-sac, to the chagrin of both Stephanie and Brad.

Episode Eight: “…And Your Enemies Closer.”

On the day of the home inspection, things couldn’t go worse – the boys get into a fight just before the social worker is due and Stephanie’s editor calls with bad news.

Episode Nine: “Do You Know Who I Used To Be?”

Brad’s biggest fear is that Marcey will end up like her mother, a drug addict who overdosed.

Episode Ten: “The Border Crossed Us.”

Stephanie pays unwanted interest in Marcey and Harmony packing the SUV with water and supplies. She is skeptical that all this is for parties out in the desert.

Episode Eleven: “Land of Opportunity”

Maria tries to tough out the poor conditions at the labor camp because she needs to send money home to her family in Mexico. It becomes clear to her that the bosses play the workers off against one another.

Episode Twelve: “Take A Number

Stephanie loses it, angry with herself and the situation. But the boys don’t see it that way. Shouting and accusations spill over and the boys and Stephanie all threaten to run away from home.

[Brenda Clarke]

RIVETING TITLES

After brainstorming titles, there were some that came up that might be suited to another episode. This at least is a beginning, once the episode descriptions become clearer the titles may also change as I work to make them more intriguing.

EPISODE 1
Conflict “To search but not be found”

Journey “Where Out Thou, My Love”?

Dilemma “Is Honesty the Best Policy?

Issue Faced “In the Closet”

Irony “To Woo or Not to Woo”
Hero’s challenging Situation “To Seek that Which is Yours”
Threat to Hero “Dark Secrets”
Discovery “Not Everyone is Straight”
Metaphor “Love Reflects Love”
EPISODE 2
Conflict “Criminal Underworld”
Journey “Seek and Ye shall find”
Dilemma “Secrets Revealed”
Issue Faced “Can family be Trusted?”
Irony “Match Making Parents”
Hero’s challenging situation “Loss of Love”
Threat to Hero “Mum’s the Word”
Discovery “Back bone”
Metaphor “Trust one’s instincts”
EPISODE 3
Conflict “Nosey Parents”
Journey “Don’t Go There”
Dilemma “Test of Trust”
Issue Faced “Keeping Quiet”
Irony “Sink or Swim” / “Swim With Sharks”
Hero’s challenging Situation “Fork in the Road”
Threat to hero “Parental Pressure”
Discovery “Conviction to Move Forward”
Metaphor “Seek and Ye Shall Find”, “If you Can’t beat ‘em join them” EPISODE 4
Conflict “Sibling Rivalry”
Journey “The Search”
Dilemma “The Opposite Sex”
Issue faced “Keeping Mum Happy”
Irony “Enthusiastic Vs Reluctant”
Hero’s challenging Situation “Hand job”
Threat to Hero
Discovery “Trust your Gut”
Metaphor “Try before you Buy”

EPISODE 5
Conflict “A woman’s wants”
Journey “One Step Behind”
Dilemma
Issue faced “A Woman’s touch”
Irony “flight or fight”
Hero’s challenging Situation “A Step Too Far”
Threat to Hero “To Catch a Thief”
Discovery “No Stopping Now”
Metaphor “Revenge best served cold”
EPISODE 6
Conflict “Two Sides to a Coin”
Journey “Trust no-one”
Dilemma “She won’t want to know”
Issue faced “Best be a Bachelor”
Irony “Does Crime Pay”?
Hero’s challenging Situation
Threat to Hero “Popularity Can Be Dangerous”

Discovery “Loving the Crime”
Metaphor “Mending Bridges”
EPISODE 7
Conflict “Right or Wrong”
Journey “Coming to Terms”
Dilemma “To Lie or Not to Lie”
Issue faced “Doubting Oneself”
Irony “Rich or Poor”
Hero’s challenging Situation “Standing up for yourself”

Threat to Hero “A Fathers’ Wrath”
Discovery “Facing the Truth”
Metaphor “Is Honesty the best Policy”?
EPISODE 8
Conflict “Giving Up
Journey “Upside Down”
Dilemma “Drinking Problems”
Issue faced “Giving Up Hope”
Irony “Faith Vs Hope”
Hero’s challenging Situation “Lover Lost for Good” Threat to Hero “Shattered but not broken”
Discovery “Common Ground”
Metaphor “Friends in unfamiliar places”