-
Day 11 Assignments
Reply to post your assignments.
-
3 Replies
-
Ted Tronsen’s Level 2 Horror Emotions Scene in Shadow Mountain
What I learned doing this assignment is that it is important to create a sense of fear, suspense and dread. I try to achieve this by having my characters hike into a remote wilderness area in Oregon shortly after 3 of them have been found dead in their rooms at Shadow Mountain. The seekers talk amongst themselves and begin to speculate and doubt that the cause of death was suicide. The guides try to calm their nerves by telling them to “think rationally” and not get involved in “conspiracy theories.” A guide and a seeker mysteriously disappear during the conversation, and when Jessica goes off into the woods to go to the bathroom she is brutally murdered by a masked killer with a machete.
ACT 2 — THE POINT OF NO RETURN
Isolated / Trapped / Abducted – The seekers go on a camping trip to a remote location in the wilderness with 3 guides (2 counselors Michael and Todd, and Jimmy the cook).
One of us killed – One of the seekers disappears and is killed in the woods by a masked killer with a machete. The audience does not know if the killer is a seeker, a guide, or a total stranger.
Monster Reveal: The masked killer is seen briefly wielding a machete and slicing up a seeker.
Horror Situation: One of the seekers is murdered by a masked killer wielding a machete in the woods.
Reaction: The audience experiences fear, disgust and dread.
Character Death 4: Jessica
Why? She wandered off in the woods to go to the bathroom.
How? She is murdered by being hacked up by a machete.
ACT II
INT. OREGON WILDERNESS – DAY
Michael, Todd and Jimmy take the seekers on a camping trip in a remote area of the Oregon Wilderness. They drive out into a forest in the mountains with all of the remaining seekers in a van. They hike into a remote area to camp and set up tents.
Jessica, Tanivé, Emily, Vincent, Christian, Bobby, Brock and Elise hike into the woods with the 3 guides all carrying back packs. They set up tents when they come to a nice place near a stream. They’re all visibly distressed by what happened.
MICHAEL
Okay, guys and gals, this looks like a good place to camp. Let’s set up the tents here. It looks like there’s a stream over there so we’ll have fresh water. Let’s get started…
EMILY
How many tents do we have?
MICHAEL
We have 5 tents, the 3 guides will sleep in the big tent and then the rest of you should pair up.
Jessica and Tanivé, Emily and Elise, Vincent and Christian, Bobby and Brock set up their tents; and the 3 guides set up the big tent. After they’re done setting up their tents they gather wood for the fire. They talk softly among themselves.
BROCK
I don’t think Svetlana, Dji Dji and Hideki committed suicide. I think something else happened at Shadow Mountain. None of them were suicidal and it just seems like too much of a coincidence for all of them to die like that in such a short time.
CHRISTIAN
I agree. I think they were probably murdered and Shadow Mountain is trying to cover it up so they won’t get shut down.
BROCK
Exactly! Why else would they take us camping way out here in the middle of nowhere then to try to get us to keep quiet about it? They should have let us go home, but they wouldn’t even let me call my mother.
CHRISTIAN
There should at least be some kind of investigation! The police didn’t even show up until after they found Dji Dji and Hideki dead in their rooms.
EXT. OREGON WILDERNESS, CAMPING AREA – EVENING
They build a camp fire in the middle of the camping area and Jimmy cooks dinner. The seekers and guides sit around the camp fire talking. The seekers express their fear and doubt about the 3 deaths which have been labeled as suicides.
BROCK
I spoke with Christian earlier and we both think that Svetlana, Dji Dji, and Hideki could have been killed. They weren’t suicidal and didn’t have any reason to commit suicide.
TODD
Well, when I discovered their bodies it sure looked like they had killed themselves.
MICHAEL
They had all attempted suicide in the past before coming to Shadow Mountain.
CHRISTIAN
Yeah, but c’mon, lets be honest… I think Brock is right. We have every reason to doubt it. We think Shadow Mountain is just trying to cover it up so they won’t get shut down.
MICHAEL
I don’t think Bethany would try to cover it up. She has a lot of integrity.
EMILY
(voice trembling)
What if Brock and Christian are right though? What if there is a killer?
MICHAEL
There is no killer. Let’s try to think rationally here and not get ourselves all worked up. It’s tragic that we’ve lost a few seekers, but there’s no indication that they were killed.
ELISE
But, what if they were killed? It’s improbable, but it’s not impossible!
MICHAEL
I just don’t think we should get ourselves all worked up with conspiracy theories. It’s not helpful.
TODD
We’re all just trying to reoover from the trauma of losing 3 people that we all knew and cared for. It’s hard to believe that they’re gone!
JESSICA
I have to go to the bathroom, I’ll be right back.
Jessica gets up and walks into the dense forest. It is dusk and almost dark out. Jimmy and Bobby have also disappeared. The guides and seekers finish eating their dinner and put more wood on the fire. They sit around the fire in silence.
EXT. OREGON WILDERNESS, WOODS – NIGHT
Jessica walks deep into the woods and feels her way through the trees. She squats to take a piss and a masked man with a machete is seen behind her slowly approaching. He swings his machete and nearly cuts her head off killing her instantly.
He swings the machete several more times severing her head from her body. Her head falls and rolls on the ground. He continues hacking her up with the machete and blood spurts out of her neck. After he’s done he runs back into the woods.
-
Jamie Stegner
What I learned: Having a label for the different emotions helps to clarify and strengthen.
Horror Class Lesson 11 Fear Suspense Dread POST scene from Act 2
Susan calls from the basement for help.
FEAR: Wendy stands at the top of the stairs, she cannot go down. Susan screams for help.
SUSPENSE: Brian poised with the hangman’s noose. He wants Susan, but Wendy is in position. He waits.
DREAD: Wendy stands at the top of the stairs as Susan calls for help. Coward, she will not go down into the basement. (That’s why she dies.)
-
Ted: I think you need to find a better reason why they can’t just say “Sod this for a game of soldiers, I’m out off here”.
Log in to reply.