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Day 13 Assignments
Reply to post your assignment.
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7 Replies
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Brad’s Unique Action
What I learned doing this assignment is toying with the extreme, even if you don’t use it in the end, can help generate new ideas.
1. Environment: Amsterdam, a maze of narrow streets and canals foreign to our heroes.
2. Rules: Tourists are fair game for the dipper gang; police don’t bother pursuing them.
3. Villain: Omor Net and his Romanian gang control the streets, and the underworld.
4. Struggle: The gang is well organized and ruthless; Our heroes barely know the place.
5. Mission: Kill as many thieves as they can in a week.
6. Unique skillset: The ability to take joy in revenge killing
7. Meaning: Each scene brings them closer feeling vindicated
8. Allies: Cop who tips them off where to find the thieves; girl who helps them escape.
9. Weapons: Pipe and hand axe (or cleaver.)
A. What if:
Villain – Omor Net has a twin
Mission – They also try to return stolen items to victims
Rules – Police pursue Carlos and Aliyah
B. Take to an extreme:
Mission – Through killing the thieves they uncover an underage sex trafficking ring and take that on.
Weapons – If police side with Carlos and Aliyah, they could provide them weapons.
C. Specific to character or environment:
Villain – What if Omor Net is blind or has no hands.
D. Shocking or surprising:
Rules – The police are on the take and set up Carlos and Aliyah to get captured by Omor Net.
E. Go opposite:
Allies – The Moroccans become Carlos and Aliyah’s allies.
F. What haven’t we seen?
Environment: Carlos and Aliyah get separated from each other
They travel to Romania not as part of their honeymoon but to rescue the girl who helped them escape.
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Sung-Ju Suya Lee’s Unique Action!
Lesson 13: Making Action Unique
“What I learned doing this assignment is…?”
Try new ideas. Crank up your creative juices, be absurd, be surreal, be limitless. Whatever comes up, maybe good or bad, but try.
Logline:
When a group of old timers at a veteran’s retirement home win the mega lottery, they buy an old cruise ship to sail around the world with their extended families, but Pirates hijack their ship in South-East Asia and the Veterans must face the last battle of their lives to save their families.
Looking at your entire story, what is unique about each of these places:
Environment:
A Veterans’ retirement home out in the country, with cottages, a lake, a
small farm with animals. Different from a concrete jungle retirement home,
or one with a golf course attached. <div>Rules: Modern
day story. Veterans don’t apply the rules of war when they are fighting
the Pirates on the cruise ship.Villain:
Pirates are good at trickery. They posed as People Smugglers to get
Refugees onto their boat (plus get cash). When they get on the cruise
ship, they acted like they really wanted to hijack the ship for ransom
money. But, their initial mission was get the drugs on the ship, and
deliver them to Australia (as Refugee boats sailing to Australia). Not the
first time they have done this. Part of a bigger drug network.Mission: Go
on a worldwide cruise with extended Family members, but get attacked by
Pirates. Now, have to fight for all their lives.Struggle: Veterans
are taken by surprise. They don’t have guns.Unique
Skillset: Veterans use old school skills Pirates don’t have/ know about.
Use rope lines to escape a Pirate on top of the ship.Meaning: A
dream of a worldwide cruise bursts when the Pirates take out their guns.
Their cruise ship no longer has meaning when it starts sinking and
Veterans must save their Families and Refugees off the ship.Allies: One
Pirate leader agrees to get off the ship when his son is kidnapped by the Veterans.
Some of the Refugees start fighting alongside the Veterans.Weapon: Shark
spears, lawn bowling balls, baseball bats, knives, fire extinguishers, etc.Brainstorm ways to make one or more of those places unique:
What if…?
The Refugees complete the drug run in order to get to Australia. The Veterans invite the Refugees onto their next cruise ship. The grandchildren killed their Pirate captor and escaped. The tsunami tosses the ship upside down, or sunk it and everyone has to swim up to the top. The water tornado whips the ship up in the air, everyone falls off the ship, sharks eat People.
Take to an extreme.
Veterans will scheme to save the grandchildren and escape the sinking cruise ship. They will even blow up the cruise ship with the Pirates on board to escape them. Veterans gas the lower decks and the Pirates in the luggage holding area die. Veterans sink the ship themselves.
Specific to character or environment.
The old cruise ship is docked in Hawaii. Maybe it was once a ferry boat with access for cars on the lower decks, so it might make the lower decks more interesting. They sail across the Pacific Ocean, towards The Philippines. They anchor nearby an uninhabited island with a lagoon. Could make it shark infested? When the Pirate boat chases a jet ski out of the lagoon, the sharks come. Sharks eat a Pirate who fell out of their boat when a Veteran uses a shark spear and damages their engine (instead of using it on the shark). I could add a storm brewing, to make it more exciting. Humans also have to tangle with the thunderstorm, hurricane, water tornado, tsunami, etc. The huge waves toss the small cruise ship, adds more for the Humans to deal with.
Shocking or Surprising.
What if the Pirate who said he would leave, actually stays and fights off the other Pirates to save the Veterans’ grandchildren? What if the grandchildren rescue themselves, and left the crew bunk bedroom on their own? Refugees fight the Pirates because the Pirates will not take them to Australia and they had paid good money. They end up killing the Pirates.
Go opposite.
What if the Pirates decide to blow up the cruise ship if the Veterans don’t give them the mega lottery winnings? When the fight continues down below as the Veterans race to save the grandchildren, Veterans lock Pirates in various rooms. Not only do the Pirates drown in the sinking ship, they get blown up by their own time bomb.
What haven’t we seen?
Old Veterans battling for their lives, Families and Refugees. They give some money to the Refugees to start a new life in Australia. Old Veterans destroy the drug trade. Or, they become the king pins.
Tell us about the improvements that you have made.
I’ve upped some scenes to make it more dangerous, i.e., like the sharks attacking a fallen Pirate. Twisted some scenes like the Pirates blow up the ship.
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David’s Unique Action!
“What I learned doing this assignment is…?” I listed most scenes from the script and its overall characteristics and tried to make them better or different. I was looking for a technique that could be applied generally, but couldn’t find one. I suspect improvements will depend on imagination and inspiration and the specifics of the story.
Pick at least one action scene that you want to make more unique. Then use this process to generate ideas.
1. OPENING. – FBI OFFICE – FBI agents just doing their boring jobs. Saul receives a phone call. Conversation and desk photos show Saul, the Hero, is very happy with his family.
A. What if…?
An Alien ship flies overhead and agents scared and commit suicide.
The office is attacked by the Cult.
B. Take to an extreme.
Aliens destroy the office. It’s the start of the war.
The office is unconcerned.
C. Specific to character or environment.
The agents bring a Cult prisoner in.
The agents get info on a demonstration.
D. Shocking or Surprising.
A fight starts pro/con Aliens.
E. Go opposite.
Saul or Sandy or Benedict or Ruth is an Alien.
F. What haven’t we seen?
Aliens intervene.
2. THEME – OUTSIDE SCHOOL – Conversation with cop. Many people are too stupid to make choices that are good for them.
A. What if…?
ProAlien demonstration.
B. Take to an extreme.
Fight between pro/con Aliens.
C. Specific to character or environment.
More signs, newscasts, memories
D. Shocking or Surprising.
Self-immolation.
E. Go opposite.
Anti-Alien memories.
F. What haven’t we seen?
Landfill with skeletons.
3. INCITING INCIDENT. – OUTSIDE SCHOOL – Saul’s daughter and other children are murdered by Cult. Saul is wounded.
A. What if…?
Aliens intervene.
B. Take to an extreme.
Everyone killed and wife/Sandy take over.
C. Specific to character or environment.
Cultist grabs and kills child.
D. Shocking or Surprising.
The killing of children.
E. Go opposite.
Daughter survives.
F. What haven’t we seen?
Mysterious person comes to rescue.
4. CATALYST – HOSPITAL – Saul faces his choices due to injuries. Saul joins the Agency.
A. What if…?
Saul told to infiltrate Agency to find traitor.
B. Take to an extreme.
Saul hits bottom from misery and given chance to do something.
C. Specific to character or environment.
Alien therapy cures his depression. Same as used for children who saw exterminations.
D. Shocking or Surprising.
Saul sees one of the Cultists, stalks and kills him.
E. Go opposite.
Saul goes after revenge alone.
F. What haven’t we seen?
Alien surgery machine: “Prep for brain surgery.” A brain implant pops out. Surgeons stare.
Looking at your entire story, what is unique about each of these places:
1. Environment: Aliens have killed millions. Aliens are all-powerful. Most people lead normal lives. There is hostility toward the Aliens. Life is better than preAlien.
A. What if…?
Aliens were directly controlling much of Earth’s actions.
Aliens just came and sat there without doing or saying anything.
Saul and the Agency was plotting to destroy Aliens.
B. Take to an extreme.
Aliens had destroyed much of Earth – postapocalyptic.
Sterilized everyone, killed sociopaths.
All-out-war – about even so far.
C. Specific to character or environment.
Saul never enhanced.
Aliens fighting among themselves.
Aliens facing a threat of their own.
D. Shocking or Surprising.
Aliens are a computer, scouting party, dying, dead, holograms etc.
E. Go opposite.
Spaceship appeared. Humans trying to make contact, because of deteriorating environment.
F. What haven’t we seen?
The Aliens are controlling most people through mind control. Earth is a big chess-game. The winning Alien gets to keep it.
2. Rules: There is active terrorism against the Aliens. AntiAlien activity must be stopped, although no one knows the consequences of not stopping it. Agency has wide powers to stop terrorism. Aliens not seen.
A. What if…?
The government actively encourages terrorism.
Another country is actively belligerent to the Aliens.
B. Take to an extreme.
The entire country is joining the Cult.
C. Specific to character or environment.
Saul, Ruth and Benedict have a weakness.
D. Shocking or Surprising.
Aliens announce there will be random exterminations because world is not improving fast enough.
E. Go opposite.
Ruth or Benedict or shadowy Agency character thinks people are bad and should be exterminated.
F. What haven’t we seen?
A top-secret weapon has been developed against the Aliens.
Villain: Ruth. A fanatic Alien-hater with a background of hatred, antigovernment and religious.
Benedict. A scientist. Cool and calculating. Wants power with or without Aliens.
A. What if…?
Ruth or Benedict are robots/Aliens/
B. Take to an extreme
They go after each other.
C. Specific to character or environment.
They are brother/sister or father/daughter or lovers.
D. Shocking or Surprising.
Both are controlled by the head of the Agency.
E. Go opposite.
Change of heart.
F. What haven’t we seen?
Direct attack on Aliens.
Mission: Protect the Aliens. Protect people. Protect family. Revenge. Actions.
A. What if…?
An enemy turned.
B. Take to an extreme.
Saul thinks Aliens are dangerous – plants bomb.
C. Specific to character or environment.
Goes after secret documents showing government suppressed information showing Alien plan.
D. Shocking or Surprising.
Saul a robot/cyborg. Died on operating table.
E. Go opposite.
Saul a secret Cultist.
F. What haven’t we seen?
Bogus Alien attack by Cult.
Struggle: Against actions of villains. Prevent possible destruction by Aliens.
A. What if…?
Aliens donated a cure for cancer.
B. Take to an extreme.
Ruth or Benedict killed many Aliens.
C. Specific to character or environment.
Aliens had a power struggle between good and bad.
D. Shocking or Surprising.
Aliens used mind control to give people the illusion of what they thought happening. That way they could find what would happen without damage.
E. Go opposite.
Aliens and humans must join forces to fight a new group of bad Aliens.
F. What haven’t we seen?
A natural disaster that forces humans to ask for Alien help.
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Denice’s Unique Action
What I learned doing this assignment is that by asking these questions, you can come up with some interesting new ideas to consider. To look at the script with this kind of breakdown and examine the questions separately makes the process so much easier.
Improvements I’ve made:
1. We haven’t seen a telekinetic teenager who want to be a spy, but not kill.
2. Triple’s telekinesis is hampered by her emotions.
3. The special water/explosive five-bullet gun will be attracted to silver and the villain’s foot.
4. Her mentor might be working for the villain. Not sure yet.
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Janeen’s Unique Action!
What I learned doing this assignment is that focusing on the environment for the action is helping me amp up my holiday atmosphere, giving me more opportunities for comedy (it’s an action/comedy) and this will be a good checklist when I’m ready to start writing, to ensure I’ve planned to use this stuff creatively in the scenes with callbacks and setups.
Entire Story:
Environment: Holiday (mall, travel, cottages) <div>
Rules: Trust no one.
<div>
Villain: Unknown, bad FBI agent, possibly Secret Service agent, any law enforcement
Mission: Keep the parents safe until they can 1) talk to the president safely; 2) he can sort out the bad guys in the chain
Struggle: Staying off the grid, getting rid of all trackers, dodging bad guys, whiny, demanding parents.
Unique Skillset: Special ops background
Meaning: Saving the parents successfully means he will regain his self-respect and know that he can perform under pressure
Allies: Parents, their secret service agent who isn’t dead after all. 🙂
Weapon: All kinds of holiday and household stuff.
Step 2: Strategies for Uniqueness:
What if…?
Every house/apartment/vehicle/shop/boat they enter has holiday decorations that they find a use for as a weapon.
B. Take to an extreme:
Whole collections of holiday ornaments, known to be expensive, are used as weapons at several points in the script. The hero gravitates toward the expensive stuff as makeshift weapons and everyone else is appalled.
C. Specific to character or environment:
The special ops guy has a hyper-trained PTSD dog related to action moves and safety of the pup.
D. Shocking or Surprising:
The tiny dog is a worthy adversary at every turn. The parents are creative with weapons-from-decorations
E. Go opposite:
The secret service officer is a big liability, not the parents or mall Santa.
F. What haven’t we seen?
Tiny PTSD dogs, inept secret service who are good guys and survive without humiliation.
3. I actually like all of those and will add them to the sets/environments in every action scene in the movie because a) it needs holiday action amped up; b) it will make it more unique; and, c) it will be funnier.
4. I’m still updating my outline, but will be using the above list of Step 2 strategies as a checklist before I start writing.
5. This is a holiday movie and my outline to date had not had a lot of holiday-related action or environment that was important. I’m definitely amping that up.
I’m making the Secret Service officer much more inept — there is a reason she’s guarding the president’s parents, not someone more important — but lucky and trying hard so she’s likable, but a fun-to-play character.
I’m making my hero’s choice of weapons always something delicate, important or one-of-a-kind so the others cringe a LOT. Amping up the value, having him surprise them by choosing something lesser now and then only to have the bad guys ruin the important stuff.
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Kathy’s Unique Action!
What I learned doing this assignment is I can elevate the stakes by making the terrorists have a dirty bomb.
ASSIGNMENT:
Pick at least one action scene that you want to make more unique. Then use this process to generate ideas.
1. Looking at your entire story, what is unique about each of these places:
1. Environment: NYC
2. Rules: The police have rules. The terrorists don’t.
3. Villain: Pakistani terrorists steal antique art, buy weapons.
4. Mission: They want the UN delegates to renounce their countries and instead pledge their loyalty to a global caliphate. Will blow up the building if they don’t do this.
5. Struggle: How can Danny stop them?
6. Unique Skillset: Danny knows forensics, was taught by his dad, had a lab in the house.
7. Meaning: ordinary people can be heroes.
8. Allies: Danny has officers to help him.
9. Weapon: Police have guns but also sleeping gas and smoke bombs.
2. Brainstorm ways to make one or more of those places unique:
A. What if…? UN Building held hostage.
B. Take to an extreme. Terrorists threaten to blow up the General Assembly building. Take delegates as hostages.
C. Specific to character or environment. Hurricane hits NYC.
Tell us about the improvements that you have made:
D. Shocking or Surprising. They have a dirty bomb.
E. Go opposite. The hostages attack the terrorists. One is shot.
F. What haven’t we seen? Officers can use helicopters to land on the roof. Terrorists make demands, kill a hostage. Ticking clock until they kill another or set off the bomb.
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Lesson 13: Making Action Unique
What I learned during this assignment is: Using this formula works. Just answer the questions and they inspire a more complex narrative.
Our Protagonist is trying to get to the castle with Isabella, but Archibald our Antagonist Army has arrived there just in time to set up their artillery. They are about to storm the castle.
Pick at least one action scene that you want to make more unique. Then use this process to generate ideas.
1. Looking at your entire story, what is unique about each of these places:
Environment: – Inside the castle
Rules: Bad guys are attacking from outside they have
black powder, a magician and an army
Villain: Archibald- old friend of the king
Mission: Save the king and kill Archibald
Struggle: Archibald has black powder weapons and the
element of surprise
Unique Skillset: Black powder cannons against medieval
weapons
Meaning: The new age is coming
Allies: -Isabella who introduced Archibald to black
powder
Weapon: – Cannon2. Brainstorm ways to make one or more of those places unique:
A. What if…? – Isabella’s dark past is her father sold
Archibald the cannons. He killed her father and took her as a captive.
B. Take to an extreme. Instead of just catapults it was
cannons
C. Specific to character or environment. – Isabella is
Chinese and her and her fathers past was to steal weapons and sell them
until Archibald killed and stole their stolen weapons.
D. Shocking or Surprising. – blackpowder Cannons
instead of medieval weapons
E. Go opposite.- Isabella rigs the cannons to explode
F. What haven’t we seen? – Cannons blasting castle
walls in a medivel fight scene.3. Select the parts you like and build them into one or more Action Sets in your outline.
4. Do #1 to #3 with as many Action Sets in your outline as you would like.
5. Tell us about the improvements that you have made.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by Mark Doddy.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by
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