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Day 14 Assignments
Reply to post your assignments.
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33 Replies
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Rebecca Finished Act 4
I am posting this early because the hurricane to hit Florida will pass close to where I live and internet might be down for a few days.
Vision: My success in this program will lead me to be the go-to writer for producers looking for incredible scripts for successful movies enjoyed by a vast viewing audience.
I learned from this assignment that the lessons learned while writing Act Three propelled me through Act Four. I am now reading what I wrote and surprised at the quality thus far. I keep notepaper at my side as I read to note any story holes, need for clarity, and places to condense description into one or two sentences and eliminate all nonessential details. I am also reading the John Wick script for ideas in formating action.
How’s it going? I finished writing Act 4 in two sessions. Using the outline as a guide, I wrote the first draft in FIFTEEN days. AMAZING!
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Rebecca,
Congratulations on finishing your first draft. Stay safe.
Lori
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We made it through the storm without any damage. We are the lucky ones. So many have lost everything due to massive flooding.
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so grateful to hear you’re safe. All my friends in Florida made it through the storm. They all bugged out. Thankfully none of their places sustained major damage. The lives lost, it’s devastating.
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My Vision: I want to be a great award-winning, successful writer, known for her genre, who creates the most beautiful films that inspire others to feel deeply, pause, and ponder ways to make the world a better place
Title: THE NUN AND THE WITCH
Genre: (mystical /Sci-fi )
Concept: A dedicated nun destined to become a saint, bonds with a witch to achieve a sacred task to battle the evils of hatred consuming the heart of humanity, only to find out that time is running out.
HOW IT WENT. I finished Act 4. looking forward to seeing what Hal will have us do in the second draft.
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Jeffrey Alan Chase Has Finished Act 4!
My vision: I am an “A” list writer who is known for high concept ideas, great execution, a string of successful movies and is always ready to share his knowledge and do what he can to help another writer on the way up.
What I learned from doing this assignment is: Good outlining is the key. I was able to fly through Act 4. Filling some holes and setting up a couple of things better. Really happy how this turned out. Still need to cut 12 pages or so.
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Farrin Rosenthal Has Finished Act 4!
Farrin’s Vision: To do what it takes to become a highly paid A-List Hollywood writer whose produced movies will entertain audiences around the world.
What I learned doing this assignment is you have to finish what you start. If you start a first draft, finish it! The key is to just do it and not worry about it being perfect. It’s not going to be perfect and that’s okay. Perfection is the last step, not the first.
The closer to the end I got, the more I wanted to finish. I wrote more my last two days than any other days because I wanted so badly to finish.
There was no question about it. This was something I was going to do. And I did!
First draft is done! I’m happy! I stepped out of my comfort zone and wrote a thriller, which is far different from my normal comedy scripts.
But I vowed, I will do whatever it takes to make my vision real. I’m on my way!
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KRISTIN HAS FINISHED ACT 4!
VISION: I want the personal, professional, and financial freedom and joy that come from writing so well that I’m in demand, selling beyond my wildest dreams, and making worthy projects—on a big scale and with my active, collegial participation.
WHAT I LEARNED in this assignment: As I got to the end, I see a cascade of things wrong. Things I have to set up earlier… even characters I never added during the outline phase, and whom I need now. Amazing… I think getting stuck in outlining might have been one of my problems before!
HOW’S IT GOING? Feeling “overly aware” of what’s wrong with this—and then I remember that it only has to be 30% quality. Thank goodness for that. Eek. But very exciting to have finished it! This is a project I’ve had on my radar for YEARS, and didn’t make time to do it. My mission in this class was to get it on the schedule. I can’t wait until it rocks.
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Sandra Finished Act 4
Vision: I am doing what I love to do as a writer with several successful produced movies.
What I learned doing this assignment is by staying empowered I was able to write three or more pages per day, which helped me complete Act 4 and the first draft – yeah! The first draft is not great and needs 10-15 more pages. Looking forward to making changes and improvements in the next draft.
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Gave a more thorough reply to #14 Lesson below.
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Pat Fitzgerald Finished Act 4!
Vision: I have the talent and tenacity to create contest winning screenplays, and I will go on to have my scripts optioned and produced.
What I Learned: Sticking to the outline is the best option. As the writing continued I had ideas of what needs to be changed, and I was tempted to add scenes and start to bend the plot. But I followed the rules and kept with the outline. This was for the best. I made notes as to what will change in the second draft and am looking forward to what comes next. Right now, though, all I can say is, whew, I completed my first draft!
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ROBERT SMITH HAS FINISHED ACT 4
MY VISION FOR SUCCESS FROM THIS PROGRAM:
I want to become a great writer who dlivers entertaining, informative and uplifting scripts that sell and get produced.
WHAT I LEARNED FROM DOING THIS ASSIGNMENT IS…?
Just enjoy the ride of speed writing a first draft.
HOW IT’S GOING FOR ME:
Fun, however, in this draft I reach only 87 pages. Still too short for a screenplay. What to do?
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Hi Robert!
I too was short on pages…so I went back to my third and fourth acts and added more hoops for my hero to jump through. I’m writing a family sci-fi comedy, Tara Vs the Termo-Lytes. It’s an homage and spoof on the wonderful sci-fi bug movies in the 1950s.
I’m now at about 92 pages, in a Word doc. When I transfer the Word doc to Final Draft, I’m hoping that will increase the pages to at least 100, because I know the first “shitty” draft is overwritten (which is fine) and it will need lots of streamlining, etc. So I’m hoping if I can get it to 100 pages, I’ll have more to work with.
So, in summary, after coming up short on pages, I reread my script and realized I just needed to add in more challenges for my protagonist, Tara, as she battles the mutant termites, AKA the Termo-Lytes, and make the challenges progressively more difficult until the final conflict. Hope this helps! Keep up the great work! We can do it! 😀
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Many thanks, Leona, for your message re: your experience with the problem of a short script. I”ll keep your solution in mind as a possible remedy.
Good Luck.
Best Always,
Bob👌👍
Robert R. Smith
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You’re welcome! I hope my ideas help. We can do it! Onwards and upwards! 😎
Leona
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Amechi Has Finished Act 4!
MY VISION
I am going to be in the top 1% of action/comedy writers in the industry who writes major action films.
What I learned doing this assignment is that Done is better than Perfect! Celebrate when you get to the end! It feels good to arrive here even though I know there’s lots of hard work ahead. -
Lori Has finished Act 4!
Vision: I want to be a professional screenwriter recognized by the industry as the go-to for family-friendly scripts and have multiple successful movies produced.
What I learned: The importance of finishing the first draft quickly and shutting down perfect thinking.
How did it go: I finished my first draft! I was able to finish because I stuck to the outline, and followed the high-speed rules.
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Linda Anderson Has Finished Act 4!
Vision for your success from this program:
Audiences around the world view and love my meaningful screenplays—one of the most satisfying and energizing accomplishments of my life.
What I learned from doing this assignment is by writing forward and releasing the need to edit as I go, my creativity increases and ideas for improvement pop in to my imagination unannounced.
How it is going:
It felt great to have the outline and high concept to guide me through the outline and first draft. Things went smoothly when I gave up the need to have long periods of time for writing and wrote in spurts from the outline.
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Terrie Finishes Act IV
Vision:
I get paid to write screenplays that get made into crowd pleasing successful films using a process that allows me to keep up my equestrian hobby.What I learned doing this assignment is I can finish a draft!
I had a pretty open day and busted through my final scenes! I’m proud that I got it done – not the first person in the class to get the first draft done but not the last. Given problems I’ve had keeping up with other classes I’m excited about this.
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Tom Has Finished Act 4!
My Vision: Be a reliable writer a manager and producers trust to do the job.
Doing this assignment, I learned to persevere when the going is tough.
The going is good: I’m getting getting faster finding solutions.
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MOD 5 LESSON 14
JACK P – HAS FINISHED ACT 4!
EMPOWERMENT: I AM COMPLETELY CAPABLE OF FINISHING THE FIRST DRAFT!
MY VISION: I will do whatever it takes to write a produced script that is recognized by the industry and leads to multiple successful movies.
WHAT I LEARNED: I am catching up turning in assignments and
it feels good. It’s OK to work at my own pace, and it is OK to find the time to
move forward using my creative engine, finishing the draft, then coming back
around to completing the assignments after the flow is complete. -
Tracy has finished Act 4!
I will do whatever it takes to become a successful author and screenwriter with multiple successful movies produced.
I’m feeling good about my first draft and can’t wait to go through feedback swaps and subsequent drafts.
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Leona Heraty Has Finished Act 4!
My Vision: To be the best family comedy screenwriter in the industry where my screenplays are produced into fabulous movies, making audiences laugh a lot and making me independently wealthy!
What I learned from doing this assignment is…Just keep writing as fast as I can and not look back. When I get distracted or start to edit, I put on a timer and get back on track and keep writing! It’s okay to write a shitty first draft! Ha! Ha!
Title: Tara vs. the Termo-Lytes
Genre: Comedy (Sci-fi)
Concept: A teenage tour guide with no sense of direction and an extreme fear of bugs takes a wrong turn and leads her group to an abandoned country club that’s overrun with giant mutant termites.
How things are going for me: I’m totally relieved to finally finish my first draft! I thought I wouldn’t have enough pages, but it turns out my first draft is 92 pages in Word. When I transfer the Word file into Final Draft, it will probably be even more pages. Yeay! This has been a fun experience writing a shitty first draft! I love my story and I’m having a lot of fun writing it! Onward and upward!-
This reply was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by Leona Heraty.
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You have a good project here. Sounds intriguing and funny and something you can have fun with. Good Luck and
All the Best Always,
Bob
Robert Smith
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Thanks so much, Robert! I really appreciate your kind words.
I’m having fun with it. I’m inspired by some of my favorite sci-fi bug/monster movies from the 1950s…Them! (1954), It Came from Outer Space (1953), The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), Tarantula (1955) and many more! Ha! Ha! 😎
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Oh, I love all those films, I’m sure I”ll love yours. I just accepted your request to connect.
Have a great night.
Any idea what is meant by a Beat Sheet? I saw Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet but is that all there is?
Many Thanks, Leona.
Bob
Robert Smith
443-674-8659
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This reply was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by
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Joe McGloin has finished Act IV
Vision: I am a talented, highly regarded, efficient, relaxed, happy, WGA screenwriter
What I learned doing this assignment is if the story is set up well, the end has an inevitable feel and is fun to write
How it’s going: finishing draft one is satisfying. I look forward to draft 2
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Claudia Finished Act 4
Claudia Continuing Act 4
Vision: To become such an excellent writer that I know every script I write will be well received by the industry, that my scripts will sell and be produced, and I’ll live the life of my dreams.
To also become so empowered that fear is to be laughed at, instead I relish and look forward to pitching, meetings and much more.What I learned…. it’s essential to create a great outline that you can work from as you speed through writing the first draft. I wrote this draft so much faster than any other script I’ve ever written. It feels really great to be done… this is a project I’ve had on my mind for several years and it’s DONE (the first draft). That feels spectacular. The timer method also made a huge difference.
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Micki’s Has Finished Act 4!
My vision: Be recognized as a writer that will work with the industry and would do what it takes to be that WRITER.
EMPOWERED!
What I learned from doing this assignment as the script is now at 60 pages. It is now about 30%, I know it needs improvements. Expand on some scenes and maybe add some more. I promised from here that I will have a complete outline that is not one sentence. More in depth of scenes and characters. This is my first time attempting to write from an outline.
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Andrew Kelm Has Finished Act 4!
Vision: I am going to do whatever it takes to be a great writer of TV and movies who is sought after by people I respect within the industry and has multiple successful TV series produced.
What I learned doing this assignment is… Finished! I was perfectly capable of writing badly before this and writing at a pretty good pace, but this experience has helped me compartmentalize the first draft, so I did not look back; I did not get stuck. When I felt like I was writing shit, I just kept going, knowing that there will be other drafts to make it better. Also, because we worked the outline so thoroughly, I trusted it more.
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John T Has Finished Act 4!
Vision: to become a reliable box office success and entertain audiences all over the world.
What I learned doing this assignment is that done is much better than perfect -feels different, empowering and more capable of taking on the next task.
Amazing that I caught up after being dormant for the better part of two months!
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Gisele Frazeur Finished Act 4
My vision: I am going to work diligently to become a brilliant, reliable screenwriter who is sought after, regularly produced, highly paid, and awarded. Artistic fulfillment and financial freedom will result from the achievement of this goal!
What I learned doing this assignment is: I can actually power through the doubts, fears, perfectionism, and anxiety – – and finish. Woot Woot. A lot of different emotions happening simultaneously!
Title: On the Scent
Genre: Thriller
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Jane Turville Finished Act 4!!!!
MY VISION: I will make my living as a screenwriter by selling my own narrative scripts and successfully fulfilling writing assignments.
By doing this assignment – since I’m so far behind, I just have to do a major YAHOO!!! Because I have just written the last scene!! The first draft of my script is complete!!
What did I learn by the processes given to us in Module 5? Actually, quite a number of things.
First, I don’t find that I have trouble writing multiple pages in a day. I work for 45 minutes every morning and usually turn out about 4 – 5 pages of script. It might not be good, but it’s written and a place to start.
Second, I discovered and worked out so many things about the story through the process of writing. There was so much that I left out in the outline that found its way in this first draft. I had a few red herrings I thought would work but discovered so much more about the story and characters as I wrote. What I would like to do now is with the next script, put this kind of effort into the outline and work things out there. I know that is what Hal had wanted us to do with the outline in Module 4 but I just got behind and rushed it.
Finally, I discovered that, as hard as I try, the whole high speed writing, don’t worry about full sentences and such didn’t work for me. I just couldn’t do it. However, I did take the principles of it and allowed myself to change directions when a more suitable plot piece presented itself. I didn’t go back and try and make everything make sense. I just kept writing. Now, I have something that I feel I can really work on in Modules 6 & 7.
Big lesson learned – apply the high speed writing to my outline process next time. I’ll get so much more worked out and keep from bogging down in the outline process, which is what I did with this project.
Title: Not A Clue!
Genre: Comedic Mystery
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