Day 15 Assignments

[Terrell Harris]

Terrell’s Height of the Emotion

What I learned doing this assignment is how to tweak scene structure for maximum dialogue effect. This was a real struggle.

ASSIGNMENT 1

1. Evie reminisces about her marriage: emotion(s): anger, jealously
John pleads with Evie to stop the attack on the Lower City
Through an emotional tirade she begins to talk about her marriage, her tone softens when she talks about the tough times but hardens again when she mentions
‘that tramp from the Lower City who seduced my husband.”
so you want to punish an entire population.
They’re all the same, I gave your father just 2 rules don’t bring another woman into our home, and don’t fuck up the money, do you know he did both. Unforgivable.

2. John pleads with his mom to change the plan to wipe out Lower City. Emotion: fear
Out of options, John begs her.
I get it you hate the entire Lower City then do this for me?
I am doing this for you, out of love, for your own good, what you don’t have the heart to do.

3. Is pain real? emotion(s): anger, sadness
Doc is prepping Cyndi for her undercover mission, she need to locate a missing woman.
The Doc confesses he’s speaking about his kidnapped wife.
Doc and Cyndi have a debate about whether pain is real or an illusion
You’ve never lost anyone so you get to pretend pain an illusion. what’s fake is your lofty position
I thought we had the right person for this mission but clearly we don’t
well I’m all you got

4. Jocelyn threatens Cyndi. emotion(s): anger
Jocelyn confronts Cyndi about John
Cyndi insists that she has the wrong idea
taking offense Jocelyn tell Cyndi to know her place
You’re in no position to tell me what anything is like. But I am in a position to tell you this, know your place, and everything will be as it’s supposed to be.

5. Doc’s wife decides is her time to die. emotion(s): sadness/happiness
doc’s wife had been merged with an AI
she can’t be saved without heavy cyborg modification
“if I can’t be fully human then my time is up. Don’t mourn me, celebrate my last moments as a human being and dying with dignity.”

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by  Terrell Harris.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by  Terrell Harris.

[andrea cabanas]

Andrea Cabanas, Height of the Emotion

I agree with Terrell. I changed and still have to change a few scenes in my script to make the emotional impact hit stronger in particular moments. I even created two new scenes, which changed a bit the course of my script.

1. Katrina asks Zoe to swear on the Bible that she’s not seeing Paula.

Zoe is lying to Katrina, and Katrina knows it; that’s why she makes her daughter swear on the bible. But Katrina’s also in doubt to know if she’s ready to take the news because she doesn’t have the courage to kick her daughter out of the house.

2. Katrina and Zoe argue about her uncle.

Katrina tells Zoe she doesn’t want her to end like her uncle, who was sick (gay) and committed suicide because of it. Zoe tries to make her mother see that he killed himself because she didn’t support her brother because of her husband. Zoe tells Katrina she was the only person he had and he felt lonely, forgotten, and it was the lack of her love that made him sad and depressed.

3. Zoe tells Katrina she’ll leave, and Katrina has a breakdown

Katrina feels for the first time that she is losing her daughter and breaks everything she can in the house. Katrina uses emotional blackmail to persuade Zoe to do what she wants.

4. Nina tells Zoe she’s pregnant and doesn’t want to go ahead with it.

Zoe is against abortion (religious prejudice), which is the first time Zoe faces such a situation. When one of her best friends needs her support, she finds herself with no way out but goes against her prejudice to support her friend.

5. Zoe sees the priest with a man.

At the gay nightclub, both lock eyes. The priest rushes to leave, and Zoe goes behind him. Zoe talks about what God thinks about it, if they’re really sinners, and why this happens. A few days later, the priest goes to Zoe’s house. Away from Katrina, he tells her he’s leaving the church for the better, as he can’t stand it anymore. And he’s keen to take the risks that might come through this (talking about heaven and hell).

[Terrell Harris]

Terrell’s Builds Meaning with Dialogue

ASSIGNMENT 2

What I learned doing this assignment is how to take a phrase and match it against contrasting emotions.

Better late than never
John scolds Cyndi for being late (he’s an impatient guy)
Better late than never. (John’s criticism frustrates Cyndi)
when Cyndi surprises John at the gala (she’s energetic about surprising him)
when Cyndi shows up with John’s mom at the tribunal (Cyndi is optimistic)

give it a shot
when John’s turns his nose up at a plain drink, like beer
(Cyndi is being funny, poking funny at John’s upper class ways)

Cyndi asks John to babysit (John has pedophobia)
just give it shot (she is being critical of John’s phobia about children)

Cyndi won’t kiss John but she offers John a sip of her drink via an indirect kiss
give it a shot (she’s being flirty)

easy does it
John is aggressive about getting Cyndi into bed
(She’s disgusted)
John’s dance moves are sexual
(Cyndi is startled but dances with him)

John begins to undress Cyndi
(she is flirty in a way that says don’t stop but go slow)

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by  Terrell Harris.