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Day 6 Assignments
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Action Lesson 6: Creating Your Action Structure
ASSIGNMENT:
BG’s Action Structure!
What I learned doing this assignment: I had trouble assembling my events into the structure template. Finding the right pieces from the three tracks… Everything seemed jumbled, same events written from different perspectives, in different orders…
Look through your three tracks (Mission, Villain, and Action) and find the points that could work for this structure:
MALDOVINIA ON FIRE
THE PLAN: The Villain’s plan is in place before the movie starts and the Hero wanders into that plan, not knowing what he is getting into.
It is a conspiracy, codenamed NORTHSTAR, to pump weapons and militants into MALDOVINIA, where rebels are battling government forces. The conspirators want to turn the protracted insurgency into a full-blown land war in the middle of Europe and disrupt piped natural gas supply, so that they can sell expensive LNG (liquefied natural gas) to Europeans.
The conspiracy is led by BILLIONAIRE, a man of immense wealth, who uses his media empire as a weapon in his crusade to fight off any challenge to the Western-led world order. His second-in-command is ENERGY MOGUL, another billionaire. He wants Germans to stop buying cheap, piped natural gas and buy, instead, his five-times more expensive LNG.
1. Opening: Weapons of war being unloaded from a cargo plane at a remote airport in MALDOVINIA. The conspirators watch this in real-time on a wall-size screen in the St. Michael conference room of the posh London club named A Club for Patriots. They discuss the progress of operation NORTHSTAR.
2. Inciting Incident: A mysterious envelope containing blurry photos of BILLIONAIRE, the club and some bank statements arrives in REPORTER’s mailbox. It’s a tip about a plot to start a war. His editor thinks a scoop like that could put their small magazine on the map. He sends REPORTER to check it out.
3. First Turning Point at end of ACT 1: REPORTER’s lame plan to snoop around BILLIONAIRE as his favorite waiter at The Club fails. He’s banned from the second floor. Now he needs to take more risk. He moves up the ladder of deception — from lying to get hired as a waiter to planting a listening device in the thermostat of the St. Michael conference room.
4. Mid-Point: During his emotional report to his editor about his findings, he carelessly uses the word NORTHSTAR. Keyword monitoring programs of NSA latch onto the word and CIA and MI6 become involved. They are not only aware of NORTHSTAR, but are covertly supportive. It is a much bigger conspiracy than believed at the beginning. The stakes are raised.
5. Second Turning Point at end of ACT 2: REPORTER learns from HOSTESS that his missing friend and ally, HACKER, is at a CIA safe house, being interrogated (euphemism for tortured). REPORTER is horrified and blames himself for involving his friend in such a dangerous operation.
6. Crisis: REPORTER decides to rescue HACKER, from what is, in essence a government prison — illegal and extremely risky. HOSTESS tells him so, but he convinces her to help — they are a team now. Using tools and a plan made by him, REPORTER, HOSTESS, and her allies rescue HACKER from the CIA safe house, and take him to an undisclosed safe house.
7. Climax: Then, they conduct a major hacking operation (with HACKER participating via video-link) to divert the conspiracy’s funds and make it look like one of the conspirators did it. BILLIONAIRE discovers NORTHSTAR funds are missing. It looks like ENERGY MOGUL stole them. He terminates NORTHSTAR and has his second-in-command, ENERGY MOGUL, killed by ASSASSIN.
8. Resolution: BILLIONAIRE goes into clean-up mode in order to protect his reputation and the rest of his plans. He calls REPORTER’s editor and tells him he’ll give an exclusive interview to REPORTER. During the interview, BILLIONAIRE explains what is needed to defend the Western way of life, tries to find out how much REPORTER knows, and blames it all on ENERGY MOGUL. REPORTER’s questions are mild and respectful. But there is change in the air. The balance of power between the two has shifted. After REPORTER leaves, BILLIONAIRE looks unsettled. He continues to stare, like a malign bird of prey, at REPORTER’s empty chair.
REPORTER is seen in a restaurant, smiling and having a good time with HOSTESS, the female lead. His heart has healed!
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MARY ELLEVOLD
WHAT I LEARNED DOING THIS ASSIGNMENT IS I’M MISSING SOME THINGS.
. Look through your three tracks (Mission, Villain, and Action) and find the points that could work for this structure. COMEDY- ZOOPHOBIA
Opening-VILLAIN
LEAVES GIFT,
Inciting
Incident THAT CAUSES BIRDS TO POOP BOMB JON’S CAR
First
Turning Point at end of Act 1-JUDGE ORDERS JON TO THERAPY
Mid-Point-MISSING?
Second
Turning Point at end of Act 2-JON PLUNGES KAT’S TOILET AND GETS FULL OF …
Crisis-MISSING?
Climax-JON
FACES FEARS AT ZOO; KAT FINDS OUT TRUTH
Resolution-ANT.
GETS COMMUNITY SERVICE CLEANING AFTER ANIMALS, JON GETS JOB BACK -
What I learned doing this assignment is…? I liked seeing how the flow should be set up, and the importance of a 3 Act Structure.
Opening
1. Trevor (hero) caught by chance breaking into home, uses unique skillset to gain entry and fight his way out.
2. What is the Ares Agenda (we do not see yet, but a plan to control world by defense contractors) and Trevor’s initial reaction being upset.
Inciting Incident
Having problem here with degree of inciting incident from what I have now to get to come out round page 10-15, but I swapped some scenes (see 3 below)
1. Trevor decides to take report to his old boss at the CIA
2. Flashback of war scars, is this enough? Currently only incites him to take to CIA and no other involvement
3. Is reconnecting with CIA, whom he loaves, a big enough change? After swapping some scenes, now page 12
First Turning Point at end of Act 1
1. Trevor learns that his arch nemesis, Stephan, is part of Cartel and this is the tipping point
2. Hit on Jonathan (page 30) for researching agenda and is found out, but this removes him form future scenes and changes Trevor’s demeanor early
3. Current Twist of finding out about Stephan is page 38-42, so end of Act 1, is this late?
4. Need relationship with Ashley to develop before end of Act 1 and if inciting event is killing Jonathan, his right-hand man, then his mood going forward would be anger! So no Ashley?
Mid-Point
1. Attempted hit on Trevor, he learns AshlEy (love interest) probably set him up
2. Page 61 for attempt is further than mid-point (mid page 58)
Second Turning Point at end of Act 2
1. Trevor captured and tortured – page 80
Crisis/Dilemma
1. Screw looking for evidence, just time to take them down
2. Confronts Ashley (page 93)
Climax
1. Final confrontation and fight with Worthington (page 100+)
2. Asley injured/killed?
Resolution
1. Stephan killed, Worthington escapes
2. Trevor back to his old ways.
3. Ashley joins him?
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Assignment 6: The Secret of High-Quality Structure
Dennis Chrisman Action Structure!
“What I learned doing this assignment is…?” It becomes easier to outline the storyline using the structure techniques from the various lessons. I took longer than usually to rough out a synopsis of the story. This becomes a prelude to Lesson 7.
Opening: (p, 1 – 10)
The United States (US)is bankrupt and announced the protocol Force Majeure is in place and the US is under Martial Law. Nancy (NANCY) (29) goes to the gun range to shoot her 9-millimeter (mm) Glock.
(Subplot A) She calls her dad (JAMES) (70) who lives on a self-sustaining farm. James invites Nancy and Tom to visit the farm this next week. They agree to go.
(Subplot B) Husband Tom (TOM) (32) tries to get gas and go to work. At the Gas Station a man named Machete (MACHETE) (45) kills the gas station owner. Tom leaves but is abducted into the Army and is sent to the Pacific Front to fight the Chinese.
Nancy and Nikki, (NIKKI) (9) start out to the James’ farm. They were told by a stranger that the only place to get gas is at a renegade gas station called the “Last Stop” across the river that borders the town. Nancy comes across a woman Sara (SARA) (26) in distress at a security checkpoint. Nancy uses as M-45 adaptor to mount on the Glock 9 mm to shoot the guards. She saves Sara (Sara) (26) and her son Jamal (JAMAL) (12). She drives across the bridge to the “Last Stop”
Inciting Incident (P. 10 – 15)
At the “Last Stop” Nancy unintentionally cuts in front of the leader of a motorcycle gang, Machete. She apologizes, he is mean, but leaves her to pump gas. Unfortunately, Nancy uses the last of the gas. She hangs up the nozzle and apologizes. Machete insults her then grabs her. Nancy takes two steps back and levels Machete with a spinning round house.
She goes into the “Last Stop”. While she’s in the store Machete opens the back of Nancy’s SUV and stares into the barrel of the nine mm Glock. Nikki tells him to shut the door and leave. He backs up then takes a step forward, cussing at Nikki. She shoots him in the toes. He backs up howling; Nikki shuts the door. Nancy returns gets in the SUV and drives off.
(Subplot A) Nancy calls James and tells him the news to date and that they are on the way to the farm.
First Turning Point at end of Act 1 (P. 15 – 35)
It’s night; Nancy drives along an empty highway with the kids singing in the back of the SUV. The stop at a lone farmhouse to get some water for their SUV. An older couple lives there. They have a boy (Greg) (7) and a girl (Susan) (6), their grandkids. They are orphaned. The older couple gives them to Nancy for care. The gang stops; they light a fire and setup camp for the night. The bikers joke and make fun of Machete. He has his boot off; looks at the gap left by his two missing toes. He wraps a rag around the bloody wound, howling in pain. He vows to capture that woman and sell her and those kids at the “Last Stop”.
Nancy and the kids turn onto a sandy road and up the mountains to a Ranger Station at the end of the road. They are able to break in the station, eat and find comfort sleeping in bunk beds.
Back on the road Nancy and the kids drive down the mountain. She passes the gang’s makeshift camp. The motorcycle gang follows and catch up to her. Nancy takes another turn onto a sand covered road. The motorcycle gang can’t ride their bikes in the sand. She loses the gang; becomes lost herself.
Mid-Point (P. 25 – 35)
(Subplot A) James drives to a neighbor’s house to pick up fencing. The neighbor is dead. Next, he drives to the local town to find it’s in shambles. He runs across three young teenage boys trying to steal a rat from a young girl. He puts a stop to it, gathers them up and takes them his farm.
(Subplot B) Tom is soldering at the Pacific front. He sits in a World War I style trench in his dugout cubby hole. He’s visible tired, filthy, and appears to be malnourished. He hears a loud buzzer. He gets up, picks up his weapon and heads over the top then moves into to Deadman’s Land.
Nancy and has parked the SUV, she and Sara are outside leaning over the hood looking at a map and holding a compass. They hear but don’t see the motorcycles. Suddenly, Nancy points to the map then shows Sara the compass. They pile into the SUV and start down a steep rock incline. She ends up on the main road and drives forward.
Second Turning Point at end of Act 2 (P. 35-55)
(Subplot B) Tom is shot. He falls to the ground unable to get up. He hears the busser signaling retreat. He appears to be stuck in Deadman’s’ Land. A Chinese bugle sounds. Tom’s scared; he hears a rumbling near him. He pulls his rifle close and removes the bayonet and holds it in his hand. Medics with red cross bands on their arm and on their helmet pick him up and put him on a stretcher and take him back to the US side.
The gang is on the blacktop and behind Nancy. Various gang members pull alongside the SUV and strike it with motorcycle chains. Nancy swerves to avoid the damage. At some point she drives off the road and becomes stuck.
The gang grabs Nancy by the hair and drags her out of the SUV. They grab Sara and the kids and pull them out of the SUV. They tie them up with zip cords. Nancy and the kids stand with their hands behind their backs. Machete walks to Nancy and slaps her in the face. Sara comes to her rescue. Sara has pulled her hands in front of her and climbs on top of Machete; chokes him with the cable tie that secures her hand.
Machete flings her off of him and hits her in the head with the butt of a rifle. Blood trickles from both her ears. Sara is dead.
Nancy is furious. She slips from her cable ties and runs to the SUV. Along the way, she uses karate chops, kicks and throws to keep the gang at bay. She makes it to the SUV, puts it into reverse and backs over several bikers and their bikes. She pulls forward, opens the doors and gets the kids into the SUV.
Crisis (P 55 – 85)
Nancy and the kids minus Sara are driving fast to get away from the gang. Various members of the gang ride up to the SUV and try and serve into to it off the road. The drive up and damage the SUV by striking it with motorcycle chains and clubs.
They are very close to the James farm. On gang member rides to the front of the SUV uses a club and smashes it into the SUV’s radiator. Nancy continues to weave and speeds forward to avoid the motorcycle gang. The SUV starts to overheat, steam rolls out from under the hood. She continues to weave to avoid the gang.
Climax (P. 85 -100)
(Subplot A merges with the Plot) The farm is in sight. She is on the phone with her father. There is a heavy gate to the entrance of the farm. At the far southwestern corner of the farm stands a guard post within the fenced barb wire farm. The farm boys use various handmade weapons such a trebuchet to fire upon the motorcycle gang. The rest of the kids from the farm run to open the gate and provide a defense for Nancy and the kids so they can get into the farm.
James has issued weapons and the crew provides a formidable defense and eventually brings the motorcycle gang to its knees. Most of the bikes are inoperable. The entire motorcycle gang is wounded in some fashion. Nancy and the kids drive their battered SUV through the gate and around behind the fam house; they join in defending the farm.
Resolution (P. 100 – 110)
The motorcycle gang surrenders. They stand in a group outside the entrance gate. James tells them to get on what’s left of their bikes and move out except Machete. With two toes missing and a gunshot wound to the opposant leg, James takes his motorcycle colors gives him a gallon of water and sends him on his way on foot.
(Subplot B merges with the Plot) Tom dresses in civilian clothes. He walks with a limp, uses a cane and carries a backpack. He comes in sight of the farm. A young lookout sounds a warning cry. James and Nancy come running from the house. As the man limps closer. At some point Nancy recognizes him as James. She runs to him, hugs and kisses him.
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