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Day 7 Assignments
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Binge Worthy Module 3, lesson 7 homework
Lois Open Loops and Mysteries
what I learned …nothing new – Hal already went over this in numerous previous lessons.
1. Present the first draft of your pilot Acts.
Teaser:
Before every episode – a tour through town showing all the skunk establishments.
Open Loop: why is this town obsessed with skunks?
Essence: Kamali Parker sneaks past Skunk Farm skunks (talking sweetly to them) and steals a piece of red and black meteorite. She delivers it to Villain Howland Mann.
Intriguing World: Why does this town have skunks everywhere?
Hidden agenda: why is Kamali stealing a rock from the farm?
Strange behavior: What is the villain up to?
Mystery: Why is Kamali taking a rock?
Mystery: Why is Kamali talking to skunks?
Open Loop: Why is the villain becoming an owl?
Turning Point: Villain scrapes from meteorite into into a test tube marked OWL. He swirls the tube, injects himself. He starts to shrink and grow feathers.
Act 1:
Essence: Coach punishes Meff for lack of team spirit – orders him to pick up garbage after school, and be late to his 11th birthday party.
Intriguing World: On billboard visible from baseball field: ad for Skunk Beauty Pageant entries.
Mystery: Why doesn’t coach like Meff?
Intrigue: Why does walking on his hands matter to Meff?
Strange Behavior: Aunt Abigail is one of Meff’s favorite skunks. Why would she spray him?
Open Loop: How popular are Skunk Beauty Pageants?
Mystery: Why doesn’t coach like Meff?
Open Loop: Why does getting sprayed by a skunk turn Meff into a skunk?
Open Loop: What are the consequences of becoming a skunk?
Turning Point: Meff is finally nearing home and he gets sprayed by a skunk. He becomes a skunk.
Act 2:
Essence: Skunk who sprayed Meff invites him to a skunk party in the cave
Intriguing world: What’s a skunk party?
Secret: Why do these skunks know so much about Meff?
Secret identity: who is Aunt Abigail?
Mystery: What is a skunk party?
Mystery: why do these skunks know so much about Meff?
Mystery: who is Aunt Abigail?
Open Loop: who is a were-skunk and why?
Turning Point/Midpoint: En route to the cave, an owl swoops down. Meff runs toward the hen house. Other skunk runs to cave.
Act 3:
Essence: Meff finds his sister Polly collecting eggs and his mom milking a goat. Polly pets Meff and talks sweetly to him.
Intriguing World: Meff is now a skunk on his own skunk farm
Intrigue: What is Skunk Mind?
Open Loop: How does life change for Meff now that he is a were-skunk?
Open Loop: What is skunk mind?
Mystery: What will Polly do with her new secret knowledge?
Turning Point: Meff is both embarrassed to be petted, and he loves it.
Act 4:
Essence: Another skunk enters the hen house and gives Meff a rotten egg. Polly holds her nose. Meff gobbles it up.
Intriguing World: And why does Mom keep rotten eggs in the henhouse?
Strange Behavior: Why would a skunk want a rotten egg?
Mystery: Why does the skunk want Meff to eat a rotten egg?
Open Loop: Why does Mom keep rotten eggs in the hen house?
Turning Point: Meff becomes human again.
Act 5:
Essence: Meff learns that some members of his family are were-skunks. The family celebrates “Today you have become a skunk.”
Intriguing World: Meff’s family includes were-skunks. Meff is one of them.
Secret Identity: Aunt Abigail is Meff’s aunt who chose to live her life as a skunk.
Hidden layer: The skunk farm has a gift shop where they sell skunk spray for hunters.
Open Loop: Who is a were-skunk? How dangerous is it to be a were-skunk?
Mystery: Why did Aunt Abigail choose to live her life as a skunk?
Mystery: Why would a hunter buy skunk-spray?
Open Loop: What will life be like for Meff as a pet skunk?
Open Loop: Can Meff escape being a pet skunk and become human again?
Lock In: Meff is afraid of becoming a skunk again. He decides to work indoors at the family store. A hunter comes in to buy skunk-spray and sprays him. He’s a skunk again. Kamali Parker comes into the store and starts petting him.
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Lisa’s Mysteries and open loops
What I learned doing this assignment is that my show already has a lot of mystery and open loops that I had already thought about previously, so I didn’t really add anything.
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7. Open Loops & Mysteries
I feel that there are already Mysteries and Open Loops in each ACT and yet, haven’t discovered new areas to add them. Perhaps it may become more evident once I get to start writing the pilot.
Main Mystery: Maid hasn’t returned from her day off. What Happened?
Sub Mysteries: Why is Harriet so distraught that her maid hasn’t come home?
Main Open Loop: Why has Rosie gone missing? Why was the Molly House raided?Sub-Open Loops: How are Harriet and Elliot going to keep their secrets from their respective families?
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SU Bingeworthy
Module 3 Lesson 7
Griff’s Mysteries and Open Loops
What I learned: The mysteries and open loops are sprinkled through the framework like Easter eggs. Just gotta find ’em.
ACT 1
Essence: Stephanie struggles to balance a job and raising her two teen boys.
Mystery: There is no father around.
Open Loop: What’s caused Stephanie to become a single parent?
ACT 2
Essence: Neighbor Brad and his daughter Marcey are more than what they seem.
Mystery: Where does Marcey go?
Open Loop: Why is it so important to Marcey to keep her real agenda a secret, especially from Brad?
Open Loop: Will Stephanie and Brad’s respective parenting troubles bring them together?
ACT 3
Essence: Randy tries and fails to get picked for team sports.
Mystery: Why did Brad walk away from Rock-and-Roll at a peak of success?
Open Loop: What is Stephanie’s interest in Marcey’s activities?
Open Loop: How will Randy overcome his limitations to prove himself?
ACT 4
Essence: Stephanie’s job unravels as she focuses on the immigration story involving Marcey.
Mystery: Social worker questions about the boys’ father get conflicting responses from Stephanie and the boys.
Open Loop: Can Stephanie hold the family together?
TP: Stephanie follows Marcey to the desert and almost gets them all busted by Border Patrol.
ACT 5
Essence: Home life unravels.
Intrigue: The boys find out there is a chance they will be taken from the home by authorities.
Mystery: What is Stephanie’s angle on the story of Marcey’s desert excursions.
Open Loop: Can Marcey succeed in the face of exposure by Stephanie’s story?
Hidden Agenda: Not so hidden, Stephanie wants to make a splash using Marcey’s activities.
Strange Behavior: Stephanie and Marcey’s argument in the street is way beyond what anyone can understand.
Accusation: Marcey accuses Stephanie of trying to ruin her life.
TP: The police break up the neighborhood argument and send everyone home.
Lock in: In the morning Stephanie and Marcey are both missing.
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