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Day 8 Assignments
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4 Replies
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Lois Adding Empathy/Distress!
what I learned …nothing new – Hal already went over this in numerous previous lessons. I just added descriptions of the categories existing action already accomplishes. To get new ideas here, I’d need a co-author. I’ve been living in Skunk-Boy world for years and I’m idea-ed out, here.
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?
Forced decision: Kamali, an honest person, steals a rock from the Skunk Farm. She doesn’t think stealing a rock is a big deal. Later she learns it is.
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.
Worst possible time. Meff is going to miss his own birthday party.
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.
Forced Decision: First he missed his own b-day party. Now he’s missing the skunk party.
Extreme Consequences – he’d be killed if he didn’t run for cover.
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.
Force Decision: The petting feels wonderful, but this is his sister, talking baby-talk to him and petting him – totally embarrassing. Something he’d never do. Except he is in Skunk Mind.
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.
Forced Decision: Meff would never eat a rotten egg, but his uncle skunk tells him to, and he is in Skunk Mind.
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.
Undeserved misfortune: Meff was trying to stay safe. He got sprayed anyway, and then sold as a pet.
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Lisa adding empathy/ distress
What I learned doing his assignment is that I already have high stakes. I don’t know how they can be higher than killing off my main character in the first episode. I already have life and death situations and those are the highest the stakes can be. I already have empathy and distress included in my episodes. I did add some details to add more empathy and distress for other characters though.
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8. Empathy/Distress
This is a great brainstorming exercise for future episodes to make sure that every character, especially my main four, have some sort of empathy/distress going on for them. Hopefully this will engage the audience and keep them watching!
Plot intruding on life: Maid suddenly goes missing.
Extreme consequences: Elliot narrowly escapes whilst his young lover is arrested.Bring their wound present: Both Harriet and Elliot suddenly have their lives turned upside down by what has happened to them and their lovers.
I have added two things: a) that emotionally Harriet must have this situation (of her maid missing) more painful, that she is quite distressed.
b) In contrast Elliot is to be more fearful of his narrow escape and wonders what may be in store for him, did someone see him? Will he be arrested as well?
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SU Bingeworthy
Module 3 Lesson 8
Griff is adding Empathy and Distress
What I learned: I need to work on making the characters likable as well as relatable in order for the audience to react with empathy to their distress.
Stephanie’s distress about her unfulfilling work and the struggle she faces raising her boys is evident. If we like Stephanie we will feel empathy for her situation.
Randy is angry because he feels like he was dealt a bad hand in life, including the absence of his father. We need to see his vulnerable side in order to feel empathy.
Todd feels misunderstood and overlooked. By revealing his sensitive nature but also his inner strength we will tap into that empathy.
Brad is puzzled by Marcey’s fierceness and has no clue that she thinks she is trying to protect him. He is also tantalized by the notion that there is an opportunity for him to revisit his former fame. Brad is the easiest character to like.
Marcey is the fiercest of all because she is clear about what motivates her. We admire her sense of justice, now we need to relate to her and like her, or at least admire her drive.
I have added “save the cat” interaction moments for each of the characters.
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