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Lesson 1
Reply and post your assignment.
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17 Replies
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SUBJECT: Monica’s Conventions
What I learned doing this assignment is to use the fill in the blanks process and then elevate in subsequent drafts.
CONCEPT: A police detective returns home to join a taskforce to break a human trafficking ring with a lead on the disappearance of her sister several years ago. Only to learn her lead is one of the masterminds behind the human trafficking ring that’s been infiltrated.
CONVENTIONS:
1. Hero: A highly-skilled undercover police detective infiltrates a human trafficking ring and has to utilize all her fighting and instincts to survive.
2. Mission: To find her sister and take down the human trafficking ring.
3. Demand for Action: Infiltrate the human trafficking ring while maintaining cover.
4. Antagonist: A drug-fueled lackey with an Oedipus complex with his mommy who’s the real mastermind behind the enterprise.
5. Escalating Action: Forcing the undercover plan and thwarting each stream of income of the traffickers.
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Evelyn’s Conventions!
What I learned doing this first assignment is to keep my ideas fluid and not get locked into what I’ve got so far as my concept. I started working on this idea when I signed up for the course, but after listening to the introduction audio just now, I used the 20 bad ideas brainstorming process, and came up with a couple of changes in what I’m posting here now, so that feels good! (At first, I was going to have the antagonist be a Russian fighter, but brainstorming pointed out that’s such a cliché I should remain open to fresher and edgier ideas!)
High concept: A crippled MMA champion female fighter must bring down the rival trying to kill her.
Highly Skilled Hero: Recently crippled champion female MMA fighter
Demand for Action: defend herself from the rival who still wants to kill her
Mission: Find and take down the woman who destroyed her family and her career in a car crash
Antagonist: the real antagonist is her protegee, who is setting her up to think the antagonist is the Russian MMA champion
Escalating Action: she’s fooled into thinking her protegee is also a target; discovers her protegee is actually her would-be killer, protegee has a cadre of supporters and she must defeat all of them outside the ring.
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Don’s Conventions
What I learned is to use the conventions and then brainstorm and build upon them to create a unique and compelling action story that fully engages the audience.
High Concept: A disgraced Army Ranger is left to fend for himself while trying to get justice for his murdered brother.
Hero: A wrongfully discharged Army Ranger who’s returned to his home town.
Demand for Action: The Ranger’s younger brother is murdered right in front of him.
Mission: Get justice for his murdered brother.
Antagonist: Corrupt local sheriff runs the county with an iron fist.
Escalating Action: He realizes there are no friends or allies willing to help find his brother’s killer.
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Patricia’s Conventions!
What I learned doing this assignment is that there are a number of ways to elevate action that hadn’t even occurred to me when I was first creating this world. It has already prompted me to think about unusual action and scenarios that might bring surprise to an audience. This exercise has also given me more confidence in my concept.
High Concept: During a Polar Vortex, a federal prison loses electricity, leaving the prisoners in the protective custody unit in a deadly freeze, prompting an imprisoned survivalist with three days left on his sentence to lead a daring prison break to save his fellow inmates.
Conventions
Hero: An imprisoned survivalist — comfortable being a loner and eagerly awaiting his release
Demand For Action: A power outage and a deadly polar vortex slowly begin to destroy their tower-like prison.
Mission: Save everyone left on the Protective Custody Unit before the storm kills them all
Antagonist: An embittered prison guard and a deadly storm
Escalating Action: As the storm intensifies so does the destruction of the building. Where do they go? Inside or out? Every decision brings greater levels of danger.
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Assignment #1 Action Class
Pat Galbraith’ s Conventions!
What I have learned from this assignment is: To escalate conventions and that there are things to do after the first draft things should change.
Concept:
After an aspiring educated Missouri girl and her family get caught up in the crosshairs of the Civil War, she joins neighbor outlaws to stop house burnings and killings by promoters of the civil war. When her brother is killed she sets out for revenge.
Conventions:
Highly skilled Hero: Sharpshooter, Horseback riding skills.
Mission: To protect her home from northern renegade Civil war promoters.
Demand for Action: Houses are burned, and neighbors are killed.
Antagonist: Renegade soldiers promoting the civil war.
Escalating Action: Her beloved brother killed by a Northern promoter. She struggles to find his killer.
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Action Lesson 1: Creating Your Action Concept
ASSIGNMENT
BG’s Conventions!
What I learned doing this assignment: This assignment helped me organize my ideas according to the conventions of the ACTION genre.
2. Brainstorm your concept and tell us the concept and conventions.
Concept: A reporter with a broken heart and a beautiful German spy try to stop a group of billionaires who are planning to start a war to gain control of the European energy market.
Conventions:
Hero: An engineer-turned-reporter with a broken heart.
Mission: To investigate a conspiracy to start a war… and stop it before assassins and agents kill him.
Demand for Action: If he doesn’t stop the conspiracy, war will break out and people will die.
Antagonist: Vicious billionaire who wants to start a war for his personal benefit and uses his media empire to convince the public that war is necessary to protect their way of life.
Escalating Action: Sneaking around to investigate turns into fighting off assassins and agents, a high-risk rescue operation, and a high-risk hacking operation.
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Subject: Dan’s Conventions
What I learned doing this assignment is to meet the genre conventions for intense action within a sci-fi series.
Concept: D.I.G. 4 chronicles humanity’s response to a sudden-onset ice age. Every episode is set in extremis.
Action Conventions:
1. Hero:
(Main Protagonist) Jordan Hendrix: The bald 40-something former Army Warrant Officer and Personal Security OIC of Sato Petrochemicals. Later, as second in command aboard D.I.G. 4 (Domestic Ice Garrison 4), he teaches physical security in the on-board elementary, junior high, and high schools. His wife and daughter are in cryosleep, ostensibly in Japan. His familiar is a giant rat named Ray. The Terranauts evolve under his leadership and adapt their specialized tunneling equipment and conventional arms to become an elite subterranean force.
2. Mission:
For ages, we’ve explored our universe from a place of relative safety. Now a truly raving and desperate humanity must stake its claim in the crushing ocean depths, the faceless void of space, or the dark world beneath.
3. Demand(s) for Action:
A sudden-onset ice age, the strains of leadership, the safety of everyone aboard D.I.G. 4 as it bores towards the relative warmth of Earth’s core, battling human and ancient earth races, and the perils of the subterranean world itself (if the Earth were an apple, humanity hasn’t even broken its skin with our deepest digs). Compounding everything, Jordan’s 15-year-old daughter, Care, entered cryosleep half a world away in Japan alongside his ex-wife only to awaken in space, transferred to the 3rd ECG (Earth Carrier Group) in the interval when the ice threatened to overwhelm Japan.
4. Antagonist:
(Main Antagonist) Claudette Martz, Founder of A.S.I. (Apex Survival, Inc): Her de facto reign is predicated upon placing the most potent bloodlines within a single enormous perimeter, each having both discreet and common high-end resources for enduring and thriving during the frozen millennium. Within this keep, she wields her fortune and dark influence, amassing vast power in the intervening years between 2029 (announcement of the crisis) and 2032 (frozen earth). Self-possessed, her proletariat vision is to control the ruling caste throughout mankind’s burgeoning galactic footprint.
5. Escalating Action:
The first season winnows down survivors, challenges preparations woefully inadequate to the task at hand, and fields disasters in the form of combat, disease, mechanical failures, scarcity, and catastrophes beyond the ice, and shares the intense pressures placed on human hearts and minds (and bodies) as they adapt to new norms that are anything but ordinary. By the final episode of Season 1, S.I.G.s (Space Ice Garrisons) and the deep-space carrier groups are the only ones not left cliff-hanging near total failure.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Daniel Burt.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by
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John’s Conventions
I learned several details about action movie conventions.
Hero: Trey, a gutsy inner-city youth.
Antagonist: Eldridge Makepeace, a horribly twisted 18th Century slave-ship captain doomed to the realm of the undead after being killed and cursed by an African obeah doctor whom he sought to enslave.
Mission: Trey must terminate the slave trader before he assassinates several much-loved civil rights leaders, including U.S. Presidential candidate Patrcia Hamilton.
Demand for Action: Trey battles a ruthless villain who can’t be killed because he’s already dead.
Escalating Action: As Trey scrambles to discover the key to destroying the immortal villain, he battles a vicious crew of gangbangers who wrongly believe he killed their boss. Topping off the insurmountable obstacles, Trey must flee from the police who incorrectly conclude our hero murdered several of Makepeace’s growing tally of victims.
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Mark’s Conventions
What I learned is the importance of extensive brainstorming to extract the most possibilities from the heroine’s skillset and capabilities.
Concept: A former Pest Controller, now working for the Bomb Squad, has to employ all her old pest control skills and weird armoury to stop a crazed bomber who is systematically wiping out the squad.
Heroine: A highly skilled and inventive Pest Controller who joins the Bomb Squad.
Demand For Action: A crazy bomber sets booby traps to destroy the only people who can stop him: the Bomb Squad.
Mission: To disarm all the bombs hidden in the city and track down the bomber before he can detonate his ultimate bomb.
Antagonist: A Bomber with a personal grudge against the Bomb Squad – and the heroine.
Escalating Action: The Bomber sets more dangerous and more ingenious bombs with the help of his crazed band of killers.
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Bent’s Conventions !
what I learned doing this assignment is this………… I have written cliche shit in my previous work and I don’t want to do that anymore. I’ve written some predictable stuff which I then corrected after following drafts. This is making me think way past all of that.
Concept: The military leader of the North Pole, who protects the continent for Santa, is choosing to go into business for himself. He wants the land drilled for more oil so that the area can be built up into a bigger community and have social dominance.
Conventions
Hero: Indigo the elf <div>
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Demand For Action: Protect Santa from the demon Krampus while all the elves and Santa deliver toys
Mission: Protect Santa from the two main threats. Krampus now and eventually the General later.
Antagonist – Krampus. The General.
:Escalating Action – The General wants Santa removed and death at the hands of Krampus will work out well. General desires the role of power over the North Pole. The land is rich with oil and will bring in money once countries are sold the rights to drill the North Pole.
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Behee Batjargal Conventions!
Concept: Only one to save the planet from invisible all powerful evil force is the former outlaw whom the world hates.
Conventions:
Hero: Highly skilled outlaw who can see the invisible
Demand for action: To take revenge of his family
Mission: To destroy the devil by any means possible
Antagonist: An invisible and all powerful evil forces who can get inside any human.
Escalating Action: Devil uses his dead family to fight him.
What I learned from this lesson is that it’s enjoyable to come up with ideas when conventions are definite.
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Michael Greco’s Conventions! Writing Killer Action Movies
WILDTA is that the Fill-In-The-Blanks method is a terrific method for rolling out options and committing to developing them, at least to the extent of the “Blanks.” Seeing the answers filled in definitely prompts more options, and avenues for the story; a really engaging process.
A HIGHLY SKILLED HERO
BALIN, combat-trained in Azerbaijani Army after Hamas, comes to USA to see his Dying Father. BALIN is trained in Muay Thai, Judo and Aikido, as well as Sharpshooter Training.
B. DEMAND FOR ACTION; PROBLEM
ARMENIAN-AMERICAN MOBSTER VOLDOST lost his Cousin to Azerbaijani conflict; wants to avenge family, and has killed an Azer. student at Cornell who was close to BALIN’s sister. BALIN has to get to VOLDOST and kill him before he organizes his goons to kill large swathes of Azerbaijanis in USA and in Azer.
C. MISSION
BALIN must neutralize the threat posed by infuriated, bellicose VOLDOST, primarily by killing him. VOLDOST exerts extremely broad and deep influence over Armenian government official and nationalist operatives, through his organized crime operation and its tentacles. Failing to stop VOLDOST will allow devastation of Azer. People living abroad, and in Azer. as well. Azer’s seafront on and claims to the Caspian Sea can also be compromised.
D. ANTAGONIST.
VOLDOST operates an extensive criminal enterprise in the USA and Armenia. VOLDOST is ruthless, a womanizer of Raputin-espque proportions, and a sociopath. VOLDOST especially wants to kill BALIN’s father TOVAR, who is a well-respected and adored Azer. elder, and an important root of Azer. culture.
E. ESCALATING ACTION.
As BALIN searches for VOLDOST, VOLDOST’s operation is on the ground and on the web searching for BALIN, intending to torture BALIN to force him to divulge TOVAR’S location, and kill him. VOLDOST also has an Armenian operative track TOVAR, and set up booby traps around Balin’s father’s home and agents.
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<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Michael Greco’s Conventions! Writing Killer Action Movies
[Accidentally omitted from preceding message]
CONCEPT: An Azerbaijani security consultant traveling in the USA to visit his dying father must battle and vanquish a brutal Armenian-American organized crime kingpin bent on vengeance following a devastating Azerbaijani attack on Armenian guerilla insurgents, including the criminal boss’ son.
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Subject: Paul’s Conventions
What I learned doing this assignment.
I am rewritting a story which demands more action. After listening to the John Wick session, I believe I can raise the level of my writing by polishing my action skills.
The process of writting 20 bad ideas is a prominent skill taught in the Screenwritting University. It is something I had forgotten and plan to re-impliment into my arrsenol.
1. Hero: Billy Roper, a likable and highly skilled gunslinger wants out of the outlaw game. The gangs latest score has given him enough gold to retire comfortably. Only problem, his brother and leader of the gang has taken the stolen gold to a cursed Mexican Mission where outlaws go to gain glory and sell thier souls.
2. Mission: Rescue his brother and escape with the gold.
3. Demand for Action: No one returns from the White Dove Mission. Once inside the perimiters of the town, Billy must use all his skills and learn how to be a team player to defeat those seeking eternal life given by three FALLEN ANGELS.
4. Antagonist: Lord Balin, a FALLEN ANGEL, who has sworn to demonize mankind and make Earth a living Hell.
5. Escalating Action: If fighting humans wasn’t enough of a challenge, Billy and his cohorts will have to survive the night battling an army of Super Charged Demons, and find a way to destroy the Angels who control the town.
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ASSIGNMENT#1 Action Lesson 1: Creating Your Action Concept
Jon’s Conventions!
What I learned doing this assignment: It helped me organize my ideas better, become a more disciplined writer, structure, order my ideas according to the conventions of the action genre.
Brainstorm your concept and tell us your concept and conventions.
CONCEPT: To save humanity from the upcoming world devastation, a depressed loner must lead them to the rapture.
CONVENTIONS
- Hero: A loner with word declaration powers that move the entire universe and planet earth.
- Mission: To lead humanity to the rapture before the great devastation takes place at the end of age.
- Demand for Action: If JV doesn’t overcome his fears to save mankind, the whole world will perish in Sheol.
- Antagonist: A well recognized world leader wants to rule the earth introducing a malicious hidden political agenda, and become the first world dictator to control the masses.
- Escalating Action: JV embarks on an adventure journey in a time travel machine, discovers his invisible enemies, confronts the Nephilim, and Gabilians, Uzurian forces join him to stop, and destroy their plan to invade the earth before Armageddon.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by JV Vasquez.
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SUBJECT: Cara’s Conventions
What I learned doing this assignment is to allow myself to make changes through the process.
CONCEPT: A conceited self-important soldier learns through special forces training to become a better man so he can be a better soldier.
CONVENTIONS:
1. Hero: A soldier with authority issues is demoted, applies to a special forces team as a second chance.
2. Mission: Stop the launch of missiles pointed toward his country and family.
3. Demand for Action: Missiles have been identified, more incoming.
4. Antagonist: Rival is the only minority trainee and has as much to prove as the Hero.
5. Escalating Action: Completing various in-country assignments to prepare for mission and prove qualifications.
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Andre’s Conventions!
What I learned doing this assignment is/are…
The Conventions-
Purpose: To excite my audience with an adrenaline-stirring, fast-paced, big-event story.
Demand for Action: There is a Problem or Goal that the only solution is a high level of Action (Intense fighting, running, escaping, and/or competing). Plot, Character, and Situations are all designed to demand Action!
Mission: There is often a stated or implied mission. The Hero must take down the antagonistic force, defend against overwhelming odds, or escape the unescapable.
Escalating Action: Overcoming the problem requires greater and greater heights of action (and involving higher stakes) as the story progresses.
Hero: Highly capable and skilled. Often, they bring a unique skill or talent to the fight that has them stand out from other heroes in the genre.
Antagonists: Clearly evil/corrupt/malicious, necessitating
decisive and expedient action to deal with them.a. Agree to confidentiality agreement.
b. Brainstorm my Concept and Conventions
Concept: Human ESP Consciousness (Noetics) + Space stuff.
Conventions: Space stuff, Landing on the Moon, playing golf on the Moon, setting up experiments on the moon, experimenting with ESP from space, return from the Moon back to earth (noetics-consciousness).
· Hero: Edgar D. Mitchell
· Demand for action: Limited resources (Time, Oxygen, Food, Technology etc.)
· Mission: Experimenting with Consciousness “ESP”, safely arrive at the Moon, land on the Moon safely, perform science experiments in space and on the Moon, safely depart the Moon, rendezvous with orbiter, return back to Earth safely.
· Antagonist: Time, Fight or Flight mode, Constant Survival, Space is unforgiving.
· Escalating action: Time! Oxygen. Fuel. Technology.
-Andre
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