Lesson 10

[Rae Rodgers]

SWU – CONTAINED MOVIE

LESSON# 10 – CREATING YOUR OUTLINE

What I learned this assignment. This was a whole lot of work! FYI,I am working with a completed script which makes some of this redundant?

RAE’S FOUR ACT STRUCTURE

This 4 Act lesson has helped me organize the script in my head. Now I can refer to this 4 Act structure to answer formatting questions from others. It also mapped out the story clearly in my head and will help with future pitching sessions.

THE OVERVIEW:

· TITLE: MARRIED OR NOT

· GENRE: ROMANTIC COMEDY

· LOGLINE: Dumped at the altar, vowing never to marry, Jesi takes on a single ladies only commercial real estate job, to make the big commissions needed to pay off her deceased father’s debt – and then meets the love of her life.

PASS 1: 4 ACT STRUCTURE:

CONCEPT: Jesi is dumped at the altar, then suffers the loss of her father causing a Tsunami of grief. She’s also inherited her father’s debt, needs to ramp up her earnings, and so commercial real estate seems like the answer. But this field is competitive, male dominated, and could be way out of her league. Also, Jesi’s company of choice has a “single women only policy” issued by their female CEO.

MAIN CONFLICT

Jackson’s death plagues Jesi with grief, followed by huge medical bills plus the IRS is stalking for taxes on unreported gambling wins. A big income job is what she needs and so West Coast Investment Real Estate looks like the answer. But the competition is fierce, Jesi’s not getting leads, and continues to run her father’s construction truck for survival.

ACT 1 OPENING

Abandoned by love, Jesi moves in with her father Jackson. But he soon dies in a freak accident, leaving behind a huge amount of medical and gambling debt. Dr. Gerard LeBlanc, Jackson’s surgeon, is struck by Jesi’s humanity, her beauty, tells office manager, Mrs. Mehta, “Jesi is the woman I will marry.” But Jesi’s too busy honing her real estate skills. An besides, she is locked into a “single females only” job vowing never to walk the aisle again.

INCITING INCIDENT

Jesi’s new job is grueling, the male competition relentless. She begs the broker Jason for leads but loses every time to top producer Henry Woo. Jason insists it’s out of his hands, restates the company rule, backed by the CEO. But when Henry snakes Jesi out of a listing the game is on!

TURNING POINT

Jesi breaks the downward spiral and finally sells a building. The seller is Harold, her father’s good friend, who then introduces her to a band of old men “The good old boys”, all wealthy apartment building owners. Jesi has an immediate breakthrough, starts listing their buildings.

ACT2: NEW PLAN

Top producer Henry Wu slams Jesi, insists the good old boys are HIS clients, says Jesi knows nothing, she’s just a Rookie. All the while she keeps listing and closing sales. During all this Gerard the doctor is in hot pursuit, calling, sending her flowers.

PLAN OF ACTION

In the middle of all the new sales activity, Jesi agrees to meet Gerard for coffee. He tells her she’s captured his heart. She tells him she’s interested too, but never wants children – shares that her mother deserted her at four. Gerard gets her to agree to a dinner date – can’t help himself, proposes to Jesi in the heart of a romantic olive tree setting. His friend, a wedding celebrant, appears by chance. He marries them – tells them their vows are real. They’re married all but for the license.

MIDPOINT TURNING POINT

Gerard pressures Jesi to go to City Hall. She promises she will but her business is exploding! She gets a private office, hires two assistants Michael and Giselle. Meanwhile the business keeps pouring in. To date, Gerard has not disclosed to Jesi he has a twelve year old boy, worried this might cause him to lose her, for she wants to remain childless.

ACT 3:

RETHINK EVERYTHING

Jesi’s making the big commissions, most of her paychecks usurped by the medical and IRS debt. She feels she’s working for them, not keeping her word to her husband Gerard, but until her big sales are closed, she’s keeping the wedding secret.

NEW PLAN

Jesi hardly has time for Gerard – he gives her two months to seal their wedding vows with a license. When she does not deliver Gerard blows up, tells her to get her priorities straight. Finally, Jesi drives to him – but sees him kissing another woman. She calls the marriage off!

TURNING POINT: HUGE FAILURE/ MAJOR SHIFT

Jesi is still closing the big deals, alienating her male competition, namely Henry. But she is miserable without Gerard. Jason learns of the marriage, discloses this to Jesi, adds that his daughter babysits Gerard’s son Julian. He’s surprisingly sympathetic.

ACT 4:

Jesi is targeted for Rookie of the Year. The company CEO finally makes herself known to Jesi – discloses that she is her estranged mother. Jesi wants nothing to do with her.

FINAL PLAN

Jesi pays off her father’s one hundred thousand IRS debt but is left without resources to pay property taxes and the final medical bills.

CLIMAX/ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF THE CONFLICT

Gerard forgives the medical debt, gives Jesi new financial freedom. She agrees to meet his boy Julian, also go for a sale on his yacht. The day goes very well.

RESOLUTION

Still torn between sales and closings and her commitment to Gerard, Jesi finally agrees to meet him and Julian the next day at City Hall – but that morning she’s sabotaged by a plumbing disaster in one of her recent sale buildings. The new buyer is threatening to sue – so she throws on her coveralls, grabs her plumbing gear, man’s Jackson’s truck, rushes to handle the emergency. While Gerard and Julian wait outside City Hall. She calls, apologizes, promises to them she will be there the next day.

PASS 2: ADD IN THE CHARACTER’S JOURNEY:

1. JESI

Jesi is hit with demands for north of $300K of Jackson’s debt. She has to grow up fast, find a job where she can generate this kind of income. But male dominated commercial real estate is not easy – to get the job she agrees to remain single.

Three months of struggle, squeezed out of a big listing, Jesi toughens up. It helps that she has a friend in Harold, a rich apartment owner who introduces her to his band of good old boys, his apartment building rich friends. Soon she lands her first sale and listing.

Henry Woo is furious. The good old boys were his clients, his main source of income. He and Jesi become competitors.

Gerard, her deceased father’s surgeon, has been calling Jesi, sending flowers, trying for a date or even just a coffee. She is too busy.

Gerard is still calling. Three months on the job, juggling several listings, Jesi is now too busy. But the surgical bills are oppressive, with still not enough commission checks to cover them. She agrees to meet Gerard for coffee, to arrange a payment agreement.

At the coffee shop they are both struck with each other. On their first date Gerard proposes. His friend, a wedding celebrant, shows up by chance. Gerard proposes to Jesi and they are married on the spot. All they need is a license at City Hall.

Jesi pleads with Gerard – this must remain their secret. At the same time she discloses she does not want children. Gerard agrees to the secret- but only for two months.

Jesi is still selling, geared for “Rookie of the Year.” Gerard is upset, pushing for more. Still not disclosing his son.

Word of their marriage gets out. Jason the office broker confronts Jesi, and says he knows Gerard. Jesi loses it, says it’s illegal, threatens to report Jason to the Dept. of Real Estate. He defers to the company CEO, Sheila Harden, says it’s her rule not his.

Jesi goes to the CEO’s office, wants to thrash it out with her – but she’s denied a meeting.

Jesi hears about Gerard’s son, Julian. Calls him a liar. Calls the marriage off.

Jesi is Rookie of the Year, but it’s not enough. Her commissions are still usurped by medical and IRS debt. She desperately misses Gerard – who forgives her the balance of medical debt. Her next meeting is with CEO Sheila, who is revealed as her “deceased mother.” Jesi learns her father had done this selfishly to protect her. A shaky bond begins.

Jesi agrees to a meeting with Julian and there’s an immediate connect. Jesi makes plans to meet at City Hall.

“

2. GERARD

Gerard meets with Jesi at his patient, Jackson Johnson’s bedside. After his death, Jesi confides about her father’s love of Frank Sinatra. Something electric happens. He pursues Jesi until she finally agrees to meet for coffee. The next evening, over dinner, he proposes. His friend a wedding celebrant shows up and they are married on the spot – except for the license.

But Gerard has another life – and a twelve year ols son he does not disclose, because Jesi made it clear she does not want children. Because her business is finally taking off, she also wants to keep the marriage a secret. He agrees, but only for two months.

Two months later, Gerard is pushing for results. Jesi is working twenty-four seven but he’s still insisting they go to City Hall.

Jesi hears through her broker Jason that Gerard has a son. She confronts him. City Hall and the marriage is called off.

Finally, Gerard’s office forgives Jesi the balance of the medical debt. She agrees to meet Julian and all’s forgiven. Jesi agrees to go to City Hall in the middle of a storm of real estate closings, shows up in her coveralls. Gerard does not care one bit.

3. HENRY

Henry Woo, the office top producer, will do anything to keep his top company status. But when he sabotages Jesi’s chance to share Henry’s listing, Jesi threatens him, stating her intension to kill him in sales, become the company’s top producer. But still, there’s a sexual energy between them – as they write Haiku together.

4. SHEILA HARDEN

Jesi’s undisclosed, long forgotten mother. At four years old, her father Jackson told her that her mother was dead. She may have well been – she left America and returned to Britain.

Sheila is the voice behind the “Single Women Only” rule. We hear her voice but she appears only at the end of the story when Jesi insists on meeting the company CEO.

PASS 3: BUILD IN THE LAYERS & REVEALS OF THE STORY:

BRAINSTORM POTENTIAL “PLOT” LAYERS

MAJOR SCHEME REVEALED

Jesi needs a high paying job to pay off her deceased father’s debt.

HIDDEN HISTORY

Jesi is her father’s clone, knows everything about construction, very little about the world of commercial real estate.

MISTERY REVEALED

Jesi’s completely at home in coveralls but knows very little about commercial real estate.

1. BRAINSTORM POTENTIAL “CHARACTER” LAYERS

SECRET IDENTITY

A tomboy at heart – happy doing plumbing. Commercial real estate is a huge learning curve.

INTRIGUE LAYERS

She can dress up, look stunning, but is more at home working beside her Dad, in coveralls.

HIDDEN CHARACTER HISTORY

Somewhere inside Jesi there is a lost, abandoned little girl.

While her mother Sheila Harden, who’s been hiding out in the field of commercial real estate, is forced to surface and explain her past.

Gerard also has a past he must reveal to Jesi – that includes his undisclosed twelve year old son.

2. BRAINSTORM POTENTIAL CHARACTER LAYERS

Jesi: Comfortable in her own skin, running a construction truck, crawling under buildings.

Does a one eighty when she dives into commercial real estate knowing heaps about the buildings and very little about closing a deal.

TELL THE LAYERS YOU’VE CHOSEN:

JESI

Jesi is her father’s clone – loves sliding under buildings, crawling over roofs.

SURFACE

She looks pretty in coveralls but even more so in evening dress.

BENEATH

Having blocked her mother out since childhood, she has an empty place inside.

HOW REVEALED

Her mother suddenly becomes her boss.

PASS 4: BUILD IN “THE INFINITE POSSIBILITIES.”

Go to lesson 8. Copy the “Infinite Possibilities”

Ask – does this change still deliver on the concept??

** This becomes problematic because I am working with a completed script.

THE SLUG LINE: I have already completed this.

THE DESCRIPTION: Completed

THE PLACEHOLDER: Completed