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Lesson 10
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10 Replies
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Evelyn’s Level 1 Action Emotions
What I learned doing this assignment is how to use more of Hal’s tools effectively, by deliberately creating the scene to evoke specific emotions, instead of hoping I’ve written an exciting scene and wondering why it falls a little flat and seems to beg for more and more tweaking. I didn’t even have this scene in mind for my script until lesson 9’s assignment about creating twists, and now I see that this is actually a critical scene in act one because it builds tension, reveals more of the villain’s plan and foreshadows a major event later in the story.
We’re in Las Vegas. This scene will be fairly early in act one, before the inciting incident. My story is about a female MMA champion who must find her kidnapped child (age four) after her husband is murdered. My title is KARMAGEDDON IS A BITCH.
INT. MEADOWS MALL – PARTY STORE – DAY
Coming out of the store, Mikki merges into the crowded promenade, carrying a large shopping bag filled with “over-the-hill” birthday party supplies.
Ava trails after her, admiring the yellow helium balloon tied to her wrist with a ribbon.
AVA: Are we done now, mommy?
MIKKI: Almost, sunshine.
AVA (resigned): That means “no”.
MIKKI: One more stop. Then…drumroll?
Mikki holds the balloon down in front of Ava.
Ava pummels the balloon with her fists, like a boxer.
MIKKI AND AVA: Pizza!
As Mikki leads the way to Macy’s, a stocky, muscular woman, PEG (late 20s), wearing heavy makeup and an obvious wig, follows them stealthily. [ANXIETY]
INT. MACY’S – MEN’S DEPARTMENT – SAME
Peg texts with “UNKNOWN” on her phone while Mikki browses the cologne counter and Ava sings softly to herself, bored.
PEG: They’re in Macy‘s men.
UNKNOWN: You know what to do.
Peg pockets her phone and sidles closer to Ava. [ANXIETY]
AVA: I’m hungry, mommy.
Mikki holds out two bottles for Ava to sniff.
MIKKI: Two minutes. Do you like either of these? To give your daddy for–
AVA: Shhh! It’s a secret!
MIKKI (whispering): For his birthday surprise party?
Ava smells both of the bottles, then points to her choice.
Mikki beckons the CLERK, who is busy with a customer but indicates Mikki will be next.
Ava wanders nearby, bouncing her balloon in the air by tugging the ribbon and then releasing it, again and again.
Peg crouches to intercept Ava, holding a finger to her lips as she shows Ava a fuzzy live chick in her hand.
Ava smiles and steps closer to admire the bird. [ANXIETY]
Other customers traverse the main aisle next to the cologne counter, thus separating Ava from Mikki. [ANXIETY]
Peg gives the chick to Ava to hold, breaks the balloon’s ribbon–leaving the bit tied to Ava’s wrist–then ties the balloon securely to a clothing rack.
Grabbing Ava by the hand, Peg hustles her out of the store while Ava is still distracted by the cute little chick, murmuring to it, calling it “sunshine.”
At the cologne counter, Mikki pays for her purchase.
MIKKI: Okay, sunshine. Time for–
Mikki glances around for her daughter, then breathes normally when she sees Ava’s balloon hovering nearby. [FALSE RELIEF]
INT. MEADOWS MALL – PROMENADE – SAME
Ava resists Peg, trying to free her hand. [FEAR]
AVA: No. I want my mommy–!
PEG: Shh! Your daddy’s waiting in the car. He couldn’t get a parking space so he sent me. It’s a surprise for your mommy!
AVA: But it’s not her birthday.
Peg indicates the live chick.
PEG: We need to get the other chicks for your mommy’s surprise. She’ll like them, won’t she?
AVA: I guess.
Peg scoops up Ava and runs to a nearby door marked STAIRS.
INT. MACY’S – MEN’S DEPARTMENT – SAME
While Mikki glances around for Ava, the Clerk huffs.
CLERK: Your card didn’t go through. Scanner’s acting up today.
Mikki fumbles to get her credit card out of her wallet again, and taps it on the card reader.
MIKKI (calling out): Ava? Come on over here, sunshine. Follow my voice… over here…
Mikki waits impatiently for her purchase to finalize, snatches the bag and runs toward the balloon. [ANXIETY]
CLERK (calling out): Want me to email your receipt?
INT. STAIRWELL – SAME
Peg holds Ava as she shuts the door. [ANXIETY]
AVA: I don’t like it in here. It smells funny.
PEG: Stop whining, you little brat!
INT. MACY’S – MEN’S DEPARTMENT – SAME
Mikki finds Ava’s balloon tied to the rack.
She drops her packages, stunned.
MIKKI (calling out): Ava? Ava! Where are you?!
She glances around, a full 360. [FEAR]
MIKKI: SOMEBODY CALL SECURITY! MY LITTLE GIRL WAS TAKEN!
Mikki abandons her packages, plows through the department, searching, calling Ava’s name, frantic. [FEAR]
She sees the approaching SECURITY GUARD and runs to him while pulling out her phone to show him photos of Ava. [ANXIETY]
MIKKI: She’s only four-years-old!
SECURITY GUARD: Stay here, ma’am. We’ll find her.
Mikki thrusts a business card into his hand. [ANXIETY]
MIKKI: Call me if you find her first.
She runs out to the mall promenade.
INT. MEADOWS MALL – PROMENADE – SAME
Mikki trolls the crowd, showing Ava’s photo. [ANXIETY]
MIKKI: Have you seen my daughter?
Everyone shakes their head and moves on, until…
HELPFUL WITNESS: I saw a little girl carried into those stairs. Or maybe she was in a stroller. She was with a man. Or it coulda been a woman? Have you checked the food court?
Mikki runs to the door marked STAIRS and flings it open.
As Mikki steps in, Peg attacks her with a right hook while blocking Ava from escaping.
Mikki staggers, startled.
AVA: You can’t hit my mommy!
PEG: Can so.
Mikki grabs Peg around the neck and shoves her against a wall, freeing Ava, who scoots behind Mikki for safety.
MIKKI: Who are you?! What the hell do you think you’re doing with my daughter?
Peg twists away, smiling.
PEG: Just wanted to show her something.
Peg grabs the little chick from Ava’s hands.
PEG (leaning in closer): And warn you. Drop the charity event. We won’t ask again.
Peg races down the stairs and then a door slams one floor below, while Mikki hugs Ava, her eyes filling with tears. [RELIEF]
AVA: I didn’t like her.
MIKKI: I know what you mean.
INT. MEADOWS MALL – PROMENADE – LOWER LEVEL – SAME
Peg emerges from the door marked STAIRS.
She glances at the little chick in her hand, wrings its neck, then tosses the dead bird in a trash bin as she passes it.
A dad and his two kids gape at Peg, aghast. [CAP, ANXIETY]
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Mark’s Level 1 Action Emotions
What I learned doing this assignment is the importance of allowing the audience to feel relief. Too many screenplays by novices do not allow for the relief factor. In this case I’ve gone from anxiety to fear, then relief and back to fear again. I had some problem trying to correctly reformat what I’d written in Final Draft.
INT. MEGAN’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Megan lies in bed, tossing and turning. She’s having a nightmare.
An offscreen TINKLE of broken glass. Someone’s breaking in.
Megan’s eye snap open. She lies still a moment.
There’s a CRASH and a CURSE!
Megan leaps out of bed and, in the moonlight, struggles to find some weapon of defense. She grabs a fire extinguisher and edges towards the noise.
A shadowy figure looms up in the doorway. Megan raises the fire extinguisher. As she prepares to bring it down hard…
The Figure switches on the lights.
Megan freezes.
MEGAN
Jimmy!
JIMMY
Hi Megan.
MEGAN
What are you doing here?
JIMMY
I locked myself out of my home. Came to
get your set of keys.
MEGAN
Why didn’t you ring the doorbell?
JIMMY
Didn’t want to wake you.
MEGAN
Great.
She rummages in a drawer, produces a set of keys.
JIMMY
Thanks. Be seeing you.
Jimmy leaves by the front door. Megan gets back into bed.
MEGAN
Some people!
She switches off the lights, rolls over and tries to get some sleep.
There’s an offscreen crunch of broken glass underfoot.
Megan sits up.
MEGAN
Now what?!
She switches on the lights and freezes.
Framed in the doorway is a MAN holding a gun.
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ACTION LESSON 10: Level 1 Action Emotions
ASSIGNMENT
BG’s Level 1 Action Emotions
What I learned doing this assignment: I decided to do this using a simple scene, rather than one of the complicated action sequences, which I haven’t mapped out yet.
2. Create an outline of the scene that includes each of the three emotions.
Anxiety: As MI6 agents search for bugging devices, BILLIONAIRE paces anxiously.
Fear: Agents try to comfort him, but his fear is increasing — how can this happen to him?
Relief: Agents declare the room clean. Phew! His relief is visible.3. Write the scene as a first draft, highlighting anxiety, fear, and relief.
INT. ST. MICHAEL CONFERENCE ROOM – DAY
Five men and one woman are buzzing around with wands, scanning all the walls, furniture, equipment, anything they can reach. They are AGENTS from MI6. They don’t look like James Bond.
BILLIONAIRE hovers like a mother hen — clearly anxious.
BILLIONAIRE
I don’t understand! We don’t let anyone near here!His eyes dart from wand to wand around the room — fear level rising on his face.
AGENT #1
Our orders are to check everything, sir.
(comforting)
It could be a false alarm, sir.CLACKING OF HEELS from the corridor outside. HOSTESS enters. She looks around.
HOSTESS
Good thing I came in early —BILLIONAIRE walks to her.
BILLIONAIRE
(plaintive)
I can’t understand it! We don’t let anyone near here!HOSTESS puts her hand on his arm — comforting — as AGENTS exhaust all surfaces and finish up.
AGENT #2
Clear!AGENT #1
Good news, sir! This room is clean!Relief washes over BILLIONAIRE’s face. He turns to HOSTESS.
BILLIONAIRE
You think that idiot ENERGY MOGUL shot off his mouth somewhere?HOSTESS
And I was planning on sneaking out and checking some new shoes this morning.
(smiles at BILLIONAIRE)
Oh well, old shoes will have to do.BILLIONAIRE puts his arm around her shoulders.
BILLIONAIRE
No, no. You go on ahead. Go get some shoes. You deserve it. I’ll see them out.HOSTESS
Thank you, sir.She turns to leave.
INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE ST. MICHAEL CONFERENCE ROOM – DAY
In the distance, heels CLACKING, HOSTESS turns the corner and disappears.
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Lesson 10: Level 1 Action Emotions ASSIGNMENT
Subject: Monica’s Level 1 Action Emotions
What I learned doing this assignment is by breaking down the three emotions it is easier to write the first draft of a scene. I like the step by step process.
Create a scene that uses all three of these Action emotions.
1. Look through your outline and choose a scene that could use anxiety, fear, and relief.
2. Create an outline of the scene that includes each of the three emotions.
3. Write the scene as a first draft, highlighting anxiety, fear, and relief.
ANXIETY: Victoria has been captured by Jack and is strung up. He’s beaten her.
FEAR: Now Jack wants to kill her but doesn’t know whether he wants to do it slowly or quickly.
RELIEF: Victoria uses all the energy she has left and kills Jack.
INT. JACK’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
DARK ROOM
Victoria hangs from ropes in a darkened room. Her feet are inches off the floor. She’s dressed in bra and panties.
Bloody lash marks crisscross her body. One of her eyes is swollen shut. Her long dark hair is matted to her head with sweat and blood.
Jack circles around her. His white shirt is spotted with blood. He drags the whip behind him.
JACK
How disappointing. I thought you’d be more of a challenge.
VICTORIA
(rasps)
Untie me. Then we’ll see.
Jack grabs her hair. Yanks her head back.
His face inches from hers.
JACK
I will kill you.
VICTORIA
Only because you’re too scared to untie me.
She spits in his face. He lets her hair go. Then spins and back hands her across the face.
Victoria’s head snaps back.
Jack saunters towards one of the walls.
JACK
(studies the wall)
Just depends if I want to do it slowly by flaying you alive. Or quickly with multiple stab wounds.
Victoria takes several deep breaths…
Jack stands with his back to Victoria. Hands on hips. He peruses the various weapons. A sword, a spear, and a battle- axe embedded in the wall so the blade faces the room.
With all her strength, Victoria grasps the ropes and with one burst of energy hauls herself into a pike position and…
Kicks Jack in the back. Into the battle-axe. Impaling him.
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John Woodward’s Level 1 Action Emotions.
Doing this assignment, I learned to consciously consider the emotions of the audience in outline and scene writing decisions.
Anxiety: Trey, a gutsy inner-city youth, pursues a baseball into the outfield. Unfortunately, the ball rolls to a stop at the feet of several neighborhood gangbangers. The gangsters tell Trey to get lost. Trey defies the leader, snatches the ball and throws home for the out.
Fear: The gangsters draw weapons. Trey flees with his brother Domino. They sprint away dodging bullets through dense traffic. The gangsters fire at every open shot. Trey and Domino turn down an alley, trying various tenement doors. One opens. They sprint down the stairs into a basement.
Relief: From a basement window, the brothers see that the gangsters hustle down the alley past their hiding place in the dismal tenement.
SCENE:
EXT. SANDLOT BASEBALL FIELD ‑ DAY
Young BLACK MEN and TEENS play baseball on a paved ghetto playground. A battered brick wall serves as the backstop. Trey, an athletic and gutsy youth, plays leftfield, hides his flask with his baseball glove, takes a swig. LEDREW, the shortstop, carries the ball to Domino on the mound.
LEDREW: Good thing he didn’t pull it down the line.
Ledrew gestures, “Check it out.”
DOMINO’S POV — GAR, a dope dealer, and three gang associates, FLIP, CHICO, and PETE, conduct business where the foul line meets the street.
A STOUT KID approaches the plate, eyes the defense.
DOMINO: A’ight y’all, one more out and the fat lady sings! Yo Aaron Judge wannabe, step up, fool, take a swing.
The stout kid taps the plate. Domino adjusts his cap, fires the ball. The stout kid smashes a drive down the line.
Trey appears ready to catch it, but he wobbles on intoxicated legs. The ball barely clears his glove, rolls over a discarded “Hamilton for President” placard, stops near Gar, Flip, Chico, and Pete.
Trey glances from the ball at Gar’s feet to the runners circling the bases.
TREY: Let me throw it, bro, I can still nail him.
The dope man chuckles at Trey’s bravado. Trey returns the smile, bends for the ball. Gar steps on it.
GAR: You lose.
Trey drives a shoulder into Gar’s gut, topples the dealer.
Chico and Pete charge Trey from behind. Trey turns, hurls the ball; the gangbangers duck to avoid decapitation.
The ball flies toward home. The CATCHER braces himself for a play. Gar pulls a pistol, fires at Trey. A close play becomes a dash for survival. Players sprint off the field as the ball crosses the plate. Domino joins Trey as he cuts behind a brownstone, Gar and his gang in pursuit.
EXT. STREET/ALLEY ‑ DAY
Domino hurdles trash cans. Trey slams into BAG LADY, tumbles into the alley. The gang stampedes after them, firing as they pursue. Domino and Trey sprint around a corner. Trey heaves a brick through a window. They climb inside a ramshackle tenement.
INT. KITCHEN ‑ DAY
Domino hides below the kitchen window, quiets his breathing. Trey searches cabinets and drawers, discovers oddly carved, ivory-handled silverware. In the next drawer, he finds a Colt .45 pistol, slaps the cylinder open — loaded!
TREY: Hell yeah! We ready now!
Domino peeks out the window. The gangbangers sprint by.
Trey spins the pistol like a gunslinger, almost drops it.
DOMINO: Yo, Clint Eastwood wannabe, you best gimme that thing ‘fore you bust a cap in your foot.
Domino takes the pistol from Trey, secures it under his shirt.
DOMINO: Man, you picked the wrong brother to piss off.
TREY: Don’t worry. I’ll talk to them cats, calm ’em down ‘fore they act a fool.
DOMINO: You can’t talk sense to those cats.
Footfalls and muffled voices indicate the gang prowls the alley. Suddenly, gun fire RINGS out! The gangbangers sprint toward the sound and away from tenement in which Trey and Domino hide. Trey ducks behind a tarp which hangs on a wall. Domino joins him, draws the pistol.
Domino notices they lean against a massive door fortified with wrought iron. A bone‑white leopard skull contrasts dark splintered wood. A carved Congo tribesman talisman dangles on a strand of zebra skin from the cat’s fangs. And if you haven’t realized it, Trey and Domino picked the wrong house to hide in — Kwa’s house. Domino examines the talisman.
TREY: Dayum! What kinda freaky voodoo shit they rockin’ up in this bitch?
Domino lifts the enormous fortification timber.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 4 months ago by John Woodward.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 4 months ago by
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Patricia’s Level 1 Action Emotions
What I learned doing this assignment is that I had a number scene ideas that didn’t necessarily end with relief — in fact, many of them are escalations. While that is useful, a movie full of these scenes would definitely numb the audience and lessen the overall impact of the movie.
Anxiety: Donovan and Rodriguez contemplate climbing the ladder in an open elevator shaft.
Fear: Rodriguez slips and slams against the wall of the elevator, displacing water and ice from above.
Relief: Rodriguez finds his footing and safely clings to a stable rung of the ladder. [Although, admittedly, this relief is very short-lived.]
INT. PRISON ELEVATOR SHAFT — DAY
Still in shock, but determined to move forward, Donovan examines the elevator shaft’s maintenance ladder. He takes a deep breath.
DONOVAN
It’s steel.
RODRIGUEZ
So?
DONOVAN
Remember the security bars?
RODRIGUEZ
Fuckkkkkkkk.
DONOVAN
Yeah.
Donovan runs seemingly a million calculations in his head. He looks behind them one last time, searching for any other way through the debris.
Decision made.
Donovan pushes off of the ledge and steps over the chasm, grabbing the ladder as his feet come out from under him. He quickly rights himself as tiny shards of ice and snow fall around him from above.
Deep breath.
DONOVAN
You know what they say about first steps?
RODRIGUEZ
Easy, right?
Donovan tries to move his hand up to the next rung, but hesitates. His movements seem sluggish, as he pushes with his legs and moves his hands with a growl. Gaining speed, Donovan scrambles over to the open panel to safety, leaving a blood trail behind him.
His hands are shredded from where they stuck to the frozen metal as he climbed. He looks down the shaft at Rodriguez and yells:
DONOVAN
I warmed it up for you.
RODRIGUEZ
(mutters)
Nasty son-of-a-bitch.
Rodriguez steps out onto the ladder, following Donovan’s trail so his hands aren’t shredded too. At least the bloody skin is warm.
The ladder shakes. He looks up. He starts to crawl faster. Only two rungs away. Another cascade of ice plunges toward him. His left hand shatters. His feet slip as the metal rung below him cracks. He spins and smashes into the metal rail.
Donovan yells out to him — desperately trying to find a way to help him.
As the ice clears, Rodriguez is holding on with his right hand — the left, useless. With his last bit of strength, he kicks forward and wraps his left leg around the ladder rung.
Rodriguez looks up smiling at Donovan.
RODRIGUEZ
See? I told ya. Easy.
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Assignment 10
Subject line: Pat Galbraith Level 1 Action Emotions
What I learned from this assignment is the order in which fear happens.
Create a scene that uses all three of these Action emotions.
Look through your outline and choose a scene that could use anxiety, fear, and relief. Create an outline of the scene that includes each of the three emotions.
Anxiety: Myra must steal medicine for her dying brother.
Fear: She holds the Doctor’s assistant at gun point.
Relief: She arrives home with the medicine.
Anxiety: She must leave her home as the Sheriff is already in chase.
Write the scene as a first draft, highlighting anxiety, fear, and relief.
First Draft
INT. BEDROOM – DAY
Myra stands over her brother. He is visibly in pain and dying. She screams out to her Mother that she’s going to get his medicine come hell or high water.
INT. FRONT DOOR VIEW – DAY
Myra’s Mother watches as Myra rides off to get the medicine.
INT. DOCTOR’S OFFICE – DAY
Myra arrives at the doctor’s office. The doctor is not in an assistant sits at her desk.
Myra draws her gun shaking. She ask the girl where the doctor is. The girl tells her the doctor’s not in. She orders the girl to show her where the medicine is for typhoid fever. She nervously takes Myra to the medicine cabinet where it’s stored. Myra grabs the medicine and heads for home.
EXT. HOME – DAY
Arriving home, Myra’s father takes the medicine and tells her to leave. He can see the dust. The Sheriff is already on her trail.
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Dan’s Level 1 Action Emotions
This assignment taught me that curating emotional throughlines helps answer the question “why do we care?”
INT – MR. SATO’S OFFICE – DAY
In the towering top-floor office of Sato Petrochemicals, Mr. Sato, his daughter, and granddaughter enjoy tea, crumpets, and light conversation. Mr. Sato is the first to notice the sea roiling several miles distant outside the window. He stands immediately, reaching for his cell phone. “Jordan” appears next to a number on the expensive device. He looks back outside, and an ice wall that fills the Okinawan horizon is surfacing.
SATO
(anxiously)
My elevator – right now! Go!
The women look to see the RISING ICE WALL; Cair, hand over mouth GASPS.
EX-WIFE
(staggering into the elevator)
Oh my God.
Mr. Sato joins them in the elevator
SATO
(soberly)
B6 – VOCO.
The elevator responds, and he dials Jordan.
SUBTERRANEAN CAVERN – EST – DAY
Jordan picks up his phone as he walks toward a mine elevator.
SATO
(o.s., cont.)
Jordan, there’s no more time here. The three of us are heading down to B6.
Jordan tears up immediately.
INT – ELEVATOR
The interior of the elevator is now pulsing with red lighting as the facility sets emergency conditions.
JORDAN
(o.s.)
Put them on speaker dad. (beat) I wish there were more time. I love you both with my whole heart; you too dad. (beat, choking up) I will be back to get all of you.
PULSE IN
Trio exiting the elevator on B6 and Mr. Sato going to a console before a screen array and 5 cryo sleep units, the chaos inside the building and the rapidly encroaching ice lend speed to his hands on the KEYS.
SUBTERRANEAN CAVERN – CONT
JORDAN
(looking up the elevator shaft)
Are you in?! Tell me when you make it in.
CUT
SATO
To your beds! Synch up!
The women get in, apply their monitors, then hold hands and begin to calm themselves.
CAIR/EX-WIFE
(in unison)
Green!
Mr. Sato hits a final KEYSTROKE and enters his own bed. His bed closes just after theirs.
(beat)
CUT
EXT – Frame Sato Petrochemicals being engulfed by the ice
CUT
B6 – CONT
The pulsing red light is slowing now.
SUBTERRANEAN CAVERN – CONT
The ELEVATOR SURFACES into a bright, warm day. POV Jordan with his cell to his ear.
SATO
(o.s.)
We’re safe Jordan. We are safe.
Jordan sits inside the elevator as his eyes tear up. He stands, wipes his eyes, and pushes the down button.
In B6, FRAME Mr. Sato’s hand loosely holding his phone as ice moves through the chamber.
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Bent’s level 1 action emotions
what I learned doing this assignment is this……… stating these three gives me direction in my script. I’m not straying from the train tracks I laid down prior to writing. Direction is a big deal for a successful scene.
anxiety fear relief
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD – NIGHT
ANXIETY
The sleighs have all stopped so the elves and Santa can gather themselves. They continually look back in case the evil finds them.
RELIEF
But they see nothing and hear nothing. They’ve made distance. Santa motions everyone to come to his sleigh. The sleighs move forward.
FEAR
Indigo is in a panic. He’s searching for his sister sleigh to sleigh.
SANTA – We must stay with each other. We must be accountable for one another. Tonight is a night we are at risk of an attack again. We are not away from this danger.
ANXIETY
The elves all look at each other. Can they count on each other?
INDIGO – Has anyone seen my sister? Anyone?
The elves look around at each other. One elf stands in his sleigh.
ELF – She was with us in our sleigh earlier.
Another elf stands up.
ELF 2 – She was with us before we ran out of there! Whose sleigh is she in?
ANXIETY
All the elves look at the back of their sleighs. No one is with them.
FEAR
INDIGO – I have to go back!
SANTA – No one is returning alone! Wait! Wait I order you to remain here!
FEAR
Indigo listens to Santa and that booming voice stops him from following through.
INDIGO – I…. want to…find my … sister. Krampus has her.
RELIEF
SANTA – The General is coming here immediately. He has the power to get her back.
Indigo is in tears but listens.
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Andre’s Level 1 Action Emotions.
What I learned doing this assignment is…
Anxiety: Distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune
How: Foreshadow, hint to, or create expectation of possible trouble to come.
Danger lurks around them.
Anxiety is not caused by danger. It is caused by fear of danger.
Fear: Distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
How to: Create sense of impending danger, but not expected death for the characters.
Fear is much more intense than anxiety. It happens when there is real danger present.
Relief: A feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress.
How to: Set up tension/fear/shock, then remove the threat, returning audience to state of “normal”. It’s over, for now.
Write scene as a first draft, highlighting Anxiety, Fear, and Relief.
a. Scene in progress of being written…
Create outline of scene that includes each of the three emotions.
a. Anxiety Our Countdown Leader to launch of Antares ticks down to LAUNCH! Will our rickety never sued equipment make it into space, onto the moon, and back? What if these hoses for fuel and oxygen don’t work? What if the landing zone math is off? What if? What if?
b. Fear. WE ascend into DARKNESS, BLACKNESS into… What if the What if’s were valid? What if our trajectory is off? What if something breaks? What if one of us has a medical emergency?
c. And Relief …the wild blue-yonder of the Dark and Brilliant BLACKNESS of SPACE. Okay, we made it off planet, for the moment; cruising speed. But what if…?
-Andre
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