Lesson 11 Assignments

[Erin Ziccarelli]

Erin Ziccarelli’s Living Metaphors

What I learned from doing this assignment is: the “should work but doesn’t” method is especially apparent in Casablanca. I’m noticing that Rick’s new ways don’t seem to appear until the last five minutes of the film, but I think the ending still works because his transition to the new ways was set up well. Once he puts Lazslo’s name on the letters of transit, helps them escape, and leaves with Captain Renault, we can easily imagine how his new ways will continue to play out.

Brainstorm at least five of each of today’s challenges that you can put in your screenplay.

Go through your story outline or
script and brainstorm the following: –
5 Should Work, But Doesn’t challenges – 5 Living Metaphor challenges. With
each, tell us the Old Way and the Challenge, and how you think it might
play out in your story.

“Should work, but doesn’t challenges”

· Alex accepting the money: Alex accepts the Caden money because he believes it’s something Kitty would’ve wanted him to do. She once told him that “what’s mine is yours,” so he views the money as no different. The challenge is getting Scarlett’s signature to begin liquidation. The new way is viewing the money as something that will lead him to Scarlett and ultimately bring them together.

· Alex completing rehab: Alex goes through the five stages of grief while in rehab. He views it as something he must “check off” to gain his freedom. During the nine months, he’s away from the prison, overcomes his cocaine withdrawal, and gets some direction for his next step. He does it on his own and learns about the value of self-sufficiency.

· Alex launching his business: Alex is feeling alone in his mission and wants to treat Jack, Sean, Scarlett, and Will as a “work family.” He wants them to have the same loyalty that he had to the Donovans – his work family is his new support system. The new way is realizing that just because they’re working together doesn’t automatically make them loyal to him.

· Alex inviting Scarlett to work for him: Alex dislikes the idea of Scarlett – he views her as a “mistake” and something he should have to cover up. After bringing her on, getting to know her, and starting to liquidate, Alex realizes how similar they are. His new ways are trying to connect with her and viewing her as family.

· Alex’s loyal relationship to Patrick and the family business: Alex starts off as someone who will do anything for his friends and family. He goes to prison for them. However, his preconceived notions of loyalty and family are challenged when he starts to be successful on his own. He firmly rejects Doyle’s offer to return at the midpoint, and then clearly states his intentions in the final scenes. He is no longer loyal to the Donovan family and cause.

Living Metaphor challenges

· Poker games: Alex winning or losing is a sign of his success or failure in completing his character arc

· Scarlett’s successes and failures: Scarlett represents Alex’s old life – her “making it” and learning to trust Alex is a sign that they’re going to be alright, and their new ways will prevail

· The business: Alex’s car resale business represents his “self-made man” image – he’s built it on his own and without help from his family

· Drug use and eating disorder: Alex’s drug use and Scarlett’s eating disorder represent their old “unhealthy” ways of life – by treating these behaviors, they’ve fixed the underlying problems

· Card analogies: Alex as the ace and Scarlett as the queen – these cards are highlights of the card games and represent Alex and Scarlett’s states of being (ex: the queen card is ripped in half, showing Scarlett’s brokenness)

[Wayne Petitto]

Wayne’s Living Metaphors

What I learned doing this assignment is that this approach can produce some very powerful challenges commensurate to the profound changes they eventually produce.

Set up: Jeannie is sexually harassed by a customer, whom she puts in a standing arm bar, and escorts him out. Her boss confronts her about it.
Old Way: Distrusts / Argues with authority.
Challenge (Living Metaphor): The Boss fires her for arguing with him.
Plays Out: When she tells her mother about the incident, her mom convinces her to see the college psychologist about her “Issues with authority,” when she signs into school.

Set up: Peter vows to the school psychologist that he will overcome his fear of attractive women by approaching the next attractive woman he sees.
Old Way: Would have avoided the attractive woman.
Challenge (Living Metaphor): Jeannie is the next attractive woman he sees, but he’s 2nd in line for coffee and she appears to be discouraged by the long line and about to leave.
Plays Out: Peter has the person behind him save his place in line while he asks Jeannie what she would like to order so he can get it for her. At first, she refuses his kind gesture but when she sees his dejection, she tells him what she’d like and hands him $5 for it.

Set up: Jeannie and Peter find themselves both in the Dean’s office for unrelated incidents regarding arguments with their respective professors.
Old Way: Jeannie tries to argue with the Dean, while Peter acquiesces, leaving Jeannie to defend him while Peter supports Jeannie’s position.
Challenge (Living Metaphor): The Dean is offended by all this, as well as realizes their names were sighted as being the ones instigating a brawl at the Rathskeller a few days earlier.
Plays Out: The Dean forbids that they associate on campus while he considers further action. When they each readily agree, they take it as the other is no longer interested in them.

Set up: There is a weekend in which both their teams play the same college in away games, so the teams are in the same hotel. They had split up, but both secretly attended the other’s game to see that they both play brilliantly.
Old Way: Often when they get together, they end up arguing and or causing problems.
Challenge (Living Metaphor): They run into each other at breakfast and sit together.
Plays Out: Both try to out cool the other, giving each the impression they no longer care beyond being friendly.

Set up: Peter has been an active member of his Catholic Church.
Old Way: Peter always followed Catholic doctrine, altering his feeling to it.
Challenge (Living Metaphor): Peter is confronted by the Monsignor for believing in a past life, which is disallowed by the church.
Plays Out: Despite being threatened with excommunication, Peter stands fast in his personal belief, eventually feeling freer than he has ever felt.

Set up: The evening before Jeannie is to appear on TV with Peter on (Dr. Phil equivalent), she talks the hypno-therapist into taking her through Joan of Arc’s death experience.
Old Way: Jeannie remains cool under any circumstances.
Challenge (Living Metaphor): Having experiencing Joan of Arc’s death the night before, she’s completely unnerved.
Plays Out: She’s calmed by the Producer before going on the live TV show, but the tension remains as she walks out to sit with Peter.

Set up: The TV psychologist has talked Peter into appearing on his show with Jeannie.
Old Way: Peter gets super defensive; self incriminates; or argues vehemently.
Challenge (Living Metaphor): as their story unfolds, the audience begins to take sides and polarizes, shouting comments etc.
Plays Out: Peter and Jeannie both stand and take over the show, contrapuntally putting the audience in their place, describing the systemic polarization of the world, and what we all will need to understand and do to save ourselves. Once the world is captivated by their astute wisdom and passion, Peter speaks as his past persona, Bishop Pierre Cauchon and asks Jeannie, as Joan of Arc to forgive him for the terrible thing he’d done to an innocent Saint nearly 600 years ago. At this point Jeannie tells him and the world that she already had. That she’d experience her death the evening before and now knows that, “just before the pain disappeared,” she’d asked God to forgive the Bishop.
Peter points out that if any two humans on earth should distrust one another it should be them, so he’d like to set an example to the world. He takes Jeannie into his arms, and they kiss a most passionate tear-filled kiss.