Lesson 12

[Mark Napier]

ASSIGNMENT 12 (Mark) Challenging Situations

What I learned? As I learned earlier to take the existing situation and scene arc and apply the traits and interest techniques to layer and reinforce the scene for the plot; I am expanding on the scene to create challenging situations for the Protagonist that too adds layers and forces the characters to interact with one another just as we do in real life.

Scene 1: (Redaction of words below for this exercise is from my personal scenes in my script and is intended to protect, than waive, my rights that fall under this course’s application. I will honor the course’s exercises and not use the material I complete in exercises for my usage.)

A. Current Scene Logline: SCENE 17: An opportunity to retrieve evidence is lost and a near death experience for witnesses ############# could have been passed off as a ##############, if it had been successful.

B. Essence: To raise questions on whether a US ################### would deliberately use a ######## to ###### and operate off ###########.

C. Brainstorm list of possible challenges.
Values and Physical:
Why was the Protagonist chosen to go on this mission?
What life threatening experience could the Protagonist experience?
Does national security take precedence over #### exploitation?
What coverups have been noticeable and how where they covered up?

D. Quick summary of how you will write the scene differently with the new challenge.
Since I had three events going on in one scene, applying the concept from this exercise has enabled me to meld two of the events that were closely related and build off one another. The third event I will simply use in another scene later. This exercise enabled me to focus on the purpose of the scene and refine and shape the dialogue and subtext further toward addressing the four questions I posted making the scene stronger and relevant to the core essence of the plot. This made the scene tighter.

Scene 2:
A. Current Scene Logline: SCENE 19: The first phase of the coverup is nearly completed, but the Protagonist’s official report and his professional credibility is the next hit job.

B. Essence: The Protagonist is now in the crosshair of a character assassination attempt to undermine his credibility.

C. Brainstorm list of possible challenges.
Wound:
What are the Protagonist’s weaknesses that can be exploited?
Can the Protagonist’s credibility be upended based on his performance in the field?
Does the Protagonist have any allies who can be exploited?
Can his career be upended?
What leverage (title, position, and authority) can senior officials wage against the Protagonist?

D. Quick summary of how you will write the scene differently with the new challenge.
Here, a senior official is placating what steps are in order to undermine the Protagonist’s credibility citing events (on the surface) that the Protagonist was believed to have botched or not handled well. Unbeknownst to the leadership, the Protagonist was running interference for his home office and plans to disclose more than the Station expected that reinforces his credibility enough to result in a field title promotion instead.

• This reply was modified 1 month, 1 week ago by  Mark Napier.

[Rita Roberts]

Rita’s Challenging Situations

What I learned:
Breaking down these techniques into steps is really helpful to gradually shift gears in my perception of a scene.
There will be an added challenge — adding more interest techniques while attempting to reduce page count.
I wonder how page count will look when I’ve mastered interest techniques so they’re baked in.

SCENE 1:

Current Scene Logline: In a post-war future humanity lives harmoniously, they celebrate the new season, new moon in Aires.

B. Essence: We’re still the same but with better, life-affirming choices, attuned with natural rhythms.

C. Brainstorm list of possible challenges
The fruit vendor has a crush on Sol but she’s into Dawson = awkward.
Lucy trips and drops her bowl on a child’s head
Girls complain about their parents’ lingering hangups from traumas of the war.
So much abundance makes it hard for girls to choose and who to talk to — comedic excess.

D. Quick summary of how I’ll write the scene differently with the new challenge.
A combo of 1 & 2, maybe more than one man crushing on the girls to show the contrast between today’s environment of worry and competition to the challenges of excessive goodness.

SCENE 2:

Current Scene Logline: Four young explorers crack the code on an abandoned, underground base only to find… a dead body.

B. Essence: Victory! They opened the vault. Fear and Questions — are they not alone?

C. Brainstorm list of possible challenges
Other potential threats — mysterious sounds, unexplored caverns, loss of oxygen
2 of them want to go back, mission is at risk
Some kind of oozing liquid that might be toxic
Light source they have to investigate — is it energy or deadly laser?

D. Quick summary of how I’ll write the scene differently with the new challenge.
More than the dead boy and how long has it been there and what killed the guy, add more potential threats and reactions to them. Not only fear for the characters’ well-being but for their mission to find answers.

[Savanna]

Savanna’s Challenging Situations

What I’ve learned that is improving my writing is not to assume just because I have some drama in the scene, it is enough. There’s always something more to throw in.

Scene 1. Current scene logline: HERO dies finally at peace.
Essence: After surrendering the kernel of his lust and love for HEROINE to a greater good, HERO is at peace.
Brainstorm list of possible challenges: Hero could resuscitate, however briefly; Heroine could realize she loves him and that she’s made a mistake dismissing him; There could be a cataclysmic weather event;
How I will write scene differently with new challenge: I will place the scene in a mild earthquake.

Scene 2. Current scene logline: HERO brags to HEROINE about his career accomplishment which has the effect of cutting her out.
Essence: Heroine realizes she has to go it alone in career.
Brainstorm list of possible challenges: Heroine is unwell; Heroine has fear of speaking or a stutter; A deadline is looming;
How I will write scene differently with new challenge: I will give the heroine some kind of physical impediment and an almost impossible deadline.

[Mary Albanese]

What I learned:
You can always bump up a scene. Always. Try considering their journey and throw in another glitch in the mix. Add something that pushes it in some way. Maybe try something that speaks to the genre considerations.

OLD SCENE:
Elsie and her friend Lil at the fair. Lil talks Elsie into being done and they leave. Evil Jeremy watches. Crushes a bag of popcorn and smiles. Pros – this sets up Elsie’s dilemma, and the main characters. Cons – kind of flat.

NEW SCENE
Elsie and her friend Lil at the fair. Lil tries to convince Elsie nothing’s wrong. Throws Elsie’s popcorn bag away. Tempts her away. Get more of their core at-odds-with-each-other, the doubting mental one and the go-with-it emotional one. Evil Jeremy watches them leave. He pulls Elsie’s popcorn bag from the trash and licks it, as he watches where they went. Ewwww, I am creeping myself out just imagining this scene.

• This reply was modified 4 weeks ago by  Mary Albanese.
• This reply was modified 4 weeks ago by  Mary Albanese.

[Jeremy Kirk]

Jeremy Kirk Challenging Situations

What I’ve learned that is improving my writing is, other paths can be forged in a script depending on which road you chose to take.

Scene 1:
A. Current Scene Logline: Dr. Jekyll speaks to his fiancé Dana. Dana is concerned about his morphine addiction and how much he is working.

B. Essence: The essence of this scene is Dr. Jeckyll has not told Dana that he is working on a serum that will take away addictive impulses. He wants it to be a surprise to her that he is working on a cure for his addiction.

C. Brainstorm list of possible challenges. Dr. Jekyll could outright tell her, he could continue to lie about it, Hyde could rear his head sooner and break apart the relationship.

D. Quick summary of how you will write the scene differently with the new challenge. I might make Dr. Jekyll cagier about his morphine use. Dana is aware so it may put more of a strain on the relationship if he acts this way.
Scene 2:
A. Current Scene Logline: Kurtis Lepke is in an interrogation room being interviewed by a Detective and Reporter.

B. Essence: Lepke is trying to sell the story that he was hired by the mayor to kill and feed people of the city to underground beasts.

C. Brainstorm list of possible challenges. Lepke could offer to take them down and show them. He could completely deny any of the killings. He could simply say there are others out there doing his bidding.

D. Quick summary of how you will write the scene differently with the new challenge. In the end, the detective, reporter and others do ascend into the underground rail system. I don’t know that any of these ideas better the character or plot in any way.

[Kimbal Thompson]

Kimbal Thompson Challenging Situations
What I’ve learned that is improving my writing is challenge each of the characters to the maximum within the ever more exciting context of the scene.
Scene 1:
A. Current Scene Logline: Protagonist and newly reunited former classmate encounter emergency in depths of Chuk Lagoon.
B. Essence: Quite unexpected, they quickly need to buddy breathe while slowly surfacing, not aware of why this happened.
C. Brainstorm list of possible challenges.
Shark attack
Former classmate has medical emergency
Undersea earthquake
One of them has a panic attack
Partners of former classmate take over
D. Quick summary of how you will write the scene differently with the new challenge:
As the former classmate’s “partners” are his bodyguards, I would include them interrupting as well as the sharks closing in.
Scene 2:
A. Current Scene Logline: In a chamber below a Chinese base on an Island in the South
China Sea, the Protagonist is rescuing his here-to-for unknown twin from captivity.
B. Essence: He has been led there by an armed Chinese female double agent; she is to escort them to an escape exit.
C. Brainstorm list of possible challenges.
The double agent is shot and killed.
The Protagonist does not recognize the captive as his twin
The double agent instead leads them to an elevator to be imprisoned.
The Island begins to explode.
D. Quick summary of how you will write the scene differently with the new challenge
The Protagonist does not recognize the prisoner as his twin.
The double agent instead leads them to an elevator to be imprisoned.
The Island begins to explode.

• This reply was modified 3 weeks, 4 days ago by  Kimbal Thompson.

[Xochi Blymyer]

What I learned in this lesson is with just some brainstorming these challenges, I could really breath more life and interest and fun into the scenes.

FOR TWO SCENES –

CURRENT SCENE LOGLINE
ESSENCE
BRAINSTORM LIST OF POSSIBLE CHALLENGES
QUICK SUMMARY OF HOW TO WRITE THE SCENE DIFFERENTLY WITH NEW CHALLENGES

SCENE 1:

1. Ross and Zakaria get to know each other, two arrogant, confident men from totally different worlds.
2. Ross needs to know what makes Zakaria tick without pissing him off
3. Possible challenges –
a. Ross being so full of himself just says whatever he’s thinking, insulting
b. Ross tries to help but Zakaria is being offended left and right
c. Ross is getting questioned by everything he says and can’t stop
d. Zakaria questions Ross’s abilities stronger
e. Ross spills his drink, servant has to mop it up off of him
f. Ross steps on Zakaria’s robes
g. Zakaria’s servant almost laughs when Ross asks Zakaria to trust him

Ross and Zakaria are having what seems like a get to know you Manly conversation. Ross’s advice becomes more and more like insults. The servants seems to want to blend in with the walls at each “barb”. Ross starts to lose his confidence and spills him drink then stands up to help clean and steps on Zakaria’s robes. I think between adding more dialogue fumbles and putting the servants in the scene to help the visual uncomfortableness it’ll make it a more suspenseful and silly scene.

SCENE 2:

1. Filming is happening when the jealous Zakaria storms in like a fish out of water.
2. Ross is torn between getting the filming done and catering to Zakaria’s jealousy
3. Possible Challenges –
a. Musukuta makes more obvious googly eyes at Ross
b. Zakaria is angrier cause the crew to react with bows and stillness to not be seen
c. Unknowing crew walk through interrupting
d. Obvious that later in scene No one is paying attention to Zakaria and he is acting like a spoiled brat
e. Prop man gets a chair for Zakaria but places it on his robe, so Zakaria is stuck

Filming is happening but when Zakaria arrives, for a moment everyone is haphazard. Then they ignore him so much, he is flailing like a brat to get attention. The love of his life is ignoring him too. The world that is foreign to him but not the love of his life is surrounding him with organized chaos that doesn’t center around him and he is not happy about that. Makes for two moments happening at the same time – the general chaos of filming and solving problems and the robe wearing brat trying to be noticed.

[carl marshall]

Carl Marshall: Challenging Situations
SCENE 1: Caretaker Returns – Confrontation Turns Deadly
Situation:
Kara and her squatter group have moved into the supposedly abandoned caretaker’s cabin. The old caretaker returns, demanding they leave. Chaos erupts. Kara fatally stabs him during the panic. They bury him near a marked grave.

SCENE 2: The Knock – The Dead Groundskeeper Returns
Situation:
Later that night, the squatters are recovering. A slow, thunderous knock shatters the silence. Kara peers through the fogged window and sees the grinning, dead caretaker — seemingly alive.

[Claudia Wolfkind]

Claudia’s Challenging Situations

What I learned: Brainstorming to give each scene and characters more challenges to overcome really does give your scenes more depth and make the story more interesting. I didn’t realize I was collaborating with my characters… I was giving them a few challenges, but not enough to make it stand out and give them the depth that they needed.

Current Scene Logline: Jack, carrying hot coffee, and Abby run into each other, literally, at the hospital.

Essence: Abby is rushing to her father’s bedside after he’s had a heart attack and runs into Jack, not remembering him from her childhood.

Possible Challenges:

Everyone coming out of the elevator gets doused with hot coffee.

Abby, covered in coffee, freaks out on Jack and reads him the riot act.

A hospital visitor is so pissed off that he’s a mess that he starts a fight with Jack. Next

Jack get a bloody… nose? The blood gets on Abby’s clothes… she seriously freaks out.

More than one relish package gets dropped and Abby sweeps them up and tosses them, wigging out Jack.

Security comes and kicks them all out of the hospital.

Next scene…

Instead of in the hospital room…

We see them outside… bickering. And laughing.

They sneak back into the hospital… Abby and Jack steal scrubs… Jack also find a small lab coat, in a supply cabinet and gives
that to Abby.

Abby goes up the stairs to avoid the security guard.

Jack has to get coffee… goes the opposite direction… they still don’t know they are there to visit the same person, Abby’s father.

• This reply was modified 2 weeks, 6 days ago by  Claudia Wolfkind.