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Lesson 15
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3 Replies
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Jeanne Sanner Act 2 TP – Midpoint
What I’ve learned from this assignment is: how important a midpoint turning point is to the arc of the plot and for the development of the character.
INT. ANDREA’S LIVING ROOM NEXT DAY – AFTERNOON.
Laura is home alone falling asleep with a book in her hand.
DOORBELL
Laura gets up startled and answers the door.
LAURA
Oh, hi Matt. Come on in.
LAURA
What a nice surprise. How’d you find us?
MATT
Uh, Darin gave me your address. He’s a great guy.
LAURA
Yes, he is. You want a beer? I’m gonna have one.
Laura goes to kitchen, gets beer. Matt stays standing looking around.
MATT
Oh, no. I can’t stay long. I got a bus to catch.
Laura comes in, sits on couch, motions Matt to lounge chair, but he sits on the couch instead.
LAURA
Didn’t you start work yesterday?
MATT
We had orientation yesterday and this morning. I start tomorrow. Wednesday through Sunday nights.
LAURA
Bummer of a schedule!
MATT
Yea. All newbies get those.
Awkward silence. Matt moves in a little closer to Laura.
MATT
Actually, I came over to ask you if I could take you to dinner Monday night to say thank you for all your kindness.
LAURA
What a thoughtful idea, Matt, but you just started a new job, and dinner can be a bit much. How ‘bout we go for a cuppa coffee instead?
MATT
(Surprised to get a yes)
Oh. That would be great! I still take the bus, so what’s a good place we could meet?
LAURA
Tell you what. I’ll pick you up around 8. Is that good for you?
MATT
Yea, sure. It’s a date! Listen, I gotta a bus to catch. I’ll see ya Monday night. Thanks, Laura.
Matt goes to hug her, changes his mind, leaves. Laura goes back to her book and beer.
LAURA’S PHONE RINGS
LAURA
Hey, Darin. How…
DARIN
Hi Laura. Is Andrea there?
LAURA
No. She’s on some kinda mission. Isn’t she answering her phone?
DARIN
No. Damn it.
LAURA
Can I help?
DARIN
No. Thanks.
LAURA
By the way, guess who just left?
DARIN
Left your place? I have no clue. You have too many friends.
LAURA
Matt.
DARIN
Matt? That little rascal. How did he find you?
LAURA
(Confused)
What do you mean?
DARIN
How did he find where you live?
LAURA
He told me you told him.
Silence on both ends.
DARIN
No way, Laura. You know I wouldn’t do that without calling you first.
LAURA
Yea, but he’s your friend, so…
DARIN
Not really. Roberto was my friend. I just try to include Matt at times because he lost his brother.
LAURA
Hmm. Anyway, I’ll tell Andrea to call you when I see her.
ACT 2 TP – MIDPOINT
Next we see a montage of Andrea going to various sources seeking the truth. None of them give her what she needs! She goes to a counselor first.
LAURA
(With a psychologist)
So your answer is: that forgiveness is not necessary and that everyone is doing the best they can, even parents who rape their children, and that we should just accept that and move on. Thanks so much.
LAURA
(With a minister)
How can I forgive 70 times 7 times when I can’t even forgive once, and as to “forgive them for they know not what they do,” you can shove it…let’s just say, my father knew exactly what he was doing. Thanks so much.
LAURA
(With a Guru)
So your answer is, the world is an illusion, and nothing matters, so why worry. Thank you, Mr. Alfred E. Neuman.
LAURA
(With a mystic smoking something going Om)
Forgiveness has some wonderful colors, doesn’t it? This is the only way to see it? Hmmm Thanks so much, I think.
Laura is In the library looking at all the self-help books on forgiveness. She is rubbing her eyes, and decides to go home defeated.
A week later, Andrea sees that Laura has successfully visited her mother, and decides to go back to the odd character.
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Laurie- Lesson 15- Finishing Act 2 I learned that I have to stop my self from going back and adding ideas, action, dialogue to the script and instead keep a list for the next draft 🙂
EXT. ANNIE AND JOE’S CABIN, WOODVILLE 1992-
It’s just dark as Annie pulls up to the cabin. Joe’s blue truck is in the driveway. She looks through the front window and sees Joe-35, Erin-10, and Hunter-8 milling around getting ready for dinner. She smiles.
ANNIE-35
My family. I’m so lucky.
Her eyes travel over to Joe’s truck and her face grows concerned. She closes her eyes tight and shakes her head, opens her eyes, and wipes away the tear. Then shakes it off and smiles again.
INT. ANNIE AND JOE’S CABIN, 1992 LIVING ROOM CONT.
Annie-35 enters the cabin and quickly hangs her coat and purse on the rack, then puts her keys on the key hook that hangs near the door.
ERIN-10
Mom! Dad got pizza!
Annie-35 sees Joe’s keys hanging there as well. She hesitates.
JOE-35
You better hurry, I got you Canadian bacon and pineapple and Hunter has already claimed three pieces.
Annie-35 glances over and sees that Joe-35’s back is to her so she quickly takes his keys and slips them into her purse. She whispers to herself.
ANNIE-35
Peace of mind.
INT. ANNIE AND JOE’S BEDROOM-1992, EVENING
Joe-35 and Annie-35 are in the cozy aftermath. Annie-35 is more relaxed.
JOE-35
I didn’t get a chance to ask you earlier, how did the visit with your Mom go?
ANNIE-35
She, she wasn’t responsive. It was pretty hard to see..see someone you love in that way.
JOE-35
Oh honey, I’m so sorry.
ANNIE-35
That’s why I was so late. I went to Aunt Mary-Lou’s afterwards. She um, helped talk it through, through all the, trauma of it. She says there’s a name for it too. I might talk to a friend of hers about it.
Joe-35 is starting to drift off.
JOE-35
What ever you need to do. I’m glad you have Mary Lou in your life.
ANNIE-35
Yes. She helps me understand the things…(tiny whisper) I see.
Joe is asleep and doesn’t hear the last part.
INT. WOODVILLE- 1992- DREAM STATE
Annie-35 is asleep and dreaming. It is similar to her dream from earlier, but starts with her in her bed with Sean, his back to her. There is no background other than the bed. Annie-40 is cradling baby Maggie and whisper singing to her a Beatles tune (or something with similar lyrics).
ANNIE-40
Love you forever and forever, love you with all my heart, love you whenever we’re together, love you when we’re apart…
Suddenly baby Maggie begins to cry. Annie-40 tries to comfort her, but she just cries louder. Maggie begins to turn grey. Annie is frantic.
ANNIE-40
No, NO! Oh Maggie, I love you… don’t go..I will love you forever,
Baby Maggie continues to turn grey, still crying, then begins to dissolve into grey particles. Annie-40 tries to hold on to her.
ANNIE-40
Maggie! I will like you for always..as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be. Oh don’t go! Maggie!
The grey particles swarm off until they are out of sight, leaving Annie with an empty blanket. She is inconsolable.
INT. ANNIE AND JOE’S BEDROOM, 1992, LATE EVENING CONT.
Annie wakes with a start, her face wet with tears, trying to stifle a scream. Her hand then goes to her lower abdomen, where she tries to feel the scar. She can’t feel it. Annie quickly gets out of bed, throws a bathrobe on and goes into the bathroom, turning on the light.
INT. ANNIE AND JOE’S BATHROOM, 1992, CONT.
Annie-35, bathrobe opened, night gown up, is looking down for her scar. We only see her from the waist up.
ANNIE-35
It’s gone.
INT. ANNIE AND JOE’S CABIN, LIVING ROOM, 1992, LATE EVE. MOMENTS LATER
Annie-35 is pacing erratically. She grabs her address book from her purse and crosses to the phone. She huddles on the couch calls Mary-Lou-45 who after the 4th ring answers sleepily.
MARY-LOU-45 (O.C.)
Hello?
ANNIE-35
(whispering)
You said there would be no harm. But there would be.
MARY-LOU-45
What?
ANNIE-35
That there will be no harm if I stop the accident tomorrow. But if I do, I will never meet Sean. And Maggie will never be born.
MARY-LOU-45
Slow down honey. Say that again?
ANNIE-35
The scar is gone!! I dreamed of her, of Maggie, she turned grey and just, just dissolved like she never was!
MARY-LOU-45
Okay, so this was a dream you said. Just a dream-
ANNIE-35
The scar is gone! Before I went to sleep last night, I hid Joe’s keys, to stop the accident. That will change everything! Everything!
MARY-LOU-45
Annie, take a breath-
ANNIE-35
You don’t understand. I have to choose. I have to decide. If I save Joe tomorrow, Maggie will never be. I have to choose. Joe, or Maggie!! How can I possibly do that?
Annie breaks down into quiet sobs.
MARY-LOU-45
Annie, listen to me. There will be no accident tomorrow. This is your trauma making you think you can fix something that, that isn’t real. There is no decision for you to make. There is no Sean, no Maggie.
ANNIE-35
How do you know? Can you promise me 100 percent? How do I know for sure for sure?
MARY-LOU-45
Honey, I’m guessing you haven’t had much sleep in the last few nights. Why don’t you go back to bed and try some of those breathing exercises and we’ll talk about this in the morning.
Annie takes a shaky breath.
ANNIE-35
I’m sorry I woke you. You’re right, you’re right. Just bad dreams. I will call you tomorrow.
Annie hangs up quickly. Suddenly she crosses over to a pile of school notebooks on the kitchen table and rips out a page from a notebook. She sits down and begins to write.
INT. ANNIE AND JOE’S KITCHEN, 1992, EARLY AM.
The sky is only just beginning to lighten out the window. Annie-35 has been writing a time line. The timeline of her other life.
INSERT TIMELINE
PLACEHOLDER
Annie-35 is tapping her pen next to one of the timeline entries for September 1992. She has filled in Sean’s employment as [placeholder]. She looks up at the clock, it now says 6:05 am. She picks up the phone and dials 411.
ANNIE-35
PLACEHOLDER- CITY AND WORK FOR SEAN
ANNIE-35
Thank you.
Annie hangs up and dials the number.
STAFF (O.C.)
PLACEHOLDER BUSINESS NAME
ANNIE-35
Huh, yes, good morning. Is, is there a Sean O’Neill there please?
There is a brief pause.
SEAN-35 (O.C.)
This is Sean.
Annie gasps and hangs up.
ANNIE-35
He’s real, Maggie’s real. Oh Maggie, my baby.
Annie jumps up and runs over to the rack where her purse is, grabs Joe’s keys out and places them back where they belong. Then she collapses to her knees.
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Margaret’s Act 2 TP
What I learned: The turning point needs to be a true change for the character.
INT. ARMANN’S HOME – BEDROOM – DAY
Beginning: Jabe reacts emotionally to his capture.
Middle: Jabe has a plan to escape
End: Jabe escapes
INT. ARMANN’S HOME – BEDROOM – DAY
Jabe paces in the small room. His aura changes from yellow to red, back to yellow, then blue.
He goes to the door to listen. Nothing.
He paces some more. Stops, looks at a window placed about level with his face.
Jabe peers out the window, his aura turns purple.
JABE’S POV
An empty lot. No one in sight.
RETURN TO SCENE
Jabe struggles to open the window. He lifts himself up and finds a tight fit as his abdomen hits the frame.
JABE
(to self; mutters)
Gotta watch those morning donuts.
For a moment it appears that Jabe will be stuck in the window frame. He blows out as much air as he can, sucks in his abdominal muscles, squeezes through.
Jabe lands with a thud on the ground outside.
INT. DONEK TEMPLE – DAY
Beginning: Alo confronts his listeners
Middle: Jabe accepts the Orb
End: Jabe realizes he has a new mission
INT. DONEK TEMPLE – DAY
Alo stands before a crowd of listening DONEK in their temple.
ALO
You have have heard of Armann’s ultimatum to the purple. He is not our ruler and has no authority over us.
A FEARFUL DONEK replies.
FEARFUL DONEK
They take authority! How many have they killed? Five, just yesterday.
Jabe enters the temple, sits in the back row, listens to Alo’s response.
ALO
Taaba has given us his word, and the Orb to fill our hearts with peace. He fights for us. Do you not remember how he saved the Donek from the wild Zoren? The ground opened, ate them.
FEARFUL DONEK
But if he chooses not to save us?
ALO
Taaba will take us to a better place. Is that not his promise? Is that not what we look forward to? Certainly not this existence!
Jabe listens, watches as the aura surrounding Alo brightens, as if to confirm his words. As the crowd nods assent, their aura brightens.
ALO
Taaba is great. He has chosen to give us strength and peace in our spirit to endure whatever comes. Do you believe this?
The crowd replies with a chorus of “Yes.” The room lights us with the intensity of their aurus.
Jabe looks at his own blue aura, attempts to fluff it up, then unsuccessfully brush it away. It stays blue.
A energy ball of light floats near Jabe, catching his eye.
JABE
(whispers)
The Orb?
The desire for the Donek’s aura entices Jabe to reach out. He is stopped by Alo.
ALO
Son, it is not the aura you accept. If you pull the Orb to yourself, it is Taaba and his ways you accept.
JABE
I prefer his ways to that of the Hedeon.
For a moment the Orb lingers in front of Jabe. When he doesn’t pull it to himself, the Orb starts to face.
Jabe notices the fading, quickly grabs the Orb and pulls it to himself.
His aura changes to the pearly iridescence of the Donek.
The observant crowd cheer.
ALO
Welcome to the family of the Donek, son.
Jabe strokes his aura, touches his chest. Awed.
ALO
You are different now, but have also been given a task.
JABE
What? A job? You have a job for me?
ALO
A service, but not from me, from Taaba. He will speak to your heart through the Orb. You will know what it is you should do. You will be given the strength to accomplish whatever he asks of you.
Jabe is on a high from his aura change.
JABE
Bring it on, then!
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