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Lesson 15
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SUBJECT: Mark Napier’s ACT 2 TP – Midpoint
What I learned from this assignment: I have to pick up the pace as I thought I had to write the dialog versus the skeleton of the ACT.
ACT 2:
BEAT SHEET TURNING POINT 2: MID–POINT:
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (Home Office) LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
–Mark returns to the US for a 4 month R&R and makes arrangements for his return to Falcon Base.
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (Home Office) LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
–Returning back to Washington, DC for a 3-day mission prep and medical clearance in May, as directed, before his deployment to Afghanistan.
SLUG: INT–WASHINGTON-DULLES INT’L AIRPORT (CHECK BAGGAGE) CHANTILLY, VIRGINIA–DAY
–Mark checks in his baggage, but later learns it disappeared with a treasure trove of identity theft material and coincidentally the CIA has a facility at the same site with access to the terminals and carousels.
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
–After a month of his office stalling, Mark learns by phone he has been Blacklisted.
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
–Mark begins to contest his Blacklisting and in the meantime makes arrangements to return back to active duty with his Army Reserve unit, but suddenly falls ill that takes 5 months to recover from before the life changing diagnosis is delivered.
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ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 OUTLINE: MID–POINT:
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (Home Office) LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
BEGINNING: Mark returns to the US for a 4 month R&R and makes arrangements for his return to Falcon Base. Mark expresses concern to his Branch Chief (Joe) that all his assets were suddenly declared unworthy to be used, despite a plethora of program verifications and some were polygraphed.
MIDDLE: Joe looks troubled by the notion that all assets were rendered unfavorable and makes an inquiry to the Collection Management Officer overseeing analysis that rendered the decision.
END: Joe learns the CMO based their decision from recent multiple derogatory reporting from Case Officer John’s reporting.
ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 DIALOG SCENE: MID–POINT:
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (Home Office) LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
DESCRIPTION: Mark’s return to Headquarters to express his concerns about the assets being denounced causes raises eyebrows and more controversy for Joe than he cares for.
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ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (Home Office) LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
BEGINNING: Returning back to Washington, DC for a 3-day mission prep and medical clearance in May, as directed, before his deployment to Afghanistan.
MIDDLE: Ironically, Mark finds he is becoming uneasy and senses something is wrong, but refuses to accept his own gut instincts. His instincts are validated when he sees COS Reilly in the Agency cafeteria.
END: Mark learns the deployment is not going as planned and directed to return home. He is asked to turn in his badge and passport. This is not the first time such a request has been made of Mark so he is not surprised.
ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 DIALOG SCENE:
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (Home Office) LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
DESCRIPTION: Mark, however, is growing increasingly uncomfortable to be at CIA Headquarters as his guts tell him something is wrong. He joins a colleague (Nathan) he has known for 16 years for lunch in the CIA cafeteria and there he sees COS Reilly.
DESCRIPTION: (VOICEOVER) As Mark prepares for his mission he reads about an American soldier who was captured by the Taliban. Ironically Mark recalls reading about a captured soldier the month before he returned home. The soldier in question is Bo Berghdal who is identified as a traitor who went AWOL and was held in captivity for 5 years. Ironically the official date of his capture is noted six months after Bo Berghdal reportedly disappeared.
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ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–WASHINGTON-DULLES INT’L AIRPORT (CHECK BAGGAGE), CHANTILLY, VIRGINIA–DAY (AND)
SLUG: INT–DELTA AIRLINE TERMINAL, PALMBAY, FLORIDA–DAY
BEGINNING: Mark checks in his baggage for his return flight and is glad he no longer is on the same flight with COS Reilly. Mark prays the J-Lo crashes with all onboard to survive, but him.
MIDDLE: Once Mark arrives home in Florida, he notices his luggage is not present at the terminal. The luggage contains a treasure trove of identity theft tax information material and Mark files a notice with Delta Airlines of the missing luggage.
END: Mark remembers that the CIA has a facility at the same site with access to the terminals and carousels. Mark knows that only the Chief of Counterterrorism Center could order his bag removed and through a little research discovers the former COS of Iraq (D’Angelo) is in charge of CTC, hence Reilly and D’Angelo, he suspects are behind the theft of his luggage.
ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 DIALOG SCENE:
SLUG: INT–WASHINGTON-DULLES INT’L AIRPORT (CHECK BAGGAGE), CHANTILLY, VIRGINIA–DAY (AND)
SLUG: INT–DELTA AIRLINE TERMINAL, PALMBAY, FLORIDA–DAY
DESCRIPTION:
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ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
BEGINNING: After a month of his office stalling, Mark learns by phone he has been Blacklisted. The Branch Chief tells Mark he is baffled that after 2 plus years of service that he is surprised by the office director’s move.
MIDDLE: Mark discloses to Joe that he is being retaliated against by COS Reilly because his ego was bruised when Mark disclosed that his Station had screwed up an investigation that involved the downloading of child pornography on two CIA Top Secret computers.
END: Mark insists that an investigation needs to be opened into this and that he will take legal action and contact his US Senator who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 DIALOG SCENE:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
DESCRIPTION:
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ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
BEGINNING: Mark begins to contest his Blacklisting and in the meantime makes arrangements to return back to active duty with his Army Reserve unit to buy time while he takes on the CIA in a civil lawsuit that he intends to make publicly. He arranges for a medical physical as required by the US Army.
MIDDLE: Mark suddenly falls ill which ultimately takes 5 months to recover from. Mark believes that the Mononucleosis that he has suffered twice before and brought on from stress is what is afflicting him.
END: Mark receives a phone call 4 months after his Army physical. His unit’s brigade surgeon proceeds to scream over the phone that Mark has HIV and that he will be processed for discharge. Mark’s life changing diagnosis is delivered so bluntly and disrespectful he grabs his 44 magnum to commit suicide.
ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 DIALOG SCENE:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
DESCRIPTION:
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Lesson 15
Trish’s Act 2 TP – Midpoint
What I learned doing this assignment is that I had a big plot hole in this scene and Emma kept poking holes in it. Dang it! I left it in for now with a note to revisit it later. I was getting stuck on it.
1. Outline your Key Scene 4: The Midpoint.
Beginning: Olivia is freaking out. She gets Emma outside to talk.
Middle: She shares the details of the dream and tells her it’s all true. She killed a patient. Then she reveals it was on purpose. Olivia doesn’t want to tell her husband or go to jail.
End: Emma realizes that whoever is doing this has intimate knowledge of the guests.
2. Write the Midpoint scene.
Done in Final Draft.
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LESSON 15: DR. AMADOR’S Act 2 TP – Midpoint
***At the close of mid-point, I’m still not sure about the science, but I think I’ve caught the “essence” of the Tp-MIDPOINT: it’s the same journey but with new eyes: the lead character is asking himself: what is it that i really want/need. “how ould I’ve been so shortsighted.” The lead character is seeing the bigger picture and keeping the promise to the theme: (which i’m not sure-but here’s a placeholder : science should be made to progress humanity not make private citizens richer—it’s a work in progress I know). This mid-point also makes my lead character make sure to leave his “old-ways” and make way for the “new-ways”, he must take the risks and continue his journey!
INT. GENERAL PORTMAN’S OFFICE
BEGINNING: ROBERT is blamed for accidental meltdown and humiliated by President. General Portman tries to defend him.
MIDDLE: ROSINSKI GETs a hold of the press and leaks “billion dollar disaster” on outdated NASA public funding. President is publicly lambasted on national news. Even though it’s top secret, Auggie’s name is mentioned as being the problem of government quotas being signed to a minority even though he was not up to the job.
END: AUGGIE LEAVES secret facilities in humiliation. his “new ways” of super confidence and leadership have failed him; he reverts to his old ways and returns to professorship, to live his life quietly in academia.
INT. NM STATE UNIVERSITY – DAY
BEGINNING: Auggie returns to academia; he’s still respected by his peers, but he can hear comments circulating. a student points out where his math was wrong. Auggie insists his “calibrations” were correct.
MIDDLE: AUGGIE decides to go over the math, it turns out he wasn’t wrong; someone else entered the wrong data! He assigns his students to assist him with the new corrections.
END: PRESIDENT OF NM UNIVERSITY gets wind of his latest project: he insists Auggie should stop and go back to the basics, go back to teaching freshman and educating “new minds”; after all, his purpose is to draw students and new funding to the university; he’s just a minor celebrity.
(SAME JOURNEY-DIFFERENT MEANING)
INT. AUGGIE’S EX-WIFE HOUSE – DAY
BEGINNING: AUGGIE refuses to listen to School president. He gets fired for insubordination. he tells his wife. She accepts his limitations and as a psychologist she re-states that he’s over his head, that he should stick with what he nows.
MIDDLE: talks to his daughter. She tells him of the Mayans and how every other year/decade a highway opened up in outer space to communicate with the ‘gods’! she has papier-mâché of mayan temples on kitchen table with inlaid mirrors on top, encrusted on temples. Auggie gets an idea! he thanks Athena for her help—she’s his genius daughter.
END: HE races to Sarah! his love interest from the university telescope.
INT. TELESCOPE FACILITY – NIGHT
BEGINNING: He tells her[SARAH} his idea to get back the project, that it’s no longer personal but about the human race and public funding for the sake of the public, NOT private interest!
MIDDLE: SARAH QUESTIONS his authority; is it legal, could she get in trouble for helping him? they go back and forth: She has contacts around the world working at different satellites.
END: SARAH agrees to help him on this endeavor! (for the sake of all humanity, not just personal gain)!
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What I learned doing this assignment was that even though I fell behind it was time to write again and just push through. I also wound up writing out my midpoint scene after writing a few scenes to build up to it.
ASSIGNMENT #15
The Midpoint!
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Outline the Midpoint scene.
Midpoint Turning Point: Harriet comes over for dinner. Carla finds out that Harriet is imaginary. Carla covers that Harriet is imaginary by making it look like she just didn’t show, but Mark senses something weird is up. This is not a good moment for Harriet because now the jig is up.
Beginning: Carla is excited to introduce Mark to Harriet. She is cooking in the kitchen and getting everything ready for their little dinner party: setting the lovely table out back, etc. Sam is excited too! He met Harriet at the park and loved her.
Middle: Harriet is super late. Carla is feeling dejected, especially after her disastrous meeting with Jennica earlier. Then Harriet arrives and things get weird. Mark can’t see her! Carla confronts Harriet inside in the kitchen and Harriet reveals she is imaginary.
End: Carla covers for herself and Harriet. Comes clean to Mark about feeling really low because of being unable to find work and the meeting with Jennica and plays off pretending Harriet was there.
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