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Lesson 17
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SUBJECT: Mark Napier’s ACT 3 Reaction to Mid Point
What did I learn? I am learning to knock the Draft Shell out quicker at least. Here I hope to show my Protagonist being forced to transition from a professional CIA career position to an abandonment of self with severe depression and PTSD that will eventually force him into a less desirable job to survive.
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BEAT SHEET: ACT 3 REACTION TO MID POINT:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
–Mark is now suicidal and devastated by the news of his diagnosis and it could not have come at a worse time with the Great Recession in full swing.
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
–After no employment for 10 months, Mark is feeling the pinch and cannot afford to fly up to his Army Reserve unit in Fort Dix, New Jersey for procedures to support a medical discharge.
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ACT 2:
ACT 3 REACTION TO MID POINT OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
BEGINNING: Mark is now suicidal and devastated by the news of his diagnosis and it could not have come at a worse time with the Great Recession in full swing. Blacklisted by the CIA, an outcast by the US Army and non deployable as all prospective employers would require one to be to support the intelligence community or military
MIDDLE: As news spreads among family and friends of Mark’s predicament, he finds he is discarded and forgotten and no longer wanted. It does not take long before Mark realizes that he feels his country too has turned its back.
END: Mark begins to fall into severe depression as there is no hope in sight. He fears losing all that he has worked for in 30 years and figuratively handed an epitaph that sums up his life at that point.
ACT 2:
ACT 3 REACTION TO MID POINT: DIALOG SCENE:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
DESCRIPTION:
For Outstanding Service and Loyalty to Country
Stigmatized and Slandered
Betrayed and Dishonored
Impoverished and Homeless
Discarded and Forgotten
Blacklisted by a Grateful Nation
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ACT 2:
ACT 3 REACTION TO MID POINT OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
BEGINNING: After no employment for 10 months, Mark is feeling the pinch and cannot afford to fly up to his Army Reserve unit in Fort Dix, New Jersey for medical discharge procedure. Holding the rank of a US Army Major, Mark would normally be picked up at the Camden, NJ airport, but now he must walk 32 miles to the base and arrives to sleep on a park bench at 1:30 AM. A tree stands by the bench leaving Mark to wish he had a rope to hang himself.
MIDDLE: Mark feels everything is crashing down around him. He is constantly being harassed by creditors daily and called by the same company 5 times a day asking when they will get their money. Mark’s unit sends him for medical evaluations at Walter Reed Army Hospital’s Infectious Disease unit in Washington, DC, where he finds 30 other soldiers (both male and female) in attendance going through the similar ordeal of being discharged.
END: Mark tries to seek employment at various other commercial industries, but the growing recession is preventing him from securing a job even at McDonalds or even Walmart.
ACT 2:
ACT 3 REACTION TO MID POINT: DIALOG SCENE:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
DESCRIPTION:
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LESSON 17: DR. AMADOR’S START OF ACT THREE:
Key Scene 1: Reaction/Rethink.
***[what I learned on this assignment: i still don’t have all the answers and the astronomy math is very complicated. It’s above my head, but I’m creating good turning points for my lead character to blossom, to shed the old ways and inhabit the new ways. He still has a long way to go, but he’s gaining confidence when almost everyone doubts him.]
INT. GENERAL PORTMAN’S HOME – DAY
BEGINNING: ROBERT CONSOLES GENERAL PORTMAN as he has been fired by the president as well. He tells the general of his idea since the idiot Rosinski still has no clue how to connect or link up “crystal” to Webb satellite’s orbit.
MIDDLE: ROBERT insists that rosinski had purposely fudge his calibrations and that was the cause of the meltdown. General Portman insists he “let it go” and let rosinski fall flat on his face. if he does, maybe they could go after private funding for themselves. General Portman makes no promises; he still blames robert for his job loss and computer malfunction: [perhaps here it’s the crystal that drifts of into space—like a ball drifting in outer space]
END: Robert tells the General of his secret plot to infiltrate the secret government lab via supercomputers fro other facilities but it would be a risk not to mention a breach of national security. Robert insists there’s hope and they will be hero’s if he gets that crystal to “relaunch” it’s one remaining rocket and get back in sync with the Webb satellite’s orbit.
INT. SECRET GOVERNMENT FACILITY – DAY
BEGINNING: Rosinski plots ahead, he’s confident he’s got unlimited money and will pursue the project even though he’s questioning himself and knows he’s probably over his head. (he’s also someone who’s loath to admit he’s wrong–a true asshole!).
MIDDLE: ROSINSKI IS starting to lose his shit and smarter astronomers under him are afraid of confronting for fear of getting fired [this could be sub theme: top-down management is not always best—everyone should have a voice and come forward.
END: EVENING news describes chaos and more waste at fully sponsored government facilities while “private” billionaires stand to profit from new discoveries in outer space.
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Assignment #17 Act Three Key Scenes:
What I learned doing this assignment is how fun it is to watch my character get back up again. And that I can’t forget certain TEs that happen between key scenes as I outline them because those TEs affect what happens in the key scenes.
Key Scene 1: React/Rethink the new reality revealed by Midpoint
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Ext. Beach – Day
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Beginning: Carla arrives at the agreed upon meeting spot at the beach and Harriet is there waiting and Carla asks–why did you leave me
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Middle: Carla wonders if she is crazy as she sits on the beach talking to her imaginary friend.
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End: Carla and Harriet decide that she is not crazy and that Harriet is her superpower and they jump in the ocean together.
Key Scene #2: New Plan: Beginning: Harriet suggests Carla to use her to help get unstuck
Middle: Use you how? Just fall into being me for a bit since Mark has trashed your heart and you can’t see straight and you can’t stay as you are or you’ll wind up living in a cardboard box.
End: Okay. Trust fall and Carla allows Harriet to drive the bus on ALL her life decisions.
Key Scene #3:( Things start going well until…)(aka Transformational event E)
Beginning: Carla is volunteering at the school book fair and talking to other moms who turn out to be cool
Middle: Successfully networking and having fun getting ideas for building out her portfolio
End: “Send me your stuff when it’s ready. No rush these things always take a while,”
Key Scene #4: Turning Point Protagonist faces their lowest low
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Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift: Viral video of things too wild out on the town and Carla looking crazy talking to herself and winding up in the drunk tank. Harriet reveals to Carla that she wishes she were real and how lucky Carla is to be human.
Beginning: Carla is sitting in the drunk tank.
Middle: Harriet reveals to Carla that she wishes she were real and how lucky Carla is to be human. Maybe they took things to far.
End: Mark comes to bail her out and reveals the viral video of Carla’s antics that got her in the tank in the first place (the internet is fast.)
2. Write Key Scene 1: Reaction/Rethink.
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Lesson 17 Trish’s Act 2B Reaction to Midpoint
What I learned doing this assignment is that I had a structure problem big time. I made notes for fixing it in the next draft. I got really stuck on this act.
1. Using your Beat Sheet, outline your Act 3 Key Scenes.
Key Scene 1: React/Rethink the new reality revealed by Midpoint and Key Scene 2: Makes a new plan. (I don’t know how to separate these two. My characters are making plans while reacting.)
Beginning: Lucas says again that they need to work together. People are dying for god’s sake!
Middle: Emma brings up his case as proof that he’s no good. He says that one mistake doesn’t erase decades of good work. He convinces her to team up for their own safety. She shares what she knows about Olivia. They have to trust each other and share info. They have to tread carefully but also work quickly.
End: Earplug strategy shared. Turn music off. They agree to swap rooms as a test.
Key Scene 3: Things start going well, until…
Beginning: Guests we don’t know are fighting. One guest throws something at the other and knocks them out. They call for help. Hearing screams, Emma listens in from nearby.
Middle: The doctor arrives and treats them. They need to go to the hospital. Richard calls the EMTs. The person is hauled out. The other person freaks out.
End: Richard tells them it’ll be okay. He knows the police. Don’t worry. We can make this go away. Richard comforts the person. Emma retreats.
Key Scene 4: Turning Point – Protagonist faces their lowest low.
Beginning: Worried about more people dying or being injured, Emma and Lucas confront Lucas.
Middle: They know some about his past, but it isn’t the leverage they thought it would be. They know about the messages too, but so what. he threatens Emma that she’ll never know the truth about her mother if she proceeds and Lucas will face charges such as wrongful death, defamation, maybe even involuntary manslaughter or negligent homicide.
End: defeated, they leave
2. Write Key Scene 1: Reaction/Rethink.
Will do this later. I want to keep going with this bigger picture stuff.
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