Lesson 2

[j T]

What I learned doing this assignment is that some of my turning points were very similar. I worked on them so there is a clear escalation of conflict : from defending to attacking to giving everything she's got.

Jessica Tremblay's – 4 Act Structure – Death Cleaning

Title: Death Cleaning

Genre : a horror film

Main conflict: a pregnant woman fights a creature in storage

Concept : Using objects from her neighbors' lockers

Act 1 : HOME
Opening: a creature attacks a man in storage

Inciting Incident: she learns her father died: she must go empty his place.

Turning Point: she’s stuck in storage.

Act 2: DEFEND

New Plan: she must hide from the creature.

Plan in action: she uses objects to DEFEND herself.

Turning Point / Midpoint: creature breaks in

Act 3: ATTACK

Rethink everything: she uses objects to FIGHT the creature.

New Plan: set up traps

Failure: Injured, she sows her wounds

Turning Point: she must attack with everything she’s got

Act 4: STAND UP TO MANAGER

Climax: stand up to manager who tries to kill her to keep his secret

Resolution: she get out of storage

 

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by  j T.

[Edward Gillow]

Ed. Gillow’s 4 Act structure
What I learned doing this assignment is…Creating a solid 4-Act Transformational Structure requires careful consideration of the protagonist’s journey, the main conflict, and the dynamics with the antagonist.
Title: Sidetracked
Genre: Western
Concept: In a desperate bid to save his ranch, Moses, a retired Native American tracker, teams up with Boone, a racist bounty hunter, to rescue a kidnapped boy from a ruthless gang leader.
Main Conflict: Moses must overcome his prejudices and work with Boone to save his ranch, while Boone must confront his racism and work alongside Moses to track down the kidnappers.
Act 1:
Opening: Introduce Moses and his dire situation with the foreclosure looming over his ranch.
Inciting Incident: Moses learns that his family is directly threatened by Jose and his gang.
Turning Point: Moses reluctantly agrees to partner with Boone when he realizes they both have a common enemy in Jose.
Act 2:
New plan: Moses and Boone strategize their approach to track down Jose and rescue the kidnapped boy.
Plan in action: They set out into the dangerous Texas wilderness, facing various obstacles and challenges.
Midpoint Turning Point: Despite their initial animosity, Moses and Boone begin to develop a begrudging respect for each other as they work together to overcome obstacles.
Act 3:
Rethink everything: Moses and Boone encounter setbacks and begin to doubt their ability to succeed.
New plan: They reassess their tactics and form a new plan to outsmart Jose and his gang.
Turning Point: In a moment of crisis, their plan fails spectacularly, leading to a major shift in their approach.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: Moses and Boone face off against Jose and his gang in a final showdown, risking everything to save the kidnapped boy and protect Moses’ family.
Resolution: Despite the odds, Moses and Boone emerge victorious, not only saving the boy but also forging a newfound respect and understanding for each other.
Antagonist Dynamics: Jose and his gang serve as a constant threat, pushing Moses and Boone to their limits and forcing them to confront their own prejudices.
Additional Details:
Moses’ inherent tracking skills and Boone’s history with Jose and Moses add depth to their characters and motivations.
The danger posed to Moses’ family by Jose’s gang creates high stakes and drives the urgency of their mission.
The forced alliance between Moses and Boone, born out of their shared vendetta against Jose, sets the stage for a compelling character arc.
This exercise helped me recognize the importance of crafting a coherent and impactful journey for both the protagonist and antagonist, as well as ensuring each beat of the story serves to drive the narrative forward and deepen the characters’ development.

[j T]

Hi Ed. Really impressive story and 4 act structure. The beats are well thought of. There is an escalation of conflict leading to the climax. I like that your structure includes both the plot of your story and emotional journey of you characters. The motivations of the characters are clear. Well done.

[Edward Gillow]

Jessica, thanks for your comments. very kind. I think your script has great potential. So the man that is attacked and dies is the protag’s father? I know I just asked this of you, but do you see this as a short film or feature. based on your answer i can give you some more beneficial feedback. it is a high concept movie and horror is one of my favorite genres.

[Tasha Espinoza]

Tasha’s 4 Act Structure
What I learned doing this assignment is that the antagonist’s journey needs to be just as strong as the protagonist’s journey. It can be a source of many plot holes.
List the beats of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.
1. Give us the following:
Title: Dating with Demons
Genre: Horror Comedy
Concept: What if Linda Blair from The Exorcist wanted to start dating.
Main Conflict: Formerly possessed, Bethany, really wants to find love, but her unrelenting priest and her lingering demon won't let her have a decent date..
2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.

Act 1:
Opening – Father Ptolemy and Deacon Anders perform an exorcism on Bethany (16).
Is this an engaging opening scene that lures us into the story? Yes. A young girl’s soul is being threatened by a demonic presence that is possessing her, which is already attention grabbing. Unexpectedly, the clergymen end up fighting each other because one of them wants to kill Bethany and end the torment. Then Bethany, herself, has to take the initiative in her own exorcism and begins to expel the demon, something I don’t think I’ve seen depicted in a film before.
Is the lead character clearly living in a pre-transformation mode? Yes, she is at the very beginning, fighting to stop Demon 23 from taking her soul and barely surviving. However, with the role she plays in her exorcism, the audience is given the set-up for the awesome spiritual power she will express in the climax of the movie.
Also, Deacon Anders, who will become the main antagonist and he is absolutely traumatized by the event which creates a distrust of Bethany.
Inciting Incident – Brad asks her on a date full of promise.
How does this incident invite and propel us into the journey? The audience has seen Bethany’s bad dates and we see her loneliness and we see that she is good person. When Brad comes into the picture, he flirts with her and makes her feel desired. I think an audience would be invested in whether or not Bethany and Brad have a chance to pursue their attraction and possibly find love with each other. Also, the audience could be a little worried for Brad, given Deacon Anders’s efforts to deter Bethany from dating him, and we want to see what happens to him.
Deacon Anders has asserted himself as a father figure to Bethany because his philosophy is keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer. He thinks Bethany will become possessed again and he sees it as his job to try and minimize the damage until Brad comes into the picture. Brad challenges Deaon Anders authority over Bethany, so he decides to take more drastic measures to make the inevitable happen.
Turning Point – Bethany has to fight Demon 23 during her date with Brad.
How is this Turning Point a twist that locks us into the journey with “no going back?” Deacon Anders’s warning has come true. Now Bethany must deal with her demon if she wants to have a normal life, let alone achieve the goal of having a normal dating life that ultimately leads to finding love.
Demon 23 is sent by Deacon Anders because of her connection to Brad. The idea that Deacon Anders is right about Bethany needs to be more significant to Bethany. Needs a better set-up.
Act 2:
New plan – Bethany tracks down old suitors to find out why they stopped dating her.
What new plan did the protagonist create to deal with the Act 1 Turning Point? She stops going to church and decides to look up her former suitors to confirm why they stopped dating her. She wants to find out if they were exposed or attacked by something supernatural like Brad. So instead of just accepting that bad dates happen to her and the Deacon Anders is right about her being someone who shouldn’t date, her tactic is to actively seek answers in hopes of figuring out how to take control of her dating life.
Plan in action – She discovers that there’s a tape of her exorcism circulating in her dating pool. She needs to find out who’s behind it.
How does the protagonist take action on that plan? She stops interacting with Deacon Anders. She stops working with the foster kids so they won’t be in danger. Finally, she tracks down one of her suitors at work to ask him why he stopped seeing her and he shows her the tape of her exorcism, explaining it was emailed to him after their date. She then goes to the support group looking for the source of the video.
Bethany distances herself from Deacon Anders. There has to be something that makes her suspect she can’t trust him. Maybe he wants to usher her away to a convent or maybe he wants to declare her insane and commit her. But he has to cross the line in some way to drive her to find another path for herself (also the path that he has her on needs to be more defined. Basically, how has he been “treating” her “condition” thus far?
Midpoint Turning Point – Bethany pays a visit to the family that abandoned her to the church after her exorcism and learns that Deacon Anders recorded the exorcism.
How does the Midpoint change the meaning, creating a reveal that changes everything while keeping us on the same journey?
The Midpoint reveals that Deacon Anders has been sending the video of Bethany’s exorcism to potential suitors so they won’t date her anymore. Bethany must confront Deacon Anders about being the source of her bad dating. She also wonders if he has somehow caused Demon 23 to resurface.
Act 3:
Rethink everything – Bethany is worried that if Deacon Anders sent out the video of her exorcism, then he might be the reason that Demon 23 has resurfaced.
What is revealed to the protagonist from the Midpoint? How do they react or rethink things? Deacon Anders’s betrayal is revealed. Now she must assess how much of a threat he actually is and if he is somehow behind Demon 23 coming back. She also knows she can’t go to Deacon Anders to help her with the demonic stuff.
The interaction with Deacon Anders that convinces her he might be behind the demonic activity in her life has to be better established.
New plan – Bethany goes to a spiritual center and learns from a team of metaphysical practitioners.
What new plan did the protagonist create to deal with this new level of conflict? Bethany seeks help at a spiritual center where she learns metaphysical techniques to combat her demon and whoever may wish her harm.
Set-up demon 23 trying to warn Bethany about Deacon Anders. Also, Deacon Anders needs to see why Bethany is no long susceptible to the black magic he’s been using against her (in the form of reattaching Demon 23 to her).
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift – Bethany uses her new metaphysical talents to discovers that Deacon Anders may have conjured Demon 23 and that he’s planning to do something terrible to Bethany. When she goes to confront him, he uses the dark arts to get the upper hand.
The lowest of the low. How has this Turning Point brought the character to the lowest of lows, making it almost impossible for them to win in a normal way? This forces them to adopt the change in a much bigger way. Bethany discovers that Deacon Anders has been practicing the dark arts and he can command Demon 23. He repossesses Bethany with Demon 23 as a demonstration of his power to the Vatican. Bethany is outmatched by Deacon Anders’s dark magic prowess. He sees to it that the worst case scenario happens and Bethany has a possession relapse. However, Demon 23 tells her they can defeat Deacon 23 if she joins forces with him.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict – On a livestream to the Vatican, Deacon Anders demonstrates the danger that Bethany and her demon causes when he attempts to posssess the entire congregation. Bethany must unite with Demon 23 to thwart Deacon Anders and protect the congregation.
How is this the ultimate expression of the conflict? How does it require a “fight to the death,” either literally or symbolically? Deacon Anders is going to use his new powers to kill Bethany and possess the entire congregation as the ultimate expression of his power. Bethany and Demon 23 join forces to heighten Bethany’s metaphysical/spiritual power to protect the congregation from the demons that Deacon Anders conquers. Demon 23 must battle Deacon Anders to stop him from killing Bethany as she fights to keep the congregation protected.
Resolution – Bethany frees herself of Demon 23, sends Deacon Anders to jail and goes on a good date.
How does this resolution represent the transformation that has taken place and bring this story to a fitting conclusion? How does the change show up in your lead character’s behavior? Demon 23 discovers that he wants to love Bethany and not possess her. Bethany forgives Demon 23 but she still expels him. As a confident exorcist, Bethany offers her services to kids with demon attachments. She also goes on a promising date with her instructor from the spiritual center.