Lesson 2

[H. Vince]

Student Name: H. Vince

Contained – 2023

Lesson 2: High Concept – The Key to Selling Scripts!

A. How did this process work for you? Admittingly, I did the first part of the Contained course backwards and it actually helped. I posted in the forum my introduction, NDA and 1^st assignment due to time constraints I had this week. Sidenote/Tangent: Now I am thinking of how Hal said in one of his discussions not to tell them your process. Too late. I am typing my process at least for the sake of this assignment and to remember in the future.

B. What did you learn doing this assignment?”

I drove back and forth to San Diego this week and had time to think. My two San Diego drive sessions were about two hours each way so I drove about 8 hours in total on those drive sessions. One of them I listened to Hal’s discussion that you are supposed to listen to before completing Lesson 1 which actually ties into the pre-course work. I had it set in my mind to use a screenplay I already wrote and use this class to work on that. But while I was listening to Hal’s discussion, it dawned on me to use an idea/concept that I had for some time and go through the course naturally to see what happens with this. So now the components of the idea I mentioned in Lesson 1 are not the same story.

Ask the High Concept Question.

Having to do with deserts, what haven’t we seen
before?

Pick one and do the Exchanging Components process.

List the components of your current concept.

A. Contained Environment

House or studio in the desert

B. Contained Characters

Two podcast people, one guest and one producer

C. Difficult Situation

Grid shutdown including Internet shutdown and
vehicle shutdown

D. Reason for the Containment:

Unprepared

[RAMSEY ANDERSON]

Ramsey’s Great Hook!

A. Hows it going? Currently I’m just sharing my story. I don’t yet see the value but I will trust interaction and feedback will prevail Haha

B. What did I learn? Nothing (not trying to be mean) but we are just on lesson #2.

My main method of storytelling is to swap components, which we are doing and I do love the exercise.

1. Brainstorm possible major hooks:

A. Intriguing Contained Setting: Shipping container and moving semi trailer.

B. Unique Device: Fight to the death.

C. Unique Monster/Villain: MMA fighter that owns trucking company/ streams deadly fights.

D. Mystery: Will the two brothers survive? Will they stop Seth? Can the police help?

E. Impossible goal/Unsolvable problem: Survive / Stop Seth and fighting ring

F. Unique layers: Seth’s sidekick will take over the business when Seth dies at the end.

2. Ask high concept question:

-Having to do with BLOODSPORT, what haven’t we seen before?

3 – 5. Exchange components, try new ones and pick the best:

-LIST:

A. Kidnapped fighters.

B. Shipping containers and moving semi trailer.

C. Fight to the death.

D. Trucking company owner and elite gamblers.

[Tom Wilson]

Tom’s Great Hook!

Title: DARK PASSAGE – One hour Mini-Series – Pilot – Genre: Drama

A. How did this process work for you?

It made me think. I come up with better ideas as a result.

B. What did you learn doing this assignment?

It’s a clever way for me to generate ideas quickly.

· A. Intriguing Contained Setting: Alone mid-sea in a small rescue boat

· B. Unique Device: The boat is underway but has no engine?

· C. Unique Monster/Villain: A scuba diver is spotted underwater.

· D. Mystery: Where is the boat taking them?

· E. Impossible goal/Unsolvable problem: Why is a rover pulling them?

· F. Unique Layers: 3 starving people in a boat

Act I – In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a rescue boat carries 3 people.

TP: The names of the 3 passengers is found in the boat.

Act II – A storm builds. Broken radio reports say ships search for their boat.

Midpoint Turning Point: They find a rover on the seafloor pulls their boat.

TP: A scuba diver spies on them from under the water.

Act III – There’s no mention of a large ship that sank, leaving them to survive in their rescue boat.

TP: A brutal storm strikes. 9 ft. waves batter the boat. Nearly destroy it.

Climax – Storm subsides. Boat is badly damaged. Takes on water.

Resolution – They arrive at their destination: a sunken merchant shipwreck. Its cargo gold bullion scattered across the ocean bottom.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by  Tom Wilson.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by  Tom Wilson.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by  Tom Wilson.

[Jodi Lustig]

A. How did this process work for you?

I’m happy to brainstorm, but I’m still reluctant to let go of my original ideas. One of those things that may be a lifelong process.

B. What did you learn doing this assignment?

I really have to push myself to get out of my comfort zone. But I’ll also say that the “Why me? Why now?” questions–about why I’m the only one who can tell this story–add to my angst. I don’t venture far from what I know because I don’t feel like I could or should tell wildly-different-from-my-experience stories.

1. Taking your 5 ideas from the Pre-Lesson, use the techniques below to brainstorm possible major hooks.

A.
Intriguing Contained Setting: Family house on Long Island

Florida condo

Granny’s fabulous CPW apt(?) rent controlled

Catskills house

B.
Unique Device:

Nice granny in life has gotten crankier in death

Elijah (the spirit that’s supposed to be there!) and Granny fight for seat at the table (and for the glass of wine meant for him)

New and/or nuanced take on Passover. Slavery/racism/sexism – make it intersectional—and where does inherited family wealth fit into that scheme? Who is “family?” Who counts? How do they matter? Does there have to be a hierarchy?

C.
Unique Monster/Villain:

Dead Grandma

Possible other spirit-Grandpa?

Sister and brother are at odds?

Evil or “troubled” kid(s)?

D.
Mystery:

Does Granny really have a plan that she’d prefer they pick? Did she make her wishes known and no one’s listened? Is there a secret agenda? What if there’s no “right” answer?

E.
Impossible goal/Unsolvable problem:

Family. Can’t kill ’em. Can’t kill ’em. (Can you?)

House is just a house. Granny is gone. Still. Or will she come back for every seder if we invite her?

F.
Unique layers:

2. Ask the High Concept Question.

Having
to do with ___________, what haven’t we seen before?

Dysfunctional/Jewish Family comedies, have we seen any hauntings? Vengeful (yet loving?) spirits?

3. Pick one and do the Exchanging Components process.

List
the components of your current concept.

A) Seder—Jewish family

B) Ghost of tough cookie grandma shows up

C) No one can leave the house until the family “makes up” and settles granny’s estate

D) Elijah, the ghost/prophet that’s “supposed” to show up is pissed that granny has stolen his thunder and haunted without “proper permission” – is there a war of the sexes in the afterlife, too?

Brainstorm
many alternatives for each component.

A) Seder

High Holidays

Rosh Hashanah

Graduation party

Bat Mitzvah

Destination Wedding

B) Ghost Grandma

Ghost gramps

Ghost of dead child

Ghost of Holocaust victims/1^st gen Americans –

C) Settling estate – who gets the house?

Solving family crime—i.e. who stole the Fabergé egg?

Is the Black Sheep ever going to be forgiven?

Are you Jewish enough?

Must you get a divorce? What is wrong with you??

Gay couple w kids fighting over divorce

Single childless sister at odds with married sister?

Who gets to sing the stupid four questions? Does everyone have to sing it? 😊

Grandma wants bickering couple to get divorce? Tie in the seder. Freedom?

Black family is there and the whole experience is wackadoo.

What if this Jewish family had slaves? What would reparations look like?

• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by  Jodi Lustig.

[Angelina Fluehler]

HOOK: A luxury holiday resort becomes a prison hotel.

A: Holiday resort

B: Corona test result

C: Virus

D: How is the baby doing if the mother gets infected with the corona virus.

E: Come back home, be safe and safe baby, safe grand mother who is in a hospital

F: Who actually is corona positive? How the couple got infected? What happened to their family members and friends.

[Gustavo Cosenza]

Gustavo’s Great Hook!

How did this process work for you?

I actually was surprised at where it took me, I thought I had a decent concept, but after the brainstorming the discoveries were great. I enjoyed the creative process of this lesson.

B. What did you learn doing this assignment?

I’ll definitely try this for other ideas I have, it felt great to decompose the concept and find new paths for the story. I felt it also helped me shape out the characters and a possible outline.

IDEA 3

3 young immigrants that are escaping their country, get trapped in a lab after discovering the existence of an unknown being, they soon discover each day they wake up with a different superpower

A. Contained Environment: lab where they are fed and observed how they interact

B. Contained Characters: 3 young immigrants who spent all their savings to find better opportunities in another country

C. Difficult Situation: trapped after they discover the existence of an unknown being, they have the time factor, they need to send money back to their family soon, and they spent every dollar to pay the coyote

D. Reason for the Containment: they are being experimented with

A. Intriguing Contained Setting: a lab of an unknown entity, that provides unique superpowers each day.

B. Unique Device: something controls this and gives them superpowers

C. Unique Monster/Villain: the unknown entity that has them trapped in this lab

D. Mystery: why were these people put together in a place where they could kill each other with the superpowers they wake up each day What superpower will they get tomorrow? Why are they getting these superpowers? Who is behind this?

E. Impossible goal/Unsolvable problem: how do they get out of this place? when they are fighting each other

F. Unique layers: 3 young immigrants who slowly find out they are the cause of each other’s decision to leave the country because of things they did indirectly to each other

Having to do with immigrant movies, what haven’t we seen before?

Put together different strangers that hate each other and give them superpowers

See the real human desperation and capability to adapt and find solutions

[ROGER NAIK]

1. Taking your 5 ideas from the Pre-Lesson, use the techniques below to brainstorm possible major hooks.

A.
Intriguing Contained Setting: Venice in Italy
B.
Unique Device: Stolen uranium bars to make a nuclear bomb
C.
Unique Monster/Villain: Russian Oligarch
D.
Mystery: How uranium bars were stolen from Ukraine’s nuclear plant, which
is now controlled by Russians
E.
Impossible goal/Unsolvable problem: Uranium is in the hands of the Italian
mafia boss
F.
Unique layers: Bars are transported from Switzerland by Bernina Express
train to Milan for Venice.

2. Ask the High Concept Question.

Having
to do with __crime__, what haven’t we seen before?

3. Pick one and do the Exchanging Components process.

List
the components of your current concept. ? need to think all these
Brainstorm
many alternatives for each component.
Pick
the most interesting and engaging.

4. From doing those steps, make a list of all the possible concepts and select the one that you believe will make the best-contained story AND will be a strong hook when you market this script.

[Thomas Doran]

Assignment 2

Subject line: Tom’s Great Hook!

How did this process work for me?

The process helped me to generate new ideas that I hadn’t thought of before and to expand a very basic concept.

What did you learn doing this assignment? I learned to think outside the box and discover elements that may not fit the literal term, but creates havoc and conflict for my characters. I also learned that by pre thinking/brainstorming these elements, I can come up with things that I may not think of later in the writing the script.

Do the following brainstorm sessions to discover a strong concept/hook. You only need one High Concept, but it is worth any brainstorming you need to do to discover it.

1. Taking your 5 ideas from the Pre-Lesson, use the techniques below to brainstorm possible major hooks.

A. Intriguing Contained Setting: An out of charged, electric, SUV getting buried by the minute in a whiteout snowstorm.<div>

B. Unique Device: Road Flares, Cell phones, power bar.

C. Unique Monster/Villain: Abandoned cars, tractor trailers, mother nature’s relentless storm, frigid cold air. Isolation, whether or not they’re still on the highway.

D. Mystery: Whether there is any warm shelters/help out

E. Impossible goal/Unsolvable problem: A hero driven physician and his girlfriend, who is also a nurse, must get to the hospital during a blinding snowstorm to help with the onslaught of patients due to the unprecedented storm. The electrical SUV is dead, there are no charging stations for many miles, their cell phones are also dead. The rear of the SUV is submerged in snow, but that is where the flare is. There is one power bar in the glove box.

F. Unique layers: The nurse is also a diabetic and is low on insulin.

2. Ask the High Concept Question.

Having to do with contained Survival films, what haven’t we seen before? </div><div>

The mission to help safe others when the main characters may die in the process and will suffer their own ordeal. (Most survival movies like “Alive”, 127 Hours, etc,. deal with doing anything to get out alive, but may not have the mission of saving others.

3. Pick one and do the Exchanging Components process.

List the components of your current concept. </div>

Nurse suffering dehydration, at extreme risk because of diabetes.

Doctor forced to go out for snow to help with dehydration, to dig out back of car to retrieve the flare in the back of the SUV.
Doctor loses his orientation.

Without proper cloths- hypothermia sets in.
Both characters become physically and mentally weaker, the longer that the storm persists.

[Aurora AURORA Harris HARRIS]

I’ve learned that a concept can always become more interesting by examining its elements, and switching them up to create more conflict, intrigue, mystery, unique villains, interesting settings, layers, urgency and impossibility,

My current pick:<div>

Intriguing Contained
Setting: Theo is under house arrest
at beautiful villa on the Sea of Tiberius (Galilee)

Unique Device: Theo’s
mission to find a clandestine rebel prophesied to take down the Roman
Empire. Alternatively an Iberian dagger,
left to Theo by his late father which is the weapon used in a murder for which
Theo is blamed.

Unique Villain: Lucius
Sejanus, (an historical figure) an ambitious and ruthless politician that
Tiberius left in charge, when the Emperor stepped down from political life
and retired to the Isle of Capri.

Mystery: How is Theo going to complete his fool’s errand and save his life while
under house arrest?
Impossible goal/unsolvable problem: Theo’s
assignment was designed to fail, he is surrounded by treachery and
intrigue he doesn’t understand.

Unique Layers: Theo
doesn’t know that his mission was concocted as part of a plot to get
loyalist to Tiberius, like himself, out of Rome as Jews are to become the
scapegoat for killings under a rebellion against Tiberius led by Sejanus,
the Emperor’s right hand man. Theo has successful concealed that his
mother was Jewish. But unbeknownst
to him, he is related to his own family slaves which constantly foment
rebellion against him.

Having to do with “Sword &
Sandals” films, what haven’t we seen before?

We haven’t previously been shown the wicked scheming & plotting by the power hungry in both Rome and Roman occupied Palestine shown in contrast to the love and life of service demonstrated by Yeshua, Son of God.

</div>

[Robert Barhite]

Robert Barhite’s Great Hook!

A. How did this process work for you? Of course, all my ideas are perfect 😊 A couple really stand out though, and this exercise helped to focus on which one I intend to use for the class.

B. What did you learn doing this assignment? I think writing several 48 Hour shorts conditioned me to focus on writing contained shorts. One year all we had available was a parking lot and a lounge. Another time we just had one actor – that was fun because we used green screens and had several versions of the same character interact.

1. Taking your 5 ideas from the Pre-Lesson, use the techniques below to brainstorm possible major hooks.

A. Intriguing Contained Setting:
A bar in a desolate island village, cut off from the mainland as a Cat 5
hurricane comes ashore.

B. Unique Device: Cat 5 hurricane
makes landfall.

C. Unique Monster/Villain: Satan,
but is he responsible?

D. Mystery: One by one each person
in the bar is found murdered.

E. Impossible goal/Unsolvable
problem: Stop the murderer and escape before the bar is destroyed.

F. Unique layers: Each person
trapped has a motive for murder.

2. Ask the High Concept Question.

Having to do with horror and
demonic tropes, what haven’t we seen before? Satan is not the guilty
party. He’s there for the entertainment of watching humanity destroy
itself.

3. Pick one and do the Exchanging Components process.

A. Random townspeople/bar patrons

· High school field trip

· Police and prisoners

· Funeral party

· Parapsychology convention

· Zombies

B. The Bar

· Hospital

· Funeral parlor

· Abandoned sanatorium

· Shopping mall

· Domed football stadium

C. Murdered one by one by an unknown killer

· Angry cheerleaders

· Rougarou

· A zombie hunter

· A.I.

· A crazed morgue tech selling body parts

· A screenwriter with writer’s block

[Bent Hanlen]

Bent’s great hook

what I learned doing this assignment is this ……… The setting is one location. A hotel. To keep it interesting I have characters with multi faceted personas. Everything else is so simple. A lobby, a cafeteria, hotel room, a bell closet.

A. Intriguing Contained Setting – 5 star 5 diamond hotel

:B. Unique Device – motivation to make money at other people’s expense

:C. Unique Monster/Villain: selfishness

D. Mystery – will they survive one day to the next?

:E. Impossible goal/Unsolvable problem – making a living, earning a living. Finding love.

:F. Unique layers: the line level employees all dream of getting out of there and retiring but it is financially impossible.

2. having to do with hotel shows, what have we not seen before? Seinfeld meets hotel work. The true side of hotel employees being selfish, thinking of themselves.

COMPONENTS

4 BELLMEN ALL WANTING TO MOVE ON BUT CAN’T

BELL MANAGER WHO IS THE MOTHER LEADER AND STRUGGLES TO ENCOURAGE THE BELLMEN

FRONT DESK MANAGER – A RUDE PERSON WHO THINKS HE IS THE GATEKEEPER FOR THE HOTEL

GUESTS EITHER ANGRY OR IMPATIENT

THE NEW FRONT DESK WOMAN who is there to work but she catches the attention of two lovelorn bellmen.

exchange

Seflish bellmen out to destroy a hotel through union

Hotel guest is a terrorist and the bellmen must stop bad things from happening.

[Martha Manuel]

Subject Line: Martha’s Great Hook!

A. How did this process work for you?

Fantastic! I’m still coming up with ideas.

B. What did you learn doing this assignment?

How important it is not to get saddled in with just one idea.

ASSIGNMENT

1. Use techniques below to brainstorm possible major hooks.

A. Intriguing Contained Setting:

Small rural country store in isolated setting

B. Unique Device:

Robbery in progress; two Angola escaped prisoners

C. Unique Monster/Villain

Hurricane bearing down; unable to evacuate

D. Mystery:

When a fire breaks out during the hurricane and the robbery is a bust, will the people inside be able to evacuate or will only some, or will any?

E. Impossible Goal/Unsolvable Problem:

The robbery has become an impossible goal; a raging fire in the back of the store and a blocked entry way in the front are quick becoming an unsolvable problem.

F. Unique Layers:

One of the robbers is serving a life term at Angola for murder. His partner is the actual one responsible for the murder but the younger robber has never told anyone until today.

2. High concepts: Having to do with social justice what haven’t we seen before?

When the tables are turned and the convicts and those trapped inside the store change mind-sets.

3. Exchanging Components:

Store owner; old man; business man using store as a possible front; old woman; middle aged woman; clerk = chose store owner

Two customers – 2 Clean-up crew members (one a work-release inmate); Woman with mentally challenged son; Young girl and boyfriend; 2 bikers; 2 girls (one white, one black) = chose woman with mentally challenged son

Two robbers – 18 year old white boy; 29 year old black man – escaped convicts; 28-year- old<font face=”inherit”> and his 17 year old girlfriend who broke him out of jail = 18 and 29 year olds</font>

<font face=”inherit”> </font>Rob and assault occupants of small store; during robbery I person is shot – dies; dead body covered with cloth from storage room

Hurricane hits – traps all inside; Electricity goes wild; doors unable to work; no phone lines operable.