Lesson 25

[Stephen Maynard]

Subject line: Stephen Maynard Solved Structural Problems

“What I learned doing this assignment is…?” This is another one of Hal’s great techniques that can be employed in the reverse-engineering process when developing a screenplay. First, we identify the weaknesses in the screenplay’s structure, then we repair it. Or having learned the process, we put it into practice as we prepare our original outline.

THE STRUCTURE QUESTIONS <div>

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Act 1:

Opening/Old Ways: Is this an engaging opening scene that lures us into the story? Is the lead character clearly living in a pre-transformation mode? Do the “Old Ways” show up in their behavior and dialogue?

Inciting Incident: How does this incident invite and propel us into the journey?

Turning Point: How is this Turning Point a twist that locks us into the journey with “no going back?”

Act 1:

Opening/Old ways: Boys are frivolous, selfish, and
irresponsible, in it for themselves alone. They will go to college because
that’s where the girls are.
Inciting
Incident: Their Business class Professor Douglas issues “The Douglas Challenge”,
“Can you make money while benefiting someone else?”
Turning Point:
Their landlady gets a letter from the bank informing her that she has
defaulted on her loan and that her property is in foreclosure. <div>

Act 2:

New Plan: What new plan did the protagonist create to deal with the Act 1 Turning Point?

Plan in action: How does the protagonist take action on that plan? They will sell stock and take the money to the Banker.

Midpoint Turning Point: How does the Midpoint change the meaning, creating a reveal that changes everything while keeping us on the same journey?

Act 2:

New plan: The boys
will confront the Banker and inform him that the lady never took out a
loan against her property.
Plan in action:
They will reason with the banker and convince him that he’s made a
mistake.
Midpoint Turning
Point: The boys discover that the banker’s brother forged the lady’s
signature and took the loan on the old lady’s property. She’s been scammed
by the banker and his partner. </div>

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Act 3:

<div>

React/Rethink: What is revealed to the protagonist from the Midpoint? How do they react or rethink things?

New Plan: What new plan did the protagonist create to deal with this new level of conflict?

Turning Point: 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.

Act 3:

Rethink their
approach to solving the problem: The way forward is to find the forger and
get him to confess. Dead end.
New plan: They
raise some money and use it in an attempt to pay off the banker, an
installment on the old lady’s loan only to be told that the foreclosure
will proceed. They’ve bought five lousy days.
Turning Point:
Huge failure / Major shift: Desperate and with the date of the foreclosure
sale approaching, they go to the track, bet, and win big. </div><div>

Act 4:

Dilemma: What emotional dilemma requires the protagonist to choose between two alternatives, losing something with either choice?

Climax/Ultimate @xpression Of The Conflict: How is this the ultimate expression of the conflict? How does it require a “fight to the death,” either literally or symbolically?

Resolution: How does this resolution represent the “New Ways” and bring this story to a fitting conclusion?

New Ways: What are the New Ways and do they clearly show up in your lead character’s Act 4 behavior and dialogue?

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate
expression of the conflict: The boys catch the forger, the Banker and
Builder, and the Thugs in the act, capture them, make them confess, and
record the confession.

Resolution: The
boys solve the DILEMMA by getting the banker and the builder to stop the
foreclosure proceedings and go straight. No need to expose the evil deeds
of the fathers to the daughters. Their chances with the girls are
improving.

The new ways have
the boys dealing honestly with the girls and they will be getting serious
about school.
</div></div>

[Steve Jones]

Steve Jones – Solved Structural Problems

Act 1:

Opening

Harry is on duty when a ship arrives from Earth. He finds it all routine and easily spots someone that the AI system and spotter robots missed who turns out to be there illegally. They are taken away pleading for help. Harry is unhappy that he has to send them back, but it is the law. He is given a robot partner which goes against everything he believes but Buzzard wants to keep an eye on him and give him all the help he can. But Harry still can’t work with or trust someone else.

Inciting
Incident

While Harry is distracted, a second illegal gets through. Harry chases the illegal, but they are killed by Peep in front of Harry. Harry is able to stop the body being destroyed but he has failed for the first time and seen someone die in front of him. Harry has his eyes opened and is traumatised.

Turning
Point

Harry is outside his comfort zone but someone has broken the law and must be brought to justice. His investigation ignores the robot until he finds a huge clue with the robot’s help.

Peep tells Vor that the police have the latest shipment and Vor loses his shit.

Act 2:

New
plan

Harry ups his game with the investigation to stay on Mars first and to find a killer second. Vor is furious with Peep but doesn’t instruct Peep to get Harry out of his way because he doesn’t think Harry poses any threat.

Plan
in action

Harry talks to the coroner, Tracy Spencer and finds out about the victim and how he was killed. She suggests that the immigration law might be a bad law but Harry only seems to see that it is the law.

Harry finds out about Carina’s involvement and the SISCO connection. He talks to someone at the Worple Clinic.

Vor plans for the next delivery but is now a little more worried that Harry is getting too close. He asks Peep to watch out for him and keep him away from their last delivery.

Midpoint
Turning Point

Harry identifies the next illegal immigrant and tracks them. Peep tries to get the last delivery, Harry tires to stop him, Carina gets involved and the immigrant and Peep are caught.

Act 3:

Rethink
everything

Harry interviews Carina and finds out about the people who try to start new lives on Mars. He tells her that her involvement with the smuggling means that she will be sent back to earth and not be permitted to return.

Harry finds out from Tracy that something is being smuggled inside the immigrants and she has the latest shipment but can’t work out what it is. Harry wonders if it’s only a part of something. He interviews Worple but gets very little and admits that they won’t catch Worple with the evidence they have. Peep is released.

New
plan

Carina tells Harry that they might be able to stop Worple if they go back to Earth and give Harry to Keenan to prepare as the next mule. Harry won’t do it, but he gets a talking to from Tracy. Harry argues that he could be trapped on Earth with no way of earning a living and suffering from the effects of the higher gravity. Carina is freed to return to Earth.

Turning
Point: Huge failure / Major shift

Harry goes to earth with Carina. They have a plan and they can make it work. But Worple knows everything and has Harry stripped of his Martian passport when he arrives on Earth. He’s now trapped there with no way of coming back unless…

Act 4:

Dilemma

Harry must choose between breaking the law to try and stop Worple and not breaking the law by living in physical difficulty and poverty on Earth.

Climax/Ultimate
expression of the conflict

Harry must return to Mars as a genuine illegal immigrant and defeat Vor and Peep. Worple is aware of Harry’s plan and prepared for him. It’s a trap! Harry breaks numerous laws and must work with everyone else and trust Carina with his life to defeat Worple and Peep. We also find out about the smuggled substance’s purpose finally and Harry use the fact that the has it in him to his advantage whe he is in a seemingly impossible situation.

Resolution

Harry exposes the real mastermind behind the immigration policy and its end is started.