Lesson 3

[j T]

Jessica Tremblay’s genre convention

Title: Death Cleaning
Concept: After her father’s death, a broke graduate seeking money gets trapped in the basement of his building where she must battle a blood thirsty creature using objects found in storage lockers to survive the night.
Genre: Horror

Horror
Purpose is to push people to hysteria = stuck in basement with a monster, she will totally lose it, remove all protective equipment, will do anything to retrieve a doll she connected with, including attacking the beast, addressing the monster like it was her father.
Isolation = stuck in a storage lockers area in the basement of an apartment building
Death = if she doesn’t do anything, she risks death.
Monster = a monster came out of a locker she broke into. It’s dangerous, blood-thirsty, and is now out to get her.
High tension = at first she tries to hide from the monster, but it finds her. She puts up barricades, but it breaks in. She defends herself from vicious attacks, but monster is stronger, so she has to retreat and regroup. Finally, she has no choice but to attack the creature. Knowing she has nothing to lose, she removes all protective equipment and give it all she got.
Extreme situation from everyday life = she’s a pregnant woman facing a monster who is also pregnant. By protecting a doll who acts as a surrogate child, she learns to be a mother. She will use objects in storage lockers to defends herself and attack the beast.

Brainstorm
I haven’t integrated the fear of pregnancy really well into the script yet. It’s too subtle. We found out she’s pregnant too late in the script.

Revised 4 act structure
I’m reposting my first version (which I think focus too much on plot and not enough on emotional journey). Will work on this later.

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 2a: DEFEND
New Plan: she must hide from the creature.
Plan in action: she uses objects to DEFEND herself.
Turning Point / Midpoint: beast breaks in

Act 2b: ATTACK / LAIR
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 3: STAND UP TO MANAGER
Climax: Stand up to manager who tries to kill her to keep his secret
Resolution: she gets out of storage

P.S Sorry about the formatting. Once I click Save my posts are reformatted, removing all the space between the lines. It’s a pain to edit and add them back. And it seems we can only edit once which is too bad.

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

[Tasha Espinoza]

Tasha’s Genre Conventions
What I learned doing this assignment is that I'm a little all over the place incorporating the conventions into my screenplay , but since it's okay to be messy at this stage, I'm embracing it.
1. Tell us the following:
Title: Dating with Demons
Concept: What if Linda Blair from the Exorcist wanted to start dating.
Genre: Horror Comedy
2. Make a list of the conventions for your chosen genre. 3. Brainstorm ways to deliver the conventions more effectively and build those parts into your 4-Act Structure.
Horror Genre Conventions List and Brainstorm
PURPOSE: Taking characters to the point of hysteria
I'm working to make Bethany more fearful of her resurfacing demonic attachment and of Deacon Anders.
ISOLATION: Characters are alone and powerless against the monster
Bethany has a run in with Demon 23 in the bathroom of a restaurant and in her apartment. Deacon Anders becomes more menacing as Bethany realizes he might be partaking in nefarious and sinister actions.
DEATH: Create the fear of violent torturous deaths or insanity
Bethany learns that Deacon Anders plans to use a death curse to bind her to Demon 23 and banish them to Hell forever.
MONSTER/VILLAIN: The person or thing that inflicts the endless terror/violence
Deacon Anders becomes terrifying as his command of the Dark Arts grows stronger and he sets his sights on gaining power over the Vatican.
HIGH TENSION: Situations that are out of the character’s control that get even worse or more dire
Bethany fights to get rid of her demonic attachment but Deacon Anders is successful in using Demon 23 to repossess her.
DEPARTURE FROM REALITY: Locations/situations outside of daily life
Koju's metaphysical school teaches Bethany powerful skills. Deacon Anders turns his whole congregation into a demonstration of his exorcism powers.
MORAL STATEMENT: What happens when you ignore the acceptable values and cross the line
Haven't really thought about it but a temporary one could be something like Fear can make a monster out of you.

Comedy Genre Conventions List and Brainstorm
PURPOSE: Pack the story with moments that make the audience laugh
Bethany's dating life is funny and disastrous, her friends at the coffee shop she works at approach her situation with a lightheartedness that is humorous while protecting them from all the demonic stuff that happens. Also the people at the spiritual center are quirky and their take on everything brings levity.
INCONGRUENCE: Putting elements together that don’t match to illicit humor
The support group for survivors of Bethany, her practice with spell casting is humorous, how she exorcises a boy on a date from a demonic attachment conjured by his mother is a funny way for her to flex her newfound calling at the end of the story
MECHANICS OF COMEDY: The devices that cause laughter: Set-up/Punchline, Toppers, running gags, sight and prop humor, comedic situations (Fish Out of Water, incongruent pairings, Hilarious Purpose, Absurd situation, Misinterpretation, etc)
Bethany's dating style and choices in dates, the way she tracks down her exes is almost reminiscent of a murderous stalker in a slasher, her absurd behavior around Koju because she can't hide her attraction, Demon 23 possession one of her exes to try and start dating her
COMEDIC PROTAGONIST(S): Creates laughs through incongruent perspectives, choices, reactions. Could be the straight man.
Bethany is goofy when she isn't terrified.
STRONG STORY: Comedy must be attached to an engaging story.
No one ever thinks about life after exorcism.
4. List your structure from Lesson 2 along with the improvements that came from the Genre Conventions, like I did above.
Act 1:
Opening: Bethany’s exorcism.
Horror Change: Demon 23, using Bethany as a vessel, breaks through her restraints and targets her little brother in the hallway.
Horror Change: Demon 23 threatens to harm her brother if Bethany doesn’t give in, but she is strong enough to expel Demon 23 with a late assist from Father Ptolemy.
Next Beat: Change: Bethany works at Mojo Cafe with Amy. They are friends. Amy knows about her exorcism.
Comedic Change: Amy plays at being possessed by the coffee machine and the audience thinks this is modern day Bethany before Bethany tells her to stop because they are losing customers.
Comedic Change: Amy and Bethany discuss Bethany's past dates to establish her bad luck and that she never hears from the dates anymore
Beat Change: She receives a message from Brad on Bethany's Dating App. (Maybe it could called something like DMdeMan or something)
Next Beat: During confession, the audience learns that Bethany has grown up under the watchful eye of Deacon Anders who monitors her dates through confessions and chaperone’s other parts of her life, especially her volunteer work at the foster home (he sends a nun with her who can’t always make it). She tells Deacon Anders of three dates, one okay, one bad. She tells him even the bad date ghosted her. He assigns her penance.
Inciting Incident: Deacon Anders sees her at the cafe where he witnesses her interaction with Brad, which shows a lot of potential for a love match. Deacon makes her promise not to date.
Next Beat: Bethany tries to cancel her date with Brad and encounters what could be scary paranormal activity in her apartment.
Next Beat: Deacon Anders and Bethany argue about her decision to accept Brad's date.
Next Beat: Horror Change (Isolation and budding hysteria): Brad stands her up and she is attacked by Demon 23 in the bathroom and passes out after saying a metaphysical prayer. She comes two after a few female staff said they heard a loud bang and found her lying on the floor. They chalk the loud bang up to her passing out and “crashing” to the floor.
Turning Point: Horror Change: Bethany tries to seek help from Deacon Anders but discovers a spell book that has spells for demonic possession. Also, there’s a dark force in the Rectory that makes Bethany take the book and flee.
Act 2:
New plan: Bethany turns to Amy with the book and they begin to weave a theory about Deacon Anders. Could he actually have tried to conjure something to destroy her love life? Why? Amy tells her that one way they can prove their theory is to find out why every guy she dates ends up ghosting her.
Horror Change: Deacon Anders shows up. He’s looking for his book and his demeanor is off and menacing. Bethany runs back into the cafe to hide the book. Or Bethany has left the book with Amy, who tries to hide it from some scary nuns that the Deacon has brought with him to the cafe.
Plan in action: She stops working at the Foster home. She tracks down old boyfriends and finds out that each one tells her they received a video of her exorcism and it scared them off. Meanwhile, Amy studies Deacon Anders spell book.
Comedic Change/Supernatural change: The Survivors of Bethany dating support group. Demon 23 shows up and helps her get information from the group (Demon 23 would be acting on his own outside of Deacon Anders’s orders because he is starting to care for Bethany).
Midpoint Turning Point: She returns to the family that abandoned her to ask them if they are the one sending the video of her possession to her potential suitors and finds out that the video belongs to her priest and mentor, Deacon Anders. And that got the spell book from Bethany’s mother.
Horror Change: The house is decrepit and evil. Sees her mother, shriveled and stoic, watching her from the widow. She lets her in. Tells her that Deacon Anders feared the video would fail him one day, so he came for the book. The book she used to summon the demon to help her son. But it wanted Bethany as payment, so she agreed. Now she has lured Bethany inside where her father, Frank, tries to kill.
Act 3:
Rethink everything: Bethany can’t seek help from Deacon Anders and she’s too impotent to command the spell book (though she shows potential).
New plan: Amy takes her to a spiritual center run by Koju. After an energy balancing session confirms that she has a demonic attachment, Koju’s team teaches Bethany to master metaphysical tools that will help her.
New beat: Amy tells her to try the spell book again. Bethany initially refuses but then the book opens up to the Death Curse on its own implying that she’s in danger.
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift: After conjuring Demon 23, he warns Bethany about Deacon Anders before taking the spell book and disappearing. Bethany and Koju go to confront Deacon Anders and he temporarily paralyzes her using magic.
Horror Change: Deacon Anders uses Demon 23 to possess Koju and terrorize Bethany a bit (he could beat her, scar her, choke her). Deacon Anders could tell her she’s lucky that he has bigger plans for her otherwise he would have Koju kill her right then and there.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: Deacon Anders repossesses Bethany with Demon 23 in an attempt to secretly kill her while possessing the whole congregation in an attempt to impress the Vatican with a mass exorcism, but Demon 23 and Bethany unite to defeat Deacon Anders.
Horror Change: The congregation is terrorized until Bethany shields them. Maybe some people die and their corpses are reanimated by demons.
Resolution: Deacon Anders goes to prison, Bethany expels Demon 23 once and for all and Bethany starts to date Koju who wants to stick around.
Comedic Moment – Before Bethany banishes him, Demon 23 possesses Brad and tries to get Bethany to date him because he realizes he rather love her than possess her.
Comedic Moment – Faux date. Bethany exorcises a person with a demonic attachment conjured by his mother before his blind date arrives. Bethany explains his mother is worried he'll leave her if he falls in love.
Possible Horror Change: Deacon Anders is approached by the Church of Satan in prison asking if he’s interested in revenge.