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Lesson 3
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Tracy’s Genre Conventions
What I learned from doing this assignment is switching from a drama to a comedy using many of the same elements will depend more on dialogue and reactions to set the tone.
Title: Sorority Mom
Concept: A 63 y-o Midwestern woman hoping to “find
herself” in a supportive female world, accepts the job as House Director at
a glitzy West Coast sorority planning a dirty Rush to skirt university sanctions <div>Genre: Comedy – Fish Out of Water
Purpose: Laughter-inducing moments
Example for Comedy: Incongruence and attitudes of women of different economic classes/generations under one big roof:
Boomer/Millenial/GenZMechanics of Comedy: Absurd situations, misinterpretations,
over-reactionsProtagonist: Everyday heroine, Mona Meyers
Antagonists: Missy, sorority girls’ President; Tinsley
Deveraux, Board member; Conchita, Head HousekeeperAct 1:
Mona learns the hard way Rule #1 of her job: she’s not the girls’ mom. She interrupts and scolds the entitled 21-y-o Sorority President Missy having sex in her room with boyfriend against the rules. Retaliation: Missy and her leadership team post ugly photo of Mona on the public bulletin board.
Inciting Incident The girls read how they are ranked in secret fraternity email thread. Missy recklessly vows they’re going to reverse that, breaking Rush and House rules. Mona doesn’t know the rules or about the university sanctions – girls figure she’s easy to dupe.
Turning Point Mona antagonizes the girls by letting police search rooms after a midnight raid of neighborhood gardens to decorate the house for Rush. Missy begs her Board liaison Tinsley to fire Mona and give the Director’s job to Conchita the housekeeper. Instead, Board President Adele tells Mona to fire troublemaker Conchita, but Mona balks. The other Sorority House Directors on the Row give Mona advice how to survive.
Act 2:
New plan Day 1 of Rush – before a thousand prospective freshman girls line up at the sorority houses for the first Rush activity, it’s discovered by the cook Mimi that frat boys have stolen all meat from the freezers, as the girls left doors unlocked intentionally. Mona tangles with Conchita over her authority as boss to find all unlocked doors on three floors of the mansion while girls occupied with Rush. Conchita: “It’s harmless fun.” Mona sneaks around doing it herself.
Plan in action A kind House Director picks up Mona for a makeover. Mona resists as should be accepted as she is. That approach isn’t working! Look the part, girls respect elegance.
Midpoint Turning Point Day 2 of Rush – frat boys run through the house for panty raid, throwing expensive underwear up in the trees before the prospective girls start lining up for Rush – Mona and staff on ladders knocking them down with brooms. Missy and her Board liaison Tinsley run off responsible Board President Adele, gaining control of the checkbook. Tinsley orders “modern” furniture to be delivered at night.
Act 3:
Rethink everything Day 3 of Rush – frat boys fill fountain with manure, run through house smearing walls and new furniture with peanut butter. Mona can’t figure out how they got in! Mona fires cook Mimi, her one ally on staff, for fraud secretly orchestrated by Conchita.
New plan – Mona negotiates with the fraternity Rush chairman to lay off pranks and become allies.
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift Day 4 of Rush – even though she made a “truce,” the frat hangs a concrete penis from the porch roof with hose running through it that floods basement rooms. Mona hires cool black cook Lovejoy for diversity; his presence brings tension with Hispanic staff who refuse to work. Mona is left to clean everything up herself.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict – Bid Day celebration – pledges find out who got into which sorority! The House Directors are kidnapped for fun by the frats in exchange for groceries as ransom. The boy who Mona made the truce with takes her. While no one comes for Mona from her sorority, she sees how the frat lives – ugh.
Mona walks home, interrupts a braless boob-ranking of the pledges on the grand staircase. Mona yells at girls for becoming sluts — after all, Mona’s Boomers won women’s rights during the ‘70s as the original WOKE generation!
Resolution – Missy fires Mona on the spot and hands the job to Conchita. As Mona’s driving away, the frat boys intervene to hire Mona as their first-ever House Director…and she rehires Mimi the cook. The porch roof collapses at the girls’ sorority house while they sunbathe on it, ruined by water from the boys’ prank.
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David’s Genre Conventions
What I learned from this assignment was delivering on the expectations of your genre
Title: HEISTING THE CUP
Genre: Action-comedy
Concept: Two crazed sports fans steal the Stanley Cup
Main Conflict: Ruthless mobsters hunt down the thieves, hellbent on retrieving the Cup
Act 1:
Opening: Charlie’s beloved Flyers lose a heartbreaking playoff game. Worse, Roski, an ex-Flyer, scores the winning goal. Incongruence: Kate and Charlie
Inciting Incident: Roski talks shit about Philly fans, then puts out a rap song called ‘Fuck Philly.’
Turning Point: Charlie and his roommate Victor borrow the replica Cup from Charlie’s dad and head to NYC. Mission: get the Cup. Incongruence: pair opposites go on mission. Mechanics of comedy: Butch uses trophy as pee jug- pays off later
Act 2:
New plan: Charlie hatches a plot to steal the Cup from Roski. Victor’s his accomplice.
Plan in action: Despite bumps in the road- didn’t go as planned- they pull of the caper. Incongruence: plan didn’t go as planned
Midpoint Turning Point: Stripper that Victor invited over the night before comes back with her thug friend and try to steal the Cup. The guys flee, now on the run. Adrenaline, fast-paced action: chase through Philly, hitting cat & LOVE sculptue sign, bullet whizzing by. Demand for action: on the run from gun wielding thugs. Mission: get outta town. mechanics of comedy: stripper comes back and steals Cup
Act 3:
Rethink everything: $1 million reward’s out for the Cup. They’re now wanted men. Incongruence: from Philly to Amish country
New plan: To go to NYC where Victor knows a collector who’ll pay $3 million for the Cup/ Mechanics of comedy: Amish teen tries steal Cup
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift: Roski’s assaulted by hockey fans for losing the Cup. Charlie realizes that sports has messed up his life. Adrenaline, fast-paced action: Igor chases them, throw doll on street, bullet flying, car crash. Demand for action: $1 reward is out, Igor hellbent on getting Cup, Kate kidnapped. Mission: get to NYC. Escalating Action: more intense as we get to NYC, all tires flat, car crash before Lincoln Tunnel. Antagonist: Igor, the ex-KGB agent, lethal
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: Charlie gets the check from the collector, but rips it up. Incongruence: Fenix hates sports, Charlie rips check, bash each other sports stuff. Mechanics of comedy: set up by hatres Roski, now they’re chummy
Resolution: Charlie returns the Cup to Roski and pleads his love to his girfriend, promising change. Mechanics of comedy: Charlie tells Kate he loves her, payoff
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What I learned from this assignment is that my screenplay fits better into Drama / Dramedy than Rom-Com
Title: The Birthday List
Concept: A downtrodden midlife wife who’s never travelled gets taken on a surprise weekend away to New York and ends up on a life changing adventure.
Genre: Drama
Conventions:
Purpose: Emotional and interpersonal high stakes
Character driven journey
High stakes from within
Emotionally resonates
Challenging situations that rock character to her core
Real life situations
Act 1
Opening – It’s Jenny’s first job interview in years and she gets told she’s irrelevant. When she sits opposite a young professional woman on the way home, she agrees.
Inciting incident – Her husband and forced breadwinner loses his big job and cancels the trip she’s waited years for and was hoping would revive their staid marriage. She asks him to leave
Turning Point – She accepts her best friend’s offer of a surprise weekend away in New York. She knows she’s lost herself and New York seems as good a place as any to rediscover herself. She gets on the plane
New plan – She makes a birthday bucket list of all the things she wants to do in New York
Plan in Action – Nothing goes to plan. She learns that the woman she has become is no match for the big city and the travel she’s waited so long for isn’t what she expected. Something has to change and it’s her. She starts ticking things off her list, makes a new friend and discovers an amazing bookstore with a like-minded owner, Lou
Midpoint Turning Point – The man she thought was a friend turns menacing. She finds the strength to stand up for herself then is told by her husband that they’re losing everything. She goes to the bookstore and gets inspired
Rethink everything – She races to get home but gets re-routed via Denver and ends up stuck in an airport. She thinks about calling Lou for help but decides she doesn’t want to rely on men to save her any more
New Plan – She heads to the mountains to hike and think but ends up stranded and alone. She is tested on every level and her life is at risk which causes her to pause and reflect
Turning point / Major shift – She gets rescued but has no way of getting home and has to accept she’ll lose everything. After a call with her husband she takes her wedding ring off – a chapter is closing for her.
Climax / Ultimate expression of conflict – In the wilds she lets go of everything she thought was important and rediscovers herself. She finally fights for what she believes in and opens up a whole new opportunity in the process. Now she looks at Lou’s business card and decides she’s brave enough
Resolution – Reborn and ready to start over, with one thing left on her list she books a flight home via New York. She knows Lou can help her and she goes all out for what she wants. She’s relevant, real and ready to rock.
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Subject: Monica’s Genre Conventions
What I learned doing this assignment is to always have the genre conventions in mind when you re-write scenes. I changed the genre from Action/Crime Noir (which was suggested by a contest reader!) to Action/Thriller. Plus I pulled out my previous mastery skill sheets to guide me in brainstorming.
1. Tell us the following:
Title: Traffick/Stop<sup>©</sup> <div>
Concept: An undercover cop
infiltrates a human trafficking ring to take down the main trafficker in
order to discover what happened to her sister who disappeared in his
company several years ago.Genre: Action/Thriller
2. Make a list of the conventions for your chosen genre, like this:
Action:
Purpose: Adrenaline-stirring /
fast paced; big event story</div><div>Demand for Action: Problem or
goal that the only solution is a high level of action. Plot, characters,
and situations are all designed to demand action.Mission: Stated or implied
mission.Escalating Action: Overcoming
the problem requires greater and greater heights of action involving
higher stakes.Hero: Highly capable and
skilled.Antagonist: Clearly
evil/corrupt/malicious, necessitating decisive and expedient action to
deal with them.Thriller:
· Purpose: Thrilling high stakes, plot twists, suspense, and adrenalin packed climax.
· Life and Death Situations: Danger at every step. Hero needs to be either in danger or there is the implication of future danger.
· Mystery/Intrigue/Suspense: A mystery must be solved to survive. Intrigue is the underhanded and covert Villain’s plan. Suspense comes from the danger to the Hero.
· Hero: Unknowing, unwitting, but resourceful.
· Villain: Dangerous, devious, and unrelenting. Committed to destroy anyone who gets in their way.
· Main Emotions: Suspense, intrigue, mystery, tension, anticipation, uncertainty, surprise.
Version 1:
Act 1:
Opening: Victoria, Lizzie and her friends
are enjoying a night out at a club.</div><div>Inciting
Incident: Victoria leaves the
table. When she returns she witnesses Lizzie leaving the club with Jack.
Serena introduces Victoria to Jack’s mother who is the brains behind the
trafficking ring.Turning
Point: Victoria infiltrates the Jack’s
human trafficking ring but ends up being arrested by the police after they
raid the club. We discover Lizzie in Jack’s hide-away and she agrees to
help Jack take down Victoria and Serena.Act 2:
New
plan: Victoria needs more
information about Jack.</div><div>Plan
in action: Breaks into his
hide-away; breaks into Jack’s mother’s house – to steal information.
Interview some of the girls rescued from the club.Midpoint
Turning Point: One of the girls is
murdered right in front of Victoria by one of the other trafficked girls.Act 3:
Rethink
everything: Victoria knows that
Jack is responsible for Lizzie’s disappearance. Need to push Jack to make
a mistake. </div><div>New
plan: Victoria travels with Jack to
procure more girls. Investigate the country clubs where girls are also
being trafficked.Turning
Point: Huge failure / Major shift:
Jack suspects Victoria so he kidnaps her to add to the trafficked
girls. Only to discover she’s more than she appears and ends up beating
him up. But he shoots her to put her out of commission.Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate
expression of the conflict: Victoria and Serena find Lizzie. Victoria goes
back undercover for the big party where the girls will be sold. But even
in disguise Jack sees her and decides to rid himself of Victoria. He takes
her to his apartment where he tortures her. But again she turns the tables
and kills him with the last bit of her strength.</div><div>Resolution:
The trafficking ring is destroyed. Lizzie is recovering. Victoria is
recovering and now can have a relationship with Daniel as her mission is
accomplished.Version 2:
Act 1:
Opening: Victoria, Lizzie and her friends are
enjoying a night out at a club.
Victoria
leaves the table. Returns to see her party is gone. Races outside. Sees
the girls struggling against the men who picked them up. Tries to save the
girls. But is overpowered. (CHANGE) </div><div>Inciting
Incident: Lizzie disappears.
Victoria is beaten.I
want to do the above all in a flashback/inter-cut with Victoria
remembering the night Lizzie disappears as she beats up a boxing bag.Turning
Point: Victoria infiltrates the Jack’s
human trafficking ring but ends up being arrested by the police after they
raid the club. We discover Lizzie in Jack’s hide-away and she agrees to
help Jack take down Victoria and Serena.Act 2:
New
plan: Victoria needs more
information about Jack.
Plan
in action: Breaks into his
hide-away; breaks into Jack’s mother’s house – to steal information.
Interview some of the girls rescued from the club. </div><div>Midpoint
Turning Point: One of the girls is
murdered right in front of Victoria by one of the other trafficked girls. The
attacker attempts to escape with Victoria in hot pursuit. (CHANGE)Act 3:
Rethink
everything: Victoria knows that
Jack is responsible for Lizzie’s disappearance. Need to push Jack to make
a mistake.</div><div>New
plan: Victoria travels with Jack to
procure more girls. Investigate the country clubs where girls are also
being trafficked.
But
Victoria is targeted one night when she’s leaving the gym. She’s shot at
from someone who turns out to be from one of the country clubs. Turns into
a shootout. With the police being called. (CHANGE)Turning
Point: Huge failure / Major shift:
Jack suspects Victoria so he kidnaps her to add to the trafficked
girls. Only to discover she’s more than she appears and ends up beating
him up. But he shoots her to put her out of commission.Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate
expression of the conflict: Victoria and Serena find Lizzie. Victoria goes
back undercover for the big party where the girls will be sold. But even
in disguise Jack sees her and decides to rid himself of Victoria. He takes
her to his apartment where he tortures her. But again she turns the tables
and kills him with the last bit of her strength. </div>Resolution:
The trafficking ring is destroyed. Lizzie is recovering. Victoria is
recovering and now can have a relationship with Daniel as her mission is
accomplished. -
[Pro-Rewrite] Lesson 3 – Assignment – Robert W. Daniel – Genre Conventions
“What I learned doing this assignment is think about the genre conventions early will save tone of writing time.
TITLE: SAVING PARADISE
CONCEPT A troubled Navy Seal Commander and his Red Scorpion Team have to stop or destroy a lunatic commander of a North Korean Nuclear Missile Submarine who issues a 72-hour ultimatum that threatens to finish what the Japanese failed to complete at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Only this time with nukes that could kill millions of Americans.
GENRE: ACTION
ACTION
1. CONVENTIONS OF ACTION PURPOSE: To excite your audience with an adrenaline-stirring, fast-paced, big-event story.
2. DEMAND FOR ACTION: There is a problem or goal that the only solution is a high level of action (Intense fighting, running, escaping, and/or competing). Plot, character, and situations are all designed to demand Action!
3. MISSION: There is a stated or implied mission. The Hero must take down the antagonistic force, defend against overwhelming odds, or escape the inescapable.
4. ESCALATING ACTION: Overcoming the problem requires greater and greater heights of action (and involving higher stakes) as the story progresses.
5. HERO: Commander Matt Walters, U.S. Navy Seal a highly capable and skilled Team Leader and Explosive Expert with No Fear.
6. ANTAGONISTS: Rogue Commander Li Jong Kang North Korean Nuclear Submarine commander with labels of evil / corrupt / malicious, which will necessitate decisive and expedient force to deal with them.
SAVING PARADISE
Title: SAVING PARADISE
Genre: Action
Concept: A troubled Navy Seal Commander and his Red Scorpion team receive orders to take down a rogue North Korean Submarine Commander with Nuclear missiles aimed for the U.S. mainland. “Die Hard in a Submarine.”
Main Conflict: Matt Walters and his Red Scorpion Seal team have only 72 hours to capture or destroy a North Korean Nuclear Submarine with missiles, which has breached Pearl Harbor security. The team must accomplish this feat by any means necessary as long as the nuclear missiles are intact. They must save America and Pearl Harbor from being destroyed and millions of Americans killed.
ACT 1
Opening: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii at their apartment U.S. Navy Seal Team Commander MATT WALTERS (30) and his girlfriend SARA MILLS (26) have had a knockdown, drag-out argument about Matt’s procrastination over not seeking help with his nightmares and anger issues. And his unconcern about their future, mainly getting married and starting a family. Walters slept on the couch. Sara is up early and leaves, headed to California to visit her mother.
Inciting Incident: A North Korean Commander LI JONG KANG (40), an evil bastard, is onboard a nuclear missile submarine. It eases out of Sinpo Harbor heading for the Sea of Japan, and the mission is unknown. Later in the early morning, the North Korean Nuclear Submarine is discovered by a Navy harbor patrol in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The harbor is abuzz with “Who is the hell is responsible for this Fukien Mess??” The submarine is immediately barricaded by a Destroyer to prevent it from escaping the harbor.
By page 10, you know what the movie is about: ALERT – A call to Matt Walters advising him he and his Red Scorpions are the chosen ones a “Suicide Squad,” and he has to report for duty ASAP – NOW. The Hawaii Civil Defense Department has notified so the preparations for evacuating the public out of Honolulu.
First turning point at end of Act 1: Walters and Team-mate McMann take the lead, with the other Seals are around the submarine at strategic vantage points. All of the Seals have radio contact, and Walters checks one last time for any news on contacting the North Korean Commander. Walters gets a lucky break.
ACT 2
New plan – Walters, McMann, and the negotiator FBI AGENT AMANDA BLAKE (30) get permission to board the NK submarine again.
Plan in action – When the NK Commander finds out that none of the demands have been accomplished, and the time wasted, he threatens to kill the three and launch the nuclear missiles.
Mid-Point: Then, the North Korean submarine commander begins to make his demands known. Kwan lets Walters understand who’s in charge. By telling the Seals that he has been in contact with a South Korean GENERAL NANG who, in turn, has been in contact with an American GENERAL MOORE. And to keep his Nuclear Missiles from being fired that LEADER DING KIM MO would be ousted. Also, the U.S. would have it provide aid and lift all the embargos. Oh, yes, and you have to get this done in 48 hours, and the clock is ticking. Walters asked the Commander, “What if these demands are shot down?” The Commander’s responds, “I will start a battle like you have not seen on this earth.” SWCC -PAC FLEET has heard every word over Walter’s intercom system. Walters moves up the ladder and stops. McMann covering. Walters places the C-4 explosives and an electronic detonator behind the access door hinges.
ACT 3
Rethink everything – Walters has orders to take the submarine, do whatever it takes. The Red Scorpions move on the sub, blowing the hatches and entering the sub with excitement only to feel the jaws of defeat slam on them. Several of the Seals are wounded, and the plan turns to crap; Walters realizes he should have expected the unexpected. The Seals retreat.
New plan – Walters and McMann move on the NK submarine, they blast their way through the rubble used to cover the access hatches. Walters his C-4 to clear the area as he and Ace head into the Control Room. Gunfire, explosions, and smoke fill the sub. Walters places C-4 on the walls of the sub at critical locations and kills NK sailors along the way. Some of the sailors see the Seal with the Suicide Vest and bail from the submarine. Walters explodes several C-4 charges to place vent holes in the structure. Smoke billows out into the night air. There are fires everywhere.
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major Shift: The N.K. Commander is blistering hot about the inaction of the U.S and decides to light a fire under their asses to get some action. The Commander fires several Cruise type missiles around the harbor. He fires a direct hit missile and destroys the Pearl Harbor National Memorial turning it into a small pile of rubble. This whacko has turned Pearl Harbor into a shit-hole.
Crisis: Walters and the Red Scorpions find out that they will have to cut off the trigger finger or the whole damn arm of the N.K. Commander to stop the NUKES. Walters realizes he should have expected the unexpected. The Seals retreat.
ACT 4
Climax: Walters smells victory and devised a new plan that will need the SWCC command approval, and he will rejoin the battle alone. Now he will become a human bomb and wearing a plastic explosives vest when he sees the N.K. commander next. His superiors think only a lunatic would do something like that. They all want to bomb the damn submarine or blast it out of the water with missiles. Walters convinces the Command that he can get the job done. McMann won’t let him go alone. Get THAAD in a backup position just in case. Suddenly two missile launch doors on the deck begin opening, then smoke and fire blast from vents nearby. And the loudest noise comes from the tubes on deck followed by two cones slowly rising thru the night air. Candlesticks with flames shooting from their tails, fly steadily out of sight.
Resolution: Sara is at the hospital with Josh visiting Walters and McMann. The rest of the Seal Team are there also. Josh asks Walters if he can call him daddy. Walters says, “Yes.” The President visits Honolulu and Pearl Harbor. The Seal Team receives an honor “Live Free or Die.”
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Lesson 3
Subject: Pat Galbraith’s Beats of 4 Act Structure
“What I learned doing this assignment is…?” A different way of going about a rewrite and to continually consider better changes.
A. Genre: Action/Thriller
B. Title: Black Bird
C. High Concept: A fatherless skateboarder, and his misfit friends, including a crow, discover his fatherly mentor has been killed, they risk their lives to find his killer and bring the killer to justice.
D. Main Conflict: When Ronnie’s Mentor gets in the way of villain’s’ plan to falsely get funds from the City to build on a large construction site he is killed. When Ronnie and his friends investigate the killing of his mentor, the villains stalk Ronnie and his friends. One friend after the other is kidnapped with impending death.
A corrupt contractor plans to build a 100-million-dollar construction on land that has transmission towers. The towers are known to cause cancer. But he plans to bribe a city commissioner to keep that quite.
E. Transformation Journey: Ronnie is very trusting as a young teen, believes people are all good. His confidence in himself is building to go out into the world and stand up to find the killers and rescue his friends.
F. Opposition: A covert contractor looking for a quick way to riches; Murder and kidnap when people get in the way.
My conventions for chosen genre: Action/Thriller
Action Conventions
Purpose: Adrenaline-stirring / fast paced
Demand for Action: Chases, Hit and run, murder,
Mission: To find the killer and bring him to justice.
Escalating Action: Kidnaps and plans to kill his three friends.
Hero: Young man who is naïve; but has uses his special skills with his skateboard to escape.
Antagonist:: An evil, corrupt, contractor looking for fast money and he will kill anyone who gets in the way.
Thriller Conventions
PURPOSE: To thrill your audience with high stakes,
plot twists, and suspense that never lets up until the adrenalin packed climax.
LIFE AND DEATH SITUATIONS. They face danger at every step — either physically, emotionally, or mentally.
The hero needs to either be in danger or there is the implication of future danger.
MYSTERY/INTRIGUE/SUSPENSE: There’s a mystery that must be solved in order to survive. Intrigue is the underhanded and covert Villain’s plan. Suspense comes from the danger the Hero faces.
HERO: Unknowing, unwitting, but resourceful hero
VILLAIN: Dangerous, devious, and unrelenting. Committed to destroy anyone who gets in their way. MAIN EMOTIONS: Suspense, intrigue, mystery, tension, anticipation, uncertainty, and surprise.
Opening:
1. INT. COURT HOUSE GARAGE – DAY
In a dark garage, a corrupt contractor, Rob Broadrick, surprises a city commissioner. Discusses an upcoming project that he needs his help with. The city commissioner says no. But the antagonist tells him it’s to his advantage to go along with the project. He has information that could force him off the committee.
2. INT. RESTAURANT – DAY
Ronnie Hester, 17, sweats over a dish washing machine, wishing he was somewhere else.
3. INT. GREENFIELD HOME – DAY
Ronnie visits his fatherly mentor. The mentor gives him a pocket watch that belonged to his father.
The mentor tells him about a courier job that’s open in a law firm.
4. INT. BANK BUILDING – DAY
Rob talks to a financier, who is down on his luck. If he doesn’t get some business he’s going to lose his job.
5. EXT. SKATEBOARD PARK – DAY
He and his friends practice skateboarding for an upcoming competition. Ronnie gives his girlfriend a ring.
6. INT. PSYCHIC’S HOUSE – DAY
Ronnie’s friend, Charlie, buys a crow at an estate sale. They soon learn the crow has special skills. He talks and can locate a person.
Inciting Incident:
7. INT. BANK BUILDING – DAY
Ronnie enters a bank building to check on the job. When leaving the bank building, he overhears two men talking about a plan for a murder.
8. EXT. THREATER – NIGHT
They plan to go down to the river.
Turning Point
9. EXT. RIVER/UNDER THE BRIDGE – NIGHT
Ronnie and his friends go to the river to see what and who might show up for the murder plan that he overheard. They hide and watch the villain, kill, and throw the body into the water.
The killer discovers them and chases them through town on their skateboards. They narrowly escape.
10. INT. RONNIE’S HOME – DAY
Ronnie learns that the man killed was Mr. Greenfield his mentor.
ACT 2
New Plan
11. EXT. THEATER – NIGHT
Ronnie and his friends plan to find out who and why Mr. Greenfield was murdered.
The plan is to talk to Mrs. Greenfield about enemies he may have had. They also need to know who the two men were who were discussing the murder.
Plan in action
12. INT. MRS. GREENFIELD’S HOME – DAY
They interviewed Mrs. Greenfield. She reveals her husband is in an investment group where they buy and sell investments. The funds come from the city.
Midpoint Turning Point.
13. EXT. MRS. GREENFIELD’S HOME – NIGHT
Leaving Mrs. Greenfield home, a black Honda is parked across the road watching the house. The car starts and chases them. They stay on the skateboards on the side walk. At street crosses he tries to run them down. He hits Jody and continues after the others.
Ronnie circles back to find Jody. The others split off in different directions.
14. EXT. GREENFIELD HOME – NEXT NIGHT
A drive by breaks Mrs. Greenfield’s front window with a brick.
15. INT. SKATE COMPETITION/MALL – DAY
A dark clothed man watches from the crowd.
Ronnie and Stan skateboard in a competition at the skate mall. They wonder where Charlie is. Charlie has been kidnapped by the villain.
Act 3
Rethink Everything
16. EXT. SKATE PARK – DAY
The gang decide to break into the building and search through the records where there might be evidence of what’s going on at the investment company.
New Plan
17. They’ll enter the Investment office after dark when security changes shifts.
18. INT. INVESTMENT OFFICE – NIGHT
They break into the office and discover the villains plan to dupe the city to get financing to build a subdivision in an unsuitable site, that Mr. Greenfield was against. He believed the area to be a risk for cancer.
Point: Huge failure/Major shift
19. The financier comes into his office and catches them. He kidnaps Stan, who is a diabetic, who takes medication daily.
The villains continue to stalk Ronnie, Jody, and Louella.
20. EXT. RESTAURANT- NIGHT
The black Honda drives by the restaurant in dead of night and shoots all the windows out.
21. EXT. SKATE PARK – DAY
Louella and Jody skate at the park when a man in a trench coat walks up to Jody. He tells her mother has had a medical emergency and wants to take her to her mother. Jody gets in his car.
Act 4
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict
22. INT. STREET/WAREHOUSE – DAY
With the help of his one friend left, Louella, and a black crow, they discover where Stan, Charlie and Jody are being held. The crow guides them to a warehouse where the men are getting ready to kill Stan, Charlie, and Jody. The sheriff finally arrives and backs them up. But the gunman gets the upper hand. While the villain has them at gunpoint the crow flies in attacking the gunman. Villain runs for the door straight into the sheriff’s backup.
Resolution
23. INT. HOSPITAL – DAY
The friends gather at the hospital to check on Stan. He’s going to be ok. They discuss college and their inspirations for a good life.
INT. RESTAURANT – DAY
Ronnie talks to his mom and Sam about whether they were right. He should be more cautious. He tells Sam that he appreciates everything he’s done for him. His mom says you’re really growing up son.
24. EXT. SKATE PARK – DAY
Sitting on the bench at the Skate Park Jody and Ronnie kiss.
A black car drives slowly by the Skate Park. Ronnie looks up to watch.
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Judith’s Genre Conventions. HOMEWORK -2 – Reunion from Hell – June 1, 2023
“What I learned doing this assignment is a script can always be improved.
Build the genre conventions into your 4-Act structure.
1. Tell us the following:
· Title: Reunion from Hell
· Concept: Estranged sisters try to reunite. One with good intentions and the other evil.
· Genre: thriller
.2. Make a list of the conventions for your chosen genre:
4. CONVENTIONS OF THRILLERS
PURPOSE: To thrill your audience with high stakes, plot twists, and
suspense that never lets up until the adrenalin packed climax.
LIFE AND DEATH SITUATIONS. They face danger at every step — either
physically, emotionally, or mentally. The hero needs to either be in danger
or there is the implication of future danger.
MYSTERY/INTRIGUE/SUSPENSE: There’s a mystery that must be solved in
order to survive. Intrigue is the underhanded and covert Villain’s plan.
Suspense comes from the danger the Hero faces.
HERO: Unknowing, unwitting, but resourceful hero.
VILLAIN: Dangerous, devious, and unrelenting. Committed to destroy
anyone who gets in their way.
MAIN EMOTIONS: Suspense, intrigue, mystery, tension, anticipation, uncertainty, and surprise.
Purpose: to thrill the audience
Life and Death Situations: Rachel tries to kill Emily’s husband, kidnaps her adopted daughter, burns down Emily’s art gallery
Mystery/intrigue/suspense: why is Rachel doing all this and what does she get out of it
Hero: Emily Green
Villain: Rachel Parsons
Main Emotions: suspense, fear, worry
VERSION ONE:
ACT 1 –
Opening: We see Rachel poison her mother and fake her own death.
Inciting Incident: Rachel crashes Emily’s gallery art show embarrassing her but asking Emily to join her in reuniting the family.
Turning Point: Emily calls Rachel and agrees to renew their relationship.
ACT 2 –
New Plan: Women will try reunification for two weeks and at the end of that time Rachel will give Emily mom’s nursing home name to Emily whether they decide to be sisters or not.
Plan in Action: See women preparing for Christmas, cooking, Rachel supporting Emily after her gallery show pictures are destroyed in a fire.
Emily thinks she has caught Eugene having an affair.
Midpoint Turning Point: Eugene and Emily have a big fight over the affair. Eugene insists Rachel set this up. To prove him wrong, Emily calls her mom’s nursing home to confirm Rachel’s reunification intentions and finds out Mom died in a house fire along with Rachel.
ACT 3 –
Rethink everything: Emily confronts Rachel, and they have a big fight where Rachel thinks she has killed Emily.
New plan: Emily’s actions fizzle when she learns that Rachel tried to kill Eugene in a car crash on the freeway.
Turning point: Huge failure/Major Shift: Rachel kills Lynn, Emily’s best friend, and kidnaps Katie, the little girl Emily is adopting.
ACT 4 –
Climax/Ultimate expression of conflict: Emily rescues Katie, and she and Rachel have a big fight in the Barn/Studio which catches on fire and Rachel dies in the fire and Emily and Katie escape.
Resolution: Emily says goodbye to mom and Rachel at their gravesites. She places the art medallion on Rachel’s grave and apologizes. She walks off, pregnant, with her new family of Eugene and Katie no longing believing reuniting with Rachel and mom is the only way to have the love and family she needs.
3. Brainstorm ways to deliver the conventions more effectively and build those parts into your 4-Act Structure.
NEW VERSION OF REUNION FROM HELL—
Act 1:
OPENING: A house in a quiet middle class neighborhood catches on fire and the front windows explode out onto the lawn. A blue Chevy speeds away from the scene.
Emily races from the barn/studio to call the movers. Why haven’t they arrived yet, the art show is in 10 hours. The paintings need to be moved and set up. She finds out the movers were called to delay the move. She gets a “return to sender” letter from her estranged sister.
INCITING INCIDENT: Emily’s estranged sister crashes her art gallery show and embarrasses her. Dr. Goodman asks Emily to come to his office the next day. He has some startling news for her. When Dr. Goodman gets close to the sister, she makes sure he doesn’t see her.
TURNING POINT: Against all warnings from her husband and best friend, Emily agrees with Rachel to try a unification.
Act 2:
NEW PLAN: Emily pours her heart into reuniting with Rachel. In the meantime, unknownst to Emily, Rachel is spying on her and breaking into her house.
PLAN IN ACTION: Emily and Rachel decorate the Christmas tree and cook dinner. They have fun on the carousel ride. Rachel secretly follows Emily, breaks into her house, & steals small items. Rachel burns down the gallery with Emily’s paintings and sets it up so Emily thinks her husband is having an affair.
MIDPOINT: Eugene and Emily have a big fight over Rachel. She calls mom at the nursing home to clarify things and finds out that Rachel and mom were killed in a house fire.
Act 3:
RETHINK EVERYTHING: Emily goes to Rachel’s hotel only to find out she is gone.
NEW PLAN: Emily goes after Rachel when she thinks she knows where she is. When Emily gets to the cabins, Rachel attacks and tries to kill her. She leaves her for dead.
Meanwhile, she tries to kill Eugene.
Detective Thompson arrives at Emily’s to tell her what is going on only to be surprised by Rachel and killed.
TURNING POINT:
Emily goes to Lynn’s house after the hospital only to find her dying and Katie, the little girl she is to adopt, kidnapped by Rachel.
ACT 4:
CLIMAX/ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF THE CONFLICT:
When Emily arrives at her house, she can’t find Katie. She discovers Thompson’s body, and Rachel threatens her. She goes to the barn/studio as Rachel demands only to find that Rachel has painted grotesque portraits, Katie tied up, and the barn lit with candles. She sneaks in, but Rachel sees her and attacks but not before Emily gets Katie free.
They battle and Rachel is killed in the fire.
RESOLUTION:
Emily says goodbye to mom at the cemetery. She says goodbye to Rachel and lays the art medallion Emily won and stole from Rachel as kids, on Rachel’s grave. She walks off, we see that she is pregnant, and she leaves with her new family, Eugene and Katie.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by Judith Watson.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by
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PRO REWRITE ASSIGNMENT THREE
FRAN’S GENRE CONVENTIONS
WHAT I LEARNED: Just follow what the conventions are in your story. You will hit the mark.
Title: BORN OF BLOOD AND FIRE
Genre: HISTORICAL FICTION/FANTASY
Concept: THE STORY OF ROMULUS AND REMUS AS TOLD THROUGH THE EYES OF THEIR MOTHER ILIA
Logline: A destiny forged by the gods, her world torn apart by an uncle’s greed and his lust for his brother’s throne, an innocent, young princess—embarks on a journey that will end in the birth of two sons, one a god, one a mortal, and the creation of the greatest empire the world has ever known–Rome.
Main Conflict: Amulius gains power and his brother’s throne through war and the killing of Numitor’s heirs and Numitor’s castration and exile. The young daughter. Ilia, will suffer a worse defeat via her uncle. She is condemned to the life of a Vestal Virgin in the service of the fires of Vesta. And to die if she violates her oath and bears children.
Genre Conventions for Historical Fiction
Characters live in an historical period, they can be real persons, or based on real persons or fictional, introduce the viewer to their past. Keep them in tune to the era.
Dialogue make it like the past would be, but make it easy enough for the modern viewer to understand.
Setting put the viewer into the setting immediately. Make it come to life for them.
The theme must be interpreted to the time period it’s presented in.
Plot has to make sense for the time period.
Conflict must be real for the chosen time and place.
World building must be of the time period and place you are presenting.
Make your research COUNT!
Science I’m adding this one because for my steamboat script I needed to make sure the science—that is the mechanics or working of the steamers were authentic, real. Also, I found a belief or a convention of what they do with health. That is, the drinking of the Mississippi waters was therapeutic. And the conventions to treat burns after the Civil War. I had to actually consult with one of the biology/anatomy-physiology
instructors to describe the burns and what to do in order to treat them. Also, I had to research the use of wine to treat (as an antiseptic) burns.
In my researching these conventions, it is noted EVERY SINGLE ON OF THESE MUST BE MET.
The Genre Conventions of Fantasy
Magical realism gods/goddesses
Sword/Sorcery
Fables/ Myths telling
Good vs. Evil
Tradition vs. Change
The Individual vs. Society
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Himself
Coming of Age
Love
Revenge
Courage and perseverance
Magical forces
World building
Fantastical characters
Dangerous Quest
Mythical Creatures
Not all of these need to be met.
Act I
Opening: Is this an engaging opening scene that lures us into the story? Is the lead character clearly living in a pre-transformation mode?
It’s Jupiter vs. Mars. They argue. Mars has started a war which is contrary to Jupiter’s plans to build a new empire. Mars is banished from Olympus. He goes to build a home near the Palatine Mountain. There is a temple there built in his honor. Jupiter vows he will build his new empire through the seed of Mars.
Second engaging scene Ilia is telling the story of Aeneas and the founding of their home Alba Longa to her little brother Aegestes to help him fall asleep while they wait for the war to begin.
Inciting Incident: How does this incident invite and propel us into the journey?
War is waging between the brothers Amulius and Numitor. Amulius is out to usurp power and take over. He exiles his brother, kills the heirs and he forces young Ilia into service as a Vestal Virgin.
Turning Point: How is this Turning Point a twist that locks us into the journey with “no going back?”
Ilia will not accept her fate. The first thing she does is try to escape. But she fails. She is brought back, beaten and given a heavy guard to watch over her—that she doesn’t do it again.
Act 2
New Plan: What new plan did the protagonist create to deal with the Act 1 Turning Point?
Some time passes. When she thinks it is safe, she tries to escape again. This time she gets a little farther—to the Temple of Mars near the Aventine Hill where she has heard her father has been exiled.
Plan in action: How does the protagonist take action on that plan?
She hides in the temple where she believes she is safe. There she encounters Mars, who is immediately smitten by her. They fall in love. Make love. Mars then leaves again with his wolves, leaving Ilia alone.
Midpoint Turning Point: How does the Midpoint change the meaning, creating a reveal that changes everything while keeping us on the same journey?
In the Meantime, Amulius has learned of her escape in the midst of learning his bride has plotted against him by taking a contraceptive that will allow her to not become pregnant. He breaks the next vile of the elixir she was supposed to drink, he kills her hand maiden who was complicit in the plot and he rapes Tezza.
He then takes his leave to go find Ilia. He thinks he knows where she has gone. To Numitor. There near the Aventine Hill, he finds her in the temple, confronts her and tells her she is never to escape again for next time she will be put to death. He then proceeds to rape her. Bloody her and leave her for dead.
But her cousin and caretaker at the convent, Antho, followed her father, Amulius, along with Ilia’s old man servant, to the temple where they find her, Antho knows what her father did. They take her back to the convent and care for her, save her life.
Act 3
React/Rethink: What is revealed to the protagonist from the Midpoint? How do they react or rethink things?
Nine months later, Ilia gives birth to twin sons: Romulus who is the son of Mars. Remus who is the son of Amulius.
Amulius has another son by Tezza, Celeres. Once his heir is secured, Amulius proceeds to kill Tezza by strangulation.
New Plan: What new plan did the protagonist create to deal with this new level of conflict?
Days later, Ilia is still hell bent on leaving, escaping. This time Antho says she is going with her, to help her escape her father.
They go with the help of the old man servant, taking the twins with them.
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.
When they reach the Malitiosa Forest near the Aventine Hill they part ways. Antho goes one way, Ilia goes another, hoping that her father is still there alive and well. Antho will go to the Palatine Hill. For a while. At least, maybe her father won’t find her there among his cattlemen and shepherds.
Act 4
Climax/Ultimate Expression 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?
Antho is successful, but Ilia is not. She is found, this time by Amulius’ elite army and she is brought back to Alba Longa in chains along with her twin sons.
There Amulius pronounces sentence upon her: she is to die by drowning in the Tiber River. Her hands are tied and she is taken away by guards, but not before hearing the sentencing of her sons, who Amulius suspects are his, to a watery death, too, in the Tiber. The old man servant for this helping her escape yet again, is forced to do the dirty work for Amulius. But the old man servant cannot harm the boys. Instead, he puts them in a cradle that is water tight, he wraps them in a precious cloak that belonged to their mother, and as he watches Ilia being thrown off the cliff by the soldiers, the man servant gently sends the boys on their way downstream where they will land in an olive grove. There Mars’ wolves find them and care for them.
Resolution: 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?
There months later, the shepherd Faustulus, and his son Lucius find the boys by accident one day, and take them home to the Aventine Hill where they will care for them as theirs.
THIS IS THE END OF PART ONE. PART TWO BEGINS THE STORY OF ROMULUS AND REMUS 18 YEARS LATER.
Again, I know this story needs a lot of fleshing out. There’s a lot to it. So, this will take some more time. It’s not perfect, but I think it’s good enough to post.
PART TWO
Much of this story is a compilation of research I did into an alternative story of Romulus and Remus from various sources on the Internet and ancient work like Livy and Ovid.
ACT I
Opening:
Romulus and Remus are now 18. Different as night and day. Romulus the staid has been on a hunting expedition. Remus the mischievous. Likes to get into trouble with his friend Celeres. Celeres tells Remus of his love for Sabina a Sabine princess. He wants her for his wife. But when he shows Remus the young beauty of his dreams, Remus can’t help himself. He falls in love with her, too.
Inciting Incident:
A cattle war is going on between the herds of Numitor and Amulius. Remus and Celeres have accelerated it in their joining in on the side of Amulius’ herdsmen. In the fracas, Faustulus is badly injured by Numitor’s men. Remus is captured by them. Celeres runs away—back to his father. Leaving his friend to chance.
Turning Point:
Remus is taken to Numitor, but he says he cannot judge him. He must allow his brother Amulius to judge. As they meet, Numitor gets the feeling he knows this boy. He is the spitting image of his mother, Ilia. Numitor reconizes that in him and he falters, thinking this is one of the twin sons born to his daughter, sons, grandsons he has never seen—until now.
Sabina, who has been taken to her grandfather’s cottage for safe keeping, sees Remus and falls madly in love with him, to Titus’ heartbreak.
Pinch Point: Gracchus, now married to Ilia (her name is now Rhea Sylvia) and is the father of Sabina and Numa, having married Ilia, is in the midst of treaty talks with Amulius. They strike a tentative deal.
Celeres returns home interrupting the talks. He knows Sabina is the daughter of Graccus and asks Gracchus for her hand in marriage. Gracchus declines telling them, she is betrothed to Titus. He and Amulius politely acquiesce.
BUT as Gracchus leaves with his treaty, Celeres will not take no for an answer and demands his father do something to get Sabina for his bride. Amulius tells him he has been considering war with the Sabines for some time–for a piece of land he’s been eyeing. And to wipe the Sabines from the face of the earth. This is a good time to settle this dilemma, this hope, once and for all.
ACT 2
New Plan:
Romulus goes home to bad news. Remus has been captured by some of Numitor’s men and Faustulus has been badly injured. He may be dying. Faustulus cannot hold the story in any longer. He must tell Romulus the story, how they became shepherds of Amulius’ flocks, now so he can tell Remus. Romulus and Remus are not really his sons. The boys are the sons of a princess, the daughter of Numitor, rescued by him and of their “older brother” Lucius. He tells them Amulius is a bad king and what he did to their mother, and what he did to them when they were born. Seething, Romulus wants revenge, but first he must go get his brother. Rescue him from Numitor. Faustulus tells him no. He is probably in the hands of Amulius by now.
Plan in Action:
But Remus has nothing to fear. Amulius finds him quite the young man, the son he never really had in Celeres. He, too, sees the resemblance of Remus and Ilia in the boy’s face and eyes. He does not punish him having suspicions that he is the son he sired with Ilia. He asks him to join him at court and be a part of his family. Remus must think it over. It is an honor. But he must discuss it with his brother. Amulius now knows he may have yet another son.
Midpoint Turning Point:
In the midst of the feud, the herdsmen of Numitor’s fields are not satisfied with Amulius’ letting the young man go unpunished. They decide to punish him themselves and plot to kidnap him, have him caught red handed, so to speak, with the theft of the king’s price lamb.
Pinch Point 2:
In the meantime, Amulius sets off to the land of the Sabines, the city of Cures, to demand Sabina be handed over to him for his son or face war. He gives Gracchus little time to comply.
While Gracchus prepares for war, Titus spirits Sabina off to her grandfather’s to hide her.
Times up. Gracchus is mortally wounded when he refuses to hand over his daughter. Ilia now must deal with her uncle all over again–alone. Hiding herself, her identity from him, Ilia tells Amulius, she is not there. She must bring her home. she needs time. But there’s more to it she does not reveal to Amulius. Ilia needs time to hatch a plan against her uncle. To end his reign of terror and return her father to his throne. Alba’s rightful king.
She declares war on her uncle.
ACT 3
Rethink everything:
Remus is captured/kidnapped and returned to Numitor. Angry, thinking the boy stole the lamb to get him and his men in trouble—He has no choice but to punish him. Death. He holds Remus in a cage to await his fate. Sabina finds him there, tries to rescue him. They speak vows of love. Remus has loved her, too, since he first saw her.
Learning of this, Romulus goes to plead for Remus’s life—as his grandson.
New plan:
Sabina tries to help Remus escaped, but she is caught in the midst of her freeing them. Celeres, finding her, tries to take her then and there, but she won’t go with him. She refuses. He sees how she and Remus look at each other. In his anger, he says if he can’t have her nobody can, and kills her. Romulus and Titus enter to free Remus, catching Celeres in the act. hHe flees before he can be captured. Titus is devastated. Romulus goes to his brother to set free him from his cage. Remus is also devastated. Holding Sabina in his arms he vows revenge on the house of Amulius.
Turning Point Huge failure/Major shift:
In the midst of a Sabine war, Ilia is captured and taken back to Alba Longa a prisoner to await her sentencing.
Amulius knows who she is, who the boys are. And now he must deal with it accordingly.
Act 4
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict:
Resolution:
Romulus, Remus and Titus work together to free Alba Longa from Amulius. They proceed to find Amulius and end his reign.
Numitor enters the city also to find Amulius and Ilia again his prisoner. Where are my grandsons? Numitor asks. Romulus enters with Titus and an army of Sabines.
Armies clash. The Sabines make an end of Amulius’s army. Amulius flees the throne room to go get Sabina. But finds her dead. In his sorrow he blames Remus.
When Ilia and Romulus and Titus finally find Amulius with Sabina, dead in a devastated Remus’s bloodied arms., in her anger and rage, Ilia finds Amulius’ knife and plunges it deep into his, killing him.
DENOUEMENT
Numitor is set back on his throne at Alba Longa as King. He is reunited with his grandsons. Ilia is reunited with her sons. But no one is yet satisfied.
As Celeres watches Numitor returned to the throne, he vows his vengeance for the killing of his father.
With the help of the gods and Jupiter:
Though the grandfather wants to hand over the kingdom to the boys, Romulus says no. it is his. They are leaving to build their own.
They find their way to the Palatine and Aventine Hills where they wait for omens in the sky from the Gods. They are told by the birds in the sky, sent by the gods, where to build their city and who should build. Romulus believes it is him. But Remus believes it is him. They argue and squabble over the honor. Romulus vows that anyone who speak anything against the new city or tries to breach the wall they ‘ve started in anger, he will kill them—and that includes a brother.
Remus is not a happy camper with this proclamation. He breaches the wall to test his brother—to test who shall be king of the new city. In the midst of their arguing, their fighting, Celeres sees his chance to get his revenge.
He lunges at the brothers killing Remus.
In his sorrow and rage, for the killing of Remus, Romulus kills Celeres.
As Jupiter watches over all.
Romulus is destroyed, but Jupiter sees that the city will be built no matter. Born in blood and in fire. The fire of passion and envy, jealousy and greed. My city. My empire that shall last a thousand years and beyond. Rome.
THE END
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Stuart’s Genre Conventions:
What I learned doing this assignment is how my focus on genre, Drama, allowed me to evaluate my protagonist’s emotional decisions and stakes, and elevate his personal investment/engagement. This is evolving.
Title: A Giving Heart
Concept: Set against the musical backdrop of ‘50s-‘70s male R&B groups, a black singer defies racial barriers in his pursuit for fame as lead singer for an R&B band.
Genre: Drama
Genre Conventions for Drama:
• Purpose: To explore stories with emotional and interpersonal high stakes for their characters.
• Character-Driven Journey:
• High Stakes Come from Within:
• Emotionally Resonates:
• Challenging, Emotionally-Charged Situations:
• Real-Life Situations:
Structure Elevated by Genre
Act 1:
• Opening
Wayne fights Marvin because of Marvin’s racism; the fight is broken up by Aunt Willie. Wayne refuses Aunt Willie’s lesson to give Marvin a 2nd chance, and escapes to listen/sing to the radio.
• Inciting Incident
Wayne hustles a music studio producer in a pool hall. Excited by the kid’s singing voice, the producer offers Wayne a gig recording back-up vocals for Elvis Presley.
• Initial Plan
Wayne leads The Masters, a teen R&B cover group, accepting Marvin as member. He hustles them into the black-only New Era Club.
• Turning Point
With the Vietnam draft ending The Masters and the music, Wayne chooses to distance himself from Aunt Willie and Marvin, and he enlists in the Air Force.
Act 2:
• New plan
Survive the war and find his new path.
• Plan in action
Wayne creates and leads a 2nd R&B group, The Esonics, who light up the Officer’s Club. He’s surprised to meet Donna. He woos her, but Wayne is targeted by racist Captain Burgess.
• Midpoint Turning Point
As the Esonics prepare for civilian life, their off-base club severs their agreement. Wayne’s determined to keep the group going. He proposes to Donna.
Act 3:
• Rethink everything
Committed to support Donna and her family, Wayne enters a new profession, insurance, while also keeping the Esonics alive.
• New plan
The only black in insurance, Wayne hustles for success, but he’s sacrificing singing. To succeed, Wayne brings in an ignored demographic, black clients. To succeed and to cope, he’s drinking heavily. Wayne’s fighting to get the Esonics a new life. He’s giving and giving and frustrated he’s not getting back. He’s challenged as leader and Wayne leaves the group.
• Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift
Drinking himself near death, collapsing in an alley, Wayne is found by Pastor Walt. Wayne and Aunt Willie pray Wayne to full recovery. Major Shift: Wayne receives God’s vision to sing for an all-white congregation.
Act 4:
• Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict
Refusing to follow the church’s board to ignore the homeless at the church’s old grounds, Wayne does not show up to sing at the groundbreaking of Pastor Walt’s new church. Wayne delivers meals to the homeless at the old church grounds, opening the hearts of the congregation members, and the door of their new church.
• Resolution
Wayne prays with Aunt Willie at her passing, and he writes an original song for her. He sings it at her gravesite, shares that song at Pastor Walt’s new church, and broadcasts it for a global spiritual community.
Improvements based on Genre:
Act 1:
Opening focuses on dramatic triangle – Wayne’s challenges with Marvin are straining his relationship with Aunt Willie.
Turning Point pushes Wayne to accept music is dead. He closes his heart to family and friends to enlist in Air Force.
Act 2:
Plan in Action: Donna’s appearance is a surprise, and challenges Wayne (was his vision as a teen a gift from God?). He’s conflicted: is he wooing her because God says it will happen, or because they fall in love?
Midpoint Turning Point: Wayne refuses to let the music die again. He commits to the Esonics as well as Donna and her children.
Act 3:
New Plan: Wayne’s giving and giving and he’s getting frustrated he’s not getting back. The Esonics question his leadership, and he leaves the group.
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Subject line: Jen’s Genre Conventions
What I learned doing this assignment is it helping me build this story to be even stronger. I do need to remember though that I am making this more teen oriented (a note I got) and have to make sure that these (M/I/S) have a bit of coming of age attached to each of them.
Purpose: Thrill audience – right from the beginning when the zombies are taking the man – I want to add screaming sounds and show Mariana afraid in her bed – showing that a character is afraid will up the intrigue for the audience, as it will obviously not be a “one-off” – maybe I’ll even make it more of “routine” she gets up, covers her ears with earmuffs and hides under her bed – again this is a common occurrence
Life and Death situations: there is a constant underlying fear that “zombies” are going to get them at any time (at the beginning) and then there is the fear that the guards are going to get them (as they have gotten others). I am going to elevate this, but having “plants” so that the audience always feels this. Maybe the audience will know before that the guards are the ones taking the people (before Mariana) then when they see her trusting them, they will be scared for her. At the end, when the compounded is raided, this is the 2<sup>nd</sup> biggest expression of this when the adults are killed and the children leave in DOP (bus that says Department of Prisons and Mariana is warned to stay away from anything that says that). Then at the end Mariana literally has a gun to her head, which is the biggest expression of the life and death situation.
Mystery/Intrigue/Suspense: As I have currently three twists I think I have the M/S/I kind of high – but here are ways I am going to elevate: I am going to have it unknown that Mariana has gone through the cycle of being suspicious and getting her memory erased earlier in the script – the audience will see that Davis is “waiting” for Mariana, but not know why/for what – this will cause intrigue. I will also have her mother get taken, which will be the inciting incident – people who have read it previously have asked why did she get suspicious? (call to action) so it obviously wasn’t strong enough – this also gives me an opportunity to build in major suspense – either the audience knows who was taken, and Mariana doesn’t or Mariana sees it happening and it pulls the audience in a direction of suspense wondering what Mariana is going to do.
Hero: I am going to make Mariana stronger in the sense that we see she has gone through this cycle of suspicion/investigation many times before, but will then have to save her mother, she will get caught then and her memory will be erased, she will end up at home and her mother will be back (the audience will think for a moment that she “saved” her – but then they will both have “supplanted memories” – which is another thing I am going to build on. It is briefly touched on, but I am going to make it bigger and more inline with the mythology of the process in the book I wrote where this is used.
Villain: I have a pretty strong “villain” – the Commissioner is shown, has a story line, etc. I am going to beef that up and ensure she has a full outline to her character arc. I can build more mystery and intrigue around her, as I can have Mariana see her, have previous information on her in the notebook (as Mother Savior, or maybe she doesn’t recognize her and audience does, or she says something about her being Mother Savior, then changes it, whatever – any of these situations will build up intrigue. I can also build up the mystery surrounding her, by having the audience see her doing things, but not have it explained right away what she is doing – maybe some hints that are dropped along the way -like a puzzle that is ultimately completed when the raid occurs.
Main Emotions: Suspense, intrigue, mystery, tension, anticipation, uncertainty and surprise – recently during a table read I got a compliment from a reader who said every one of my scenes started in one emotion and evolved into another – I am going to make sure that every scene starts in one of these seven emotions and ends in another. That, I think, will make a wild ride!
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Susan’s Genre Conventions
What I learned doing this assignment: This is a great way to bullet point the necessary actions to stay streamlined in your genre without getting distracted with “filler scenes”.
Title: KILLING TIME
Genre: THRILLER
Concept: A serial killer, thought to be dead for 18 years returns, set on revenge and sets his two sons on a frantic chase to end his murderous rampage.
Main Conflict: One brother, a straight arrow cop, the younger, paranoid and suffering PTSD, must learn to trust each other and work together to stop their serial killer father who has manipulated time to torture his family and his victims for years.
Act 1:
Opening: (Is this an engaging opening scene that lures us into the story? Is the lead character clearly living in a pre-transformation mode?) 17 y/o RYAN KYLE and his 12 y/o brother Zach, have killed their father in the basement of the family home and must dispose of the body.
Inciting Incident: (How does this incident invite and propel us into the journey?) 15 years later, Ryan is a homicide detective investigating a possible serial killer, with his new, unwanted partner MARY (they share apparent history and tension) Ryan and Mary find his brother bloody and suffering from a serious panic attack, not taking meds; Mary finds an victims earring in Zach’s bath.
Turning Point: (How is this Turning Point a twist that locks us into the journey with “no going back?”) Zach tries to explain to Ryan that their father is “back from the dead”. Ryan doesn’t believe him, concerned for his brothers mental well being, he demands Zach gets back on his meds… or else.
Act 2:
New Plan: (What new plan did the protagonist create to deal with the Act 1 Turning Point?) Ryan is distracted from his investigation by his brothers “encounter” he tries reaching out and Zach comes to him after getting a call from their “dead father”.
Plan in action: (How does the protagonist take action on that plan?) Zach turns to Ryan to tell his truth, their father is “back from the dead” and wants revenge, he needs Ryan’s help to vanquish their tormentor. Ryan threatens Zach with involuntary commitment if he continues with his delusions and doesn’t get back on meds.
Midpoint Turning Point: While inspecting forensic info on their crime scene Mary recognizes their victim’s missing earring, the mate found in Zach’s bath, she gives Ryan an ultimatum. Ryan finds a cryptic message on his windshield to resume their game.
Act 3:
React/Rethink: (What is revealed to the protagonist from the Midpoint? How do they react or rethink things?) Ryan doesn’t want to believe his brothers involvement but all roads are leading to Zach, who refuses to blame anyone but their father for the killings taking place.
New Plan: Zach and Ryan met up where the younger turns over a beat up file, JTR intel; the bartender identifies the Ripper sketch as the man who had been in looking for them. Ryan delves into related forensic documents to confirm his worst fears, zach always appears at the scene. He breaks into Zach’s home to try to find some kind of evidence to prove/disprove Zach’s involvement; finds MOM.
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.) Ryan dupes Zach into meeting him for lunch which is actually an intervention; Zach is utterly betrayed but finally wins Ryan over with his own proof, photos on his cell of their father committing his heinous murders.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate Expression 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?) The brothers go back in time, to the beginning, where they know they can finish the game with their father.
Resolution: (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?) Ryan and Zach finally bring down their nemesis where it all began in 1888; Mary is the Ripper’s last victim, but they find their mother who was banished by Jack 15 years earlier.
REVISED OUTLINE:
CONVENTIONS OF THRILLERS PURPOSE: To thrill your audience with high stakes, plot twists, and suspense that never lets up until the adrenalin packed climax.
LIFE AND DEATH SITUATIONS. They face danger at every step — either physically, emotionally, or mentally. The hero needs to either be in danger or there is the implication of future danger.
MYSTERY/INTRIGUE/SUSPENSE: There’s a mystery that must be solved in order to survive. Intrigue is the underhanded and covert Villain’s plan. Suspense comes from the danger the Hero faces.
HERO: Unknowing, unwitting, but resourceful hero
VILLAIN: Dangerous, devious, and unrelenting. Committed to destroy anyone who gets in their way.
MAIN EMOTIONS: Suspense, intrigue, mystery, tension, anticipation, uncertainty, and surprise.
ACT 1:
· Opening: 17 year old Ryan has killed his father, Jack, who has been forcing his younger brother, 12 year old Zach, to jump through time and aid in their father’s gruesome killing spree. Ryan disposes of the body by driving their father’s truck with his remains into the Bay.
· 18 years later, Ryan is a homicide detective investigating a series of murders, the victims are left staged and mutilated, eerily reminiscent or his past.
· Inciting Incident: On the eve of Zach’s birthday, Ryan, and his partner Mary, find his younger brother covered in blood that is not his and in a catatonic state unable to tell Ryan what has happened. The earring of Ryan’s latest victim is found in Zach’s bathroom.
· Zach, back on his meds, is greeted by Ryan after the episode. Zach tries to convince his skeptical brother that their father is not dead and has returned to seek vengeance on the brothers.
ACT 2:
· New plan: Unable to convince Ryan of their peril, he decides to move forward alone, but when Jack makes contact with Zach, he turns once again to his brother. Ryan believes Zach is on the brink of a breakdown.
· Plan in Action: Zach reboots his father’s “time machine” so he can trip through time after Jack, hoping to stop the killer or gather evidence for his brother to get on board and help stop their psychopathic father.
· Turning point: While inspecting forensic info from the latest crime scene, Mary realizes the missing earring of their victim was found in Zach’s bath; Ryan fears his brother may be their killer. Ryan finds a cryptic message on his windshield “the game is on, this time to the death.”
ACT 3:
· React/Rethink: Ryan has to run interference for Zach to keep Mary from pursuing his brother as a suspect. Zach remains aloof from Ryan as he goes after Jack.
· New Plan: Zach meets his brother in the local pub to present a dossier of the most elusive killers in history, Jack the Ripper, the bartender identifies the witness sketch as a patron who was in the bar earlier looking for the brothers. Ryan breaks into Zach’s place and finds their father’s time machine updated and running!
· Turning point: Ryan dupes Zach into attending an intervention, betraying his already fragile sibling. Zach shows him the photos collected on his “trips” of his father in the act of his murders. Ryan is finally on board.
ACT 4:
· Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: The brother’s formulate a plan to go back in time to 1888, where it all began and intercept their father, but when the opening comes, Ryan is not available and Zach goes without him; Ryan follows.
· Resolution: The brothers are triumphant, not without loss, but in the process they find their mother who Jack had banished into the past 18 years earlier.
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What I learned from this assignment: That I may be able to pull off this drama with internal conflict and how it manifests, without having to worry about external events happening all the time.
Title: “The Road Back”
Concept: Two strangers – a white, homeless, recovering-addict street musician, 26, and a black, retired, bereaved widower, 64 –share a cross country drive just days before Christmas, a holiday they both dread, discovering a path of redemption and renewed purpose along the way.
Genre: DRAMA – Road trip bromance set at Christmas
DRAMA CONVENTIONS:
What do each of the two characters Want/Need?
JOSH: WANT: Appease parole board; make $600 driving Al to Chicago; audition once in Chicago; turn his life around and be a success. NEED: Get away for a few days to gain clarity after the drug overdose of his friends. People to believe in him. And to forgive him.
AL: WANT: To get to Chicago in time for Christmas with sister NEED: to escape lonely holiday at home; be with others; to make a difference somewhere for someone.
What is at stake for each?
JOSH: Must turn life around to redeem himself and overcome his shame. To regress to his drug-using ways is enter a death spiral.
AL: Must not be alone for Christmas wallowing in bereavement and depression, lest he surrender to his suicidal thoughts. He must find new purpose or die.
What gets in their way?
JOSH: His stubborn ego and arrogance. His hidden shame for his past misdeeds.
AL: Josh’s bad attitude and screw ups; Al’s empty bitter shell and unyielding rules;
What emotionally-charged situations occur?
• Josh confesses how his drug addiction damaged relations with his family and former girlfriend.
• Al reveals the details of the recent death of his wife and the death of their son and only child 10 years before.
• Al breaks down when he hears a performer sing what was his wife’s favorite Christmas song.
• Al fires Josh, after Josh’s drunken bender, and drops him off at the nearest airport before having a change of heart and giving him a second chance.
• Josh confronts his past and apologizes to his ex-girlfriend back in his Iowa hometown.
• Al and Josh say goodbye as Al drops Josh off at his mother’s house on Christmas eve.
What is the glue that holds this story together?… the suspense?
• The journey of these two unlikely travel companions seemingly constantly at odds.
• The ticking clock of the approaching Christmas Holiday, which both men are dreading.
• Disassociation and dispair, giving way to friendship, good will, and hope for a better future for both.
What are themes contained herein that the audience will relate to; identify with?
“Prodigal Son” story; Drug addiction recovery; Dealing with, healing from, loss and bereavement; Forgiveness; Being home with family for Christmas.
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3 June Fortunato Genre conventions
What I learned from doing this is: This story is closest to the drama genre. It’s a helpful assignment.
Katie and Ti or Click
Concept: When a narcissistic girl graduates, her parents give her a choice: work for a year with them in Africa building toilets, or take a year long vacation to Mexico. When Katie gets to Mexico, she discovers that her phone is wiped and she cannot reach her parents. She has zero idea of what to do. That’s when Ti makes Katie her next mark.
Genre: Fish out of water. Drama.
Purpose of the genre:
Fish out of water: to explore the world as our character learns to navigate as the people she encounters respond to her <b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Drama: To explore stories with emotional and interpersonal high stakes for the characters.
Character driven journey. Katie has no one to lean on. This is a completely new thing for her.
High stakes come from within. Katie creates her own problems. It’s just that in Mexico, no one will tolerate them-especially when she runs out of money. She has to figure out how to survive.
Emotionally resonates
Here I am not sure the genre fits. While audiences will feel some empathy for Katie, she’s a antihero and a bitch, and the goal is to beat her down until she finally changes. Hopefully, the audience will root for her to make the changes.
Challenging, emotionally charged situations Challenged to the core: When Katie learns that her parents are dead- and realizes that she’s the one who killed them by sabotaging their camper.
Real life situations
Fish out of water – since this is Katie’s perspective- and she’s freaking out, she may not see reality as it really is. Nonetheless, the overall situation can be reality.
Emotions Extreme Anger/retaliation, frustration, doubt, fear, longing, self-indulgence, sparks of friendship, hope and joy.
Antagonist Two faced. Spiteful. Manipulative and slick.
Hero/antihero: An extreme brat who finally is forced to learn how to be an adult.
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Lori Lance’s Genre Conventions
A. Genre: Christmas Drama
B. Title: Hope for Christmas
C. High Concept: A small-town pastor, the man that the town leans on the most, becomes the one it must hold up as he spirals downward in depression when facing the first Christmas without his wife.
D. Main Conflict: grief at Christmas time
Act 1:
Opening – As a jolly Christmas song plays, a grim picture unfolds as a small town prepares for Christmas. Pastor Thomas struggles to write the Christmas Day sermon about hope. This is Thomas’ first Christmas since his wife passed away.
Inciting Incident – Thomas and his assistant John iron out various Christmas activities involving the church. They are interrupted by a disturbing phone call. A member of the church has been killed in a car crash.
Turning Point – A distraught Pastor Thomas believes death has won again. He can’t bring himself to console the grieving family.
Act 2:
New plan – Thomas makes up his mind that he’s not celebrating Christmas this year.
Plan in action – Thomas tears down all of the Christmas decorations his friends helped put up. He wrestles with the tree literally and emotionally as he drags it across the room and shoves it into a closet.
Midpoint Turning Point – Though he doesn’t want Christmas, he goes over the top to brighten one family’s Christmas. He crosses boundaries and leaves the family upset.
Act 3:
Rethink everything – Thomas can’t go on this way.
New plan – Thomas will try to pretend that everything is okay.
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift – Pretending nearly destroys Thomas, and Christmas seems to be falling apart.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict – Thomas gets honest with himself and his friends. He pleads with God. He stays at the altar all night writing his Christmas sermon and is found the next morning asleep there.
Resolution – Hope is restored by Christmas day when Thomas gives a sermon about the hope of Christmas.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by Lori Lance.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by
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Kimberly Jentzen Genre Conventions
It’s getting more defined and the blank spaces are beginning to get filled in. I noticed a weak section and will continue to brainstorm.
Thank you!
Kimberly
1. Tell us the following:
Title: Chasing Dusk
Concept: A fearful baker learns how to summon her courage to face off the notorious bandit Bully Canary with the help of her long lost sister, Dusk
Genre: Action
2. Make a list of the conventions for your chosen genre, like this:
Example for Action:
Purpose: Adrenaline-stirring / fast paced: Must find Dusk to get Bully Canary before he murders another victim
Demand for Action: Bully Canary murders Ella and Dusk’s brother
Mission: To find Bully Canary and bring him to justice
Escalating Action: Reports that he’s the meanest murderer in the West. News spreads like wild fire that no one is safe especially bad cooks. He’s murdered every bad cook West of the Mississippi. Ella takes a job at the Rattlesnake Inn to catch him.
Hero: Ella and Dusk
Antagonist: Bully Canary
1. Give us the following:
Title: Chasing DuskGenre: ActionConcept: A fearful baker learns how to summon her courage to face off the notorious bandit Bully Canary with the help of her long lost sister, Dusk
Main Conflict: Ella’s determined but doesn’t believe she’s as brave as Dusk and needs Dusk to teach her how to fight so she can face off the man who killed their brother.
2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.
Act 1:
Opening: Ella is serving soup at the Theatre. Ella is used as a temporary sandbag for the theatre’s fly system.
Inciting Incident: Theatre fire – Bully Canary kills brother
Turning Point – Grandpa dies, but with just enough time to tell Ella to find Dusk. Ella and Canary have an encounter at the bakery – Bully holds the bakery up for cake and biscuits. Ella gets the biscuit recipe. Bully threatens Ella and kills the baker who made the cake cause it was too dry.
Act 2:
New plan – Ella takes a train, encounters Dusk who warns her of the evils of killing – Dusk was in the Civil War. Dusk goes West with the Wild Bill Hickok show. Then Ella takes a wagon, then a balloon and encounters Dusk who evades her again and Dusk quits the show. Then Ella takes a mule and makes it to the Rattlesnake Inn as…
Plan in action – Dusk happens to be bringing in a dead bad man (who had accidentally shot himself) and Dusk gets assigned bounty hunter. Ella finally gets Dusk to teach her to shoot, throw knives and to use her iron skillet as a weapon.
Midpoint Turning Point – Dusk reveals that she’s never killed anyone
Act 3:
Rethink everything – Ella gets a gig at the Rattlesnake Inn. They will capture him.
New plan – Ella and Dusk purchase rope and determine they’ll take him to the crowbar hotel. Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift — Bully Canary comes and steals Ella’s cakes and goes to rob the bank, both Ella and Dusk catch him, but he escapes. The cakes though are very moist — and now he can’t stop thinking about Ella and her baking.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: Ella is kidnapped to be Canary’s slave cook. Dusk goes after Canary to save her. The town gets involved. Resolution – Together Dusk and Ella take Bully Canary in for good.
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David Becker’s Genre Conventions
What I learned from this assignment is that I have a Drama which has essential romantic elements at its core. But it is primarily a Drama. Hence my characters and their needs, desires and traits must drive the story and people must care about the characters.
Title: The Road to Painted Hills
Genre: Drama
Concept: When an ex-con seeking redemption (Jake) unexpectedly falls in love with the mother of the two twins he killed in tragic drunk-driving accident 20 years before (Jess), he must decide whether or not to tell her the truth.
Main Conflict: Jake must come clean to finally move on from his painful past, but his grave secret threatens to destroy the only love they have ever known.
Drama Conventions:
Genre Purpose: To explore stories with emotional and interpersonal high steaks for their characters.
PURPOSE: To explore stories with emotional and interpersonal high stakes for their characters. It is a character-driven journey that emotionally resonates with real-life situations.
CHARACTER-DRIVEN JOURNEY: We always need to care about the characters in a Drama, and their internal journey drives the film’s events and progression.
HIGH STAKES COME FROM WITHIN: Whether the story’s events are relatively mundane or intense, the struggles, obstacles, and stakes comes from within the characters more than from external pressures.
EMOTIONALLY RESONATES: Drama audiences want to feel and be moved by the characters’ emotions and how they experience the events.
CHALLENGING, EMOTIONALLY-CHARGED SITUATIONS: Characters get challenged to their core by the emotional situations and struggles that they run into.
REAL-LIFE SITUATIONS: Drama stories are grounded in reality.
Act 1:
Opening – Jake Bellamy returns home from a building site to find that his fiancé has left him and taken their dog and their possessions. He opens a bottle of whiskey but eventually pours it down the sink.
Inciting Incident – At a nearby clinic, Jake learns that he finally free of the cancer which has plagued him the last few years. He resigns from his building job and decides to travel back to his home-town of Prineville, nestled beneath the Painted Hills of Oregon to seek redemption from the mother (Jess) of the twin girls he killed in a drink-driving accident twenty years before.
Turning Point – Jake meets Jess but, before he can tell her, her restaurant burns down. Jess asks him to help rebuild it.
Act 2:
New plan – Feeling bad about the fire, Jake agrees to work on the rebuild
Plan in action – Jakes begins work and gets to know Jess
Midpoint Turning Point – Jake tries to tell her; she makes a move on him; they kiss passionately
Act 3:
Rethink everything – Jake is caught in a dilemma as to whether or not to disclose his secret
New plan – he puts off telling Jess as they fall deeper in love
Turning Point – Huge failure / Major shift – Sheriff accuses Jake of theft; he takes a finger-print from Jake and discloses to Jess who Jake actually is.
Act 4:
Dilemma – Jess goes on a bender; trashes the new build; what does she do?
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict – Jake visits her; Jess has fallen off the wagon; they fight; she drives; Jake goes after her; she crashes and ends up in the hospital. Jake is arrested as the Sheriff finds the stolen goods; Jake is released on bail
Resolution – Jake visits Jess in hospital; Jess forgives him; Jake takes a medical; Jake attends trial and pleads not guilty; Jake takes Jess home and nurses her; Jake works on the re-build; TJ’s son confesses to the crime and the charges are dropped against Jake; Jake tells Jess the cancer has returned; Jake finishes the build; they enjoy their final days together as Jake weakens; in the last scene we see Jess at Jake’s graveside in the Painted Hills
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This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by David Becker.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by
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Brian’s Genre Conventions
What I learned doing this assignment is… again, I had these conventions when I wrote this script, so I just had to make sure I was actually following them. Still plenty of room to amp things up.
• Title: HEAD GAMES
• Genre: Supernatural Thriller
• Concept: A reclusive, young psychic is forced to team up with a skeptical detective to stop a killer who is targeting psychics, not knowing that the killer is possessed by an evil spirit who needs the psychic heads to escape the Underworld/Afterlife/Purgatory forever.
CONVENTIONS OF THRILLERS:
· Purpose: Thrilling high stakes, plot twists, suspense, and adrenaline packed climax.
· Life and Death Situations: Danger at every step – physical, emotional, or mentally. Hero in danger or implication of future danger.
· Mystery/Intrigue/Suspense: A mystery must be solved to survive. Intrigue is the underhanded and covert Villain’s plan. Suspense comes from the danger to the Hero.
· Hero: Unknowing, unwitting, but resourceful.
· Villain: Dangerous, devious, and unrelenting. Committed to destroy anyone who gets in their way.
· Main Emotions: Suspense, intrigue, mystery, tension, anticipation, uncertainty, surprise.
UPDATED 4-ACT:
Act 1: Making Contact
• Opening – ANTGONIST – Mystery/Intrigue – KELLER, a loser, drug addict OD’s and appears to die, until SIMON, in a strange place, with some strange equipment, somehow brings him back to life and takes over his body. What? Why? How? HIDDEN – This is step one of Keller’s plan to escape the afterlife – Again, how?
• Opening 2 – PROTAGONIST – JULIA, a recluse, living with her domineering MOM. Julia has some kind of psychic powers and sees a murder committed by Keller. Julia has to do something, but Mom doesn’t want her using her powers or letting anyone know about them (Carrie?). They will lock her up if they know. HIDDEN – Under the surface – Mom is a ghost that haunts/visits psychic Julia (Sixth Sense?).
• Inciting Incident – Julia shares her vision with a TV psychic (STEPHAN). She shows him a boy being kidnapped and murdered by Keller/Simon. Julia’s Mom is pissed. Why? HIDDEN – Mom knows Simon and knows about the murder. Is she trying to protect Julia or get her killed?
Stephan and skeptical, Detective SARA find the dead boy buried in a shallow grave. His head is missing.
• Turning Point 1 – Stephan is murdered by Keller/Simon and his head is taken.
Act 2: Should’ve listened to Mom
• New plan – Julia is freaked out. Lay low. Keep powers hidden. Refuse the call.
• Plan in action – Stay away from the cops, but they come to her. They know she talked to Stephan. Do they think she had something to do with the murder? She knows something.
• Midpoint Turning Point – Julia taken into protective custody against her will, plus REVEAL – MOM is dead — She knows Simon and they both live in the afterlife!! SURPRISE!!
Act 3: Catch the killer and save the kid.
• Rethink everything – Julia is out of her element. She wears earbuds and listens to music to block out everyone’s thoughts. What is revealed to the protagonist from the Midpoint? The killer knows Julia and he is coming for her.
• New plan – Julia comes clean, but nobody believes her. They think she’s crazy. Her Mom has been dead for 10 years.
• Julia proves she’s psychic and sees Sara’s son, BRYCE, being kidnapped (future). – old ways challenged. Police procedure – Sara’s training says she should do it by the book.
• New plan – Julia tries to work with Mom and Sara to catch the killer and save Bryce. With that, they embrace the need to change. What is the plan? Sara tries to get Mom to find out who has the kid. Mom acts like she doesn’t know anything. Gets caught. She won’t give it up.
• Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift – Julia finds out mom has been deceiving her and helping Simon! Simon has promised to get her out as well (but he’s lying). Julia is devastated. Lowest of the lows. Everything has failed.
Act 4: Sacrifice
• Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict – Julia sacrifices herself to save Bryce. She realizes her life has been a waste so she agrees to go with Simon if he let’s Bryce go. Sara pleads there has to be another way, but she lets Julia go. They fight back at the last minute. Mom helps from the other side. She suffocates Simon’s body, so he’s stuck in Keller. Mom takes over Keller’s body to help Sara defeat him.
• Resolution 1 – Simon does escape Purgatory, but he’s now stuck in Keller, in prison.
• Resolution 2 – Julia dies, but she helps Sara solve crimes from the after life.
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Sandra’s Genre Conventions
What I learned doing this assignment is that the opening and some of the turning points were more like the thriller conventions and needed to be changed to fit the drama conventions.
Title: SMUGGLERS JOURNEY
Concept: The adventures of a young sea captain lured into the dangerous world of crude oil smuggling, where he faces a firing squad if captured.
Genre: Drama/Crime
Purpose: To explore stories with emotional and interpersonal high stakes for their characters.
Character-Driven Journey: To care about the characters in a Drama, and their internal journey drives the film’s events and progression.
High Stakes Come From Within: Whether the story’s events are relatively mundane or intense, the struggles, obstacles, and stakes come from within the characters more than from external pressures.
Emotionally Resonates: Drama a audiences want to feel and be moved by the characters’ emotions and how they experience the events.
Challenging, Emotionally Charged Situations: Characters get challenged to their core by the emotional situations and struggles that they run into.
Real-Life Situations: Drama stories are grounded in reality.
Main Conflict: The protagonist (Sloane) is forced to smuggle oil to stay alive.
Act 1
Opening: Sloane watches tv when there’s a sudden knock on the door. Peering out behind the curtain, he sees two policemen.
Inciting Incident: Sloane discovers his ship crew is smuggling oil.
Turning Point: Sloane is beaten up when he attempts to report the smuggling to the authorities.
Act 2
New Plan: Sloane captains a new ship with a different company, and marries his girlfriend.
Plan in Action: Sloane meets Senor Grande (antagonist), a banker, who lures him into smuggling.
Midpoint Turning Point: Police raid Sloane’s house/office.
Act 3
Rethink Everything: Sloane leaves the ship and smuggling. He tries several legitimate jobs that all fail.
New Plan: Senor Grande convinces Sloane to come back and smuggle whiskey.
Turning Point: Huge Failure/ Major Shift: Senor Grande sinks the ship for the insurance money.
Act 4
Climax/Ultimate Expression of the Conflict: Insurance company suspects Sloane. Sloane and Senor Grande fight it out. Sloane gives up his life of crime and enters a residential alcohol treatment program.
Resolution: Clean and sober, Sloane becomes a counselor and works in a prison helping inmates.
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Melanie’s Genre Conventions
What I learned from doing today’s lesson is that the genre conventions of a rom-com are already strongly present in my script but there are always ways to build on them and improve them.
Title: Amy on the Train
Concept: When a visually impaired, mild-mannered librarian in her 50s creates a secret identity as a pole dancer on the NYC subway trains, she finds herself in a a Clark Kent/Lois Lane/Superman-type love triangle with one of her library patrons who falls in love with her alter ego and is determined to learn her true identity.
Genre: Rom-com
Purpose: To have the audience experience falling in love again.
The Journey of Love: Amy is in love with Phil right from the start, but she refuses to ask him out. She says it’s because he has just been through a devastating divorce and isn’t ready for a new relationship, but it’s really because she is afraid of rejection. She gradually works up the courage to show him who she really is and trusts that he will feel the same way about her that she feels about him. Phil starts out as an insecure man whose divorce has decimated his self-confidence. He is incredibly risk-averse and afraid to try something new, even though he yearns for adventure. He gains the courage to step out of his comfort zone and take dance lessons when he falls in love with the Dancing Queen. But he overcomes his fear of heights when he realizes the woman he loves is really Amy and she needs him.
Relationship Set-Up: Amy loves Phil. Phil loves the Dancing Queen. Amy is the Dancing Queen.
Issues: Amy’s fear of rejection keeps her from asking Phil out on a date. It keeps her from revealing her secret identity to him, even though she knows he is in love with her secret identity. Phil lacks any semblance of self-confidence when it comes to romantic relationships. He is extremely risk-averse and afraid of just about everything, but particularly heights.
Separation: Amy is in love with Phil, but she knows he is in love with another woman. She doesn’t know that the other woman is her alter ego, the Dancing Queen. Phil is in love with the Dancing Queen, but he doesn’t realize she is really Amy.
Comedy: A legally blind, 50-something woman awkwardly pole dancing. The avid fans of the Dancing Queen who post videos that go viral. Phil is so afraid of heights that he can’t even climb a step ladder.
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Denise Bryant – Assignment 3 – 4 Act Structure, Rewrite V2-2023
This assignment provided me the opportunity to look for Genre conventions and conflicts within my script. It is a better start for my rewrite.
THE STRUCTURE QUESTIONS
Opening:
Nursing home room early morning. Aide comes into the room and opens the window curtains. She turns around and notices the feet and legs of an African American woman hanging from beneath drawn bed curtains. She pulls back the curtains (photo of woman not shown). Her eyes widened in shock. She runs out.
ACT I
One year later. African American woman, Denise (42) gets into a vehicle in her driveway. An African American male, Lester (52) waves as she drives away. Denise exits from a vehicle with a briefcase. She walks up a courtyard, pauses, and inhales deeply. We see she faces an enormous building that reads Michigan Supreme Court Hall of Justice.
Supra
Denise, age 3, is in bed asleep while her mother Elisabeth is fatally wounded by her drunken gun toting husband, Edward. After Elisabeth’s burial services, Denise solemnly and fearfully looks at her dad from the back window of a vehicle driven from the site by her aunt Catherine. Is this an engaging opening scene that lures us into the story? Yes. It creates curiosity.
Is the lead character clearly living in a pre-transformation mode? Yes.
Inciting Incident: Years after Denise and Catherine bond, Edward takes Denise to live with him. Denise suffers abuse by Edward up through her late teen with threats to never tell. Denise maintains a close relationship with Catherine but remains silent about her abuse.
Turning Point: Married with children, Denise wants to provide care for Catherine in her home but faces opposition from her husband Lester. She is forced to seek an alternative that puts her employment and marriage in jeopardy.
Act 2:
New Plan: Denise seeks alternatives other than nursing homes to care for Catherine.
Plan in action: How does the protagonist take action on that plan?
Denise moves Catherine into a nearby house to care for her.
Midpoint Turning Point: How does the Midpoint change the meaning, creating a reveal that changes everything while keeping us on the same journey?
Funds dwindle after Denise quits her job to care for Catherine. Denise is forced to place Catherine into a nearby nursing home. She promises Catherine if any harm occurs, she will take on the world. Within months, and after Denise complained about inadequate care, Catherine was taken to a hospital non-responsive. The hospital will not provide Denise with any information. Denise goes to the nursing home for answers, but no one will meet with her. She learns later that Catherine was found hanging from her bedside rail.
Act 3:
React/Rethink: What is revealed to the protagonist from the Midpoint?
Catherine is dead and no one is saying how it happened.
How do they react or rethink things?
Denise does not want Catherine’s death to be swept under the rug. She reminds herself of the promise she made to Catherine to take on the world if harm comes to her while in the nursing home. Denise reports Catherine’s death to the state’s human services department. The department makes it difficult for Denise to report Catherine’s death by not taking her report over the telephone. The state department failed to timely act upon her complaint and when it did, it conducted a so called “drive by investigation” and claimed the nursing home was not at fault.
New Plan: What new plan did the protagonist create to deal with this new level of conflict?
Denise contacted the local media, local advocates, state politicians, testified before the House of Representatives, and solicited registered voters’ input to expose the state department’s negligence and coverup in skilled nursing home care complaints.
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.
The state human services department refuses to fill needed inspector vacancies to timely act upon complaints, her civil claim of negligence against the nursing home is ruled in favor of the facility, her complaint form is slowly acted upon, she and Lester goes through divorce proceedings, critical autopsy photos become missing.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate Expression Of The Conflict: Denise testifies before a special Senate hearing in Washington, speaks before a national consumer group in Washington, mails petitions signed by registered voters from each state to their senators to implement her complaint form. Nursing home residents, caregivers, physicians, AARP, and unions joined the fight. She appealed her case against the nursing home to the Supreme Court.
How is this the ultimate expression of the conflict? She took her fight to the American public making it more difficult for the state to oppose her.
How does it require a “fight to the death,” either literally or symbolically? She was willing to risk everything, even her marriage, job, civil case, and public reputation of defeat.
Resolution: How does this resolution represent the transformation that has taken place and bring this story to a fitting conclusion?
Denise finally becomes the advocate she was always meant to be. She goes from a defenseless person to one who defends the defenseless. She and Lester reunite. The Supreme Court rules in her favor. The nursing home is cited as non-compliant on three federal regulations regarding Catherine’s death. The state’s human services department is forced to acknowledge defeat and gets a mark against the perfect record they tried to falsely maintain. Denise’s standardized complaint form idea becomes Public Policy in Michigan, and in the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Denise has fulfilled her promise to Catherine that benefits nursing home residents throughout all America.
How does the change show up in your lead character’s behavior? She did not speak up about her own abuse but was tenacious to speak up about Catherine’s and others without fear.
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Pro Rewrite class Lesson #3 Genre to Structure
Connie’s Genre Conventions
What I learned from this assignment is…that even if aspects of the genre conventions are in place in the script, more or stronger ones can be added.
Title: Love Dance
Concept: A dance-obsessed divorcee craves love but has given up on it until her polar opposite cowboy with a bizarre occupation shows up as her new dance partner.
Genre: Rom-Com
Purpose: To have the audience experience falling in love again & laugh.
The Journey of Love: Buck and Daisy try to deny the intense attraction they have for one another but do succumb and have great sex but adding more weirdness to Buck’s leaving without a word would add more tension. Maybe he feels like being with Daisy is a betrayal to his dead wife or that he doesn’t deserve to be happy. Maybe Daisy is angrier about his abrupt departure and gives him a piece of her mind… “That was an enormous mistake and can never happen again nor be spoken of! Understood?”
Relationship Set-up: Daisy and Buck have an instant disdain for one another which could be ramped up even more. Frank could mention Daisy’s negative traits: bossy, controlling, etc, when Buck comes to see him and passes Daisy in the hallway. Buck could reply to Frank’s comments with a line, “Bossy women are such a downer.” Also add, Buck turning to look at Daisy with interesta s part of the “cute-meet” & he could be dressed in slightly western biz attire. Then Daisy says to PT, “I hate all things western, especially cowboys!”
Issues: Buck carries heavy guilt having been the driver of the car when his wife was killed in the crash. What if he had a couple of drinks or smoked a joint that no one knew about before he took the wheel?
Separation: Daisy felt betrayed and used by Buck and her dad forming a business deal about her dance partner and keeping it a secret. She totally loses it when Buck fails to show for the final competition. What could create an even bigger divide between them? Maybe PT or Randall could play a bigger role in keeping them apart.
Comedy: Daisy’s ardent ex, Randall is a goofy character that could be expanded. Her sister PT is another one that could be funnier in her negativity about love and dating. In the final scene, Daisy grabs Buck cowboy hat and grinning, puts it on her head as they dance. He could say, “My beautiful bossy baby,Gemme back my hat.
Love Dance
ACT 1
INT. DAISY’S LIVING ROOM – DAY – Opening
As Daisy watches a dance contest on tv and dances with her dog, her stalker ex-husband startles her through the window disguised as a gardener.Add: more interest like she talks to him, “Mommy’s gonna win the big dance contest. You just wait and see!
INT. DAISY’S OFFICE – DAY –Inciting Incident
On the phone, Daisy laments about her non-existent love life to her BFF, Luci when her ex, Randall interrupts with a visit. ADD: Daisy’s dance partner calls to tell her he’s been promoted and transferred to MN. and can’t compete with her any more.
INT. FRANK’S APARTMENT – DAY – Tuning Point
Buck asks Frank about his new “equipment”. Frank offers Buck as a business deal: Frank buys “equipment” for every man in the community who wants one in exchange for Buck becoming Daisy’s new competition dance partner for nationals. The men are interrupted by one of Frank’ s many ladies delivering a casserole.
ACT 2
INT. SMALL PRIVATE PRACTICE ROOM – DAY – New Plan
Buck enters the practice room as the only remaining dance partner. He and Daisy are polar opposites, yet there is electricity.
EXT. EASTSIDE DANCE ACADEMY PARKING LOT–DAY – PLAN IN ACTION
Outside the academy, Daisy bosses Buck, pelting him with instructions and he wonders what the heck he’s gotten himself into.
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INT. EMBERS GAY BAR – NIGHT – Midpoint TURNING POINT
The guys and Steph move on to a gay bar. Drunken Frank reveals his special deal with Buck to Randall of all people!
.
ACT 3
EXT. DOWNTOWN PORTLAND – DAY – REACT/RETHINK
Luci and Daisy window shop and discuss Daisy’s concerns about her job and what happened with Buck.
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INT. VAN – DAY – NEW PLAN
Daisy’s fuming and gives everyone orders as to their tasks when they return to Portland far later than expected, possibly missing their flights. Everyone is deathly quiet and a little scared of her.
INT. DAISY’S LIVING ROOM – NIGHT – TURNING POINT
Randall arrives to find Daisy’s normally tidy condo in shambles with empty wine bottles, crap and dirty clothes everywhere. He answers her cell promising to deliver a message but writes nothing down. Luci arrives questioning what he’s doing there. He replies delivering soup to the depressed Daisy. Add PT comes to check on her sis and offers take Buck out or at least beat him up for abandoning her. Luci shoos him away and orders disheveled Daisy to go upstairs and shower as they are going out. Then a young woman arrives, Vicki Wachowski, a friend of Buck’s.
INT. DAISY’S BATHROOM – DAY
Daisy talks to herself in a steamy mirror asking what’s the remedy for a fractured heart.
ACT 4
INT. DAISY’S LIVING ROOM – DAY Luci gets to know Vicki. Daisy joins them. Vicki is Buck’s friend who sings his praises, sharing that he stepped in to help her family when her dad, Buck’s best bud died. Vicki reveals that he was seriously injured at the motorcycle rally and felt so guilty about missing the “dance thingie”. She says he’s been super sad. They were afraid he’d start drinking again like after Annie, his wife died and he blamed himself for her death. She says he’s obsessed with Daisy and asks her to call him.
INT. LIBRARY LOBBY – CHRISTMAS TIME – NIGHT
Everyone is at the huge Christmas party at the library. Buck moves Daisy under the hanging mistletoe, gives her a big kiss and an envelope which contains two airline tickets to Paris. Then he dances her to a shadowy corner, goes to one knee and proposes. She screams yes and more kisses. Frank’s favorite holiday song, white Christmas plays.
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Denise Bryant – Assignment 3 – 4 Act Structure, Rewrite V2-2023
This assignment provided me the opportunity to look for Genre conventions and conflicts within my script. It is a better start for my rewrite.
THE STRUCTURE QUESTIONS
Opening:
Nursing home room early morning. The room is cozy and warmly decorated with personal items. A framed photo of an African American female (CATHERINE, 66) and African American female (DENISE, 42) sits on the bedside table. An AIDE comes into the room and opens the window curtains. She turns around and notices the feet and legs of an African American woman hanging from beneath the drawn bed curtains. She pulls back the curtains (photo of woman not shown). Her eyes widened in shock. She runs out.
Is this an engaging opening scene that lures us into the story? Yes.
ACT I
Supra
A young Denise, age 3, is in bed asleep while her mother ELISABETH (28) is fatally wounded by her drunken gun toting husband, EDWARD (26). Elisabeth’s outdoor burial services are shown with a few attendees. Denise solemnly and tearfully looks at her dad from the back window of a vehicle driven from the site by her aunt Catherine.
Is the lead character clearly living in a pre-transformation mode? Yes.
Inciting Incident: Catherine is discovered hanging from her bedside rail and is later pronounced dead.
Turning Point: Married with children, Denise wants to provide care for Catherine in her home but faces opposition from her husband Lester who wants Denise to place Catherine into a nursing home instead. She is forced to seek an alternative that puts her employment and marriage in jeopardy.
Act 2:
New Plan: Denise seeks alternatives other than nursing homes to care for Catherine.
Plan in action: How does the protagonist take action on that plan?
Denise moves Catherine into a nearby house to care for her.
Midpoint Turning Point: How does the Midpoint change the meaning, creating a reveal that changes everything while keeping us on the same journey?
Funds dwindle after Denise quits her job to care for Catherine. Denise is forced to place Catherine into a nearby nursing home. She promises Catherine if any harm occurs, she will take on the world. Within months, and after Denise complained about inadequate care, Catherine was taken to a hospital non-responsive. The hospital will not provide Denise with any information. Denise goes to the nursing home for answers, but no one will meet with her. She learns later that Catherine was found hanging from her bedside rail.
Act 3:
React/Rethink: What is revealed to the protagonist from the Midpoint?
Catherine is dead and no one is saying how it happened. Coverups discovered.
How do they react or rethink things?
Denise does not want Catherine’s death to be swept under the rug. She reminds herself of the promise she made to Catherine to take on the world if harm comes to her while in the nursing home. Denise reports Catherine’s death to the state’s human services department. The department makes it difficult for Denise to report Catherine’s death by not taking her report over the telephone. The state department failed to timely act upon her complaint and when it did, it conducted a “drive by investigation” named by Denise, and it claimed the nursing home was not at fault. Further, if Denise wants to appeal their findings, the state department was the route in which to do so.
New Plan: What new plan did the protagonist create to deal with this new level of conflict?
Denise refused to appeal to the state department and instead filed her appeal with the federal oversight agency. Denise also contacted the local media, local advocates, state politicians, testified before the House of Representatives, and solicited registered voters’ input to expose the state department’s negligence and coverup in skilled nursing home care complaints.
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.
The state human services department refuses to fill needed inspector vacancies to timely act upon complaints, her civil claim of negligence against the nursing home is ruled in favor of the facility, her complaint form is slowly acted upon, she and Lester goes through divorce proceedings, critical autopsy photos become missing and coverups take place.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate Expression Of The Conflict: Denise testifies before a special Senate hearing in Washington, speaks before a national consumer group in Washington, mails petitions signed by registered voters from each state to their senators to implement her complaint form. Nursing home residents, caregivers, physicians, AARP, and unions join the fight. She appeals her case of negligence against the nursing home to the Supreme Court.
How is this the ultimate expression of the conflict? Denise takes her fight to the American public weakening the state departments “status quo” of operating that jeopardizes skilled nursing home residents.
How does it require a “fight to the death,” either literally or symbolically? She is risking her marriage, livelihood, and public reputation of defeat to keep her promise to Catherine.
Resolution: How does this resolution represent the transformation that has taken place and bring this story to a fitting conclusion?
Denise finally becomes the advocate she was always meant to be. She goes from a defenseless person to one who defends the defenseless. She and Lester reunite. The Supreme Court rules in her favor. The nursing home is cited as non-compliant on several federal regulations regarding Catherine’s care. The state’s human services department is forced to acknowledge defeat and gets a mark against the perfect record they tried to falsely maintain. Denise’s standardized complaint form idea becomes Public Policy in Michigan, and in the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Denise has fulfilled her promise to Catherine that benefits nursing home residents throughout all America.
How does the change show up in your lead character’s behavior? She did not speak up about her own abuse but was tenacious to speak up about Catherine’s and others without fear.
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What I learned doing this assignment:
Start with the idea, then improve it bit by bit.
Title: Friendly fire
Concept: When a businessman offers Lilianna a big deal, her business and her world suddenly is under fire, confronting her with her trauma and forcing her to find the truth about her friend, her fiancé and her memory about the fire that killed her first love.
Genre: Thriller
Genre Conventions
Purpose: To thrill your audience with high stakes, plot twists and suspense that never lets up until the adrenalin packed climax.
Lilianna is in danber of losing business, friend, fiancé and her life.
Life and death situations: They face danger at every step – either physically, emotionally or mentally. The hero needs to eigher be in danger or there is the implications of future danger.
Mystery, Intrigue, Suspense: There’s a mystery that must be solved in order to survive. Intrigue is the underhanded and covert Villains’s plan. Suspense comes from the danger the Hero faces.
Who is the businessman, has he anything to do with the incidents?
Hero: Unknowing, unwitting, but resourceful hero.
Lilianna, she has this trauma, but she is full of ideas for creating events.
Villain: Dangerous, devious and unrelenting. Committed to destroy anyone who gets in their way.
It’s Kim and Alex, they have an affair, want to get good money and then disappear, leaving Lilianna behind, having lost her money, her reputation, her business.
Main emotions: Suspense, Intrigue, Mystery, Tension, Anticipation, Uncertainty and Surprise.
Act 1
Opening: Tobias stands in front of the windows of his hotel room. He’s fully dressed and looks at the rising sun over the rooftops of Nuremberg. The alarm clock of his cellphone rings. He looks at it for a few seconds, then switches it off. He takes a photo of Lilianna and burns it in the ashtray. “It’s time” he says and leaves.
Ordinary world: Lilianna’s fiancé Alex and her best friend Kim are rushing through the Meistersingerhalle (place for concerts) where a whole lot of people are running to and fro, busy getting everything ready in time. Right in the middle of it: Lilianna. She seems kinda weathering the storm. It’s only when Kim and Alex arrive that she is getting a little upset. Will they be on time? (Introduction of characters).
Tobias shows up, talking to Lilianna about a project. Tobias tells Lilianna that he wants his event to be with fire. Lilianna is tempted to turn him down.
Inciting Incident: Suddenly a loud noise and a flame. Lilianna gets afraid, panics. Alex takes her in his arms, calms her down (we learn about her fear).
Turning Point 1: Because of the fire, she loses the current project, Lilianna has to accept Tobias’ offer.
Act 2
New Plan: Lilianna hands the project to Kim & Alex, while she is fighting with her fear & tries to get rid of this fear, we learn that her first love died in a fire.
Plan in Action: Tobias plays with Kim & Alex who do their best to give him what he wants, trying to find out as much as possible about them. Something’s strange. Kim and Alex know that they need the project, they need the money. Lilianna is stuck.
Midpoint: Lilianna finds out that Tobias is her first love. It was his cousin who died in the fire. He tried to save him but failed. Now he wants to find out who caused the fire that killed his cousin.
Alex gets kidnapped.
Act 3
Rethink: Alex is usually the one who organizes the projects, but now that he is out of reach, Kim and Lilianna think that Tobias did that. Lilianna insists that the fire was not her fault, but still there are some incongruencies. He is not convinced. And Lilianna believes that he wants to punish her.
New Plan: How find out the truth? While Kim and Alex try to find out what’s going on and how to continue their own plan of destroying Lilianna. She and Kim want to proove that he is the kidnapper.
Turning Point 2: Kim wants to investigate and disappears. Lilianna wants to find out about it all, but is all alone. She does not trust Tobias anymore, and Kim and Alex are not there to help her. While she is trying to find a clue to how to go on, somebody tries to kill her.
Act 4
Climax: Lilianna finds out that Kim and Alex are together & trying to ruin her business by stealing the money of the business and putting the blame for this on her. Now that Lilianna found out, they laid out a trap for her to lill her through fire, knowing that this will paralyse her.
Resolution: While Alex gets injured in the fire, and finds out that Kim does not actually love him, but she used him. Kim also admits that she has set the house on fire to get rid of her, the rival, that’s how she sees Lilianna, for she wanted Tobias for herself. She is jealous of Lilianna’s creativity, of Tobias wanting her and her being liked by “everybody”. This shows that the fire is not Lilianna’s fault but Kim has set this fire. Tobias and Lilianna can love each other again.
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