Lesson 5

[Ron Johnson]

Concept: After Eddie kills a drug dealer in self defense, a dirty cop forces Eddie to take the drug dealers place. Eddie pulls on a thread that reveals corruption at the highest levels.

What I learned doing this assignment is filling in the blanks was relatively easy, but I also know I can make the structure stronger and will be willing to make improvements as I move ahead.

Main Conflict: How can Eddie break free of the dirty cop.

Old Ways: Avoids responsibility, no self confidence, sticks to the shadows

New Ways: Seeks solutions, fights for his beliefs, growing situational awareness

Act 1

Opening: Eddie turns down a promotion at work

Inciting Incident: Spills an 8 ball of cocaine at a party that wasn’t his.

Turning point: A Dirty Cop forces Eddie into the drug business.

Act 2:

New Plan: Eddie struggles in the drug world.

Plan in Action: Eddie understands the Cop has done this to many people.

Mid Point Turning Point: Eddie needs to fight back. If he doesn’t he will going to prison or end up dead.

Act 3

Rethink Everything: Friend dies from fentanyl overdose

New Plan: Eddie needs to contact law enforcement outside the state, federal level.

Turning Point, Huge Failure, Major Shift: Feds already know who he is.

Act 4

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: Eddie springs his plan to show law enforcement coercion and other crimes.

Resolution: the dirty cop is removed, Eddie is off the hook, but the institutions continue on under the guise of national security.

[Tony Scott]

Tony J. Scott 4 Act Transitional Structure

I learned that stories are not thought out in dreams and inspirations. Stories are created through order, formula and structure .

· HIGH CONCEPT: A young black woman must time travel to kill her pure blood vampire ancestor before someone else does or she’ll spend the rest of her life as a vampire, changing history forever.

· MAIN CONFLICT: Najah must kill her elderly vampire ancestor before the vampire hunters kill him or live her life as a vampire in the future.

Old Ways: self hatred, out spoken, sickly, hates her heritage, disobedient, hates the world she lives in.

New Ways: Loves herself, proud, victorious leader, the one to lead the world to peace, proud of her heritage.

ACT 1:

Opening: It’s Najah’s 21^st birthday party and transformation celebration. The whole family is present as well as higher up vampires from various dynasties for her official vampire transformation ceremony. However after a memory is triggered about how human donors are treated, she refuses go through with the transformation. She doesn’t want to become a vampire.

Inciting Incident: Najah meets with her history professor and discovers a way to end the curse for her. She is caught trying to permanently end the life of her ancestor who is currently lying in a sleep state in the family mausoleum until a time pre-determined.

Turning Point: Najah is given a gift that causes her to time travel.

ACT 2:

New Plan: Najah discovers the location of her vampire patriarchal ancestor in the year 1863 and plans to time travel to kill him on the plantation where he is a slave. Her ancestor has to die by her hands, a blood relative, to break the curse.

Plan in Action: To find out who her ancestor is and kill him, Najah has to fit in with the slaves on the plantation deceiving the slaves and the slave masters.

Midpoint Turning point: Najah discovers that the kindest person on the plantation, the one elder she is most fond of is her ancestor that she has to kill.

ACT 3:

Rethink Everything: Najah is called back to the present/future and researches more about the time period and discovers it is the era of the emancipation proclamation and that her great ancestor plays a major role. She’s concerned about reshaping history.

New Plan: Najah realizes that it is her great elder who is calling her back to the past for a reason, to fulfill a prophecy in the future. “From future’s past will peace come.”

Turning Point: Vampire Hunters arrive at the plantation operating as Emancipation Proclamators who go from one plantation to another spreading the news of freedom but also killing vampires along the way.

ACT 4:

Climax: Najah has to kill her ancestor before Cpt. Stanley can or she will live her life as a vampire in the present. She has to save her ancestor’s life by killing the soldiers.

Resolution: After the soldiers are all dead, Najah can’t bring herself to kill her ancestor. She embraces who she is and falls in love with her history and family heritage. She returns to the present and leads the Vatican/Vampire peace accord. She searches the history books to now discover that the freedom news did not reach the slaves in Texas for another two years because she killed the emancipation proclamators before they could reach Texas delaying freedom for over 250000 slaves.

[Claudia OBrien]

Subject line: Claudia’s 4 Act Transformational Structure

My vision: To become the best screenwriter I can be, and to find success in the industry.

What I learned from doing this assignment is: this was a really hard assignment, but an important one. I wish I had done this up front with my other screenplays.

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Concept: A nurse in
the WWII Women’s Army Corps battles racism, sexism and incompetence as she
tries to save the life of a badly injured Tuskegee airman.
<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Main Conflict: Grace loves
Booker, but interracial relationships are taboo. Ann loves Grace, but lesbian
relationships are also taboo.
<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Old Ways:

o Blindly obedient to others (parents, the Church, men)

o Assumes others know more than her

o Afraid to “rock the boat”

o Deeply concerned about how others view her

New Ways:

o Will fight for what is right

o Trusts her own judgment

o Courageous

o Willing to defy societal norms – in love, friendship and the role of women

Act 1:

Opening: Grace receives the blessing of her priest and her father
as she reports for duty as an Army nurse. She meets Ann, an independent
and outspoken woman who is completely different from Grace – but she is
nonetheless drawn to Ann. <div>

Inciting Incident: Grace meets Booker, a Tuskegee airman. She
is immediately drawn to him – and also notices how others treat him. She
and Ann share their frustration that although they are officers and pay
dues to the Officer’s Club, they are not allowed in without a male escort.
Needless to say, Booker is not allowed in the Club.

Turning Point: Grace follows the directions of a doctor even
though she thinks his diagnosis is wrong – and her patient dies because of
incorrect treatment.

Act 2:

New plan: Ann convinces Grace to begin pushing back. They
decide to go to the Officer’s Club together. Not only are they kicked out
of the Officer’s Club, their commanding officer sends them to a psychiatrist
for questioning the rule that they must be escorted by a man even though
they pay dues. Grace is mortified. Ann is angry. </div><div>

Plan in action: Grace is falling in love with Booker, even
though he holds her at arms’ length. She writes to her parents about
Booker and confesses to her sister that she is falling in love. Her
parents respond forbidding her from any kind of relationship with “a man
like that.”

Midpoint Turning Point: Booker, through incredible piloting
while simultaneously shooting down enemy aircraft, saves a pilot’s life. On
their return to base, the pilot refuses even to acknowledge Booker or his
heroism – as do the other pilots and officers at the base.

Act 3:

Rethink everything: Ann asks Grace, “What makes you think they –
your parents, the priest, the doctors, the commanding officers – know more
than you?”</div><div>

New plan: Ann and Grace start to get subversive. They pilfer medical
supplies so that the wounded Black soldiers can be treated medically as well
as the White soldiers. And when they think the doctors are incorrect in
their diagnoses or treatment recommendations, Grace and Ann do what they
think is right, not what they are told. Recovery rates in their ward begin
to soar.

Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift: Grace confesses her
love to Booker, but he rejects her. He says there is no way a man like him
and a woman like her could ever be together in the world as it exists today.
She asks, “But isn’t that what we are fighting for?” He is resolute. Ann’s
monologue about nobody having the right to dictate who you love.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: Booker is badly
injured in an air battle. As Grace is treating his wounds, the Germans
mount a counterattack and the forward hospital is under siege. Everyone is
ordered to leave, with as many patients as they can take. But Grace
refuses to leave Booker, who is too injured to move. </div>

Resolution: Grace’s heroism saves herself and Booker. He admits
his love for her and agrees that they should try to find a place in
America where they can be together.

[Maureen Tilyou]

Maureen’s 4 Act
Transformational Structure

MY
VISION: By nurturing fun and curiosity in the writing process,
I will do my very best to create a successful writing career full of
love, full of awe, full of productivity, and full of joy!

What
I learned doing this assignment is with the right stimulus and
guidance, ideas come together so much more quickly. Putting together
a Structure plan usually takes me several weeks, and is much more
basic and plot focused. This transformation method is so much more
satisfying because you are under the protagonist’s skin the whole
way.

Concept:
A
psychologically damaged genius invents a new mode of hacking and
stumbles upon a plot to trick the
nations of the world into giving up their sovereignty.

Main
Conflict: Brilliant but Psychologically
damaged hacker vrs Ubiquitous Global Coalition of conspirators
controlling most AI.

Old
Ways

Fearful/Paranoid

Scattered
Thinking

Morally confused

Dependence on
Anti-Anxiety Drugs

Hiding out/
Escaping

New Ways

Determined

Confident

Mind open to
brilliant targeted thinking

Off the drugs

Brave
and unbending for his cause

Act 1:

Opening:
Establish
Daniel in impenetrable ‘Safe Cave’ Bunker. No contact w outside
world. Covid precautions gone overboard.
Paranoia & confusion. Takes Anxiety pills. Finds escape and
amusement in unique AI/VR world he created a new transformational
code for, which allows him to spy on people.

Inciting
Incident: While spying on a VR Conspiracy Space called
‘Reboot’, Daniel witnesses the murder of a member threatening to
blow the whistle on their plan.

Turning
Point:
“Reboot’ locks onto Daniel’s physical position. Daniel sees they
have found him. He has to leave his Bunker. Out of a pure survival
instinct, he wills his ‘hesitancy impulse’ to stand down, grabs his
most important gear, and escapes.

Act 2:

New plan: Find
another safe space and stay alive.

Plan in action:
Not only on the run, but also tortured with anxiety and disoriented
after leaving his bunker for the first time in 4 years, Daniel
struggles to cope, going back to his old haunts to find a safe space
to be while he figures out what the hell is going on and what to do
about it.

Midpoint Turning
Point: Daniel goes to FBI Headquarters to tell them about Reboot.
While there he sees the Reboot Goons who were after him. They are
FBI agents! Daniel manages to sneak out, but not before they spot
him.

Act 3:

Rethink everything:
After an FBI pursuit, where he just makes it to safety, Daniel has
to come to terms with the fact that this conspiracy is much bigger
than he thought- and he is in even greater danger. He needs to
clean up his act for real now, if he wants to survive.

New plan: Daniel
seeks the help of the only person he trusts- his old Physics
Professor, Gideon. Before he can approach Gideon, he has to come to
terms with and apologize for a past betrayal of his professor.
Daniel confronts his feelings and apologizes to Gideon. Daniel
tells Gideon everything, and they make a plan to use a very special
Science and Computer Center where his Gideon’s wife has her lab, and
have the people there help them expose Reboot.

Turning Point: Huge
failure / Major shift: Daniel experiences a Major Betrayal that
threatens the goal. Not sure who betrays him yet, but they talk a
dejected Daniel into joining Reboot, and letting them use his Code.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate
expression of the conflict. The stage is set for Nations to vote on
giving sovereignty to a new World Body. The people of the world are
at odds, Nations debate, but Reboot is confident of the outcome.
Their plans are more likely than ever to succeed now because
Daniel is working with them, and they are using Daniel’s Code.
Daniel watches the Heads of State gathering, then leaves the data
center, his work done.

Resolution: The
vote takes place– but the resolution doesn’t pass. Daniel embedded
code into the Reboot platform that rendered it useless. He also
planted a whistle-blower code set to go to every newsroom on the
planet and expose the Reboot Plot and everyone who was a part of
it– from within their own framework. On a street somewhere,
Daniel sees the news. Confident and unafraid, proud of what he
accomplished, he walks away and into a new life.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 9 months ago by  Maureen Tilyou. Reason: Unwanted font characters

[Mahee Sanapareddy]

Wow! Brilliant.

[Maureen Tilyou]

Thank you so much, Mahee! Looking forward to reading yours 🙂

[Mahee Sanapareddy]

Mahee’s 4 Act Transformational Structure

My Vision – I want to be a great writer who is well-respected and recognized in the industry, with successful books published and blockbuster movies produced. I want to create a successful movie franchise that audiences all over the world will love, rave about, look forward to, and continue to enjoy many years from now.

What I learned from doing this assignment is to craft a four act structure for my story to take the audience on a roller-coaster ride beginning with the inciting incident followed by turning points, leading to the climax and resolution.

Concept: When a prominent black historian studying an ancient tribe is brutally murdered, his son must embark on an interdimensional journey to find the assassin.

Main Conflict: An evil extraterrestrial warlord sends his assassins to kill Professor Campbell for spreading the ultimate truth. To seek revenge, Trevon takes the help of Sean, an interdimensional traveler, to embark on a journey in pursuit of the assassins. When he arrives in the alien world, he is shocked to learn that his interdimensional journey was pre-planned by a race of beings with a purpose – to help them win a long-standing war.

Trevon Campbell’s Old Ways:

He is a high-strung, confused, agitated youngster who blindly follows a crooked politician, Reverend Duvernay.

Disagrees with his father’s old school philosophy.

Lacks self-confidence and is susceptible to be influenced by hegemonic people.

Possesses a herd-mentality.

Trevon Campbell’s New Ways:

He is the last hurdle standing between Reverend Duvernay and the congressional seat.

Embraces his father’s philosophy and takes over the task of fulfilling his ambition.

Is knowledgeable and confident, willing to fight for a greater purpose.

Able to think individually with a neutral mindset.

Act 1:

Opening: In a large conference room of historians, scientists, and well-known dignitaries, Professor Cedric Campbell, a prominent black historian, displays a hominin fossil specimen and defends a disputed theory that ancient African tribes had several contacts with an alien race, leading to the notion that the black race quite possibly has its roots in the cosmos. He emphasizes that thirst for knowledge and peace is a vital thing for the black race on Earth to flourish and discover this ultimate truth. However, his nemesis, Reverend Duvernay, voices his disapproval stating that nothing could be further from the truth and peace is an outdated concept. The conference is cut short when the professor’s son Trevon and a mob of angry protesters barge in and begin to destroy everything. In that process, father and son lock eyes with each other, shocked to find themselves on the opposite sides of the commotion.

Inciting Incident: Trevon watches, utterly deadpan, as his idol Reverend Duvernay derides his father that his days of old-school thinking are numbered and a new insurrection has just begun.

Turning Point: Two nights later, Professor Campbell is brutally murdered in his own home.

Act 2:

New Plan: Trevon suspects the hand of Reverend Duvernay in his father’s death. He loses respect for the man and tries everything he could to discredit him. But the cops don’t buy his accusations. So, he devises a plan to trap the Reverend in his own web of lies, deceit, and corrupt practices.

Plan in Action: He organizes his mob friends to stalk the Reverend, eavesdrop on his conversations, and collect every single bit of evidence. But all his attempts to link the Reverend to his father’s murder prove futile. The only piece of the puzzle he stumbles upon is that a homeless man was somehow in his father’s home the night of the murder and he left a cryptic message on the wall before escaping.

Midpoint Turning Point: Further investigation of the identity of the homeless man reveals that he actually belongs to an army of extraterrestrial assassins who have come from a distant alien world to fuel chaos and hatred and help evil and corruption thrive by terminating anyone who opposes it. Worse, Trevon is warned that he may be next on their termination list.

Act 3:

Rethink Everything: Trevon pores over his father’s research work in a desperate attempt to find any hidden clues linking him to the assassin. He uncovers several references and historical links to a certain Planet X located in Sirius star system. He seeks the help of Sean Madden, an interdimensional traveler, who is a little skeptical of the mission due to a foretold prophecy of doom. He manages to convince Sean and they prepare for their daunting mission. Unfortunately, due to the vagaries of the technological limitations, they realize they only have forty-eight Earth-hours to complete their mission or risk getting permanently lost in time.

New Plan: Taking a huge leap of faith, Trevon and Sean embark on an interdimensional journey to Planet X.

Turning Point – Major Shift: When they arrive, Trevon is shocked to come in contact with an almost extinct extraterrestrial race of twelve-foot-tall black humans, including gigantic versions of his own self, TALIYA, and his father, FALLAG. The final piece of the puzzle fits when he realizes his extraterrestrial alter ego TALIYA has been fighting for 1ONTAE, an evil and powerful warlord, who ruled with an iron fist. 1ONTAE has held FALLAG and his followers captive in underground caverns connected by a subterranean river.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: Trevon must find a way to entice TALIYA, away from 1ONTAE and help him defeat the evil warlord to restore order back in his own world. And time is not on his side.

Resolution: A bloody revolution ensues. Trevon helps TALIYA kill 1ONTAE and release FALLAG and all the citizens held captive. Under the watch of Trevon, TALIYA installs his father FALLAG as the emperor and himself as the protector of the alien world. As seconds begin to countdown, Trevon and Sean embark on their return journey to Earth.

Trevon returns a completely changed person. He now realizes he must fight for a greater purpose. To fulfill his father’s ambition and enlighten his fellow brothers and sisters of the ultimate truth – that their journey began in the stars. And his fight begins with competing against Reverend Duvernay in the congressional elections.

As for Sean, well the prophecy gets the best of him. One cannot change a foretold prophecy. One can only embrace it. His return journey encounters a glitch, he loses his way, and ends up trapped in a forbidden world.

[Will Jennings]

Will Jennings: 4-Act Transformational Structure

My Vision: I will write movies that are extremely funny and entertaining that bring a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment to a world starving for true enjoyment.

What I learned from doing this assignment is it is amazing to see the entire picture in four short paragraphs.

Concept Two young princesses come from a Fairy Tale World to try and make Earth a better place. Whatever they envision on their cell phones and tablets, comes to life.

Main Conflict The leader of the cool kids’ clique is threatened by two new classmates and attempts to ridicule and disgrace them. To succeed in their mission, the girls challenge the leader at every turn.

Old Ways: Sniffling and cowardly.

Refusing to compare the real world to going to a camp.

Totally nervous in the portal transportation room.

Naïve in the local school’s customs.

New Ways: Can lift the spirits of depressed children.

Willing to confront school authority for the greater good.

Can act as matchmakers to their elders.

Fantastic party planners.

Act 1:

Opening: In a fairyland castle, the Queen’s twin daughters are being sent to planet Earth to help make it a better place.

Inciting Incident: The girls are introduced in school and a rude girl embarrasses them in front of the entire class. The twins realize their mission will be difficult. Game on.

Turning Point: The girls decide to throw a party for all the uncool kids and the bad girl shows up with her mother’s motorcycle gang.

Act 2:

New plan: The girls try contacting the authorities to assist.

Plan in action: The harder they try, it becomes obvious that the police and city hall are not interested in giving any protection from the gang.

Midpoint Turning Point: The girls find out that Brandi’s mom is the leader of a crime family and they have put a lot of people in danger.

Act 3:

Rethink everything: They take a trip back to Fairyland to formulate a new plan against such fantastic odds.

New plan: They bring muses and fairies back to Earth to gather evidence against the crooks.

Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift: Goons break in and destroy all the electronic equipment that they brought from Fairyland. They can no longer defend themselves from the gang.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: The gang summons all of their mobsters to the twins’ house to show them who is boss once and for all. The fairies and muses appear and disappear while punching out the bad guys until they split.

Resolution: The state’s attorney uses the evidence to send mom and the gang to prison and the girls are now the undisputed leaders of the new cool kids.

[Anna Burroughs-Merrill]

Anna’s 4 Act Transformational Structure

My personal vision: to get my writing mojo back.

What I learned from doing this assignment: I took my ideas, and plugged them into the formula. Viola! A rough outline.

Title: La Sirène (The Mermaid)

Concept: A Coast Guard maverick suspects that his wheel-chair-bound oceanography professor, who holds the fate of his career in her hands, is involved in a series of terrorist attacks against poachers by killer dolphins.

Main Conflict: Jacob is investigating a series of boat fires that the owners claim were caused by “killer dolphins.”

Old Ways:

• Cocky
• One of the guys
• Adrenaline junkie
• Risk-taker – both for himself, and sometimes others
• Likes to be the one to save the day
• Insecure in his promotion to an officer

New Ways:

• Still cocky, but more subdued
• Demands respect from subordinates and fellow officers
• Still an adrenaline junkie, but content to quest his thirst for adventure doing a job that he now realizes really matters;
• Puts the safety of his subordinates first
• Is willing to train others
• Secure in his new position as an officer
• Has regained his sense of wonder

Act 1:

• Opening: Jacob Staats is the newly-promoted team leader of a four-man environmental enforcement and public safety response boat for the Coast Guard. They conduct a “safety inspection” on Gomes’ fishing vessel.
• Inciting Incident: Jacob and his team respond to a call from a recreational fishing vessel that “just caught fire” after a pod of dolphins came up and started “butting” their ship. Later that evening, he hears a haunting song and something swims underneath the drawbridge. Then he witnesses a woman arrive in a wheelchair and “hold court” with the local fishermen.
• Turning Point: Jacob learns that the fishing vessel was poaching, but because he hasn’t yet completed his environmental officer training, he let key evidence slip from his grasp. He is ordered to complete training locally – a worldwide expert is teaching at WHO over the summer.

Act 2:

• New plan: Jacob reports to WHO and his new professor is … the woman in the wheelchair.
• Plan in action: Jacob and his crew respond to two more “ship explosions.” While his C.O. laughs off “killer dolphins”, he begins to piece together a link between the damaged ships and poaching activities.
• Midpoint Turning Point: A major ship accident, this time a ferry. Passengers report seeing a pod of dolphins. Later that evening, Jacob posits a question in class about whether the dolphins could be acting on their own to attack poacher’s ships? Lorelei lets something slip that makes him realize she is a worldwide expert in dolphin communication and MIGHT BE THE RINGLEADER.

Act 3:

• Rethink everything: Jacob submits an inquiry into Lorelei’s background, but an order to “back off” comes straight from the Pentagon.
• New plan: Suspecting a cover-up, Jacob becomes more aggressive in investigating the poaching incidents, alienating his wife, his classmates, and neglecting his responsibility to train his crew. Meanwhile, two more “boat explosions” occur.
• Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift: Jacob spots a pod of dolphins on his ship’s sonar and order his crew to pursue the creatures, rather than to assist a civilian vessel. The owner makes a break for it. Jacob orders his crew to give chase. The ship is swamped, his pilot is badly injured and the eco-terrorist gets away. He gets chewed out by his C.O., and then he learns his pregnant wife was rushed to the hospital and may lose their baby. He withdraws from classes at WHO and turns in a request to be transferred (busted back down) to the regular enlisted ranks.

Act 4:

• Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: Lorelei seeks Jacob out. She has insight into what the eco-terrorist is up to and his next target. Jacob sets up a trap, but an incoming hurricane puts his ship on standby for emergency response. Under cover of the incoming hurricane, the terrorist sends dolphins to attack the target, but Jacob and his crew ram the boat, causing it to flip over. They search for the terrorist, but are thwarted by the dolphins. Jacob calls in for a search and rescue team, but is told “no go.” A local fishing vessel has sunk in open water and they need him to pilot a rescue team out past the bar.
• Resolution: Jacob is to pilot a recovery team – including Lorelei – out into the hurricane. Gome’s ship capsized. Lorelei unclips the fiberglass shell of her racing wheelchair and, ‘lo! She has a tai! Gomes ship is tangled in a net, so she can’t get. It appears the fishermen will drown, but then Lorelei begins to sing. Whales appear. They lift Gome’s ship to the surface and Lorelei helps the fishermen swim to safety. Back on shore, Lorelei invites Jacob to transfer to base where the rest of her people work with the Navy. He gets a call from the hospital. While he was out saving the world, his wife delivered a healthy baby boy.

THE END

[Natasha Paris]

I am a uniquely amazing, inspiring, prolific, and successful writer/director whose name alone sales. I have a huge following because I help change the world for the better.

Missing in Costa Rica

Genre: Thriller

Based on a true story, a sister retraces the steps of her missing sister in a foreign country.

Protagonist Character: Victoria

• Logline: A newly wed, newly immigrant writer desperately tries to find her sister lost in Cost Rica while keeping her family afloat.

• Unique: She’s an immigrant, a newly wed, and now she has to save her sister while keeping her family and parents together.

Arc Beginning: happy, newly wed, and sister/mother/daughter

Arc Ending: hurt, lost, heartbroken sister

Internal Journey: starting a new life with new prospects

External Journey: lost her sister but better relationship with her husband

Old Ways: rely on sister, not value husband words, happy, believe in life

New Ways: lost, value husband, weight of family.

Act 1:

• Opening

Intro of history of the two sisters, Mia and Victoria, growing up as twins, in synchronicity. Ends with them promising to buy a house and grow old together.

• Inciting Incident

Victoria calls Mia for her birthday and plans to visit her in Costa Rica in a couple of months. Mia is acting weird, and not confirming any info.

Mia’s words take priority over Victoria’s husband’s – for Victoria.

• Turning Point

Mia’s husband calls Victoria – Mia has disappeared for 10 days.

Act 2:

• New plan

Victoria freaks out. Sickness. She wants to go find her sister in Costa Rica, but she has to also comfort her mother, daughter, and family in Canada.

When her father hears the news, he decided to go to Costa Rica, to kill her husband.

Victoria’s husband refuses to to go a 3rd world country. Fearing the worst as a white American.

• Plan in action:

Victoria heads to Canada crying in her new husband arms. Beginning him to go to Costa Rica, find her sister and calm her father down.

In Canada, Victoria announces the bad news to her mother, daughter and the rest of the family.

She organizes communication with Canada, France and USA Embassy.

She files a missing report. Cops show up at her door!

Victoria gets access to Mia’s emails and discovers an email addressed to her, but was never sent. Mia starts the email with “If you read this, I’m either dead or in a coma”! The letter is delusional, angry, accusing her husband of wrong doing and asking for revenge. Mia has also attached all her credit cards info.

She starts a website for her sister and creates a missing person paper.

Her husband finally caves and goes to Costa Rica with her father.

They meet with the local police, Canada, France and USA Embassy, and a missing person foundation who turns out to be the most helpful.

put the missing person posters up everywhere – but people take them down afraid it will drive tourism away.

Other cases of missing persons are announced.

Costa Ricans report unreliable, unverifiable sights of Mia, mostly to push investigation away from the touristic area – even to other countries.

Friends and family members each have their own theories: kidnapped for her organs, for human trafficking, moved to a retreat/community, was pregnant and escaped, her husband sold her to pay a debt.

• Midpoint Turning Point

Mia cannot be found.

Victoria’s husband and her father return home, empty handed.

Act 3:

• Rethink everything

Victoria starts to rely on mediums, hoping to find her sister another way. None of them say the same story. Except that she is between life and death, probably drugged, and some repeat that she’s in some sort of caged environment.

• New plan

Victoria meets with a friend of Mia while in Costa Rica, she describes someone else, a very different Mia, fearful and anxious.

• Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift

That same friend sends an angry email to Victoria saying that her husband has seen Mia on a bike with a friend. So the entire story is fake! But she won’t respond to Victoria’s call/email.

Victoria reports the information to the local police who goes to see the husband to check – only to find out that he believes he was wrong. Costa Ricans seem to enjoy lying.

Act 4:

• Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict

A chef at the new work place of Mia’s husband finds Victoria and tells her that he tells people that his wife died in an accident in a ditch. He is convinced her husband killed her, he has been lying and stealing money at his new job, and he already had a new girlfriend when Mia disappeared.

But none of it is enough to be proven or used.

Her husband’s passport have been removed and Mia had mentioned before that she didn’t think he was allowed back in Canada anyway.

• Resolution

Mia didn’t want to be found.

Victoria has to let her go.

Nothing has been solved. Her family is broken for it.

Victoria has grown a stronger bound with her husband.

[Tully Archer]

Concept: A couple on the verge of demise is brought together by the challenges of living in a haunted house.

Main Conflict: How will Kavish help his girlfriend improve her life when he chose a haunted ass place for them to live in and can’t solve the problem?

Old Ways: Acting from scarcity. Assuming everything will turn to shit. Not actually listening to her. Keeping what he really wants to himself.

New Ways: Acting from abundance. Assuming they can figure it out together. Listening and communicating well. Sharing his deepest wishes with her.

Act 1

Opening: Both of their already bad living situations get worse; he chickens out on proposing but suggests they live together alone instead of the places they are now.

Inciting Incident: Well shit, this place is haunted.

Turning point: Not totally clear on this one.

Act 2:

New Plan: Let’s get rid of the ghost and get back to me trying to keep you / prove to you that I could be a good husband some day.

Plan in Action: They try lots of stuff, and the ghost won’t budge, OR let them change a single thing about the house.

Mid Point: Probably a twofold: 1, learning the ghost’s backstory, which brings a shift from annoyance to empathy, and 2, learning that… something about Lacy, not totally clear but I have some brewing ideas.

Act 3

Rethink Everything: 1, we gotta help the ghost, right? 2, depends on what MP 2 is.

New Plan: When they try to help the ghost, they get into adventures with danger and everything and their relationship still isn’t strong enough, though it wants to be, leading to…

Low Point: They break up. And the ghost is still stuck.

Act 4

Climax: Each of them independently comes up with a half-baked plan to try again to help the ghost, and they meet there doing that. It proves that they really do belong together; they help the ghost and are able to work through their remaining issues.

Resolution: Fully honest with each other and on the same page, they prank their families (it’ll make sense I promise), elope, and fuck off to more adventures and zero money, totally happy.