Lesson 5

[Stephen Maynard]

Subject line: Stephen Maynard 4 Act Transformational Structure

“What I learned doing this assignment is…?” It is a beautiful way to think it through and to prepare and place the essential elements into an outline before putting pen to paper.

Create a first draft of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.

1. Give us the following for the PROTAGONIST:

Concept: When
two Inexperienced frivolous young boys witness an injustice in the making, they step up and confront a powerful coalition of forces to save an old
lady’s property. <div>

Main Conflict: Struggle to prevent old lady’s property
from being stolen by a powerful coalition of a Banker/Builder and others.

<div>

Old Way: The BOYS are self-centered, naive, and out to
exploit girls and snooker others for their benefit.

The New Way: The
BOYS put childish things behind them and sacrifice all to save an old lady
and her property.

Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.

Act 1:

Opening: Boys
are frivolous and irresponsible. </div><div>

Inciting
Incident: Professor Douglas’s Business class issues “The Douglas Challenge”: “Can you make money while benefiting someone else?”

Turning Point
Their landlady gets a letter from the bank informing her that she has defaulted
on her loan and that her property is being foreclosed.

Act 2:

New plan: Boys
must confront the Banker and inform him that the lady never took out a
loan against her property. </div><div>

Plan in action: They
will reason with the banker and convince him that he’s made a mistake.

Midpoint Turning
Point: The boys discover that the banker’s brother forged the lady’s signature
and took the loan on the old lady’s property. She’s been scammed.

Act 3:

Rethink
everything: Now they must find the forger. Dead end. </div><div>

New plan: They
raise some money and take it to pay an installment on the old lady’s loan
only to be told that the foreclosure will proceed. They’ve bought five lousy
days.

Turning Point:
Huge failure / Major shift: Desperate and with the date of the foreclosure
sale approaching, they go to the track, bet, and win big.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate
expression of the conflict: The boys beat the banker at his game, get the
money, and pay off the loan.

Resolution: The
boys win and the banker loses when they catch the forger and make him
confess that the Banker is behind the ID scam and the forged loan
document.

Once you have created the 4-Act Structure for your Protagonist, go back over it to see if there is any big-picture points you need to add to represent your Antagonist.

Create a first draft of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.

Give us the following for the ANTAGONIST:

Concept: When two Inexperienced frivolous young boys
witness an injustice in the making they step up and confront a powerful coalition
of forces to save an old lady’s property. </div><div>

Main Conflict Bankers struggle to stop BOYS from preventing
the acquisition of an old lady’s property.

Old Ways:
Corrupt and shrewd.

New Ways:
Desperate and willing and able to destroy advisories.

Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.

Act 1:

Opening: The banker
is prosperous and satisfied.
Inciting
Incident: He sets out to acquire valuable acreage. </div><div>

Turning Point:
The boys become an obstacle to the foreclosure process.

Act 2:

New plan: He
sets his daughter on the boys to distract them. </div><div>

Plan in action:
She and her girlfriend must do what they must to get the boys to look away
from their mission to save the old lady’s property.

Midpoint Turning
Point: Girls fall for the boys and renege on the plan.

Act 3:

Rethink
everything: The banker realizes that the girls can’t handle this. Call in
the big guns. </div>

New plan: He
sics three thugs on the boys with a mandate to stop them in their tracks.

<div>

Turning Point:
Huge failure / Major shift: His thugs fail so he will do this himself.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate
expression of the conflict: Banker follows the boys to the track where he
sees they are winning. He steals
their backpack full of money and flees.

Resolution: The
banker gets in trouble with the law for perpetrating ID fraud. He’s going
to jail. The boys get their money back and the old lady keeps her
property.

</div></div>

[Mark Hammond]

Mark Hammond’s 4 Act Transformational Structure

What I learned doing this assignment is: this format developed into a first part rough draft for script in spite of myself.

First draft of my 4 act transformational structure.

Concept:

A fraudulent rap group manager finds a location to shoot a video and discovers it is the hideout for a serial killer. He must now save himself, his crew, and get the video completed.

Main Conflict:

The manager must complete the video before the Serial killer kills him and or his crew exposes him as a fraud.

Old Ways:

Old identity: He was a dreamer with delusions of grandeur.
Fakes knowing how to make a rap video.
Overbearing to subordinates to impress his love interest.

New ways:

He draws from the knowledge learned from his mistakes.
He’s now a realist and sees things as they are.
He has learned to get respect you have to give respect.

Act 1:

Opening :

The manager of the rap film crew is fist-bumping, nodding his head in the affirmative pleased and points to different locations , framing them with his hands.

While the crew is looking around, he hands the real estate lady a pouch for payment that reads payroll.

Inciting incident:

While verbally abusing the handyman setting up the lights and sound system. causing him to trip the electrical system, locking all of the doors and shutters with riot gates. They are now locked in a strange house with the serial killer.

Turning Point:

The manger discovers the lead singer is mysteriously missing.

He doesn’t panic even though he is afraid and continues to set up for the video.

Everyone thinks it’s an All-Hallows Eve prank.

Act 2:

Plan:

He postpones filming and tries to find the lead singer

Plan in action:

He searches for the missing lead singer to no avail.

He asks them to try to can’t open the doors and windows but they can’t

He has everyone attempt to call the lead singer with their cell phones, but there are no signals.

Midpoint Turning Point:

The lead singer is found dead… mutilated, and he suspects handy man is the killer.

The manager reaffirms that he did see someone else in the house.

The manager realizes this is real, and he has to take on a leadership role.

New plan:

Find a way out. The manager has to plan a way out and keep the group together and find the killer before he kills someone else in the group.

Act 3:

Rethink everything:

The manager makes a bold stance and takes charge.

He orders everyone to find some sort of a weapon

New plan:

He teaches the crew how to use their weapons in a defensive mode; because he’s never been on the offense in his entire life.

Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift

The manager watches as another member of his crew is brutally murdered,

and he did little to prevent it.

He realizes his plan does not work. Defense is not the way to kill this serial killer.

The manager is really feeling like a coward-that it his fault they followed someone that really doesn’t know what he’s doing, and it caused the death of their friends.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict

The manager musters up his courage, and volunteers to face the serial killer all alone.

He surrenders his cowardly self to the serial killer, to lure him in close. He knows the killer underestimates him and will oblige.

When the killer gets close, he’s surprised that the manager leaps up to attack him. The manager is putting up a ferocious fight, but he’s losing.

He is surprised when the crew springs in to action and helps kill the serial killer.

Resolution:

The manager gets the respect and honor he was seeking. The love of his life and the video produced.

[Jennifer Williams]

ASSIGNMENT

Subject: Jennifer Williams – 4 Act Transformational Structure

1. “What I learned doing this assignment is…?” I learned a different way to create an outline.

Create a first draft of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.

2. Give us the following:

• Concept: After losing the love of her life, a middle-aged mother harbors a deep fear of never finding love again, but her world is turned upside down when her passionate fantasies lead her into a perilous love triangle.

• Main Conflict: The Antagonist is on a mission to ensure the relationship the Protagonist wants to work ends. She sends a barrage of threatening texts and phone calls. Make sure the memorable weekend getaway ends as a trip to hell.

• Protagonist Old Ways:

1. Old Identity- Workaholic, spends long days at work.

2. Does not like being set up on dates.

3. Finds social life by communicating in online Special Groups.

• Protagonist New Ways:

1. Began changing her habits at work with more of a balance.

2. Gives in to dating and not just one person but two.

3. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.

Act 1:

• Opening:

ü Protagonist is at the gym with her daughter and BFF, ending their workout. BFF tries to introduce the Protagonist to a friend she made sure was at the gym simultaneously. He invites the Protagonist for coffee afterward, but she politely declines, citing a work meeting.

ü The Protagonist gets to work and her Co-Worker who has been trying to get to know her on a non-work level creates a reason for them to have lunch together.

ü The Protagonist is in the office late and meets up with the Online Gentleman she’s been communicating with for several months in an online specialty book lover’s room, and they engage in delightful banter.

ü Totally out of character, this man convinces her to meet him for dinner.

ü They exchange personal information via email. To her surprise, she’s excited but keeps it a secret from her BFF and daughter.

• Inciting Incident:

ü Once the Protagonist committed to a trip away with the gentleman online, the Antagonist began sending text messages and voicemails to intimidate her.

• Turning Point:

ü The Protagonist takes the trip with the Online Gentleman only to learn that there are secrets that feed her insecurities.

ü The Antagonist turns up the harassment.

ü The Protagonist retreats to old ways, spending late days in the office.

Act 2:

• New plan:

ü The Protagonist returns to occupying her time online, but it doesn’t serve her.

ü BFF talks her into going out with her Co-Worker.

ü Unbeknownst to the Protagonist, the Antagonist posted photos on the internet that made it seem like she had reconciled with her Ex-husband.

ü The Protagonist decides to move on from the gentleman online.

• Plan in action:

ü The Protagonist attempts to let her guard down.

ü Enjoys the company of her Co-Worker, and they become close.

• Midpoint Turning Point:

ü The Protagonist goes online to the book lover’s room, checks the people online, and responds to questions on critiques.

ü She sits to contemplate her next move before she exits.

ü The Protagonist terminates her account.

Act 3:

• Rethink everything:

ü After realizing the gentleman online would not return, she decided to move on.

ü The Protagonist has a hard-to-hard with her mother, BFF, and received urging from her daughter to start getting herself out into the dating scene.

• New plan:

ü The Protagonist starts to step up her social agenda.

ü Dates a few people but finds that her Co-Worker is her best choice.

ü Changes her mind about moving out of the state for a new career.

ü Begins to see her co-worker exclusively.

• Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift:

ü The Protagonist overhears her Co-Worker’s best friend discussing their past womanizing, but she believes it is his current status.

ü Feels betrayed again and retreats.

ü The Protagonist attempts to contact the online gentleman one last time only to encounter the Antagonist.

Act 4:

• Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict:

ü We learn that the Online Gentleman did not reconcile with his Ex-wife, but is in the hospital.

ü The Online Gentleman’s family is trying to contact the Protagonist but has no luck.

ü The Co-Worker learns of the misunderstanding and clears it up with the Protagonist. He assures her that he is only interested in her.

• Resolution:

ü Six Months Later:

ü The Protagonist Co-worker and she started to see each other out in the open.

ü He made his presence and intentions known to the Protagonist daughter and BFF.

ü The Co-worker proposes to the Protagonist.

ü The Protagonist is marrying her co-worker.

ü The Protagonist appears happy on her wedding day.

ü The Online Gentleman’s sister just finds out who the Protagonist is and tries to send her a message, however, the Protagonist has disabled that account.

ü Fade to Black.

[Steve Jones]

Steve Jones – 4 Act Transformational Structure

What I learned doing this assignment is that not writing is dull and writing might be hard work to start with but is usually exciting by the time you’re done.

Concept

An isolated cop upholding an exclusive immigration policy must work with others to destroy it and stop the murderer who is using it for his own benefit.

Main
Conflict

Harry doesn’t care. He is blindly doing what he does so well and doesn’t let the pain that he causes the illegal immigrants he sends back get in and affect him. When his job, then his status on Mars and finally his life are threatened, he starts to see what position he has put others into. He fights back to protect himself and others for the first time by stopping the murderer and changing the immigration rules to allow more people to stay on Mars legally. The main conflict is Harry’s internal conflict with himself.

· Old Ways

Doesn’t care about the impact his actions have on the lives of others

Ignoring his failings as a human

Alone and isolated

Follows the rules

· New Ways

Cares deeply how he can change peoples’ lives for the better

Wants to be a better person

Trusting others with his life

Breaks the rules

2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.

Act 1:

Opening

Harry is on duty when a ship arrives from Earth. He finds it all routine and easily spots someone that the AI system and spotter robots missed who turns out to be there illegally. They are taken away pleading for help.

Inciting
Incident

While Harry is distracted, a second illegal gets through. Harry chases the illegal, but they are killed by Peep in front of Harry. This is an accident and Peep is devastated.

Turning
Point

Harry is told that the future of Mars’ tourist trade and business relations with Earth are at stake. This is a career defining or career destroying situation.

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

Act 2:

New
plan

Harry ups his game with the investigation. Vor instructs Peep to get Harry out of his way.

Plan
in action

Harry finds out about the smuggling and interviews Vor. Carina arrives from earth and sees Harry leaving Vor’s clinic. Vor plans for the next delivery on the assumption that Harry will be out of the way.

Midpoint
Turning Point

Harry Is confronted by Carina who thinks he’s the murderer. While he tries to explain, Peep executes his plan to kill Harry who barely makes it out alive with Carina.

Act 3:

Rethink
everything

Carina believes Harry who now understands more from her about why the immigrants are risking so much.

New
plan

Harry sets himself up as the next illegal by going back to Earth with Carina.

Turning
Point: Huge failure / Major shift

Vor has an man inside the organisation Carina runs. He makes sure that Harry is arrested on Earth, has his Martian passport taken and is trapped in his version of Hell.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate
expression of the conflict

Harry must return to Mars as a genuine illegal immigrant and defeat Vor and Peep. Vor is aware of Harry’s plan and prepared for him. It’s a trap! Harry must work with everyone else and trust Carina with his life to defeat Vor and Peep.

Resolution

Harry exposes the real
mastermind behind the immigration policy and it is dismantled.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by  Steve Jones.