Lesson 5

[Timothy Barley]

Saving my post here for LESSONS 3-5 as the error posting as a reply to the first person in every lesson is still existing.

LESSON #3:

TIM BARLEY’S HERO MISSION TRACK

What I learned from this lesson is that, although I have a grip on the story, it’s nice to have a step by step to input the beats as it were.

1. Mission track questions:

a. Our heroes, the Marlowe’, Emily, Thomas and Sylvia, are spies or former spies. In the case of Sylvia, this is her ingenious plan to bring all the world’s assassins and wannabes into the same place to take them off the board. For the Marlowe children, it’s about thinking they’re going to save their mother who they think is in danger.

b. The mission is seemingly impossible as they kids have to navigate an assortment of low and high level killers laying siege to the little town and their mother’s homestead, and after that, defending it from the final onslaught of the varsity squad of killers.

c. Sylvia – (internal) get her kids to visit her, take killers of the board, (external) stop the killers from killing them all

Emily – (internal) saver her mother, (external) save herself!

Thomas – (internal) save his mother, (external) save the family!

d. The family would have to survive and naturally have to come up with an excuse how and why Sylvia did this and what happened to all the killers who descended on the town.

2. Clear Mission:

• Motivation: Sylvia – take a laundry list of killers, professional and wannabes, out of circulation; and get her kids to visit once in a while! Thomas & Emily – find out what their mom is up to and save her (does she really need saving?).
• Inciting Incident: Sylvia’s very public announcement to the world!
• First Action: Wannabes and low-level killers flood the town, picked up by local, county and state authorities. Thomas and Emily make their way into town separately.
• Obstacle: Other assassins, authorities at ever level, check points
• Escalation: Thomas and Emily make their separate ways toward the house, as the really good killers find ways into the town past authorities and capture.
• Overwhelming Odds: Thomas and Emily dispatch various killers, getting to the house past authorities, roadblocks, and lockdowns.
• New Plan: After reaching home, and finding out what Sylvia has done, family drama comes out and a new plan has to be made as the elite killers descend on the homestead.
• Full out Attack: Assault on the house, as the Marlowe’s defend their home.
• Success: The Marlowe family is successful as various agencies, waiting in the wings, swoop in and take any prisoners and bodies off their hands.
• Denouement: Dupre, a messenger that has slipped past everyone, brings a message about their father, who is alive and a prisoner of a mysterious organization.

LESSON #4:

Tim Barley’s Villain Track

What I learned from doing this assignment is that most of my villains’ plans seem spur of the moment, but they are actually ready to go plans once Sylvia finally popped her head up with her challenge.

1. Villains track questions

a. Plans for each villain to annihilate the Marlowes

Nikolai “The Bear” Volkov

1. Plan to seek revenge on Sylvia’s part in taking down the USSR has been in place, but the steps are an on the spot plan.

a. Wait near the back of the crowd, pick his moments to take out others and work through the woods to the house.

2. Attack: His sheer size and strength makes him an imposing foe to deal with. He could and has crushed men’s skulls with his bare hands.

3. Advantage: size and strength and stamina, Spetsnaz training.

4. “Fitting end:” crushed under something big

Raven

1. Plan seeking to kill Sylvia for leaving her with a scar that marred her perfect face was put on hold after Sylvia disappeared from public and spy life.

a. On the spot plan is to stealthily navigate to the house, only interacting with others as necessary.

2. Attack: ghost-like ability to move quickly and quietly and attack from the shadows

3. Advantage: silence and stealth

4. “Fitting end:” dying loud

Giselle “La Guillotine” LeClerc

1. French intelligence operative turned mercenary with no ill will toward Sylvia Marlowe

a. Her plan is to kill Sylvia to prove she is the best and take her fortune and possible connections to the underworld around the world.

2. Attack: sniper, precision marksman

3. Advantage: long-distance marksmanship

4. “Fitting end:” having her head taken off

Cleaver

1. Sadistic enforcer who loves long knives, no clear plan or motive

a. Created on the spot plan to kill others and leave macabre artistic signs of his having been there.

2. Attack: Bloody knife work with an artistic and sadistic style

3. Advantage: no feelings, but a sense of style that strikes fear into others.

4. “Fitting end:” skewered with his own long knives

“The Chameleon”

1. His plan to show he can get to Sylvia has long been in place.

a. Using his mastery of disguise, he will move through the town and toward the house with ease.

2. Attack: close proximity assault with various weapons

3. Advantage: disguised as anyone, even the kids

4. “Fitting end:” Having his face ripped off by one of the kids to reveal it isn’t Thomas or Emily.

Tango & Cash and Mickey Mallory & Maude

1. On the spot plan, as they are pure chaos, running straight into and through the fight.

a. Steps: go in fast and hard and never let them see you.

2. Attack: They’ve watched too many movies and delight in killing with whatever torture-horror film idea they’ve seen last.

3. Advantage: No fear, no pain (probably on drugs – although one may be purely driven by sociopathic clarity)

4. “Fitting end:” Dying by their own tools they’ve brought with them would be masterful.

Dupre

1. His job as emissary and sometimes assassin requires him to be ready with a plan to get to his target at any time.

a. Steps: quietly wait in the background behind the others until they are all dead and then deliver his message.

2. Attack: Dramatic entrances, cool, calm and sociopathic

3. Advantage: patience

4. Unclear

LESSON #5

Tim Barley’s Action Track!

What I learned from this assignment is that there is a logic here and a LOT of moving parts with so many villains, and that I DO NOT have as good of a handle on this as I thought I did; frustrating as I want it all “right” on the first draft.

ACTION QUESTIONS:

1. Action that naturally shows up are the arrival of a menagerie of professional and wannabe killers, as well as press and lookey-loos to a small New Hampshire town.

2. The action for the heroes is split – between Sylvia setting up for whichever assassins finally make it to her house, and the kids who have to fight their way there through the onlookers, authorities and other killers to save their mom and make a stand against the villains, whose action is all about fight against each other to get to the house.

TYPES OF ACTION USED:

1. Chases

a. Foot chases

b. Tracking

c. Surveillance tracking

2. Fights

a. Martial arts

b. Wrestling

c. Fights to the death

d. Disarming, stealing and changing weapons

3. Shootouts

a. On the move

b. Snipers

c. Night, darkened house

d. Small arms, close proximity

4. Rescues

a. Saving Slyvia

5. Dangerous situations

a. Disarmed

b. Beaten

6. Escape/evade

a. Disguises

b. Hiding

c. Explosion as diversion

7. Competition

a. Taking out more targets – brother/sister rivalry

8. Torture

a. Leaving a calling card

ACTION SCENES/PURPOSE

DIGUISES: The Chameleon reveals themselves as the news van driver, killing the reporter and cameraman on their way to get an interview with Sylvia.

PURPOSE: showcase their ability to become someone else, as they inhabit the identity of the reporter next.

FIGHT TO THE DEATH: Fights between the Marlowe kids and the final 5 killers that make it to the house, consisting of SHOOTOUTS, MULTI-LEVEL, DISARMING EACH OTHER, IMPROVISED WEAPONS, ESCAPE/EVADING, DANGEROUS SITUATIONS.

PURPOSE: showcase the abilities of both the killers and kids as adaptable to survive.

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• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by  Timothy Barley.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by  Timothy Barley.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by  Timothy Barley.

[Jean Knowlton]

And I’m ;posting my Lesson 5 here as a reply to your post because I could not post it as a reply to the original post either.

Jean Lesson 5 Action Track

What I learned from this assignment is: While there is the opportunity to pack some action into this story, the biggest obstacles will likely turn out to be more about the psychological gamesmanship of the villain to plant uncertainty where before the heroine felt confident, to create enough doubt and fear that people mistrust the virus and continue taking their meds, and to interfere with the peace and happiness of the island people, who also in the end will inevitably win, but will still suffer from the mental torment he inflicts upon them.

Create a rough draft of your Action Track.

1. Answer the Action Questions:

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[Raz Ray]

Subject Line: Raz Ray’s Villain Track.

What I learned doing this assignment is? : My villains need to have a concrete plan of attack against the hero. They need to go through the emotions as well, like being scared or unsure. They also need to be more detrimental to the hero.

1. Ask the Villain Track questions to discover your Villain’s plan, decisions, and actions.

• A. What might be the Villain’s plan to accomplish an evil outcome or to annihilate the hero? The plan could be pre-existing or created on the spot.
• The Villain has accomplished evil deeds, such as tracking down the hero when young to destroy her next of kin. Making the hero believe she is orphaned and not loved and scaring her from ever using violence again.
• B. How many ways can the Villain attack or destroy the hero?: The villain kills her mother and banishes her father. The villain searches the lands for her, offering an award. The Villain will strike fear and violence around the hero.
• C. What advantage does the Villain have and how can they exploit that in this movie?: The Villain is much older than the Hero. Also, the Villain is aware of what’s happening, while the Hero has no idea why she’s such a threat. The Hero’s parents are missing, so the Villain feels secure with that knowledge.
• D. What would be a “fitting end” for this Villain where they pay for what they’ve done?: To have the hero muster up the courage to attack the Villain in combat, killing him and his reign of terror over everybody.

2. Include labels with each step of their plan.

Develop your own set of labels, but make sure you clearly show decisions, plans, and actions your Villain takes.

1. MISTAKE: When the Villain purchases the young woman at a Geisha house, he is unaware she is the girl they have been looking for.
2. <strong style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>DILEMMA: <font face=”inherit”>The girl gets taken away by the people he is also looking for. He feels stupid in his decision to always chase pleasure but not finish business. His d</font>ilemma <font face=”inherit”>is not really strong. He knows what he has to do but is not sure of how. </font>
3. DECISION/KILL HIM: He immediately gathers his soldiers together and a spiritual informant he trusts to search for the Geisha.
4. PLAN/HIT CONTRACT: He finds the older Lady who sold him the Geisha to find the whereabouts of the girl. She does not want to give her up so he decides to kill her with his soldiers.
5. PLAN/HIDING OUT: With the spiritual woman he finds the Geisha girl at the monastery and surrounds the building with his soldiers.
6. CAPTURE: Geisha learns that she is a great warrior and has created a weapon to fight the evil villain spirit. She is also surrounded by the villain but is too weak to defeat him.
7. RETALIATION: In retaliation, the villain kills one of the kidnappers who helped the Geisha. The villain also loses his spiritual advisor.
8. ESCAPE: The Bugeisha now escapes into a portal that leads into the future and is being chased by the villain.
9. FITTING ENDING: The Bugeisha realizes who she is and knows she doesn’t have to run in fear anymore. She has the power, courage and knowledge to defeat the villain. She uses her new weapon to attack the villain killing him with the help of her kidnappers.

[Raz Ray]

Raz Ray’s Action Track.

What I learned from doing this assignment? There is much to figure out between the hero and the villain to keep the action going. Scenes that you can’t just fill with dialogue. You have to move the story through action.

1. Answer the Action Questions:

• A. Considering the concept from Lesson 1, what action could naturally show up in this movie? Answer: Rescue would be the first action in my story. The kidnappers from the future have to rescue the Hero from capture.
• B. Considering the Mission and Villain Tracks, what action could work for this track? Answer: The following action would be Chase/ Pursue, The hero is running away from the villain. I would also think of Dangerous situations, interrogation, torture and a big fight scene.
• C. How can the action start well, build in the 2nd Act, and escalate to a climax in the 3rd Act? Answer: In the first act, I would start with the rescue that leads into the chase for this story. In the second act, a dangerous situation needs to happen that leads to a brutal interrogation. Even a shootout has to happen. After the villain finds the answers they’re looking for from torture. In the 3rd act, I would have the hero go through a competition till we get to the final big fight scene.

2. Select the types of action you’ll use.

• A. Chase/Pursuit: Use.
• B. Fight: Use.
• C. Shootout: Use.
• D. Rescue: Use.
• E. Escape/Evade: Use.
• F. Competition: Use.
• G. Dangerous Situations: Use.
• H. Interrogation: Use.
• I. Torture: Use.

3. Sequence the action scenes to deliver your story. Give us your list of action scenes and the purpose of each scene.

1). Discovery: The hero does not know the villain is looking for her. She meets someone who looks trustworthy but knows she doesn’t belong with him but leaves with him anyway.

Purpose: Create a mystery about who this girl is and why she is so sought after. Also, why doesn’t she know how special she is?

Chase Pursuit: The Villain realizes she is the girl he has been looking for and starts a chase after her. Finding her old Mentor, the Villain tortures her to get to the girl.

Purpose: Now the Hero knows she’s way over her head, and people are killing off her only known family. She is forced to follow the Kidnapper for her safety.

Dangerous Situation: The Villain kills the mentor and orders his goons to find the girl and bring her to him at any cost.

Rescue: The kidnappers have to rescue the girl and take her to safety. A fight breaks out between the kidnappers and the goons. The Girl realizes she is more powerful than she thought.

Purpose: To get the hero to fight off the goons, showing strength and ability to have skills she didn’t know she had.

Escape: The Hero jumps into the future and new territory. She meets a band of soldiers dedicated to fighting the villain with her newfound power.

Purpose: The hero needs to regain her strength and learn her newfound abilities. The villain needs to come up with a new plan.

Fight/ Shootout:

A big fight happens here between the Hero and the Villain. The Hero attempts to use her skills and powers to fight back, only to be defeated.

Purpose: The Hero has not entirely accepted herself and is unaware of who she is fighting against. The Villain goes ahead with his plans of domination.

Competition: A big one-on-one fight happens between the hero and the villain to determine who shall win this battle.

[Mary Goldman]

MARY’S ACTION TRACK

What I learned from this assignment:

In order to engage the audience’s emotional ‘buy-in’, each action scene needs a purpose. That I need to establish my protagonist’s skills early on. That there should be an escalation of action scenes.

A. Considering the concept from Lesson 1, what action could naturally show up in this movie? Chase/Pursuit, Fight, Shootout, Rescue, Escape/Evade, Dangerous Situations, Interrogation

B. Considering the Mission and Villain Tracks, what action could work for this track? All of the above.

C. How can the action start well, build in the 2nd Act, and escalate to a climax in the 3rd Act?

First Act:

The action would start right at the beginning with an opening scene of Sky in pursuit of a criminal. This set piece would feature Sky on a motorcycle, Sky doing Parkour, and Sky’s sharp-shooting skills.

(Purpose: to establish Sky’s ability and that she’s a CIA agent)

Inciting incident: Andros’ main henchman breaks into Sky’s home, overpowers her, threatens her, shows her a video of her sister who has been kidnapped, pleading, for her to cooperate.

(Purspose: to set up the main conflict of the story, to establish the stakes)

Second Act:

Sky discovers a lead on her sister’s location and follows it, only to be pursued in a high-speed car/motorcycle chase by Andros’ henchmen through winding streets, resulting in a shoot-out where Sky overcomes her pursuers, except for one with whom she ends up in hand-to-hand combat. He gets away, but she is able to put a tracking device on him first. She finds the initial location but it turns out the lead was false.

(Purpose: to engage the audience in a high-suspense thrill ride, to further the story with the tracking device plant)

Third Act: Sky, using the tracking device from the assailant, discovers where her sister is being held hostage: a large estate in the countryside. She prepares for the rescue. She encounters dangerous situations, as the estate has many booby-traps. She will evade danger using her cunning and skills, eventually rescuing her sister.

(Purpose: to keep the audience on the edge of their seat, by heightening the stakes of Sky’s mission)

Andros discovers the location of Sky’s safe house (where she has taken her sister after she rescues her) and orders an ambush. Sky and her sister successfully fight off their assailants only to find they’ve been lead into a trap where they are caught and brought to Andros.

(Purpose: To tease the audience with a reversal, just when they think Sky has won)

Here Andros interrogates Sky. Enraged that he has not gotten what he wants, he decides to administer a rufie-like drug which will slowly kill the women.

(Purpose: to further the suspense with an ‘all-is-lost’ moment)

But Sky’s sister manages to get free and help Sky. Together they overcome Andros and use the drug on him.

(Purpose: to treat the audience to one last action sequence)

[David Halligan]

Dave’s Action Track

What I learned from this lesson:

I’m still approaching this merely as an exercise for class. Not much interest in making this my next project. Although, I’m enjoying the freedom a cartoonlike story brings.

What Action could naturally show up in this movie:

Chase scenes, of course, but not simply one car chasing another. I’m still seeing the hero driving something unusual like a vintage Vespa or microcar versus the villain’s mechanized fleet. Robots, drones? Not sure yet.

Considering the mission and villain tracks, what action could work for this track:

There will be some fights. Man vs machine. Machine vs. Mother Nature.

How can the action start well, build, then escalate:

It starts when two enemies bid on the same contract to deliver locally-made goods to the quirky inhabitants of a quaint winter resort town.

They agree to a competition to prove who can provide the best service.

The hero tries to regain his ex who is now engaged to the villain.

Other Types of Action I’ll use:

Pursuit – The villain steals the hero’s pet canary which diverts him from his mission.

Fight – The hero steals the villain’s pet Siamese. The bird and the cat are together: could be trouble.

Shootout – Spy drones vs paintball guns. Splat!

Rescue – After saving his canary and kidnapping the cat, the hero discovers the villain’s environmentally unfriendly worksite.

Escape/evade – Animal control is now on the hero’s tail, but he turns the table on the villain.

Competition – The battle over the hero’s ex adds another layer to the action story as the men try to win her.

Dangerous situations – A high speed escape over a drawbridge.

Interrogation – The hero is secretly filmed revealing his delivery route.

Torture – Not in a comedy. But humiliation is possible as the villain spreads rumors and lies about the hero.

Sequence of action scenes to deliver the story –

Much of the action will need to take place at breakneck speed. I don’t mean fast cars and such but events happening in rapid succession with occasional breaks to catch one’s breath. Sounds great. I wonder if I can do it?

[Kevin Lobo]

Kevin Lobo’s Create Your ACTION Track!.

What I learned…A lot of precise planning goes into creating the action sequences for a script of this nature to create the kind of escalating action that audiences pay to see.

ASSIGNMENT:

Create a rough draft of your Action Track.

1. Answer the Action Questions:

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