Lesson 5 Assignments

[Michael Williamsen]

WIL: structure rules. I am now writing my homework assignments on a word doc so I can save it and avoid internet glitches wiping out my homework.

Excitement

A. Emotion: Victoria has found a new love and hero and she is happy

B. Action: She treats her ex aggressively

C. Challenge/Weakness: Her billionaire boyfriend shows suspicious activities. Weakness: she loves the thought of money and a glamourous lifestyle.

Doubt

A. Emotion: doubt, suspicion, fear. Her new boyfriend may be a criminal/Can she really trust her?

B. Action: becomes cautious, backs off in her romance, her daughter Lucy disappears.

C. Challenge/Weakness: she wants love and financial freedom/ trusts blindly

Hope

A. Emotion: happy as her boyfriend convinces her he is doing good

B. Action: trust, ignores evidence for her boyfriend

C. Challenge/Weakness: she trusts blindly which boyfriend uses to manipulate her, she starts to trust her ex to help her

Discouragement

A. Emotion: desperation, fear, sadness,

B. Action: won’t face boyfriend Bob with evidence, she withdraws from boyfriend, her ex is arrested for the human trafficking

C. Challenge/Weakness: now convinced boyfriend is a criminal; how does she escape

Courage

A. Emotion: anxiety, fear fuel her need to be strong, love, desperation for her daughter

B. Action: she pulls herself together, manipulates Mike Bob and Mex Gangsters to save kidnapped kids and hopefully her daughter

C. Challenge/Weakness: up against powerful people / fighting evil is not her job title

Triumph…or Loss.

A. Emotion: Exhaustion, loss, and joy, and a cloud of fear

B. Action: her ex is dead, Daughter has been saved, she leaves the country

C. Challenge/Weakness: TRIUMPH: she has a new future but on the run. LOSS: Her ex-boyfriend kidnapping attorney who was running the ring that was raided by Victoria’s Mexican Gangsters was able to cover up his involvement and now running for District Attorney.

[Michael Williamsen]

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• This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by  Michael Williamsen.

[Erin Ziccarelli]

Erin Ziccarelli’s Three Gradients

What I learned from doing this assignment is: this is a fascinating process. I am familiar

with the five stages of grief model, but I’ve not seen the desired change emotional gradient

model. I’m looking forward to mapping out my characters’ emotional flow in a more

organized style.

What is the Emotional Gradient
you’ll use?

I will use the desired change emotional gradient for Alex’s journey. He is taking on a new goal and doing what he can to accomplish that goal. For him, the new goal is self-sufficiency and independence from the family dynasty, and he’s going to do everything he can to try to make it.

For each emotion of that gradient,
tell us the following:

Gradient I

A. Emotion: anger

B. Action: spends time alone, acts rudely towards Roger, Demi, and Will (even though they’re trying to help him), angry at his family for abandoning him, angry at the Cadens and the Brennans, beats up Ted once they cross paths, threatens to kill Ted even as he’s dying.

C. Challenge/weakness:

1. Challenge: Inheriting a former nemesis’ money. To accept or not to accept. If he accepts, he feels disloyal. If he doesn’t accept, nothing will change – he’ll never get back to his old life.

2. Weakness: Alex hates being alone and without the family support. He’s been suffering in that environment for years.

Gradient II

A. Emotion: shock/confusion

B. Action: Alex reeling from finding out about Scarlett. He is transferred from prison to rehab. He hasn’t been out for 24 years. He’s in a completely new environment, hiding a massive secret. Everyone around him seems to know what they’re doing and know what they want. Alex struggling with the past – did Kitty love him? Was she ashamed of their time together? Why didn’t she tell him about Scarlett?

C. Challenge/weakness

1. Challenge: Navigating rehab. Trying to be cured. Abandoning his cocaine addiction – the crutch that he leaned upon for the last few years.

2. Weaknesses: Lacking coping mechanisms. Struggling to make sense of Kitty’s secret.

Gradient III

A. Emotion: doubt

B. Action: Alex “on his own” for the first time. Starting out, trying to launch the business. Doubting his ability to stand on his own two feet and do something on his own. Struggling with what to do about Scarlett.

C. Challenge/weakness

1. Challenge: Starting up the business. Needs liquidation to begin but can’t move forward without Scarlett’s signature.

2. Weaknesses: Tempted by his old ways. Can’t face the past and bring himself to talk to Scarlett.

Gradient IV

A. Emotion: hope

B. Action: meets Scarlett, brings her on, visits the old neighborhood, tells Patrick and the rest of the guys he’s not coming back, and goes to work on the first used car shipment.

C. Challenge/weakness

1. Challenges: Trying to connect with Scarlett. Finding the will to be honest with her. Building a team spirit with Scarlett, Jack, Sean, and Will.

2. Weaknesses: Fear of losing the team and family he’s created – it’s his support structure. Fear of losing Scarlett as soon as he’s honest about his identity.

Gradient V

A. Emotion: discouragement

B. Action: Patrick and Alex’s old friends burn the business. Alex’s identity is revealed to Scarlett, leaving her resentful and angry with him. He’s abandoned by Sean and Jack. Feeling guilty for Will’s death.

C. Challenge/weakness

1. Challenge: Everything that represented his “self-made man” identity is lost. He’s confronted with facing his past but can’t do it. Has to rebuild the business and broken relationships.

2. Weakness: Alex remains ashamed of his past. He writes off the success he experienced as temporary.

Gradient VI

A. Emotion: courage

B. Action: Musters up the courage to face Scarlett. He and Roger start to understand each other. Closes the deal with his buyer – the first time he’s accomplished something on his own and honestly.

C. Challenge/weakness

1. Challenge: Reconciling the past and the present – how can he and Scarlett mend their relationship? Can he keep her from making the same mistakes he did?

2. Weakness: Feeling overly empowered by Rejected by Scarlett. He slips back into his old ways.

Gradient VII

A. Emotion: triumph

B. Action: Alex returns to the South End to face the Donovans. The Cadens and the Brennans show up. The final showdown. He rejects his old ways. Avenges Kitty. Burns the cocaine. Walks away, intending to leave Boston for good.

C. Challenge/weakness

1. Challenge: Rejecting the old ways. He is faced with both family dynasties and must reject both sides. Must forgive Scarlett for what she did to him.

2. Weaknesses: Meets with the dealer and buys the cocaine. Still feeling a bitterness over Kitty’s death. Unwilling to let it go. He and Scarlett still have a long way to go before they completely trust each other.

[Wayne Petitto]

Wayne’s Three Gradients: <div>

[NOTE: Pasting my work here caused it all to turn red and I can not change the color.]

<div>What I learned doing this assignment is an organized process for developing the important milestones in the transformation of characters’ go-to traits. </div><div>
</div><div>1. What is the Emotional Gradient you’ll use? “We sometimes chase between being chased by devils or drawn by angles in the same direction.” ~ me © 1982. </div><div>Therefore, for both my main characters, I’ll use both the Forced and Desired emotional gradients, as outlined in #2. Below. Of course, there will be strong elements of the Action and Challenge gradients for motivations etc. </div><div>
</div><div>2. For each emotion of that gradient: </div><div>Peter’s Desired change comes from his desire for Jeannie: </div><div>Excitement: They meet and enjoy one another. </div><div>Doubt: Jeannie too easily accepts the Dean’s terms that they do not associate on campus. </div><div>Hope: Their ice-cream parlor trysts and developing relationship. </div><div>Discouragement: The news gets out, eventually becoming international news. </div><div>Courage: Faces the Monsignor and eventually agrees to appear on TV. </div><div>Triumph: They change the world by example. </div><div>
</div><div>Peter’s Forced change comes from Society’s distain for his past persona: </div><div>Denial: Can’t believe his friends shared what was told them in strict confidentiality. </div><div>Anger: Frustrations begin to get projected on Jeannie, in the library scene and break up. </div><div>Bargaining: Tries to bargain with the Monsignor and often with Jeannie. </div><div>Depression: He’s been excommunicated, he’s broken up with Jeannie, he gets his first non “A” grade. </div><div>Acceptance: No other way out, he agrees to appear on the Dr. Phil (equivalent) show. </div><div>
</div><div>Jeannie’s Desired change comes from her desire for Peter: </div><div>Excitement: They meet and enjoy one another. </div><div>Doubt: Peter too easily accepts the Dean’s terms that they do not associate on campus. </div><div>Hope: Their ice-cream parlor trysts and developing relationship. </div><div>Discouragement: The news gets out, eventually becoming international news. </div><div>Courage: Faces Peter, eventually faces her/Joan of Arc’s death experience. </div><div>Triumph: They change the world by example. </div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>Peter’s Gradients: </div><div>Emotion: Watches Joan of Arc being burned, feels guilty. </div><div>Action: Dr. Nedeau helps him realize it was many lives ago and he’s made sufficient changes i.e. no longer feel guilty about drawing on the wall as a two-year-old. </div><div>Weakness: He still feels guilty about drawing on the wall at two. </div><div>Challenge: Discover’s Jeannie was once Joan of Arc. </div><div>Weakness: Deep guilt resurfaces. </div><div>Challenge: Tries to stop a confrontation with a big guy. </div><div>Weakness: Peter guts gut punched and sees Jeannie knock the big guy down. </div><div>Challenge: Tries to reenter the Rathskeller to help Jeannie who’s being arrested. </div><div>Weakness: Allows himself to get swept out by others fleeing arrest. </div><div>Challenge: At dinner where Jeannie thinks Peter is trying to get in her pants. </div><div>Weakness: His explanation leads to greater misunderstanding. </div><div>Challenge: Jeannie honestly tells Peter about his face while hypnotized. </div><div>Weakness: Perter gets defensive and feels guilty. </div><div>Challenge: The College Campus News learns of their story. </div><div>Weakness: The interview outside the campus gate goes poorly. </div><div>Challenge: The news goes viral and international. </div><div>Weakness: Peter fears the worst, that he’s the bad guy. </div><div>Challenge: Peter begins to receive hate messages and even death threats. </div><div>Weakness: Peter reacts with fear that escalates the problem. </div><div>Challenge: Jeannie suggests they appear on a popular TV show to demonstrate to the world that they are just two normal college students. </div><div>Weakness: Peter fears this, disagrees, and storms off. </div><div>Challenge: They meet at breakfast where their teams are housed. </div><div>Weakness: Both out-cool one another giving each the impression they’re uninterested. </div><div>Challenge: Major network TV greets team busses to interview them. </div><div>Weakness: Peter tells the disingenuous news woman to “get out of my face.” </div><div>Challenge: He can’t find Jeannie the evening before the TV interview to make up first. Weakness: On TV things start to go sideways between each of them and the audience. Challenge: Things have gone far enough. </div><div>Action: They team up together, contrapuntally telling off the live audience (and presumably the home audience around the world) bringing forth all they had learned from one another. They do the one thing they do best, defend each other. They both display that they’ve completed their transformations which coordinate perfectly. </div><div>
</div><div>Jeannie’s Gradients: </div><div>Challenge: Jeannie resists the approaches of a young man. </div><div>Weakness (old way): She puts him in an arm bar and escorts him out. </div><div>Challenge: Her boss tries to admonish her for doing so. </div><div>Weakness: Jeannie gets fired for arguing with him. </div><div>Challenge: Jeanie discovers she was once Joan of Arc. </div><div>Weakness: She argues with Dr. Nadeau about being suspicious of authority. </div><div>Challenge: A big Guy punches Peter in the gut. </div><div>Weakness: Jeannie knocks him down with an uppercut to the jaw. </div><div>Challenge: Jeannie believes Peter’s trying to get in her pants. </div><div>Weakness: She assumes he’s like her former boyfriend and storms out. </div><div>Challenge: They have a simultaneous hypnotism that goes wrong. </div><div>Weakness: Jeannie decides to just put it out of her mind. </div><div>Challenge: They begin meeting off campus at an ice-cream parlor until their story, being outed, draws them too much attention. </div><div>Weakness: They discontinue their meetings. </div><div>Challenge: They meet at hotel breakfast between travel games. </div><div>Weakness: Both out-cool one another giving the impression they’re uninterested. </div><div>Challenge: Major network TV greets team busses to interview them. </div><div>Challenge: Jeannie also tells the disingenuous news woman to “get out of my face.” Challenge: Jeannie convinced Dr. Nadeau to take her through Joan of Arc’s death experience the evening before the TV interview. </div><div>Weakness: It completely shakes Jeannie to the core, still upset backstage… </div><div>Challenge: On TV things go sideways between each of them and the audience. </div><div>Action: Jeanie stands and addresses the audience with courageous clarity </div><div>Challenge: Things have gone far enough. </div><div>Action: They team up together, contrapuntally telling off the live audience (and presumably the home audience around the world) bringing forth all they had learned from one another. They do the one thing they do best, defend each other. They both display that they’ve completed their transformations which coordinate perfectly.</div>

In a way, they improve the world while saving a wonderful romance.

</div>

• This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by  Wayne Petitto.

[Lincoln Hoppe]

Lincoln’s Three Gradients

What I learned doing this assignment is this concept of the 3 gradients. And the value of looking at the gradients through 3 different angles. There’s a lot of overlap, but that’s good! Again, taking things through the model is really helpful, and can feel like cheating in a way! A good way! ahahaha! These gradients truly make everything seem earned and believable. Like going from point A to point G, you need to pass through B, C, D, E and F… and the gradients help us spell those out!

Emotional gradient I’ll use;

Desired change

Excitement

Doubt

Hope

Discouragement

Courage

Triumph (or loss)

Excitement: Angelo pursues her enough to put himself out there/seize the day and he is encouraged

Challenge

Needing to step higher than he has before. Weakness: lack of experience under pressure

Doubt

Attempts to woo her- it doesn’t go well… he’s not yet equipped for this

He tries to lend a date – not enough effort or wow for her tastes to give in (after all she’s secretly challenging him to rise up

Challenge

She’s making him work, his bravery and social skills are not up to the level needed

Hope

He secures a date. This brings out some of his natural charm amid the pestilences added by father

Challenge – trying to win her over

Weakness – self doubt, or believing he’s too weak for the challenge

Discouragement

Juliet’s old boyfriend comes back –

Or

Dad throws major challenge in the road

Challenge – must win her back weakness- on paper and in person, he’s perfect

Aunt Godfrey even intervenes

Lose or take all decision

Courage

Angelo puts everything on the line to win her

He challenges ex boyfriend which leads to direct confrontation with his father

Triumph

Angelo wins the challenge because of his loving heart aka who he truly is inside and who he has been all along, but not tried enough to be able to wield it

Challenge

Fights dad

W: he is afraid of nothing more than his father his heart and fighting his dad, fighting and standing up is against his nature? Or is it?!

He learns how to stand up for right from who he is

In the challenge with his father, he must see the end he desires in his head to power his transformation and give him the strength to see him through

What if this final challenge is his dad putting him through his greatest fears in his mind and Angelo facing them all with his goal visualization getting bigger to meet each challenge

Maybe final challenge is him VW his dad, and he pulls up an image of his own child with Juliet, and showing his own child love and protection and choice that heals him fully and gives him what he needs

Maybe Angelo starts with a lack of imagination- or impaired ability to visualize goals and outcomes – being told to keep his head out of the clouds. Maybe he was an artist as a child or a dreamer and this was frightened out of him – maybe he even had an experience when his visualization manifested and the power terrified him and he forgot it until he confronts it at the end

Maybe he even flogged his father after the initial scene of the movie and he repressed it until he’s ready to take it back up again

As the one who can manifest

Maybe in the last stand-off scene his father asks angelo questions to help him remember to see his true nature.

He sees and is destroyed.

Juliet reminds him it is not his nature that was revealed but his true power, and he choose how to use and wield it!!!

At which point he uses the power to see his positive truth moving forward, his child in a similar setting, but Angelo teaches him the lesson, thereby teaching his own self the truth

Angelo is the one

The greatest power in life is to change your own path

Or to create your own destiny/path

That’s so cute! You’re like Romeo and Juliet!

That’s a terrible comparison! We would both die!!! We would die pointlessly! It’s stupid! We are not Romeo and Juliet!

(People keep comparing them)

There’s a dark shadow following Angelo.

A haunting specter and possibly blocked memory of the dark power he is capable of

It can show up in little dreams and symbols darkening his days… and it is ultimately the truth his father reminds him of.

It is the truth that seals him in his inmost cave with his most feared enemy, himself.

His father is trying to keep him in fear and remind him of danger or accessing our power

Juliet walks him through it with words only, helping him to make his own decision to face his greatest fear and change.

His greatest fear was not his father, but his own power – be it dark or light or flexible

He uses his creative power to create a new vision- his life with Juliet, and a family, including a son a lot like himself. He guides his son to do the right thing.

All this seems to take place in Angelo’s head while passed out in the office with people around him (that is frecealed when he wakes)

Like trinity talking to dead Neo on the matrix – but Juliet can do it in her mind

[Stephanie Henry-Ricchi]

Stephanie Henry-Ricchi’s Three Gradients

What I learned from this assignment is how important it is to use this tool to the depth of a proudly written script. Without this step, it would lack true, human emotion that I am trying to share and experience with the audience. I will say that this assignment was not clear for me as how to structure the actual assignment. Apologies if I am way off…

Emotional Gradient used is FORCED CHANGE

Emotionally, the DENIAL, the character Kelly, a desperate young mom, has that the abusive attorney is her only choice. The ACTION is more of an inaction that despite her extreme WEAKNESS she finds help. Kelly’s CHALLENGE is her own sense of self worth.

The ANGER the character Dax, has when fighting off the teenagers from the homeless Sam and the ACTION is saving her. Dax’s challenge is what to do with the knowledge of how his boss, the abusive attorney, is treating clients and his WEAKNESS is the undying hope he continues to have to help save humanity.

Each of the characters in this script share the BARGAINING, wether it be for themselves or for someone else, they ask the universe to give them what the want and need and will in turn give, either bad or good of themselves, depending on the type of person they are.

DEPRESSION hits Sam, our lead female character after years of losing her family, money and well being until she starts to understand that only through her ACCEPTANCE of her situation will she find that she can battle the challenges because she is not alone in her fight and she will find strength in her WEAKNESSES because that is the thing that binds those in humanity to change. Change together and help others to see that their weaknesses in and of itself is the challenge.