Lesson 6

[Jeremy Kirk]

Subject line: Jeremy Action Structure!

What I learned doing this assignment is this will be a kick-ass script.

1. Look through your three tracks (Mission, Villain, and Action) and find the points that could work for this structure.

1. Opening: We begin with a small boy climbing a mountain, who grabs a bad rock and falls. He is caught by an unknown individual who is not really there. We cut to a warehouse shoot-out with an older Jackie Divine and his Guardian Angel, Yael. Jackie shoots his way through the warehouse with the help of his Guardian Angel keeping him alive. We also see that other Guardian Angels are not keeping their principals alive. This makes Yael different as he steps in front of bullets, knives and bombs.

2. Inciting Incident: On page six we get Yael making mention that the Agency that Jackie works for is trying to kill him. We then get Birchwood, who runs the S.O.C.K. Society of Contract Killers, plotting to get Mr. Yang and Mr. Wang to take out Jackie. Jackie shows up at the fast-food drive through and a hit against him takes place. With the help of his Angel Jackie survives the attack. Jackie still hasn’t figured out that the agency is against him. But Yael has.

3. First Turning Point at end of Act 1: Yael when speaking to another Angel decides to get Jackie a divine handgun. This is also where Birchwood, unhappy with the failed hit, decides to place a ten-million-dollar bounty on Jackie’s head. Jackie is attacked by his landlord Abuela who lets him know there is a bounty on his head. Realizing, he is a hunted man, Jackie makes a run for it. Assassin’s show up to collect on the bounty. Letha Koffin, Moose LeHarl, Johnny Wrought. Jackie comes face-to-face with his first assassin and uses the divine revolver and kills him. It is at this point; Jackie learns that the agency has put up the bounty. He decides to steal the ten-million-dollars.

4. Mid-Point: Jackie steals the money and burns down the agency. Letha visits Shelly and takes her hostage. Jackie shows up at the house and frees Shelly and wounds Letha. They are on the run with the money. We find out that Letha herself has a Guardian Angel who is keeping her alive. They are set-upon by another assassin. Johnny Wrought on a motorcycle. In the ensuing fight, Johnny is crashed into a vehicle. With another failed attempt, Birchwood calls in everybody.

5. Second Turning Point at end of Act 2: Jackie drops off Shelly with Abuela with the idea that if she watches over her, she gets a cut of the money. He knows it will be an army of killers he’s going up against and will probably die. Jackie contacts Birchwood and lets him know where he’ll be.

6. Crisis: A fifty team hit squad shows up at the docks. A gunfight ensues with use of the divine revolver. At the same time, killers show up at Jackie’s apartment looking for Shelly. To bad for them, she is under the watchful eye of Abuela. She takes out the six-man crew with lightening reflexes. The battle rages on between hit squad and Jackie and his angel. Jackie is getting the better of them when he is shot through the heart. At the same time, Birchwood ends up at gunpoint from his disgraced son. They both end of shooting each other. Yael ends up making a deal with Death and brings back Jackie before his soul is carted away to the underworld.

7. Climax: Letha Koffin and her Angel show up. Jackie and Letha fist fight just as Yael and Sariel fight. The angel fight eventually turns into a “feather knife,” fight. Jackie and Yael both get their ass kicked. Eventually, Jackie tires of the games and shoots Letha with his hidden .45 pistol. Sariel takes Yael and is going to kill him for the death of her principal. Jackie takes up a divine revolver and takes a shot of faith. The round strikes Sariel and turns her to salt. Jackie and the Angel live to fight another day.

8. Resolution: More assassin’s show up to collect on the bounty. Jackie let’s Yael know that Death told him, “You work for Death and you’re on the clock.” Jackie raises the both guns just as Yael blocks the incoming bullets. Ends on a cliffhanger.

[Jason Lauer]

Jason Lauer's Action Structure

## **LEGACY CODE — FINAL STORY STRUCTURE**

—

### **OPENING**

**Scene:**
Vintage VHS footage from an '80s action movie plays: Rick Dalton as “Dutch” must choose — **save his team** or **disarm a missile** that will start World War III. He chooses the missile and stops it with seconds to spare. The explosion behind him becomes legendary.

**Cut to Present Day:**
The **President’s grandson**, a teenager, finishes watching the movie alone in his secure home.

Suddenly, masked assailants **breach the estate** and abduct him, leaving behind a VHS tape labeled:

> **“REEL HEROES ONLY.”**

> **Action: Dangerous Situation & Rescue (off-screen)**
> **Purpose:** Establish immediate danger, evoke nostalgia, and set up the film's high-stakes premise.

—

### **INCITING INCIDENT**

**Scene:**
Rick, now in his early 60s but looking like he's 40, signs autographs at a retro action convention.

Government agents approach discreetly:

* The President’s grandson has been kidnapped.
* He’s being held in a **real Cold War missile silo**, the one that inspired Rick’s original mission.
* The situation eerily mirrors Rick’s old mission — and his movie.

> **Purpose:** Launch Rick’s return to action — this time, it’s not fiction.

—

### **FIRST TURNING POINT (End of Act I)**

**Scene:**
Rick HALO-jumps into the isolated missile facility. It's a labyrinth of rusting Cold War tech, live launch controls, and eerie silence.

As he infiltrates, he sees the boy’s possessions discarded — including a signed VHS copy of “Dutch.”

> **Action: Infiltration / Stealth Entry**
> **Purpose:** Rick is alone in enemy territory; the legacy has become real — and deadly.

—

### **MIDPOINT**

**Scene:**
Rick triggers a pressure sensor.
A swarm of **armed drones** chases him through narrow tunnels and collapsing catwalks.

Using analog improvisation:

* He jams the drones with high-frequency tape static.
* Short-circuits a guidance hub with a magnesium flare.
* Escapes by sliding down a disused coolant pipe.

> **Action: Drone Chase / Escape**
> **Purpose:** Reinforces Rick’s instincts and analog ingenuity in a digital battlefield.

—

### **SECOND TURNING POINT (End of Act II)**

**Scene:**
Rick is captured and chained near the missile’s central lift shaft.

A screen activates — **Damien**, late 20s, appears.

Damien reveals his identity:

* Raised and trained to be a next-gen operative.
* Jealous of Rick, whose real missions became blockbuster movies while Damien stayed in the shadows.
* He’s replicating Rick’s Cold War mission — but with live warheads, real stakes, and a personal twist.

The missile will fire in **20 minutes**, and the President’s grandson is **strapped beneath the exhaust vent**.

> **Action: Psychological Pressure / Stakes Raised**
> **Purpose:** Personalizes the conflict and sets the clock ticking.

—

### **CRISIS**

**Scene:**
Rick escapes by shorting his shackles using a metal belt buckle and exposed wires.

He scavenges materials — parachute cords, flare casings, discarded gear — to prepare for one final rescue mission.

> **Purpose:** Rick has no backup, no plan, just experience and guts — back to pure basics.

—

### **CLIMAX**

**Scene:**
Inside the silo:

* The missile is fueled and vertical.
* The President’s grandson dangles on a rig beneath the launch platform.
* Damien intercepts Rick. A brutal **hand-to-hand fight** begins on scaffolding and steel ladders.

Damien is faster and high-tech.
Rick is raw, tenacious, and furious.

Rick **kills Damien** — sending him tumbling down the shaft.

With no time to spare, Rick **ties a bungee cord** to a beam and **dives off the platform**, grabbing:

* **The President’s grandson**
* **Damien’s lifeless body**

He recoils violently at the bottom but survives.

—

### **MISSILE DISARM SEQUENCE**

**Scene:**
The silo fills with smoke. The missile rumbles to life.

Rick sees a **functional drone** nearby.
The boy, a tech-savvy teen, says:

> “I can fly it.”

Rick grips the drone.
The grandson pilots him up toward the warhead.

Rick **opens the access panel midair**, and with bare hands and pliers, he:

* Cuts the ignition sequencer.
* Yanks the guidance chip.
* Shoves a flare into the coolant line, forcing shutdown.

The missile powers down.
Rick **leaps from the missile**, grabs onto the drone midair, and the boy **pilots him to safety**, swinging across the silo and landing in a roll as alarms go silent.

> **Action: Rescue + Disarm + Drone Flight**
> **Purpose:** Heroic, ridiculous, perfect. Rick stops Armageddon and saves the next generation.

—

### **RESOLUTION**

**Scene:**
Back at the convention.

Fans cheer as Rick walks onstage for a “surprise” panel. The President’s grandson sits in the front row wearing aviators and a leather jacket — clearly idolizing Rick now.

They cue up the **trailer**:

> VOICEOVER:
> “One missile. One shot. No stuntmen.”

Montage:

* Rick leaping off scaffolding
* Brawling with Damien
* Swinging on bungee cord
* Riding the drone down in silhouette

**TITLE:**

> **LEGACY CODE: DECLASSIFIED**

The audience goes wild.
Rick smiles — not just because he’s a legend, but because he finally earned it without the camera rolling.

• This reply was modified 1 week, 5 days ago by  Jason Lauer.