Lesson 6

[BG]

Action Lesson 6: Creating Your Action Structure

ASSIGNMENT:

BG’s Action Structure!

What I learned doing this assignment: I had trouble assembling my events into the structure template. Finding the right pieces from the three tracks… Everything seemed jumbled, same events written from different perspectives, in different orders…

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

A CLUB FOR PATRIOTS

THE PLAN: The Villain’s plan is in place before the movie starts and the Hero wanders into that plan, not knowing what he is getting into.

It is a conspiracy, codenamed NORTHSTAR, to pump weapons and militants into MALDOVINIA, where rebels are battling government forces. The conspirators want to turn the protracted insurgency into a full-blown land war in the middle of Europe and disrupt piped natural gas supply, so that they can sell expensive LNG (liquefied natural gas) to Europeans.

The conspiracy is led by BILLIONAIRE, a man of immense wealth, who uses his media empire as a weapon in his crusade to fight off any challenge to the Western-led world order. His second-in-command is ENERGY MOGUL, another billionaire. He wants Germans to stop buying cheap, piped natural gas and buy, instead, his five-times more expensive LNG.

1. Opening: In a modest brownstone in the suburbs of DC, a young man is under a kitchen sink, fixing his elderly neighbor’s leaky plumbing, when the building manager walks in to deliver a fat envelope. The young man slides out, holding a big wrench. His name is REPORTER. He’s an engineer–turned–reporter, who has been dumped by the love of his life and is unable to get over it.

The neighbor lady and the building manager crowd around the sad young man, trying to cheer him up. She tries to interest him in freshly-baked brownies. The building manager says, “Wow, what a big envelope! Mysterious! Aren’t you going to open it?” As he holds the envelope against the light and tries to see what’s inside —

— we cut to a remote airfield in MALDOVINIA, where a combat drone circles overhead and weapons of war, tied up on pallets, are being unloaded from the cavernous bowels of a cargo plane. This is being monitored in real-time on a wall-sized screen in the St. Michael conference room of a posh London club named A Club for Patriots, where the conspirators, headed by BILLIONAIRE, discuss the progress of their operation, NORTHSTAR.

2. Inciting Incident: Back in his own flat, REPORTER examines the contents of the fat envelope: Blurry photos of an important-looking man in evening wear, an imposing building, and some bank statements. A few reverse-image searches, and in no time at all, he has identified BILLIONAIRE and his posh club in London, named A Club for Patriots. It’s a tip about a plot to start a war. His editor thinks a scoop like that could put their small magazine on the map. He sends REPORTER to London to check it out.

3. First Turning Point at end of ACT 1: REPORTER’s lame plan to snoop around BILLIONAIRE as his favorite waiter at The Club fails. BILLIONAIRE spots him near the St. Michael conference room and bans him from the floor. Now REPORTER needs to take more risk. He moves up the ladder of deception: He had to lie to get hired as a waiter, and now he makes and installs a listening device in the thermostat of the St. Michael conference room.

4. Mid-Point: REPORTER’s friend and ally, HACKER, is captured to be interrogated at a CIA safe house. The stakes are raised again.

5. Second Turning Point at end of ACT 2: REPORTER learns from HOSTESS that his missing friend and ally, HACKER, is at a CIA safe house, undergoing interrogation (euphemism for torture). REPORTER is horrified and blames himself for involving his friend in such a dangerous operation.

6. Crisis: REPORTER decides to rescue HACKER, from what is, in essence a government prison — illegal and extremely risky. HOSTESS tells him so, but he convinces her to help — they are a team now. Using tools and a plan made by him, REPORTER, HOSTESS, and her allies rescue HACKER from the CIA safe house, and take him to an undisclosed safe house.

7. Climax: Then, they conduct a major hacking operation (with HACKER participating via video-link) to divert the conspiracy’s funds and make it look like one of the conspirators did it. BILLIONAIRE discovers NORTHSTAR funds are missing. It looks like his second-in-command, ENERGY MOGUL, stole them. He terminates NORTHSTAR and has ENERGY MOGUL, killed by ASSASSIN.

8. Resolution: BILLIONAIRE goes into clean-up mode in order to protect his reputation and the rest of his plans. He calls REPORTER’s editor and tells him he’ll give an exclusive interview to REPORTER. During the interview, BILLIONAIRE explains what is needed to defend the Western way of life, tries to find out how much REPORTER knows, and blames it all on ENERGY MOGUL. REPORTER’s questions are mild and respectful. But there is change in the air. The balance of power between the two has shifted. After REPORTER leaves, BILLIONAIRE looks unsettled. He continues to stare, like a malign bird of prey, at REPORTER’s empty chair.

REPORTER is seen in a restaurant, smiling and having a good time with HOSTESS, the female lead. His heart has healed!

[Mark Ezra]

Mark’s Action Structure

What I learned doing this assignment is that it helps me refine my plot and exclude unnecessary ideas that don’t move the story forward. I am getting closer to the point where I can write my screenplay.

Opening

A crazed former member of the Bomb Squad, wearing a flack jacket filled with high explosives, robs a bank. When the Bomb Squad arrives he takes the Squad Commander hostage and holes up in a shack in the San Gabriel mountains. When the cops surround the shack it blows up, leaving almost no trace of the bodies.

Inciting Incident

Our Hero, a new female recruit, is taken on a mission by more experienced members who defuse an IED … only to be injured by a second hidden device.

First Turning Point at end of Act 1

After several more ‘accidents’, TV News report announces they have received threats that the Bomb Squad is being targeted. This news hits the squad hard.

Mid-Point

Something our Hero does triggers the Villain to reveal he knows a lot more about the workings of the Bomb Squad than he should. So, by deduction, he is one of them, either past or present. Now nobody is to be trusted.

The Villain sends his killers to her home, but she defeats them with her pest control arsenal.

Now it’s personal.

Second Turning Point at end of Act 2

Almost all the remaining Bomb Squad team are taken out of action as they close in on a likely suspect.

Only our Hero and her Best Friend in the squad are left to stand up against the Villain.

Crisis

Hero deduces who the Villain is and sets out to stop him.

Climax

Hero discovers her mistake – it’s not who she thoughts, but someone close to her suspect. She has to outfox the Villain and disarm the radioactive part of his bomb, while ensuring he is trapped with the massive detonator. Villain is exterminated, peace is restored.

Resolution

She is awarded a special medal and earns the respect of her Team-mates.

[Paul Penley]

Paul’s Action Structure

What I learned – My structure is still off. I need to streamline my story points or change my existing outline to better fit a proper outline.

Create the 3-Act structure for your story.

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

Opening – The murder of the Hero’s father by a powerful unknown entity. ( Lord Balin a Fallen Angel ) <div>

Inciting Incident – The Hero arrives at a designated rendevous only to find an Apache Medicine Man who tells him his Gang of Outlaws are dead. The only survivor is the Hero’s brother, who has traveled to a cursed Spanish Mission called La Paloma Blanca. There his brother plans to “fight with the Angels”. A place where men do not return. In order to reunite with his brother our Hero and his co-horts travel to White Dove.

<div>

First Turning Point at end of Act 1 – The Hero arrives in La Paloma Blanca where he almost immediatly kills a man in self defense. According to the laws of the Angels he must now fight to the death against a chosen assassin or become food for the Angel’s Demon hords. The sun sets on the Spanish Mission. No one, including the Hero can leave until dawn. Our Hero must survive the night without losing his soul or his life.

Mid-Point – After witnessing the Hero’s brother become a demon, the Hero and his co-horts hear about a tunnel used for escape. The Hero decides to abandon his brother and follow his Co-horts into the tunnels. The group is attacked and quickly find themselves in different traps set to catch those trying to escape. Our Hero is caught by the Apache Medicine Man (from act one )who explains to our Hero that his brother is not really a demon and has been turned into a Skinwalker who is helping the Apache destroy the Angels. Our Hero is offered three choices. 1. Become a demon. 2. Die and be devoured by demons. Or 3. Die and be reborn as a Skinwalker like his brother and help destroy the creature who murdered his father.

Second Turning Point at end of Act 2 – The Hero becomes a Skinwalker. The Medicine Man informs our Hero of the plan already set into action to take the fight to the Angels and end their plan to destroy mankind.

Crisis – The Hero’s brother dies.

Climax – The plan isn’t working. The Hero fights Lord Balin by himself.

Resolution – Lord Balin dies at the hands of our Hero.

</div></div>

[Pat GALBRAITH Galbraith]

ASSIGNMENT: 6

What I’ve learned from this assignment is: How to put the three tracks together to make a plot.

Pat Galbraith’s Action Structure!

Create the 3-Act structure for your story.

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

Act I

1.Opening

1863, During the civil war, back woods of Arkansas. Colonial home where she lives with her family. Jesse James and the younger brother often sit at the dinner table. Myra is one of many children.

2.Inciting Incident

Renegade northern troops invade the state of Arkansas because they favor the south. Burning homes and killing civilians.

3.First Turning Point attend of Act 1

Myra learns of neighbor’s babies being killed, fathers hung, and mother raped by the malicious evil soldiers.

After seeing families burned out and slaughtered, Myra joins a neighborhood gang.

ACT II

Things change Myra learns Bud has been killed.

She begins to ride with the outlaw gang to stop the renegades.

They search the area for where they might be camping.

They hear of raids that are going on.

4. Mid-Point

When the younger farm, is targeted. She joins with Bud, her brother to help them kill them off when they arrive to burn and kill the youngers’ out.

Myra’s outlaw gang is successful and run the Renegade soldiers off.

5. Second Turning Point at end of Act 2 Myra’s gang learns where the renegades are camping on a hill outside town.

Someone gets word to the troops of her impending attack.

ACT III

6.Crisis

Her gang is met by a small scouting troop.

Her gang chase them back to the campsite.

They ride there with plans to kill them all.

They are outnumbered. It’s a dark day.

8. Climax 1

A few days later they decide to attack the troops after dark.

They ride to the camp. Get control of the men and kill them one by one. But Henry Brice, the man who killed her brother, is able to escape.

She and her gang ride to kill the man who killed her brother. He’s not there when they arrive. They hold his family hostage and plan to kill them too. When he returns to the house, she lets him in at gunpoint. He jumps her, and they wrestle taking the gun from her. She throws her knife. Stabs him in the heart.

8. Resolution

She lets Henry Brice’s wife and family go.

Later they decide to stay together, incase other troops come back.

[Evelyn Brooks]

Evelyn’s Action Structure!

What I learned doing this assignment is to fill in the blanks and keep going to the next lesson, while also continuing to brainstorm and make a ton of notes for my project. I’ve been brainstorming various scenes and turning points, but this is my first version putting it all together as a structure for my feature action drama.

OPENING

Mikki is in the final round at an MMA fight in Las Vegas, her hometown, and when she wins, the crowd goes crazy, loving her. We see her handsome husband Reinaldo cheering from the front row.

Cut to: During the fight: in a dark room, with a laptop open to a dark web ghost guns site, a pair of hands in surgical gloves assemble a ghost AR-15 sniper’s rifle.

Question: Who is the sniper? Who is the target?

INCITING INCIDENT

Mikki is lured to a location just outside Vegas at dawn, supposedly to purchase the boxing gloves Muhammad Ali’s daughter Laila wore in her famous bout against Joe Frazier’s daughter in 2001. But Reinaldo is wary; he cancels his trip out of town and insists on driving Mikki. While they seek the address, a Hummer roars up and smashes into them, fatally injuring Reinaldo.

Question: Was it a drunk driver hit-and-run accident? Or was it a deliberate attack? If planned, who was the target–Reinaldo or Mikki?

FIRST TURNING POINT AT END OF ACT 1

While Mikki attends Reinaldo’s funeral, her daughter Ava (age 4) is kidnapped, and Mikki gets the ransom note during the hotel luncheon for the funeral guests.

Question: Who is behind the kidnapping? How will Mikki raise the ransom money by the deadline of 72 hours? Where is Ava being held?

MID-POINT

Mikki can’t cancel her next fight because she desperately needs the money–added to what she’s already got in cash, the prize will be just enough to meet the ransom demand. But Mikki loses the fight.

We cut to her cousin Shayla, who is Mikki’s social media and publicity director and knows everything about Mikki. Shayla, a croupier, has massive gambling debts, leads a secret life fighting at illegal fight clubs; moved home with her parents to save money. Shayla discovers her mom snooping in her bedroom, finding evidence she is the kidnapper. Shayla kills her parents.

Question: How will Mikki raise the rest of the money for the ransom? Will Mikki find out Shayla is the kidnapper in time to rescue Ava? What will Shayla do with her parents’ dead bodies?

SECOND TURNING POINT AT END OF ACT 2

The kidnapper taunts Mikki on the phone and lets Ava talk to her. Mikki begs for more time to get the ransom money, and the kidnapper agrees to another 48 hours. Mikki borrows money from wealthy friends, promising to sell her house to repay them. But she gets mugged on the way home from the bank and so she still needs more money.

Question: Can Mikki find a way to track her daughter and rescue her without having to pay the ransom? Will Mikki find another source for money? Will Shayla go through with her threat to kill Ava if Mikki misses the deadline?

CRISIS/DILEMMA

Mikki realizes the only way she can earn the rest of the ransom money is to finally accept an ongoing offer from an illegal fight club to fight for them–but doing so will mean she must give up her professional career and title as a sanctioned MMA fighter.

Question: Will Mikki realize she’s been set up by her cousin Shayla in time to avoid taking this step?

CLIMAX

Mikki wins the illegal fight and races to the dropoff point with the ransom money. Three thugs attack her. Mikki fights back, defeating them, and unmasks Shayla as the leader. Mikki grabs the money and goes to Shayla’s house, realizing where Ava must be.

Question: Will Mikki find her daughter in time? What will Shayla, still alive, do next?

RESOLUTION

Mikki finds Ava hidden in Shayla’s house and is on the way out the door with her daughter when Shayla bursts in. Shayla has knives and rage on her side, but Mikki has a daughter to defend. Mikki tries to avoid killing her cousin, but Shayla pushes the fight to a single choice: who will live–Shayla or Ava? Mikki kills Shayla, calls the police to report three bodies, and then takes Ava home.

[Patricia Steffy]

Patricia’s Action Structure!

What I learned doing this assignment is that I’m struggling a little bit with the timing and turning points. In some spots, I might be waiting too long. Does it make sense for my mid-point to be the mid-point? Should I take the guys outside sooner, or leave them in the building for the Climax? The good news is that I can keep playing with it. Also, I’m not sure the inciting incident is clear. The decision to leave the men of PCU behind sets the events in motion for our characters. But the storm arriving physically sets the events of the movie in motion.

Opening

A crunch of snow underfoot. A crack of twigs. Eyes peering out from a survivalist dugout in the woods. Then a flash of movement — our hero lashes out, desperate not to be captured. In the last moment, he grabs a hatchet, but when he can kill, he stops himself. The fury drains out of him. He drops the hatchet and is arrested.

[Time Jump]

Inciting Incident

The storm is only 12 hours away. Warden of the for-profit prison is faced with evacuating as many prisoners as possible to other, safer prisons, at a price. Rather than removing everyone, the head guard (our villain Sykes) convinces her to leave the men of the protective custody unit and SEG behind — saving the prison $3 million in fines, and further punishing our hero (who only had days left on his sentence).

Panic sets into the yard, as rumors of who is being left behind swirl. A kid awaiting trial gets into a fight with one of the jittery inmates. Brian, an inexperienced guard, grabs for his gun and accidentally shoots one of the older inmates.

The yard is put into lockdown. The kid is taken to SEG. The older inmate is removed from PCU and taken to the hospital. But all eyes turn to Brian, who is riddled with guilt. Only Donovan (our hero) finds a way to calm those who want to go after Brian. There is no mistaking the tension.

First Turning Point at end of Act 1

The warden is ordered to get all prisoners with less than a week on their sentences onto the buses for an early release by the Governor. Sykes is pissed, and he taunts Donovan. It’s the last bus out. Sykes will ride the steps. And while Donovan could be free, he chooses not to get on the bus. He warns Sykes not to take the bus out — that it is too late. But Sykes refuses to listen.

Mid-Point

The storm arrives and the power goes out. Pipes burst, sending flooding and freezing water down the shafts and throughout the building. Windows begin blowing out. Any movement could risk electrocution, but staying risks freezing to death. Logically, they could overpower Brian, take their revenge for the shooting, and escape the prison tower. But go where? Into the storm? Is any shelter better than being outside and free?

We flash back to the last bus of prisoners feeling in the storm. The engine stalls. The driver repeatedly tries to get the engine started again and panic takes hold. For a second, a moment of victory. Hope that they can keep moving. But a spark sets off an explosion in the engine and flames burst into the bus and are sucked backwards toward the oxygen of a faulty window.

Sykes is blown out the doors. He makes a move to try to open the emergency door of the bus to save the chained men who might still be alive. But the door won’t open. Metal shards and glass from the bus are flying. It’s too late. A scorched Sykes is left in agony. His face hardens. He knows who to blame.

Second Turning Point at end of Act 2

Decision made to leave the unit and move to another floor, but the building is crumbling and water still cascades down an already faulty elevator shaft. At the elevator shaft, they hear screams from below — SEG is being flooded, and a young inmate, who our hero tried to take under his wing earlier, is in SEG. A mission is hatched for our hero and two other men to go try to save the kid.

Crisis

Blocked from going down, the gang regroups and agrees to go up to the guard level. But a fried security door means that someone will have to hold the door open, in order for people to get out and then try to escape before it closes.

The remaining men, including our hero, make it to the guard level, only to find a hellscape. Electrical has sparked a fire, and the windows had already blown out in the storm. Fire and ice combine. There is no relief here. The hero formulates a new plan, but first, they need to get across the fire to the control room.

Climax

The inmates go out what is left of the window to scale down the building in the height of the storm. But Sykes made it across the bridge and onto the guard level. There’s a standoff between Donovan and Sykes. Donovan is stalling in hopes that the men get to safety.

Sykes shoots at Donovan, but the young guard pushes him out of the way and takes the bullet. Donovan tries to talk Sykes out of doing anymore damage. Tells him that he can help him. That they can all walk away from this. But Sykes is beyond listening and raises the gun again.

Not knowing that the bullet that hit the young guard, also hit one of the last standing supports for the ceiling. As Sykes fires, the ceiling comes down on him and kills him.

Resolution

Donovan takes Brian down the building — when it looks like there is no way that they’ll get to shelter fast enough to survive, they are met by the surviving men who have managed to start one of the prison vehicles. They escape together into the prison garage, which is miraculously still standing.

[Monica Arisman]

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Subject: Monica’s Action Structure!

What I learned doing this assignment is by filling in the blanks more ideas just have a way of showing up.

2. Fill in any missing points and tell us the current version of your structure with a sentence or two for each point.

CONCEPT: A police detective returns home to join a taskforce to break a human trafficking ring with a lead on the disappearance of her sister several years ago. Only to learn her lead is one of the masterminds behind the human trafficking ring that’s been infiltrated.

Opening: Victoria (heroine) returns home
with a lead in her sister’s disappearance several years ago. She joins the
undercover team.

Inciting Incident: After being accepted into the ring,
Victoria is arrested. The police storm the new night club, because they
thought they could get Jack (villain 1).

First Turning Point at
end of Act 1: Find out Jack has Lizzie (the sister) and has kept her
captive all these years.

Mid-Point: Victoria and Daniel (the partner)
break into Beatrice’s (villain 2 and mommy) and learn that about the
unnatural relationship between mother and son.

Second Turning Point at
end of Act 2: Victoria goes with Jack to procure more victims.
Crisis/Dilemma: Victoria tells Beatrice Jack killed
the men who sold them the victims.

Climax: Jack kidnaps Victoria and
tortures her. With all her strength she kills Jack.
Resolution: Recovering from her wounds Daniel and
Victoria make plans for their future.

[John Woodward]

Subject line: John Woodward’s Action Structure!

What I learned doing this assignment is that my action track, villain track, and mission track fit nicely into the 3-Act structure.

3-Act structure for the story.

Opening

An innocent play in a baseball game pisses off a ruthless crew of gangbangers. They chase Trey, a gutsy athletic youth, and his brother Domino through the ghetto. The brothers hide in the creepy sub-basement of a dilapidated tenement, and discover ELDRIDGE MAKEPEACE, a pale, abominable old rogue imprisoned behind the rusty iron bars of a decrepit crude cage.

Inciting Incident

When the gangbangers arrive to kill Trey and his brother, MAKEPEACE EMPLOYS TRICKERY and EXTREME violence to slaughter the GANGBANGERS. Trey and his brother see that the gang’s weapons are powerless against the undead demon. The brothers flee as Makepeace murders the last of the gangsters. As soon as Makepeace escapes IMPRISONMENT from the crude cage, he kills Trey’s brother Domino. Trey alone realizes that Makepeace is an 18th century slave trader doomed to the realm of the undead after being killed and cursed by an African obeah doctor he sought to enslave. Trey alone escapes from the sub-basement. Trey alone knows the slave trader’s plan to assassinate black leaders. Makepeace realizes he must destroy Trey before he rallies to thwart his dark obsession. Trey blames himself for his brother’s murder because Domino did not want to descend into the sub-basement in order to hide from the gangbangers. It motivates Trey to destroy Makepeace and avenge his brother’s murder. It motivates Makepeace to kill Trey before he can attain revenge. The gang’s survivors assume that Trey killed their homies and begin to hunt him.

First Turning Point at end of Act 1

MAKEPEACE CHASES TREY thru the ghetto. The chase forces Trey into a tough adjacent neighborhood. Joe, a world-weary construction foreman and survivalist, discovers TREY breaking into his house and holds him at gunpoint for the police. Makepeace arrives first. Trey and Joe fight him then flee together. A neighbor videos TREY and JOE as they appear to murder an elderly white man who is actually the monster Makepeace. The video goes viral on the internet and makes the national news. Now, Trey and Joe are wanted for murder by the police so they can’t go to the police for assistance, which makes the mission even more impossible. This is a major twist in the story and a “point of no return.” As Makepeace continues to pursue the unlikely allies, Joe bails from the fight to save the targeted civil rights leaders. When Joe abandons Trey, the youngster is once again alone in the battle against Makepeace. From this point on, Trey can’t go back as he faces an increasingly impossible mission: the police, the gangbangers, and Makepeace all hunt Trey. Will Trey and Joe reunite as unlikely allies in a fight against an immortal racist? Will circumstances force an alliance that makes them rely on each other to fight the menace? They must decide – will they risk their lives for the greater good of the country. Will they accept their unique situations as the only soldiers in a fight against evil? Welcome to Act 2! The Hero must confront the main conflict of this story.

Mid-Point

MAKEPEACE assassinates revered civil rights leader Walker Jones. After realizing he failed to believe Trey’s story and now Walker Jones has been murdered, Joe decides to return to the battle. Just as Makepeace finally has Trey at his mercy, Joe dramatically re-enters the battle to rescue Trey from Makepeace at the very last second. This cements the growing friendship and partnership between Trey and Joe. The unlikely allies are now stuck with each other and will grow to rely on each other. A monster is successfully assassinating beloved statesmen and national leaders. The atmosphere in the country becomes increasingly chaotic and violent. The journey is the same, but the purpose, meaning, and urgency of their mission has intensified exponentially. Trey and Joe realize the urgency and danger yet commit to their mission in the face of impossible odds.

Second Turning Point at end of Act 2

Trey feels defeated at this point. MAKEPEACE initiates his hunt for Presidential candidate Patricia Hamilton. Knowing Trey and Joe are in pursuit, Makepeace accelerates his mission to assassinate Hamilton. Makepeace endures Joe’s attack with more powerful firearms. Another intense gun battle and chase ensues. Makepeace follows Hamilton as her campaign moves from New York to Delaware. Based on news reports for Hamilton’s next campaign stop, Trey and Joe try to get Makepeace before he gets Hamilton. Once Hamilton is in jeopardy from Makepeace, the stakes are elevated for America, Trey, Joe, and the audience. MAKEPEACE steals a car to pursue Trey and Joe. Gun battle ensues during an intense car chase on the open highway. Trey fires a bazooka that destroys the undead slave trader’s Cadillac. But once again the immortal villain emerges from the fiery crash damaged, but not destroyed. Trey’s plan has completely failed again. It looks like there is little hope because Makepeace is an enemy that cannot be killed even by the extremely powerful weapons like a bazooka.

Crisis

MAKEPEACE battles the unlikely duo on a claustrophobic ferry ride across Delaware bay, an environment with little chance for escape. MAKEPEACE appeals to Joe, white man to white man, in order to convince him to betray Trey. WIll he? MAKEPEACE tracks Hamilton to a rural hunting-lodge style hotel that she uses to rest up for a campaign appearance. Makepeace battles then kills a dozen secret service agents on his way to Hamilton’s room. Patricia Hamilton is a person willing to physically fight her attacker. She resourcefully defends herself long enough for Trey and Joe to join the battle with the immortal villain. Trey and Joe help to rescue her for the time being. The stakes rapidly increase for Trey, Joe, Hamilton, and the country. Increases stakes.

Climax

The climactic BATTLE continues from the hotel to an industrial waterfront. Joe appears to be trapped in a boat as it sinks offshore. Makepeace pursues Trey and Hamilton. Eventually Joe re-enters the battle. A commercial speargun (used to hunt whales) slams through Makepeace and pins him to a huge wooden dock pilon. Not dead, but not free, Makepeace curses the pair as they transport him to his final resting place.

Resolution

Hamilton wins Delaware primary. Still harpooned to the dock post, Makepeace curses Trey and Joe as they drop him into an enormous pilon for a gigantic skyscraper near the Statue of liberty. Joe positions his massive cement truck, dumps concrete atop the treacherous fiend. He’s not dead, but he may as well be.

[Daniel Burt]

Dan’s Action Structure

I learned during this assignment that a lot of what makes great action so great is creating jaw-dropping beats at structure changes.

(Season 1 Pilot)

ACT I

In a not-too-distant future, humans attempting to geo-engineer the weather thru H.A.R.P. and other technologies manage to irrevocably damage the NOA (North Atlantic Overcurrent), precipitating an ice age that (models predict) will bring global subarctic temperatures for 900+ years. We. Messed. Up. It was bound to happen. Governments see the inevitable death of the planet approaching, and mankind rallies to defeat it.

Opening

Out of nowhere, a multi-billion-dollar ad campaign claiming the world is about to enter a deadly thousand-year ice age eclipses the news cycle. Research in support is shared globally and transparently.

Inciting
Incident

Markus Mohebby, having garnered the world’s spotlight, predicts three disasters in rapid succession, within a few meters and a few minutes.

First
Turning Point at end of Act 1

The world is waking up to a terrifying yet quickening reality. It’s an unexpected story of survival, hope, and the resilience of the human spirit. The poignant circumstances and careening storyline – I truly believe – will dumbfound audiences from its smallest survivor to its audacious cinematography. We track multiple amazing groups, each trying to outdistance the cataclysm, each awkwardly confronting a new, outrageous future.

ACT II

Mid-Point

We join people amid survival choices where there is “little hope for the eyes”. Although this is to be a series, we will be filming widescreen theatrical in 6K full of deep shadows and emotional haze, as our survivors pass the point of no return in their decisions, and deeper into their unknown future. A dark musical score will drive the story forward leaving lasting emotional attachments with the audience. Midway, joy is fleeting, yet real.

Second
Turning Point at end of Act 2

Amid a series of immoral betrayals – individuals and groups fear-driven to tear their own survival from others – the ice age begins in earnest 18 weeks early. Nodes near the poles are defeated overnight, with a domino effect on the preparations worldwide.

ACT III

Crisis
Climax

The surviving head into the ice age with who and what they have. As a bitter send-off, Earth has a complete magnetic shift, destroying or maiming structures and vessels everywhere.

Resolution

Humanity takes stock of itself, its resources, personnel, and leadership. With few survival nodes not on the precipice, the regular season begins. Now we must conquer our most nascent and abiding fears; freezing, starving, the dark world beneath us, the oceans crushing depths, the void of space, and a truly raving and desperate mankind.

“Genius survives; all else is claimed by death.”

– Edmund Spenser

“The ends justify the means.”

– Machiavelli

• This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by  Daniel Burt.

[Andre]

Subject
line: Andre’s
Action Structure!

“What I learned doing this assignment is…

· Deliver on the conventions of action (Purpose, Demand for Action, Mission, Escalating Action, Hero, Villain)

· The Three Tracks (Mission, Villain, Demand for Action).

[Note: Very rough draft of OmegaMan.]

Logline: “ΩmegaMan”, A Contained Action movie set in space. A Mitchell VHP Veterans History Project.

<b align=”center”>Opening
Scene

Our Countdown Leader to launch of Antares ticks down to LAUNCH! WE ascend into darkness, BLACKNESS…into, the wild blue-yonder of BLACKNESS of SPACE.

Star constellations form Caption: (Time) February 05, 1971.

The Blackness of Space fills with STARS, CONSTEELLATIONS, and other space objects become visible when our ANTARES, Silently crosses in-front of our screen.

The Intellectual capacity for knowing God- God-consciousness 1:2:4 (24.2).

Star constellations form Caption: The Spiritual urge to find God-God-seeking 1:2:4 (24.3).

Star constellations form Caption: The personality craving to be like God-the wholehearted desire to do the Father’s will 1:2:4 (24.4).

Star constellations form Caption: (What) “Consciousness:

“The intellectual capacity for knowing God.” Urantia book 1:2:4 (24.2).

240,000 miles above Earth, in Space, Lunar Module- Antares.

Piloting the Antares Lunar Module, is Our flawed and somewhat dejected Leading Man and Protagonist Dr. EDGAR D. MITCHELL; a pragmatic Test Pilot, Engineer, and Scientist. Who becomes the sixth-Man to explore the Surface of the Moon!

Along for the ride are Alan B. Shepard Jr. and Stu Roosa.

“If we continue without change and without growth in our basic thinking and behavior, we will, despite spectacular technological feats, eventually end the evolutionary experiment known as man.”-EDM

juxtaposition 240,000 miles below, PEOPLE of Earth, Earthlings fighting deadly Wars.

We commit senseless and meaningless murder; and other crimes- lying, cheating, on the only planet We have.

There is no planet b!

We struggle for power and status above one another, on the only planet We have. There is no planet b.

We abuse the environment of Our Planet by polluting the water and air, wasting natural resources, and ravage the land- acting out of lust and greed; hurting others through intolerance, bigotry, prejudice, and all the things that add up to man’s inhumanity to man.

There is no planet b!!

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Inciting Incident:

With the Inciting Incident of the Moon in the foreground, the Opening Title Sequence timed with the Apollo14 Crew (from the exterior of the spaceship) silently cruising through Space with the earth behind us.

While aboard Antares (there is various sounds) traveling in the direction of the Moon; stabilizing orbit for modular and orbiter disconnect, and stable orbit of —-; which will permit the landing onto the moon to conduct research, Inner-and outer-space research converge, and recapture when returning from the moon later.

The result is an expansion of awareness and a step toward developing higher CONSCIOUSNESS in the human race.

Restating Opening quote:

“Consciousness: The intellectual capacity for knowing God.” 1:2:4 (24.2).

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1. Act 1. First Turning Point.

Launch.

During the voyage, a test in Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP), attempting to send information telepathically to Four Receivers on earth as Inner-and Outer-space research converge!

“My thinking-indeed, my consciousness-was altered profoundly. I came to feel a moral responsibility to pass on the transformative experience of seeing earth from the larger perspective.

2. End of Act 1. Begin Act 2. Mid-Point.

Orbit.

In addition to their lunar studies, the Apollo 14 crew perform several experiments intended to explore various aspects of the space environment.

“The act of leaving the planet is one of the pivotal moments in human history because it represents a radical change in the course of progress and offers a new perspective of civilization.”

3. End of Act 2. Begin Act 3. Turning Point.

Land On Moon.

Ωmega (Ω). “My real interest is-and has been for many years-to understand the nature of consciousness and the relationship of body to mind.”

Omega (Ω) symbol for consciousness and noetics.

Paraphysics, a new field within noetics that extends the laws and methods of physics in an attempt to explain some paranormal phenomena.

End Act 3- Begin Act 4. Crisis.
Story Turning Point.

No Time to waste. Experiments on lunar.

· (Effects of noetics and other experiments). The evolutionary Experiment known as Man.

· Edgar Mitchell Crisis. Divorce.

· Stu Roosa Crisis.

· Alan Shepard Crisis. Meniere’s Disease.

Climax.

This is a Kick-ass Contained-Action movie set in Space in the year 19?? It is a movie about Human Consciousness in NatureSpace.

To uncover the evolutionary Experiment known as Man.

End Act 4-Resolution:

Launch and recapture.

· How do They as a team become conscious?

· Safely depart Moon, inter-module link up, HOW?

· Only to “Safely” return to war torn violence filled earth.

The result is an expansion of Awareness and a step toward developing higher CONSCIOUSNESS, in the human race.

Closing Shot:

A.
Match Opening Shot. We
are physically back- on war torn, violence and pollution filled Earth. The
FRESH AIR, the sound of waves, birds, and the feel of the warmth of SUN.

B.
(Exposure to
elements is Key Issue throughout this Contained-Action movie).

Caption: “There is no planet b, for humanity.”

Music/Score.

[Roll End Credits]

Fade to Black.

Note: Very rough draft of OmegaMan.

-Andre

• This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by  Andre Howard.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by  Andre Howard.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by  Andre Howard.

[Bent Hanlen]

Bent’s action structure

what I learned doing this assignment is this ………. I have the action structure spelled out pretty much. There is the thriller structure that I’ll add later. And the relationship in there too. I’ve been struggling with this script for a couple years now and all of a sudden my breakthrough arrived because of this class.

Opening — an elf scout is at the location where Krampus exits the earth. The elf is attacked by the demons surrounding Krampus.

Inciting Incident – The elf returns in a heavily damaged sleigh with a few of the reindeer dead. It is obvious to Santa this was all done by Krampus.

First Turning Point at end of Act 1 – Santa and the elves take off in numerous sleighs. Santa declares he will stay with the sleighs going in the area of where Krampus is located.

Mid-Point — They encounter Krampus and there is a chase that ensues. Santa and the elves get away.

Second Turning Point at end of Act 2 – One of the little girl elves is kidnapped by Krampus. They must find her and this is pushed by her brother.

Crisis – Santa and the elves find out Krampus has kidnapped children along with that girl elf. They must save the kids and her.

Climax – final battle with Krampus and the demons. A battle with sleighs and quick demons goes into the sky. The final battle between Santa and Krampus puts Santa close to his demise. It is up to the brother elf and his sister to save Santa because the second in command The General wants Santa to go down.

Resolution – demons are killed. The General is killed. Santa survives. Brother and sister are reunited Krampus is buried deep in an icy tomb. It looks like he isn’t dead yet.