Lesson 6 Assignments

[Beth Bonness]

Subject line: Beth Bonness’ Delivering Multiple Layers!

What I learned doing this assignment is…the brainstorming process blends and is entangles plot & characters & setting; permutations on each other; threads repeated themselves.

1. Brainstorm potential plot layers.

Major scheme revealed

Surface: blind psychic owns specialty shop

Beneath: not blind

Beneath: collects thoughts no only psychic paraphernalia

Beneath: spikes cocktails w/other people’s thoughts

Reveal: after planting another’s thoughts in each couple, they burst private thought out saying “I don’t know why I said that” & person w/thought

Mystery revealed

Surface: blind psychic wants everyone to stay to get their thoughts when a storm strands them

Beneath: psychic isn’t blind

Reveal: spikes drinks to put thoughts of staying vs trying to weather the storm in each couples’ drinks

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Thought it was one thing, but it is another

<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Surface: romantic getaway to plan big wedding

<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Beneath: transgender man tries to convince transgender woman to elope

<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Beneath: transgender man hasn’t told parents of transition

<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Reveal: psychic spikes drinks to put thought of eloping in transgender woman’s drink

Major shift in Meaning

<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Surface: physic paraphernalia — jars of potions from famous physics — replicas

<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Beneath: thought infused liquors

<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Beneath: thoughts of people there
<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Reveal: psychic spikes drinks to put thoughts of staying vs trying to weather the storm in each couples’ drinks

Hidden history

<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Surface: biracial sisters parent’s w/ diff partners

<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Beneath: poly exs aren’t exs

<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Reveal: psychic spikes drinks to put thoughts of poly exs in biracial white sister’s drinks

Hidden plan

<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Surface: Alzheimer’s wife uses gaming for fun memory tricks

<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Beneath: she needs a device to help her remember so people don’t notice her early Alzheimer’s

<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>R<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>eveal: psychic spikes husband’s drinks to put thoughts of gaming tricks by his wife to remember

2. Brainstorm potential character layers.

Secret identity

Surface: blind psychic owns specialty shop

Beneath: not blind
Beneath: collects thoughts no only psychic paraphernalia

Beneath: spikes cocktails w/other people’s thoughts

Reveal: after planting another’s thoughts in each couple, they burst private thought out saying “I don’t know why I said that” & person w/thought

Intrigue layers

Surface: Transgender couple planning their wedding

Beneath: transgender man hasn’t told parents of wedding

Beneath: transgender man hasn’t told parents of transition

Reveal: transgender woman sees email communication — or — psychedelic trip after drink “seeing” partner talking w/parents as if still male

Hidden relationships and conspiracies

Surface: Christian sister disapproves of transcouple

Beneath: trans woman Christian too & wants to help save atheist biracial sister

Beneath: atheist sister plants seeds w/transwoman to distract Christian sister for poly parent discovery

R<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>eveal: > spiked drink sees trans couple are one of parents?

Hidden Character history

<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Surface: Alzheimer’s couple marraied 40 years on romantic weekend getaway

<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Beneath: he’s been married before

<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Beneath; he has a son from 1<sup style=”font-family: inherit;”>st</sup> married he doesn’t acknowledge and feels guilty every day

<i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Reveal: Alzheimer’s wife > drimk w/ca;ling his 1<sup style=”font-family: inherit;”>st</sup> wife’s name & sees his son (“drink’ seeing?)

3. Brainstorm potential location layers.

Hidden operation

Surface: psychic store frong; specialty shop

Beneath: tarot reachings by blind psychic

Beneath: reads minds & keeps thoughts

Beneath: psychic keeps thoughts

Beneath: psychic is able to manipulate thoughts

Reveal: > spiking drink celebrating electricity back on; truth cocktail; she’s not blind (shares thoughts with others)

Deeper meaning

Surface: thoughts are just thoughts; not actions

Beneath: thougthts have agency

Reveal: someone picks/orders cocktail w/thoughts they want:

Elope
Parents to not be poly
Keep 1^st wife/son a secret

Trap to draw prey

Surface: storm cut off power; stranded in a remote location

Beneath: cut generator when tree fell so everyone thinks power went out

Reveal: searching for supplies someone finds the generator in the “off” position

Unique sub-world

Surface: psychic specialty shop

Beneath: thoughts curated

Reveal: secrets are exposed: plan to elope so trans not exposed, plan to keep poly parents secret kept, plan to keep 1^st wife/son a secret, plan to keep Alzheimer’s disease a secret

[Gayle Jackson]

Gayle Jackson Delivering Multiple Layers

What I learned doing this assignment is… I can tell whether my story is on the right track when I dig into the layers. If a story doesn’t work, the layers won’t make sense.

PLOT – Surface layer: A ritual will contain the evil djinn

Beneath that: The ritual opens gateways to the next world

How revealed: A good spirit comes to collect Caroline for Heaven

——————-

CHARACTER 1 – Surface layer: Rick wants to do a reality show about his success

Beneath that: Rick doesn’t know what he’s talking about and takes the credit for Samantha’s success

How revealed: Samantha answers the questions from viewers that Rick cannot

CHARACTER 2 – Surface layer: Samantha wants to retire from ghost hunting

Beneath that: Samantha wants to start a family

How revealed: She goes off her birth control

CHARACTER 3 – Surface layer: Caroline plans to reunite Rick and Samantha

Beneath that: Caroline needs someone to love and be loved by

How revealed: Caroline’s keepsake from her long dead sweetheart

—————–

LOCATION – Surface layer: The old house is a fixer upper

Beneath that: Odd electrical and plumbing mishaps; antiques in the office seen to change position.

How revealed: Ghosts come out of the antiques to run the house

[Deanne]

LESSON 6 The Structure of Layers

Deanne’s Delivering Multiple Layers!

What I learned = this process is a good way to reveal which concepts have enough layers to make a good contained movie, and which need to be rethought to make them stronger.