Lesson 6 Assignments

[Erin Ziccarelli]

Erin Ziccarelli’s Transformational Structure

What I learned from doing this assignment is: the turning points at the end of each sequence are helping me make the flow more dramatic. Mapping out a vision for each segment makes the movie much more manageable and makes each segment unique.

Tell us your Transformational
Logline.

When a forgotten counterfeiter inherits a rival family member’s estate, he questions his ties to his family and their black-market businesses.

Tell us who the main character will
be: Change Agent: Transformational
Character(s):

· Change Agent: Roger Tate

· Transformational character: Alex Donovan (and Scarlett Brennan)

List out your Mini-Movie structure,
(or whatever structure you’ve chosen) for your story.

A. Mini-Movie 1: status quo and call to adventure

1. Alex’s ordinary world and status quo: prison, cocaine addiction, feeling alone/abandoned

2. Turning point – call to adventure: Alex finds out he has a daughter. Scarlett is in her early twenties and strongly allied with a rival family.

3. Introduces the story’s main tension – the North/South family feud, it’s personal for Alex because he has a family member on the other side.

· Change agent: Roger Tate, Kitty Caden

· Transformational characters: Alex Donovan

· Old ways: Alex is alone. He’s lost hope. He’s rude to Roger and Demi and Will – even though they are trying to help him. He harbors anger towards the Cadens and Brennans. Beats up Ted Brennan.

· The vision: Alex will leave prison, learn to “stand alone,” and separate himself from the family politics. He and his daughter will meet and learn to trust each other despite being from opposite sides of Boston.

· 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.

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

B. Mini-Movie 2: locked into conflict

1. Alex’s denial of the call: he can’t believe it, he investigates by looking through the prison records, Ted was telling the truth

2. Turning point – Alex “locked into” the conflict brought on by this call: he decides to take Nathanial Caden’s money, it will be his way back home, enters rehab and is let out on supervised release

· Change agent: Roger Tate, Scarlett Brennan

· Transformational characters: Alex Donovan

· Old ways: Alex struggling to overcome the cocaine addiction. Struggling to understand why Kitty never told him about Scarlett. Questioning his past.

· The vision: Alex will be cured of his addiction. He will be sober and stay sober. He will come to terms with Kitty’s secret.

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

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

C. Mini-Movie 3: hero tries to solve problem – but fails

1. Alex’s first attempts to solve his problem: he focuses on building the business, sees Scarlett for the first time, but does not talk to her or get the signature, reject’s Roger’s advice

2. Turning point – standard ways fail: the business is stagnant, liquidation can’t move forward until Alex has the conservatee’s (Scarlett’s) signature

· Change agent: Roger Tate, Will Lawson

· Transformational characters: Alex Donovan

· Betraying character: Joe Byrne

· Old ways: Alex trying to launch the business, doubting his ability to stand alone and be successful. Struggling with if/how he should meet Scarlett.

· New ways: Alex doing honest work, trying to make a “family” out of his new team, trying to adjust to regular life

· Vision: Alex will build a successful business. He will meet Scarlett.

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

· Weaknesses: Tempted by his old ways – his old friends find him. He can’t face the past or bring himself to talk to Scarlett.

D. Mini-Movie 4: hero forms a new plan

1. Alex has a plan to bring Scarlett in to work at the business (to get her signature), gets a buyer (commits himself to the business)

2. Plan goes wrong: storming phase for the team, Roger hounding him for his lack of measurable output, Scarlett isn’t very committed to him or the business – she’s much more invested in her illegal activities

3. Turning point – plan backfires: Alex is still very much alone. His Uncle dies, naming him “heir” to the family business. He rejects the offer, making an enemy of his old friends.

· Change agent: Roger Tate

· Transformational characters: Alex Donovan, Scarlett Brennan

· Old ways: Alex can’t bring his team together. They’re not selling anything. The clock is ticking. There’s a lack of a shared vision with the team. Alex hasn’t been honest with Scarlett.

· New ways: Alex rejects the offer to come back to the South End after his uncle dies. He’s determined to make it on his own.

· Vision: Alex commits himself to the business. His identity is in his own work.

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

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

E. Mini-Movie 5: hero retreats & antagonism prevails

1. Alex is confronted by his need to change: he needs to keep building his work ethic if he’s to stand on his own – he orders an all-nighter. He and Scarlett enjoy a card game. She’s just as good at cards as he is.

2. Eyes open to his weaknesses: when the business is destroyed and everyone leaves him, Alex realizes the Donovans aren’t going to give up. He can’t ignore the problem, he has to face it. He retreats to rebuild.

3. Turning point – the decision to change: Alex rebuilds out of his own will. This time – no one told him what to do. He’s not going to give up now.

· Change agent: Roger Tate

· Transformational characters: Alex Donovan, Scarlett Brennan

· Old ways: Alex running from the problem. Hasn’t “rejected” the Donovans yet. Hasn’t confronted Richard over Kitty’s death.

· New ways: Alex rebuilds. He can’t move on from what happens – he remains tempted by the old life. Entertains the idea of returning.

· Vision: Alex tells Scarlett the truth. He rejects the South End families’ attempt to get him to come back.

· Challenges: 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.

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

F. Mini-Movie 6: hero’s bigger, better plan

1. Alex spawns a new plan: he and Roger talk again and he realizes how far he’s come. Roger encourages him to make peace with Scarlett and with the past. Alex accepts the plan

2. Alex puts the plan into action and is nearly destroyed by it: Scarlett is angrier than ever – she knows everything. Alex seems to have lost hope again. He relapses.

3. The revelation: Alex has to rejoin the family. It’s his only chance for surviving.

4. Turning point – the ultimate failure: Alex reveals Scarlett’s identity to his old friends. They’re out for revenge now.

· Change agent: Roger Tate

· Transformational characters: Alex Donovan

· Old ways: Alex running from his past.

· New ways: Alex facing his past – in the wrong way. He accepts their offer to return, to take up his place as leader.

· Vision: Alex is just trying to survive now. He believes he can’t overcome his past (his ultimate failure).

· Challenges: 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?

· Weaknesses: Feeling overly empowered by then rejected by Scarlett. He slips back into his old ways.

G. Mini-Movie 7: crisis and climax

1. Alex sees victory: he closes the deal with the buyer – the first honest thing he’s done. Tells Roger to leave. He’s going back home.

2. Turns the tables on his antagonist: Alex is nearly killed. He runs and busy the cocaine for the South End.

3. The tables turn one more time: Alex realizes Roger is from the North. This whole time, he’s been helping Alex – someone from the other side. Alex realizes that change is possible.

4. Turning point – apparent victory: Gives him a new understanding of the family feud. It’s not worth it.

· Change agent: Alex Donovan, Roger Tate

· Transformational characters: Alex Donovan, Roger Tate, Scarlett Brennan

· Betraying character: Joe Byrne

· Old ways: Alex trying to get “back in” with his family. Back to the counterfeiting grin. Temporary relapse.

· New ways: Alex realizes he can never go back. Scarlett is his family.

· 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

· 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.

H. Mini-Movie 8: new status quo

1. Alex puts down Richard’s last attempt to defeat him: Everyone gathers at the casino. In the showdown scene, Richard kills himself.

2. Wrapping up his story: Alex and Scarlett make their peace.

3. Alex’s new world: Alex and Scarlett will leave Boston and join Roger in Chicago.

· New ways: Alex “stands on his own.” He and Scarlett have each other – they will join Roger in Chicago. Leaving behind Boston for good. He has learned about leaving the past behind. He has overcome his addiction. He has done something honest in his life and learned that family is more than last name.

· Profound truth: Family is more than last name – it’s people who care about and are loyal to one another. We can overcome previous mistakes and start over. Redemption is possible.

[Wayne Petitto]

Wayne’s Transformational Structure

What I learned from this lesson was a great way to organize my script into digestible size stages, each having important meaning and supporting the transformational journey.

Logline: Peter needs to overcome his guilty defensiveness despite his past life as the Bishop who had Joan of Arc burned to death, while his love interest, Jeannie needs to overcome her suspicion of men, particularly those in authority after discovering she had once been Joan of Arc.

Change agents: Primarily Each other, their past life hypnotic therapist, society.

Transitional Characters: Peter & Jeannie.

MMM Structure:

Mini-Movie-1: Status Quo: Peter is a college Junior, Jeanie is an incoming freshman.

TP: They discover their individual past lives, then meet not knowing each other’s past lives.

Change agent: each other.

They discover each other’s past lives but are unable to discuss their past relationship in public, a brawl breaks out before they can do so, Jeannie is arrested while Peter is pushed out the kitchen back door.

MM-2: Locked into conflict: They go to a fine restaurant and things seem great until Jeannie misunderstands that Peter is trying to get into her pants. She storms out.

MM-3: Tries to solve problem: They go ahead with a simultaneous hypnotism after a quick mutual apology.

The simultaneous hypnotism goes well until a stumble causes desynchronization and Jeannie comes back to present, seeing Peter still hypnotized, hatefully lambasting her as he is still the Bishop.

Peter is brought back and they go to lunch together. Jeannie tries to forget what she saw and felt, but she lets Peter know how bad he looked. His guilt complex kicks in, but they vow not to let it bother them.

TP: The first day of classes they are both sent to the dean’s office for unrelated problems with their professors. The Dean recognizes they were at the start of the bar brawl and forbids them from seeing each other on campus. They each interpret the other’s agreeability with the Dean’s order as the other being through with them.

MM-4: Bigger plan: Peter “accidentally” runs into Jeannie off campus and they meet at Mandy’s ice-cream. They develops a relationship around Peter’s study of religion and Jeannie’s study of Government, integrating faith with law while growing a real relationship. Jeannie discovers Peter is (also) a virgin.

TP: College TV News learns of their past lives and meets them at the gate for an interview that goes south.

MM-5: Plan w/o changes: Meeting at Mandy’s becomes open to public scrutiny and a viral video of Peter losing his cool. They begin to argue about what to do.

TP: An argument at the school library over going on TV or not, gets heated, and Peter walks out of the relationship.

MM-6: Ready to change – Discouragement: Jeannie’s field hockey team and Peter’s ice hockey team both have a double header weekend at the same away college. They secretly attend each other’s Saturday game to find that the other is a star player. They run into each other Sunday morning and have breakfast together. However they try to out-cool each other, and both leave for their games thinking the other is no longer interested. They both lose their Sunday games and when their busses arrive at the college late, national TV News awaits them.

TP: The vindictive reporter tries to pry dirt out of each of them. Each ends up telling her, “Get out ‘a my face.”

MM-7: Plan victory: They finally see no way other than to appear on the Dr. Phil Show (equivalent). The night before, Peter wants to make up with Jeannie to make sure they’re okay with each other, but he can’t find her. Jeannie is with the hypnotist convincing him to bring her through Joan of Arc’s death experience.

TP: NOW Jeannie needs to find Peter but he’s not in his room because he out looking for her.

MM-8: Conclusion, Victory out of the flames of defeat: They go on the show. Things start to go wrong, the audience taunts and prods them to fight, BUT they begin to do what they have always done best, defend one another. They stand, take over the show, tell off the world for allowing themselves to be polarized and always ready to take “sides.” They know one another so well, they contrapuntally expound their positions telling the world what it needs to know. Then they set an example of forgiveness to the world.

TP: Concluding with Peter speaking on behalf of his past self, the Bishop asking Jeannie, as Joan of Arc to forgive him. At this point Jeannie tells him and the world what she’d experienced the night before, and that now she knows that she forgave him nearly 600 years before with her last dying breath to God, “just before the pain went away.” They embrace and crossfade to, 4-years later, the same embrace at the altar.

[Lincoln Hoppe]

Lincoln’s Transformational Structure

What I learned doing this assignment is the mini movie structure and the value of breaking a beast down into smaller parts! How much easier it is to tackle a small piece at a time. Also I see the value of using the model and structure to program in the desired result of the transformational structure! It’s awesome!

Mm 1

Angelo is a cowed and neutered drone living by someone else’s rules thinking it’s the only way until he meets a girl, Juliet, who must rise above these old ways to pursue<div>

Mm 2

Angelo’ station and old ways are tightened as his father puts him back in line. But this only shows him how clearly he must step out of line to get who he wants. He locks in as he takes a step into the new world to get her or contact her

Mm3

Both sides discourage the pursuit and begin to actively keep them apart. Including Godfrey and Devin meeting to block them

Mm4

They go out on a date, but sources combine with minor plagues to keep them apart. The date ends in apparent disaster. Angelo is sure Juliet will read this as a sign against them and thinks he’s failed

But Juliet believes signs have the meaning WE give them! She’s all about creation, Angelo’s old ways are all about staying in line

Mm5

Decision to change. Juliet previously tells him he shouldn’t give up so easy, so he makes the decision to dig in and openly defy his father and the old ways

Mm6

Angelo takes on Devin and his company in an open challenge (maybe even a challenge to run the business- even if it’s just to get everyone’s attention

Devin beats him down by revealing Angelo is the one with the dark powers that scare everyone.

This realization is the inmost cave, the ultimate failure

Mm7

Juliet whispers or communicates with Angelo her message again, our life is what we make it. Not what we assume is true or proper

Angelo reaches in and imagines his life with Juliet… and then a child. This terrifies him because he believes he will be a father like his dad.

But he converses with his imaginary son and heals himself and creates a new goal

Thereby creating a new path for himself and snapping the chains of the old ways

Mm8

Devin attempts to pull rank and have his minions enforce a law that can no longer hold Angelo.

Godfrey steps in and calls it enough. Devin relents.

Godfrey reveals he was only helping Angelo and Juliet by applying pressure with Devin, and Godfrey knew it all along

Juliet expresses her love and reveals she is the one he met in the first scene as a child, and she has been orchestrating this transformation all along. But HE stepped up as it was the only way. She could only line up the pieces, Angelo had to make the change that she knew he was capable of

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