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Lesson 7
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BWTV Module 2, Lesson 7
Lenore Bechtel’s TV Pitch Bible Investigation
What I learned from this assignment is methods for digging beneath the surface story.
Hypnotized by Hope, one hour/comedy
Concept:
Lilly Brandon—Hypnotist Joshua’s straight-laced and efficient girl Friday—is his ghostwriter who must navigate the chaos of his zany methods and the antics of his new hires while keeping a scandal reporter at bay. All goes awry when Joshua’s illegal past and Lilly’s own secrets threaten their goal of attaining national recognition.
Intriguing World:
The hypnotic world of Joshua’s office in Tulsa’s Traveler’s Tower, which also has a bank, shops, a cafeteria, and a nightclub frequented by past life regressors.
Summary:
Lilly wants national publicity for the book she’s ghosting for Joshua Hope, hypnotist extraordinaire, but not the kind scandal reporter Quinten Quebeck will write. He thrives on destroying reputations, so Lilly needs to keep him from discovering Joshua’s many zany cures.
Like the one for Timothy, a schizoprenic who thinks he’s invisible, referred to Joshua by Dr. Dan even before his insurance ran out. Knowing his hypnotic suggestions must be confirmed by reality, Joshua has Lilly arrange a fake bank robbery to be carried out by Timothy and his two invisible buddies—gleeful Joshua himself and reluctant Dr. Dan.
Lilly also has to find a malfunctioning safe that can’t be opened as part of a treatment for Tyrell, an unexpected client whom Joshua sees for free. Much later she’ll discover that Tyrell and Joshua were cellmates in prison—a past he’s hidden from her and one Joshua’s afraid will destroy his chances of the national fame he desires.
Joshua has already achieved local Tulsa fame with his weekly TV show featuring fat clients who’ve lost weight with his group hypnosis classes. Alas, if Quinten finds out that Maudie, the subject of this week’s show, is a fake fatty—disaster! Discovering this truth, Lilly must quickly arrange a refilming of the bad show, but she can’t keep simple Sally from playing the show for Quinten. Lilly’s cross to bear is one inept girl after another—like Sally—hired by Joshua, sometimes she thinks just to annoy her—which he loves doing.
Quinten arrives as Lilly is recording past life regressor Bernadine’s breakthrough to her 1800s life when Sally interrupts with Joshua’s master hyypnosis CDs she’s destroyed. At the same time a frightened Timothy runs from Joshua’s office, announcing that Joshua is crazy, and flees.
Quinten’s ears perk up, Lilly’s hopes zoom down, but Joshua remains his usual cheerful self, telling Lilly “He’ll be back” and welcoming Quinten to drop by anytime and sit in on his weight control and stop smoking sessions whenever he wants.
Characters:
Main characters who will appear every season =
Lilly Brandon, divorcee and frequently rejected novelist, seeks fame through Joshua and happiness that’s eluded her since putting her baby out for adoption.
Joshua Hope, superb hypnotist and star of a weekly Tulsa TV show, will do any wild thing to help a client, always fearing his secret past imprisonment might come back to haunt him.
Dr. Dan Dreiden, money-hungry psychiatrist and wannabe womanizer who refers his hopeless cases to Joshua, but would love to prove psychiatry bettter than hypnotherapy.
Vicki Hope, Joshua’s cousin and perky receptionist whose boyfriend dumped her and previous employer fired her, who flirts with male clients and makes nervous mistakes on the job.
Bernadine Dione, a nightclub singer/drummer who seeks breakthroughs to past lives to discover karmic dues to pay in this lifetime so she can move on with her soul group.
Minor characters who might or might not appear every season =
Shay Zigler, who comes to Joshua’s office to see if he wants a relationship with Lilly, his birth mother who gave him out for adoption.
Kathy York, who used to be Kevin York, Lilly’s gay exhusband who now wants to live with her and be her best friend.
Tyrell Black, Joshua’s prison cellmate, who needs Joshua’s help to regain his safecracking skill and whose nimble fingers play marvelous piano jazz.
Quiten Queback, antagonist, scandal reporter hoping to win a jounalistic prize for writing a scathing expose on Joshua.
First season characters who will be replaced by other clients in season 2 through 5:
Sally Singleton, Joshua’s new hire whose ineptness is faked because she’s really undercover for a publisher who will publish Lilly’s book if she finds Joshua’s truly legit.
Maudie Patterson, who’s so enthralled with Joshua that she pads her body to attend his weight session, creating chaos when he chooses her as a subject for his TV show.
Timothy Graves—referred to Joshua by Dr. Dan—is a schizo who thinks he’s invisible, who has a hard time adjusting to visibility after being seen in a fake bank robbery arranged by Joshua.
Season 1 episodes
Episode 1: Invisible Intrigue
Lilly must keep Joshua’s zany treatments secret from scandal reporter Quinten, while writing their details in the book she’s ghosting to make them both famous. She’s miffed at Joshua’s secrecy about new client Tyrell and more miffed about incompetent Sally. The treatment he plans for Timothy, Dr. Dan’s patient who thinks he’s invisible, scares him so much he runs away.
Episode 2: Crfme and Visibility
Lilly is dismayed when Joshua asks Sally to teach an exercise class. Meanwhile, Timothy’s gets under way with Joshua and Dr. Dan accompanying Timothy in a fake bank robbery. As chaos unfolds, Joshua introduces Timothy to past life regressor Bernadine, who’s eager to convince Timothy he has a physical body. Lilly’s gay ex-husband—now female Kathy—wants to live with her again.
Episode 3: The TV Show Shuffle
Joshua and Lilly discover that Maudie, the subject on this week’s TV show, is not actually fat. While Lilly arranges a replacement episode, she must keep Quinten from seeing Timothy who doesn’t like visibility. In a private with Joshua, Shay reveals Lilly is his birth mother. Joshua hires him to help Sally, who offers to show Quinten the bad TV show.
Episode 4: Exercise Extravaganza
Sally’s exercise class gets her promoted to be in the TV show, infuriating Lilly. Quinten gloats over Joshua’s and Sally’s chitchat and the big money Joshua makes. Timothy’s new crisis necessitates another bank prank after which Bernadine recognizes Timothy in a past life breakthrough. WithTyrell’s failed safe-cracking attempt which Libby arranged, she still has time for a lunch date with Kathy.
Episode 5: Showtime Surprise
Dr. Dan scolds Joshua for Timothy’s premature dates, leading to another treatment. Meanwhile, Bernadine’s new show opens, and the entire office attends, including Vicki with Shay. While the show’s in progress, police catch Tyrell cracking Dr. Dan’s safe and blaming Joshua, so police drag him to the show. Bernadine’s breakthrough gets hand-cuffed Tyrell on stage with Quinten gleefully filming it all.
Episode 6: Hypnotic Hijinks
Shay makes points with Lilly when tries but fails to keep Sally from finding a file Quinten wants to complete his story. He confronts Joshua after learning the whole truth from Maudie, Timothy, and Bernadine. Joshua hypnotizes Quinten, and won’t tell Dr. Dan and Lilly what suggestion he gave him, but assures them the suggestions will be followed.
Episode 7: Fame and Revelations
Phones are busy with people wanting an exercise class with Sally, thanks to Quinten’s story about only good things, as Joshua had suggested. Lilly’s rage turns to joy when Sally confesses she’s been investigating Joshua for her publisher uncle who will now publish Lilly’s book. Shocking revelations reveal all secrets, and Shay and Lilly are exceedingly glad.
Episode 8: New Beginnings
With Joshua on book tour, the office bustles with phone calls and new opportunities. Lilly’s book becomes a bestseller, and all relationships evolve. However, Joshua—from afar—hires a new girl, and Lilly decides to quit working for such an unappreciative man. That is, until Joshua comes back, tells her he missed her, and wants to get started on their next book.
Five Seasons:
Season 1: Lilly Brandon—Hypnotist Joshua’s straight-laced and efficient girl Friday—is his ghostwriter who must navigate the chaos of his zany methods and the antics of his new hires while keeping a scandal reporter at bay. Joshua goes on a book tour, the book becomes a bestseller, but brings in an ex-con from Joshua’s illegal past, while Lilly copes with her secret son and her gay ex-husband, now Kathy, who wants to live with her.
Season 2: Lilly goes undercover to find who’s spearheading the picketers at Joshua’s office. It’s Dr. Mindbender, an Oklahoma City hypnotist who’s losing business since Joshua’s TV show started on an OC station. Joshua’s in the news again with Tamara, a psychic who claims his hypnosis gave her the skill she uses to help police. Lilly manages all, booking Joshua for an OC State Fair show to get back at Mindbender, while preventing ex-con Hugh Hitman from wiping him out.
Season 3: Joshua’s big cases this season are petty thief Rachel, who’s following a ghost’s orders, and her brother David who’s a time traveler needing help understanding his experiences. Joshua wins a prestigious hypnotism competition, outshining other hypnotists by doing tricks hated by Lilly. Riots erupt among ladies wanting tickets to his TV show, and Lilly’s ingenuity prevents police from making arrests. She needs to corner ex-con Victor Ramirez who’s established a business selling phoney diet pills to Joshua’s clients.
Season 4: Joshua faces a lawsuit filed by a female shoplifter extraordinare who claims she was hypnotized watching his TV show. Dr. Mindbender is exposed for impersonating a doctor without a license, and Joshua is called as a witness. His own illegal past is revealed, but his cheerful confession brings new admiration. While dealing with a man suffering recurring nightmares and a street performer who prefers being a living statue more than a moving human, Joshua is threatened by a mobster he refused to help in prison.
Season 5: The mobster Joshua refused to help is a rapist who wanted his guilt feelings erased from his mind, but now he wants to rape any woman close to Joshua. Lilly warns Vicki, Sally, Maudie, Bernadine, Tamara, Rachel, and others who form a club, Hope’s Hit List Lasses. They go unexpectedly public on Joshua’s TV show, when Lilly reveals she’s written a personal book, Coping With Hope, which becomes a hit. Joshua finally gets the mobster to reform, and he finally recognize romantic feelings for Lilly, the feelings she’d hoped for from the beginning.
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What I learned during this assignment is that there’s a lot beneath the surface that I can use to flesh out the characters
1. If the aliens’ spirits offer advanced knowledge or technology…
There could be a race to get the knowledge the aliens offer. Government factions or corporations and secret societies could be vying for the power.
2. Seth’s hidden past: Seth is able to spot psychic children (Crystal children) He searches for talent. And he procures them for Hermes. Hermes uses the children to hunt down enemies, unveil secrets and so on.
In a war, Seth was saved by Ryan’s father. Seth saw a profound aura color change in Ryan’s father after he saved him. Maybe: Seth, realizing the profound change in Ryan’s father, foresees the birth of a special child – a Crystal Child, destined to bridge the realms of the ethereal and the earthly, possessing unparalleled psychic – channeling abilities. Seth, with a mixture of awe and responsibility, vows to guide and protect this child when the time comes. He’s correct and the child is procured by Hermes.
Seth gives Star Rover a medallion once owned by one of the many children murdered by Hermes. Their essences were boiled down to blips on a computer chip and shot into space. The mission, to study the outer planets and psychically send that information back to psychics here on earth. With the medallion Star Rover is able to communicate with not only the ethereal children rocketed into space but with a guardian spirit who calls himself Jimmy. Once Star Rover escaped Hermes, he had to bury his medallion and take on a new identity, Ryan Gordon – average teen.
But at 14, Ryan reclaims the medallion. Maybe he learns through vivid visions caused by the medallion. 1. Seth, his protector and father figure, is the one responsible for procuring him and having his parents killed.
Emotional Impact: These revelations deeply affect Ryan. He grapples with a whirlwind of emotions – admiration for his father’s heroism, resentment towards Seth for his indirect role in his parents’ fate, and a daunting sense of destiny as the prophesied Crystal Child. And upon discovering Seth’s role in his past tragedies, Ryan feels a whirlwind of emotions—betrayal, anger, grief, and confusion. He grapples with the revelation, questioning his own memories, and desperately seeking justification or a way to refute the truth.
Seeking Truth: Armed with this newfound knowledge, Ryan becomes more determined to uncover the full extent of Seth’s involvement, the true nature of the Crystal Child prophecy, and his own place within this intricate cosmic tapestry.
Despite the weight of betrayal, Ryan seeks to understand Seth’s motivations. Through conversations, perhaps mediated by the medallion’s visions or interactions with Jimmy, Ryan delves into Seth’s psyche, exploring his guilt, remorse, and the intricate web of circumstances that led to those fateful decisions.
Acceptance and Empathy: As Ryan delves deeper, he uncovers layers of Seth’s own pain, regrets, and sacrifices. He learns of Seth’s internal conflict, his attempts to protect Ryan amidst a treacherous landscape of espionage, and his own battles with the sinister forces within Hermes.
The Power of Compassion: Empathy becomes a transformative force for Ryan. He realizes that while Seth’s actions caused immense pain, they were also borne out of a twisted sense of duty, fear, and a desperate attempt to navigate a world filled with shadows and deception.
A Healing Conversation: In a poignant moment, Ryan confronts Seth, not with vengeance, but with a yearning for understanding and closure. Through tears, confessions, and shared memories, they confront their shared past, acknowledging mistakes, regrets, and the enduring bond that transcends betrayal.
The Journey Towards Forgiveness: Forgiveness is not instantaneous. It’s a gradual process, marked by moments of doubt, anger, acceptance, and eventual healing. Ryan grapples with the complexity of forgiveness, recognizing that while Seth’s actions were deeply flawed, they were also shaped by a myriad of external pressures, personal demons, and a genuine, albeit misguided, desire to protect.
By weaving this intricate journey of forgiveness into the narrative, the story delves into themes of redemption, compassion, and the enduring power of understanding. This could be an episode in itself.
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Margaret’s TV Pitch Bible Investigation
What I learned: I created an A.I. prompt that helped me brainstorm all the components of investigation.
Parts changed:
Alo is an Earthling – like Jake
Merek & Sefa of the Donek tribe never really accepted the Orb
The Orb sent Jake on this journey in the first place
Taron is Imara’s brother
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Sunil Pappu’s TV Pitch Bible Investigation
“What I learned doing this assignment is… to use all the five investigative tools to go beneath the surface of the show and discover deeper layers”
Tool 1: Dig: What’s beneath that?
Use in Episodes:
How did Priya become the successor to the Hawala network?
She was trained as a child by the architects of the Hawala network.
How does she not remember it?
She grew up in a secluded mansion and only recalls her father and various mentors he would bring to the house who would give her puzzles to solve. She was unknowingly homeschooled by the architects of the Hawala network. She was elated at being accepted at a prestigious university where she could go like others in the outside world. Her only contact outside was the Sunday brunches at the town café and hackers she met secretly on the dark web when she was allowed to use her father’s supercomputer one hour a week.
Who was her father?
He was one of the creators of the banking system and was an theoretical mathematician and econometrician who was betrayed by his former colleague – Lina, the Oracle. He was sidelined when his code which was meant to solve world’s poverty was used instead to accumulate wealth and hijack power by a few elites. They falsely implicate him in a financial scandal and cut ties with him after disgracing him publicly. They erase Priya’s memory using primitive untested methods and let her live when they are convinced, they have wiped her memory clean.
How did she end up in Mumbai?
Father falls terminally ill and needs to be shifted to a hospital. She sells the mansion to pay the bills. She is accepted to a prestigious university where she is recruited by RAW.
Did RAW know of her family connections?
Yes, frustrated with trying to crack the hawala case they dig deep with undercover operatives. They hear rumors of a successor who was trained as a child. They discover one of the creators was her father when he’s admitted in the city hospital. They keep him under surveillance and see Priya visit him daily. They want to bring her back into the fold to help infiltrate the network.
Does the Hawala network know of Priya?
Yes, they have been tracking her for years and watch her progress. A higher up in RAW is in cahoots with the Hawala network.
They know her father would never allow her to join the Hawala network after they turned his world for good into something evil and dangerous. So they get her on the heist team to crack the code.
She is the only one who can solve a glitch in the Lazarus protocol that can help them rewrite the world.
Tool 2: Extrapolate: If __________, then ____________.
Use in Episodes:
If the team discovers coded messages on local hawaldars then who sent them?
If there is a traitor in the team, who is it? – could it be anyone?
Who was Arjun typing a message to on a secret burner that he destroyed?
Who was Meera chatting with on the dark web that she deleted all traces of?
Who was Sofia meeting in disguise in the dark alley before the raid?
Why did Mandeep steal the keys to sneaking out at night?
How did Lina know where the Hawala safe houses were?
Tool 3: Wonder: What if ______________?
Use in Episodes:
What if Mandeep is only there to serve as the eyes and ears for the higher ups at RAW who have links to the Hawala network.
What if Arjun was told about Priya by his RAW superiors to get her on his team?
Tool 4: Backtrack: How could ______________ have happened?
Use in Episodes:
Terrorist attack kills Arjun’s sister. How could she be involved?
Arjun’s sister was tracking the ghost ledger sale when the terrorist attack was orchestrated as a distraction. She was lured to the attack site by the Cobra.
Tool 5: Forecast: How could this get even worse?
Don’t use: (keep for future seasons)
What if one of the Hawala architects has trained more geniuses like Priya using the methods she stole from her father and now they are all slowly losing their memories from a systematic pogram to erase their memories to keep the code a secret that no one can crack?
Use in TV Pitch Bible:
What if she is Priya’s biological mother who once loved her father but betrayed him when he refused to part with his code?
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Eclipse Neilson Investigating Your Show
What I’ve learn is to explore and give time for the ideas to show up.
Use in TV Pitch Bible. Shortened concept. For Francis -I developed her character bit more of a relatable side that will play out for Robyn in the upcoming seasons.
Use in Episodes. Francis and Robyn
Francis educates Robyn with children’s classic where she hid her childhood secret dream of becoming a queen like in the fairytales.One day she reads the old classic little mermaid triggering Robyn’s love and yearning for wing and will show up in a later season and relates to Oma’s need to be returned to the sea.
For Robyn- The trips to the museums and Robyn’s love of egyptology leads to Robyn and Wings mystical origins and past life and secrets of the cosmic clock.
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Jerry Robbins TV Pitch Bible Investigation
What I lerned doing this assignment is that you need plenty of twists and turns, as well as hiddens secrets and depths of character.Tool 1: Is there anything hiding, even in plain sight, that relates to either the A-story or the B-Story?
In plain sight, there’s a holographic entity living next door to Alexia, quietly observing her life. This holographic neighbor is more than it seems, with potential ties to the growing holographic rebellion.
Tool 2: EXTRAPOLATE: If __________, then ____________
If holographic entities gain sentience, then the delicate balance between humans and holograms will shatter. If Alexia discovers her father’s holographic affair, then her perception of familial trust will be irreversibly altered.
Tool 3: WONDER: What if ______________?
What if the holographic rebellion is a symptom of a larger conspiracy within the holographic society? What if the holographic neighbor is not just an observer but a key player in the rebellion?
Tool 4: BACKTRACK: How could ______________ have happened?
How could Alexia’s father, a renowned scientist, have secretly contributed to the holographic rebellion? How could the holographic neighbor be connected to the rebellion without raising suspicion?
Tool 5: FORECAST: How could this get even worse?
If the holographic rebellion intensifies, it could lead to open conflict between holograms and humans. If Alexia’s investigation exposes her father’s involvement, it might fracture her trust in family and jeopardize her own safety. If the holographic neighbor’s true intentions are malicious, it could plunge Alexia into greater danger.
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Placeholder so I can mark complete and move ahead
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Phyllis’ TV Pitch Investigation
What I learned doing this assignment is that using the investigative tools helped give me a new perspective on my story, as well as intrigue and depth of character.
I came up with a new character and storyline: the daughter of the scientist Diana stole the foundational research from, her thirst for revenge, and her potential use for the transfer procedure that’s outside what the government or Peter and Diana want.
I added a hint of her agenda, and changed the dramatic question to “Who is really pulling the strings and what do they want out of this experiment?”
I found that some of my new ideas were good for seasons as opposed to episodes.
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Gayla Betts TV Pitch Bible Investigation
What I learned doing this assignment is there is always something better and deeper if you keep digging.
This assignment opened new avenues, uncovered motivations, and focused me on making choices about many of my characters interactions.
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I redid part of this assignment.
Gayla Betts TV Pitch Bible Investigation
What I learned doing this assignment is there is always something better and deeper if you keep digging, and once I do that, the answers keep coming once the questions are posed.
Areas I updated and changed after using the tools again:
A. Rafe is actually a double agent to Caroline.
B. Gabriel is actually Aquarius reporting to Ophiuchus for a promised elevated position.
C. Gabriel decides to protect Jess.
D. There is a bounty on Jess’ head.
E. Jess’ father knows more than he shares. -
1. Starting with your BW Framework and current draft of the TV Pitch Bible, ASSUME there is something beneath the surface that you absolutely MUST discover.
2. Investigate by picking situations and characters and asking:
Tool 1: Dig: What’s beneath that?
Tool 2: Extrapolate: If __________, then ____________.
Tool 3: Wonder: What if ______________?
Tool 4: Backtrack: How could ______________ have happened?
Tool 5: Forecast: How could this get even worse?
3. Evaluate the possibilities and decide what you are going to use in the different parts of your TV Pitch Bible. Divide the answers into three categories:
Use in TV Pitch Bible.
Use in Episodes.
Don’t use.
One question i had to explore was HOW the Three SIsters could sabotage their brother, Dr Jacobs’ horrible plans:
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What are five traps the three sisters could set-up to stop their brother, Dr Jacobs, from destroying humanity?
1. Mind Maze: The Three Sisters create an intricate labyrinth of illusions and nightmares, trapping Dr. Jacobs within the depths of his own mind. As he struggles to distinguish reality from illusion, his focus on destroying humanity is disrupted.
2. Time Loop: The Three Sisters manipulate time itself, creating a loop that ensnares Dr. Jacobs in an endless repetition of events. No matter what actions he takes to further his destructive plan, they are undone, frustrating his progress and driving him to desperation.
3. Illusory Allies: The Three Sisters conjure lifelike illusions of trusted allies, convincing Dr. Jacobs that he has gained crucial support. However, these illusions are designed to mislead and undermine him, sowing doubt and discord within his ranks.
4. Shadow Puppets: The Three Sisters harness the power of shadows to create sentient puppets that mimic the forms of loved ones and colleagues. These puppets infiltrate Dr. Jacobs’ inner circle, extracting information and sowing seeds of betrayal that weaken his grip on power.
5. Soul Bondage: The Three Sisters invoke a powerful ritual, binding Dr. Jacobs’ soul to an ancient artifact. The artifact drains his strength and vitality, leaving him vulnerable and unable to further his destructive agenda. To break free, he must uncover the key to severing the bonds holding his soul captive.
Another question was how to create more challenges for The Overtakers as they attempt to stop Dr Jacobs, and I came up with the idea that he kidnaps Delphine and gives her DANA and then she becomes a monkey, and Jeriko and the Sisters have to rescue her. But in the process, they learn more about what happens with DANA recipients and how to help heal them.
Another thing I looked at was how there could be more revealed about how Dr Jacobs, Dr Lei Wei, and Velvet Dean were able to control so much, and the reveal would be their abduction and trafficking ring
Also had to think about how to introduce and integrate the issues happening in Inner Earth and Outer Earth, and the long-game history of how humanity got here.
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