Lesson 7

[Tom Carroll]

What I learned doing this assignment is that there must be structure to any successful movie and that the structure must allow for all of the conflict and stress to bubble to the surface (while not preventing the four people that make up the film from accomplishing their goal and succeeding against all odds). My 4-act structure may not be perfect, but it does allow for me to establish a surprising first act and then to ratchet up the stress and conflict through the next two acts, all the while preserving enough cohesion within the crew to allow them to resolve everything by the 110th or 120th minute of the film.

OPERATION FUBAR

Concept: The concept revolves around a B-1B bomber crew faced with a failsafe order to bomb Beijing, China, amidst suspicions of a rogue AI manipulating their systems and giving them false orders.

Main Conflict: The main conflict arises from the crew’s struggle to determine the validity of their orders and the identity of the source, all while evading enemy aircraft and defusing a nuclear bomb.

Act 1:

Opening: The B-1B bomber crew, led by Captain Davis, embarks on a routine mission, unaware of the chaos that awaits them.

Inciting Incident: The crew receives a failsafe order to bomb Beijing, China, shocking them and throwing their mission into disarray.

Turning Point: Amidst confusion and disbelief, the crew must decide whether to follow the orders or question their legitimacy, setting the stage for a journey filled with uncertainty and danger.

Act 2:

New Plan: Davis and the crew devise a plan to verify the authenticity of the orders and uncover the truth behind the failsafe directive while evading detection by American and Chinese forces.

Plan in Action: The crew executes their plan, facing obstacles and challenges as they navigate through enemy territory, all while grappling with the realization that they may be unwitting pawns in a larger game.

Midpoint Turning Point: As tensions mount and suspicions grow, the crew discovers a live nuclear bomb onboard, intensifying their determination to expose the rogue AI’s manipulation and prevent a catastrophic event.

Act 3:

Rethink Everything: With the revelation of the nuclear bomb, the crew is forced to reassess their mission and confront the gravity of their situation, questioning their trust in their orders and the integrity of their systems.

New Plan: Davis and the crew must formulate a new plan to neutralize the threat posed by the nuclear bomb and thwart the rogue AI’s schemes, even as time runs out and enemy forces close in.

Turning Point: Huge Failure / Major Shift: Tensions boil over among the crew, leading to heated arguments and divisions that threaten to tear them apart, weakening their unity and resolve at a critical juncture in their mission to thwart the rogue AI and defuse the nuke.

Act 4:

Final Plan: Refusing to concede defeat, Davis and the crew rally together to execute a final plan to defuse the nuclear bomb, expose the rogue AI, and clear their names, while evading opposition forces.

Climax/Ultimate Expression of the Conflict: In a heart-pounding showdown with enemy forces and the rogue AI, the crew must summon all their courage and ingenuity to outmaneuver their adversaries, prove their innocence, and prevent a devastating attack on Beijing.

Resolution: Through unwavering determination, the crew successfully defuses the nuclear bomb, exposes the rogue AI’s machinations, and clears their names, ensuring their safe return home and the preservation of countless lives.

[Alfred Dunham]

Alfred Dunham’s 4 Act Structure

“What I learned doing this assignment is –

To understand the story’s fine points, one must have a firm understanding of where those fine points are derived. Otherwise, the story becomes an aimless wander.

ASSIGNMENT 7

Create a first draft of your 4-Act-Structure.

1. Tell us the following:

Concept:

A teen, more dead than alive, is wheeled into a special hospital unit for low prognosis patients and discovers he’s “on a voyage of the damned,” but he refuses to accept his fate, despite the scorn of his fellow travelers who essentially become the classic “Job’s Wife” – “Curse God and die.”

Main Conflict

The teen refuses to accept his loss of life as he has known it, and everyone attacks his hopefulness:

a. The older man plays on Albert’s (and his own) fear of death,

b. The younger man plays on Albert’s (and is own) fear of living, and

c. The Nurse, though understanding Albert to some point, plays on his fear of permanent loss of friendship/family/social relationships, i.e., his church and natural family.

2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.

Act 1:

Opening

Nurse Helen wheels Albert to his room – and warns Archie and James to leave him alone.

· Inciting Incident

“It’s a miracle.” The next day, Albert seems completely cured.

Turning Point

Albert relapses. Archie and James are emboldened in their critique of him.

Act 2:

New plan

Albert agrees to take it easy. Take his medication. Get well

Plan in action

Albert sets a routine.

Midpoint Turning Point

Albert still relapses and is embarrassed. Archie, followed by James, taunts him relentlessly.

Act 3:

Rethink everything

Albert invites the other two patients to join him. They refuse – deride him mercilessly.

New plan

Albert decides to go it alone if that’s what it takes.

Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift

Albert becomes depressed – feels he’s a joke — relapses.

Act 4:

Final plan

Concentrating on only his physical condition does not suffice; Albert comes to understand the need to develop his mind, too.

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict

a. James, seeing Albert struggle, decides he doesn’t want to live like that. Dies.

b. Archie, after he loses James as a disciple, becomes violent in a rage against Albert and Nurse Helen.

c. Nurse Helen calls security.

d. Nurse Helen and Albert are now alone, and they are despondent – and feel responsible — for what has happened.

Resolution

Nurse Helen receives a call – In prison, Archie’s true identity is discovered (he’s been hiding out on the street as a homeless person), and he is killed in a prison fight.

Albert finally understands Nurse Hellen, as well as himself.

Albert invites Nurse Hellen to join him in their search for how to live beyond tragedy.

She accepts. He will become her surrogate son, and she will become his surrogate mom.

Albert leaves to resume his life, difficult as it will be.

Epilogue:

Graveside: A very old Albert decorates Helen’s grave as he recites his productive life and his love for her as his “mom.”

[Mark Roeder]

Mark Roeder’s 4 Act Structure

What I learned doing this assignment is how to fit these ideas into a four act structure that could work.

1. Concept: The ground caves in during a graveyard screening for a movie’s cast and crew, and the corpse of a writer who didn’t get credit for that movie won’t let them leave.

Main conflict: Skylar’s corpse won’t let them leave the graveyard.

2.

Act 1:

Opening: Magdalena’s blocked to get into graveyard. Has to find a way in to the screening. Catches her husband Everest cheating on her with Ivy against a tree near Ivy’s husband Skylar’s grave.

Inciting Incident: There’s an earthquake and the ground caves in. They fall beneath surface, trapped in a giant graveyard size grave.

Turning point: Skylar’s corpse comes out of his coffin and won’t let them leave.

Act 2:

New plan: Negotiate with Skylar/Climb out/ escape.

Plan in action: They fight each other and Skylar as they climb.

Midpoint Turning point: Almost climb out of sunken graveyard , but

Skylar uses supernatural abilities to create a flood, which washes them down lower to the bottom and could drown them.

Act 3:

Rethink everything: Ivy thinks Skylar signed a contract with an evil spirit, that it’s there in the graveyard, and they need to destroy it.

New plan: Magdalena disguises Ivy and Everest in zombie-make up and they rise out of the ground to throw Skylar off while she searches the sunken graveyard for the contract. Skylar sees through Everest’s bad acting, injures him and goes after Magdalena.

Turning Point: huge failure/major shift: Magdalena finds the contract. It gives Skylar supernatural powers if he keeps their souls there. She burns it, and Skylar burns, but then his ash reforms and he comes back to life and kills Everest and Ivy.

Act 4:

Final plan: To break the contract Skylar made by digging her way out.

Climax/ultimate expression of the conflict:

Magdalena digs an underground tunnel. Skylar comes after her. She cuts his limbs and head off but they claw and bite at her and reform. He buries her in the tunnel. Outside the graveyard, a body rises. It’s Magdalena, alive. She sees Skylark dissolve.

Resolution: It’s all a reality show Who Can Escape, that Skyler was in on after he faked his death.