Lesson 8

[Beverley]

Beverley Wood’s Profound Ending

What I learned doing this assignment is that my image system is strong and can be part of a profound ending.

1. What is your Profound Truth, and how will it be delivered powerfully in your ending?

That love doesn’t die with death, and death is a new beginning – he sets her spirit free in the greenhouse, and the butterflies all hatch. Then, two of them appear, and he knows it is his two dead friends.

2. How do your lead characters (Change Agent and Transformable Characters) come to an end in a way that represents the completed change?

When he started, he thought her ghost was a figment of his imagination and grief – by the end, he knows she is the butterfly who follows him.

3. What are the setup/payoffs that complete in the end of this movie, giving it deep meaning?

We watch the butterflies from the cocoon stage and when they go through their metamorphosis from caterpillar to monarch, he goes through his metamorphosis from nonbeliever to believer and Lauren transforms from a “trapped in an urn ghost” to a butterfly spirit.

4. How are you designing it to have us see an inevitable ending and then making it surprising when it happens?

The surprise is in the last scene, when he figures out that his mail lady, Kim, who was his helper and led him to this moment, was, in fact, a spirit guide, come to fetch Lauren and help her transition to her new life.

5. What is the Parting Image/Line that leaves us with the Profound Truth in our minds?

Matt and his old BFF (Kim’s brother) are walking to the pub with two butterflies trailing them.

[Diane Keranen]

Diane’s Profound Ending

What I learned doing this assignment is to show how the interactions at the beginning eventually transform into the transformed ending and that there will be several steps between the image at the start and the image at the end so the audience (whether the reader of the screenplay or the movie audience) doesn’t have to work, they just need to watch.

Design your ending to have a profound impact.

1. What is your Profound Truth and how will it be delivered powerfully in your ending?
Combat veterans struggle to see themselves as society’s idealized notion of “war hero” when the reality of combat and the trauma it causes is too often irreconcilable with life back home.

2. How do your lead characters (Change Agent and Transformable Characters) come to an end in a way that represents the completed change?
Matt chooses to end his life but is interrupted at the last second by Stewart. The challenges Matt faces increase his combat trauma (ptsd) as he discovers it’s not possible to challenge the Old Ways to successfully live in the New Ways once his wife does the betrayal. Having come to know Matt better, Stewart has an idea of where Matt went to find solitude and seeks him out which turns the tables and has Stewart now seeking out Matt who has chosen to stop seeking help. Stewart stops Matt from carrying out his plan to end his life.

3. What are the setup/payoffs that complete in the end of this movie, giving it deep meaning?
A) the setup of a desire to reconcile by Matt at the beginning pays off with Stewart’s desire to reconcile at the end;
B) the setup of Claire’s choice to pressure the unwilling Stewart to accept Matt’s effort to seek Stewart’s help pays off in that the risk she took in pressuring Stewart saves Matt’s life;
C) the setup of Stewart’s belief that his loved ones are protected from him if he keeps them at a distance pays off when Stewart figures out he’s the only one who can give both Claire and Matt what they need most a the end of the story because he decided to trust her request of him at the beginning.

4. How are you designing it to have us see an inevitable ending and then making it surprising when it happens?
The inevitable ending looks as if Matt will take his own life. He’s in his pickup in the location of solitude in the woods. He aims his handgun at his head. Then, BANG! But Matt’s eyes open when he sees a hand slammed against his window. The surprise is that it’s Stewart’s hand. Stewart saves Matt at the last possible second which we don’t see coming.

5. What is the Parting Image/Line that leaves us with the Profound Truth in our minds?

Stewart and Matt help each other (veterans helping veterans). The location of solitude where Stewart stops Matt from his final plan would be set against a backdrop of 4th of July fireworks to show that the healing from combat trauma happens (New Ways) if the veterans catch some lucky breaks that occur apart from the Old Ways of traditional, idealized ideas of war. (The other storylines would pay off before this final scene.)

[mark.napier2022@gmail.com napier]

Napier Lesson 8 Profound Endings

***FYI, content I am posting has been registered (as a Treatment) with the Screenwriters Guild and copyrighted through the Library of Congress. When I am done with the script too will be registered and copyrighted. I understand what we post here is to be treated as such in the same manner.

I learned how the profound ending is layered with setups and payoffs and encouraged to add twists and unexpected turns to offset the audience’s anticipation of what one might expect to happen. It forces me to go back and thinking backwards to add bread crumbs that set the audience up for the unexpected ending.

1. What is your Profound Truth and how will it be delivered powerfully in your ending?
–The profound truth of my story is … In life you will get up more times than you are knocked down….so Keep Standing! This suggests that a person needs to keep moving forward through difficult times, not left or right through distractions and never give up hope.
–I plan to use a subtext image and line that has been set up earlier that means the Profound Truth.

2. How do your lead characters (Change Agent and Transformable Characters) come to an end in a way that represents the completed change? The TC has accomplished the task of publicly embarrassing the Agency and forcing it to change its policies to begin prosecution of predators of child porn, regardless of their access to sensitive and classified material. The Antagonist is called before Congress to explain his actions under the Wartime Suspension of Limitations Act that ends his advisory role career with the U.S. government as a contractor, particularly after being exposed for the Dasht-i-Leili Massacre. A year later, the Antagonist meets his fate that sends chills up the CIA channels worldwide that has senior leadership looking over their shoulders.

3. What are the setup/payoffs that complete in the end of this movie, giving it deep meaning? The setups will suggest the Antagonist will go unpunished and the payoffs will show in fact he will pay the ultimate price–his life through street justice. The Protagonist who is experienced at “hiding the hand of the U.S. government” — as he did during all his operations – will be expected to confront his nemeses on his own terms, applying his tradecraft and ultimately walk free with satisfaction his honor is restored and the CIA is sent a message. The Protagonist setups include ads and press releases from his campaign for congress in the prominent newspapers drawing attention to his plight as a “political prisoner” under threat of persecution. Staging “rent a mobs” (using the homeless) to protest at the CIA Headquarters and on Capital Hill will draw additional press coverage. The payoffs will be to force CIA to be dragged before Congress for accountability and hearings covered under the Wartime Suspension of Limitations Act that is anticipated to soon expire. The Antagonist is merely being defiant and deliberately stalling for the Congressional Shit Show and the WSLA to run their course, but not before he is quoted to say…"You don't take on an enemy unless you plan to destroy them down to the core!" The Protagonist will let things cool down a bit before he strikes out at the Antagonist 6 months later…. when the biggest payoff for the Protagonist will be the restoration of his honor.

4. How are you designing it to have us see an inevitable ending and then making it surprising when it happens? The inevitable ending is focused on holding the CIA accountable and forcing change in its policies. Unexpectedly, we shift to autumn leaves to the front yard of the Antagonist a year later where we find his body in the front yard and the shock value of how he is on display.

5. What is the Parting Image/Line that leaves us with the Profound Truth in our minds? In the story I plan to use the image of the Antagonist suspended in midair by a pole cemented into the ground of his front yard that has been shoved up through his anus and protruding out of his mouth (like the days of the Crusades). A CIA pendant is attached to the lapel of his pajama top. A note will be found at his feet weighted down by a rock that reads….
“In life…most of us liked to get kissed before we get fucked….You just got fucked!… Keep Standing!”

6. Answer the question “What I learned doing this assignment is…?” (place at top of your work). I learned how the profound ending is layered with setups and payoffs and encouraged to add twists and unexpected turns to offset the audience’s anticipation of what one might expect to happen. It forces me to go back and thinking backwards to add bread crumbs that set the audience up for the unexpected ending.

• This reply was modified 9 months ago by  mark.napier2022@gmail.com napier.
• This reply was modified 9 months ago by  mark.napier2022@gmail.com napier.
• This reply was modified 9 months ago by  mark.napier2022@gmail.com napier.

[Mitch Haraguchi]

Day 8_Answers
What I learned doing this assignment is that brainstorming the ending would help create new structures and plots earlier in the story,

1. What is your Profound Truth and how will it be delivered powerfully in your ending?
My profound truth is “No matter how different look we have, we are the same and connected each other at the deep level.” “Your life begins at the end of the comfort zone.” I am still working on the way to powerfully deliver these messages.

2. How do your lead characters (Change Agent and Transformable Characters) come to an end in a way that represents the completed change?
In the Old Ways, Russell sees the Asian man as an alien, who brings anything but annoyance to his peaceful world and thus, tries everything to get rid of him from his world/community. Through his journey, Russell changes and begins to treat the Asian man as a friend who saves him from a devastating relationship with his daughter Katie.

3. What are the setup/payoffs that complete in the end of this movie, giving it deep meaning?
In the Old Ways, Katie lives in the two-dimensional world and cares about only those characters on the screen or paper, which increases her isolation from the real world. At the end, Katie is forced to depart from the Asian man (Taiki). Katie enters her bedroom alone, then starts tearing off the anime posters and deleting anime sites from her cell phone/laptop. Katie hesitates whether or not she should delete the video with Taiki. She finally does it, farewell to the two-dimensional comfort zone.

4. How are you designing it to have us see an inevitable ending and then making it surprising when it happens?
When Russell finds Katie together with Taiki who ran away from the hospital, the audience expects that Russell scolds Katie. However, he does not do it, and consoles her instead. When his memory comes back, Taiki becomes a man who is completely different from the one Katie knows. Katie gets shocked and depressed. She screams “I don’t wanna see him again anymore.” However, Katie shows up in the airport and kisses Taiki to say goodbye and thank you.

5. What is the Parting Image/Line that leaves us with the Profound Truth in our minds?
Katie lost Taiki, her first love. Russell tells Katie to forget about him since “he doesn’t remember you after all.” However, Katie cannot leave Taiki behind and goes to the airport on her own while bicycling 30 miles. She shows up at the airport and kisses Taiki to say goodbye and thank you (=Surprise). After seeing the airplane take off, Katie goes home, which is another 30-mile trip by bike. Russell shows up out of the blue and loads her bike onto his pickup truck without words. The pickup truck recedes into the expansive Great Plains.

[Angela Booth]

Angela Booth – Profound Ending assignment:

What I learned doing this assignment is that the plot device to make the inevitable ending surprising is what makes the final profound truth all the more satisfying and feel richer as a deserved ending.

1. What is your Profound Truth and how will it be delivered powerfully in your ending?
We need to look inward to find our true selves. Once found, we need to live with integrity to be truly happy.
We are all a corporate bitch, privileged full-time mum, entrepreneur and creative genius, and anything else we want to be.

2. How do your lead characters (Change Agent and Transformable Characters) come to an end in a way that represents the completed change?
Transformable characters:
Georgia: Signs up for an evening class to learn ink painting. Demonstrates that she is taking time for herself and expecting reliable support from husband.
(Husband is now present for kids and committed to making time for Georgia to do things for herself)
Jodie: Values her friends and family more than things and status symbols. Organises a picnic – sausage sizzle – at her place with no airs or graces. Bring a plate. Makes a speech to thank her friends for their support. We see she has outgrown roots and is planning on dying her own hair. She also manicures her own nails now. She announces a new business she is launching. For herself.
(Husband is 100% behind her business venture and takes over kid pick ups and drop offs)
Tiff: Enjoys working part time and is going into business with Jodie. Becoming an entrepreneur.
(Husband commits to working full time so she can focus on new partnership with Jodie)
Anne: Has new expectations for relationship with family. Tells work she is quitting. Plans to write a book and sell it on Amazon.
(Husband commits to therapy and medication to manage his moods, creating more psychological safety for Anne)

3. What are the setup/payoffs that complete in the end of this movie, giving it deep meaning?
Georgia:
Set ups: Managing school meetings/ meals/food prep/ medical appointments / cancelling her own plans
Pay off: Has time for herself, non-negotiable. She gives them a gift of a hand made painting.
Jodie:
Set ups: Focus on external validation (Hair, nail) and status symbols (huge house)
Pay off: Focus on personal relationships and intrinsic value (cost-free bbq picnic to thank friends for support while not looking her best-ever)
Tiff:
Set ups: Husband out of work, gives up job, kids not contributing,
Pay off: Working part time and planning new business.
Anne:
Set ups: Unable to make decisions, feels insecure, needs reassurance from family and husband and employer
Pay off: Knows her own self worth and quits job to back herself as a writer.

4. How are you designing it to have us see an inevitable ending and then making it surprising when it happens?
Georgia: Husband will sign up for a new personal challenge – making us feel he is returning to his old ways and Georgia is back to square one. BUT we learn she has signed up for a creative class, stamping her new intentions onto the family dynamic.
Jodie: After her mother’s death, she takes on the role as matriarch of the family, seemingly taking on her father as yet another project she has to manage for other people. BUT we learn her brother is stepping up and she sidesteps becoming the matriarch to focus on her own project (new business).
Tiff: Losing confidence in her own ability when bullied at work by nurse manager. After delivering Anand’s baby, she rebuilds her confidence and we believe she will go back too nursing. BUT after seeing their one-room living conditions and setting up their new apartment, she has the idea for a business plan that she takes to Jodie.
Anne: She returns to work after the trip to see her father and continues to be bullied by her manager with a new perspective that we feel will protect her mental health and make work tolerable. One incident pushes her over the edge and she quits triumphantly.

5. What is the Parting Image/Line that leaves us with the Profound Truth in our minds?
A toast at the launch party/thank you party at Jodie’s house:
Here’s to who we were and who we’ve become. May we trust our inner selves and support each other to become the best that we can be. Whoever we want that to be.
(NOTE: A work in progress – haven’t thought about the final words all that much)