Lesson 8

[Deb Johnson]

Deb’s Profound Ending

What I learned doing this assignment: I feel like Hal is tricking me into committing to concrete images and ideas when I would rather leave all this safely in my imagination. It’s difficult to flesh these things out – especially when I’m just beginning to know my characters. However, I understand the importance of knowing where I’m going before I get there… so creating a profound ending is profoundly important. I did brainstorm on day one and then looked everything over on day two and picked what resonated most.

A. Profound Truth

The Christian Church, which offers forgiveness of sins, is a priceless treasure.

(as expressed as a metaphor)

Delivered powerfully in the end:

• On the surface are gold and pearls and precious jewels, but the deeper you go, the vaster and more beautiful it becomes. Jack realizes he could spend a lifetime just walking through it.

B. The Change

“How does their ending represent the change they’ve made in a powerful way?” Or “What was the change this movie is about and how does that show up when your lead characters conclude the journey?”

• Jack is incredibly concerned about what his wife and friends think/believe. The final scene is him throwing off that concern – an “I don’t give a damn.” Moment.

C. Payoff Key Setups

• In the beginning, we see how important Jack’s wife and friends are to him. They represent everything that is good in his life. We also see how important his riches and leisure are to him. He has one thing that he values most of all (his car? His boat? A jewel?) In the end – we see him sell this thing with abandon – he could care less about any of it – because what he’s found is worth so much more.

• Answers to: Will Jack and Eva stay together? How will Jack find the treasure? What will Jack’s friends do to stop him? Is Bram crazy or is he a fool or does he have true wisdom? Is there a chance for Jack to find the treasure and then reject it… because he knows how much it will cost him?

D. Surprising but inevitable

• Jack and Eva have a strong relationship, but we see it weaken over time… we think that they will overcome everything. However, it is Jack who has changed and Eva is going to stand her ground. Their separation is inevitable – but we know Jack is committed to her and will move mountains to win her back – buy her back if needed. So in the end – they are divided, but we know Jack will win her back.

• Jack’s friends discourage him and block him at every turn (they think they are helping him). In the end, they all abandon him. We think Jack will remain loyal to his friends, but he doesn’t.

E. LEAVE US WITH A PROFOUND PARTING IMAGE/LINE

What final image or line can express this powerfully?

• Jack finds that in the buying/obtaining it is he who has been saved/bought.

• Some sort of imagery that Jack is being born again – that he is starting over in this new life/world.

[Robert Kerr]

Deb: While it may feel uncomfortable, remember the process is to envision, create and fulfill the expectations of writing a p5rofound script. based on your post, I believe you are doing great. Lucky you that you have access to Lesson 8. I am still waiting for Support to clear the glitch so I can do the lesson. Hang in there, you are doing wonderfully!

[Deb Johnson]

Thanks, Bob – I appreciate your kind words and support!

[Susan]

Have you tried the continue button on the upper left of the course page? If you go to your courses, go to Profound Screenplay and click on it. Then on the upper left there is a CONTINUE button, try that. I don’t know if it will work, but having a programming background this is a guess. Good luck.

[Sunil Pappu]

Sunil Pappu’s Profound Ending

“What I learned doing this assignment is…that I need to create setups throughout the story to lead up to a powerful payoff in the ending”

A. DELIVER THE PROFOUND TRUTH PROFOUNDLY

SGI and ICAN work together to rally all member states. The UN treaty on the elimination of nuclear weapons is brought to the floor at the UN general meeting and must have a unanimous vote to pass into law.

It’s a tense scene when all nations must ratify the bill including the security council and all eyes are on Russia, China, India and the US.

After a tense pause before the final nation votes – the bill is passed unanimously.

The Indian Ambassador credits his dialogue with Dr Daisaku Ikeda a few months ago who reminded him about his grandchildren and the world they will inherit. His decision was the right one for not only his country but the future of all humanity. He is proud that as a nation that coined the phrase “Vasudevakutumbhakam” – The world is one family, India is also home to the Buddhist philosophy of respect and dignity of all life.

B. LEAD CHARACTER’S ENDING REPRESENTS THE CHANGE

Daisaku Ikeda, the SGI president receives the Nobel Peace Prize for working over six decades tirelessly for peace to bring about a world free from nuclear weapons.

SGI members chant “I am Shinichi” as they go out into society to take the baton from their mentor Daisaku Ikeda.

C. PAYOFF KEY SETUPS

SGI members who are poor and downtrodden with no voice become leaders in their communities and workplaces.

SGI members who are constantly waiting for direction from their mentor and feel stuck when he is not allowed to speak to them are the ones that reach out to others in their communities on their own volution without waiting to be told what to do. In India they launch BSG for SDG, in the US Soka University students become pioneers in their field, in South America they receive the Red Cross Award, in Africa the women, carry on the work of Wangari Mathai to create a tree plantation movement, etc.

Soka Gakkai members in Japan, start a petition drive on eliminating nuclear abolition, they bring stories of the Hibakusha – people affected by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – in the form of short films and exhibitions that tour the world.

One of the hibakushas makes a rousing speech before the UN general council before the bill is brought to the floor.

D. SURPRISING, BUT INEVITABLE

Soka Gakkai members save up to make meagre contributions to the building of Nichiren Shoshu temples and the Grand Lecture Hall at Taiseki-ji Temple.

Soka Gakkai members face harassment and humiliation at the hands of the local priests at their local temples – they are denied funeral rituals for the deceased and burial in the family plots.

The Grand Lecture Hall is demolished by the High Priest Nikken.

Soka Gakkai builds a cemetery for members to bury their deceased.

Nichiren Shoshu refuses to hold dialogues with Soka Gakkai leaders and sends a letter of ex-communication.

Daisaku attends a large gathering and declared their day of Spiritual Independence.

Daisedo is built for SGI members to visit and renew their vow to work for peace.

Soka Gakkai members are scorned when trying to collect names for petitioning the UN to ban nuclear weapons.

They tie up with an NGO and create awareness through films on the Hibakusha and the exhibition makes a world tour.

ICAN brings the bill to the UN general meeting floor.

Hibakusha shares her moving story at the UN.

The bill is put to vote and there is tense anticipation that member states – Russia, China, India and the US won’t ratify the bill and kill it.

The bill passes unanimously.

Daisaku Ikeda is awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless efforts to ride the world of nuclear weapons.

E. LEAVE US WITH A PROFOUND PARTING IMAGE/LINE

On August 6, 1993, the 48th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Ikeda decided to write The New Human Revolution, the sequel to The Human Revolution, in the belief that nuclear weapons “threaten the most basic of human rights, the right to life,” and in the hope that the voice of his mentor would resonate deeply within the hearts of future generations. He wanted to record the extent to which kosen-rufu had progressed since Toda’s death in 1958 as a true tribute and testament to his mentor’s spirit. To do so, he describes his own struggles and those of pioneering Soka Gakkai members to carry out their mentor’s mandate to better their own lives and to strive in the service of humankind as Nichiren Buddhists.

Parting Image/Line: Daisaku Ikeda using a calligraphy pen in broad strokes writes the theme of the New Human Revolution on a large blank canvas, dates and signs it with his pen name:

“A great human revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and, further, will enable a change in the destiny of all humankind.” – 6 Aug 1993, Shinichi Yamamoto

[Robert Kerr]

Bob Kerr: Profound Ending

What I learned in todays lesson was a valuable process for strengthening my ending. I am pretty comfortable with the direction of the ending but now I know the process to make it really deliver entertainment value.

1) My Profound Truth is that no matter the obstacle you must always keep moving forward. This ending will be delivered visually at the last scene.

2) My lead characters (both the change agent and the transformable characters start out with the immense tragedy of a plane crash that kills 22 players and the head coach. These characters must then travel the process f funerals and deciding to continue their season to face the #9 ranked Arkansas team aiming for a national title. They must overcome an absence of equipment, players changing from defense to offense to the belief they can win the game.

3) The setups and payoffs is the reality of gaining support t play the game to actually gaining the support of people around the country and the people of Little Rock, Arkansas being on their side in the end.

4) The process is pretty daunting for the team. By demonstrating the obstacles and all the reasons they have no hope of winning the game to the reality that the players and the fans believe in them. This sets up the ultimate moment when this specific game becomes college footballs finest hour.

5) The parting image is the Wichita State players coming into War memorial Sradium to a standing ovation from 45,000 fans. This is more people in one place than some of the Wichita State players have seen in their whole life, It is a heart wrenching moment for the fans and will bring tears to the audience as they see a sight never to be repeated in college football history. The lives the Wichita State players create after this is a symbol of what never giving up and always believing in yourself represents, particularly for young boys and men in today’s world.

[Sharon Axcell]

Sharon’s Profound Ending

What I learned doing this assignment is…. that I’m on the right track, but there are so many layers, and ways in which to enrich it!! #Exciting. Now to hone it down to one solution – but I’m in no rush to do that just yet. 🙂

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

We each have a destiny – which we need to trust and claim it.
The only way Dexter can finish claiming her true destiny, which she knows is right, is to manually control the device when her previous self has broken it.
We understand that by this time, she has been claiming her destiny all along. Every decision she made contributed to her destiny.
I think there needs to be something which someone else can appreciate/ understand/ take away from that last action. Somehow. Or set up from Sigma’s activities.

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

Alpha (and earlier Dexters) have changed to become Sigma/ Omega. Simples!
Alpha is maverick, Omega is focused
Alpha is head-driven, faithless, Omega follows her heart, faithful
Alpha gives up easily, Omega has Perseverance

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

Setup – Black Hole; Payoff – it’s blown out/ traversed
Alpha has become Omega
The Letter
The Time machine – a failure; actually a success
Alpha does the bare minimum, takes the easy routes; Omega does what is needed (i.e. manually follows through with the device when she knows it will kill her)

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

Omega uses the manual device – even she could not foresee this particular final ending, and so could not forestall it. So everything she’s done, she’s manipulated or responded to the situation, but she has to trust at the end, her final action. But she’s had an awesome life.
Perhaps there are two timelines – Kappa thinks that Omega was on the ‘old’ one, and she’s on the new one, but in fact, there’s only one.

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

Brainstorm:

– She’s claiming her destiny – is this the letter-writing, when she first sits down?

– A line: “I never intended for any of this to happen. But it did. And it will. And it was my job to claim it.”

– The image of the family

– Fleeting images of her life (what we know)

– Her sitting down at her equipment to do what she wants to do – with purpose. And enjoyment.

– A line: “I love what I do. I should never have tried not to.”

– A line: “Relax into who you are. Allow it to happen. Stop trying to ‘fix’ it. You know what needs to be done. And that’s ok. Make and allow it to happen.”

– Maybe Omega thanks Kappa for her life. Rather than crying. Finally she knows the truth, and the ending is inevitable. She welcomes the externalisation of spaghettification, as it’s the only way her time machine will work. But, of course, no-one will ever know.

– Image of Reverse-spaghettification – you can’t change the course of time. You must MAKE the course of time. The Law of Potential. Which takes time. Time is of the essence. And we run out of time – we can’t create more time.

– Image of black hole nothingness. = Life is precious.

[Mary Albanese]

Mary Albanese’s Profound Ending

What I learned is that it is fun wrapping the ending around the profound truth and the character’s transformation, and the stronger you knit those things together, the stronger the story will be.

At the end, Mia is running her own scientific investigation. Her boyfriend Tom shows up to tell her that her brother Ed is planning to come up. He’s doing well in his career path, learning how to run a business, which is something Mia helped him figure out. Tom delivers some news. The National Parks Service is trying to contact Mia to get information for a public road sign they want to display, because Mia has done the nearly impossible. Starting with a number of clear disadvantages, she has succeeded in a grueling male field, and has become the world’s expert on the volcanoes she mapped.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 9 months ago by  Mary Albanese.

[ray Moore]

Ray’s Profound Ending

What I learned doing this assignment is to create an impactful profound ending I must introduce many setups throughout my story that will give meaning to the ending.

1. God still performs miracles even today

2. Eve and Ava recognize the miracles and come to trust and believe in God

3. Eve and Ava finally get the business up and running, Ava decides to stay with Eve

4. Eve will actually get to talk to Adam at the end for the final miracle

5. The little boy will see the final miracle which causes him to believe

[Susan]

S.B. McClary’s Profound Ending

What I learned doing this assignment is:

That a new personal developing bond would be necessary to deliver everything.

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

Each person is unique and deserves to be seen and heard for who they truly are will be delivered as

GG has been able to successfully understand how to express himself around others and never let them use him as a negative mirror for their own beliefs and validation. We see GG with a 2nd channel giving relationship advice. We see GG

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

See 7 and 8 below.

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

Born on the cusp of Millennial and Gen Z doesn’t fit either to he is himself.

Grouch meter for others’ reactions, Basically shunned. No matter how nice he is no one his age accepts him. A mirror for other’s insecurities to being accepted and loved by people in tech and relationship worlds, and by animals.

Hopelessly apologetic to sticking up for himself.

His girlfriend threw him out, she thinks he’s either insulting or cold and withdrawn

Sees himself through other’s eyes – that he

bungles everything to gets a 2nd career, does

the right things, sticks up for himself, gets his house back.

Bewildered about himself, and other’s needs and feelings (does he always have to guess?) to being able to give relationship advice.

He has to live at his brother’s place and is put in the extraordinary position of

suddenly having to take care of his brother’s NUMEROUS pets. He’s never had a pet

and doesn’t understand them even more than he doesn’t understand people to loving pets who adore him and making room for them in his home.

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

Intrigue, comedy,

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

MM #7 – Finally one of the puppies leaves him a stonehenge of crumpled up puppy pads with piss and doody in a circle. GG slips and falls and hits his head. All the animals surround him to check on him. He wakes up with bird feet on his chin and a parrot beak bobbing up and down over his face like a bobble toy, cats sniffing his ears, and…. Now he understands everything the pets are saying to him. He realizes that if he listens like a cat to the cats, a dog to the dogs, a parrot to the parrots etc., and like lucy kittie to lucy kittie, and like dutch the dog to dutch the dog he would understand them. Hey maybe it could work with people too! If he listened to his brother as if he was his brother, and etc. then he would understand them too. And if they made him their mirror for their insecurities he wouldn’t take it personally because it was really their own problems and he could be understanding or even tell them to, “bite me!” He realizes it’s not his problem, he’s really just a nice guy. He starts a new channel with animated animals giving relationship advice. Challenge – really putting his alter ego out there… “If Pets Could Talk.”

Logline: forcing him to delve into his own and other’s true natures and become the new Dear Tabby.

Gradients: Courage; Weakness: Tentativeness.

MM #8 – New channel going well. Getting a lot of buzz.

GG sends his X a next day FEDEX that who will give his X a 30 day notice letter that X has to sign for. He also hires a handy-woman (in person conversation) who will stay at his place to do all the fixer-upper-ing during that time. She says GG is absolutely adorable and sooooo sweet for taking care of his brother’s Pet menagerie. Love at first sight? The Handywoman has a couple of her own Pets who have to be with her while she’s staying at GG’s house (which X is very allergic to) so X leaves in a couple of days. We see Handy putting in all new locks, pet doors, outdoor runs, cat and bird cages, etc.. In the end she puts in all new door locks, locks the place up and gets in her truck. Safflower sneaks into brother’s house while GG’s out running?, and finds out it’s him Dear Tabby. She threatens to out him to his techie sponsors for his tech channel (challenge). Turns out the Techie sponsors (who have had similar issues with people) adore his new advice channel and sponsor both…. 5 stars! GG exhausted, falls asleep on his brother’s couch and ALL the Pets pile on and around him to cuddle. He wakes up door bell ringing. He sees/feels all the Pets on and around him and smiles, yells, “Who is it?” It’s the handy-woman with bags full of take-out for them and the Pets.

Logline: Becomes the new Dear Tabby

Gradients: 1) Betrayal; Weakness: Worried Pets will get hurt. 2) Triumph; Releif.

Outcome: GG exhausted falls asleep on couch and wakes up with ALL the Pets cuddled up on and around him.

New Ways: Adores the Pets, Confident, Great Listener, Asks the right questions, People ask for his advice, He understands their neurosis, Happy, Content with self,

Ignores other people’s mirror opinions, Stops trying and starts living. Sees himself for who he truly is.

Profound Truth: Each person is unique and deserves to be seen and heard for who they truly are.

[Gordie Cowan]

Gordon’s Profound Ending

What I learned: To focus on the key, most important message of the story to have it pay off in the end; and to spend good time honing a parting image or a line that supports that message and is, perhaps memorable.

Screenplay: TMS

Profound truth:

The key to finding the courage to seek forgiveness from others is to first seek forgiveness from yourself.

How the TC and CA come to an end that represents the completed change?

Jess the TC

When Jess finally forgives himself it frees him to find forgiveness from family. It provides him the courage to leave the war, to focus on the future, to face potential rejection but with hope that he may be accepted. He commits, with no qualms, to leave the war, to return home to accomplish this goal.

Augie the CA

Augie expands his focus from beyond just making money, which is his priority when first arriving and anticipating “danger pay.” But as Augie gets to know Jess and discover the importance of their missions to the people and culture they help to feed, Augie becomes committed to helping others when witnessing and living first-hand, the brutality dealt those same people. This change in Augie becomes so significant to him, it even causes Augie to interrupt Jess’s trip back home which is the very course that Augie had encouraged Jess to follow.

The setup/payoffs that complete in the end, giving it deep meaning

A work in progress.

The inevitable but the surprise

The inevitable ending is that Jess is headed back home to repair family matters. The surprise occurs when Jess doesn’t return because of an intervening event beyond his control. But his son discovers his dad’s past, recognizes his heroism, then follows his estranged dad’s course to make amends to his family for his own indiscretions.

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

Jess’s inscription found on the plane, “Dear Clayton I’m coming home to apologize, to be a real dad….”

[Brendan Guerin]

Brendan Guerin’s Profound Ending (place in first line)

What I learned from this assignment was the need to think through the role of the Change Agent, and of all my characters, who is best placed to play that role? While Ralph Sorely is the obvious change agent, Sorley’s boss further up the food chain in Defense, Hugh Dowding, could also play some kind of Change Agent role, sharing deep insights and personal experiences from World War One with Reg to give him extra power and self-belief to achieve the seemingly impossible.

What is your profound ending?
There is no such thing as a self-made person, lasting success comes through genuine teamwork.
Reg’s ending is the ultimate act of selflessness, a virtue of all members of successful teams. When the end is nigh, after a decade of devoted service to firm and country, Reg chooses to take his life. This act frees those closest to him – loving wife and son – of the burden of sitting with Reg day and night, potentially through months of palliative care, allowing them to move and begin a new chapter in their lives.
How do your lead characters (Change Agent and Transformable Characters) come to an end in a way that represents the completed change?
Transformable character – Reg
Reg is a classic team player. After his cancer diagnosis aged 38, Reg explores new ways of managing the unpleasant and socially-stigmatising symptoms of a colostomy and when his cancer continues to spread post surgery, he tries a new treatment known as radio therapy, hoping to continue working on the Spitfire. While doing everything within his powers to beat cancer, Reg has a Plan B in case Plan A backfires. Reg makes sure Vickers has a skilled, compatible team capable of completing his vital work on the Spitfire design and manufacture, hopefully realising his vision of defending England, after he’s gone.

Change Agent – Ralph Sorley ( and maybe Hugh Dowding)

Ralph is a classic mentor character. At the Air Ministry, the young Squadron Leader worked out that future fighters would need eight machine guns, not four as originally conceived by Team Reg. He was able to convince Reg to tear up his program to improve the F-7/30 Spitfire, which was already flying, and begin designing a completely new single-seat fighter, the Type 300, which would eventually be named the ‘Spitfire’. Ralph doesn’t yet feature in the closing scenes, but perhaps he could/should ?
Hugh Dowding could perhaps also be a mentoring character ??

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

set-up/pay-off 1:
When Reg and Flo go to the cinema in 1927, they see Hiitler and Mussolini spewing vitriol in preview newsreels, foreshadowing the coming of World War Two.
In the film’s closing scene, Hitler launches a squadron of bombers to attack England, but the Spitfires are ready to take them out as fast as they can cross the English Channel.

set-up/pay-off 2:
Early in the film, Reg meets Henry Royce at his private residence in 1929, and detects an odd odour, foreshadowing Reg’s own bowel cancer diagnosis, colostomy and subsequent health, social and professional challenges, and untimely death at just 42 by film’s end.

set-up/pay-off 3:
In the film’s opening, Black fascist emblems appear randomly between Italian flags on a screen at Venice Beach during the second Schneider Trophy Contest in 1927.
The same fascist emblems appear on the German bombers in the film’s closing scene.

set-up/pay-off 4:
At the Annual Techo’s Binge early in the film, the only board director invited to address the team is lead designer, Reg. Yet down-to-Earth Reg talks like he’s just one of the team – an equal among men.
When the end is nigh, Reg appoints Joe Smith to the leadership role, confident he has created a formidable team – where literally no-one is indispensable, not even Reg.

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

While most viewers will know the Spitfires helped England win the Battle of Britain, few would know its designer, Reg Mitchell, suffered the ghastly symptoms of a colostomy for the last 4 years of his public life and untimely death.

What is the Parting Image/Line that leaves us with the Profound Truth in our minds?
Parting Image or Line could be: Don’t be charmed by talented or showy individuals, just believe in the power of a unified, determined team.