Lesson 8 Assignments

[Gayle Jackson]

Gayle Writes Great Hope/Fear

What I learned doing this assignment is that my process is so one-dimensional compared to all of the layers involved in creating a great dynamic character. Most of what is on screen I usually think see as depth the actor brings, but if there is a way to create the emotional ups and downs on the page it will give the actors more to work with and entice them to sign on to the project.

Act I

HOPE: Rick Coffey hopes doing a reality series will resurrect his career as a ghost hunting.

WARNING: His wife Samantha tells him she is not interested in resuming fieldwork.

HOPE: Rick believes he can bargain and convince Samantha and lure her with money.

IGNORANCE: But he does not realize Samantha’s will is just as strong.

HOPE: He can continue the show solo

FEAR: He hasn’t the skills to go solo

INCOMPATIBILITY: Samantha has filed for divorce.

End of Act I – MARRIAGE COLLAPSING

Act II

HOPE: Rick believes he can win back Sam

FEAR: The reality show only wants them as a couple.

DANGER: Samantha plans to sell the house and keep most of the assets.

THREAT: Rick’s anger and ego explodes and he agrees to a divorce

HOPE: The ghosts living in their house want to reunite the couple

SEPARATION: Rick and Samantha have stopped speaking.

HOPE: Caroline the ghost lures Rick back by creating ghostly disturbances in the house.

FAILURE: Samantha is on to Caroline’s plan and won’t play along.

HOPE: Rick is not as smart as Samantha and is lured back on the pre-text of negotiation

HOPE: Caroline locks Samantha in a room and only Rick casting the right ritual can undo the locked door spell.

ISOLATION: Rick is inept and can’t figure it out alone

OBSTACLE: Caroline loses the spell.

HOPE: Rick and Caroline will find another way to get Samantha out.

DANGER: Samantha warns them if they use another ritual it could unlock all the doors – even the one keeping their most evil spirit away.

HOPE: Rick and Caroline hope they can do a modified version.

SUCCESS: The spell works and Samantha gets out of the room.

DANGER: But their agent who is alone at the moment the doors unlock, accidentally unleashes the demon.

CATASTROPHE: The demon goes into the agent, stealing her body to take a human form and wreck havoc.

End of Act II – DEMON DESTROYING THE HOUSE AND INHABITANTS

Act III

HOPE: Rick and Samantha must unite to save their friend and send the demon away

HOPE: Caroline hopes the ghosts can help

FEAR: They have no idea how to contain the demon who has taken over a human

HOPE: They use a ritual they used when they were first starting out and falling in love

OBSTACLE: The ritual will open up both heaven and hell

THREAT: There is a danger of unleashing more spirits back to this plane.

HOPE: Rick believes with Sam’s help he can do it.

UH-OH: They open the portal and an army of ghosts come through.

HOPE: They learn some of the ghosts are friendly and allies

FINAL BATTLE: Rick and Samantha use the ritual to send the demons back to hell and rescue their friend.

RESULT: Their original demon gets trapped in the other dimension and Caroline’s long lost love is one of the allies who can escort her into the light – to live happily ever after.

LAST MOMENT: Rick gets his wish to recount the story to great success and Samantha gets her wish for Rick to continuing working from home and starting a family.

[Beth Bonness]

Subject line: Beth Bonness’ Writes Great Hope/Fear!

What I learned doing this assignment is…I know there’ll be time to go back and weave in all the layers I’ve worked on, but when I saw the Full Example, I started using that format…then stopped and thought wait for the next lesson….

Act 1

HOPE: Couples are hopeful for a weekend away: Engaged Trans Couple: plan their wedding; Bi-Racial Sisters: closure after their parents death; Retired Couple: romantic getaway

TRAPPED / PRISONER: Storm strands everyone

HOPE: Power will come back shortly.

CLAUSTROPHOBIC: Not a lot of space for people to have privacy except their rooms.

HOPE: Find old generator to bring temporary power up.

FORCED TO DEAL WITH EACH OTHER: Couples start learning things about each other making it difficult to be civil.

MIND GAMES: Psychic offers to do Tarot readings to pass the time.

HOPE: The couples welcome the distraction.

TRIGGERING EACH OTHER: Psychic reveals Engaged Man hasn’t told his parents about his engagement.

HOPE: Engaged Man suggests they elope because to avoid disapproving parents

NOT SURE WHO THE REAL THREAT IS: Partner’s deception or the Psychic for revealing it?

HOPE: Another Tarot Reading with Sisters.

PERSON ON EDGE: White sister learns her parents are polyamorous.

HOPE: Another Tarot Reading with Retired Couple.

WHAT’S THE CHARACTER AFRAID OF?

Retired Husband doesn’t want his wife to know he was married before.

Act 2

HOPE: There’s plenty of food and drinks for at least a week. They won’t starve or run out of water.

FORCED TO DEAL WITH EACH OTHER: Engaged couple argues over big wedding vs eloping.

HOPE: Black Sister engages in planning celebration of parents with Sister.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUE: Psychic serves cocktails to everyone with secret ingredients from her stash.

HOPE: Retired Wife tells shares stories of marriage conflicts with Engaged Couple, still together after 40 years.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUE: Retired Husband, a Jungian psychologist, suspects the Psychic is drugging everyone.

Act 3

THREAT: Psychic serves drinks to Sisters and Black sister blurting out her father was racist.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUE: Retired Wife thinks Psychic is manipulating everyone’s thoughts.

HOPE: Retired Couple quietly lets rest of guests know what they suspect and not to drink

LEFT ALONE: Black Sister excuses herself to prevent further slips

HOPE: Black Sister finds a hidden door in the Psychic’s library filled with viles of secrets from previous guests and some truth serum.

Act 4

HOPE: Black Sister alerts the others about the secret viles.

PERSON ON EDGE: The White Sister suggests everyone take a break.

HOPE: Retired Couples asks Psychic if there’s enough for food for a nice relaxed dinner.

FORCED TO DEAL WITH EACH OTHER: Retired Couple suggests they all work together.

HOPE: Black Sister stole some truth serum to place in Psychic’s drink when they reconvene to understand her motives and stop her from ruining their relationships.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUE: Psychic spikes cocktails again.

MIND GAMES: Everyone starts exposing their secrets as the electricity comes back on and there’s a knock a the door — the real proprietor apologies profusely for being stranded before the storm and not able to greet them.

DEATH: The Psychic has disappeared. When asked about her, the Proprietor points to a portrait behind the bar showing she’s been dead for decades.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by  Beth Bonness.

[Deanne]

LESSON 8 Use Hope/Fear to Create Emotional Moments

Deanne Writes Great Hope/Fear!

What I learned = Looking for hope/fear moments can prompt a reevaluation of the plot structure. Sometimes flipping the hope/fear to fear/hope works better for the plot.

The movie THE NEXT THREE DAYS has good examples how set-ups planted early in the plot can create hope/fear moments later on (it looks like they’re getting away, but the cops just found that bag of evidence…)