Lesson 9: Emotions of Love – Part 2

[Ira Drower]

Lesson 9 – Emotions Part 2 Assignment
I learned from the assignment to continue the application of emotions to a Rom-Com with additional emotions.
TODAY’S ROM COM EMOTIONS
• Betrayal
• Anger
• Passion
• Obsession
• Love
6. Betrayal – Scene: Chris meets in Ron Fielder’s office.
Chris informs Ron and Bo the vampire stake is real and will kill Count Dracul. Count Dracul is furious that the play he is excited to perform in is just a ruse to bring him out of exile to kill him. The Count believes Sophia is a part of the conspiracy to kill him because she discusses her set needs testing especially for the final death scene.

Scene: Sophia and Jerry discuss the play
Producer Jerry discusses the play while being very handsy with Sophia the evening after she paid him. Count Dracul is on stage awaiting Bo’s direction as he scowls at her.
Scene: Chris tries to weaken Count Dracul at Sopia’s apartment.
Believing Count Dracul is Jewish he provides Count Dracul with some chicken soup and a prayer shawl (talis) to try to harm Count Dracul and prevent him from continuing getting closer to Sophia.

7. Anger – Scene: rehearsal Act 3
Count Dracul, angered by Sophia’s betrayal has Ron Fielder replace the cast with his family of undead vampires and plans to drain Sophia’s blood on stage.

8. Passion – Scene: Sophia’s apartment during a lesson
The passion after Count Dracul made a breakthrough with his speech and he makes love with Sophia.

9. Obsession – Scene: Count Dracul with Chris
Trying to make sense of his feelings he confides in Chris that there are times he looks at Sophia and thinks she could be his one true love and other times she could be his lunch.

Scene: In Ron and Bo’s office
Count Dracul discusses ways to seduce Sophia with his powers. They go over each one and its effect on her trying to come up with a plan that will work.

10. Love – Scene: London – Thames Riverwalk
Count Dracul follows Sophia to London where they embrace and try to figure out where to go and how it can work. Her request for a coffin for two seals the deal as they embrace and prepare for life together as woman and vampire.

[Renee Miller]

Renee’s Romance Emotions Part 2
What I learned doing this assignment is how to use the emotions of love to create a connection between my characters and the audience.

Act 1: Setup

Betrayal: Inciting Incident: The betrayal comes early when Sarah overhears a friend talking about hooking up with Mike while she is away at the state soccer championships. This revelation shatters her trust and hopes, leading to their breakup at the prom. Mike is left heartbroken, feeling betrayed by the rumor and its timing, casting a long shadow over his feelings.

Act 2: Escalation

Anger: Midpoint Turning Point: Sarah’s ex showing up and claiming they are engaged is a massive violation of her current emotional state and autonomy. This sparks anger in Sarah towards her ex for his deceit and manipulation, disrupting the reunion planning and her rekindling feelings for Mike.

Passion: Attraction/Flirting: As Sarah and Mike work closely on the reunion, old sparks reignite. The buildup of their rediscovered compatibility and shared goals culminates in a passionate moment. This could be a spontaneous dance rehearsal that turns intimate or a heated argument that flips into a passionate embrace, driven by the fear of losing what they are rediscovering.

Act 3: Complications and Higher Stakes

Obsession: Separation/Forced Together: After the venue burns down and they spend intense time together, Mike becomes increasingly obsessed with the idea that he cannot lose Sarah again. His thoughts are dominated by visions of a life with her, fueled by their day spent scouting new venues and the intimacy of their heart-to-heart conversations. This obsession pushes him to reconsider his earlier resignation about their potential future.

Act 4: Climax and Resolution

Love: Mike’s Acceptance and Growth / Sarah’s Demonstrate the Change: True love is demonstrated when Mike decides to pursue Sarah to London, showing he's ready to leave his comfort zone for her. Similarly, Sarah's decision to balance her career with her relationship when Mike shows up and her acceptance of their past and potential future together shows a mature, evolved love. They both sacrifice their previous boundaries and fears to commit to a life together, embracing all aspects of each other’s lives.

[Brenda Clarke]

Brenda Clarke
I have only touched the surface with these emotions but can be developed as I continue to work on this.
Lesson 9 Emotions of Love Part 2
BETRAYAL Jean’s mother betrays her by sabotaging Mollie’s car prior to her race. She is trying to destroy the relationship between her daughter and this unknown racing car driver. Jean also betrays Mollie by not admitting who she really is when they first start to get together.
ANGER Mollie is angered both by Jean’s honesty and also is angry when she finds out that it was Jean’s family Butler who tampered with the wheel on her car and that it was down to Jean’s mother.
PASSION is built up slowly from Jean’s perspective as she is secretly a virgin, and has to plan for the right time and place for her to be seduced by Mollie. Mollie on the other hand has longed for this moment and is eager to bed her lover.
OBSESSION Mollie talks obsessively to her friends about Jean. However, Jean is more secretive about her feelings for Mollie, yet deep down she is drawn towards her like a moth to a flame.
LOVE after Jean spends time in prison, she comes to the realisation that she is no different to any other woman, who wants to be heard, to have her say and to matter. “Votes for Women”.
Mollie realises that if she wants to continue a relationship with Jean/Cornelia she must get rid of some of her rough edges and be willing to forging Jean for not telling her the truth in order for them to move forward together in the relationship.

• This reply was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by  Brenda Clarke.
• This reply was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by  Brenda Clarke.

[Jess Paxton]

Jess’s Romance Emotions Part 1

What I learned doing this assignment is to add another layer of emotions.

Act 1:

Opening: Stella wins a class-action lawsuit — for the corporation being sued — destroying the lives of dozens of families.
Anger: The plaintiffs are outraged by the court’s decision.

Meanwhile, Stan rescues a baby from a burning building.

Inciting Incident:

Stella’s new assignment is to evict a widower and his kids in small-town Canada. She bargains for a partnership in her law firm.

Jealousy: Stella is jealous that Joe has someone to love, and she does not.
Betrayal: Stella feels that Joe has left her without warning.
Jealousy: Stella is jealous that someone else is taking Joe away from her.
Betrayal: Donald sends Stella a ticket to Canada, not Bermuda.
Anger: Stella is outraged that she has lost her vacation.

Turning Point:

Stella arrives in Canada in time to be caught driving in freezing rain and crashing. Stan rescues Stella from freezing after her car accident.
Betrayal: Stella expected a limousine ride to Queensborough.
Anger: Stella is furious that she will have to drive herself.

Act 2:

Reaction:

Meet-Cute: Stella wakes up at Stan’s, having been feverish and dazed for five days. She realizes she’s in strange pajamas and freaks out.
Anger: Stella finds herself in strange pajamas.
Attraction: Stan dotes on Stella day & night.

Her Initial Challenge: Stella knows that she must hide her reason for being in Queensborough.

His Initial Challenge: Stan, a single parent facing eviction, and recently bereft, doesn’t want to lay his troubles on a stranger.

The Plan: Donald insists that Stella stay with Stan and learn his weaknesses, to be used in court to evict him. Stan wants this beautiful guest to hang around a little longer.
Anger: Stella does not want to be a spy.

Flirting: Stan says he has a beautiful tenant in his B&B.
Attraction: Stella enjoys the flattery.
Love: Stella spends time with the kids and develops a deep affection for them.

Major conflict / Obstacle: Stan turns out to be the person Stella is there to evict for LotSmart.

Flirting: When Stan saves her from drowning, Stella kisses him. Repeatedly.
Desire: Stella reacts with physical pleasure to the heroic Stan.

Self-Reflection:  Stella begins to realize how friendly small towns can be, and how wonderful a family can be. She begins to doubt her winner-take-all existence and participates in community activities, bringing her ever closer to Stan. She even defends him against a LotSmart employee.
Desire: Stella finds out that Stan is a fireman.
Obsession: Stella learns that Stan was a fireman; the same profession as her only crush. Stan loses all thought of his lawsuit because of his obsession with Stella.
Fear: Stella becomes frightened that Stan will learn who she is, because
Love: Stella begins to daydream about Stan’s kisses.

Flirting: They visit the lake and have an ice-cream fight.
Love: The two express their attraction in non-sexual activities.

Turning Point 2: Sandy gives Stella an ultimatum, and the time she needs to make a decision.
Doubt: Stella is unsure of her emotions. Stan is also unsure of hers.

Act 3:

Denial: Stella runs off to see Joe. He tells her she’s in love with Stan.
Doubt: Stella needs Joe’s confirmation that she is actually in love.
Love: Joe tells Stella that fear is part of love.

Rethink: Stella learns that what Stan has told her about how corporations destroy small towns is true.

Forced Together: Donald hints that Stella should seduce Stan — which she already wants to do, but not for the company.
Anger: Donald’s suggestion that Stella seduce Stan infuriates her — because she wanted to do it for herself, not for the job.
Yearning: Donald’s phone call may have interrupted the evening, but both Stan and Stella can’t sleep.
Passion: Stan and Stella can’t sleep — they need each other desperately, and spend two days having sex.

Self-Reflection: Stella can’t keep herself from spending the weekend alone with him — and falling in love completely.
Love: Stella admits to Stan and to herself that she loves him.

New Plan: Stella tries to convince Donald to offer to relocate Stan’s house rather than to demolish it.

Demonstrate the change: Stella tries to convince Donald to offer to relocate Stan’s house rather than to demolish it.

Betrayal: Stella goes to Atlanta hoping to save Stan’s house, but without his knowledge or approval.
Anger: Stella learns that Donald is the architect of the LotSmart plan.
Yearning: Stella leaves numerous voicemails for Stan, confessing her
Love: Stella has fallen completely by now.
Doubt: Stan isn’t picking up or calling back.

Acceptance and Growth: Donald convinces Stella that she’s fallen for this idyllic portrayal of rural life, and she goes to see Stan to prove to herself that it’s all been a pleasant dream — and falls for Stan all over again!
Doubt: Donald’s “common sense” explanation makes Stella doubt her feelings.

Hate: Stan finds out that Stella works for the Corporation and believes she is just pretending she loves him.
Betrayal: Stan discovers Stella’s real employment.
Anger: Stan now despises Stella, even while loving her.

All Hope is Lost: Stella goes to warn Stan about Donald’s plan, but Stan has learned who she is and rejects her utterly.

Act 4:

Demonstrate the change: Instead of retreating into her business law cubby hole, Stella plots a new course on how to save Stan and the kids. She calls the Queen and convinces her to interdict against the eviction Stella herself was sent to Queensborough to prosecute.

Climax:

Stella, recalling what her assistant Doug said about about the British monarch “technically” owning all of the land in Canada, calls Buckingham Palace and enlists the aid of Queen Elizabeth! She saves Stan’s house and the town from the corporate giant!
Doubt: Stella has no idea if her idea will work.
Betrayal: Stella turns against Donald & costs him his biggest client.
Anger: Stan is angry at Stella for busting in, Donald is furious over her treason.

Resolution: Love Happens: Reunion:

Stella returns to Stan’s, ready to beg him to take her back. He does, and they become engaged — and Stella uses her new home to practice “anti-corporate law”!
Doubt: Stella can’t believe Stan will take her back.
Love: Stella begs Stan to take her back; Stan opens the door to her.

Demonstrate the change: Stan proposes to Stella.
Demonstrate the change: Stella becomes an anti-corporate attorney.

[Donna Donna Hoke Hoke]

Betrayal: she finds his medications; he never told her.
Anger: He fell in love with her even though he wasn’t supposed to
Passion: Sublimated always but we see it.
Obsession: Doing secret things for the other to a ridiculous degree. IT’s the only way they can show their feelings.
Love: When Eamon realizes that’s the only reason to be alive.

[Kimbal Thompson]

Kimbal Thompson: Lesson 9: Emotions of Love – Part 2 ASSIGNMENT:
What I learned doing this assignment is how betrayal can spark anger, over-ridden by passion, obsession and love.
1. Look through your outline and find places you can build these emotions in scenes:
Betrayal: Act 1: Keaton sees Margo with her “college professor” friend. Act 2 Margo arrives at Keaton’s house to find
out he already has a date. Margo returns to Keaton’s house and is told “Nobody home.”
Anger: Act 2: Margo returns to Keaton’s house and is told “Nobody home.”
Passion: Act 1: Keaton’s former high school girlfriend sees Keaton. Act 2: His date climbs in though Keaton’s window.
Act 3: Keaton sees Margo pole dancing.
Obsession: Act 2: Margo misses Honolulu and, also Keaton, and returns to the Islands.
Love: ACT 3: They are finally together.
2. For each emotion, tell us what the scene is about and how you build the emotion into it.
Betrayal: Act 1: Margo needed to depart the class to meet the person she had accompanied to Hawaii. Keaton thinks
they are an item. Keaton’s high school girlfriend arrives, and his current girlfriend is suspicious. Act 2:
Returning to the Islands and accepting Keaton’s offer to stay at his home, as they enter his house, set
down her luggage, he realizes he has a date that evening and she is on her way over. She arrives, sees
Margo and her suitcase. Keaton makes hasty introductions, then suggests they all go out to dinner
together. It does not go well. Margo arriving sometime later at Keaton’s house one evening and a
female voice saying “Nobody home.”
Anger: Act 2: Keaton’s date, on seeing Margo’s suitcase. Margo arriving sometime later at Keaton’s house one evening
knocking at the door and hearing a female voice call out “Nobody home.”
Passion: Act 2: Keaton’s date sneaking through Keaton’s bedroom window later that night. Act 3: Keaton seeing Margo
pole dancing
Obsession: Act 2: Back in Boston, Margo realizes how much she misses Hawaii and decides to return to the Islands
upon graduating. Both Keaton and Margo individually want to see one another again. Keaton invites Margo
to accompany him on the maiden sail of an experimental sailboat of which he has been involved with the
design. While she accepts,
Love: Act 3: Margo seeing the commotion at the club and keeps on dancing. Finishing her set, approaching Keaton
and the bouncer and saying “Care to get out of here?”

[Stuart Voytilla]

Stuart’s Romance Emotions Part 2

What I learned from this exercise is that it’s a valuable way to understand how the emotional journey shapes both the overall structure and the character transformational journeys. It’s interesting to see how the deeper, more intense emotions tend to emerge in the latter half of the movie. I made great discoveries that alleviated doubts about whether my approach to the story concept was working.

With this pass, I’m focusing on the bigger picture by examining each of the ten Romance Emotions.

1. Attraction

Scene: Meet-Cute – Julian collides with Angelina
Despite their anger, they are attracted to each other. The physical closeness and shared soaked situation spark attraction.

Scene: Angelina is Julian’s guest lecturer!
Their intellectual sparring shows explicit anger, hiding implicit attraction.

Scene: Attraction at the wine and cheese gala
Playful banter and Julian’s self-deprecating critique of his assignment convey attraction; the accidental brush of hands creates a spark neither can ignore.

Scene: Julian witnesses Angelina’s confidence in her world
Julian sees Angelina in her Venetian world, in the art museum, and with her friends. She appears to have everything he doesn’t, and she is an expert in romance and love—what he lacks.

Scene: A masked ball during Carnival
Both in costume and mask, they dance unaware of each other’s identities but feel a mysterious attraction.

2. Desire

Scene: Julian sees Angelina in Venice
Julian sets up chance encounters to be closer to her.

Scene: Julian is Angelina’s gondolier (in training)
As a gondolier trainee, Julian transports Angelina and her two rivals. The distance between them intensifies Julian’s desire, pushing him to use disguises to win her heart.

Scene: Masked ball
During Carnival, Angelina sees Julian in disguise. Intrigue builds to desire when they dance.

3. Yearning

Scene: Meet-Cute – before their collision
Angelina sketches Julian rowing, yearning for someone showing determination and focus. But distance keeps him unattainable—only captured in her sketch.

Scene: Art Seminar
Angelina and Julian yearn for each other, but the professor-student relationship keeps this unattainable.

Scene: Julian is a gondolier in training
Julian goes to Venice to train as a gondolier (as encouraged by Angelina), but Angelina keeps them distant. He is a servant; she is a member of upper society.

Scene: Masked ball
In disguises, they dance, but Julian yearns to unmask himself, fearing the pain of her rejection and anger.

Scene: Angelina rejects Julian, unmasked
After Julian reveals himself, defending the real feelings they shared, Angelina rejects him. Distanced from her, he must focus on the gondolier competition, yearning for Angelina.

Scene: Angelina witnesses Julian’s determination
Angelina attends the gondolier competition and is impressed by Julian’s determination and artistry. She questions her feelings of yearning for him.

4. Doubt

Angelina’s backstory:
With her past heartbreak, she doesn’t believe in love. She’s doubting her feelings. This will influence her throughout much of her transformative journey.

Scene: Art Seminar
Doubt is reinforced by the professor-student relationship.

Scene: Julian fails his art assignment
Julian is unable to express love in the painting and doubts whether he can ever find it.

Scene: Angelina encourages Julian to find love as a Gondolier
Angelina encourages Julian to go to Venice to train as a gondolier and observe and find love. Julian is attracted to Angelina but doubts whether Angelina has other, romantic motives for encouraging him.

Scene: Julian is a gondolier in training
Angelina again enforces class to keep them distant, casting doubt on their relationship ever happening.

Act II Scenes: Francesco manipulates Julian
Francesco secretly schemes to humiliate Julian through disguises. He builds doubt in Julian (and plays with other emotions) during the Act II shenanigans.

Scene: Angelina rejects Julian
When Angelina discovers Julian’s disguises, she rejects him. He doubts his feelings of love for her.

Scene: Angelina arrives at her wedding
Angelina has been doubting her feelings and whether she truly loves Julian. She’s fearful of that feeling.

5. Jealousy

Scene: Angelina celebrates her students’ art assignments
During the class critique of art assignments, Julian is jealous that they can express love.

Scene: Julian is jealous of Remi’s study abroad companion
Julian discovers Remi and a friend are going to Paris together. They suggest something romantic, fueling Julian’s jealousy.

Scene: Julian serves as Angelina’s gondolier in training
Angelina hires Francesco’s gondola with Julian as his trainee. Julian witnesses romantic trips between Angelina and a suitor, feeling jealous.

Scene: Julian wins Remi’s heart at the Gondolier Competition
Julian competes in the gondolier competition with a surprising, authentic display of romance. It wins Remi’s heart, and they kiss. But Julian intended it for Angelina. She, too, witnesses it but sees their kiss and is jealous of Remi.

6. Betrayal

Scene: Remi breaks up with Julian
Remi feels betrayed that Julian can’t express love. Julian feels betrayed that she applied for Study Abroad without telling him and has sprung this breakup on him.

Scene: Art Seminar
Angelina feels betrayed that she didn’t know Julian was a student when they had their meet-cute. It’s not his fault, but betrayal can be fun to explore here.

Scene: Angelina is betrayed by Julian’s costumed manipulation
Julian reveals himself to Angelina to stop her from committing to the wrong lover. Betrayed and humiliated by him, Angelina breaks off all connections with him and fires Francesco.

Scene: Francesco manipulates Julian
Francesco secretly doesn’t want Julian reconnecting with his Italian roots. He uses his position as his trainer and cousin to manipulate Julian with disguises to humiliate him. Julian feels betrayed when Francesco outs him as the “rot” of the family, ruining his chances in the gondolier competition.

7. Anger

Scene: Meet-Cute – Julian collides with Angelina
They blame each other for the embarrassing collision.

Scene: Art Seminar
Julian and Angelina carry their anger into the first day of the seminar when they discover they are student and professor.

Scene: Angelina is angry by Julian’s costumed manipulation
Julian reveals himself to Angelina to stop her from committing to the wrong lover. She feels betrayal and anger.

8. Passion

Scene: Art Seminar
Angelina shows her passion for art and teaching in the classroom.

Scene: Art Museums, Venice
Angelina has opportunities to show her passion for art, as does one of her suitors. Julian also places himself in her world, opening himself to romance through art.

Scene: Masked Ball, Carnival
Julian, in disguise, displays passion through gestures and activities he’s planned for Angelina. As they dance, it’s more difficult for them to hide their attraction, leading to a sudden, impulsive kiss that ignites passion.

Scene: The Gondolier Competition
Expelled from the family and having lost Angelina, Julian channels his authentic self to express his romantic gondola experience. He may not win the competition, but his passion is not missed by Remi or Angelina. He may not be able to express love in a painting, but he does so on the gondola.

9. Obsession

Scene: Julian tries one last declaration of love to Remi
Julian is humiliated when he secretly goes to her apartment to declare his love.

Scene: Julian arranges encounters with Angelina
Not intended to be dark, but Julian tries to set up situations where he can run into Angelina. He may simply show up when she’s discussing art at the museum.

Scene: Angelina sketches Julian
The first sketch may have been a desire for something unattainable. But with further encounters in Venice, Angelina sketches him again and again. Yearning or obsession?

Scene: Julian needs to win the gondola competition
With everything blowing up on him (fallout with family, Angelina), Julian becomes obsessed with earning his certification and winning the competition.

10. Love

Scene: Julian unmasks himself
After their kiss and her commitment to the wrong suitor, Julian expresses his love to Angelina. She turns him down and cuts him off.

Scene: Gondola Competition
As his gondola experience, Julian expresses his love for Angelina. But Remi accepts it, and Angelina mistakes it.

Scene: Angelina Interrupts her Wedding
Angelina, on the verge of marrying another, realizes her true love is Julian and interrupts the wedding to be with him. They are about to kiss but stumble; he saves them from falling into the water. But as a demonstration of their love, she pulls him into the water where they kiss.

• This reply was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by  Stuart Voytilla.
• This reply was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by  Stuart Voytilla.
• This reply was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by  Stuart Voytilla.

[Lynn Vincentnathan]

Lynn’s Romance Emotions Part 2

WHAT I LEARNED doing this assignment is that there are not as many of these stronger emotions as in Part 1 and they do tend to come more after the midpoint and lead to stronger audience engagement. Also, things like passion seem to be lacking or are muffled in Hallmark type movies. In fact, I was sort of worried my script’s stronger emotions went beyond the Hallmark model, though they should be enhanced in the regular RomCom model, esp “passion,” which I didn’t quite nail and will be working on.
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Look through your outline and find places you can build these emotions in scenes.
For each emotion, tell us what the scene is about and how you build the emotion into it:

Ethan’s need and goal is to have a family. His best friend Paul and now new friend Tilly fill that for him. He would never want to hurt either of them. After the midpoint, when he is free of (dumped by) his girlfriend he continues to fall harder for Tilly and later finds she is falling for him, but he has to suppress and discourage that because his friend Paul is obsessed with Tilly, wanting to date her, even though he hasn’t met her yet. He is caught on the horns of a dilemma.

BETRAYAL
ETHAN BETRAYS TILLY: Tilly wants nothing to do with the blind date her family is setting up for her. Ethan doesn’t tell her that he is in on setting that up with his friend Paul. Ethan delays telling her, then tries but fails to tell her. At the end of Act 3, Tilly finds out by overhearing a conversation, feels betrayed by Ethan, is terribly hurt and angry, and figures he only wanted to use her like her previous boyfriend did.

ETHAN BETRAYS PAUL: After midpoint, Ethan struggles not to betray Paul by taking Tilly away from him. He does not tell Paul the wonderful woman who saved him is Tilly, or about their growing attraction and love. At the end of Ac 3 Paul hears from a person that Ethan’s girl dumped him, and he suspects Ethan is in love with Tilly and is taking her away from him. He feels terribly betrayed.

ANGER
TILLY’S ANGER: At the end of Act 1 Tilly is very angry her family is setting up a blind date for her. At the end of Act 3 Tilly is angry (and terribly hurt) that Ethan is in on this blind date thing and has betrayed her. She also gets a bit angry in Act 1 when Weatherman 2 (Ethan) posts a negative comment about her, but she realizes there’s some truth to it. In several other instances in Act 1 and 2, she gets miffed by other happenings, but gets over it, realizing the situation.

PAUL’S ANGER: Paul gets very angry with Ethan when he figures out Ethan is in love with Tilly and taking her away from him, and has betrayed him by not telling the whole truth.

PASSION
Tilly struggles to suppress the possibility of sexual passion for Ethan, first because Ethan plans to propose to another, and later because she figures Ethan needs time to heal. I need to enhance this emotion. His main “passion” is expressed in her desire to care for others with a focus on Ethan in distress/trouble.

Ethan struggles to suppress his possibility of sexual passion for Tilly, first because he plans to marry another, then because Paul wants to date Tilly (and he has been in on setting it up). I need to enhance this emotion. His main “passion” is expressed in his desire for family.

OBSESSION
TILLY is obsessed with avoiding the blind date her family is setting up, from end of Act 1 onward, but relents a little, realizing it sounds crazy.

PAUL is totally obsessed with dating Tilly (her family setting it up for him via a common friend) from the beginning through about half of Act 4. Ethan is against him dating her at first, then when he meets and gets to know her, he’s all for it. Then when his girl dumps him and he can no longer deny his growing attraction & love for her, he tries to dissuade Paul from his obsession with a woman he’s never met, but it doesn’t work. It seems Paul has become more obsessed as the story goes on.

LOVE
Early in Act 2 when Tilly saves Ethan’s life, there is an attraction, but also a growing friendship, sympatico. As they are hole up together these feeling grow stronger, despite Ethan’s other commitments.

Tilly’s assistant is the one to point out to Ethan that Tilly has fallen hard for him, and later to Tilly that Ethan loves her.

At the very end Tilly and Ethan openly express their love.

[Pat Fitzgerald]

Pat’s Romance Emotions Part 2
What I’ve learned is that the layering of these emotions are what gives a script depth and allows the characters to become more well-rounded and interesting. I know that I still don’t have a complete list of how their emotions will show up in my story, but I love the start that I’ve gotten from this lesson.

BETRAYAL:
Jaki thinks that Mitch has arrived at the strip club where she bartends to continue a flirtation with her, but then learns he is there because he plans to buy the place, something she also wants to do, thinking owning the club will give her financial security.

After learning that Mitch wants to buy the strip club, Jaki believes that he will put her out of a job in favor of hiring younger women and that the flirtation they had previously was nothing but a ruse on his part.

After Mitch’s dad’s vintage Rolex turns up missing, he is convinced that Jaki stole it and that she had feigned interest in him just to get access to he and his dad’s money.

Jaki is hurt when Mitch refuses to allow her to see his dad after he had a stroke.

Mitch feels he’s been betrayed by his dad when Dad continues a friendly relationship with Jaki even though Mitch is convinced that she’s only after their money.

ANGER:
Jaki gets angry with Mitch for never telling her that he wants to buy the strip club and turn it into a community center for the disadvantaged in the neighborhood.
Mitch is angry with Jaki for stubbornly believing he only wanted the strip club for financial advantage.
Jaki is furious with Mitch once she learns that he has suggested to the director of the assisted living home where she volunteers that she should no longer be allowed in the place.

PASSION:
After discovering that his dad’s vintage Rolex has been in his jacket pocket all this time, Mitch apologized to Jaki. Neither one can continue to hold back their true feelings for one another.
On a first date, Jaki and Mitch passionately kiss, but Jaki is scared of her strong emotions toward him – he being the first man she’d been attracted to since the untimely death of her husband – and she runs away from him.

OBSESSION:
Even though Mitch has refused to allow Jaki to see his dad after he was hospitalized, he can’t stop thinking about Jaki and goes to the strip club to try to settle things between them.

LOVE:
After Jaki learns that Mitch wants her to be the director of his community center, she finally lets her guard down and gives him a passionate kiss.

• This reply was modified 9 months, 2 weeks ago by  Pat Fitzgerald.

[Lynn Vincentnathan]

NOTE ABOUT TV HOLIDAY SCREENPLAY PAGING: I gave people a bum steer when I wrote about the 9-act structure earlier. ACT ONE should be about 20 pages (elsewhere I read 18 pages). I wrote earlier it should be 25 pages. All the others are between 8-12 pages (elsewhere I read ACT TWO should be about 12 pages, with the other around 8-10 pages).

Brian Ruberry (professional TV romance screenwriter for Lifetime, etc) gave me script analysis on SOPHIE'S WHITE CHRISTMAS (now A WHITE CHRISTMAS GETAWAY) that had me put my meet-cute in Act One (something I and you all had been concerned about); he said it is usually around page 10, but he told me to at least put it by the end of Act One. So I'm into a serious rewrite and making good progress. He charges $250, but it is well worth it.

I had originally thought Act One was supposed to be 25 pages because Rick Garman's Hallmark scripts are that way; but after Brian's script analysis I checked again and saw that Act One in a SHOOTING SCRIPT of Rick's came to about 20 pages. It showed that several of his scenes had been cut or combined and there were a lot of partial pages.

[Joy Smith]

Joy Smith’s Romance Emotions Part 2

What I learned doing this assignment is… I’d missed some of the major emotions out of my outline before, and not categorised some of them effectively. They’ll work much better with a few more negative emotions thrown in.

1. Look through your outline and find places you can build these emotions in scenes:
Betrayal
Anger
Passion
Obsession
Love

2. For each emotion, tell us what the scene is about and how you build the emotion into it.

Act 1:

Opening: Introduces Stella’s mission (via the inside of the ice cream stand) and Crispin as a reporter.

Emotion: both yearning for something more, even if they don’t quite realize it.

Her initial state: A lone US Marshall, focussed only on her career and catching the bad guys.
His initial state: Also very focussed on work. Struggling to look after his niece.

Emotion: both yearning for something more, even if they don’t know it.

Meet-Cute: They meet when Stella is just getting set up with her surveillance van. Crispin’s niece drops an ice cream she bought and is distraught. Stella gives her another one. They both see each other as being caring and good with children.

Emotion: attracted to each other, both by their caring nature (which makes sense as they’re both in somewhat serious, emotionally cold jobs)

Her Meet-Cute moment: Takes pity on what she assumes is a Dad out of his depth, and gives a small child an ice cream to stop them from crying. It’s part of her cover, and it’s Christmas, after all. Stella has been watching the same Santa as the kid.
His Meet-Cute moment: Can’t calm down his niece after she drops her ice cream, distracted by Santa, and is rescued by Stella, who gives her a new one.

Emotion: attracted to each other, both by their caring nature (which makes sense as they’re both in somewhat serious, emotionally cold jobs)

Inciting Incident: Her ice cream truck breaks down in front of his car. He reluctantly helps her and they discover they’re going to the same place (he is tailed by the ice cream truck!) as he received a tip about a robbery due to take place.

Emotion: Passion – their passion for their respective jobs shows up as them being frustrated with anything that stands in the way of that, even if it is a person they’d initially been attracted to.
Doubt – about the initial attraction.

Attraction/Flirting: After they both head to the same crime scene, they pretend that they’re together, shopping for their child to get access to the store?

Emotion: desire – they’re imagining themselves together, even though only at a very surface level. They both know that they actually want what they’re just playing.

Her initial challenges: Keeping her undercover identity secret – taking work too seriously and lying to Crispin despite feeling attracted to him. Law enforcement don’t trust the press.
His initial challenges: He feels that there’s something not right with Stella. When he’s late to a scoop because her ice cream truck broke down and parked him in, he dislikes her.

Emotion: Doubt, in a big way! They’re both worried about the lies that Stella has had to tell due to his job.

Turning Point: After more coincidental meetings, he confronts her in her ice cream truck and says she’s no ice cream seller. She says she is, but has to tell her team he’s on to her.

Emotion: more doubt – this is a big thing that’s keeping them apart. Trust has been lost.
Obsession – well, the start of it. It’s key to his relationship with her – he doesn’t trust any law enforcement and thinks she’s lying to him, so he can’t trust her either.

Act 2:
New plan: stay out of each other’s way
Denial: They clash over intelligence and crime scenes and keep arriving at the same place. “Not you again”.

Emotion: Attraction in denial, expressed as anger.

Her Major conflict / Obstacle: She’s trying to bust a major crime ring and this local reporter keeps showing up.
His Major conflict / Obstacle: He’s trying to get the scoop of his career, and this ice cream seller keeps showing up at all the crime scenes.

Emotion: Growing obsession – they are doing a terrible job of avoiding each other and a terrible job of expressing their attraction.

Plan in action: See each other everywhere they go – wholesalers, crime scenes, everything.

Emotion: Desire – and maybe a little jealousy if they see each other with different people. This can be an opportunity for comedy and to misinterpret things.

Midpoint Turning Point: Crispin makes a bust – it’s Stella! She confesses she is an undercover Marshall and shares her info with him. She says that just because she’s undercover it doesn’t mean that everything she is is a lie, and almost kisses him.
Separation/Forced Together: as above.

Emotion: Betrayal and yearning – they both realize that they need to be honest with each other because they’re getting in each other’s way too much. They can’t lie anymore because their desire is too great, even though telling the truth means admitting a betrayal.

Act 3:
Rethink everything – they reluctantly work together to try and find the right Santa (the criminal). Stella is unconvinced of his non-law enforcement investigative skills, and Crispin thinks all cops are rubbish/undercover means liar.

Emotion: Doubt – a betrayal on confirmation of the lies. Trust is broken, but the attraction is still there, even though there doesn’t seem to be any way forward for them.

Her Self-Reflection: If she wants to get the criminal, she has to trust Crispin.
His Self-Reflection: Maybe not all law enforcement personnel are liars and cheat, and they can work together.

Emotion: Desire – even though things look bleak for them as a couple, they can’t walk away. Their strong desire is keeping them together, even though it risks their jobs and professional reputations.

New plan – they realise they’re stronger together, and Crispin plants a piece in the paper about where the hottest new toy is going to be stocked. It’s a trap for Santa and his law enforcement friends.

Emotion: Yearning – if they catch Santa, they can maybe be together. Getting over the obstacle reveals the way forward to what they want.

Working through Issues/Differences – They are put in a situation where they have to trust each other to help the investigation.

Emotion: Desire – they’re shown by their proximity that they still desire each other and a future together.

Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift – lots of parents show up, trying to buy the toy, the parents get a bit antsy, a bit of disorder/argy bargy (not a riot!) and the cops step in. Now Santa knows that the cops are onto him!
Her Acceptance and Growth: Stella realises she needs some roots after all, as she faces Christmas alone, staking out a criminal in an ice cream van.

Emotion: Doubt – they’ve blown it yet again. Maybe they’re not as good together as they think they are.

Act 4:
Demonstrate the change: They trust each other enough to set up a sting, without their superior’s permission, and face the consequences together, as a team.

Emotion: Desire – there’s no rational reason for their actions, given everything that’s happened, other than redeeming themselves to each other.

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: they are chastised by their superiors, and have to work as part of larger teams, and with each other, to make sure they catch Santa.

Emotion: Jealousy – they’re split up and have to work closely with different partners.

His Acceptance and Growth: Crispin wants a little more adventure in his life, and this US Marshall has certainly provided it so far.

Emotion: Desire – he can’t deny it at all now.

Hate/Betrayal/All Hope is Lost: Santa and his gang now know that they’re onto him. They both get in trouble with their agencies for arranging the unsanctioned sting. How will they catch Santa now?

Emotion: Doubt – how will they move forward?

Resolution: The Marshalls catch Santa based on a tip from the press office. Stella and Crispin distribute the must-have toys to every kid in Monterey, and get together.

Emotion: Passion for Christmas and for catching the bad guy/getting the scoop.

Reunion: They work together through Christmas Eve to ensure each child wakes up to a toy on Christmas morning.

Emotion: Passion spills over into a kiss.

Love Happens: They work as part of a team, realise how well they work when they’re together, and catch Santa. Then distribute a toy to every kid in Monterey.

Emotion: Desire and attraction working together to form love.

[Dean Burkey]

Dean's Romance Emotions Part 2

What I learned doing this assignment is… how to embrace the full spectrum of The Force. ;oP

Turning Point (Anger, Doubt):

Scene: Their argument escalates, causing a small fire on set.

Anger: Anger takes over during this scene as their frustrations boil over, both personally and professionally. Ethan’s carefree attitude clashes with Sophie’s professionalism, leading to a heated exchange.

Doubt: After the argument, both Ethan and Sophie are left with lingering doubt—did they push each other too far? Should they even be working together? Beneath their anger is the uncertainty of what’s really going on between them emotionally.

Working Through Issues/Differences (Passion, Love):

Scene: Ethan and Sophie open up to each other about their personal tragedies, leading to a heartfelt conversation by the lake.

Passion: The vulnerability they show here sparks real passion. Their emotional connection intensifies, as they both feel drawn to each other on a deeper level.

Love: This moment of genuine connection starts to transform into the early stirrings of love. They begin to see each other not just as co-stars but as people with real, shared emotions. This love is still unspoken but evident in their newfound closeness.

Plan in Action (Attraction, Passion, Obsession):

Scene: Their on-screen chemistry improves dramatically, catching the attention of the crew.

Attraction: Their attraction is undeniable now, visible in how effortlessly they perform romantic scenes together.

Passion: As the attraction grows, so does the passion—both on and off-screen. Their romantic scenes start to feel too real, and it becomes harder to separate work from genuine emotion.

Obsession: For Ethan (or Sophie), this attraction may develop into obsession—constantly thinking about the other, scrutinizing their interactions, and wondering if their chemistry is real or just part of the role.

Midpoint Turning Point (Jealousy, Obsession):

Scene: The marketing team promotes Ethan and Sophie’s “real-life” romance, blurring the lines between fiction and reality.

Jealousy: Jealousy creeps in as Ethan sees Sophie interact with other people on set, and Sophie wonders if Ethan’s feelings are genuine or just for the cameras. Both feel insecure about where they stand with each other.

Obsession: Their jealousy fuels an even deeper obsession with each other. They begin to overanalyze every glance, every touch, and every conversation, trying to figure out if the other feels the same way.

Act 3: The Conflict and Growth

Rethink Everything (Betrayal, Anger, Yearning):

Scene: After the movie becomes a hit, Ethan tells Sophie that their off-screen romance was just part of the promotion.

Betrayal: Sophie feels a profound sense of betrayal. She thought their connection was real, and hearing that Ethan viewed it as just part of the job devastates her.

Anger: This betrayal quickly morphs into anger, and Sophie lashes out at Ethan, accusing him of playing with her feelings.

Yearning: Beneath the anger, though, Sophie feels a deep yearning for him to prove her wrong—to show that the connection they shared wasn’t just an act.

Hate/Betrayal/All Hope is Lost (Betrayal, Anger):

Scene: Sophie walks away from Ethan after feeling betrayed by his comment about their fake romance.

Betrayal: Sophie’s sense of betrayal reaches its peak here, and she can’t shake the feeling that she was played.

Anger: This anger keeps her from hearing Ethan out or giving him a chance to explain his feelings. She shuts down emotionally, convinced that her heart was wrong to trust him.

New Plan (Passion, Obsession, Yearning):

Scene: After Gwen tells Ethan that Sophie genuinely loves him, Ethan becomes obsessed with winning her back.

Passion: Ethan’s passion for Sophie is reignited—he realizes how much he cares for her and is determined to make things right.

Obsession: This passion quickly turns into obsession, as he starts plotting out a grand romantic gesture to prove his love. He becomes fixated on showing her how much she means to him.

Yearning: His yearning for her fuels his obsession, driving him to go to great lengths to repair their relationship.

Turning Point: Huge Failure / Major Shift (Obsession, Anger, Doubt):

Scene: Ethan’s initial grand gesture fails, leaving him devastated.

Obsession: Ethan’s obsession with getting Sophie back blinds him to the fact that she’s still hurt and not ready to forgive him.

Anger: His obsession turns inward, as he grows angry with himself for not doing more earlier to win her over. He feels like he’s blown his last chance.

Doubt: Sophie, still hurt, feels a mix of doubt and anger. She doubts whether Ethan’s feelings are real and whether she should ever trust him again.

Act 4: The Resolution

Climax/Ultimate Expression of the Conflict (Passion, Love, Yearning):

Scene: Ethan organizes a special event at the fishing village and confesses his love to Sophie in front of the entire cast and crew.

Passion: Ethan’s final confession is driven by passion—he’s raw and open, willing to lay his heart on the line.

Yearning: Sophie, though still guarded, feels the yearning within herself to believe in his words, to accept the possibility of their love.

Love: As Ethan’s heartfelt confession unfolds, the passion and yearning between them transforms into full-fledged love. Sophie realizes that his love is genuine, and her walls finally come down.

Demonstrate the Change (Love):

Scene: Sophie forgives Ethan, and they share a tender moment of reconciliation.

Love: This scene is all about love—not just the romantic, passionate love, but the kind of love that comes from truly understanding and accepting each other. They’ve both changed and grown, and their love is now built on that foundation.

Reunion (Love):

Scene: Ethan and Sophie reunite as a couple, ready to face their future together both on and off-screen.

Love: Their journey has come full circle, and the overwhelming emotion here is love—a love that has been tested and survived. They embrace this love with open hearts, finally secure in their feelings for each other.

• This reply was modified 8 months, 3 weeks ago by  Dean Burkey.

[Rita Roberts]

Rita’s Romance Emotions Part 2

What I learned doing this assignment:

– Many of these emotions were built in but focusing on them specifically helped me intensify the feelings in each scene.


ASSIGNMENT:

1. Look through your outline and find places you can build these emotions in scenes:

Betrayal — Ariale’s coworker, Gayle, displays several betrayals. At the library, she pretends to be an upset mom to get Ariale fired while also pretending to be Ariale’s ally. Then we find out the feud is much longer and deeper. Ariale’s mother was Gayle’s nemesis in high school plus there is something to do with infidelity and Ariale’s father’s death, plus Gayle’s daughter. A tangled web of deceit/betrayal is being unraveled, starting with Ariale’s dreams.

Anger — Still in the information that Ben isn’t actually divorced yet, they meet in sleep time. It’s their first meeting at Ariale’s Summerlands house… or is it Ben’s? She tries to position herself as the owner and he as an interloper, intruding on her beautiful beach house without invitation.

Passion — Ariale finally agrees to see Ben after she gets a new job. They almost kiss until a cyclist on the path nearly clips them. Ben’s cue to invite her to his house, for safety reasons.

Obsession — Ariale sneaks back to the beach to spy Ben’s house in the dark until Chuck senses her a starts barking. She has to run through the sand to not be caught as a weird stalker.

Love — After all the family secrets that were hinted at in her dreams, Ariale’s mother spills the details to reveal everything she learned in sleep was true. Unburdened of secrets, Ariale returns to Ben’s house and asks him to give her another chance as a more whole and balanced woman. They finally kiss, with Chuck’s approval. Ben carries Arial into the house.

• This reply was modified 7 months, 1 week ago by  Rita Roberts.