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Post day 13 Assignment Here
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Emmanuel’s Finished Act 2 Reactions to TP 1
What I learned doing this assignment is reactions to the first turning point is a great way to jumpstart intrigue in act 2.
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Act 2:
Key Scene 1: Reaction to the turning point . The old ways were not enough
Kai and some scout friends are listening to the instructions of Clem, the seasoned bronze statue restorer.
CLEM
(spitting out chewing tobacco from the side of his mouth as he speaks)
So fellers, this here is how you do it , so watch me ‘n then you all cun try it ‘n I’ll correct ya.
BILLY
(whispers to Kai)
Where did you find this old galoot?)
KAI
Clemet, please let me introduce you to my friends. Clemet Shine is the best metal restoration artist in the Island. He was recommended by teh State Foundation and agreed to help us out.
CLEM
Thanky Kai, now I was a sayin’
Key Scene 2 : As he begins restoring the horse, Kai finds a patch in the bronze. Kai’s curiosity leads him to discover why there is a patch, and uncovers patch to find a package inside, decides to remove it and finds it wraps a valuable cache
Key Scene 2 Rethink everything: Rory’s story begins after his prison escape goes to find the horse and finds it missing; meanwhile – Rory Background and following his escape
PH Devise way for Rory background:
From New Jersey, rough childhood, moved with divorced parent to Hawaii while in lower grade, picked on in school, doesn’t like Hawaiian kids, hates scouts. Despite being in trouble, enlisted in Air Force at 18, in Guam, court marshalled for what he thought was performing a good deed.. Arrested in Hawaii for major crime and incarcerated. Careful to not give much information on source of cache that he has hidden to insure his future once out of prison.
KEY SCENE 3:
Kai decides to try and find out the source of the cache
INT. KAI AT HOME ON HIS COMMPUTER
KEY SCENE 4: RORY GOES LOOKING FOR THE HORSE
EXT. SCHOOL STOREROOM – NIGHT
Finding the horse missing, he learns of Kai’s project, finds the repaired patch, and goes after Kai
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30 Day Class – Day 13A
Lee’s Act 2 Reaction to TP 1
What I learned doing this assignment is…that I can outline a four page scene and whip it out into the script in just a little over an hour. Not bad—maybe I’m getting the knack of this.
BEGINNING…
INT. JUSTIN’S TRUCK (moving) – NIGHT
Justin drives like a race car driver, despite the darkness. Milly, terrified, rides shotgun. He’s almost out of control, rages on about what just happened, what’s going on.
Milly yells back for him to slow down, he’s going to get them both killed.
They arrive at…
MIDDLE
INT./EXT. JUSTIN’S HOUSE – NIGHT
It’s a near-palace. Justin’s parents are rich corporate types. Which means that they’re almost never home, including now.
Justin still rages like a lunatic. He grabs for the cylinder that Milly has, she keeps it away from him. He shoves her to get it, she shoves back. He flies across the room, crashes a wall, bounces off and ends up in an overstuffed recliner. It folds out, etc.
Milly’s aghast. She hadn’t meant to push him at all.
Justin finally calms down.
END
INT. JUSTIN’S HOUSE
Justin asks Milly if she’d please tell him what’s going on.
Milly confesses that she has no idea.
Justin takes the cylinder. Milly lets him. He takes out some rolled paper. ESCAPE INSTRUCTIONS
Item Number 1 is…Get some rest. You’re safe now. Wait until morning.
THE SCRIPT
INT. JUSTIN’S TRUCK (MOVING) – NIGHT
Justin drives like he’s a stock car racer down the road. Milly sits next to him, terrified.
JUSTIN
(yells)
What in the hell was all that?! Just tell me for one second, what in the hell was all that?!
MILLY
(screams)
Justin, Jesus! Slow down! You’re gonna get us both killed.
Justin barrels along, swerves around a curve.
JUSTIN
(yells more)
Get us all killed? Didn’t we already almost get us all killed?! Shit! Suddenly I’m like two inches high, I’m outside, and a couple ants come at me that are the size of Saint Bernards. I get to the grass, and it’s so tall it looks like the jungle. I’m wondering where’s my mini-machete to go with my mini-body! And then, after crossing the Sahara, and staring at a truck built for Paul Bunyon, I’m suddenly full size again, and you’re yelling at me to get in and get out. What the hell’s that all about!
He swerves again. Milly screams and sobs.
MILLY
I don’t know! I don’t know anything about anything! I just did what it said on the paper!
JUSTIN
The paper? Oh yeah, that’s right. The instructions for when your dad doesn’t come home. So how the hell does he know all this and you do all this and “don’t know anything?!”
A truck approaches in the opposite lane, blows his horn. Justin corrects back into his lane.
JUSTIN
(yells re: truck driver)
Shut up, asshole! Who do you think I am, some kind of maniac?!
MILLY
You’re sure driving like one!
JUSTIN
What? So now she speaks!
JUSTIN
But is it to tell me why I was for two minutes the size of my toy army men that I threw away five years ago, or who some old woman that calls herself Granny Sue is and why does she have a backpack vacuum cleaner that blows four full-grown, fully armed men thirty feet into the night, or how in the hell the house we were in less than five minutes ago just exploded and turned into a pile of sticks? No! It’s to tell me that I’m the maniac in this truck.
Justin continues to speed on. On the right in the distance, a place lit up like a baseball stadium at night.
Milly’s distraught, continues to sob.
MILLY
I can’t tell you anything because I don’t know anything! How many times do I have to tell you. I don’t know anything more than you do! I was just doing what the paper said. Slow down and stop screaming at me. You’re going to miss your own house.
Justin hits the brakes. The car skids. He does a hard right.
The truck bounces onto an immaculate driveway in front of a palatial two-story, 4-car garage house with a manicured desert-landscaped front yard surrounded by wrought iron fence with pickets.
EXT. JUSTIN’S HOUSE – NIGHT
Justin slams the truck’s door, marches toward a side door. Milly follows with the cylinder and the bag of toys.
JUSTIN
Just following instructions, huh?
They go through the door into…
INT. JUSTIN’S HOUSE
The enter into a huge kitchen that opens onto a giant family room with upholstered chairs and a giant flatscreen.
JUSTIN
Well let’s just see what those instructions say now.
He grabs for the cylinder in Milly’s hand.
MILLY
No! Not until you’re acting sane.
JUSTIN
Still think I’m a maniac, huh? Well I’ll show you what–
He grabs for it again. Milly pushes him back…and Justin flies off his feet, over the kitchen counter, and ends up in a big recliner that opens full-out with the impact.
Milly gasps in horror!
MILLY
Oh my god! I had no idea that would happen! I’m so, so sorry.
She goes to him, but Justin puts out a hand, gets himself out of the recliner gingerly. Milly watches, terrified, distraught.
MILLY
Are–are you okay?
JUSTIN
Thoroughly chastised, I’d say.
He stands, feels Milly’s forearm.
JUSTIN
Yeah, quite some muscle there.
MILLY
Justin, I had no idea, no idea–
Justin waves her off, like “it’s okay, forget about it.” He goes to where Milly left the cylinder.
JUSTIN
Seeing as I’m somewhat calmed, might I…?
He holds up the the cylinder. Milly nods.
Justin opens it. A paper slips out. He unrolls it, reads.
JUSTIN
Now that makes more sense than anything I’ve heard all night.
He leaves the paper on the kitchen counter, slowly walks toward a stairway.
JUSTIN
I’ll be in my room. You can have Mom and Dad’s room. They’ll be gone for another week. It’s just down the hall there.
He staggers up the stairs. Milly sees a dark hallway off the kitchen.
She retrieves the paper and the cylinder, reads the first line of the paper.
“INSTRUCTIONS. 1. Go to bed. Get some rest. You’re safe now.”
Milly sighs, heads for the hallway.
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Ed’s Act 2 Reaction Scene.
What I learned doing this assignment is how wonderful the reaction scene works. It’s so natural and great bridge into Act 2. In past screenplays I’ve never wrote this scene. yes, it is a fun scene to write. Much more insight into characters state of mind and how the next scene unfolds because of the motivation illustrated. Cool.
T TWO – KEY SCENE # 1 HNERY’S REACTION TO TURNING POINT
INT. NORTH POLE – REINDEER STABLES – DAY
BEGINNING – Henry can’t believe Santa and the North Pole Exist. Samwise tries to calm him down.
MIDDLE – Henry wants to go home, where his screwed up life makes sense.
END – Henry Runs for the sleigh , get’ s in and it flies away with
EXT. NORTH POLE – REINDEER STABLES – DAY
Henry shakes off Samwise. He’s tired of being manhandled by the elf.
HENRY
Let me go. I’m not a child.
SAMWISE
You say that likes that’s a bad thing.
HENRY
None of this makes any sense. You seriously make toys here? My post. My post was on the screen in that room! That man in the red sport coat, that was…and he’s mad at me? I’m so screwed.
The pictures is becoming clearer for Henry. It’s unsettling.
SAMWISE
Yes, that’s the big guy. Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, Saint Nicholas. He has many names, but one job. He’s very tuned into social media, thanks to Alfreda.
HENRY
I don’t believe it! Don’t want to believe it. Every kid in the world won’t believe it.
SAMWISE
Everyone here does very good job so you and everyone else does believe- it. We have a certain image to maintain. Ageless, priceless, actually. We hate to see it tarnished.
Henry
Tarnished. I’m going to blow the roof of this place. Right to TMZ. Take me home, now!
SAMWISE
Just calm down. I’m working on that.
HENRY
No. Now. I want to go home. I have to tell my mother about this.
Henry agitated. He runs in and out of the reindeer stalls.
HENRY
Is there an airport near by?
SAMWISE
Afraid not. Just calm down. Maybe some hot chocolate and cookies? We have like millions of cookies. Wait – here.
INT. NORTH POLE – REINDEER STABLES -ELF BREAK ROOM – DAY
Samwise slips into small room. Single table, counter with coffee pot, stacks of cookies. A pot labeled HOT CHOCOLATE. Samwise pouts a mug full. He removes from his pocket a small vile labeled, FORGETFUL JUICE, a few drops in Henry’s hot chocolate will do it.
INT. NORTH POLE- REINDEER STABLES – DAY
Henry’s attention is drawn to two massive wooden doors. A crack of sunlight slips through them. On the other side is a commotion. Reindeer SNORTS, STOMPS, JINGLE BELLES, lot of JINLGE BELLS. There’s some muffled yelling of instructions.
EXT. NORTH POLE – RUNWAY – DAY
Henry pushes open the double doors. Outside, slanted silvery winter sunlight. On a plateau on the ice mountain a runway and control tower. Before him is the sleigh, deep red and gold, sleek, garnished with tinsel garland. Latched to it with reigns of black and silver, are twelve magnificent reindeer.
HENRY
I wish I had my phone.
Vanguard is standing in the front seat of the sleigh. . He’s on the verge of panic but still in control. He’s yelling into a walkie talkie looking up at the control tower.
VENGARD
I said activate the GPS modulator after you upload the simulation package. Over?
We hear a undecipherable static filled reply.
VENGARD
Anything done right you got to do it yourself.
Vengard climbs down off the sleigh. He spots Henry on the tarmac.
VENGARD
You , stable elf, stay here and make sure no one touches anything.
Henry looks around. He’s the only one there. Vanguard runs off towards the control tower.
The sleigh is way too cool to pass up. Henry climbs aboard. There’s a dash board. Very high tech, dials and knobs, a touch screen displays a GPS map. The reindeer stir in anticipation of flight.
INT. INT. NORTH POLE- REINDEER STABLES – DAY
Samwise carries a tray of the spiked hot chocolate and cookies. His concern quickly grows with the absence of Henry and the hanger doors open.
SAMWISE
No. No. No. Not the sleigh. Henry!
Samwise drops the tray and runs out of the stable.
EXT. NORTH POLE – RUNWAY – DAY
Henry’s reading across the dashboard.
HENRY
Roof landing mode, toy dispensing methods, sounds. Sounds?
Henry pushes a button. A load HO, HO, HO emits from a speaker below the sleigh.
HENRY
Get out.
INT. NORTH POLE – CONTROL TOWER – DAY
The Ho, Ho, Ho gets the attention of Vengard and the elves in the Control tower.
VENGARD
Who is that? Don’t touch mean don’t touch.
Through binocular POV, Vengard watches Henry touch stuff. Beyond we see Samwise running widely towards Henry and the sleigh.
VENGARD
Don’t touch the reins. For the love of Northern Lights don’t touch the reins.
EXT. NORTH POLE – RUNWAY – SLEIGH – DAY
Henry has reached the end exploring the dash board. Laid over the top, hanging down into the cockpit are the reindeer reigns. Supple waxed leather and silver studs. Henry has to pick them up.
EXT. NORTH POLE RUNWAY – DAY
Samwise is nearly there. He’s gased. He anticipating Henry’s next move.
SAMWISE
Henry. No! Don’t touch the…
EXT. NORTH POLE – RUNWAY – SLEIGH – DAY
Before Samwise could finish yelling “reigns” Henry lifts them up. He wraps them around his wrists. He looks over the reindeer lined up obediently in front of him. He gives them a quick snap.
HENRY
Yah!
Much to Henry’s surprise the reindeer begin to trot down the runway. The sleigh jolts forward. Fast and faster. Samwise swings in behind it. His hand inches away from the sleigh runner. He stretches for it just out of reach.
HENRY
Whoo Hoo!
INT. NORTH POLE – CONTROL TOWER – DAY
Vengard watches in shock as the sleigh and his career careen down the runway. He lifts a glass enclosed case and pushes a button. Alarms RING , SIRENS BLARE and warning LIGHTS flash everywhere.
EXT. NORTH POLE – RUNWAY – SLEIGH – DAY
Samwise chasing the sleigh, gaining on it in by inch. The lead reindeer leave the ground, then the next two, then the next two, all the up the the last set then, in a flash of sparks trailing off the runners, Samwise latches on just as the the sleigh takes flight.
EXT. NORTH POLE SKY – SLEIGH – DAY
With Henry at the reigns the sleigh is barely in control. It zooms in and around the mountain jagged ice. A quick turn the runner slices off a hunk of ice. Samwise is tossed and around the back empty cargo bay. For Henry, this is magical beyond belief.
Henry pulls the reigns tightly to the right. The sleigh makes a U-Turn back towards the Castle.
The reindeer respond. The sleigh zips through the air at incredible speed, heading directly for the control tower.
INT. NORTH POLE – CONTROL TOWER – DAY
Alarms and lights and panic. Vengard on the phone yelling.
VENGARD
Rogue sleigh, I repeat we have a rogue sleigh.
He looks up, through the window the sleigh zooming right for him. He tucks under the table just as the sleigh buzzes past the tower.
EXT. NORTH POLE SKY – SLEIGH – DAY
Henry opens his eyes, amazed the sleigh did not crash in to the tower.
HENRY
That was close.
Samwise makes his way to the front seat. With a flip and bump he lands next to Henry.
SAMWISE
I am so fired.
HENRY
Here, take the reigns, get us down.
SAMWISE
I can’t.
HENRY
What go you mean, you can’t? Here take them.
Henry tries to remove the reigns from his wrists and hands. That won’t come off.
HENRY
Hey.
SAMWISE
Vengard’s new security protocol. When you snapped the reigns they imprinted on you as the Sleigh Master. The sleigh only responds to you until the is shut off.
HENRY
Well shut it off.
SAMWISE
Only Alfreda can.
The sleigh zooms around circling the castle.
INT. NORTH POLE – CONFERENCE ROOM – DAY
ALfreda, Santa Claus and the senior managers continue their boring meeting. A ELF drones on about PROJECT (AcronymNeed)
ELF
In terms of time, we are looking at no more than two seasons at the most.
The elf continues to speak but Elf’s attention is drawn to the window. The other managers follow the elf along with Santa then Alfreda. They all stand and watch as Santa’s Sleigh, zooms right for the conference room window. It draws closer and closer.
EXT. NORTH POLE SKY – SLEIGH – DAY
Henry pulls the reigns left and right and up and down. The sleigh twist and turns. Samwise is turning green. Holding back the motion sickness. The castle and conference window loam ahead.
SAMWISE
Pull up, pull up.
Henry pulls up the sleigh dives down.
SAMWISE
No, the sleigh up. The reigns go down.
Henry stuggles to understand.
INT. NORTH POLE – CONFERENCE ROOM – DAY
The senior managers take cover behind chairs, except Alfreda, she stands defiantly in front of the window. The sleigh collision is fractions of a second away.
EXT. NORTH POLE SKY – SLEIGH – DAY
The castle and conference window is dead ahead. Alfreda Cleary visible standing guard. Henry pulls the reigns down just in time for the sleigh to pull up zooming over the window and castle. Samwise vomits. The contents splatter across the outside of the conference room window. The sleigh runner clips a pennant of off the tower.
INT. NORTH POLE – CONFERENCE ROOM – DAY
Alfreda gets a very good look at Henry on the reigns and Samwise vomiting. She snarls. She turns to the managing staff and barks.
ALFREDA
Get up! Is that how you protect Kris you cowards?
The executive staff look to the head of the table. The chair once occupied by Kris is empty. Alfreda marches out of the room.
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What I learned: come up with a plan, even if it’s not well developed. After all this is 20% quality so I’m definitely winging it. Fran’s plan is to go along with her new situation, comply (old ways). She advises everyone to think of this as summer camp. Until she realizes it isn’t. This is part A of her plan.
INT. HUT-TURLOCK RANCH – DAY
Fran wakes up, crammed into a small, dirty hut with eight other people – three sets of bunk beds.
She falls from the top bunk and injures her knee. When she spies a rat, she releases her cat to chase it.
CHU
What did we do to deserve this?
FRAN
We’re white.
Everyone looks at her, then Chu, confused.
FRAN
Wrong zip code. Look, we’re here because we deserve it. We’re entitled.
The others just stare at her.
FRAN
We need to develop empathy. Understand the underclass. They serve us. Now we serve them. It’s karma. This is Socialism 101…we’re in training, it’s summer camp. Let’s look at it that way.
MAGGIE
You sound like a moronic cheerleader.
FRAN
I thought you believed in the movement.
MAGGIE
I believed in the one that allowed us to stay in our homes. Not this.
FRAN
We can’t rock the boat. Or we’ll be shot. Right, Chu?
CHU
I’m sure my dad would be happy he spent $200,000 on my medical education to shovel shit.
FRAN
You didn’t build it. Whatever that means.
CHU
My father was a refugee who had three jobs to pay for my school. I spent six years a slave to the medical profession.
FRAN
I understand your disillusionment, your anger, your bitterness. But we’re the elites. We deserve this. It all boils down to white guilt.
CHU
You’re black for Chrissakes!
EXT. CATTLE PEN – DAY
Fran and the others, sweating, eye the cattle. Revolutionaries patrol the area with machine guns.
ED, a former accountant hijacked from a San Francisco CPA firm, bedraggled in suit and tie, shows them a graph and spouts numbers.
ED
Production is down and the revolution needs meat.
MAGGIE
They got us.
ED
The goal is three tons by next week. That’s ten cows. It requires three hours for each cow. We might make it.
FRAN
I’m nonviolent.
ED
What kind of work did you do?
Fran looks around to see if Sandy is anywhere to be seen.
FRAN
(whispering)
I was a therapist.
ED
Well, that was violent. In its own way. Ripping people’s pasts apart.
He turns to the cows.
ED
Maybe you could counsel them on separation anxiety.
He laughs hilariously.
MAGGIE
I’m not killing anything.
ED
That’s your job now. As I understand it, you are the means of production and the production is meat from the cows.
CHU
I dissected cadavers in medical school.
ED
Okay, you’re in charge. Get going. If we don’t meet our quotas we’ll be sent down the river.
FRAN
To another farm?
ED
No.
A revolutionary shoots one of the cows.
REVOLUTIONARY
It’s easy. You chicken shits.
Fran and Maggie swoon.
Chu leads the group into the slaughterhouse.
Unseen by the others, Fran and Maggie open the gate so the cows can escape.
INT. SLAUGHTERHOUSE – DAY
Chu and the others await the cows. But none come inside.
The Revolutionary wanders in.
REVOLUTIONARY
What are you waiting for? Kill the mother….
He notices there are no cows. He looks out the window and sees the cows trotting out into the field. He runs outside.
EXT. CATTLE PEN – DAY
The Revolutionary stares at Fran and Maggie.
REVOLUTIONARY
You counter revolutionary bitches.
FRAN
I’ve always supported the revolution. And I’ve counseled the others here to go along with it.
REVOLUTIONARY
You are thwarting PRC’s production goals. You are thwarting the revolution.
MAGGIE
But we’re not trained to do this.
FRAN
Not that we’re complaining. We aren’t the complaining types.
REVOLUTIONARY
Nobody knows what they’re doing. That doesn’t matter. What matters is the Workers are liberated and the Proletariat are their slaves now. Or something like that.
FRAN
I feel your pain…
He shoots at their feet and they jump.
REVOLUTIONARY
Here’s some pain. Get those cows.
Fran and Maggie race into the dung-filled fields.
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