Post Day 15 Assignment Here

[Emmanuel Sullivan]

Emmanuel’s Act 2 TP – Midpoint

What I learned doing this assignment is the midpoint is a pivotal moment to show the protagonist has turned around but is still on the same journey.

[Kimbal Thompson]

30 Day Script Lesson 15: Kimbal Thompson’s The Midpoint 09.21.21

What I learned doing this assignment is that the further into the script, the more opportunities and characters that continue to be developed.

ASSIGNMENT

1. Outline your Key Scene 4: The Midpoint.

KEY SCENE 4: RORY GOES LOOKING FOR THE HORSE

2. Write the Midpoint scene.

RORY

(dressed and masked in black, Rory thinks to himself)

They’ll never know I was here, but where’s that fuck’n horse?

Frustrated, Rory slips away from the campus in the darkness not wanting to risk looking anywhere beyond the storeroom.

ANGELO

What do you mean the horse is gone? You think it just trotted off?

RORY

You told me Ernesto said it was safe in that storeroom and the Janitor guy would keep an eye on it.

ANGELO

I there two month ago, now Janitor Make, Ernesto, he go to. Maybe my sister talk to new janitor.

RORY

We should keep your sister out of it, but maybe we have no chice.

See if she can ask some kid to ask teh Janitor.

ANGELO

Yassss, I will ask her.

Students had noticed the life size horse statue mounted to a new concrete base when passing through the Building Courtyard. One student approached the school custodisn and aked why the horse was now in teh courtyard by teh airplane.

KAINALO STUDENT

(approaching custodian)Good Morning Mr. Oshiro, how come the horse id out here.

MR. OSHIRO

It’s Mustang, our school mascot. Some Boy scout goin’ restore it and it stay here now.

KAINALO STUDENT

Oh, Mahalo Mr. Oshiro.

ANGELO

She say janitor say some scout goin’ to restore it and it now stay in Building Courtyard.

RORY

Fuck’n great, where eerybody can see it. We’ll just have to keep an eye on teh restoration. Maybe you can get a job up there.

ANGELO

Why me?

Finding the horse missing, he learns of Kai’s project, finds the repaired patch, and goes after Kai… to be continued

[Lee Tidball]

Lee’s Act 2 TP – Midpoint

What I learned doing this assignment…is that thing that “The journey continues, but with a whole new purpose and/or perspective” is already baked into my Story outline and beat sheet. I hadn’t understood the part about the change of purpose or perspective before—but it’s so totally there in my previous work that it should be much easier to write.

Midpoint Scene – Outline

EXT. DRY MOUNTAINS – DAY

BEGINNING – Granny Sue chastises Milly and Justin for being late. In the process, she reveals much to Milly about who she really is.

She wonders why Milly brought Justin at all. He doesn’t have alien powers like Milly, he’s not magical like Granny Sue.
She says that Milly could have gotten there much faster if she’d just run and leaped through the air like she can do. Probably could have made it in half an hour.
She tells them that she, Granny Sue, along with her son Marcus, Milly’s dad, are members of a secret society called the WWAA, the Witches, Wizards, and Aliens’ Alliance, an organization or Witches, wizards, and alien beings who all work together to help their mutual causes, provide support and protection for each other, etc.
She’s glad at least that they brought the bag of army toys that Marcus had made. They’d at least now perhaps have a fighting chance against Janus, who has kidnapped Marcus and has probably forced him to miniaturize many of his most dangerous weapons.

MIDDLE – Looking down on the Lava Craters, Granny Sue outlines what she hopes they can do.

She’s glad at least that they brought the bag of army toys that Marcus had made. They’d at least now perhaps have a fighting chance against Janus, who has kidnapped Marcus and has probably forced him to miniaturize many of his most dangerous weapons.
Janus is a rogue wizard, also a US Army general in normal human life. He has out-sized ambitions of amassing vast power for himself, but to do so, he’ll have to eliminate the competition, namely members of the WWAA who aren’t rogue like he is.
The fact that he kidnapped Marcus means that he’s in the final stages of completing preparations for whatever he’s doing.
They, in particular Milly, with her various alien powers, are the only ones standing in his way at this point.

END – Granny Sue tells Milly to get out a “toy” from her father’s toy collection.

Milly gets out a Jeep with two guys in it, a driver and a guy to fire the machine gun on its back.
Granny Sue tells her to say the magic words and make it bigger.
Milly doesn’t get it. Her dad had told her that too way long time ago and she didn’t get it either—he’d never told her any magic words.
Granny sue chuckles, shakes her head at such ignorance. She sets the toy down on the ground, says “the magic words” while pointing at the Jeep. Instantly, the Jeep and both its men become life-sized and want to know their orders.
Granny sue tells Milly to try it with another figure, and Justin also. More figures come to life.

THE SCENE

EXT. NEAR LAVA CRATERS – DAY

Granny Sue leads Milly and Justin around to the other side of her utility truck.

She busies herself gathering odd-looking tools as she talks.

GRANNY SUE

(to Milly)

What did you bring him for anyway? All he did was slow you down.

She pulls out a (tool to be named later), stuffs it into a big duffel bag that she carries on her shoulder.

GRANNY SUE

He can’t do superhuman stuff like you or magical stuff like me. What’s he gonna do besides get himself killed.

Justin perks up immediately.

JUSTIN

Whoa-whoa-whoa. Who said anything about getting killed. We just followed those damn instructions–

GRANNY SUE

And those “damn instructions” didn’t say anything about bringing a plain old human to this showdown.

Milly looks confused.

MILLY

He’s my best friend, and he can drive. How else could I have gotten here?

Granny Sue gives her a snide look.

GRANNY SUE

You could have done it yourself, and you know it.

Milly suddenly gasps, as if remembering something.

GRANNY SUE

Would have taken you about six or seven hundred jumps, from what I’ve seen. You’d have had plenty of time to rest too.

MILLY

You’ve been watching me run and–

Granny Sue gives her a knowing look, grabs some (tools to be named later) and stuffs them in her bag.

Justin gawks.

JUSTIN

What the hell are you talking about?

(to Milly)

What the hell’s she talking about.

Milly bows her head, embarrassed.

MILLY

You know those weird things that I told you about. Well…I can sorta jump…you know, really high, or really far, or both.

JUSTIN

And we’re talking how high? How far? This is insane. You can’t even make a layup in the gym.

MILLY

That’s because–

Justin stands back from her, arms folded.

JUSTIN

No, now I’ve got to see this. You’re so amazingly bouncy. Let’s see how high you can jump–this amazing skill or power of whatever that she says you have that us “plain old humans” can’t do. And if you can slam dunk, I’m gonna kill you for not showing me sooner so I could have shown you off to those loser jocks that always make fun of me.

Milly does a feeble jump up in the air. She barely gets into the air.

JUSTIN

Ha! There’s one of those, what did she say, six or seven hundred jumps that were going to take you here. Those wouldn’t even get you from your house–former house–to my house. What kind of crazy rabbit hole are we going down here, huh?

He looks to Granny Sue.

JUSTIN

You should stop messing with my friend’s head, Granny that she’s never heard of. Because it’s making me pretty pissed, and–

GRANNY SUE

(nasty angry)

Shut your trap, not-so-wise guy. You don’t know what you’re talking about.

(to Milly)

If this blabber-mouth really is your best friend, don’t you think you owe

GRANNY SUE

him the truth. I mean, obviously he’s not just any old person to you, even though he is “just any old person”, if you know what I mean.

Milly bristles at Granny Sue and at Justin.

MILLY

You wanna see how I can jump?

(to Granny Sue)

You think I should show him? So here goes.

In one lightning motion, Milly launches herself like a rocket, ZIPS high into the sky–so high that she’s completely out of sight.

Justin stares up in awe.

JUSTIN

Is she in, like, Space?

GRANNY SUE

Not hardly, but it will be a minute or two before she comes down.

Justin just stares at Granny Sue, hopelessly bewildered.

GRANNY SUE

She’s an alien, as in one who comes from another world–physical world, I mean. She barely knows it though. Marcus was waiting for the right time to tell her, but…

She fishes some more around in her truck’s equipment bins, pulls out more (stuff to be named later).

JUSTIN

And you?

Suddenly, there’s a soft THUMP nearby. Milly’s back. She walks back to them, an angry look on her face.

Granny Sue shuts up the truck, grabs what looks like a fancy sniper rifle off the top of the vehicle.

GRANNY SUE

Come on. Follow me.

She trudges down the road as it heads up the dry mountains.

GRANNY SUE

(to Milly)

I told him you were an alien.

Milly stops, gapes in astonishment. Granny Sue continues.

GRANNY SUE

And no, I’m not an alien, but I feel like one lots of times. I’m a witch–I prefer sorceress–and I don’t get any more credibility than she would if she made that announcement to everyone at your school.

Justin and Milly share meaningful, confused looks as they trudge along.

GRANNY SUE

And Milly’s dad is my son. A wizard–sorcerer. We’re part of worldwide organization called the WWAA: Witches, Wizards, and Aliens Association, formed for the mutual benefit of us all, given our mutual difficulties living in this rather backward world.

She stops at a curve in the road. Below is a vast moonscape of craters, cinder cones, fissures, and old lava floes.

GRANNY SUE

And down there, somewhere under all that, is where he’s at, most likely slaving away for a rogue wizard named General Janus. He values Marcus for his unique magical talents, which he hopes to abuse to become master of this whole damn planet someday. And right now, we’re the only ones who can stop him.

She chuckles at Milly and Justin’s blank stares.

GRANNY SUE

Well, not just us. You got that bag of toys you were supposed to bring.

Milly pulls it out of her jacket pocket.

GRANNY SUE

Now pull one out. Set it on the ground, and say the magic word.”

Milly pulls out a WWII-style Jeep with a driver and a man firing a .50 caliber machine gun. She looks sheepishly up at Granny Sue.

MILLY

I’m sorry. I don’t know any magic words.

GRANNY SUE

(exasperated)

Oh come on! Didn’t he even teach you about the magic word?

Granny Sue takes the toy, moves it farther away from them, onto the road.

GRANNY SUE

(to herself)

Want it to be on the road at least to start–and not visible from down there.

She turns back towards the kids.

GRANNY SUE

Okay. Now you both pay attention. Even plain old humans can do this because the magic’s in the words.

Granny Sue points at the Jeep.

GRANNY SUE

Be big! The magic word!

Suddenly, in an instant, the toy Jeep turns into the real thing, life-size, with two men inside.

DRIVER

What are our orders, Ma’am?

GRANNY SUE

(to the Driver)

At ease, gentlemen.

(to the kids)

How many more of those toys you got?

MILLY

Maybe thirty or forty?

Granny Sue gives them a big grin.

GRANNY SUE

See what I mean. It’s not just us three.

She grabs the bag, starts taking out toys, setting them on the ground. Justin’s face brightens.

JUSTIN

So there really isn’t a magic word because–

MILLY

The magic word is when you say “the magic word!” That’s so cool!

GRANNY SUE

An old family tradition. Very cool indeed–and the best part is that no one ever guesses it.

[Ed Lusk]

Ed’s Act Two MidPoint.

What I learned doing this assignment is the midpoint is just not a plot twist. There is the strong emotional connection between the plot twist and the protagonist new calling. The added combination provides deeper meaning without changing the overall trajectory of the characer’s journey placed in motion in Act One.

OUTLINE

Beginning. Henry and Samwise reflect and argue over their narrow escape, who is to blame who takes the most credit? Henry wants to know how Reindeer fly Samwise plays dumb

Middle – Henry is surprised to learn the North Pole knows and were all touched by his mother’s wish for him and his brush with death.

End – Samwise reveals the North Pole has a huge problem. Henry feels he must help them with this problem – but how? Samwise teases he may tell Henry the secret how Reindeer can fly.