Post Day 5 Assignment Here

[Peter Birdsong]

Peter Birdsong’s 4 Act Transformational Structure

What I learned: This was an entirely knew way for me to breakdown my script. Instead of plot points, I’m doing character points! This seems so obvious, but I realize I’ve been doing things backwards in the past.

Concept: After her father dies, Carly’s mother decides to take her on a sailing trip to repair their relationship.

Main Conflict: Carly has her own plans and no desire to patch things up with her mother. The sailboat isolates the two for a month.

Carly’s Old Ways:

Obsessed with social media.

Blames her mother.

Driven by pride.

Naive

Carly’s New Ways:

Cuts herself off from social media.

Forgives her mother.

Chooses a life of humility.

Gains Experience

—— ACT 1 ——

Opening: Introduction to Carly, the popular girl —the star of the school, but not of the educators. She’s pulled from class suddenly but her mother — whom she calls by name — on the news their father was killed in an accident.

Inciting Incident: Her mother takes her to Europe to see the new boat that is near completion. Mom informs her of the plan to sail it back to the states to sell.

Turning Point: After some professional introductions to the boat, they set sail to cross the Atlantic.

—— ACT 2 ——

New Plan: Carly commits to locking herself away the entire trip. Mom tries keeping her penthouse-like decorations from crashing to the deck as the boat rocks.

Plan In Action: The confines of a yacht cabin wear on Carly. She grits her teeth, but her boycott doesn’t last long.

Midpoint Turning Point: Mom’s decorations are all over the place — the interior is a wreck. They blow up at each other.

—— ACT 3 ——

Rethink Everything: Carly begins to learn about the boat. Mom cleans “house” throwing her high end arts pieces into an empty cabin.

New Plan: Carly and Mom take on some of the sailing duties together.

Turning Point: Huge Failure/Major Shift: Carly discovers that her Mom is taking over the company. Carly breaks down in private.

—— Act 4 ——

Climax/Ultimate Expression of the Conflict: Carly forgives and asks for forgiveness.

Resolution: They reach the shore. Carly asks for a loan to buy the boat.

[Rebecca Jordan]

@Peter,

I concur. I like that! Character points as opposed to plot points. Good point! See what I did there? All the best to you.

[Robert Wood]

Robert Wood’s 4-Act Transformational Structure

What I learned during this assignment is that having a clear conception of the conflict arc of the characters tied to the plot is much more emotionally rewarding than focusing on the plot alone.

Concept: Matt returns to his childhood home in Kelowna, British Columbia, on Okanagan Lake, where his elderly father continues his lifelong obsession with the legendary local sea monster Ogopogo. Despite their challenging history and relationship, Matt decides to help his old man on one last wild goose chase in search of the creature. Matt’s quest with his father doesn’t necessarily lead them to the creature (although maybe it does?!), but it does bring the son closer to his father than he has ever been before.

Main Conflict: Between Matt and his father: the strains of their relationship and history weigh on both and lead them to “press each other’s buttons”.

Matt’s Old Ways: Insensitive, judgemental, impatient, and agitated about dealing with his father.

Matt’s New Ways: Sensitive, understanding, sympathetic, patient, and at peace with their relationship.

Act 1:

Opening: Matt drives to his dad’s house / talks on phone to sister about what he must do. He’s edgy & agitated.

Inciting Incident: Matt enters house / looks around / Dad (Bert) shows up – they chat & argue as always. Matt is quick to judge / Bert’s critiques – although unintended – cut deep.

Turning Point: Drinks & talking/bickering about old times leads to decision (Bert urging / Matt relenting) to go out on one last exploration trip on the lake tomorrow.

Act 2:

New Plan: Matt & Bert getting supplies & boat rental.

Plan in Action: Searching on lake for sea creature. It’s futile / Matt’s not as enthusiastic but keeps going for Bert’s sake. Decide to go toward where he’s said to live – Rattlesnake Island / Squally Point. At island for lunch, Matt drops cellphone in water.

Midpoint Turning Point: Boat motor won’t start again. Matt struggles with it while Bert offers advice & criticism, but no luck… hope someone will come by, but no… They spend night on the island.

Act 3:

Rethink Everything: They wake to storm squall blowing through – quick rain, thunder & lightning – dangerous here in the summer! Engine still won’t start… more criticism from Bert.

New Plan: They’re gonna have to hoof it! Long walk ahead full of challenges / danger because the lightning started a fire on the mountain above. Bert knows how much danger they could soon be in. They head north as fire gets closer.

Turning Point / Huge Failure / Major Shift: Matt falls / slides down ravine and twists ankle. Bert encourages him. Matt manages to climb back up and out. Has to use a stick to walk. Matt struggles, perseveres, but their path is blocked by fire… there’s nowhere else to go!

Act 4:

Climax / Ultimate Expression of the Conflict: Matt and Bert swim around the section of land on fire then get back to shore, hopefully past the worst of it.

Resolution: They finally struggle to a road, at peace with each other / their bond fully healed, and encounter an emergency vehicle / park Ranger helping ensure everyone’s evacuated from the fire. Ranger helps Matt into the passenger seat and they head off… There was no one else with him – Matt was alone the whole time.

[victor Valleau]

Vic Valleau 4 Act Transformational Structure, LESSON 5

What I learned doing this assignment is: This is a fast way to write a Transformational Structure, moving from concept to character to Transformational Structure of their journey. Four act turning points keep story moving with character actions/reactions.

Create a first draft of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.

1. Give us the following:

Concept

After she criminally attacks her lover, she Earns probation with lying and blaming him and Vows to counselling to calm down, help men thru difficult divorces and child visitation. Meets JT who is her supervisor of her probation program. He meets her as a counseling client with his 3 year old daughter.

Main Conflict
Her and men: can she learn to accept and trust men?
Old Ways
She doesn’t trust, tries to
dominate.
New Ways
He pushes her to Becomes sensitive
to their efforts. Understand men are human also.

2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.

Act 1: SET UP AND SEE OLD WAYS

Opening
In church, listening to sermon
about marital fidelity, she flirts
with married man.

Explaining to probation officer, or to empty chair

Inciting Incident: sex with
wrong married man whose wife is her sentencing judge.
Judge Wife sentences her to helping
homeless. She gravitates to men
with fall- out from divorce, wrecked lives.
jail
Turning Point
She takes on helping men

Act 2: CHALLENGE THE OLD WAYS

New plan
Plans to escape probation
Plan in action
He Midpoint Turning Point- he
brings her back, deal is she surrenders and cooperates plea bargain.
She seduces him, her
supervisor, sponsor, She Sees helping as selling out, revolts.

Act 3: WITH MIDPOINT CHANGE, OLD WAYS DROP OFF, PROFOUND MOMENTS LEAD TO NEW WAYS

Seeds of doubt. Rethink everything Decides to help one
deserving man, BUT CAN’T FIND ONE!
New plan. JT takes her on as pro bona, violates
his duties, steps up,
Turning Point: Huge failure /
She gets pregnant, hides it.
Major shift He is removed, censured. Now she needs to rescu him but
unwilling, unless he earns it.
Daughter loves her. Wants to
love dad, pretends but failure is her emotions can’t allow love/weakness.
He says he can help, being a
secret loyal lover.
She says no, only marriage will
vindicate their relationship publically.
He is convinced he’s doing
right thing, married women are above slut suspicion.

Act 4: TEST CHANGE IN CHARACTER, PROVE NEW WAYS

Climax/Ultimate expression of
the conflict
He is standing at the alter. She calls him outside, hits with car.
Resolution She runs into church, explains JT was a
stand-in for best friend. , gets another man his best friend, quick marriage
vows, then runs away with him. Sex
attacks him then he has her committed.
The end.

3. Once you have created the 4-Act Structure for your Protagonist, go back over it to see if there are any big picture points you need to add to represent your Antagonist.

4. Answer the question “What I learned doing this assignment is…?” and put it at the top of your work.

[Don Thompson]

Don Thompson – 4 Act Transformational Structure

Concept: The human need for freedom is always framed within the need for rulers and governments to maintain order.

Main Conflict: The good-hearted Billy Budd, the ‘peacemaker’, finds himself at odds with the cynical and self-serving Master of Arms Claggart, who must maintain order at all costs.

Old Ways: Rule by force maintains order and keeps the status quo social structure stable and functioning.

New Way: The sacrifice of the innocent in order to make the Old Ways happen reveals the weaknesses of rule by force and opens the imagination up to new ways of encouraging human freedom.

Act 1:

• Opening – Billy Budd is taken from ‘The Rights of Man’ as an impressment (forced recruit)

• Inciting Incident – Jenkins challenges Billy Budd to a fight

• Turning Point – Billy Budd saves Jenkins when he falls ill

Act 2:

• New plan – Billy Budd will try to impress Claggart and the Captain

• Plan in action – Billy gets promoted to chief maintopman

• Midpoint Turning Point – Claggart decides he must defeat Billy Budd via deception

Act 3:

• Rethink everything – The status quo continues on the HMS ‘Avenger’

• New plan – Billy tries to befriend Claggart

• Turning Point – Unable to befriend Claggart, Billy retreats

Act 4:

• Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict – Claggart falsely accuses Billy of mutiny

• Resolution – Billy kills Claggart and is hanged by the Captain who decides he needs to abide by ‘the rule of law’ and not ‘what is correct under the circumstances’ (to acquit Billy)

[Patrick Downey]

Patrick Downey – Character Interviews

What I learned doing this assignment is that you can keep developing your character even if you have completed your script. I guess that’s why we call it a rewrite right! (LOL) These exercises have given me small clues and nuances that help me to tweak my story just enough to capture one more reader, one more producer, one more audience member.

Protagonists: Cayman Stingnelli (Hero)

Antagonists: Dardanos Alexandrite (Predator)

Supporting characters: Ray Stingnelli, FBI agents, business partners and company employees

Minor roles: Cayman’s mother, Cayman’s teacher

Background characters: Varied from police officers, FBI Director, betting runners, Stingnelli family members and others

Genre: Thriller

Lead character: Cayman

Role: Grandson of the CEO Ray Stingnelli that has lost his mother, is hearing impaired and wants to do the right thing in the end.

Age range: From 8 or 9 years old through his 18^th birthday

Motivation: Revenge his grandfather’s death

Wound: Being hoodwinked into thinking his grandfather was a good man doing good for the community. Working for and with a bunch of criminals.

Mission/Agenda: Set things right in a way that outsmarts the best of them.

Secret: Cayman can read lips and only his inner circle knows this about him.

What makes them special: He can be your worst nightmare if you get on the wrong side of him. He has his mother’s intelligence, grandfather’s business sense and his own new found agenda!

Traits: Niave, brilliant, deaf but other senses are heightened, charismatic

Subtext: Hard worker, people pleaser, visionary, insightful

Flaw: Loved his grandfather too much

Values: Hidden ability to read lips, great at rallying the troops, strategic thinker, easily forgives others.

Irony: His handicap/disability became his greatest asset. The ability to blend in without being seeing as a threat has many advantages. Also, being a young kid makes adults believe you don’t really know much about the real world thus you can operate behind the scenes to obtain your ultimate revenge.

What makes this the right character for the role?

Cayman has history with the organization being around the partners since he was little. There’s a comfort level between them and nobody suspects otherwise. He is very motivated to turn on the partner’s once his grandfather is killed by one of them. He has access to all of them and the organization with or without their permission by them just talking in an eyesight of Cayman.

Questions for the Antagonist: Dardanos Alexandrite

1. Tell me about yourself?

I’m the oldest of 7 children born into a wealthy Greek family that owns luxury hotels across the world. When I turned 10 my parents sent me to boarding school in Switzerland and on my 17^th birthday I was sent to America to attend the University of Princeton. My name means “to devour” and I have planned my whole life to takeover my father’s business when he steps down.

2. Having to do with this journey, what are your strengths and weaknesses?

My strengths are that I’m young, hungry and adored by most of my male friends and all of my female friends. At 38, I could be the CEO of one of many Fortune 500 companies but choose to wait on my father but not too long. For sure I should be heading up the H.A.V.O.C. partnership instead of old man Stingnelli. I have no weaknesses that I know of…

3. Why are you committed to making the Protagonist fail?

Cayman Stingnelli is a young punk that can’t even hold a conversation, and everyone treats him like royalty because he’s Ray’s little project. Plus, I hate kids and the way he looks at me all the time makes my skin crawl. When I’m running H.A.V.O.C. he won’t be around anymore making people uncomfortable.

4. What do you get out of succeeding in your plan?

I show my father that I’m ready to take over the business. I show these other losers how to make more money than they ever have in their lives. I become my own made man that others should fear!

5. What drives you towards your mission even in the face of danger, ruin of death?

Did I mention my name means “to devour” so, I don’t fear anyone or anything. I was born, educated, and trained for this exact moment in time. I want the name Dardanos Alexandrite to be known by every businessman, businesswoman, hedge fund manager, economist, and socialites in the world. My empire when it’s all said and done will dwarf the likes of Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos.

6. What secrets must you keep to succeed? What other secrets do you keep out of fear/insecurity?

Next questions please. I didn’t get to where I am by sharing my secrets.

7. Compared to other people like you, what makes you special?

First, let’s understand that there’s no one else like me! I broke the mold! Seriously, I’ve set some really high goals for myself before I’m 40! I’ll be damned if anyone stops me.

8. What do you think of the Cayman Stingnelli?

Not much, why should I? I mean I don’t feel sorry for the kid those were the cards he was dealt. Ya, he can’t hear, and he lost his mother, but he’ll never have to worry about money.

9. Tell me your side of this whole conflict?

You’ll have to wait and read the script or see the movie buddy!

Questions for the Protagonist: Cayman Stingnelli

1. Tell me about yourself? My name is Cayman Stingnelli, I come from a long line of Stingnelli’s that came to America as immigrants. I’m full-blooded Italian and my family reminds of that every holiday. I was born unable to hear…deaf! Or as some people politely put it hearing-impaired so as not to feel uncomfortable. My story really starts when I was about 10 years old and progresses until my 18^th birthday. So, to not bore you, I’ll hit the highlights up until I hit my purpose and dilemma here. My mother and I lived in Scottsdale, Arizona where I attended private school and my mother was a big shot Corporate Merger Attorney. When I was fourteen, my mother was driving in an AZ monsoon dust storm back from Tucson and was killed by a tractor trailer that was out of control. So, not having any other family in Arizona, I went to live with my grandfather Ray. I spent my time in Chicago going to school and working part time with my grandfather at his downtown office building. He was the CEO of H.A.V.O.C. which was a children’s charity organization that stood for Hearts and Voices of Children. I did various administrative task around the office which give me the excuse to spend every moment I could with my grandfather. Fast forward to when I was 16 years old, on a hot humid July afternoon I witnessed a conversation that would rock my core to the bone. I had never really taken much interest in my grandfather’s business I just knew it was helping sick children and their families. It was something to take pride in and it gave me more of a reason to admire my grandfather. However, sitting across from the vault I watched and read lips of all the partners including my father discuss how, when, where, why and who was going to be selected to win this year’s Superbowl. To say I was flabbergasted, astonished, and absolutely numb was a huge understatement. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing or actually seeing is more like it. Ray Stingnelli, a man I had thought walked on water, was a common thief manipulating sporting events to line his pockets with money. Worse yet, was doing it under the pretense that it was benefiting children’s hospitals all around the country. I spent the next 6 months learning everything I could about the business, watching conversations, putting myself in direct access to be able to read the lips of every partner in the company. I researched sports betting companies like Draft Kings and FanDuel Sportsbook. I investigated past stories of players and coaches that were caught betting on games they played in or coached. All I wanted to do is understand and have it make some sense to me. Everything in my world came crashing down when my grandfather was killed through a hit orchestrated by one Dardanos Alexandrite to take control of the company.

2. Why do you think you were called to this journey? Why you?

I’m not completely sure. I mean I still struggle with the thought of did my mother know what my grandfather did for a living and how did she or her siblings justify it. I’m extremely anger with my grandfather for shattering my image of him, but he didn’t deserve to die. He did do a lot of great things for the community and his family. People loved my grandfather; he was even asked to run for mayor on more than one occasion. Maybe I was the only one who could balance the playing field. Look at me; I’m the son of a highly respected lawyer and the grandson of a highly talented criminal. Who better to put in the middle of this quandary!

3. You are up against Dardanos. What is it about him that makes this journey even more difficult for you? The guy is a narcissistic genius, by that I mean he loves himself so much that the only thing he loves more is his mind. He plots out every move with precision, has multiple backup plans should something go wrong, very secretive, ruthless and never leaves a trail back to him. He is not one to sneak up on or outwit for the most part. Dardanos also seems to have some backing from a faction of partners.

4. In order to accomplish this, you are going to have to step way outside your box. What changes do you expect to make and which will be the most difficult?

That’s a good question. I’ve always been more defensive by nature, hiding my disability a lot of times from people. I’m not one to seek the spotlight obviously or to step out and take control from a leader standpoint. However, I’ve never had such a desire to crush someone as I do now! Previous test have me in the upper echelons of academia with a high IQ and a gift for being creative. Up until now that has all been used with friends on designing video games and building robots for school competition. I think it’s time the world hears who Cayman Stingnelli really is and take my place among the Stingnellis. My biggest challenge will be to get people to hear me but I have an idea, a side project I’ve been working on for a couple of years now.

5. What ways of thinking do you think will be the most difficult to let go of? That my grandfather was a good guy, and the organization was doing good things for people. Also, that everyone there was innocent of their actions no matter how much I liked them. If I pursue this avenue of revenge, there’s going to be a lot of carnage along the way. People’s livelihoods will be gone, their lives and families will be destroyed, and they will be publicly shamed not to mention going to prison.

6. What fears, insecurities and wounds have you held back? Wow! You don’t hold anything back, do you? You are asking me some pretty tough questions that I’m not sure I’ve ever answered myself. I know you’re a journalist, but psychology had to be your minor, am I right? So, I guess my biggest fear is that I will end up just like my grandfather if I’m found out. Knowing who I’m dealing with nothing is off the table with these kinds of high stakes. My biggest insecurities stem from not having delved into the underworld. I will need a lot of help from friends and a lot of luck along the way. Wounds! I’ve been bleeding internally for most of my childhood. I’ve been dealt some very unfortunate circumstances, but I’ve never showed the wear and tear it has caused upon me. I’ve managed to keep two very influential voices in my head; that of my mother who always instilled in me a “fight club” mentality and Ms. Nebhan who told me never let them take the song out of your heart!

7. What skills, background or expertise makes you well-suited to face this antagonist?

I think we match intellects well. It’s classic good vs. evil and we know who usually wins that battle. Dardanos realize on himself because he doesn’t think anyone else is capable. Where I know my strengths and weaknesses plus it will take a team to pull this off. So, I’m lining up some of my most talented and trustworthy friends from school and other places I hangout.

8. What are you hiding from the other characters? What don’t you want them to know?

The elephant in the room is that I can read lips as you know but no one else has any idea and when people don’t think you can hear, they will say almost anything even about you. You quickly find out people’s motives and agendas and where you stand with them. I’m like a honey-do list for a husband, you know it’s there and it must be addressed but if you don’t pay attention to it, you hope no one else will either. My primary goal is to leverage my relationships to win favor among a few in the organization and then become camouflage until the last possible moment. I find that the element of surprise is so underappreciated, but I just love the recipient’s reactions!

9. What do you think of? How this will all play out. Will it even work, what people need to buy in and how can I manipulate various situations and finally, who can I truly trust.

10. What does it do for your life if you succeed here? No one knows, not even me and I try not to think ahead that’s how you make mistakes. Stay in the moment follow the process and the money, it will always lead you to the end of the rainbow. This question reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by football coach and legend, Vince Lombardi. “I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.”

11. So where do you pick up from here? At the new top. CFO Audie Christman, my grandfather’s best friend and right-hand man. He holds the key to my next move. Wish me luck and if this all goes as planned, I’ll be sitting down with you for another interview. Arrivederci!

Please tell Cayman thank you for letting me interview him Ms. Nebhan and good luck to both of you in your future endeavors.

[Robert Wood]

Hi Patrick – Just a little heads-up that you’ve posted your Lesson 4 assignment on the Lesson 5 page.

[Daisy Khalifa]

Subject line: Daisy Ridgway Khalifa’s 4 Act Transformational Structure (Lesson 5)

What I learned doing this assignment: This screenplay might be better suited to episodic television what with multiple characters who have conflicts. Still, this story has one central matter, and for that reason, it also makes a good screenplay. At this point in the process, I think it is important to keep it simple, persist and figure this out.

Concept: Mia Pauley, as a little girl and then as an adult, has cosmic encounters with Charles Laughton, a person from another time— the late 1940s— and realizes that the information they share could propel both of them into different trajectories for the rest of their lives.

Main Conflict: After Mia convinces Charles that she is for real and that they both live in different places in time, Charles uses the information she shares with him about earthquakes and decides he can stay in the house in which they both live, Pinecliff, and sends her life and his life into chaos, and only Mia can reverse these events, provided she can find Charles again and convince him to move when he was supposed to move.

Mia Pauley Old Ways

Ignores her memories and plods through life, but lacks confidence
Happy but unsure of herself; questions happiness
Simultaneously angry at and worried about her family; privately ashamed

Mia Pauley New Ways

1. She is strong enough to deal with different fates presented to her; bold time traveler, of sorts

2. Learned in a whole new way; aware of huge chunks of history, and subsequently enlightened about life as it is

3. Accepts the hand dealt her; she wants her family back for all their warts; a good and righteous person with integrity—she is not tempted to take the better existence that occurs after Charles tampers with their fates

3. Capable of falling in love, being in love, giving love; open heart

Act 1

Opening The Northridge Earthquake of 1994 strikes Los Angeles and we see a family flee an oceanfront house, known as PINECLIFF, that is rupturing from the ground up as they escape. At the same house 20 years earlier, we meet MIA PAULEY, 8, who is saying a sad farewell to a friend/her caretaker.

Inciting Incident Little girl Mia Pauley meets Charles Laughton, who also lived in the house but 25 years earlier, in 1947, in the garden of the house. They are from different points in time. This memory stays with Mia her entire life. 25 years later, Mia, who lives as an adult in Washington DC, is woken up by a ringing phone, and told by her sister of the damage to her house (key scene 3 – reaction) and she plans a visit to the house. She relies on a close friend and work colleague, Ian Gardner, to help her navigate this odyssey, and he is just quirky enough to believe her.

Turning Point When Mia visits the abandoned house, she meets Charles again as an adult. She is scared and flees, but knows there is a reason for these cosmic encounters.

Act 2

New Plan Mia prepares for seeing Charles again. She sees old friends in LA; she goes to library; she talks to her mother; she encounters a former neighbor.

Plan in Action Charles and Mia meet again days later. Mia tells him things. She convinces Charles she is from the future.

Midpoint /Turning Point Charles is convinced and he decides not to move from Pinecliff, based on Mia’s information about earthquakes. Mia is woken up by a ringing phone and a call from her sister, but when she wakes up, she is in a whole different reality. She is in DC, but she has to cobble together how she got there, and why. What did she do?

Act 3

Rethink Everything Mia sorts our her new reality, and while she actually likes her own new outcome and her family seems to be in a better place, she has different job, and different people and friends in her life. But, she also comes to discover horrifying things.

New Plan Mia is living in a new reality, but something is amiss, and it only gets worse. She has to find Charles, but has no idea how, until she goes back to Pinecliff.

Turning Point: When Mia finally figures out how to reach Charles, they spar over what to do. Charles won’t move and Mia appears to be shut off from Charles

Act 4

Climax/Ultimate Expression of the Conflict Mia figures out how to get to Charles and walks him through his life that won’t be, and what she saw versus the great legacy he is supposed to leave; and, when he asks, she tells him about how he died.

Resolution Charles has moved from the house but, with Mia’s input, has made a few alterations to the universe, among them Mia has to sacrifice ever knowing Ian. Still, he seeks Ian out; he is a museum director, same wonderful guy, but a single father, a more mature man. She gives him autograph; he chases after her as she leaves. They walk off across the National Mall together.

[Giles]

Charles Ferrell’s 4 Act Transformational Structure

What I learned doing this assignment is my story works better by eliminating “the agent” and escalating the role of the old Sargent, I also believe the protagonist may need a love interest to complete what is at stake.

Concept: Duncan Smalls a university teaching student and phd candidate in history, is being haunted by the ghost of a Japanese girl. She drives him to discover a long hidden secret internment camp, under a local lake. His life and his future begin to unravel. Duncan is torn between losing his mind or losing the life and future he has built.

Main Conflict: The ghost of the little girl is slowly driving him insane and into a direct collision course with the Agent and assured destruction.

· Old Ways:

· Duncan is an introvert and painfully shy unless he is talking about history.

· Only believes in facts and what he can put his hands or eyes on.

· Has no interest in conspiracy theories

· New Ways:

· Believes in the supernatural

· Open to possibility beyond known facts.

· Willing to take a public stand for injustice.

Act 1:

Opening: Duncan is wrapping up a history lecture when he spots a little Asian girl standing in the aisle at the back of the class, he pauses in disbelief. Students turn to look and see nothing, questioning his focus. He gives an assignment and walks out rubbing his eyes.

Little girl show up his favorite bbq joint, so he asks the old man who owns it about the area, he was a laborer as a young man building the lake. He produced a box of old photos, including some old blurry photograph of a Sargent standing in front of a pile of concrete rubble.

Inciting Incident: Duncan begins to be haunted by the little girl by day and in his nightmares about a local secret internment camp. His asking questions around campus, posts a copy of the picture asking for information this causes the pol science professor (old sargent) to interfere.

Turning Point: He is pulled into the chancellors office and questioned about his conspiracy theories and his mental state questioned.

Act 2:

Conspiracy theories and ghost stories were never his thing. He has now pushed a button with someone, and he is in the middle of both with no turning back.

New plan: Find some answers, possibly focus his phd thesis about secret camps.

Plan in action: He presses hard for information and even puts out a request for anyone to come forward with information in the media includes the picture of the sargent.

Midpoint Turning Point: The chancellor suspends Duncan’s teaching position and his threatens his phd candidacy, forces him to start seeing a staff therapist as a condition to regain status.

Act 3:

Rethink everything

He is on the ropes; all he is worked for is on the line and he still can’t prove a thing.

New plan

He sends out flyers to former Corps of Engineers officers with pictures of the sargent.

He steals a boat and begins to dredge the lake with nets for evidence himself night after night, returning it before sunrise. Sleep deprived he grows more erratic.

He is arrested and his car impounded for theft, he spots the professor driving away from the area

New insight

The political science professor and the rumored old sargent are the same person. He is out to ruin him!

Turning Point: He gets out of jail to find out he is fired from the university and kicked out of the PHD program. His car is in impound and his university housing is taken away, jobless, carless, homeless and futureless.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict

With nothing left to lose, he breaks into a nearby road construction site stealing a back hoe. He digs a massive hole in the lakes levee, flooding part of the town and major highway. As police are arresting him for a second time the news helicopters covering the story now can see the foundations of a large multibuilding complex in the mud.

Resolution

The professor/old sargent writes a tell all letter to the new media including evidence of the camp and his involvement. After which he commits suicide. The university wanting to be on the right side of history, restores Duncan’s status. Under public pressure all charges are dropped, he completes his phd thesis on the subject. In hypnosis with his staff psychologist, it is revealed that he was the little Asian girl in a past life.

[Rebecca Jordan]

Rebecca Jordan’s 4 Act Transformational Structure

What I learned from this assignment is that setting up a structure this way, identifying the character journey, will keep me on track and get from beginning to end without wandering and having to constantly re-think where I’m headed in the story, thereby ensuring a complete draft that can be edited later. This takes a lot of stress and pressure off my plate and makes me more confident.

Concept: Rachel sets out to find and confront her long-time estranged Mother before it’s too late.

Conflict: Rachel is emotionally tortured with the idea that she may have regrets if she never sees her Mother again.

Old Ways:

– People pleasing, lacks self esteem, self loathing.

– Looks to others for answers, believes others have the answers.

– Reckless, righteous, and emotional.

– Resents her Mother for her lack of care and interest.

– Angry. Destructive. Uses alcohol and drugs to escape.

New ways:

– Bold and self assured.

– Evolved.

– Courageous.

– Healthy in mind and body.

– Loving

– Successful

Act 1: 25 to 30 pages — Set up and see Old Ways.

Opening: On Rachel, 50’s, at her desk writing. She frets, lights a joint, sips coffee, looks at photos. One of a young boy, in particular. Montage (1972) Rachel (9 yrs old) outside the fence of public elementary school waves at little boy (7) who runs to her. They walk hand in hand. Play in the park. Dad outside Rachel’s school. Rachel excited to see Dad. Rachel outside same school waiting. Empty school lot. No little boy. Little boy with Dad getting in car. A woman in the passenger seat. Rachel home alone after school playing with barbies. Rachel answers the phone. Rachel and Mom at home in high rise apartment very late with cops standing in a circle in their living room. Rachel crying. Mother yelling and crying. Dad, woman and little boy on a plane. Dad, woman and little boy leaving airport in Puerto Rico. Mom answers phone, hangs up. Mom enraged yells at Rachel. Cops settle Mom down. Rachel runs to her room. Rachel, (age 13, 1977) in front of her apartment building, finishes up a joint while removing makeup with a tissue. She takes a swig from the pint of JD in her purse and throws a sweatshirt over her sexy top. She enters her apartment where her mom and Japanese step father are having dinner. Rachel is late. Mom, 31, blonde caucasian, wears a kimono, comes after Rachel yelling. Rachel skulks into her bedroom closes the door. At the dinner table, Mom scolds her for putting ketchup on her rice which is unacceptable. Rachel retorts. Mom cues, Rachel’s step-dad, (28, Japanese, athletic), he back hands Rachel across the face. Rachel screams runs to her room. Later, Rachel checks to make sure they are sleeping. She throws her clothes out the window and sneaks out the back door with a partially empty empty duffle bag. Friend waits in car as she scoops up her clothes. They drive off.

Inciting Incident: Rachel (Present, 50’s), at her desk, struggles with writing her memoir. There are paintings on the walls of her work that reflect her struggle. The phone rings. She answers; it’s her Aunt calling to let her know that Rachel’s Uncle, her mom’s brother has shot him in the head. Rachel’s aunt has no idea where mom is living. None of the phone numbers she’s has tried work.

Turning Point: After hearing the news of her Uncle’s suicide, Rachel struggles to concentrate and contemplates trying to find her Mother. Montage, 1973-4. Rachel sits in passenger seat with mom at the wheel at a stop light. They laugh as mom pumps the breaks making the car rock to the beat of the music. “Ga-sha-gow-gow-gow”

__________________________________________________________________________________

Act 2: 20 to 30 pages — Challenge the Old Ways.

Reaction: Rachel gets trashed and recounts the past thrashing about until she wears herself out, paralyzed with emotions taking over. She is belligerent, confused and destructive as she struggles with the responsibility of having to contact her Mother.

The Plan:

1) Rachel, a hung over mess, gets cleaned up and tries to work on her memoir in order to distract herself but is haunted with memories sending her into another bout of rage. She justifies all that happened as an excuse to say fuck it!

2) Getting nowhere with the numerous phone numbers and email addresses she has, Rachel finally calls the police department in the town where her aunt told her she had last lived. Rachel asks the Police officer to drive over to the house with a message to call her. But she never hears back. The police officer left a note on the door for her because nobody was home.

3) Rachel recalls her childhood and the kidnapping of her little brother her little brother and how her mom blamed her and never showed loved toward her again. She gets fucked up and decides she never wants to see her mom again anyway. What’s the point?

4) Now really angry, she sets out to confront her mom. She drives to the little town where she thinks she’ll find her mom but when she arrives and rings the door bell a stranger answers the door. A nice couple is renting the house. Seeing how distraught and messed up Rachel is, they invite her in for a cup of coffee. At a loss, she finally agrees. They talk and try to come up with some clues at which time Rachel breaks down. The couple, encourages her and invite her to spend the night so she can get some rest. But she’s embarrassed and humiliated and turns them down.

Turning Point 2: MIDPOINT:

Rachel drives around the town criticizing its podunk nowhere nothingness. She gets high and finds a pub. After a beer and a shot and having folks be too nice to her, she leaves. With nowhere to go, she ends up back at the house and humbly decides to accept the kind couple’s invitation to spend the night.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Act 3 – With Midpoint change, Profound moments that give us new ways.

New Plan:

The next morning, over breakfast with the kind couple, the man shows Rachel a PO Box address where he sends the rent checks. Rachel’s, unexpectedly feels excited and curious. There’s no turning back. These people have made her see a new way. She graciously says her goodbyes and drives South determined to see her mom.

Turning Point 3:

Rachel finally finds her Mom in a convalescent home. She is unconscious and has been for quite sometime with no guarantee of waking up.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Act 4

Climax: Rachel is committed to waking her mom out of her coma. She visits daily, to the dismay of the Nurse who is overly protective with no knowledge of Rachel’s existence. Rachel not only has to break through to her Mom, but she also has to win over the Nurse, who eventually engages with Rachel. They share stories and become friendly. Each day presents a new tactic to reach her Mom. Including bringing her guitar and singing songs, perhaps that she’s written for her and reading poetry, etc. The nurse can reach Rachel’s Mom in a way that is secret until Mom is ready to acknowledge Rachel.

Resolution: Perhaps Mom can’t open her eyes. But she’s changed from the visits and from the Nurse’s persistence.Rachel breaks down, desperate for a connection, ready to give up. Mom takes Rachel’s hand and squeezes it hard. This is enough.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by  Rebecca Jordan.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by  Rebecca Jordan.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by  Rebecca Jordan.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by  Rebecca Jordan.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by  Rebecca Jordan.

[Daniela Bolanos]

Daniela 4 Act Transformational Structure

I learned my antagonist has to be more naive for the story to work.

Concept: After gabling his estate away, a cowboy goes undercover to a vegan commune in a bid to win his farm back.

Main Conflict: Michael gambles his estate away and to recover it he must betray his love.

Old Ways:

Selfish, only cares about money and partying

Lonely Cowboy

New Ways:

Caring, cares about a lot of people

Commune man

Opening: Michael is at a cattle auction, his cows win the grand price, he drinks a LOT

Inciting Incident: While drunk, Michael gables his estate and loses.

Turning Point: The new owner of his estate comes to collect and offer him a deal. If he can infiltrate a vegan commune that keeps holding animal rights protests and figure out where they get their money, he will get his estate back. Michael agrees. He arrives the next day in vegan cosplay.

Reaction: He shows up at the vegan commune. Tries to get insight about the financing of the place. Nobody really looks at him. Gets shut down.

Turning Point 2: He tries to be helpful and connect with Violet, the leader. She doesn’t give him the light of day.

New Plan: He actually tries to connect with people, with Violet. He falls in love with Violet and the people in the commune.

New Insights: Michael learns how they make money. Also, he learns the guy that has his farm is Violet’s dad.

Turning Point 3: The guy that has his estate comes to collect information. Threatens Michael. Violet sees the interchange. Michael confesses, gets kicked out of the commune.

Climax: Michael refuses to give information, loses his ranch.

Resolution: Violet hears what Michael did, runs to find him. Welcomes him back to the commune

[andrea cabanas]

Andrea Cabañas, 4 Act Transformational Structure

With this assignment, I learned more about my protagonist and antagonist’s relationship, which changed a bit the climax of my story, when the two of them are face to face in a dangerous situation and their traumas are put at stake. I had to come back to my previous notes to add things I discovered through this process. Loved it!

1. Concept – an adult woman living with her prejudiced mother has her independence dreams shattered when facing a life-threatening event.

Main Conflict – Zoe wants to have her financial independence, but Katrina holds her back, emotionally blackmailing her.

Old Ways – Naive, submissive, doesn’t see her true potential as a woman. She can’t save enough money to be financially independent. She’s shamed for admitting she’s bisexual for stupid old prejudices.

New Ways – Confident, forgives her mother, learns that there’s nothing wrong with being bisexual, not afraid of taking risks. She believes in herself, in her ability to do things (career).

2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.

Act 1:

Opening <div>

Zoe battles with her feelings toward Paula. A new job proposal is cancelled. Paula encourages Zoe to start her own business and helps her financially.

Inciting Incident

Two police investigators go to Zoe’s house to track down a drug dealer from the Sinaloa Cartel who has connections with Paula. Katrina rages and informs the police detectives Zoe’s steps as she believes the daughter’s still seeing Paula.

Turning Point

The Mexican drug dealer introduces himself to Zoe as Matias, a new client. Paula needs to protect Zoe. Pedro wants revenge after leaving the jail, and Paula owns him money.

Act 2:

New plan – with this new house project, Zoe tells her mother she’ll leave home soon. Katrina starts to emotionally blackmail Zoe whenever she can. Pedro pressures Paula. </div>

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Plan in action – Zoe feels confident and even ends up sleeping with Pedro. James appears out of nowhere (as always), and she goes on a weekend trip with him. An accident happens on the trip provoked by Pedro. Weakened, Zoe can’t leave the house much. Katrina takes the opportunity to persuade her daughter to put her ‘freedom project’ aside.

<div>

Midpoint Turning Point – Pedro pressures Paula and threatens to use Zoe as bait. Pedro gives another chance to Paula: either pay one million dollars in cash or facilitate an entry for a cocaine shipment at the airport using her connections.

Act 3:

Rethink everything – Katrina changes; she suddenly becomes a loving mother and persuades Zoe to forget about the plan to leave her. Zoe is touched. Matias (aka Pedro) puts aside his project. </div><div>

A
New plan – Zoe’s convinced that staying with her mom is the best. Georgia tries to convince Zoe to keep ahead with her project, but Zoe’s convinced by her mother to stay.

Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift – Zoe and Katrina are kidnapped in their own house; when Georgia is there, the guys knock Georgia down, left between life and death for Zoe’s despair. In captivity, Zoe’s shocked, knowing that Matias is Pedro.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict – Pedro tells Zoe that Paula will be killed as soon as he receives the cargo he’s waiting for. In the meantime, Paula manages to release the cocaine from the airport but sets a trap for Pedro. The federal police surround his house. Pedro is loaded in cocaine; there’s tension in there. Katrina argues with Zoe, Pedro intervenes and hits Katrina. Zoe reacts—bad memories from her violent father. She hits him with a chair, almost killing him. The police seize the house. Paula vanishes.

Resolution – two months later, Katrina becomes the mother that Zoe has always missed. She helps Zoe pack her stuff, and with Georgia’s help, Zoe goes to her new apartment. Later on, Zoe receives a box from a man who looks more like private security: a sealed package containing a million dollars in cash and a letter from Paula, with a piece of information she secretly enjoys.

</div>

[Katherine Bennett-Greer]

What I learned from doing this assignment is that it’s possible to lay out the plot of the film through a process of charting out character transformations.

1.

Concept – Family Holiday Comedy: Emily, a 9-year-old scrappy kid, must battle the will of crime kingpin Mitzi Gain, who’s bent on stealing Emily’s Chihuahua, a perceived lucky charm.

Main Conflict – Mitzi Gain wants Emily’s Chihuahua, a dog she believes is a powerful lucky charm. When Mitzi’s first attempt to steal the dog fails, she unleashes her army of thugs to take the dog. They descend upon Emily’s school during “Take Your Pet to School Day”, and battle Emily and her gang. When Mitzi’s thugs are unsuccessful, Mitzi shows up to finish the job.

Old Ways, Protagonist: Emily suffers from doubting what she can’t see. She expects unhappy endings. This includes the notion of love and everything about Christmas. The only time she’s happy is when she’s creating contraptions. But, often, her contraptions backfires. This lends itself to feeling jinxed, uninspired, and isolated.

New Ways, Protagonist: Emily feels capable, inspired, and part of a team when her resourcefulness leads other kids in a plot to take down the bad guys.

Old Ways, Antatagonist: Mitzi functions as a thug using power to get what she wants. She’s chronically insecure that she isn’t good enough. She feels she needs to surround herself with lucky things to keep her edge. She takes what she wants. She pushes people away.

New Ways, Antatagonist: Mitzi witnesses her own kindness at a time when an animal could die. She puts aside her need to have a lucky charm in favor of the welfare of Emily’s dog, rescuing it from certain death. In this moment, she feels she is good enough. Her childhood wound of not feeling like she’s good enough is healed.

2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.

Act 1:

Opening – Emily, her mom, and her 2 brothers are in an Acapulco hotel room. Emily knocks an Elf on the Shelf off with a shot from a mini catapult. The family heads out to the beach. On the way, a gypsy woman sells Emily a mini-Chihuahua with blue eyes. Meanwhile, dressed in black, Mitzi Gain, a crime boss and her entourage of thugs, hits the beach for a day of fun.

Inciting Incident – Mitzi spies Emily’s Chihuahua and plots to steal it. She manages to pick it up when Emily’s back is turned and gets through the crowd just as Emily catches up. Nearby beat cops create a no-win for Mitzi and she hands back the dog.

Turning Point – Mitzi’s thugs descend upon Emily’s school to steal the Chihuahua during “Take Your Pet to School Day”.

Act 2:

New plan – Emily realizes she will need more than herself to battle the bad guys and reaches out to other kids and her mom to execute her take-down plan.

Plan in action – Emily executes a multi-tier plan to thwart the bad guys. Think “Home Alone” meets an elementary school.

Midpoint Turning Point – Emily realizes her plan won’t cut it. She needs to up her game. She decides to turn to others for ideas. Her younger brother, who has created a robotic dragon for the science fair, comes up with a way to use the robot to defeat the bad guys. Others chime in, and before you know it, Emily’s reached out to others for help and they have a great plan.

Act 3:

Rethink everything – Every attempt to defeat the bad guys hasn’t quite worked, but the bad guys don’t yet have the dog. Mitzi decides to take matters into her own hands and takes her private jet and then a helicopter to the school. She’s prepared to drop down on the school’s roof.

New plan – The kids watch the local news broadcast tracking Santa. The camera footage clearly shows Mitzi in the cockpit of a helicopter over their town. The kids believe that she’s coming to the school. The kids form a plan to confront Mitzi from the Widow’s walk on the roof.

Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift – The hatch to the roof closes and gets stuck, locking Emily out.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict – Emily builds a contraption in the Widow’s walk tower of the school to take down Mitzi.

Resolution – The hatch opens, and the gang gets on the roof, along with Emily’s Chihuahua. Mitzi goes for the dog, and the Chihuahua gets launched in the air. Mitzi catches the dog just as Santa’s sleigh lands. In it, Santa, Emily’s missing Dad, explains he was to be held captive by the sleigh until he delivered the one outstanding Christmas present that has been impossible to deliver since the recipient lives underground. It’s for Mitzi. It’s a Chihuahua puppy. Mitzi has a transformational healing. Emily and her dad reunite.

[Patrick Downey]

Patrick Downey – 4 Act Transformational Structure

What I learned from doing this assignment is structure. The one thing I felt my 6-year old screenplay missed the most and it was also short on content and pages. So, this will help me fill in some blanks and produce a more refined product.

Concept: A group of men decide who wins the Superbowl, NBA Finals, World Series and Stanley Cup every year by manipulating players, officials, General Managers, and owners to collect millions of dollars by betting and fixing the odds. Until one day a deaf little boy blows up their entire operation.

Main Conflict: Cayman struggles with the fact that his grandfather and several other men are cheating games to make money and pretending to be a charitable children’s organization.

Cayman’s Old Ways:

Naïve and trusting way too much

Losing his mother has set him back, withdrawn

Loner, shy, pleaser

Cayman’s New Ways:

Motivated, Purposeful

Eye for an eye mentality

Focused on revenging his grandfather’s death

Clever, resourceful, devious

—— ACT 1 ——

Opening: Scene sitting up the surveillance of the FBI on the HAVOC organization in downtown Chicago. Introduction of all the main players and their roles and the FBI’s case for bringing them down.

Inciting Incident: Cayman comes to work with his grandfather for the first time and the team gets to know him and finds out that he’s deaf. All welcome him except a young hot shot named Dardanos, who can’t be bothered with a deaf mute.

Turning Point: After a couple of summers visiting and working with his grandfather, Cayman comes to live in Chicago permanently after his mother is tragically killed in a traffic accident.

—— ACT 2 ——

New Plan: Cayman’s whole world is turned upside down as he withdraws into his very new and different circumstances. Every day is like Groundhog Day for him, school, office, and home with his grandpa.

Plan In Action: One day Cayman decides to stop felling sorry for himself and makes up his mind to be the best he can be for his mother and grandfather. So, he starts really applying himself after school in the office. He is rewarded by receiving more responsibility and a new desk right across from the vault.

Midpoint Turning Point: One late afternoon Cayman is sitting at his desk with headphones on and looking into the vault as the men are meeting. He starts to read their lips and realizes they are not a charitable children’s organization at all but a bunch of crooks fixing sporting events to capitalize on the betting odds to line their pockets with millions if not billions.

—— ACT 3 ——

Rethink Everything: Cayman’s eyes are wide open to their operation, and he starts digging into past bets, performances, curses, unbelievable wins and anything else sports related that could so a pattern of this organization’s hands all over it.

New Plan: Furious at his grandfather for his criminal activity and even more so for pretending to do good for other people. With his newfound knowledge, he had to decide what to do and how to go about handling it. Does he question his grandfather directly, does he go to the police or just do nothing?

Turning Point: Major Shift: Cayman catches wind of a plan by Dardanos to kill his grandfather and takeover the organization. He hopes to warn his grandfather even though he’s pissed at him but doesn’t want any harm to come to him. However, he’s too late and his grandfather is killed.

—— Act 4 ——

Climax/Ultimate Expression of the Conflict: Cayman focuses all his energy and resources on bringing them all down with an elaborate plan.

Resolution: Every player hits their mark, the greedy get greedier and Cayman enjoys his win!

[Dana Abbott]

Dana’s Four Act Transformational Structure

What have I learned during this assignment?

This is the first draft of a script, and the journey of my protagonists have already deviated in different directions from what I have originally thought. And as their journeys are adjusted, the antagonists are forced to adjust their journeys.

The more I develop the characters and their journeys, they develop lives of their own and determine the path of the script. And while I don’t have all the answers yet, this process is obviously designed to map a direction and save me time before I put one word to page in my script.

GENRE: THRILLER/ACTION

Concept: After being released from prison, two ex-police officers, Jack Donovan and Frank Valentino, investigate the murder for which they were wrongly convicted.

Main Conflict: The governor and his wife, desperate protect their political ambitions, hire an assassin to kill Jack and Frank before they can find the truth behind the murder.

Old Ways: They try to investigate the murder like cops. Question witnesses. Dig for documents. Non-violence tactics.

New Ways: They adapt criminal methods learned in prison to find the truth. Use underworld contacts to find evidence. Hard interrogation of suspects. Kill their way to the top.

Act 1

Opening: Frank is released from prison during a prison riot spurred by his lease. We learn about his life and incarceration from a conversation with the warden. What he did to survive.

Jack sits across from a grammar school watching his daughter play. He’s confronted by his ex-wife who sees him. Because he’s an ex-con, she warns him to stay away from her and their daughter. Jack realizes he’s lost everything.

Inciting Incident: Jack and Frank meet after years apart. They try to reconnect. Jack wants to find the truth and the real killer to get his life back. Frank refuses. He was to just get away and disappear. They argue and go their separate ways.

Turning Point: Thugs try to kill Frank and fail. Frank realizes he can’t just disappear. Somebody wants him and Jack dead. He reaches out to Jack, and they agree to find the killers. But they’ll do it Jack’s way – by the book.

Act 2

New plan: They’re forced into hiding, realizing someone wants them killed, and conduct their own investigation in secret.

Plan in action: Their investigation is fruitless. They cannot uncover evidence. Witnesses are dead or uncooperative.

Midpoint Turning Point: They realize the identity of the victim. He was the governor’s illegitimate son from a prostitute. And now they know the power they’re against.

Act 3

Rethink everything:

Jack and Frank turn to Franks underworld connections, where we learn he did favors for them in prison to say alive. And the reason why Frank didn’t want to dig into the past.

New plan:

The search for the victim’s mother, who once thought dead.

Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift

The assassin grabs Jack’s daughter and holds her hostage. They swap her for the victim’s mother.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict

At the resulting shootout, Jack, his daughter, and the victim’s mother survive.

Resolution

The testimony of the victim’s mother destroys the governor’s career and exposes the murder. Jack is vindicated.

[BG]

ASSIGNMENT

BG’s 4 Act Transformational Structure

What I learned doing this assignment: This model helped me flesh out my story, find events that I had not thought of before, and link them through cause and effect.

Create a first draft of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.
1. Give us the following:
Concept: A Reporter for a U.S. weekly investigates a tip about a plot to start a war in Eastern Europe. At first, he’s dealing with his broken heart by obsessing over getting the biggest major scoop ever. Then, the horror of starting a war for profit penetrates the fog of his pain, and he decides to do something about it. He fights the conspiracy and thwarts their plans.
Main Conflict: He wants to expose the plot and stop a war. Agents and assassins from MI6, CIA, and a mysterious group of billionaires operating out of a posh club in London want to kill him to keep the plot secret.
Reporter’s Old Ways:
—– Dedicated to getting the scoop.
—– Jaded reporter.
—– Observes, but doesn’t intervene. Not my department.
—– He doesn’t care that it is a WAR that is being planned. It’s somebody else’s war.
—– Self-absorbed. Wallows in self-pity.
—– Willing to go along to get along.
—– Blind to his own motivations. Always joking to hide his wound.

Reporter’s NEW Ways:
—– He has found out he can fight a physical battle, not just a virtual one in an op room.
—– Can thwart a conspiracy.
—– Courageous.
—– Is fighting for a cause.
—– Self-confident and accomplished.
—– Operates well in the cloak-and-dagger space.
—– Released from his wound.

2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.
ACT 1:
Opening: Reporter finds a fat envelope in his mailbox. Discusses contents with his Editor: dog-eared clippings, bad copies of what look like online bank statements, photo of a posh club in London and diplomatic cables…
Inciting Incident: It looks like a tip about a plot. Editor decides it’s worth checking out.
Reporter discusses contents with a Hacker friend in London via video call.
Cheap flight, cheap room. Finds the building and walks around. Allows himself to be picked up by a Hostess working at the Club.
Turning Point: Gets job as waiter.

ACT 2:
Reaction: Meets some of the staff. Has encounter with Billionaire (media mogul, head of the conspiracy), who takes a shine to him.
New Plan: Sneaks around and plants a listening device in main conference room.
Billionaire has a status meeting with other members of the conspiracy, which includes an energy mogul. The 20 billion dollar kitty for the plan is ready.
New Insights: Reporter, listening in, is upset: just who are these men who feel entitled to consign so many to destruction and death for their own purposes?
Turning Point/Midpoint: Meanwhile, intelligence agencies start to suspect the Reporter and alert the Billionaire.

ACT 3:
The room is searched, but no bug is found.
New Plan: The Billionaire discusses the matter with the other members of the conspiracy. The Energy Mogul hires a Hitman.
New Insights: Unbeknownst to the Reporter, the Hostess protects him by throwing suspicion on his innocent Hacker friend.
Hacker gets captured and interrogated in a CIA safe house.
Reporter is horrified.
Turning Point 3: Hostess is revealed to be a German agent, also trying to stop the plot. They break the Hacker out with an elaborate plan and help from Hostess’s contacts.

ACT 4:
New Plan: Reporter and Hacker make plans to divert the 20 billion dollars to stop the plan.
The divergence is successful, the plan is terminated and the Billionaire, disenchanted with the energy mogul for bringing unwelcome attention to the group, hires the Hitman for more money to kill him instead of the Reporter. The energy mogul is found dead in his bed — attributed to sudden cardiac arrest.
Climax: The Billionaire gives an interview to the Reporter to justify his worldview, to see how much he knows, and blame it all on the energy mogul.
Resolution: The floor of a hidden room behind the main conference room suffers a sudden structural failure and collapses. The resulting fire from broken gas pipes destroys documents and equipment.
The Reporter and Hostess are seen smiling and having dinner together.

[Janeen Johnson]

Janeen’s 4 Act Transformational Structure

What I learned doing this assignment is incorporating the Old Ways/New Ways into my existing outline (from the Action class) seems to bring the human side of the story to life more.

Concept:

A former Army Ranger and his PTSD teacup poodle rescue the President’s parents, vanquishing foreign kidnappers and a rogue Secret Service agent, during a holiday chase to a lakeside cottage safe house.

Main Conflict: Nick witnesses the President’s parents being kidnapped and their Secret Service agent shot (presumably dead) and must rescue them and save them. Escaping from the rogue FBI agent and his mercenaries is nearly impossible because he has all of law enforcement’s assets at his command.

Old Ways:

– Only trusts his PTSD teacup poodle

– Nightmares/Flashbacks/Hyper-vigilance

– Shuns being around others

– Can’t keep a job

New Ways:

– Trusts his own judgement of people (good/bad/dangerous/safe)

– Loves a woman

– Ready to take charge again

– Nightmares/Hyper-vigilance abating (not completely gone, but he knows what’s real or not, when a flashback or nightmare is over.

Pass 1: Protagonist’s journey

Act 1:

Opening: Nick is dreaming, reliving the failed mission in a war zone. Some of his men are killed. He can do nothing. Self-loathing, guilt, fury, despair. Grizzly notices, licks his ear and the dream morphs to making out with a beautiful woman (Ivy). Grizzly barks and he wakes.

At the mall, the rogue FBI agent accompanies the SS agent on the daily walk. He is followed by his mercenaries who Grizzly immediately identifies as bad guys as Nick had the same idea.

Inciting Incident: Nick sees a mercenary draw a gun, goes into professional soldier mode, follows, sees Ivy get shot, parents being abducted, takes action and defeats the abductors, grabbing an FBI radio so he can try to figure out what’s going on.

Turning Point:

Puts parents on scooter and goes for his go-bag. More bad guys. He defeats them too with improvised holiday weapons. Escapes in his car with the parents.

Act 2:

New Plan: Run! After defeating the guys that chase him, Nick decides to hide the parents in a dog sitting client’s apartment.

The FBI (at the rogue agent’s request), launches an all out search for the President’s parents and quickly learn that they should track the Santa to find the parents.

Plan in Action:

Since his old plates have been made and the parents’ clothes/shoes have trackers, he gets the clients new clothes (from the client’s closet), buys a new car, abandoning his old one, and comes back for the parents. His plan is to get out of town to a rural place — his great aunt’s lake cottage completely off the grid – no phone, no trackers, no GPS, etc.

The terrorists tell the president that they have his parents, thinking the trackers will make them easy to find. They make their demands for prisoner releases and money. The president says no deal until he sees them alive and well with the terrorists.

Midpoint Turning Point:

Somehow, the bad guys find and follow Nick and the parents.

The SS agent has been tracking the parents using her own methods — finding/following Nick, unsure if he’s a good or a bad guy. She deflates the tires and has the cars disabled of the FBI agent and his mercenaries.

Nick battles the agents at a rest stop. Again, Nick defeats those who followed them and escapes, finds a tracker on his car (put on by the SS agent) and escapes.

Act 3:

Rethink everything: After Nick takes a bio break at an old farmstead, Ivy visits the parents, tells them about the FBI radio’s tracker. They tell her Nick’s plan to take them to the cottage. Nick begins to think the parents can pull their weight in this.

New Plan: Trade cars again, change clothes again. Grizzly pees on the FBI radio, but Nick stupidly keeps it. They go to the lake house, hide out, get word to the President on a private line the parents have. When they get to the cottage, the SS agent is already there and they fight, eventually the parents defuse the situation and they all join forces.

Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift: The terrorist organization, disgusted with the FBI agent’s ineptitude, has sent in assassins to clean up the mess by tracking the SS agent’s phone.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: Nick realizes they tracked the SS agent’s cell and they move to his aunt’s friend’s cottage to hide out. Nick makes a run to a convenience store for another cell phone, food and info, overhearing that an all-out manhunt with good descriptions of them is ongoing in the Lakes area. The SS agent and Nick go well-away from the hideout to call the WH who tells them to hole up until they’ve sorted out the bad guys. They hole up, creating McGyver-isms of holiday stuff to stop the assassins and cops. The bad guys come and are defeated. Nick and the SS agent are in sync.

Resolution: The WH gives them the all-clear, they get new clothes and a private, luxurious jet ride back to DC. The SS agent and Santa share a first kiss and the parents wink as though this was their plan all along.

[Benito Selim]

Benito Selim’s 4 Act Transformational Structure

Act 1:

Opening: Karen Young has a romantic evening with her boyfriend Jeff at Starkoaks farm. An unknown assailant murders the two.

After the murder, Darryl Case across town in his dorm begins experiencing unknown phenomena by hearing a faint voice and a scream, he takes his medication, and it stops.

Inciting Incident: A month later Darryl throws trash out into his dorm dumpster and comes across an old projector-type camera. He brushes it off and takes it with him.

Turning Point: Darryl and his friends shoot a documentary about the abrupt closure of the farm using the old camera. Darryl finds a locket in an old barn and takes it with him, while editing their project the brutal death of Karen shows up on film.

Act 2:

New plan: After heavily editing the film, they present their project to the class. Karen reappears and her death is more gruesome than before. Unfortunately, the film and projector are destroyed, and Darryl is left with no project, but a lot of questions.

Plan in action: Darryl decides to investigate Starkoaks even more despite his girlfriend and close friends telling him not to. Darryl does this incognito.

Midpoint Turning Point: Darryl in his investigation is contacted by a woman Ellen Paisley who informs him that he possesses a psychic ability and he’s no schizophrenic. Darryl is confused and lost, he decides to look at the locket he found and opens it. Inside are the pictures of Karen and Jeff.

Act 3:

Rethink everything: Darryl questions his illness and does his own research on psychic abilities. He reflects to his childhood when he encountered a little girl who was murdered. Darryl’s friendship with this child led to her murder and several others to be solved.

New plan: Darryl now believing what Ellen told him seeks her help. Darryl also informs his friends of his plan. Visions of Karen then begin to increase with more details.

Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift: Darryl partners with a detective on Karen’s disappearance but is accused of being involved. His friends try to clear his name but begin to be killed off by Karen’s killer.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: Darryl finds Karen’s murder was due to her father solving an old case and Darryl was the next intended victim. The detective believes Darryl and the two along with Ellen return to the farm to end this killing spree.

Resolution: Karen’s murder is solved; she is at peace and the town can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Darryl is now content with his gift and embraces a new life ahead.

What I learned doing this assignment is knowing your main character well makes them easier to fit into the screenplay and gives birth to the flow of the story.

[Timothy McDevitt]

TIM’S 4 ACT TRANSFORMATIONAL STRUCTURE – DAY FIVE

What I learned doing this assignment is that my unclear crisis/climax caused so many problems with the rest of my story that it brought everything to a crashing halt.

Create a first draft of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.

1. Give us the following:

Concept: A
hound dog feels betrayed by his owner, runs away and vows to avoid humans,
and a pack of bad dogs, while trying to reunite his lost squirrel friend
with her family.

Main Conflict:
Duke’s vow to live without humans is in direct opposition to his natural
inclination to be man’s best friend.

Old Ways:
suspicious, meek, lazy, loner

New Ways:
trusting, selfless, brave, and once again man’s best friend.

2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.

Act 1:

Opening: Duke’s
comfortable life as “man’s best friend” with his bachelor owner Bob is
disrupted by the arrival of Bob’s new girlfriend and her bratty young
daughter.

Inciting Incident: After
being sent to the doghouse, scapegoated for things the girl did, Duke runs
away, thinking Bob will come looking for him and apologize.

Turning Point:
Duke lets himself get caught by the dog catcher, but when they call Bob’s
phone number listed on his collar, Bob’s girlfriend answers and says Duke
is bad and they don’t want him back. Duke thinks it was Bob who said these
things, so he’s devastated.

Act 2:

New plan: Duke
is determined to live without humans, hanging out with a pack of bad ass
dogs and his tail-less, nut-allergic Squirrel friend. <div>

Plan in action: Duke
and Squirrel live in woods but venture into town to raid dumpsters and
trash cans for food. Duke and the pack also cause mischief, targeting
humans. Annoyed homeowners put pressure on Animal Control boss to find the
culprits.

Midpoint Turning Point: After being caught by the Dog Catcher again – strike 2 –
Duke is adopted by the Dog Catcher’s daughter Emma, a depressed girl struggling
to recover from the loss of a leg due to cancer.

Act 3:

Rethink everything: Duke
can’t mess up again. He must somehow make it work with this girl or it’s
back to the pound for the last time. <div>

New plan: Duke
wants to protect his Squirrel friend and try to reunite her with her
family as he promised, but he can’t risk breaking the house rules or losing
the favor of Emma. Gradually, he befriends Emma and helps her rehab, and
he regains his lost love for humans.

Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift: While trying to reunite Squirrel with her family, Duke
accidentally hurts Emma while saving Squirrel from the dog pack and he is
taken back to the pound by her enraged father. Strike 3.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: Thanks to Squirrel, Emma finds out Duke belongs to Bob,
so she calls him to save Duke, knowing she can’t keep him. Meanwhile, Duke
defends Dog Catcher from the dog pack because he is once again Man’s Best
Friend.

Resolution: Bob sees how much Duke loves Emma, so he lets her keep
him. Duke is finally a truly integral part of a happy family.

<div></div>

• This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by  Timothy McDevitt.

[Jess Paxton]

Olivia’s 4-Act Transformational Structure

What I learned from this Lesson was:

Thank you! I began studying screenwriting several years ago, and every time I hear the term “three-act structure” I gag! Three acts, with the second act being divided into two equal parts the same size as the other acts? That’s FOUR ACTS! Calling it “beginning, middle, and end” and saying that that automatically equals three acts is ludicrous once you put in a midpoint in Act 2. Shakespeare wrote in FIVE acts, with the 3rd act being the “midpoint”. The only genuine 3-act structure I ever saw was in “Charlie’s Aunt”. One in a million. Movies are done in 4-act structure; we should CALL it a 4-Act structure.

ASSIGNMENT

Create a first draft of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.

Concept: A hypnotherapist is called in to care for the President after the First Lady is murdered, and she soon falls in love with the charismatic patient, but soon she begins to suspect the President himself could be the killer. <div>

Main Conflict: Olivia is trying to treat President Munson so he can return to his work, but Will is programming Munson to believe that he murdered his own wife.

<div>
Old Ways </div><div>

1. Old identity: The brilliant psychiatrist, completely self-disciplined.

2. Relies on formulaic therapy to treat Munson.

3. Remains emotionally uninvolved with everyone in her life.

Olivia begins treating the President with conventional therapy. She listens, analyzes, diagnoses, and gives feedback. Meanwhile, she returns to a sexual relationship with Will.

New Ways </div><div>

1. New Identity: Lover to Davis, and later to Munson.
Uses hypnotherapy to delve into Munson’s psyche.
Emotionally empowered, proud, brave, and free.

Olivia treats Munson with hypnotherapy — and discovers he may be a serial killer. She also becomes enamored of this powerful man.

2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.

Act 1:

Opening: Olivia is a New York psychiatrist, reasonably successful, who has written a theoretical book about hypnotherapy. At home, she hires a sex partner for her needs and has no emotional attachment to anyone. </div><div>

Inciting Incident: Someone viciously murders the First Lady. Right-wing terrorists take the credit, as do foreign terrorists; the FBI hires Olivia to analyze the claimants; she helps them determine that none of them did the killing.

Turning Point: Olivia gets a call from Will, her one-time lover and the President’s Chief-of-Staff; the President needs her help.

Act 2:

New plan: Olivia walks in cautiously; she uses conventional therapy to work on Munson. She falls back in love with Davis. </div><div>

Plan in action: Olivia fails; the President becomes worse and worse, blaming himself for his wife’s murder. He was drunk and drugged, he suspected she was having an affair, he had the knife in his hand.

Midpoint Turning Point: Olivia, faced with evidence against herself, failing to improve Munson, realizing that something else is at play, decides the Secret Service is her pick for the murderer. She’s dead wrong. Olivia sleeps with Munson.

Act 3:

Rethink everything: With Davis taking the Secret Service out of the equation, Olivia begins hypnotherapy on Munson. </div><div>

New plan: Olivia begins hypnotherapy on Munson. She begins to think that he has been a serial rapist and even a murderer.

Turning Point: One morning, in Munson’s chambers, Olivia awakens, thinking that she is hearing voices. She determines that someone is already hypnotizing the President to believe he murdered his wife.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: Olivia tells Will the Secret Service is hypnotizing Munson. She gets a recording of his voice, takes it to the Secret Service, and finds out it is the same as the voice in the night. Confronting Davis in Munson’s presence, she learns that her suspicions were right: Munson has been a rapist and murderer, but he didn’t kill his wife; her lover Davis did, when he realized Munson was planning to push her for the next President instead of Davis. Munson has faith in Davis only as an administrator, not as a leader. Davis goes berserk and Munson kills him, but then Olivia tells Munson she will have to tell the world about his crimes. When he attacks her, she kills him with the same knife Davis used to murder the First Lady. </div><div>

Resolution: Olivia is sentenced to prison for murdering Munson, although in self-defense, she has admitted guilt. Her life is in ruins, but Olivia accepts her sentence bravely. She knows she did the right thing.

3. Once you have created the 4-Act Structure for your Protagonist, go back over it to see if there is any big picture points you need to add to represent your Antagonist.

</div></div>

[Steven Nikosey]

Steven Nikosey, 4- Act Transformational Structure

What did I learn?

I learned that the structure does not have to be altogether fleshed out prior to creating and establishing basic plot points and they are not set in stone but are only a
rough blueprint and the quicker they are developed the easier it will be to flesh out
the story in greater detail and further develop the characters.

Create a first draft of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.

1. Give us the following: Yannis Georgiou, Protagonist

Concept – A modern-day Job.
He had everything only to lose it all in the blink of an eye. But
why?

Main
Conflict – Yannis is obsessed in
knowing why this has all happened to him, he needs to know the reasons,
what is actually real, and ultimately find some peace.

Old
Ways –

1. Humanistic, materialist, empiricist, agnostic, avowed anti-religionist

2. Laser-focused on his company’s success

3. Subordinating all other needs, wants, and interests to business demands/goals

New
Ways –

1. Theistic, spiritual, rationalist, and open-minded about religion

2. Laser-focused on searching for truth

3. Subordinates all other needs, wants, and interests to search for reality and truth

2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.

Act 1:

Opening
– Yannis, this former middle-class kid, with
his unicorn just going public has just become a multi-billionaire and he
is reveling a bit in his success. <div>

Inciting
Incident – After overleveraging a bit on a relatively risky, but
cutting edge innovation, that could potentially revolutionize the field of
virtual reality. It blows up in his
face, when the technology is stolen by a foreign hacker and rushed to
market by an international competitor.
This is the beginning and trigger of a chain of events of his fall.

Turning
Point – In the span of forty days, his business is bankrupt, he
is insolvent, destitute, his parents die in a car accident and his sister,
brother-in-law, nieces, nephew, and his two children all die in a plane
crash, he learns his wife has been unfaithful and carrying on an affair
for a year, and she was charged with plagiarism ruining her sterling
reputation, and he is diagnosed with testicular cancer. He is left hanging on to life by his fingernails,
while his wife has decided to blame him for everything, completely turned
on him and make his life a living hell.
They separate and she goes to live her parents and Yannis, his only
friend, Daniel Weismann.

Act 2:

New
plan – He wants answers, answers to why this
happened to him and is prepared to go to the ends of the earth to get them
if he has to. </div><div>

Plan
in action – He
is living off the charity of his only remaining friend, Daniel Weismann. With the help of his friend he searches
every book of human wisdom and philosophy to see if he can find answers,
actual reality, higher truth, and meaning.

Midpoint
Turning Point – Finding no satisfactory answers in books of human
wisdom and as a last resort he turns to find truth in religious writing about
a supernatural being and intelligence.

Act 3:

Rethink
everything – His estranged wife tells him she is pregnant and that
the child has been diagnosed with microencephaly. </div><div>

New
plan – He was ready to walk away from his wife, but he tells
her he wants to raise the child on his own if he has to. But, he would like his wife to raise the
child with him. She tells him she
is going to have an abortion.

Turning
Point: Huge failure / Major shift – She tells him that the baby man not even be his. She contracted Zika virus during her rendezvous
with her paramour in Rio De Janeiro.
It devastates him, but he will not see the child tossed aside. He offers to adopt and raise him as his
own.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate
expression of the conflict – After trying to reconcile with Jada, she finally walks
away and abandons him and the child insisting she just wants to be happy. </div>

Resolution
– Yannis finds peace and contentment in the self-less
love shared between him and abandoned child, Simon.

[Lori Lance]

Lori’s 4 Act Transformational Structure

Create a first draft of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.

1. Give us the following:

Concept: A small-town pastor who feels like it’s his responsibility to make Christmas memorable for everyone else decides to skip this Christmas after the death of his wife.

Main Conflict:

Internal Journey: from hopelessness to hopeful

External Journey: avoiding Christmas festivities since his wife is gone to taking part in community

Old ways:

anger

depression

crossing boundaries

fear

isolation

New ways:

acceptance

joy

respecting boundaries

fearlessness

community

2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.

Act 1:

Opening – Introduce the main characters as a small town prepares for Christmas. Pastor Thomas seems distraught.

Inciting Incident – A member of the church dies in an accident.

Turning Point – Thomas decides to skip Christmas.

Act 2:

New plan – Thomas will make sure one impoverished family has a perfect Christmas even though he won’t be.

Plan in action – Thomas crosses boundaries and is asked to stop helping.

Midpoint Turning Point – Thomas spirals downward into depression.

Act 3:

Rethink everything – He can’t go on this way.

New plan – He will try to pretend that everything is okay.

Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift – Pretending nearly destroys him.

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict – Thomas is brought to the end of himself and seeks help from God and the congregation.

Resolution – Hope is restored by Christmas day when Thomas gives a sermon about the hope of Christmas.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 2 months ago by  Lori Lance.

[Bent Hanlen]

Bent's 4 act transformational structure.

what i learned doing this assignment is i have a damn good story. I am proud so far.

Concept – an aging Santa struggles to get through Christmas Eve while Krampus and demons attack the sleighs. Their only protection is The General who wants to increase the North Pole's profits in order to advance the community to Santa's refusal.
Main Conflict – Santa and his security The General are clashing. The General wants to open oil drilling to other countries. That way they can be a recognized nation and continent.
Old Ways – Santa doesn't want to deplete the oil stores underground. He doesn't want to advance the north pole too much and doesn't want tourists invading.
New Ways- THe General wants to increase the income of the country so they can turn themselves to a recognized nation with guns and structures.

Act 1:

Opening – An elf scout is searching for a possible exit from the earth from Krampus. A russian sub leaves what looks like the North Pole in the night.
Inciting Incident – General pushes for the continent to be advanced by opening the land for tourism and oil drilling. Santa will not allow it. Demons attack a scout and kill a reindeer
Turning Point – . A wounded scout lands at the North Pole. The sleighs take off with presents. General doesn't seem much involved in the security.
Act 2:

New plan -Santa orders all sleighs to stay close together. He tells the General to follow him.
Plan in action – The General doesn't provide the security he was asked to do.
Midpoint Turning Point – Santa and the elves are attacked. An elf is kidnapped by krampus.
Act 3: Santa is torn on saving his elf or staying on schedule and getting presents out on time.

Rethink everything – The General has no empathy for the elf and says to get everyone moving.
New plan Continue the deliveries. Santa tells one sleigh to go on the search and radio back when krampus is seen.
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift – Several sleds have been damaged and sent back the North Pole. Christmas is getting hopeless by the hour. Santa wants to cancel deliveries.
Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict – They find Krampus and the demons and the battle begins. The General stands back for the most part and Santa notices. Eventually Krampus gets onto Santa’s sleigh. They fight. Santa is defeated and with Krampus on the sleigh they are diving to the ocean. They are saved by an elf. The general swoops down to hit Santa’s sleigh. Those demons jump to the General’s sleigh and kill him with a dive into the ocean. Half of Krampus and Santa and the young elf arrive back to the North Pole. The sleigh lands hard and Krampus slides across the tarmac over to the previous Santa.. He kills Krampus with an axe as revenge for ripping off his arm long ago.
Resolution = The previous santa is being outfitted with a new arm prosthetic. Outside a bonfire burns the body of Krampus. The Santa who almost got killed tells his wife that he is done. He grabs his coffee and takes his crutch under is shoulder. As he steps outside, he sips his coffee. He moves forward more then sips again. He looks out onto the land. His coffee cup falls out of his hand and he curses. There is a Canadian drill machine and a Russian drill with military all moving towards each other and yelling.
THE END

• This reply was modified 4 months, 3 weeks ago by  Bent Hanlen.