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Post Day 6 Assignment Here
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10 Replies
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Matthew Frendo’s Action Structure!
What I learned doing this assignment is how to make a strong structure around the other tracks we did.
Opening
– Jacob still working a black ops job. The job has the wrong intel and he
kills a kid…on the same day his kid was born back home.Cut to future – he never left the area to go back home, feeling too guilty about what happened, and decides to live as a monk in a small South American village near where the incident happened.
Inciting
Incident – They send thugs to get the fields, but he stops them. Now, the
bad guys are swearing revenge on him.First
Turning Point at end of Act 1 – The bad guys try to kidnap a kid close to
Jacob and end up killing the kid. Jacob kills one in defense, his first
kill since the opening scene. But it’s only done in defense.Mid-Point
– Jacob realizes that the bad guys won’t stop and goes after them, killing
them in an opium den and blowing up a lab.Second
Turning Point at end of Act 2 – The town banishes Jacob after finding out
what he did in the past. He is then beaten close to death and thrown in the
river.He is found by a lost tribe and they nurse him back to health.
Crisis
– Nestor brings his army to take the town for himself. Jacob is barely
well and must either stay and get better or go help them…even though they
banished him and it might kill him.Climax
– Jacob takes on the army and then follows Nestor into a cocaine lab,
where they battle it out with guns and then knives and ends with fists, as
Nestor falls into a vat of acid.Resolution
– Jacob decides to stop hiding out and go back to his family. -
Rebecca’s Action Structure
What I learned from this assignment his how to pair script story structure with planned action.
Opening: World War 1 battlefield in France. American sharpshooter picks off 16 German soldiers marching in the woods. He leaves the cowardly officer, the 17th man remain alive.
Inciting Incident: Coal and Iron Police, led by Herr Bucholtz, invade Russellton to break the strike and evict the striking miners from their homes.
First Turning Point at end of Act 1: Bucholtz brutally whips Ragman’s brother a carpenter building union barracks forcing Ragman to take over the project, joining a fight he hoped to avoid.4. Midpoint: Buchotz stalks Ragman’s wife, Ludie. He barges into her father’s house, orders her brother to be taken away and beaten, tells one of his lackey’s to her sister upstairs and rape her. When alone he assaults her when she resists, he threatens her, and knocks her unconscious. When Ragman returns, she and her sister lie about what happened.
5. Second Turning Point at end of Act 2 – Ragman accosts the young coal and iron trooper looking for Ludie’s sister. They tussle. The young man confides to Ragman about Bucholtz raping Ludie and impregnating her young sister. Ragman goes bezerk, confronts Bucholtz who bites off Ragman’s ear.
6. Crisis – The young trooper defects and brings Ragman pages ripped from Bucholtz notebook, a plan for a massacre. Ragman decides break his vow, and plots to kill Bucholtz.
7. Climax: The day of the planned massacre, Ragman in disguise, blends with the crowd ready to strike. If he succeeds and get caught he will be executed for murder, if he fails, Bucholtz will kill him.
8. Resolution: Bucholtz dies, trampled by his own horse. Striking miners and coal and iron police all rejoice. Ragman threw the brick that startled the horse causing Bucholtz to fall to the ground, canceling the massacre, Ragman’s role undetected.
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What I learned doing this assignment is…How much the action and mission inform the message of the story. I’ve been working on this story for years and have even won an award for a screenplay of it. But it’s never felt right. It’s always been too ambiguous in its plot, characters, and message. For the past five assignments, I’ve completely revamped it from what it was before, leaning harder into religious/mythological undertones, making the missions and stakes more personal, and I came away frustrated because it seemed to be moving further in a direction away from its original intended goal of deconstructing faith, religion or any following that promises redemption and moral supremacy. Instead it feels like I’ve been developing a retread of Dante’s Inferno (The Video Game) with a different background filter. I’m not sure how much I should concern myself with the message/theme of a story: If a story’s good, then it’s good, right? But comparing the video game The Last of Us and the John Wick films really helped me think of something. Both plots are discussions about love and what we’re willing to sacrifice for it, for better or worse. So, if I want this story to be about love for a loved one, then yeah, I’m probably on the right track. But if I’m wanting it to be about something else, then I have to come up with a mission that the hero is willing to go to the end of the line for or sacrifice everything for. And each time that the hero changes to continue their mission, right up to when they make that final sacrifice to achieve their goal, we’ll have an answer to what the script is trying to tell us. John Wick does this with each successive movie. He gives up more and more of the life he had with his wife, going so far as to surrender his wedding band. If the story continues in the direction it’s going, the end of line for John will be a poignant and ironic conclusion, and may well be a modern masterpiece of action storytelling.
Opening – Arcadia, a picturesque vision of the future, ruled by a sentient AI with the temperament of Mister Rogers, and Janus, an artificial human created in his image. Janus plays through Arcadia like a backyard all to herself, and helps troubled souls pass into reincarnation via the Afterlife Protocol.
Inciting Incident – Adam unveils a power that Janus didn’t know she had: the ability to copy herself, which in turn takes a life. Janus has lost her innocence in discovering the concept of permanent death, and she caused it with her own hands.
First Turning Point at end of Act 1 – The decision and following action to search outside of Arcadia for the source of the Afterlife Protocol, which she believes may hold the answer for bringing the person she killed back to life. She discovers Abaddon, the hellish underworld that lies underneath her heavenly city, and is captured by cyborg slavers.
Second Turning Point at the first quarter mark of Act 2 – Janus meets Calvex, a gladiatorial slave who promises to guide her through Abaddon IF she can provide him eternal life. Janus is ripped apart in the arena and discovers she cannot die: Adam gave her free will to reincarnate as she wished through the Afterlife Protocol. Janus and Calvex escape the arena.
Mid-Point (Third Turning Point) – Janus reaches the “source” of the Afterlife Protocol, which is guarded by Adam. Adam is the digital god of both Arcadia and Abaddon, and destroyed the old world that was ruled by mankind to create a new world based on his interpretation of Judeo-Christian iconography and myth. Janus fights against Adam’s defenses and wins, but discovers she can’t bring the person she killed back to life.
Fourth Turning Point at the third quarter mark of Act 2 – Janus’ dark side reveals herself and attacks innocents.
Fifth Turning Point at end of Act 2 – Janus fights her dark half and destroys her, revealing Adam may be able to be destroyed as well.
Crisis – Janus rallies the troops. She’s going to take down Adam and give the Afterlife Protocol back to humanity.
Climax – Battle for Arcadia. Janus and Adam battle one last time for humanity’s future.
Resolution – Janus sacrifices herself, destroying the Afterlife Protocol and Adam with it. Mankind is given a second chance to live life without eternity to fight over.
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Ramelle’s Action Structure
What I learned is that the soup needs more ingredients.
Opening- Cinnamon (Hero) has come home from a long day as a District Attorney suffering from PTSD from witnessing her biological father’s death from a car crash; she gets info the shower- comes out of the shower puts on her robe. With loud music glaring as she gets comfortable and comes to her black long kinky dark hair she thinks back to the crash and she finds herself staring at the mirror. Suddenly the music stops; she hears what sounds like a door opening.
Inciting_Incident- Cinnamon (Hero) suffers from PTSD she hears the door and by her mother being an ex-Cop she is prepared. As what sounds as the door opening she grabs a gun out of her bathroom drawer and heads down the steps of her palatial 4 bedroom home on the ocean. The door handle is difficult but she is quietly going down the steps in her robe. The door is clicked open and she then knocks down the tiny lamp and because the home is securely armed with sensors an alarm buzzes and she sees a man dressed in dark-colored clothes but the image runs off without entering the home. Cinnamon runs to the door, fires a warning shot, and scares the man/woman in dark clothing away. She comes back inside and locks the door; goes through every inch of the house armed with a 38-caliber. She even checks the security camera but doesn’t see anything. She changes into a T-shirt and sweats; and calls the police to be safe. Chief of Police and other friends of the force check every area of the home and nothing checks out. Is this Cinnamon’s PTSD in overdrive. After everything is checked; she thinks back to when she was 5 years old, a car burning and the driver slumped over in the front seat. Cinnamon, as a child is screaming and there is an image of a person wearing dark-colored clothes who picks her up, next thing she remembers waking up in the hospital; and her mother in the hallway screaming after getting news that someone in the crash died.
First (Turning Point at the end of Act 1) – At work the next day, Cinnamon’s cell phone rings and it’s her mother, Chay; Cinnamon eagerly tells her mom that she needs to talk to her; She wants to know what happened to her dad. Her mother sounds confused and says that was a painful time in her life; she has no recollection of what really happened as she wasn’t there and is wondering why Cinnamon has interests but Cinnamon presses her on the issue. Will she tell or won’t she?
Mid-Point – Cinnamon meets up with her new beau, Clash Stevenson, a Car Salesman whom she met when she purchased her Porsche 911. As she sits in her office chair the phone rings it is Clash. They talk and decide to meet; Cinnamon is happy. She walks out of the office building, gets on the elevator, gets into her Porsche 911. As she is driving she looks in the rearview mirror and thinks she is being followed; she sees someone dressed in dark colored clothes, black shades, and a black hat. Cinnamon, who is a defensive driving expert speeds up to lose the car but a car chase ensues. Cinnamon dodges the person driving the Bugatti Chiron, shakes the driver as she turns into a ditch just on the outskirts of a town; 30 miles from where she actually lives. Who is this dark-colored image who keeps tugging at her imagination/or is it not just her imagination?
Second Turning Point- Cinnamon makes it home safely to find Clash there with dinner smelling awesome she grabs him crying, they kiss and start making love. In bed, she asks Clash if he thinks she is crazy and fears someone is after her. Then he begins to tell her the story of when she remembers being 5. The car crash that killed her father but she remarkably survived and since this happened she has been in fear of her own life.
Crisis- Next day she is at her mom’s home. She knocks on the door of a palatial home in Beverly Hills. Her mom answers the door holding her poodle, Bear. Cinnamon goes into detail about the incidents at her home, car chase and wants to know what happened to her dad, Grover; “Why did I survive and he didn’t” Chay doesn’t remember and asks Cinnamon to forget about the past because obviously, she has. But Cinnamon yells, “Mom, What about the rumors of dad’s cheating on you before his death, and the rumors of you wanting to get even; “Not true” then her mother grows angry and frustrated. “I loved your father; please leave his memory as it is; stop taking us back in the past.” Cinnamon goes on; “What about Rick mom, he died on your wedding day, remember mom; I was 17 years old and he was dead in the kitchen, explain that mom”. Her mom walks up to Cinnamon and slaps her face.
Climax- Cinnamon sees her mom as the enemy due to her mom never speaking about her dad’s or her mother’s fiance Rick Devin’s death. Both men dead under suspicious circumstances. How does she get answers?
Resolution- Cinnamon has to be the District Attorney by day and Private Investigator by night.
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Subject line: Joan Edwards’ Action Structure
What I learned doing this assignment is it helps to
combine all three tracks in one word document so you can see how it adds up and
what you are missing,Create the 3-Act structure for your story.
1. Look through your three tracks (Mission, Villain, and Action) and find the points that could work for this structure. Put one or two sentences for each step.
2. Fill in any missing points and tell us the current version of your structure with a sentence or two for each point
Combination of Hero, Villain, and Mission Track in the 3-Act Structure Track
1. Opening Slides of foreclosure oh his family home and 40 others in the neighborhood, Purpose of Scene: Get empathy for Bladen and his family Back scene of Bladen and his parents being kicked out of home and foreclosed on.
2. living in car, children making fun of Bladen Purpose show skills of Bladen Years of homelessness. Scene of students making fun of Bladen for sleeping in car. He learned to defend himself. Man in neighborhood taught him Tae Kwon Do
3. Inciting Incident His grandmother lost money in an investment scam from the Bulwark Bank where Ansaca is CEO now. Plus Ansaca bragged that Ansaca Kennelworth brags at a Convention of Banking CEOs that no one could break into his bank and steal any amount of money and definitely couldn’t transfer funds out of the bank without him and his team knowing it. Purpose Inciting Incident Bladen disguises as man who is unable to go to Banker’s Convention. Bladen overhears Ansaca’s boast about his bank and residence being safe from anyone and he would kill anyone who passed the security points. That he had heard that someone from the neighborhood he shut down had information to put him in jail. He said they will never get him. He had people in high places and people hidden who would stop anyone from breaking into his bank or his home. No one, especially not anyone from that decrepit neighorhood could get him arrested.
4. First Turning Point at end of Act 1
Ansaca finds out
that Bladen has been asking questions about the security of his bank. He
asks his Security team to investigate to find out who Bladen is and would
he be able to do it. His team can’t find anything about Bladen at first
but he discovers that he has a restaurant. He sends guys to check out the
restaurant. They come back saying it’s legitimate and that Ansaca should
eat there. Ansaca says he has nothing to fear from Bladen. Purpose to show more skills with knives and darts Scene
at restaurant chopping things in fine little pieces. Bladen as adult works
with Security Systems.5. Bladen goes to security company that does Bulwark bank to find out what kind of security Ansaca’s bank and home has. Goes there. Purpose Show skills of Bladen outdoing skills of Ansaca. Bladen investigates the security company that set up the security. He’d seen them a few weeks before. Knew what kind of set up they were known for. Broke in and stole secrets to locks on Ansaca’s place.
6. Bladen goes to bank just to look around. One of the guards spots Bladen and he has to depart quickly. Escalation: Ansaca calls Bladen on the phone and asks him what’s up with his scouting expedition. Tells Bladen he’s onto him and his grandparents’ home is in jeopardy if Bladen does more investigating. DIRECT ORDER TO KILL ON SIGHT: Ansaca orders his men to kill Bladen if he is caught inside the vaults in the bank.Purpose to build excitement and wonder if Bladen can actually get in there and steal the documents in the bank and in Ansaca’s home. Breaking and Entering – bank in disguise want to see safety box in vault – while in there gets bank papers that prove Ansaca’s guilt in the oversell of mortgages
7. Mid-Point Bladen calls on his playground buddies who are now in high places in CIA, SWAT team, Makeup and disguises in Hollywood. Full out Attack: Using Seven Strategies they kidnap Ansaca’s guards and take their places. Purpose to show strength in numbers and skills of Bladen.
8. Second Turning Point at end of Act 2 – Ansaca hides out in his home thinking Bladen is only interested in the money in the vaults at the bank. Purpose to Show strength of Ansaca’s men but his own personal cowardice in that he sends others to do his work. Ansaca sends people with higher degrees of skills to try to stop Bladen, but fails.
9. Crisis Ansaca kidnaps who he believes is Bladen. And relaxes at the beach thinking everything is okay. It was a fake Bladen that he kidnapped. Ansaca goes to bank alone. He puts documents he needs from vault in a big briefcase and is about to escape when Bladen stands in front of him blocking his exit. And real Bladen gets inside vaults. He makes mummies out of the guards. Purpose to show cleverness of Bladen. Bladen mummifies all of Ansaca’s men at one place. Purpose to Show Bladen’s strength and skill. Bladen pins them to the wall with his knives and daggers in another place with ropes and huge double-sided cellophane tape mummifies them.
10. Climax They transfer all Ansaca’s money and assets to bank account in Switzerland. Ansaca has to step down as CEO and thinks he’s off free except the CIA/FBI arrest him for fraudulently mishandling money and approving loans for people who can’t afford to pay them back. Plus in the files they find proof that he killed yada yada yada and his family. Purpose: to further prove Bladen’s skills and proof of Ansaca’s evilness.
11. Resolution Bladen does Tae Kwon Do and forces Ansaca to drop his briefcase. The police arrive in time to arrest Ansaca for murdering and a family and cheating people out of money on mortgages.
Ansaca is arrested; goes to Federal Penitentiary in Solitary Confinement while trial goes on. Purpose to show how Bladen uses all his resources to congregate at the right place and time to arrest Ansaca with all the documents he needs. Finds word that Ansaca killed someone and is put in Federal prison in the top gated place with no getting out ever.
12. Epilog: Behind bars in federal prison in solitary confinement; Trial ends 3 years later. In prison for the rest of his life; no parole allowed.
13. Money distributed to families who lost homes and money in foreclosures. Purpose: to show how really evil Ansaca was and how truth and goodness sometimes prevails.
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Dwight Tincher’s Action Structure
What I learned from this assignment is how to work on and improve the timing and structure of the screenplay.
The opening scene is when a young tribal hunter goes on his quest to kill a lion and fulfill his passage to manhood. As he stalks his prey, the lion is killed by a giant unseen beast who then kills the youth.
The inciting incident is at the safari caravan’s lunch stop where the giant beast kills one of the tourists.
The first turning point at the end of act one is when our hero sees the carnage and the photos of the attack. She decides she must lead the hunt to track down and kill the giant beast.
The mid point of the movie is when the poachers escape and disable the transportation and communication while killing and wounding members of our hero’s team. The mission changes from tracking the giant beast to one of survival.
The second turning point at the end of act two is when our hero tracks down the poachers. Here she must also face off against her ex-friend turned traitor.
The crisis comes at the end of the showdown with the poachers when the giant beast suddenly attacks and injures our hero’s father. She must decide to either continue hunting the giant beast or rush her father to get medical attention.
The climax is the final showdown with the giant beast. Our hero will not back down despite the insurmountable odds against her.
The resolution is after the beast is killed our hero finally comes to peace with her father.
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Tarina’s Action Structure!
“What I learned doing this assignment is…?”
Enjoyed doing this – I think some things may still change but it gave me the structure I needed, and the previous track (day 5) helped immensely. With the structure I can see where there may be some gaps and start to work on filling them.
1. OPENING
Shows secretary, bodyguard, and driver busy on the internet in the morning or night before the attacks. They kind of stare into the screen blink for a long moment and continue as if nothing happened.
Several world leaders and influencers are assassinated by people they know and trust. Chaos erupts all over the world in the matter of hours (as seen on news bulletins)
A secretary suddenly throws her boss off the balcony looking dazed afterword’s not understanding what she had done.
A bodyguard pulls his weapon and shoot his client.
A driver with a senator drives full speed into oncoming traffic.
2. THE INCITING INCIDENT
Nina is working in her office. Suddenly some of her colleagues start to act strangely (zombie like). More and more of them are joining. They start to converge on her with all sorts of office weapons. Scissors, plants, mail openers and bare hands. First one start to attack then another then another. They start to back her into a corner. No one is speaking. Suddenly they all start to attack, clubbing her, trying to fight and strangle her.
It shows Nina evading and fighting free from her attackers. Confused she flee to safety; her heart is clearly racing she is trembling and anxious. Fighting to catch her breath she gets dizzy and pass out. She comes to with voices of concern from strangers around her. She pushes the people away and get to her feet stumbling away in a daze. Flashes of
She is feeling worse and worse… stumble and passes out again. When she comes too, she is not only seeing the flashes but also hearing her mother’s voice – find this…. find this…. find this. She knows she is not safe and go to a locker at a train station and retrieve a bag. In the bathroom of the train station, she violently vomits… confusion is clear… why is she sick… what happened in the office…
3. END OF ACT ONE: FIRST TURNING POINT
Find them, use all assets available at her last known location. Find the operatives that protected her last time… put a bounty on her head. Use facial recognition software and have the global assassination program ready for target. She must die – TODAY
Together with the operatives she goes on the internet and search the flashback 54321 when looking at the image on the screen her head are filled with conversations with her parents that where locked away. In it she learns she must solve the flashback puzzles to get the kill code for the program that she knows existed, but thought was destroyed with her parents. She now knows it is in use and she must stop it. The moment she saw the image and heard her parents voices she started to feel better.
First fight with several fighters… they must get away with limited resources.
4. MIDPOINT
After evading the attack they collect some guns and hardware, start to figure out where to go next. Second flashback occur. This time the picture of a building. She is starting to feel ill again, and they need to keep on the move. Cameras pick them up through facial recognition and Kruegers men as well. They are in every city available on demand on a moment’s notice.
(In both movies, the Heroes are still on their same journey, but something significant has changed. This gives a different meaning to the second half of the movie.) This may still need some work.
5. END OF ACT TWO: SECOND TURNING POINT
One of the operatives are influenced by the global assassination program and try to assassinate Nina. He fails only because after a massive and relentless fighting between him and the remaining operatives. They try to subdue him, but he keeps hunting them down. Dodging their heels. Now they are hunted by their own and he knows their tactics and plans.
6. CRISIS/DILEMMA
She must enter Krueger lab to enter the kill code. It is where she is vulnerable as this was where she was experimented on and lost her parents. It is part of her dark past. She fears Krueger.
7. CLIMAX
She falls apart being tormented with her past and are captured. The final pieces of what happened to her in the past as well as how vengeful Krueger are comes to light when they come face to face. Krueger shows his final plans thinking that he has won as well as all his contempt for her. He tortures her physically and emotionally.
She finds a way to enter the computer mainframe room and enter the kill code. This leads not only to the destruction of the global assassination program, but she also has the opportunity to destroy some of the programs running in the lab that starts the whole facility to overheat and break down.
After she enters the kill code and cause damage to the mainframe of the facility, Krueger truly goes ballistic and hunt her down. He captures her again and this time he is mean as hell.
He is going to kill her; he will still win even if it only is by killing her.
Krueger shows her a lab room with a young woman/girl inside being experimented on. He shows her that she is not special, he recreated her but even better and this time there were no parents that could shield the girl and protect her. This time he broke her and made her a living machine and weapon bound to his will.
It pushes her over all her fears and give her the final strength to kill Krueger and end this part of her life. She tries to rescue the girl but after seeing her kill Krueger the girl wants to kill her. In the end the facility is coming down on them and she must flee without the girl, leaving her at Krueger’s body.
8. RESOLUTION
The destruction of the facility. Nothing is left standing, and no one is left alive. She makes it out severely wounded and looks back at the same point where she stood when she escaped.
The world is saved from the assassination programme. It came at a price… She came full circle in her journey. Can she now find peace?
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Brenda Lynn’s Action Structure!
What I learned doing this assignment is that having the three tracks made putting the stucture together much easier and essentially more organic process. Love it. I like creating structure and this process made it so much fun.
Opening: Lisa trains with an elite soldier of Israeli fighters. She is recruited into a special task force to recover stolen artwork.
Inciting Incident: Marcus de Luca’s son is convicted for embezzlement and is sentenced to serve 20 years in federal prison. Marcus wants to use a stolen master piece by Rembrandt to get his son out of prison.
First Turning Point at end of Act 1: Lisa lets Marcus seduce her and she gets into Marcus’ inner circle so she can get more information about the location of the painting.
Mid-Point: The painting is brought back into the country and put in a warehouse by LaGuardia airport.
Second Turning Point at end of Act 2: Someone at the FBI tells Marcus that they know where the painting is going to be hidden.
Crisis: Lisa has to get to the painting and get out without damaging it. Marcus and his crew show up at the warehouse.
Climax: Marcus pursues Lisa to the rooftop. They struggle over the painting. When the FBI shoots at both of them, Lisa knows she can’t trust the FBI. In a final battle she pushes Marcus off the roof.
Resolution: Lisa returns the painting to the FBI. And then disappears. They discover the painting is a fake. Did Marcus swap out the painting or did Lisa? -
Diana T. Black…Action Structure!
What I learned doing this assignment is the need for balance between the Hero’s Mission and the Villain Track. I did the Mission Track first, then went back and added the Villain Track. I also took time out to write the complete Beat Sheet for Episode One so as to have the material available for later assignments…but I’ve only listed the key scenes below…
As the Credits Roll… [Subjective Camera] – a computer server screen with monetary transactions being conducted across a LAN – one account emptied of $2M with the funds divided into amounts of $20K and deposited into a hundred different accounts on individual computers in the LAN. The final image – the hands of the perpetrator – wearing a unique diamond dress-ring on her right hand.
Opening
Scene: Day One (Friday Night)
A shrouded body is slashed with a hunting bowie (knife) and dumped into the shipping lane off the Port of Los Angeles.
Inciting Incident
Scene: Later…
Keylan makes a phone call to the airlines (a friend) – Louise was never on the flight.
First Turning Point at end of Act 1
Scene: Day Seven (of the narrative) Thursday…
Keylan receives a post-card from “Louise” stating that she’s waiting for him in Acapulco, with the money. It was delivered anonymously to the Firehouse. Keylan confides with Ange… wtf is going on? Ange tells him there’s only one way to find out – go there and confront her.
Mid-Point
Scene:
Naomi’s Birthday Party combined with “Family Night”. It’s extremely tense between Victor and Roslyn. Keylan tries to smooth the waters – not entirely successful. Nicole calls later that night to pick up Reuben and Lily. They wish to stay over – it’s agreed. Nicole reveals the investigation into the $2M theft now involves Keylan, seeing as how he “knew” Louise. “Suggest you get yourself a lawyer – you’re under suspicion.” He doesn’t reveal that he presumes she’s murdered. She walks away. Reese has overheard – he’s never trusted Nicole. Keylan maintains she’s okay – he’ll do much to not rock the boat with her over the kids, but they agree, they must find the $2M and/or Louise.
Second Turning Point at end of Act 2
Scene:
Keylan stops in at the fire house situation and has Ange drill him for a blood sample – he doesn’t write his name on the label and takes a spare. Ange knows what he’s doing and seriously questions him on what he’s about to do – illegal and throwing his life away for the sake of his friend (Victor). “You can’t always fix things. Sometimes people are just plain broken” Keylan retorts “not on my watch/ I will not abandon him. How many times as Victor “saved” me?!” Besides, with his high standing in the community and friends in high places he’s likely to cop a fine and be demoted for being “intoxicated on duty”… worse case, he’ll be booted out of the force – a small price to pay to save Victor’s reputation. Adrian will be sure to have his back. He leaves.
Crisis
Scene:
Keylan arrives at the burning building to find Patrick playing the Hero in front of the cameras carrying out of the building a semi-conscious child – beaming victoriously. Keylan marches over (the cameras still rolling), tears strips off Patrick who maintains Victor is still inside because there’s another victim inside, “Mandy”. Keylan enters the building. The rest of the crew douse the building from all sides.
Climax
Scene:
Keylan runs into the room and drags Victor out. Keylan cradles him in his arms in the wet corridor. Victor peels back the blanket to reveal “Mandy” (a puppy) secured in Patrick’s jacket. Victor made do with just the fire-blanket and ended up with 3<sup>rd</sup> degree burns over his upper torso. He’s dying. Victor maintains “it’s better this way.” Keylan assures him Naomi will want for nothing. Keylan so upset over Victor, implores him to hang on. Victor dies in his arms. (unbeknownst to Keylan, Victor’s ghost rises up and stands behind Keylan and his own corpse). Keylan quickly draws a blood sample from Victor and labels it with his own name… then writes Victor Malena on his own sample. Keylan pockets the puppy and then drags Victor back into the fire – he’s virtually incinerated. He’s unaware that Patrick is watching him from the shadows.
Resolution
Scene:
Keylan now outside at the ambulance station is confronted by a Police Officer – he must present himself tomorrow to the local police station. The Officer doesn’t say why.
Scene:
Keylan
pays Adrian a visit. He cannot be seen to be helping Keylan but tells him he’ll
hook him up with the best Defense Lawyer he knows, Emma Kendrick. -
Christopher Dalbey’s Action Structure!
What I learned doing this assignment is that having a three-act structure gives you a more coherent map to construct your story. I’m a big fan of this lesson because I already feel that having this three-act structure in place is a great starting point before drafting.
Opening: A campaign rally is interrupted by the very criminal activity that Phara Ady advocates against. Following just after this is her feeling much like an outsider mingling at a convention with her political adversaries.
Inciting Incident: Phara accepts the private party invitation from senator Triano which turns out to be an elite underground party where she is brutally raped and murdered.
First Turning Point at end of Act 1: Phara arises from the dead as voodoo incarnate Maman Phara! She learns of her newborn powers and identity when she meets in the dark alleys of New Orleans the culprits who stole her mortal life.
Mid-Point: Senator Traino retaliates by counterattacking Maman Phara by seeking out Maman Phara during the daylight when her powers are inaccessible, when she is most vulnerable.
Second Turning Point at end of Act 2: Some members of the underground side with Maman Phara and help her escape from being tortured and imprisoned by senator Triano’s underground infantry.
Crisis: Senator Triano is exonerated from suspicions associated with the disappearance of Phara Ady, gains more support in the undegorund and momentum in the political race while Pahar licks her wounds.
Climax: As the underground closes in on Maman Phara, she finds an alliance in the unlikely of places – the voodoo community that excommunicated Phara Ady in her mortal life – to do battle during Mardi Gras.
Resolution: Senator Traino and the underground are taken down inadvertently by the FBI and special task forces while staking out another gangster operation. With the help of the voodoo community, Phara Ady is absolved of her deity obligations and returns to her mortal life.
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