Bobby Yan
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What I learned from doing this assignment is that once I understand the story’s profound truth and how I need to tell it, then the audience will react more positively to that. My goal has always been to create a film that can be rewatched for years to come, and this course in general helps me focus on what has been missing from the previous drafts of my script.
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</div>What is your profound truth?
We are all part of one big community.
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</div>WHAT IS THE CHANGE YOU WANT AN AUDIENCE TO MAKE?
The audience feels connected to everyone around them, even those who they would never associate themselves with. We can give up our prejudices, stereotypes and differences and instead see our common similarities instead.
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</div>WHAT ENTERTAINMENT VEHICLE WILL YOU CHOOSE?
PICK A WORLD
A Chinese boy dealing with the loss of his mom, struggles living with his estranged grandfather who he barely knows, finds connection and a new family within the most unlikely of places, an African American Gospel choir.
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What is the CHANGE this movie is about? What is the Transformational Journey of this movie?
The change is about Phil coming from being a narcistic cynical self centered individual who lives in his own bubble to becoming an altruistic giving and ultimately loving person who sees himself as part of a larger community. He learns to see outside of just himself and through it experiences true love for perhaps the first time.
Lead characters:
Who is the Change Agent (the one causing the change) and what makes this the right character to cause the change?
Rita is the change agent. She is in many ways the exact opposite of him at first. She is the right one because he realizes deep inside that she is the love of his life, but he most change in order to earn her love in return. She is the goal that ultimately gives him a reason to keep going.
Who is the Transformable Character (the one who makes the change) and what makes them the right character to deliver this profound journey?
Phil is the transformable character. His flawed yet funny character and hatred of Groundhog Day in this small town is the perfect recipe for a person that has room to grow in this scenario.
What is the Oppression?
The repeating day.
How are we lured into the profound journey? What causes us to connect with this story?
The premise itself holds so much weight for the audience to want to be a part of this journey. We are entertained by the antics yet allured by the centralized love story between Phil and Rita. Will he get out of this loop? Will he ever get to be with Rita? We are constantly on his journey. We want to see him change and are laughing all the while we see him go through this.
Looking at the character(s) who are changed the most, what is the profound journey? From “old ways” to “new way of being.” Identify their old way: Identify their new way at the conclusion:
The old way is looking at Phil’s life through pessimism. He is cynical and thinks he’s better than everything that is around him. He is ungrateful for all the things and people he encounters. He lives on an isolated island.
The new way is an optimistic viewpoint. He lets go of his past, his fears, he sees the positive around him, appreciating both the small and big things. He learns to be grateful for life and to be giving to others.
What is the gradient the change? What steps did the Transformational Character go through as they were changing?
The gradient of change is all the many days he spends over and over again. There’s a wave of up and down moments that spike up then down then up again. These days form an emotional texture of sorts that define this change as a whole.
How is the “old way” challenged? What beliefs are challenged that cause a main character to shift their perspective…and make the change?
Phil learns that conning is way through life is not the right answer. Using Rita as a barameter, he slowly is challenged in seeing that all his old ways of dealing with things will never get him closer for her to truly be with him. On a larger level he realizes that he will never truly achieve happiness with this old way of thinking. In order to truly be happy, he must give up his old values and learn to accept new ones.
What are the most profound moments of the movie?
The bed scene with Rita when she is half asleep and he reveals his love for her.
The old man who will die no matter what Phil does to try to stop it from happening.
What are the most profound lines of the movie?
Rita tells Phil “I could never love someone
like you, Phil, because you’ll
never anyone but yourself.”
Phil tell Rita “I’m happy now
Cause I love you”
How does the ending payoff the setups of this movie?
Everything culminates so perfectly to him waking up to Rita finally on the next day. The audience has gone on this long journey to come to this very satisfying conclusion that is so well earned. Phil has gone through what seems to be a lifetime of days filled with so many emotions and lessons learned that the ending is very earned for him.
What is the Profound Truth of this movie?
Choose to embrace life to the fullest with positivity and love.
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Hi!
Bobby Yan
Director/Writer. Written two feature scripts and several shorts in festivals. Seven Emmy awards as a sports producer. Recently directed my first movie for Lifetime.
Looking to revise an existing feature script. The profound moments and elements of the story are exactly what I am looking to add. I never could put words to it but this came across my email exactly at the right time as I am wrapping up the next draft. I hope to put this film into some labs i.e. Sundance and have it produced as my debut independent feature.
Fun fact: I used to be a singer when I was younger and this script is loosely based on my experiences in a Gospel Choir down South.
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Bobby Yan, I agree to the terms of this release form.
As a member of this group, I agree to the following:
1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class available to anyone who is not a member of this class.
2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.
I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.
3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.
4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.
5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.
6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.