[Bonny Millard]

Bonny
Millard’s First Three Decisions

What I learned doing this assignment is that I need to keep digging deeper.

1. What is your profound truth?

Believe in yourself and follow your dreams despite what others may think.

2. What is the change your movie
will cause with an audience?

The audience will be encouraged and inspired to follow their own dreams.

3. What is your Entertainment
Vehicle that you will tell this story through?

The feral cats who came to live with me and reminded me to life on my own terms.

[Bonny Millard]

We are looking at this movie from the perspective of the change that occurs for the lead character and the audience.

I’m reminded how important layering is in story to get from the beginning to end.

What is the CHANGE this movie
is about? What is the Transformational Journey of this movie?

The change is that we can create the lives we want. Phil makes several starts and stops until he creates the live he wants. It takes him a while to figure out. We also see a glimpse that he doesn’t believe he deserves the kind of life he wants, so he doesn’t even try.

Lead characters:

Who is
the Change Agent (the one causing the change) and what makes this the
right character to cause the change?

At first it’s the repeating day. It forces Phil to relive his life and rethink his choice. Rita, who becomes Phil’s source of affection, also acts as a Change Agent because she shows him what a good life is.

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. The movie focuses on him so we know he is the one taking the journey

What is
the Oppression?

The day repeating itself. Phil also kind of the oppression with his beliefs about himself and not deserving happiness. His exterior is a shield he uses to protect himself.

How are we lured into the
profound journey? What causes us to connect with this story?

When Phil is at the bowling alley, he tells the two drunk guys that he’s stuck in the same day, doing the same exact thing and nothing he does can change that. He asks what would you do if this were happening to you? Lots of people feel that they are living lives that are repetitious or meaningless, and they can’t seem to break out of the sameness to do something that matters.

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:

Phil is self-absorbed at the beginning. He also doesn’t believe he deserves the life he wants and uses his obnoxious behavior to keep people at bay. At the end, he is starting to help other people, and they actually matter to him. He also has figured out how to be happy and maybe that he deserves that happiness.

What is the gradient the
change? What steps did the Transformational Character go through as they
were changing?

He changes into a person who thinks of others. With the first woman (can’t remember her name), he does everything to get her into bed and then dumps her. He keeps calling Rita’s name and realizes he may have feelings for her. He keeps going to her for help. He also tries to do the same thing to Rita by learning what she likes and using it to his advantage. He whispers to her while she is sleeping that the first time he saw her he wanted to hold her. That’s when we find out he didn’t believe he deserved a good relationship. He tries to kill himself several times but realizes that is not the answer. After that his attitude changes, he starts helping others instead of himself: giving money to the old man, bringing coffee and donuts to his co-workers, carries their equipment, and cares about his job. When the old man dies, he finds a way to save the man. He becomes versatile and well rounded: learning to play the piano and ice sculpting. He helps people wherever he finds them in trouble.

How is the “old way”
challenged? What beliefs are challenged that cause a main character to
shift their perspective…and make the change?

He realizes the old way is not working: being self-absorbed, callous towards women, shutting everyone out. He begins to believe he deserves this (although we don’t see as much about this) but also that his days can be better than “cold and gray.” He has an opportunity to have a real life.

What are the most profound
moments of the movie?

When he realizes that his real life is made up of repetitive days no matter what he tries; when he realizes that days aren’t perfect, when he realizes they don’t have to be cold and gray; and when he realizes that he can be happy; the he doesn’t have to follow everyone else’s rules and can make his own choices; when Rita tells him that everybody worries about something

What are the most profound
lines of the movie?

When he’s talking about every day was exactly the same (paraphrased) and he questions “What would you do?”

That days are “cold, gray and last the rest of your life”

“I know your face so well I could have done it with my eyes closed.”

He knows that “no matter what happens tomorrow or for the rest of my life, I’m happy now because I love you.” He was talking about Rita, but it could be that he has decided that about himself.

“Today is tomorrow.”

How does the ending payoff the
setups of this movie?

He has returned to his real life a changed man.

What is the Profound Truth of
this movie?

The Profound Truth is that we can all make the changes we want in our lives, if we try.

[Bonny Millard]

Bonny Millard

I agree to the terms of this release form.

GROUP 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.

This completes the Group Release Form for the class.

[Bonny Millard]

Bonny Millard

“I agree to the terms of this release form.”

[Bonny Millard]

I am supposed to be getting lesson emails? I’m not receiving anything.