Chantria Tram
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Chantria’s Open Loops
ASSIGNMENT 1
Example Show: The Handmaid’s Tale
Big Picture open loops that were established early in the season:
When and how will June escape Gilead? Will she reunite with her family and how?
Will Gilead crumble and how?
What is Mayday and how will it happen? Will it be successful?
Will Gilead take over all of the United States or be defeated?
Will Nick and June have a romantic relationship?
Will June get pregnant and allow her baby to be taken away?
What happens to a handmaid if she’s conceived and given birth to a child for a Commander and his Wife?
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ASSIGNMENT 2: Show – “Beyond Temple Walls”
What I learned from this assignment is building in open loops creates a need for audiences to want to find the answers in future episodes. It also allows me to be very intentional with the storytelling.
First season Open Loops for first season:
CONSEQUENCES:
Will Sovannah and Dekhune Serey get caught by the police or fellow monks? If so, will Dekhune Serey get a special kind of punishment as a monk?
Will the others discover that Sovannah is the daughter of a crime boss and will she need to repent for her father’s sins?
SOLVING PROBLEMS:
Who murdered Dekhune Thom and why?
What is really happening at the temple behind locked doors?
Will Sovannah discover why and how her father “disappeared”?
RELATIONSHIPS:
Will a romantic relationship develop between Sovannah and Detective Tran?
How far can Sovannah push Dekhune Serey to go outside his comfort zone and possibly against his religion?
DANGER / SURVIVAL / RISKS:
Can Dekhune Serey’s innocent and optimistic mind be completely shattered and corrupted as he continues with this investigation?
Will their investigation put the other monks and community members at risk of losing their lives?
Will Sovannah’s unpredictable hot temper be the reason of her downfall?
2. Tell us your top 5-8 Big Picture Open Loops that could be in your pilot.
Who murdered Dekhune Thom and why?
What is really happening at the temple behind locked doors?
Can Dekhune Serey’s innocent and optimistic mind be completely shattered and corrupted as he continues with this investigation?
Will Sovannah and Dekhune Serey get caught by the police or fellow monks? If so, will Dekhune Serey get a special kind of punishment as a monk?
Will Sovannah’s unpredictable hot temper be the reason for her downfall?
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Lesson 8: Inviting Obsession Through Mystery
ASSIGNMENT 1:
Sample Show: The Handmaid’s Tale
Big picture mysteries: What happened to create Gilead and who are the powers behind it? How will June save herself and her family from this place? How will Gilead fall?
Smaller mysteries:
Where is the Commander taking June and why is he taking her out? What is Jezebel’s? What kinds of people are there and why do they go? How long has Moira been working at Jezebel’s? What does she do there? How did Luke escape and what has life been for him since then? What’s Nick’s story and how did he end up being the Waterfords’ driver?
<hr>ASSIGNMENT 2:
My show: Beyond Temple Walls
What I learned from this assignment is that I need to be clearer and dig deeper in terms of who is actually involved in these mysteries and why. How deep does this conspiracy go?
1. Shocking Event Mystery
A. Shocking Event: The head monk of a beloved Buddhist temple is murdered.
B. Secret: The temple has many deep secrets lurking.
C. Investigation: Dekhune Serey and Sovannah eventually team up to uncover what truly happened that night.
WWWWW and How: (Who) Who killed Dekhune Thom and why? (What) He was defending the temple from something/someone. (When) The night before. (Where) At the temple.
Part Withheld: Who did this and why?
2. Time Mystery
A. Cover up: The temple is presented as a serene, inclusive and safe space for the worshippers and community members. Behind the scenes, it is the headquarters of an underground illegal gambling organization and where big bosses meet.
B. Secret: What else is the temple hiding? What conspiracies are they covering up? Who is involved and what are their intentions?
C. Reveals: The head monk (Dekhune Thom) has initially accepted this as a means to finance the activities of the temple and protect his community, or her thought. Things get out of hand and the temple is taken over and he loses control of this sacred space. Savannah’s family is deeply involved in the criminal activities and she wants to make things right.
WWWWW and How: (Who) The mastermind behind the downfall of the temple is Dara Thach, Savannah’s estranged father. (What) He has built his illegal business from scratch. This is his empire and source of power. (When) Started this 25 years ago. (Where) In the underbelly of the temple.
Part Withheld:
Why: Why would Dara Thach put his entire community at risk? Why would Dekhune Thom agree to it and for so long?
How: How has this been running for so long, especially with the police precinct so close by?
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Chantria’s Empathy/Distress Assignment
ASSIGNMENT 1:
Sample Show: Handmaid’s Tale
A. Undeserved misfortune. June is forced to become a handmaid and continues to be psychologically and physically abused.
B. External Character conflicts. June and Serena do not like one another and are in constant friction. Intentional: June manipulates the Commander in order to get information. Unintentional: June’s actions makes Serena jealous and more insecure.
C. Plot intruding on life. June has an opportunity to speak her truth when the Mexican government comes to visit and do business with Gilead. She pleads for help to the Mexican officials but they cannot help her as their population has come to a staff for years. They need Gileads Handmaids to help reproduce.
D. Moral dilemmas. The Mexican government must decide to either free the Handmaids or repopulate their country.
E. Forced decisions they’d never make. Desperate to repopulate their country, the Mexican government decide to take the deal with Gilead and trade for Handmaids.
<hr>ASSIGNMENT 2:
My Show: Beyond Temple Walls
What I learned from this assignment is that creating empathy/distress from various entry points and perspectives keeps the story fresh and audiences wanting more.
A. Undeserved misfortune. Dekhune Serey’s mentor and head monk of the temple has been mysteriously murdered in front of him. Sovannah lost her father as a young child and has been carrying the emotional load for her family since.
B. External Character conflicts. Dekhune Serey and Sovannah are at odds as they have very different world views.
C. Plot intruding on life. The new assigned head monk keeps Dekhune Serey busy with various temple tasks, keeping him confined to the temple and hindering his investigation.
D. Moral dilemmas. Dekhune Serey is constantly challenged to decide whether to sacrifice his moral values in order to continue with his investigation.
E. Forced decisions they’d never make. He gives up all of Sovannah’s secrets to the authorities in order to save his own life.
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Chantria’s Relationship Maps
What I learned from this assignment is that creating a visual relationship map gave me a bird’s eye view of the connections between the characters and, in turn, allows me to see any gaps that I can create to make a more compelling show.
ASSIGNMENT #2 <b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Sample Show: The Handmaid’s Tale
June Osborne >> Serena Waterford
Surface: Handmaid to her and her husband
Common Ground: Women trapped in this new order. Both want family units
Conflict: June wants to destroy Mrs. W. Mrs. W is jealous June can conceive and that her becoming a mother is dependent on June.
History: June is the new concubine after something tragic happened with the last. Mrs. W has been kind only when she thought June was pregnant and reverted to her aggressive/controlling
self after finding out June was not.
Subtext: Competitors
Relationship Arc: Competitors to partners
June Osborne >> The Commander
Surface: Handmaid to him and his wife
Common Ground: Enjoys playing scrabble and connecting to each other
Conflict: June does not want to be a handmaid
History: They have been secretly playing Scrabble together. He gives her small gifts.
Subtext: Co-conspirators
Relationship Arc: Enemies to friends
June Osborne >> Nick
Surface: Fellow lower-ranking staff
Common Ground: Both work for the Waterfords and disagree with the new order
Conflict: She feels betrayed by him
History: He has been driving her around for errands. He’s also warned her when an Eye came to
question her relationship with Ofwarren. They’ve slept together intentionally and passionately.
Subtext: Allies
Relationship Arc: From strangers to lovers
ASSIGNMENT #2
“Beyond Temple Walls”
Dekhune Serey >> Sovannah Thach
Surface: Attends temple events regularly. Dekhune Serey is one of 5 monks who reside at the temple.
Common Ground: They both care deeply about the well-being of the temple and its community members.
Conflict: Sovannah breaks all the rules, legally and sometimes morally. As a devoted monk, he cannot condone that.
History: They have known each other for over 15 years and have spoken a handful of times.
Subtext: Secretly attracted to one another
Relationship Arc: From strangers to each others’ “ride-or-die”
Dekhune Serey >> Detective Tran
Surface: Local detective, unfamiliar to Dekhune Serey. Detective Tran is intrigued by the temple but has never attended.
Common Ground: Believes justice is of upmost importance.
Conflict: Wants to dig into the history of the temple and suspects the place to be the headquarter of a major underground illegal gambling operation.
History: The precinct is a block away. Detective Tran has been scoping the temple for a few months now.
Subtext: He is morally superior to her.
Relationship Arc: From allies to enemies
Sovannah Thach >> Detective Tran
Surface: They live in the same city and have mutual friends. Both have questionable moral values.
Common Ground: Both street-smart and strategic
Conflict: Detective Tran wants to take expose the temple for money laundering and other criminal activity. Sovannah cannot let that happen otherwise it will collapse the community.
History: Seen one another at various mutual friends’ birthdays and get togethers. Have been attracted and intrigued by one another but no one’s made the move.
Subtext: frenemies
Relationship arch: From distrusting frenemies to lovers
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Chantria’s ‘Depth of Emotions’
What I learned doing this assignment is creating these depths of emotions makes the characters three-dimensional, more human and flawed, and thus more intriguing.
ASSIGNMENT 1: The Handmaid’s Tale
Character: June Osborne
A. Situational: Hope / Fear > To escape and be reunited with her family/ Arrested or killed for trying
B. Motivation: Want / Need > Wants to reunite with her family/ Needs freedom and self-determination
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask > Utter rage / A well-trained handmaid
D. Weaknesses: Powerlessness
E. Triggers: Injustice
F. Coping Mechanism: Withdrawal, losing herself in her memories. If permitted, she will kill.
Character: Mrs. Waterford
A. Situational: Hope / Fear > For June to bear her a child/ She will never have a child
B. Motivation: Want / Need > Wants power and control/ Needs love
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask > Deep sadness/ A proper and perfect wife
D. Weaknesses: Jealous, insecure
E. Triggers: Defiance, being disrespected
F. Coping Mechanism: With those who serve her, she lashes out and aggressively controls them/ With those of higher status: Hide and retreat
<hr>ASSIGNMENT 2: ‘Beyond Temple Walls’
Character: Dekhune Serey
A. Situational: Hope / Fear > To solve the mystery of his mentor’s death and bring the murderer to justice/ Getting killed in the process
B. Motivation: Want / Need > Protect his temple and community/ Self-esteem
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask > Loss and grief/ A respected and compliant monk
D. Weaknesses > Naive of the real world outside temple walls
E. Triggers > Injustice
F. Coping Mechanism > Deflects or shuts down
Character: Svannah Thach
A. Situational: Hope / Fear > Hope to feel whole again /Fear being seen as vulnerable
B. Motivation: Want / Need > Wants independence / Needs to belong to a clan
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask > Total failure and reject/ Tough unemotional exterior
D. Weaknesses > Hot temper and stubborn
E. Triggers > Being undermined
F. Coping Mechanism > Fights back
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Chantria’s Intriguing Character Layers for ‘Beyond Temple Walls’
Assignment 2:
What I learned from this assignment is that leading with curiosity and discovery allows layers to emerge, rather than forced upon based on my preconceived ideas of the series. Allowing it to unfold, knowing that it can, and probably will change allows for more flow in creativity.
Character Name: Dekhune Serey
Role: (28) Male. Protagonist and Buddhist monk. Southeast Asian, found refuge at the age of ten in a small Canadian town when he was sponsored and adopted by a Buddhist temple. His strong Buddhsit beliefs and optimistic view of the world comes into question when he witnesses the murder of his mentor. He goes on a quest to find out why and unexpectedly partners up with Sovannah.
Hidden agendas: He will sometimes tag along with Sovannah where he isn’t actually needed in order to experience things that monkhood doesn’t allow him to.
Competition: He is in competition with the novice monk, who is not Khmer, and doesn’t feel that monk deserves to be there.
Conspiracies: He conspires with Sovannah to uncover the truth.
Secrets: He has desires and curiosities denied and condemned as a monk.
Deception: He deceives the other residing monks in order to leave the temple to investigate.
Wound: He is an orphan and is deeply confused and wounded by it.
Secret Identity: He sometimes disguises himself as a layman in order to access places a monk cannot.
Character Name: Sovannah
Role: (35) Nonbinary. Has grown up coming to the temple with their family. This is her community and she will fend it till the end. Intelligent, sometimes sarcastic, and always observant, she’s always had an inkling there was something more underneath the surface of her community temple. They’re the black sheep in her community as seen by her tattoos and short haircut.
Hidden agendas: She wants to find out what happened the night of the murder of Dekhune Thom because she thinks it’s the key to figuring out the mysterious disappearance of her father 10 years ago.
Competition: In competition with the investigator also looking into the case. She wants to solve it before the investigator.
Conspiracies: She conspires with Dekhune Serey to uncover the truth.
Secrets: She is LGBTQ+ and nonbinary and lives in the closet.
Deception: She deceives her family in order to pursue her investigation and continuously put herself in potentially dangerous situations.
Wound: She’s always been rejected by her community, although usually not explicitly. She puts on a strong face but is hurt that her clan does not accept her. She doesn’t trust easily because of this.
Secret Identity: She is the daughter of a crime boss.
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<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Example Show: The Handmaid’s Tale
ASSIGNMENT 1: <div>
1. Character Intrigue in previous episodes:
Who is June Osborne? Where is her daughter and husband now? How will she deal as her memories come back to her?
How much does Emily know? How does she know there is an Eye where June lives? Who is the “Eye” and what is their agenda?
Who are the rest of “us”? Who is conspiring against the current government? How are they doing it under the radar?
How did this dystopia come to be? Who is in power behind the curtains?
This is a traumatized and wounded society and people. There are secrets lurking everywhere. Everyone is suppressed on some level and that makes them unpredictable as well.
Mrs. Waterford is in competition with June, at least in her mind. She is jealous and hurt that she’s unable to conceive and June can.
2. Character Intrigue in next episode:
June hides the Latin text carved in her bedroom’s closet. She lies to Rita when Rita finds her laying in the closet
Serena and the Commander conspire to discredit the Aunt that escaped Gilead and reported to a Canadian newspaper
The Doctor offers June an opportunity to get pregnant by him by going against rules and impregnating her. He confesses others are doing it.
At the Red Centre, Moira and June conspire to lure an Aunt away and rob her of her wardrobe in order for the both of them to escape. They deceive guards as they try to escape together as Moira dresses as an Aunt handling June.
June and the Commander and their secret Scrabble games
June has a hidden agenda when she asks the Commander what the Latin phrase is. She does not reveal where she’s read the saying. She has a secret agenda as she plays these games with him, trying to gain information from him to eventually use against him and this new order. Will he catch her doing this or will she get away with it. How much will he reveal to her, and in turn, to us?
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ASSIGNMENT 2:
Now, do the process with your show.
What I learned from this assignment is that the characters, story and world of this story is becoming clearer, showing itself in surprising ways if I don’t overthink and just dive in.
1. Tell us the journey of your show.
After witnessing the murder of his mentor, Dekhune Serey steps outside the only walls he’s known with the promise to uncover the truth of what happened that night.
2. Who are the main characters that will sell your show?
Dekhune Serey and Sovannah
3. Answer these questions for each of those characters.
A. Role in the show:
Dekhune Serey: (28) Male. Southeast Asian, found refuge at the age of ten in a small Canadian town when he was sponsored and adopted by a Buddhist temple. His strong Buddhsit beliefs and optimistic view of the world comes into question when he witnesses the murder of his mentor. He goes on a quest to find out why and unexpectedly partners up with Sovannah.
Sovannah: (35) Nonbinary. Has grown up coming to the temple with their family. This is her community and she will fend it till the end. Intelligent, sometimes sarcastic, and always observant, she’s always had an inkling there was something more underneath the surface of her community temple. They’re the black sheep in her community as seen by her tattoos and short haircut.
B. Unique Purpose / Expertise:
Dekhune Serey: He is our moral compass and guide. He is very trained in mindfulness and Buddhist studies.
Sovannah: She has been investigating her community temple for about six months and holds a piece of the puzzle about what happened to the Head Monk.
C. Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface?
Dekhune Serey: He is curious what it would be like to not be a monk. Curious about life outside temple walls and all those his strong beliefs forbids him to engage with.
Sovannah: She is LGBTQ+ and has not come out to anyone in her community.
D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing?
Dekhune Serey: He needs to go against Buddhist monk rules in order to complete his journey.
Sovannah: She conspires with a monk and puts him in morally compromising situations.
E. Unpredictable: What will they do next?
Dekhune Serey: Crossing into new territory of crime and temptations.
Sovannah: Her temper makes her unpredictable.
F. Empathetic: Why do we care?
Dekhune Serey: He’s an innocent and has witnessed his mentor murdered at his residing temple.
Sovannah: She’s an outcast from her community, though she still visits the temple because it’s the only place that makes her calm.
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Engaging Characters.
Sample Show: The Handmaid’s Tale
Character that sells the show: June Osborne
A. Role in the show: June Osborne: A handmaid forced to be a concubine to the elite and barren couple, the Commander and his wife committed to surviving and remembering who she is.
B. Unique Purpose / Expertise: She is beginning to remember her life before the new order.
C. Intrigue: She remembers her name and who she is. She also knows there is an underground resistance, an “us” that exists that she needs to find.
D. Moral Issue: The new order requires her to obey orders and never recall or speak about her past before the new order. In order to survive, keep her mind whole and maybe even escape, she needs to remember and hand onto her memories of her life as June Osborne.
E. Unpredictable: The physical and psychological toll this existence has on June makes her unpredictable. She could lose her mind, patience, or control at any moment and react emotionally as she continues to remember her past and connection to her daughter.
F. Empathetic: She is a woman forced to become someone’s property for the sole purpose of procreating for them. All of her power and independence has been ripped away from her, as was her family.
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3 circles of characters for BEYOND TEMPLE WALLS
A. Main Characters Circle:
Dekhune Serey: Grew up as a monk and now questions the entire of his belief system as his mentor was murdered in front of him. Is on a mission to uncover the truth about that night.
Dekhune Thom: Head monk of the temple. Murdered suspiciously in the middle of the night.
Sovannah (aka Vannah): suspicious of the activities happening at the temple. This is her community and she will defend it to the end.
Captain Tran: Local police somehow involved in the underground activities at the temple. We’re unsure which side of the law she’s on.
B. Connected Circle: 3 other resident monks, Pete Collins, Crime Boss, Sasda Thach
C. Environment Circle: Nuns, worshippers/community members (all ages), meditation retreat attendees, criminals, other crime bosses, federal investigator, city people
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ASSIGNMENT #1
Example Show: The Handmaid’s Tale
What I learned from this assignment:
It’s important to start with the core characters and branch out as all characters are intentional and need to connect with the main characters(s) and their journey.
Main Character Circle: June Osborne, Mrs. Waterford, The Commander, Aunt Lydia
Connected Circe: Moira, Janine, Offglen, Nick, Offwarren
Environment Circle: Other Handmaids’, other Wives, city guards, birthing mother, nurse, hanging corpses, other Aunts, Offwarren’s baby, other Marthas
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ASSIGNMENT #1
Series: The Handmaid’s Tale
What I learned from this assignment: Being clear on these 5 points will set up a story for success because it creates the most intrigue. Though it answers some questions within the story, it sets up more that can only be answered by continuing to watch the series.
1) Big Picture Hooks
Ask this: What is the big hook of this show?A woman is forced to live as a concubine in a fundamentalist dictatorship during a dystopian future.
2) Amazing and Intriguing Character
Ask this: What makes these main characters intriguing and interesting?June – A woman with no power remembers her past and is determined to survive and escape.
Mrs. Waterford – A seemingly powerful affluent woman is powerless within her own marriage.
Ofglen – A handmaid learning to trust another handmaid and reveals her mysterious past.
The Commander – A man of few words and great power, clearly involved in governing this new world.
3) Empathy / Distress
Ask this: What situation causes us to feel both empathy and distress for this character?June was kidnapped and imprisoned in Gilead. Her family was torn apart and she is forced to live as a concubine. Her freedom of speech and thoughts have been stripped from her.
4) Layers / Open Loops
Ask this: What questions are created by this first episode that can only be answered by watching the entire season?Who is this woman narrating? Who was she before she was Offred
How does Gilead work? What is the hierarchy of power and roles within them?
Who is Moira to June?
5) Inviting Obsession
Ask this: How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode?They’ve set up a world and an intriguing protagonist with a seemingly impossible mission. We learn there is an “Eye” within June’s residence and don’t know who. We see June finally waking up from her conditioning.
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Hello!
My name is Chantria and I’m an actor/writer/producer. I’ve written one play and currently working on my second. I’ve also co-written a television series adapted from my one-woman show, which is being shopped around at the moment. I’m taking this class to train my brain to create ideas consistently and to keep me accountable as I learn the foundations of TV writing. Something unique about me is I co-created the series while pregnant with my best friend who was also pregnant, so we met and wrote between nausea and naps 🙂
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Chantria Tram
“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.