Claudia Musikul
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Claudia Musikul’s Lead Characters 4A
I continue to learn the importance of just doing the assignment. It brings such clarity. In the past I have dealt with crippling perfectionism so it almost feels like a miracle to be able to turn in answers and not feel beholden to them. I really appreciate Hal’s constant reminders nearly every lesson and assignment to not get caught up on being “perfect” and that it actually impedes the process. I also love that for certain things he says “just guess’! It’s funny because my main character in this story also battles perfectionism-what’s that about writing what you know?!
It’s also wild that I really had no Change Agent or Betraying Character in mind at all initially. I think both these things vastly add to the story.
Longline: A dramatic and perfectionistic teenage ballet dancer strives for approval and success in the ballet world while balancing her dysfunctional family life, but ultimately learns to stay true to herself.
The Change Agent (An Initial Guess): At first I had no idea who the change agent might be but upon further thought, I think it may be the characters mother. The character’s mom is unconventional in society because she was a teen mom and is a Playboy Bunny. She never hides who she is and has chosen to be. I would like to expand further on these qualities.
The Transformable Character: Our main character the teenage ballet dancer. I think she is the right character because she was more free as a young child but due to her extensive pre professional ballet training she has been changed into someone more rigid and damaged. In a sense her change is getting back to her roots.
The Oppression: The oppression is the ballet world and its abusive practices and demanded rigid lifestyle. It is almost cult like in how it changes people and what it demands of you. She is also oppressed by being a minor and being forced to live in her parents dysfunctional world (her stepfather is a drug dealer).
The Betraying Character: The betraying character is the main character’s best friend. A fellow ballet dancer at her academy. The have an intensely close friendship but her friend will end up betraying her for the ballet world (playing with some things for this like betraying her and getting her in trouble to gain a lead role or something along those lines). She will also betray the main character by not following through on their plans to move to New York and escape their small town together at the end of the story. They have a very ‘historical close companions’ type of friendship/situationship. This character fits the role because although their friendship is intense and deep, their is a certain amount of toxicity always present in it. Probably due to the oppressing and damaging ballet world.
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In doing these lessons I have definitely been able to reel in my story but nonetheless doing a longline and having to go through the old and new ways of my character has made the story feel very trite and cringe. A lot of these aspects of her character feel very peripheral to the actual story. And in some ways I think it’s hard to deal with the transformation of an adolescent/teen over just a few short years. They are usually not so set in their ways as adults are and changing more quickly. So, I am putting this info here but remaining open to changes as we go!
Lead character with an issue – A dramatic, high-strung, and perfectionistic teenage ballet dancer
Journey – …strives for approval and success in the ballet world while balancing her dysfunctional family life
Transformation – … but ultimately learns to stay true to herself.
The Old Ways:
Super uptight, high strung, perfectionistic.
Embarrassed of her family.
Accepts abusive norms of ballet world.
Focuses only on opportunities created by others.
Struggles with disordered eating.
Overworks herself.
Major perfectionism.
Self centered.
Depressed.
Competitive.
The New Ways:
Learns to relax and embrace her creativity.
Accepts and finds value in her family despite their imperfections.
Starts to question the abusive norms of the ballet world.
Realizes playing by the rules never suited her.
Begins to find joy in eating and other normal pleasures of life.
Becomes a more collective artist collaborating with others.
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Claudia Musikul’s First Three Decisions
What I learned during this assignment is not to get overly attached to initial ideas. It doesn’t need to be perfect or right from the get go. You have to start somewhere to get anywhere.
What is your profound truth?
Profound Truth #1:
Playing by the rules isn’t a guarantee of success but you can fail and find the strength to try again.
What is the change you want the audience to make?
Be true to yourself and don’t be afraid to create your own success.
What entertainment vehicle will you choose?
The Embellished As It Happened Conflict. Although I am wondering if it’s possible to combine two different vehicles such as the Embellished As It Happened and the Conflict As Background.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by Claudia Musikul.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by
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1 What is the CHANGE this movie is about? What is the Transformational Journey of this movie? The change in this movie is about learning how to be happy through shifting from a selfish & cynical mentality to one that focuses on giving to others and forming genuine relationships with them. I think in a broader sense it is also about learning to appreciate the small things in life and whatever situation you find yourself in finding the beauty. <div>
Lead characters:
Who is the Change Agent (the one causing the change) and what makes this the right character to cause the change? Rita. She is the right person to cause the change because she is kind and optimistic.
Who is the Transformable Character (the one who makes the change) and what makes them the right character to deliver this profound journey? Phil. He is the right character to deliver this profound journey because he is a pessimistic, selfish asshole and we all have a little bit of that in us.
What is the Oppression? Being stuck on Ground Hog day indefinitely.
How are we lured into the profound journey? What causes us to connect with this story? We can connect to Phil’s dissatisfaction with life and we are intrigued by the situation he finds himself in and how he will choose to react to it.
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:
Old Ways: Phil hates his life and yet makes himself the sole center of it. He doesn’t live in the moment and just tries to get through his horrible life thinking a new better job will fix it. He berates the people around him. He is alone.
New Way At End: By the end he has learned how to make the most of what he has and connect & care about people. Through this he finds self love and becomes a person Rita can fall in love with. He wants to stay in Punxsutawney.
What is the gradient the change? What steps did the Transformational Character go through as they were changing?1) He knows he is unhappy and is trying to get a better job he thinks will make him happier.
2) Trying to make the most of being stuck on Feb. 2nd but still operating from a selfish place (using others, pulling one over on them, not forming deep connections, committing reckless crimes).
3) He realizes he cares for Rita and tries to win her over by planning and tricking her with the perfect day.
4) When Step 3 & 4 don’t work he becomes depressed and gives up on happiness by trying to kill himself.
5) When he realizes he can’t kill himself in abandon he tries out honesty with Rita and is able to form a real connection.
6) The real connection with Rita inspires him to see the beauty in reliving everyday and choose to help others and also nurture himself.
7) He has come to peace with himself and come to care not only about Rita but everyone in the town and himself. In doing so he sees the beauty in life. He is happy. Rita is now the one pursuing him. He wakes up with Rita and can continue on to the next day.
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</div>How is the “old way” challenged? What beliefs are challenged that cause a main character to shift their perspective…and make the change? The old way is challenged when he literally cannot continue on with his life by a miracle of the universe. He is forced to come to terms with how he lives an ordinary day. He is also challenged in the way he approaches things when his initial attempts at wooing Rita and getting her to bed don’t work. He is further challenged when he can’t even escape through suicide.
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What are the most profound moments of the movie?
-Seeing the old man die again and again.
-Waking up for the first time again on February 2nd.
-Trying to kill himself then first time.
-Becoming a beaming member of the community.
-Becoming a high level pianist and ice sculpture artist
-Saving peoples lives
-Showing kindness to his sideman
What are the most profound lines of the movie? <div>
“What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?” – Phil
“The wost part is that tomorrow you will have forgotten all about this and you’ll treat me like a jerk again.” -Phil
“It doesn’t make any difference. I’ve killed myself so many times, I don’t even exist anymore.” -Phil
Well, sometimes I wish I had a thousand lifetimes. I don’t know Phil maybe it’s not a curse. It depends on how you look at it.” -Rita
“No matter what happens tomorrow or for the rest of my life, I’m happy now because I love you.” -Phil
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</div>How does the ending payoff the setups of this movie? He is really a near unbearable asshole at the beginning of the film and by the end it’s fun to watch his 180 transformation and how he really has become a part of a community.
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What is the Profound Truth of this movie? True happiness comes from giving to others, connecting with others, doing things you truly enjoy, cultivating who you are, and being honest.
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Hello! My name is Claudia. I have written one script for a short film I directed. I hope to gain the insight to complete a draft of my first feature film. Ever since college I’ve had this huge writing block (I went to a hippie school that only had us write a million essays instead of tests) and the root of it is getting stuck when I begin to think the story is not meaningful enough.
And a fun fact about me is that I am a professional dancer in Los Angeles.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by Claudia Musikul.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by
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Claudia Musikul: 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.
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Hello, my name is Claudia Musikul. I’ve written one screenplay for a short film I directed. I’m excited to join this class and hopefully get a first draft of my first feature! I am also looking forward to getting to know more screenwriters.
A fun fact about me is that I’m a professional dancer.
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I, Claudia Musikul, 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.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by Claudia Musikul.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by
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Oh, I love this! I think this is so fun. I also like a story about a stripper that is so different from the norm and takes a magical approach. I am a pole dancer and pole performer, if you ever get to a point where you have questions about the details of that world (if you aren’t familiar yourself) I’d be happy to talk to you!
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I love the new longline! It sounds like something that has potential to be so visually grand and makes you want to see it right away. Although I also did love knowing about her rural farm roots from your old longline because I think that instantly paints such a vivid picture of the contrast in one’s mind. Anyway would love to see this movie!
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Very much resonate with what you learned! Getting lured off the path is so easy and this really does give you a guiding light.
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Strongly relate to what you learned!
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I relate very much to what you learned! Well said.
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I really like that you pointed out and specified he was a womanizer! When he first attempts to woo Rita he is using these womanizing methods. Just helpful for me to pin point!
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I hope so too!
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I grew up doing classical ballet and retired from that during the pandemic lockdown times. I then transitioned to pole dancing because I could do that from home during lockdown. My newest endeavor is aerial chains!
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I love the idea of a story about coming to terms with not having followed your dreams and would love to see that on screen!
Also your dedication to your buddhist nun character is amazing! I too am an actor.
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Don’t be embarrassed! I’ve only written a short film and it was a silent one so I’m in the same boat! Something in me just won’t quit either and even after constantly saying I’m not a writer and wanting to hire someone to write my feature story idea, here I am giving it a go! Also reading Greek classics in the original ancient Greek is badass!
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First of all super interesting life experiences! And dramedy is maybe my favorite genre because of the humanity and humor it allows!
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This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by Claudia Musikul.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by
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I think it’s very cool that you’re helping your friend with his story! I am in a very similar position writing wise with the idea I’m bringing to this class- I have the concept, outlines, and bare ideas and hoping to turn it into a completed script soon!
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I am experiencing these same issues and also sent a support request.