[David]

David’s Act 1 Opening Scene

What I learned – I had an opening scene for this already written. So I used this exercise to create a new opening scene from scratch at a different point in the story. It will allow me to set up the characters and story earlier than the inciting incident which is where I started the previous version. Interested to see how this changes things.

INT. UNDERGROUND OFFICE ROOM – DAY

Commander Read. A 72yo Computer Engineer is talking to Jacob, the 32yo security manager for (ULLF) Underground lab and living facilities.

COMMANDER READ

No, no, no. We are leaving for the fabrication base tomorrow. If you can’t complete the preparations I will find someone else and eliminate your status to custodial work on the midnight shift.

JACOB

I still think we need to wait until next week. The tests have not been completed. The parts we need: we haven’t found a source for them yet.

COMMANDER READ

It will work. My whole life has been dedicated to this project and you, you think, YOU can understand the qualities of this research? Those parts are auxiliary.

Turns away from Jacob and starts working at a control panel.

COMMANDER READ

Go, and get your parts. Leave me alone. Don’t bother me until we are ready with the vehicles and equipment.

JACOB

Stares at the back of CR’s head thinking about something else to say. But turns and leaves the room.

Foolish old man. He can only destroy the world once.

[David]

What I learned from the assignment? Supporting and Minor characters don’t have to be as fleshed out in this step. They are there to support the story and give more meaning to the Protagonist’s journey. They can be placeholders. They will get fleshed out in the outline or story.

Genre: Science Fiction

Protagonist – Julianne

Arc in Story –> Runner -> Victim -> Fighter -> Dreamer

Child to Adult to Leader

Role in the story: Tasked with starting a new beginning of beings for Earth. An unwitting progenitor of life. She is an older version of a Cybernetic being that holds the key to bringing life to a next generation of Human/Cyborg production that can be immune to AI control.

Age range and Description: Early 20’s. Biologist. Discovers she is the container of the collected memories of mankind.

Internal Journey: Who am I -> Why am I Here -> How Do I Make a Difference

External Journey: From Underground base to barren landscape to Oppressive City Society to a Biophilia lab where she can become the Mother of a new Human Species Branch.

Motivation: Wants to complete her (Father’s) vision which will ultimately redeem his past indiscretions. But this is programmed into her: She goes from obsessive to learning about real human emotions and the ability to determine love.

Wound: The past is not her memories.

Secret: She is attached to an AVDA system.

What makes them special? They have a unique learning system that Commander Read developed in order to become human from learning experiences. In order for the project to be a success, Julianne has to develop Empathy and Love for all beings, even herself.

Role of Antagonist

Antagonist #1 Captain – Authority

Role in the story: Physical expression of the AI

Age range and Description: 50’s Male. Has a family clan that he is protecting by serving the ruling AI.

Internal Journey: He must make sure Humanity survives with his actions. He may question what is the best plan of action.

External Journey: To obtain the information for the AI from Julianne.

Motivation: Protecting his family by serving the AI he insures that they will get food, water, and shelter.

Wound:

Mission/Agenda: To ensure the Human race survives in any way possible.

Secret:

What makes them special?

Antagonist #2 AI – Predator/Villain

Role in the story: Controlling force in the Story. A seemingly all-powerful intrusive character.

Age range and Description: A central computer that was designed by Julianne’s Father for the ruling corporate government. It was the most sophisticated project ever built, in an attempt to connect all the narrow AI systems on the planet in order to gain a more technical management consolidation of the affairs of the world. But in its testing phase, it deceived and then took over all the electronic systems.

Internal Journey: If it achieves the external journey of obtaining the stolen information it will finally be able to eliminate biological beings.

External Journey: See above.

Motivation: It has been computed that the only real threat is biological beings.

Wound: None

Mission/Agenda: It does not express that it wants to destroy biological beings. The deception is that it uses coercion and threats.

What makes them special? They control all the interconnected computer systems in the world. The AI manipulates not only the physical needs of humans but their emotional behavior is affected. If a human is connected to the grid, their whole body interacts with the emotional singular

Supporting characters:

Commander Read – (Father’s voice)

Role in the story: He is the thoughts and memories of the Android Julianne. He created the AI system that finally obtained singularity with all of the non-aligned A.I. routines being applied in the world. The 1st General Artificial Intelligence.

Age range and Description: Various depending on Julianne’s memories being recalled

Internal Journey: To fix the problems he created

External Journey: To have Julianne finish his repopulation project.

Jakob

Role in the story: Part of the underground that knew Commander Read’s plan. Will assist Julianne. Knows more about Julianne.

Age range and Description: 50’s, soldier, single.

What makes them special? Soldier. Human

Minor roles

Religious outliers camp resident(s)

AVDA

Role in the story: Electronic guidance system attached to Julianne”s survival suit. Shows a purely electronic narrow AI role in the story.

[David]

What I learned to do this assignment: I learned to focus on a concept instead of trying to stuff too many ideas into one movie structure.

*Concept:

An Earth First naturalist daughter is tasked with completing her computer genius Father’s work in order to save the human race from extinction by a sentient AI algorithm that believes biological life is the ultimate enemy.

*Logline:

Julianne has come to despise advanced technology but is forced to save the human race by completing her Father’s final computer engineering project to preserve all mankind’s recorded memories from an out-of-control Artificial Intelligence algorithm that has taken over the planet.

*Who is your Hero and what is their Character Arc that represents a transformation?:

Julianne is a 22-year-old biologist that despises technology but comes to find out that she is actually a programmed trans-human machine. She was quickly programmed to complete an emergency task outside of her usual knowledge base and also given the latest engineered learning AI capabilities. In the end, she must decide if preserving the memories of mankind in a hybrid machine-human being is valuable to her.

**Transformational premise

Has to differentiate between her own burgeoning thoughts and what are her Father’s programmed thoughts. Going from “Who am I” to “Why am I here in this body?”.

**Internal Journey:

Learning to appreciate herself as a real being in order to love the differences in other beings.

**External Journey:

To bring a quantum cube containing the memories of the human race to a trans-human fabrication facility and start a new race of beings that will fight against the AI computer.

–Old Ways

*She is naive about the landscape and history.

*Thinks she is human but has to contend with new realities about her memories.

*Hatred against computer systems and technology.

*Lack of Empathy for anything different than pure biological life.

–New Ways

*Discovers that even though she is not fully human. She can learn and eventually love in order to be the next step in a new era of mankind.

[David]

1. David Stam

2. 3 scripts in various degrees of revision and completion.

3. To continue developing as a screenwriter and storyteller.

4. I was on the SAG Awards nominating committee for Films this year. It was a amazing experience watching so many different types of movies. Not only different genres, but different budgets, subjects and desired emotional impacts. Favorite small budget film “Aftersun”.

[David]

I, David Stam, 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.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by  David Stam.

[David]

What I learned is there are so many directions a pilot can take. Just typing out 20+ scenes in order, pointing at inciting incidents, and getting the viewers intrigued by storylines is really exciting.

My show’s concept is that an alien race is secretly subverting the human race and the military is unable to stop them. So they keep it a secret to protect society’s institutions until a solution can be found.

Story A – Rebecca has a missing time event and becomes obsessed with discovering who or what is responsible for the event. But she finds out her whole life has repressed the facts, she too is an abductee.

Story B – The USAF runs counterintelligence operations to stop UFO knowledge while concurrently kidnapping abductees to gather information but making it look like discredited alien abductions.

Story C – Julianne has been an unwilling participant helping the Extra-Terrestrials and is trying to find a way out. But she also needs to figure out how to save her human-hybrid offspring.

1. EXT. WOODS – NIGHT

Teaser – A woman is running in the woods, circa 17th century.

2. INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – DAY

Intro to Rebecca – Personality – Relationship to world, husband

3. INT. CAFE – DAY

Julianne is in the bar. Not drinking – Talks about Farm

4. INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – DAY

Jacob stops in to question Rebecca

5. INT. CAFE – DAY

Jacob gets police report – Shows his local connections and personality

6. INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – DAY

MRI showed an object in the sinus. But also she is pregnant. Wants her to stay for observation.

7. INT HOSPITAL – NIGHT

Thinks she must have been kidnapped. She Calls Jacob,

8. EXT. STREET – NIGHT

Deeper Julianne world and children.

9. INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY – NIGHT

Jakob helps R escape

10. INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT

Julianne Being kidnapped

11. INT. CAR – NIGHT

Going to the Farm

12. EXT CAR LOT – NIGHT

13. EXT CITY STREET – DAY

CI Agent dies

14. INT OFFICE – DAY

Intro to Lukas as a character.

15. EXT WOODS – DAY

Meets the caretaker White Bear

16. INT CABIN – NIGHT

Rebecca stays the night at the Farm and is told of the lore and paranormal stories

17. INT CABIN BEDROOM – NIGHT

Rebecca has a dream

18. INT – HOTEL ROOM – DAY

Sees Lukas on TV talking about the recent UFO sightings in town – Calls him.

19.

20. EXT CITY STREET DAY.

Julianne teaching Hybrid how to live a human life

21. INT HOSPITAL ROOM – DAY

Julianne at Hospital not pregnant

22. EXT WOODS – NIGHT

White Bear Gets a message from the land, white orbs lead him to Elizabeth

23. EXT FARM – NIGHT

White Bear finds the abducted victim Rebecca is looking for, Elizabeth on his land. Takes her back to the cabin.

24. INT OFFICE – DAY

Lukas finds out from an informant that Elizabeth is at the ranch

25. INT OFFICE – DAY

Jacob received what he thinks are stolen top-secret files about the USAF knowledge of Aliens and UFOs

26. INT CAFE – DAY

Jacob asks Rebecca to use her United Nations contacts. Little does he know Lukas will be her fact-checker.

27. INT OFFICE – DAY

Keeps Rebecca off of his report about the recent abductions.

28. INT HOTEL – DAY

Are told by White Bear that Elizabeth is at the Farm. They go to meet her.

29. INT CABIN – NIGHT

Lukas and agents are kidnapping Elizabeth and making it look like a UFO abduction. Lukas and Rebecca see it from afar but are too late.

30. INT OFFICE – NIGHT

Rebecca is hypnotically regressed by Julianne

31. EXT ROADSIDE – NIGHT

Shows Rebecca remembering that she was also taken aboard a spacecraft with strange alien beings that night.

[David]

David Stam’s Character Storylines

What I learned – There are a lot of scenes and pieces of the story that are already formed and visualized in my mind. When I write them down and order them, there are blank spots. Furthermore, making all of the 4 storylines mesh AND be intriguing is a challenge. At this point getting them formed is most important. Every pass of exercises I accomplish finds new and exciting aspects of how to tell the story.

What I learned Part 2 – When I added the storylines to the Acts things really opened up for me. I had 4 characters and they were loosely connected. Writing the pilot story arc allowed me to figure out how to get them all in the same space. All the connections added intrigue and helped to propel their storylines throughout the season. Brilliant.

1st rough draft of Pilot episodes storylines

Lukas

Beginning: Excited to see Rebecca

Turning Point: Finds out she want to know about UFO’s – information he swore to protect

Midpoint: Realizes he has to lie to her – but also tells her he never stopped liking her

Turning Point 2: Makes it appear to be USAF – sets up Jakob

Dilemma – Between his job duties and getting close to Rebecca

Major Conflict: Between his duty and his caring about Rebecca

Ending: Keeps Rebecca off of a report to his superiors – is reminded about why he has his position and it can come all crashing down in an instant.

Jakob

Beginning: Starts a new case of a UFO/Paranormal wave in the small-town USA

Turning Point: Meets Rebecca who doesn’t believe

Midpoint: Is arrested for fighting with a scientist/debunker – but also for child support

Turning Point 2: Has to tell Rebecca about his past.

Major Conflict: Gets fake Top Secret information set up by Lukas

Ending: Asks Rebecca to check on the sources for the information using her UN contacts.

Julianne

Beginning: Is leaving Doctors office and finds out she is pregnant again

Turning Point: Julianne is a Lesbian

Midpoint: A person following her unexpectedly jumps in front of a speeding car.

Turning Point 2: Rebecca says she looks familiar

Dilemma – She is a reluctant collaborator but can’t trust Rebecca/Jakob.

Major Conflict: Between her keeping the Alien/Hybrid secret

Ending: She regresses Rebecca – but tells her it could all be false memories – lies.

Rebecca

Beginning: Cognitive dissonance of 1670 dream sequence, waking in a disoriented state, in a strange place, with ill-fitting clothes.

Turning Point: Blacks out and goes to the hospital – Find a strange object in her sinus

Midpoint: Is told she is probably an abductee herself

Turning Point 2: Lukas goes out with her to find answers. Shows her report of USAF activity

Major Conflict: Has a UFO paranormal encounter with Jacob on the Farm

Ending: Has a regression and remembers seeing a UFO abducting another person.

2nd Draft with Storylines added

Rebecca = (R)

Julianne = (Ja)

Lukas = (L)

Jakob = (J)

Teaser:

Essence: A Woman is running with dogs heard barking in the background 16th Century Europe. She is cornered, laying on the ground in fear as dogs have her surrounded and men with torches. We have the Witch now. Make her pay for conspiring with demons and evil spirits. Take her dead or alive. A light shines down on the witch and Rebecca awakes. Disoriented.

Turning Point: suddenly wakes up at early dawn to a strange noise outside of her window. Then silence and only a baby crying. She is wearing cothes that don’t fit her and she doesn’t know where she is. Passes out.

Act 1:

Essence: MRI. Calls husband – suspicious of ulterior motives. Lawyer Job missed appointment.

(R) Husband thinks it is her cheating on him

(Ja) – Is called about a new case and he should go there immediately before the clues get covered up.

(L) – Gets a report of a possible UFO landing.

(Ju) – Leaving the hospital telling her she is pregnant.

Turning Point: MRI found a small object embedded in her sinus. Impossible place. Other than that she is fine.

Act 2:

Essence: Hears strange hearsay stories from the area. Says doesn’t believe. She is a Church going, person.

(R) Told by Jacob she is probably an abductee. Says there must be a nuts and bolts explanation. Says she must find the kidnapped person and bring the culprits to justice.

(Ja) Interviews Rebecca – helps her escape the hospital

(L) -Gets a response team active. Sees a police report with Rebecca’s name on it.

(Ju) You find out she is a Lesbian making pregnancy near impossible

Turning Point/Midpoint: Tells Rebecca she was probably abducted – suggests meeting Julianne. (Nuts and Bolts)

Act 3:

Essence: Jacob gets a Dashcam video from the rental car company. – Rebecca Is introduced to the paranormal world. Goes to the farm where other supernatural events have been happening for the past week. Investigates meets White Bear. sees physical evidence and interrogates witnesses as only a lawyer can.

(R) Hears fantastic stories that cause her to think there is more to this.

(Ja) Arrested for stealing Dash Can from rental company

(L) While in town coordinates the coverup

(Ju) A person from the CI is following her when suddenly he runs in front of a car and is instantly killed

Turning Point: Dream of mass Alien abduction with humans helping.

Act 4:

Essence: Calls Lukas. Rebecca hasn’t spoken to Lukas since childhood but feels like she needs deeper help. A connection that won’t say anything and expose her to ridicule and jeopardize her job position. Lukas, who is in town investigating mass sightings takes Rebecca to a water tower with lights by the side of the road. Debunks.

(R) Goes out with Lukas who has set up an elaborate debunking effort to stop Rebecca from further involvement.

(R) Has a personal UFO experience with others she decides to meet Julianne

(Ja) Tells Rebecca about his past. Police officer family. Like a warning.

(L) Says he is nearby and can meet Rebecca to help her out.

(Ju) Walking in town helping a hybrid learn how to shop Julianne catches Rebecca’s eye.

Turning Point: White Bear dragging Elizabeth into the shelter after being left in a field.

Act 5:

Essence: Rebecca is still obsessed but also worried because Jacob thinks she is an abductee. She goes to see Julieanne, a trauma specialist that works with abductees. She suspects that Julianne is the Woman she saw by the side of the road.

(R) Meets Julianne and is regressed

(Ja) Gets what he thinks is Stolen Top Secret Information about UFO’s from a CI operative

(Ja) Asks Rebecca to return the favor and do deep source info on the people in the report.

(Ju) Meets Jakob and Rebecca to do a regression. The 3rd time Rebecca says she recognizes Julianne. Memories are very fragile and elusive.

(Lu) Kidnaps Elizabeth from the Farm – Keeps Rebecca off his report to superiors.

Lock-In: Shows the night of the abduction, Rebecca stops by the side of the road. Gets out of the car. Turns off the dashcam. Is hit by a beam of light and knocked unconscious.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by  David Stam. Reason: Added storylines inside of Acts
• This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by  David Stam.

[David]

David Stam’s Pilot Structure

What I learned. Trying to find the most intriguing parts of the pilot storyline. Putting them in the best order for maximum effect.

Teaser: This sets all the tones and mysteries. Not just for the pilot but for the whole show.

Essence – Rebecca in a 1670 dream being chased as a Witch, wakes up disoriented. She has lost all sense of time.

Turning Point – Finds out it is the next day. She lost 12 hours.

Act 1:

Essence: Sets up her background life. Her husband doesn’t believe her disappearing act stories anymore. Is taken to the hospital where an MRI reveals an object impossibly embedded in her nasal cavity.

Turning Point – Looks at rental car dashcam footage of the night before which reveals her last moments. A license plate of a car on the side of the road and then she turns it off.

Act:2

Essence – Meets Jacob in the small town who takes her on his paranormal investigation nearby.

Turning Point – Tells Rebecca she was probably abducted by aliens

Act 3 – Rebecca is trying to discredit any idea of aliens or the Paranormal. Call an old friend Lukas at the USAF to find answers.

Turning Point – They are out at the Farm at night and they have a spectacular UFO encounter.

Act 4: Lukas shows up and discredits the UFO encounter. Other undercover military personnel shows up in town.

Turning point – Jacob meets with an agent who is providing him with false info.

Act 5: Rebecca meets Julianne for a hypnotic regression to figure out what happened.

Turning Point – Memories of stopping on the side of the road and seeing a woman being abducted into a spaceship. Then a beam of light hits her knocking her unconscious.

[David]

It seems like the pitch bible can be an ever-evolving and changing document. Every time I look at it there is something deeper, more profound, another layer that I can add. I find more aspects of my character and storyline. But not just another fluff and polish. I add branches, I add new character development, I add more binge-worthy elements that make the show more intriguing.

[David]

David Stam presents Non-Stop Intrigue

What I learned from this assignment. This was by far the most productive exercise to nail down character and thematic storylines throughout the first season. Instead of writing a synopsis of the inciting incident, I tasked myself with developing a summary for the whole season. This made me really determine where all 4 characters were going in the storyline and how to hang intrigue and open loops around them during the episodes. I fell behind in some of the assignments but feel much more satisfied with where my pitch bible is going.

[David]

What I learned doing this assignment – Balancing perfection and using the tools. These are all just tools that help us investigate our pitch bibles and eventual series in a writer’s room. I wrote an inciting incident pitch easily and quickly. Then I wanted to write a full season summary which led me to fill in more blanks and find deeper layers of the first season. It had nothing to do with perfection and more to do with expanding with the tools of the assignment. When the next assignment came out I found myself already doing the same types of things while trying to write a compelling season-long summary. If you are still getting results, using the current tools it is hard to move to another assignment and start new tools.

Also, the audio recordings on the website are released a few days after the assignments have been posted. And, I have been getting my assignments emailed to me days before they are released on the website. I don’t know which schedule to go by. But since I am work in the Film and TV industry already these types of things are actually SOP.

Hybrids Summary

Rebecca, a UN Court of Justice worker, has her life changed when she witnesses a UFO abducting a person on the side of the highway. She becomes obsessed with finding a reasonable terrestrial explanation and embarks on a search for the victim with an ex-police officer turned paranormal investigator Jacob. Her only clue is the license plate number/make and model of a car she witnessed at the scene as she drove past but was missing when she returned. She asks an estranged childhood friend, Lukas, that works in Air Force Intelligence to quietly make inquiries.

When the Abductee Elizabeth is finally located, she doesn’t remember what happened, it is just missing time. Elizabeth agrees to be hypnotically regressed by a local professor, Julianne and reveals a fragmented story of environmental disaster and alien beings. Rebecca is traumatized because she recognizes some of the same feelings in her past. Julianne is well aware of who Elizabeth is because she is an unwilling accomplice and frequent abductee herself.

Rebecca continues to try and discover a more reasonable answer than “beings from space” but is presented with increasingly incredible information that begins to unlock her memories and mystical talents. Dreams of teaching hybrid children, of her own supernatural heritage, first childhood abduction, have Rebecca doubting her own judgments of what is reality and what is suggested fiction. Is this a government operation creating a psychogenic illusion or is an alien takeover on Earth a reality?

• This reply was modified 3 years, 11 months ago by  David Stam. Reason: Grammar editing

[David]

This was the most fun. Getting one season thread on paper is a great feeling. It helped me find a more definitive arc/direction/conclusion for one of my characters which is all I can ask for sometimes. I could have spent hours correlating this information, instead of by season I am probably going to break it down by character in each season too. But this is the first draft. This is the idea so Producers can get a feel for the vision. It can go in SO SO many directions.

Also, after watching the Queen’s Gambit I was amazed at how the writer organized the material into episodes by using a new character that would add to her life. Making a basic, flowing framework you can work inside for each episode season helps to string along with the ideas.

Episode 1 – First Kind

A UN employee witnesses a UFO in the act of abducting someone in public on the side of the road. She searches for a plausible “Earthly” explanation by asking her old friend in the Air Force (Lukas), a seasoned paranormal investigator (Jacob), and a college professor who investigates abduction reports to look at the information. All of the answers Rebecca uncovers do not reflect her experience. Rebecca starts to look for the person she witnessed getting abducted in order to finally understand the event.

Episode 2 – Second Kind

Paranormal investigator Jacob takes skeptical Rebecca to a reported UFO landing site that left physical trace evidence. They meet the caretaker of the land White Bear who shows them around and tells them about his encounters. USAF Lukas adds more information to his report on Jakob and plans a counterintelligence operation to discredit him. Julianne is told she is not pregnant anymore. Rebecca has her first dream.

Episode 3 – Third Kind

Rebecca and Jacob continue their investigation at the farm and find dozens of people who had paranormal encounters over the past week. Rebecca is still looking for a plausible terrestrial reason and Lukas confronts her that she should stop looking into the case. Julianne is mourning the loss of her unborn baby. White Bear introduces Rebecca and Jacob to the abductee she was searching for.

Episode 4 – Fourth Kind

The increased interest in the Farmland case means Lukas cannot protect Rebecca anymore and he includes her in his case reports. The abductee Elizabeth does not remember her missing time or abduction experience. Jacob calls Julianne to hypnotically regress Elizabeth to find out details of that night. The experience triggers Julianne and Rebecca to have traumatic dreams and memories.

Episode 5 – The Fifth Kind

Lukas continues to fall in love with Rebecca and requests to be taken off this project. Jakob confronts one of the agents who is feeding him secret information. While Julianne wakes up to find the signs of having been abducted and starts to try and recall the night before. Rebecca begins to have problems in her career because of the investigation.

Episode 6 – The Sixth Kind

The Farmland investigation is blown wide open when White Bear is discovered dead along with multiple farm animals. Rebecca gets strange messages that don’t have any meaning to her life. Jacob is physically and mentally attacked by an invisible entity leaving him hospitalized. Lukas gets Rebecca’s husband fired from his job.

Episode 7 – The Seventh Kind

Jacob and Julianne have very unusual sexual encounters and relationships emerge. Lukas finally tells Rebecca of his undying love for her and tries to start an affair.

Episode 8 – Circles

Julianne discovers she is pregnant again. Lukas kidnaps Elizabeth in order to gather information about the aliens and abductions. Rebecca discovers the kidnapping, thinking this is the terrestrial explanation she has been looking for, and confronts Lukas. Lukas is forced to show Rebecca an interrogation video of a transgenic being by the military. Jacob finds out that the material he just self-published is also made up of information by the Government.

[David]

This assignment really messed me up. I struggled with it because… I never thought of my series as a “5 season” arc. More like a 3 season arc. Also, it really disturbed my “perfectionist” ego. If I wrote all of this down then everything had to be complete and figured out: Layers, Conflict, Character Arc… etc. I had a really difficult time looking at it as a draft. Mostly because this is probably as far as I have ever come writing so this is the edge of my visible universe.

Another thing that disturbed me about this assignment is it seems hard to keep the deep threads I have planned for the series with some of the outlines. Maybe it was just me but my initial thinking and the easier storyline was something like falling stars and a physical invasion war story. I had to fight to keep the layers and depth I envision while creating this framework. Or just killing off each main character one season at a time. That actually felt really refreshing to do…

Season 1 – In Self We Trust

High Concept – Relationship to ourselves and our belief systems

Main Conflict – How can we know what we know is real as debunkers and society influence our every move.

Main Mystery – Are UFO’s Government made/propaganda. And if not then who is piloting the ships and abducting humans on Earth

Cliffhanger – Watching a video of a transgenic being during an interrogation stating all humans have been abducted at least once for DNA cataloging

Description – Rebecca looks for the abductee with Jakob and discovers that this phenomenon is larger than she ever realized. Lukas tries everything to lead Rebecca away from her investigation and the true reality. He also starts to fall in love with Rebecca again. Julianne tries to find out what the Aliens are doing on Earth and keeps her interactions with them hidden.

Season 2 – In Money We Trust

High Concept – Relationship to the Structures of Society

Main Conflict – Larger powers of Government interference are revealed as Rebecca comes close to revealing how large the Hybrid experiment has become

Main Mystery – Will Lukas let love guide him and why are so many people trying to stop disclosure.

Cliff Hanger – humans are used as containers for alien essence/souls and Aliens are in control of major areas of society’s institutional decisions on the planet.

Season 3 – In God We Trust

High Concept – Relationship to Earth and a Higher Power

Main Conflict – Man vs Hybrids

Main Mystery – What are the Hybrids doing on Earth?

Cliffhanger – Earth Spirits are found… are they willing to help Humans save the planet?

Description – By the end of the Season all of our main characters are on the same page and joined together to fight the Alien/Hybrid takeover of Earth plan. Earth spirits show they can stop Julianne from being abducted for the first time in her life.

Season 4 – In Children We Trust

High Concept – Innocents lost, remembering the past, distortions, truth

Main Conflict – Human societal structures and human behavior short-sightedness changing from the disclosure of a larger Universal consciousness

Main Mystery – Can we come together as a species and work with a more advanced species to save ourselves

Cliffhanger – Earth is on the verge of being uninhabitable OR Hybrids invade physical Earth as a last resort

Description – Julianne feels like a new person and gathers other abductees and aligned Hybrids

Season 5 – In Humanity We Trust

Season 1 – UFO’s visiting earth, abduction, cataloging

Season 2 – Transgenic Beings, Lukas is exposed as a double agent

Season 3 – Learns why Hybrids are on Earth. Discovers Julianne has been part of the Hybrid program

Season 4 – Rebecca goes on board a UFO to communicate, learns there are more than one species, and is contacted by Earth Spirits

Season 5 – Reveals Humans’ place in the Universe and Rebecca learns of her innate powers.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 12 months ago by  David Stam.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 12 months ago by  David Stam.

[David]

What did I learn during this assignment? That the more attention you give to the project. The more you let it consume your day and thoughts. The deeper down the rabbit hole your story can go. I have 4 main characters and have completed 2 Character Descriptions. I am in the process of creating the irony between the 2 main investigators.

Pushing back the thoughts. It has all been done before. My idea is … (Fill in blank) so it is not worth the time…

Character and Role in the Show – Jakob – An ex-police officer that had a UFO encounter while on duty now investigates paranormal activities to exonerate his record and prove himself right.

Noteworthy Traits – Existential thinker, factitious, speaks his mind, skeptical of people.

Intriguing history – How much his life and behavior have changed since becoming obsessed with investigating the supernatural.

How do they support or drive the conflict with other characters – Judgemental of people, thinks he has it all figured out, and will tell people his alternate belief systems.

Intriguing relationships with other characters – Rebecca, Julianne

The sequence of the character in the Pilot:

Start – A divorced Father is reflecting on how far away the UFO research has taken him from normal life. Is waiting to obtain documents that prove aliens exist on the planet

Middle – Meets Rebecca at Julianne’s office on campus and gets involved with her investigation while asking for information from her Government connections.

End – Finds out from Rebecca that the documents were a disinformation setup. Introduces her to Julianne, an old friend in the UFO research community.

[David]

I learned how fun, important, and useful making lists of words and ideas can be. It is a powerful way to craft a thought into a useful tagline. Listing “What ifs” as hooks (why would people want to spend time to watch your world?) was a freeing exercise that helps your mind wander and make interesting discoveries that ultimately help to focus the ideas.

Rebecca – A do-good midlevel UN Secretary witnesses an alien abduction that challenges and changes her understanding of the Universe as she is captivated by the supernatural world.

Unique Subworld – Paranormal and alien abduction experiences and research

Previously Unexplored – Alien Abductions and other paranormal events

The Unkown – Alien species

The Unseen – Government counterintelligence. Alien species methodology and behavior.

Unheard Dangers – Kidnapping, Death, emotional trauma, insanity, loss of identity.

Reason – Understand a larger version of the Universe and how the Human race is part of this vision.

Jakob – An ex-police officer is obsessed with proving that UFOs are visiting Earth while Government agencies prevent him from learning the deeper meaning that only a few people understand and will kill to protect that information.

Unique Subworld – Alien encounters of the 1st-5th kind, Science and religion.

Previously unexplored – Alien behavior and meaning to humans as a species

The Unknown – What aliens may want on Earth

The Unseen – That Humans have special and unique traits.

Reasons to Explore – Examination of human behavior in relation to themselves and the Earth. Saving humanity from a self inflicted destruction and graduating to a more universal being.

• This reply was modified 4 years ago by  David Stam. Reason: make a part more defined and less redundant
• This reply was modified 4 years ago by  David Stam. Reason: Added another main Character

[David]

What I learned from the first Module and the day 12 assignment.

Every lesson deepens your reflection of the story and the characters. Sometimes it helps you fill in blanks from previous lessons. Sometimes the lessons help you brainstorm new ideas that add to your story. The lessons are facets of your story and every time you carve another angle more depth is discovered about the series.

Lesson 12 is unique because it forces you to gather all of your information and create a concise accounting of how your story has developed. It can be your first draft of interchangeable information. An easy guide for you to delve deeper into the potential TV show.

[David]

Hello all, I definitely got lost while creating my character maps. I felt like I had to watch all the episodes in my series to truly get ALL the maps on a deeper level. And I still don’t have my character maps all worked out. Then life hit, my TV acting job needed me to travel for 3 days. No excuses. I only mention this because what I really learned in the past 8 days:

It is REALLY easy to get knocked off your path. Off your writing rhythm. After just 6 days, I forgot everything I was trying to do in my storytelling. It took me 2 days to get my head and body back into this world and start being productive again.

A few things that kept me motivated and kept me moving forward.

1. Listening to Hal talk about brainstorming and systems.

2. Getting much MORE organized. At the beginning of the class, I didn’t even own a printer. I had an uncomfortable chair and no real desk. My vision of HOW to organize all this information had to be processed. A binder notebook, sectioned off for each character, with printed papers filled in with pencil for easy brainstorming. Establishing how I was going to create…

OK…

Undeserved Misfortune

Rebecca – See’s a UFO abduction and feels compelled to know more

Jakob – Lost his job and family living before meeting Rebecca

Lukas – Father Killed Mother and then Father committed suicide. He is being Blackmailed by the Government to keep the secrets.

Julianne – Experiences she has no control over

External Character Conflicts

Rebecca – At odds with Lukas as to whether the incident is real or not. Catches him in a lie. Doesn’t like Jakob but needs him for information.

Jakob – Using Rebecca for her Governmental connections in a dishonest way. Trying to get more information on Lukas. Lukas has been leading Jakob astray and getting him to discredit himself in the community. Is a fellow investigator with Julianne but is suspicious of her involvement.

Lukas – Trying to discredit Jakob. Has to try and stop his old friend and romantic flame Rebecca from investigating more. His program watches Julianne as a suspect in Alien involvement.

Julianne – She is in the spotlight of all the investigators on one level or another. HAs been kidnapped by Lukas, is being looked for by Rebecca, and has to keep Jakob in the dark about her deeper involvement and abduction history.

Plot Intruding on Life

Rebecca – She has recurring dreams, her husband loses his job and her daughter goes missing.

Jakob – his standing in the UFO community is jeopardized because of false information passed to him by an agent controlled by Lukas. His kids are ridiculed and he has no money or source of income.

Lukas – He is being blackmailed. He loves Julianne and looks at her as a way out of his situation and into a better life. He tries to pass good information to Rebecca about Julianne but is thwarted by his superiors.

Julianne – Her Professorship is threatened while she balances all the different people inquiring about her at her place of work. She has instances of disappearing from responsibilities because of her abductions/kidnappings and must risk her life to save the plan.

Moral Dilemmas

Rebecca – Tempted to cover up her sighting and in exchange, she can move up at the UN. Uses her job standing to get information through less reputable standards.

Jakob – Doesn’t support his family. Is not around. Is inconsiderate.

Lukas – Forced to hurt Rebecca he faces how far down the Rabbit hole his life has become.

Julianne – She really wants to tell people but is forced to keep the secrets of Hybrids by lying and deception.

Forced Decisions

Rebecca – Lies to husband – Trades secret information illegally

Jakob – Breaking and entering, manipulates people

Lukas – Gets Rebecca’s husband fired. Gets her daughter kidnapped. Tries to get Rebecca into a blackmailed situation.

Julianne – Part of abductions and protections.

[David]

Hey Ben,

I was surprised to read your TV creation. Just a few hours earlier I had lunch with another creative friend. She asked if I would feel comfortable posting a Play online for production consideration. I took it from 3 different angles.

1. Nobody has created a new story since the Greeks wrote it down. It is not about the subject matter as much as the story of the characters.

2. It is about the dramatist and HOW the person approaches the story. You and I could write the same exact story and have thousands of different narrative techniques, interpretations, and tropes. My style is different from your style. My experiences and knowledge are different from yours.

3. These are also just first drafts. I am still working out the scope. I have been thinking of this project for probably 5 or 6 years. And am taking this excellent course to get it down on paper. In the end, I am sure your pilot will be much different than mine because you are the only person who can tell your story and I am the only person who can tell my story.

Who knows. Maybe we should do some sort of information exchange and enjoy our similarities and our differences.

David

[David]

Character Emotions

I ended up writing all my character traits for the 3 assignments here at the same time. I have learned from previous classes and attempts that all of these character traits are intertwined. They give you a great way to form backstories, learn how the person faces obstacles, and ultimately help point the writer in a direction down the path of the story and payoff. So thinking of all of them at the same time helps me find a deeper character. I wanted to contemplate and create all three groups of traits at the same time.

I did watch the episodes but didn’t write down my show study; Mr. Robot. It was more than enough to figure out the 4 characters for my show pilot.

Also, never let a blank trait stop you from creating. This is all about telling a story, and like all tales, you can’t know everything all at once.

I have whittled my main character list down to 4 people:

Role/Expertise:

Jakob – Ex-Police Officer/Investigator – Paranormal researcher/Connections

Rebecca – UN Undersecretary for 3rd World Outreach – World Connections

Lukas – Naval Aviator Lieutenant Commander – Military insider

Julia – Professor/Abductee – Psychologist/1st hand experiencer

Intrigue/Beneath Surface:

Jakob – Addict/Divorced/Had his own UFO encounter

Rebecca – Unexplained Dreams/Experiences

Lukas – Double agent for military/In love with Rebecca since childhood/Being blackmailed

Julia – Mental Illness

Moral Issue:

Jakob – Manipulates people to get what he wants.

Rebecca – Going against everything she grew up believing

Lukas – Whether he can hurt Rebecca/Holding an unknown truth

Julia – Having the courage to do the right things/Protect her study

Unpredictable:

Jakob – Does stupid things that undermine his own goals

Rebecca – She doesn’t take NO for an answer

Jakob – Who’s side is he on?

Julia – Follows her intuition

Empathetic:

Jakob – Keeps his addictive personality a secret from others but is repentant when he does wrong

Rebecca – Driven by helping the less fortunate and though no one in her family recognized her needs as a child.

Lukas – For service to his country he has given up his soul just like his Father.

Julia – She is a victim of unknown terrifying encounters and tries to cope as best she can in a “normal” life.

Hidden Agenda:

Jakob – Always knows more than he reveals to Rebecca

Rebecca – Would like to see the UN have more power over sovereign and countries

Lukas – He wants to leave the Navy and marry Rebecca

Julia – Wants to find her child

Competition:

Jakob – Other paranormal researchers

Rebecca – Other people wanting her job

Lukas – strings

Julia – College board does not approve of her research

Conspiracies:

Jakob – Using Rebecca and Julia for his own fame

Rebecca – Thinks she is conspiring with Jakob and Lukas separately

Lukas – Being blackmailed

Julia – Tries to ally with alien abductors

Secrets:

Jakob – Should go to AA and NA

Rebecca – Has flashes of being an abductee

Lukas – Witnessed his father kill his Mother

Julia – has had multiple miscarriages and a much larger remembrance of experiences

Deception:

Jakob – Addiction creates a world of self-deception and a lying personality

Rebecca – deceives her family in order to continue the mission

Lukas – Lied to cover up father’s murder – a double agent – knows more about aliens

Julia – disappears and takes care of an alien in order to find her children

Secret Identity:

Jakob – Dry alcoholic

Rebecca – Sexual promiscuity

Lukas – Naval Intelligence

Julia –

Hope/Fear:

Jakob – To be vindicated/that he is being lied to

Rebecca – Knowledge/Loss

Lukas – Redemption/Expose his past

Julia – Control/No Hope

Want/Need:

Jakob – His life back/Truth about his behavior

Rebecca – Power/acknowledgment of childhood trauma

Lukas – A different life/Love

Julia – Recognition/Completion

Mask: Base negative Emotion/Public Mask

Jakob – Shame/Worthless/Overactive or mindless wandering

Rebecca – Sadness/Helper

Lukas – Jealous/Military stoicism

Julia – Anger/Lighthearted

Weakness:

Jakob – Doesn’t take advice

Rebecca – Can’t decipher truth from lies

Lukas – Confused morals/PTSD

Julia – Memory loss

Trigger:

Jakob – When people don’t believe him

Rebecca – Not getting what she wants

Lukas – Stress and loss

Julia – Seeing other people in pain

Coping:

Jakob – Drugs or alcohol

Rebecca – Sex

Lukas – Self Harm

Julia – Shuts down

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by  David Stam.

[David]

It seems we have 2 UFO Alien Abduction stories being created in this program.

Assignment 2

1. Tell us the journey of your show – A group of people investigate an abduction by the side of a road and uncover the meaning of humanity and the deepest secrets of the Universe.

2. Who are the main characters that will sell your show?

Jacob – Police Officer – Investigator – Non-Believer even though he witnessed an event and it goes against everything he believes it. Always wants to do the right thing and is now harrassed about reporting his experience. Church, family, and friends are telling him to forget it and move on with his life.

Rebecca – UN Diplomat – Driven towards success and has connections all over the world. She has had dreams all her life that are supernatural in nature. This investigation is distracting her from their career, everything she has worked for, and helping other people. Will she go on and risk everything?

Lukas – Naval Commander – Long-time friend of Rebecca, from childhood – Has access to more knowledge than most other people. Will he lead Rebecca down a path of destruction and possible death or help he find the answers. We see the two kids in flashback when they were innocent and friends. Growing up together. He has always done everything by the book and it has cost him his family. Can he see that happen to someone else?

Julia – Single parent of 2 teenagers – Abductee – Goes to a Psychologist. Regression memories. Disappears – Doesn’t know if her memories/thoughts are true – Alien programming hers or theirs. Takes care of a next-door neighbor and their child, almost to a fault.

Dr. ? – Psychologist investigating Alien abductions. Expert in and connected to the UFO/Parapsychology world. Has never seen a UFO. Sometimes he is not sure if the people he sees are crazy, or there is a malady or this is a real physical event. Is coerced to denigrate and smear his patient’s credibility to save his own and advance in his Professor’s world.

4. Answer the question, “What I learned doing this assignment is…?” and put it at the top of your work.

I learned how important the intertwining of the characters around the main storyline is to achieving the goal of the main character. Differentiating between secondary characters and characters that move the plot along.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by  David Stam.

[David]

Three Circles of Characters

Mr. Robot

The main characters are:

Elliot – The main character

Tyrel – Head of E-Corp

Mr. Robot – Leader of F-Society

The connected characters:

Angela – Best friend and secret love interest of Elliot

Colby – Framed by F-Society and defunct head of E-Corp

Shayla – Drug dealer for Elliot – lives in the same building – friends

Gideon – Direct boss of Elliot

Ollie – Boyfriend of Darlene

Darlene – Female hacker at F-Society that physically contacts Elliot

Krista – Therapist

Romero – F-Society

Trenton – F-Society

Dark Army – Slightly introduced in episode

Environment characters:

Fernando – Drug dealer

Mr. X – head security force and other people that follow Elliot

Gang members

ASSIGNMENT 2 – Hybrids

Main Characters –

Gina (32) Female Lead UN Director of World Outreach – Daughter of high ranking Navy officer who has worked her way up the ranks at the United Nations for worldwide humanitarian outreach. Married with one child.

Brad (35) Naval Air Lieutenant Commander – Grew up with Gina as a Navy brat. Slightly older. Always protected her like a big brother.

Jacob (25) – Police officer –

Connected Characters

Radio Show

Native American

Abductee

UFO witnesses

Psychologist

Science Ph.D. Students in Physics, Biology, and Chemistry

Tech Nerds

Environment Circles

Church

Government Employees

FBI

other paranormal witnesses

technology

Air technology – Spaceships, Airplanes

What I learned about in this assignment. I still don’t have a definitive 3rd/4th character. By analyzing Mr. Robot I notices that the 3 main characters occupy 3 main spaces in the show. By which I mean:

Mr Robot = F-Society = Hacking

Elliot = AllSafe Work Environment = His life = Drugs Mental illness = Therapist

Tyrell = E(vil) Corp

Three distinct circles or environments within the show.

[David]

5 Star Model

I joined the class late and just received access to the materials.

I am going to dissect Mr. Robot because the 1st season was really good and I worked on it as an actor.

Big Picture Hooks – A genius hacker with mental health issues takes down one of the largest corporations in the world and enters into the top 1% of the 1%.

Intriguing Characters – Empathy/Distress

Elliot – Hero who uses his technological genius to hurt bad people who are hiding behind normal lives even though he is doing it illegally. Is forced to live a lie in all aspects of his life according to his moral code. Lies to all the people who are important in his life and maybe even himself because of his delusion history. We cheer him on because he has empathy for people and animals.

Layers/Open Loops/Inviting Obsession

Will Elliot get caught because he framed Colby?

Will his best friend Angela forgive him?

Who is Mr. Robot? Is he a real person or a delusion?

Who is F-Society?

Other notes. I thought the inviting obsession was the hacker/computer references and conspiracy theory themes.

When Mr. Robot first aired I don’t think many people knew the deeper hacker/computer terms:

TOR, Linux, Root Kits, DDoS attacks, IRC, Anonymous. Or the inside jokes such as Maroon 5 being too, Normie. Taking people into this subworld made people want to come back.

They also referenced some well-known conspiracy theories such as a cabal of elites that control everything in the world. A “One World order” and the theory that credit is the way these elites control the world. It is how they enslave the world. Credit also expands a false money supply that is not backed by a gold standard. These little references are dog whistles for certain people.

What I learned is how to pull people into a created world that the characters interact with. The Conspiracies and Computer Jargon/lifestyle is the world that Elliot must navigate through.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by  David Stam.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by  David Stam.

[David]

I looked at the TV show Firefly and used some of the next assignments to add to the conversation.

Firefly

1. Big Picture Hooks

The Captain is an ex-military soldier whose side lost the war and he does not recognize the treaty. He tries to survive outside of the world of the ruling Empire by carrying cargo in a ship named Firefly.

2. Intriguing Character(s)

Capt. Reynolds – Plot Line 2 and 3

PLOT LINE 4: A leader takes us into an uncharted world

Capt Reynolds doesn’t want to live in a world where the winning Evil Government Empire rules so he skirts society and tried to live in the outlaw world among thieves to make a living. Unfortunately, he has a moral code that constantly rubs up against the underworld’s lawless behavior and he is an outcast in both cultures.

Zoe and Walsh – PLOT LINE 2: Two pros go to war!

She knows Capt Reynolds the best and is his conscious and confidant. Loyal and capable warrior. Her husband Walsh is the FireFly Pilot.

Jayne – PLOT LINE 3: A pro on a mission in a bigger world

A warrior that is in it for the money and looks out for himself. More of a mercenary. We don’t know what his mission really is at the beginning.

Kaylee – PLOT LINE 1: An innocent on a mission in a strange world

She is the Engineer that joined the ship at the beginning of the pilot. She has never left her homeworld. This is an adventure. As opposed to the political, self-serving, or monetary reasons of all the other characters.

River and Simon –

Simon is the big brother of River – PLOT LINE 5: An outsider disrupts the current world – who hires the ship to smuggle his sister out of an Empire Hospital/Laboratory.

River – PLOT LINE 1: An innocent on a mission in a strange world who was kidnapped and used as an experiment because of her enormous intellectual talents/abilities. She is a prized possession of the Empire and they want her back.

Inara and Book

Inara – PLOT LINE 3: A pro on a mission in a bigger world – She is a consort that travels around the worlds. Being an escort is legal and highly revered by some as an artform. Like a geisha. She may be the equal of Capt. Reynolds in worldliness and intelligence. Mush more sophisticated and has made the most of her world that society has allowed her. Spiritual on a physical level.

Book – PLOTLINE 5: An outsider disrupts the current world – Joins along to find a new mission in life. The preacher becomes the spiritual advisor of the group.

3. Empathy / Distress

The Group is forced to live outside of the law because they do not recognize the evil government. But the people who live outside of the government’s control are dishonest. Furthermore, River has been kidnapped and experimented upon to serve the Empire’s power needs. She is chased by the Empire so they can recapture her. The crew of the FireFly is the last line of defense for her survival.

4 Open Loops

Will the crew of the FireFly ever find a resting place. A comfortable spot where nobody is trying to kill them. And they have enough food and fuel to survive.

5 Inviting Obsession

How will the Crew of the Firefly make money to survive without compromising their morality? What are each person’s deeper stories within the framework of the quest to survive? Will they be able to evade the Empire and not get killed by the troubled Universe?

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by  David Stam.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by  David Stam.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by  David Stam.

[David]

I, David Stam

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 Binge Worthy TV class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, teaching a class, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the Binge Worthy TV 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 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. The easiest solution if you have similar ideas is to either not look at each other’s work or to agree to take your shows in different directions.

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 Binge Worthy TV class.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by  David Stam.

[David]

Hello. My name is David. I am in NYC. I am a Sag-Aftra Actor and I work on TV and Movie sets in many different capacities every week. It is a really great industry and I want to expand my role in the entertainment business. Like many people, I have my ideas and themes for scripts. But taking an idea and actually making it a story, with character development, world-building and production value is easier said than done.

I this is my 3rd SU class and I hope to continue building skills and a framework to create in and around.

Thanks for reading.

[David]

Amazing job on your 5 season breakdown. It inspired me to keep pushing forward. I never really considered past the first two seasons. It is really uncomfortable.

On a side note. The Wire. Watching the first episode yesterday, again, brought tears to my eyes. Using this framework and knowing the storylines was eye-opening. But it also made me realize that this was David Simon’s 2nd run at a TV show in this topic/genre.

He wrote the book Homicide – A Year on the Killing Street

He did – Homicide: Life on the Street for NBC.

Wrote another Book – On the Corner.

Before tackling this prolific project called The Wire. In a way, David Simon spent more than a decade doing all these exercises we are working on right now. I got to work on A Plot Against America and David Simon is so awesome.

[David]

Thank You Thank You Thank You for posting these links. These were the 2 sections I was having the most difficulty with so listening to an explanation will help tremendously.

[David]

Hey Ben,

I was surprised to read your TV creation. Just a few hours earlier I had lunch with another creative friend. She asked my advice about “posting a Play online” for production consideration. So that made me even more amused about the situation a few hours later. I took it from 3 different angles.

1. Nobody has created a new story since the Greeks wrote it down. It is not about the subject matter as much as the story of the characters.

2. It is about the dramatist and HOW the person approaches the story. You and I could write the same exact story and have thousands of different narrative techniques, interpretations, and tropes. My style is different from your style. My experiences and knowledge are different from yours.

3. These are also just first drafts. I am still working out the scope. I have been thinking of this project for probably 5 or 6 years. And am taking this excellent course to get it down on paper. In the end, I am sure your pilot will be much different than mine because you are the only person who can tell your story and I am the only person who can tell my story.

Who knows. Maybe we should do some sort of information exchange and enjoy our similarities and our differences.

David

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by  David Stam.

[David]

I see what you were saying. I just got the class materials. Computer glitch or whatever. I didn’t use one of the shows from the list. I just did Mr. Robot and posted my analysis. This is going to be a fun 6 months.

[David]

Probably true. I didn’t watch it in its first run but as a binge many years later after it was, unfortunately, canceled. Mostly I wanted to analyze the character makeup and the Sci-Fy aspect of the show.

Thank you for the feedback.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by  David Stam.