[George Shepard]

George’s Character Journey Track

What I learned from doing this assignment was a new way to develop characters for a script. What works for horror would probably work for a thriller, too.

A. CHARACTER PROFILES

1. Role (from Lesson 3): John: LEADER, SACRIFICIAL LAMB (VICTIM)

· Traits (main characteristics): Smartest, wise, nurturing, admits mistakes, in control

· Fears (Primal fears): failing at all-important life’s work, causing everyone else’s death

· Wants/Needs (main motivations): Contact with E.T.s/to train a protege

· Likability / Rooting factors: Cares about others, a doer/brave

· How they react under stress (numb out, denial, avoid it, blame others, dramatize, angry, give up, shut down, deflect, etc.): get moving (Confront it)

· Relationship with other characters: benevolent boss, mentor to protege

2. Role (from Lesson 3): Jose: RESCUER

· Traits (main characteristics): Can do handyman, self-educated in astronomy

· Fears (Primal fears): dismemberment, death

· Wants/Needs (main motivations): to learn/ respect from John

· Likability / Rooting factors: sense of humor/self-made, brave

· How they react under stress (numb out, denial, avoid it, blame others, dramatize, angry, give up, shut down, deflect, etc.): can handle it until monster: first impulse to run

· Relationship with other characters: tries to form relationships, thoughtful, brings laughter

3. Role (from Lesson 3): Al: COMPLAINER (Eventually, VICTIM)

· Traits (main characteristics): Second ranking scientist, conceited, insecure, bossy, cowardly, sociopath

· Fears (Primal fears): not being respected, the monster = death

· Wants/Needs (main motivations): respect/status

· Likability / Rooting factors: none

· How they react under stress (numb out, denial, avoid it, blame others, dramatize, angry, give up, shut down, deflect, etc.): blame others, angry

· Relationship with other characters: they fear him and dislike him

4. Role (from Lesson 3): Deborah: LOVER (SURVIVOR)

· Traits (main characteristics): intelligent intern, romantic

· Fears (Primal fears): none until monster

· Wants/Needs (main motivations): cute Custodian/John’s mentorship

· Likability / Rooting factors: smart, plucky, caring, brave

· How they react under stress (numb out, denial, avoid it, blame others, dramatize, angry, give up, shut down, deflect, etc.): numb out—until end

· Relationship with other characters: close to Custodian and John. Follows surviving Handyman

5. Role (from Lesson 3): Carlos: LOVER/MONSTER BAIT (VICTIM)

· Traits (main characteristics): romantic, willfully ignorant, immature

· Fears (Primal fears): thinking

· Wants/Needs (main motivations): Deborah/to grow up

· Likability / Rooting factors: Deborah likes him

· How they react under stress (numb out, denial, avoid it, blame others, dramatize, angry, give up, shut down, deflect, etc.): ignore it, monster doesn’t give him reaction time

· Relationship with other characters: surly when asked to clean, hits on Lashonda, too

6. Role (from Lesson 3): Sandy, Camper: LOVER, MONSTER BAIT (VICTIM)

· Traits (main characteristics): fit, injured

· Fears (Primal fears): first to witness monster, dismemberment, death, fears no one believes her

· Wants/Needs (main motivations): to be believed, to be with others/

· Likability / Rooting factors:

· How they react under stress (numb out, denial, avoid it, blame others, dramatize, angry, give up, shut down, deflect, etc.): logical, brave until monster, then runs (limps)

· Relationship with other characters: stranger to patient to comrade

7. Role (from Lesson 3): Lashonda: COMPLAINER 2 (VICTIM)

· Traits (main characteristics): loud, opinionated, smart, needy

· Fears (Primal fears): dying

· Wants/Needs (main motivations): respect, recognition for ideas/attention

· Likability / Rooting factors: smart, brave

· How they react under stress (numb out, denial, avoid it, blame others, dramatize, angry, give up, shut down, deflect, etc.): brave, angry

· Relationship with other characters: tells what she thinks, in the end fights for them

B. CHARACTER JOURNEYS

1. Character Intro:

John talks to Deborah at AM coffee about planet that sent signal and sense of loss at star’s explosion. They leave to repair dish.

2. Denial: He thinks Sandy could be hallucinating due to hypothermia.

When a person first hears about a monster attack, the natural thing to do is to go into denial. He finds attacked ambulance when driving Sandy and returns them to Control building.

3. Their reaction at first horror: A bit of fear as the evidence indicates that Sandy is right.

4. Relation to group after first horror: Still the Leader with practical logic as his guide.

5. How they fight back: He takes Jose in search of Carlos and alien.

6. End Point: He faces the monster to buy time for Jose’s escape.

7. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? John first to realize monster comes out at night. He inspires Jose to carry on the fight against monster.

1. Character Intro: Deborah, the intern, looks up to John as mentor.

2. Denial: She agrees with Al that it’s a bear. She believes when monster abducts Carlos right before her eyes.

3. Their reaction at first horror: She runs for help. Quite distressed because Carlos is her lover.

4. Relation to group after first horror:

Protégé of John; makes out with Carlos; leads the last stand against the monster.

5. How they fight back: Taking her cue from John, she tries to assess the creature’s vulnerabilities.

6. End Point: She is one of two survivors after possibly killing the monster.

7. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience?

Survivor. She exhibits good qualities that the audience would approve of: curiosity, love, intelligence, imagination, great determination.

1. Character Intro:

Al doesn’t have anything good to say. He’s glad Deborah will climb dish with John. Mind games: “I hope you’re not afraid of heights.” Self-important follower /skeptic.

2. Denial: He suggests that the monster is a bear. He believes when he goes into the landing craft with Jose.

3. Their reaction at first horror: He runs away, leaving Jose to die.

4. Relation to group after first horror: He holes up trying to devise a way of communicating while Deborah and the rest prepare a defense.

5. How they fight back: He tries to work out a way to communicate with monster. He’s not a fighter, but perhaps he can talk his way out.

6. End Point: Belatedly, he joins Deborah and Jose on the telescope to disconnect the transmitter. It’s his finest hour.

7. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience?

We all get a shot at redemption before we die.

Character Intro: Jose also a protégé of John.Denial: Treats it as a jokeTheir reaction at first horror: runsRelation to group after first horror: he tries to provide some leadershipHow they fight back: he goes back to landing ship and quickly figures out an escapeEnd Point: he helps Deborah to dismantle the transmitter and drops it on alienWhat insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? Survivor

[George Shepard]

George’s Monster Reveal Track

What I learned from doing this assignment is that I got ahead of myself on an earlier assignment.

· 1. Create each part of this model:

A. Who is your monster and what is their terror?

Powers? It is super tough with an exoskeleton. It is super strong because it came from twice the gravity. Its jaws and teeth are fearsome. It is highly intelligent. It sees in the infrared part of spectrum. It can better stand icy, cold conditions.<div>

Limitations? It comes out only at night.

Weaknesses? Yellow light blinds it. It is susceptible to higher temperatures.

Plan/Purpose/Appetite? It is scouting Earth for invasion. It intends to survive. Its appetite is us.

B. Sequence the reveals.

A. It rips people apart and devours them.

B. It only comes out at night.

C. It is super strong.

D. Intelligent as it rips out power lines.

E. It came in a landing craft; therefore, super intelligent.

F. It is not bothered by cold and blizzard conditions.

G. Visible light bothers it.

H. Fire can stop it.

I. It mutilated captives.

J. It can communicate—and intends to do so with its planet.

K. It can’t survive several tons being dropped on it. LOL

C. Create Demand for each clue/reveal.

2. Lay that over your current outline and fill in each clue/reveal using the tag “Monster Reveal:.”

ACT 1

Atmosphere of Evil established: A mountain-climbing couple set up tent on snowy mountainside and go to sleep. They awaken to a large dark shape with faint neon highlights hovering near them. Monster Reveal: Something grabs the man in the darkness, and he screams in intense pain. The woman falls down mountain in the struggle.

Horror Situation: Physically tortured: The man’s terrible screams and Hitchcockian Sound FX and the woman’s fall.

Reaction – Escape: She awakens in woods with a twisted ankle. She grabs a branch for walking stick.

Horror Situation: No sign of boyfriend—until Monster Clue: she finds his severed arm.

Horror Reaction: Escape: She tries her cell phone—no signal. Then limps on her way.

Connect with the characters: The lead scientist, the second and the analyst at the nearby radio telescope think they have found Monster Reveal: an alien transmission, which may have knocked the telescope out.

Climbers’ family calls police. Only mild concern.

Leader and intern climb on the giant dish to repair element before approaching snowstorm.

After lunch, police and paramedics search for mountain climbers.

Leader and intern encounter climber by road at sunset. She has hypothermia. They bring her to control area. Snow starts falling at heavy pace. Paramedics called.

Horror Situation: Attack: Ambulance becomes stuck in ditch during blizzard. Monster Reveal: The creature attacks. One paramedic gets in cab to radio. He is also attacked. Bloody snow covered by heavy snowfall.

Reaction – Confused and apprehensive. No paramedics. The scientists resign themselves to isolation. When the climber awakens, Monster Reveal: she tells her story.

Denial of Horror: They look for scientific explanations: a bear, hallucination etc.

Next day, Climber has frostbite. They decide to try to drive her to hospital. She resists. Warns them not to do it. Monster Reveal: They find the deserted ambulance with a door ripped off and scratch-like dents. “That was no bear.” They return to telescope.

Horror Situation: Forces of Nature. Another night isolated in blizzard at telescope.

Reaction – Hide: They check security of building from ”bear” and set a watch schedule.

Monster: The nature of the beast: Monster reveal: he leaps around control buildings rips out power and phone line.

Horror Situation: Face to Face w? Monster/Kidnapped: Maintenance man goes out to check generator with intern. Monster Reveal: Intern witnesses huge monster as it mauls and bounds away with maintenance man. She goes inside. It pounds on door, breaking it. Dawn is coming. It stops.

Reaction: They now believe it’s a monster and try to explain it.

ACT 2

Isolated/Trapped: They realize that it comes out only at night. They repair generator and search for Maintenance Man. Roads are impassable.

Reaction: They see Monster Reveal: landing ship partially concealed by trees on ridge. Leader and black Custodian go to investigate. Sun is going down when they arrive. Leader photographs it. They look for a way in when hatch opens…

MIDPOINT – The Monster is worse than we thought: As they run to snowmobile, monster rolls down mountain like a pinball. They drive off.

Full pursuit by the killer: It pursues in large leaps and lands in front of them. Monster Reveal: Its mouth would scare a great white shark.

One of Us Killed: Leader tells custodian to get camera back to control and runs toward creature. He sacrifices himself and is devoured. Custodian makes it, and Monster Reveal: creature is reluctant to close for the kill with the lights of control on.

Terrorized: They barricade in control while monster looks for a way in. It rips power lines again and takes out pole. The generator is failing. They need to elect a new leader. It comes down to Second scientist and Custodian. Vote is split. Monster Reveal: Creature breaks through doorway. They must fight him off with tactical flashlight, douse him in gasoline and ignite him. Climber and Intern die. He jumps flaming into the night as they fight blaze in control.

ACT 3

Reaction: Fight: At night Custodian and Second break into landing craft, video it and damage the controls of craft.

Hysteria and Monster Reveal: They find mutilated remains of autopsied paramedic and Maintenance Man. Second is a coward. Unknown to them, craft sends out an alarm. Then Daddy’s home.

Fight to the death: They use tactical flashlights to keep burnt creature at bay. Creature pins Custodian, and escape from death: Second escapes at dawn leaving Custodian to die.

Reaction: Second works out way to communicate with it.

Death returns to take one or more: Creature attacks Control. Monster Reveal: It communicates with Second. We are to be food. They realize that it intends to phone home. Analyst and Climber killed trying to burn it again.

Resolution: Intern climbs dish by moonlight and disables it and decides to drop transmitter into dish. Second reluctantly helps. Creature grabs Second. Intern causes several-ton transmitter to fall on creature. It dies. Intern lives.

</div>

[George Shepard]

George’s Character Death Track

What I learned from doing this assignment is since I am new to horror films, I always assumed that only the protagonist was safe from death and that everyone else supplied terror by dying. I see now that there is more to it in good horror films.

Character Death 1:Why: to create atmosphere of horror<div>

How: ripped apart off screen by unknown monster with sound fx and severed arm

Character Death 2:Why: paramedic 1 dies to show that the creature gets around

How: also ripped apart; blood & gore slimes partner who hides in truck cab: to no avail

Character Death 3 & 4: Why: Two abductees found autopsied in Landing Craft to show alien’s scientific intelligence beyond space travel ability

How: dissected on table

Character Death 5:Why: to show that no one is safe; this person was the Leader and sacrifices self

How: ripped apart and eaten: we see the monster fully

Character Death 6:Why: Climber 2 fights back and sacrifices self; creature is learning!

How: decapitated

Character Death 7: Why: fighting back

How: Analyst burns creature—and herself– with gasoline

Character Death 8:Why: he is the selfish, cowardly one

How: ripped apart by creature and crushed by truck (or transmitter)

</div>

[George Shepard]

George’s Horror Situation Track

What I learned from this assignment is that I have a long way to go before coming up with a good horror track!

ACT 1

Atmosphere of Evil established: A mountain-climbing couple set up tent on snowy mountainside and go to sleep. They awaken to a large dark shape with faint neon highlights hovering near them. Something grabs the man in the darkness, and he screams in intense pain. The woman falls down mountain in the struggle.

Horror Situation: Physically tortured: The man’s terrible screams and Hitchcockian Sound FX and the woman’s fall.

Reaction – Escape: She awakens in woods with a twisted ankle. She grabs a branch for walking stick.

Horror Situation: No sign of boyfriend—until she finds his severed arm.

Horror Reaction: Escape: She tries her cell phone—no signal. Then limps on her way.

Connect with the characters: The lead scientist, the second and the analyst at the nearby radio telescope think they have found an alien transmission, which may have knocked the telescope out.

Climbers’ family calls police. Only mild concern.

Leader and intern climb on the giant dish to repair element before approaching snowstorm.

After lunch, police and paramedics search for mountain climbers.

Leader and intern encounter climber by road at sunset. She has hypothermia. They bring her to control area. Snow starts falling at heavy pace. Paramedics called.

Horror Situation: Attack: Ambulance becomes stuck in ditch during blizzard. The creature attacks. One paramedic gets in cab to radio. He is also attacked. Bloody snow covered by heavy snowfall.

Reaction – Confused and apprehensive. No paramedics. The scientists resign themselves to isolation. When the climber awakens, she tells her story.

Denial of Horror: They look for scientific explanations: a bear, hallucination etc.

Next day, Climber has frostbite. They decide to try to drive her to hospital. She resists. Warns them not to do it. They find the deserted ambulance with a door ripped off and scratch-like dents. “That was no bear.” They return to telescope.

Horror Situation: Forces of Nature. Another night isolated in blizzard at telescope.

Reaction – Hide: They check security of building from ”bear” and set a watch schedule.

Monster: The nature of the beast: he leaps around control buildings rips out power and phone line.

Horror Situation: Face to Face w Monster/Kidnapped: Maintenance man goes out to check generator with intern. Intern witnesses huge monster as it mauls and bounds away with maintenance man. She goes inside. It pounds on door, breaking it. Dawn is coming. It stops.

Reaction: They now believe it’s a monster and try to explain it.

ACT 2

Isolated/Trapped: They realize that it comes out only at night. They repair generator and search for Maintenance Man. Roads are impassable.

Reaction: They see landing ship partially concealed by trees on ridge. Leader and black Custodian go to investigate. Sun is going down when they arrive. Leader photographs it. They look for a way in when hatch opens…

MIDPOINT – The Monster is worse than we thought: As they run to snowmobile, monster rolls down mountain like a pinball. They drive off.

Full pursuit by the killer: It pursues in large leaps and lands in front of them. Its mouth would scare a great white shark.

One of Us Killed: Leader tells custodian to get camera back to control and runs toward creature. He sacrifices himself and is devoured. Custodian makes it, and creature is reluctant to close for the kill with the lights of control on.

Terrorized: They barricade in control while monster looks for a way in. It rips power lines again and takes out pole. The generator is failing. They need to elect a new leader. It comes down to Second scientist and Custodian. Vote is split. Creature breaks through doorway. They must fight him off with tactical flashlight, douse him in gasoline and ignite him. He jumps flaming into the night as they fight blaze in control.

ACT 3

Reaction: Fight: At night Custodian and Second break into landing craft, video it and damage the controls of craft.

Hysteria: They find mutilated remains of autopsied paramedic and Maintenance Man. Second is a coward. Unknown to them, craft sends out an alarm. Then Daddy’s home.

Fight to the death: They use tactical flashlights to keep burnt creature at bay. Creature pins Custodian, and escape from death: Second escapes at dawn leaving Custodian to die.

Second works out way to communicate with it.

Death returns to take one or more: Creature attacks Control. They realize that it intends to phone home. Analyst and Climber killed trying to burn it again.

Resolution: Intern climbs dish by moonlight and disables it as Second tries to communicate. The Creature makes it plain that we are to be food. Second and intern drive away with Creature in pursuit. It cannot leap as well as it originally did. They spin out on ice. They blow up the truck to stun and incinerate it. It dies.

[George Shepard]

George’s Horror Plot

What I learned doing this assignment is the structure is very satisfying!

ACT 1 — SET UP FOR HORROR

Atmosphere of Evil Established: Alien landing craft sets down on mountain.

Connect with the characters: scientists and support staff interact; mountain climbers<div>Denial of Horror: a. mountain climbers hear something and deny</div><div>Safety taken away: they are ruthlessly attacked at night: girl falls and escapes; worker finds her on road; another attack: total dismemberment</div><div> characters are warned not to do it: Police tell them to leave observatory</div><div>

· Monster: The nature of the beast: police officers in search killed

ACT 2 — THE POINT OF NO RETURN

Isolated / Trapped / Abducted:

Scientists, workers, two cops, a fireman, a police dog. Only road blocked.

One of us killed: analyst

MIDPOINT: The monster is worse than we thought!

Full pursuit by the killer: he fights them and starts breaking into observatoryTerrorized:

ACT 3 — FULL OUT HORROR

Fight to the death:he breaks in and kills them one by one<div>Hysteria: one falls off mountain thrilling escape from death: mountain climber girl helps leader<div><div>Death returns to take one or more. The complainer<div>Resolution: leader sacrifices himself to stop monster
</div></div></div></div></div>

[George Shepard]

George’s Characters for Horror

What I learned doing this assignment is that I need to learn more about horror genre characters.

1. Tell us your Concept and the Group you have chosen. Concept: A vicious, advanced, alien scout answers a mountain observatory’s call to E. T.s and uses the employees as lab animals to prepare for Earth’s conquest. Group: A. TEAM OF PROFESSIONALS

2. Tell us the Dying Pattern of this movie.

A. Put 6 to 8 characters together and kill them off one by one.

3. Give us an Identity and a sentence for each character that makes up your group.

Leader: John is in charge of the Search ETI. Older, he takes responsibility for calling the malevolent (by our standards) creature. He is also Carrier and Sacrificial Lamb.

Rescuer: Handyman Miguel. No degree but fascinated by astronomy. Very fit. He hides a mystery. He is the moral one.

Out of control / Obnoxious: Al, second in responsibility, argues about every decision that John makes.

Love Interest or lovers: Intern Deborah and custodian Carlos. She is an aspiring scientist, not looking for love but career. He pursues her. He is also the rebel/rule breaker.

Complainer: Analyst Lashonda frequently sides with Al.

Monster Bait: Yessica, Carlos’ cleaning partner, and a Deliveryman. And then everyone else.

[George Shepard]

Subject line: George’s Terrifying Monster

3. “What I learned doing this assignment is” that I have a good grasp of horror monsters despite not being overly interested in the genre until now.

Create an early version of your monster.

1. Tell us what or who your monster is. An alien from a nearby dwarf star is sent to do recon in response to a Search for Extraterrestrial signal sent from an isolated, mountaintop radio telescope. It has huge teeth and hind claws, sort of a bear with a shark’s mouth. It possesses superhuman strength and can leap tens of feet. It is intelligent and sophisticated with fingers and advanced technology. It has infrared vision and prefers the dark. It arrived freeze-dried, so it is practically indestructible.

2. Give us a few sentences for each of the following for your monster:

Their Terror: How does the monster terrorize? It comes out at night and kills.

How does the monster pursue? It moves incredibly fast because it can jump tens of feet in Earth gravity.

How does the monster isolate? It has infrared vision, so it waits until a human comes out at night, pounces and rips the person apart. It devours some and leaves a dismembered trail of others.

What is the terrible thing they do? See above.

How does the monster cause death? Shark-like teeth and grizzly-like hind claws.

What makes this inescapable? Its speed, intelligence, the cover of darkness, its ability to kill quickly, its superhuman strength.

Their Mystery: What is it? How do we keep it from killing us? How do we stop it? (The Earth environment is not ideal for it.)

Their Fear-Provoking Appearance: It has huge teeth and hind claws, sort of a bear with a shark’s mouth, but it takes a while for the telescope staff to see it because it comes out at night.

Their Rules: It feeds its hunger, but also rips apart and analyzes humans. It comes out only at night. It can hibernate for centuries without water. It needs to report back to its planet.

Their Mythology: They are predators.

[George Shepard]

1. George Shepard’s The Thing (1982) Horror Conventions

What I learned doing this assignment are the conventions of the Horror Film.

Analyze a HORROR movie to discover how the conventions were expressed. It is totally okay to analyze a movie you’ve already seen, but please watch it again. Don’t just do it from memory.

2. Watch the movie and as you do, note its conventions.

Title / Concept: The title is not very clever. It was shortened from the original The Thing from Another World. Concept: At an isolated Antarctic base, a creature from another planet, a master of mimicry, kills and “assimilates” the scientists and workers one by one to fulfill its ultimate goal: replacing all of Earth’s animal life.<div>

Terrorize The Characters: In the form of a dog, it violently assimilates the other dogs before the men’s eyes. A party explores the Norwegian station where it left no survivors. They find the Flying Saucer. Back at camp, it assimilates the men one by one. They now distrust each other. Red herrings are employed to throw off the characters and audience. The leader wants the men to stay together. Aliens rip several apart and are burned with flamethrowers. The surviving creature destroys the camp’s power generator. The leader decides to burn the base to the ground to kill the alien.

Isolation: They are in the middle of the Antarctic. The nearest base is destroyed. The radio operator can’t reach anyone. One scientist realizes the threat that the alien poses to Earth. He goes berserk and destroys their transportation and radio. Help will not come while they live.

Death: Of the original 12 characters, only two survive. The aliens kill nine of them, eight by entering their bodies and violently hijacking all their cells. The ninth apparently burns himself to death to not be assimilated. One is suspected of being an alien and is shot by the leader when he attacks him. It is understood that the two survivors will freeze to death in short order.

Monster/Villain: An intelligent alien, a master of mimicry, that violently kills and “assimilates” other animals, creating new aliens. It seems insect-like in some of the effects. It has tendrils that grab its prey. One tries to build a mini-saucer to escape the Antarctic.

High Tension: Some of this has been covered under Terrorize the Characters. The Norwegians are desperately trying to kill the dog in the beginning. It violently assimilates the American base’s dogs in front of the men. They think that they’ve killed it. Dr. Blair realizes its threat to Earth and that the cells are still alive. It moves under the blanket in storage and assimilates a man. Neither the audience nor the characters know who has been replaced by an alien. The men are at each other’s throats in several scenes. The leader tries to reveal those who have been taken over. The alien emerges from an unsuspected man and assimilates another. The men burn them with flame throwers. Dr. Blair, who has been confined, emerges as an alien. The leader decides to burn the base to the ground so that the alien does not escape. The leader and another survive. Is the other a replacement?

Departure from Reality: Although it’s a horror film, it does have a basis in science. It is likely there are aliens, and some could be driven by survival to be hostile. That said, there is little overwhelming proof for their existence, and no one I know has admitted to encountering one. What are those Tic-tac shaped objects that Navy pilots have chased and filmed?

Moral Statement: We must be willing to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good. As Kurt Russell says, “We’re not getting out of here alive but neither is that thing.” Conversely, the aliens must die because they have no respect for other animals.

3. Anything else you’d like to say about what made this movie a great horror film? This is very highly regarded (#162 on imdb), but it could have been scarier.

4. With your concept, fill in each of these Conventions for your story.

Concept: (I picked The Thing for analysis because my concept is similar.) A vicious, advanced, alien scout answers a mountain observatory’s call to E. T.s and uses the employees as lab animals to prepare for Earth’s conquest.</div>

Terrorize The Characters: It eats some and rips others to pieces for study. Its crashed craft blocks the only road. It is cold, and they are surrounded by high cliffs. The monster thrives in the cold and the dark. It can smash into the building. See under Monster for its other powers.

Isolation: It’s a mountain observatory in a rural country. Its only road is now blocked. Its wifi is cut; its 4G jammed. The cliffs are enormous.

Death: It eats some and rips others to pieces for study. Someone will fall off the mountain.

Monster/Villain: It has huge teeth and hind claws, sort of a bear with a shark’s mouth. It possesses superhuman strength and can leap tens of feet. It is intelligent and sophisticated with fingers and advanced technology. It has infrared vision and prefers the dark. It arrived freeze-dried, so it is practically indestructible.

High Tension: It kills people at night. It cannot be stopped. It breaks into the observatory. One scientist tries to communicate, but its answer is terrifying. It intends to use the radio telescope to phone home its report.

Departure from Reality: The same as for <i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>The Thing. Although it’s a horror film, it does have a basis in science. There are likely aliens, and some could be driven by survival to be hostile. That said, there is little overwhelming proof for their existence, and no one I know has admitted to encountering one. What are those Tic-tac shaped objects that Navy pilots have chased and filmed?

Moral Statement: Sentient beings should respect each other’s lives. Unlike <i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>The Thing, the humans try to communicate with the alien. It views us as if we were cows. Cows with missiles.

[George Shepard]

Hi, I’m George Shepard

I’ve finished two scripts and am well underway on a third.

I hope to learn more about this genre which is a doorway into professional writing.

I was a semi-professional motor sports writer.

[George Shepard]

I agree to the terms of this release form. George Shepard

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 3 years, 8 months ago by  George Shepard.