[Gerard Tretton]

Gerard -Lead Characters

6. Answer the question “What I learned doing this assignment is…?” (place at top of your work).

That I already had these characters clearly defined before I started the class. I just hadn’t labeled them with the terms we use here in this lesson.
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1. Tell us your transformational journey logline.

This is the same logline I presented for Day 3.
I am currently working on a lengthy but capsulized “plot” for the story. I believe that, if I understand correctly, that in screenwriting it is called a “treatment”.

The protagonist Eliana America Sanchez, is a teenage Ecuadorian girl living in the Andes of Ecuador. She is conflicted and troubled, alternating between agonizing fear and joyful spurts of creativity that she is able to find with her novice songwriting and music.

As she matures to a young adult, she finds a way, guided at times along the way by her sage uncle Francisco Sanchez, of accessing a higher level of consciousness where she is able to transform from being disturbed almost immediately to having peace of mind and confident in knowing what to do. She evolves to be an internationally famous singer and creative artist, clear with her real purpose in life.

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2. Tell us who you think might be your Change Agent

Here is a brief character sketch of Francisco. The Change Agent.

Francisco Emilio Sánchez
Eliana América’s uncle, “tio”, her mother’s brother. He very much remains in the traditional campesino lifestyle, tending a farm and animals. He is Eliana America’s trusted person to seek counsel and emotional strength. He gives Eliana America the seed of wisdom that she takes throughout the story. After her house burns down and her mother dies in the fire, Eliana America lives with Franciso for almost a year as a new house is being built. Being a keen observer, she is able to begin to understand Francisco’s design for living. He counsels her through the story.

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3. Tell us who you think might be your Transformable Character

Eliana America is the principal Transformable Character

I will elaborate that with a brief character sketch

Eliana América Sánchez
The female protagonist of the story. She has campesina roots in Ecuador, but emerging easily into the more contemporary life style.

Over the 13 years that the story is told, from age 12 to 25, she evolves to be incredible song writer, singer and entertainer, with worldwide fame. The story has 3 major timeframe elements: age 12-15, age 16-19, and age 20-25.

Her favorite way to communicate is through the lyrics and sound of her music. It is often the only way she can express her deep feelings. She writes about fear and conflict, unconditional love, intimacy, and tragedy and victories.
Resilient amidst the turmoil of life she becomes a teacher of forgiveness, an inspiring demonstration of how it is done. She finds a way to find peace of mind even when things are going terrible. Truly, the greatest gift.

4.Tell us who or what you think might be The Oppression

It is Elians America’s father Pablo Jose Sanchez.

Note – Mid way through the 13-year story he evolves as another Transformable Character. A miracle, that he finally accepts, transforms his life and recreates his relationship in a truly beautifully way with Elina America. Francisco, Eliana America’s uncle, is also the Change Agent here.

Pablo Jose Sanchez
He is a volatile alcoholic loving and caring when not drunk, explaining the conflict that Eliana America has with him as the Oppression. He is possessed by the sexual demon which plaques him. He is a sick man.

I will elaborate that with a brief character sketch.

He is an enterprising and newly well-to-do Ecuadorian campesino. City development is moving west into what has been an agricultural area for centuries. Land values have enormously increased and Pablo has gained handsomely selling off parcels of his large holdings of agricultural and grazing land. His life changes dramatically and his alcoholism picks up speed.

Pablo is an excellent guitar player and in his sober, loving moments, he teaches Eliana America to play the guitar. Seemingly having a natural talent, she quickly masters the guitar.

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5. Tell us who you think might be your Betraying Character

This can only be Enrique Jose Castaneda a character who comes into the story about a third of the way through.
He is an entertainment producer and promoter who lives in Madrid, Spain. He travels to Ecuador on a vacation with a beautiful young Ecuadorian woman named Valeska who lives with him in Madrid.

He observes Eliana América singing at a huge public event, and is intrigued by her appearance, style and talent.

He meets with Eliana and her father with a proposal to bring her to Spain to finish her schooling in a top-rated school and to develop her career professionally.

I can only elaborate regarding betrayal by sharing a writing about Enrique that I did to portray him in developing this character. I titled the writing, “Duplicity

Duplicity
Enrique Jose Castañeda, her charismatic music career patron, comes to have an ulterior sexual desire.
Enrique is a very interesting man. He is middle-aged and quite handsome, and he has a warm, inviting personality. This manner of being is not false. He is authentic. A producer of film projects, television shows, and promoter or live events, he is also an astute businessman, seemingly with a natural ability to get things done and be successful. He has a knack for finding talent and creative ideas.

But like Eliana America’s father he has an inner struggle. He is not an alcoholic like her father, but he is essentially unsure of his motives and keeps a part of his mind secret when it comes to sexual desire.

Enrique provides enormous help for both Eliana America and Valesca Bernada, another principal character in the story. He is a sincerely open-hearted and resourceful person.
Eliana America settles in living in the mansion and attending the excellent school that she is enrolled in. At the same time, Enrique provides her with all the resources necessary to develop her song writing and singing career. There is a music room with a grand piano as well as an electronic keyboard, guitars and other instruments. The mansion also as a small but fully equipped sound studio. Eliana America spends much of her free time using and enjoying these resources. She is in paradise, as she calls it, and her creative development is flowing. She is so happy and is always thanking Enrique and giving him hugs.
Meanwhile Enrique is developing a lust for this beautiful young girl. At first, he tries to suppress his feelings, but when she turns 18-years old he can no longer restrain himself and moves forward in seducing Eliana America in his very talented suave manner. He is good at it, and she almost immediately responds to his loving advances. She is a young woman and her sexual zest is blooming. In little time he has enticed her to the bed and a fabulous intimacy enjoyed by both.

Betrayal

However eventually Joaquín Sebastian Vásquez, another very significant principal character, enters the story and Enrique becomes bitterly jealous. In a crazy jealous rage one late night he puts some explicit video of him and Eliana America on the internet. Her career is almost destroyed.
 

• This reply was modified 7 months, 1 week ago by  Gerard Tretton.

[Gerard Tretton]

Lesson 3

4. Answer the question “What I learned doing this assignment is…?” (place at top of your work)

That I had to get this profound concept written down. This clear structure of the logline is very helpful.

1.Tell us your logline for the transformational journey.

The protagonist Eliana America Sanchez, is a teenage Ecuadorian girl living in the Andes of Ecuador. She is conflicted and troubled, alternating between agonizing fear and joyful spurts of creativity that she is able to find with her novice songwriting and music.

As she matures to a young adult, she finds a way, guided at times along the way by her sage uncle Francisco Sanchez, of accessing a higher level of consciousness where she is able to transform from being disturbed almost immediately to having peace of mind and confident in knowing what to do. She evolves to be an internationally famous singer and creative artist, clear with her real purpose in life.

2. Tell us what you see as the Old Ways.

Conflicted and fearful, unsure why she is here, feeling like an alien at times, lost. But there is a ray of hope in her musical creativity, that she clings to for safety.

3. Tell us what you see as the New Ways.

Awake, clear with purpose, connected with all around her. Powerful in her presence, a confident leader who demonstrates a design for living.

• This reply was modified 7 months, 1 week ago by  Gerard Tretton.

[Gerard Tretton]

Gerard – First Three Decisions

4. “What I learned doing this assignment is…?”
(place at top of your work).

That I had already resolved the questions asked before I started this class. With this class I hope to pay attention and study the lessons and hopefully validate my creative guidance. But be totally open to revisions.

1. What is your profound truth?

That there are higher levels of consciousness that virtually nobody accesses, even though it is simple.

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

That which the female protagonist achieves through a series of tragic events, interspersed with victories, over the 13-year story with her maturing from age 12 to 25.

She finds a way to have almost immediate peace of mind once disturbed, even when her life’s events are horrible, through a revolutionary non-traditional form of forgiveness and utter surrender.

Her demonstration of this will teach and assure the audience that they too can do it. It really is simple, but not easy because of our innate resistance

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

I believe that the needed Entertainment Vehicle is a miniseries, most likely on Netflix.

A Netflix miniseries, also known as a limited series, typically has 4–10 episodes.

My story has 10, possibly stretched to 12.

These exclusive series are designed to tell a complete story in a single season, though there are some exceptions.

• This reply was modified 7 months, 2 weeks ago by  Gerard Tretton.
• This reply was modified 7 months, 2 weeks ago by  Gerard Tretton.
• This reply was modified 7 months, 2 weeks ago by  Gerard Tretton.

[Gerard Tretton]

Gerard

I agree to the terms of this release form.

GROUP RELEASE FORM
As a member of this group, I agree to the following:
1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class available to anyone who is not a member of this class.
2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.
I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.
3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.
4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.
5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.
6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.
This completes the Group Release Form for the class.

• This reply was modified 7 months, 2 weeks ago by  Gerard Tretton.
• This reply was modified 7 months, 2 weeks ago by  Gerard Tretton.

[Gerard Tretton]

1. Name
Gerard Tretton

2. How many scripts you’ve written?
I haven't written any screenplay scripts. I am not a screenplay writer.
I am an economist with a story to be told.
I was going to tell my already developed profound story in a book.
But a huge breakthrough a year or so ago made me realize that it needed a
visual and sound presentation, therefore a film.
But, I am not a screenplay writer, so I need to cooperate with a professional
screenwriter who can be as passionate about the story as I am.

3. What you hope to get out of the class?
I have been investigating screenwriting and need to learn more in order to work the best with
my not-yet-found creative partner.

4. Something unique, special, strange or unusual about you?
Thirty seven years I got sober at age 42 and my life has been recreated.
Thirty years ago, I took a what-was-to-be a one-year sabbatical, to travel
through South America. On one stop in the Andes of Ecuador in the precious
Spanish Colonial of Cuenca, I met my wife to be, and have been here 30 years, with
occasional periods of time in the USA. I am from beach-cities Southern California.

• This reply was modified 7 months, 2 weeks ago by  Gerard Tretton.
• This reply was modified 7 months, 2 weeks ago by  Gerard Tretton.