Harvey Yazijian
Forum Replies Created
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Harvey’s Scene Ratings
1. (E8) EXT. NEW YORK HARBOR – DAY
As he and his Father arrive in America as immigrants, Idris, 6, is stunned by the grandeur of the Statue of Liberty
2. (E7) INT. IDRIS’S STUDIO – DAY
Idris, now 26 and a sculptor, is troubled that he’s creating a Statue of Liberty replica for an anti-immigration campaign.
3. (E8) EXT. LIBERTY ISLAND – DAY
Idris sees the Senator responsible for the anti-immigration campaign and Dorkman, the ad exec executing the campaign. The Statue of Liberty looks angry.
4. (E10) EXT. LIBERTY ISAND – NIGHT
Amid a raging thunderstorm, the Statue of Liberty comes to life and disappears from her pedestals.
5. (E10) EXT. BATTERY PARK – NIGHT
A Homeless Man watches in disbelief as Liberty, a normal-sized woman dressed just like the Statue of Liberty, with her torch and crown, wades out of the harbor and strides into Manhattan.
6. (E10) EXT. CITY STREET – NIGHT
Liberty encounters two hookers and speaks for the first time.
7. (E8) EXT. SHOREL:INE – DAY
Reporters from around the world report on the mysterious disappearance of the Statue of Liberty. Large, grim men comb Liberty Island.
8. (E9) INT. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN – DAY
The Mayor of NYC meets the Director from Homeland Security who’s responsible for returning the Statue of Liberty.
9. (E8) EXT. BUILDING ROOFTOP – DAY
Large, grim men haul Idris away for questioning.
10. (E10) INT. CITY HALL – DAY
Flak and Cornfield meet each other and the mayor, and start partnering in the investigation.
11. (E6) INT. HOLDING FACILITY – DAY
Idris is questioned by Homeland Security and Dorkman comes for him.
12. (E7) EXT. 9/11 MEMORIAL – DAY
Liberty gazes sadly at it.
13. (E9) EXT. LIBERTY ISLAND – DAY
Flak and Cornfield examine the island, learn there are no clues, and see the Homeless Man in the distance ranting that the Statue of Liberty is alive.
14. (E8) INT. DORKMAN’S AD AGENCY – DAY
Liberty, insisting she’s the Statue of Liberty, tries to see Dorkman, who’s meeting with the Senator. Idris rescues her from security guards and leads her away.
15. (E8) INT./EXT. IDRIS AND LIBERTY – DAY
Idris is attracted to Liberty and wants her to model for his Statue of Liberty replica. She’s angry that she was mistreated at Dorkman’s agency.
16. (E6) INT. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN – DAY
The Director orders Homeland Security to be more aggressive in its search.
17. (E6) INT. FBI OFFICE – DAY
Flak and Cornfield decide to visit Dorkman
18. (E8) INT. IDRIS’S STUDIO – DAY
Idris and Liberty warm-up, but he’s appalled to learn she wants to stop the campaign he’s working on. He agrees to introduce her to Dorkman, but first, she wants to see her brother.
19. (E6) EXT. MANHATTAN STREETS – DAY
Flak and Cornfield see that Homeland Security is questioning men of Middle East descent.
20. (E7) INT. DORKMAN’S AD AGENCY – DAY
Flak and Cornfield question Dorkman, but make no progress.
21. (E7) INT. CAMPAIGN OFFICE – DAY
Pleased with the media attention he’s getting, the Senator argues for zero immigration.
22. (E9) EXT. UNION PARK – DAY
Liberty exults in her humanity as she and Idris visit her “brother,” the statue of Lafayette that sculptor Bartholdi did before he made her. Idris remains skeptical that she’s the Statue of Liberty.
23. (E10) EXT. ALLEY – DAY
Angry that Idris doesn’t believe her, she convinces him she’s the Statue of Liberty by morphing her arm into green metal.
24. (E7) EXT. STREET – DAY
As Idris collects his wits, he and Liberty are confronted by Large, Grim Men, who grow suspicious of them.
25. (E9) INT. IDRIS’S STUDIO – NIGHT
Idris and Liberty warm up to each other.
In the bathroom, Liberty sees herself as a woman. For the first time.
Liberty reveals she has only several days before she must return to her pedestal. If she doesn’t, she can never return. Alarmed, Idris arranges to have Liberty meet Dorkman, but conceals his involvement in the campaign. Liberty’s thrilled and kisses him. It’s her first kiss. Ever.
On a cot, Liberty falls asleep. For the first time.
26. (E6) INT. IDRIS’S STUDIO – DAY
Idris is anxious as Liberty leaves to meet Dorkman.
27. (E10) INT. DORKMAN’S AGENCY – DAY
Liberty confronts Dorkman, but he makes her the face of the ad campaign and instructs her to return tomorrow. Liberty cluelessly thinks she’ll be on TV to make her case.
28. (E7) INT. THE DIRECTOR’S OFFICE – DAY
The Mayor is critical of Homeland Security’s intention to conduct a building-to-building search of lower Manhattan, but demands that he return the statue soon.
29. (E8) INT. DORKMAN’S OFFICE – DAY
Idris is appalled that Dorkman’s using Liberty in the campaign, and unsuccessfully tries to persuade him that she’s the actual Statue of Liberty.
30. (E8) INT./EXT.SHOPPING – DAY
Liberty realizes she’s attracted to Idris, and Simon, Idris’s neighbor, takes her shopping so she can dress more attractively for Idris.
31. (E7) INT. FBI OFFICE – DAY
Flak wonders if the Homeless Man might be right about Liberty coming down from her pedestal.
32. (E10) INT. IDRIS’S STUDIO – NIGHT
Flak and Cornfield confront Liberty and then Idris. Idris wants to tell Liberty the truth about his involvement in the campaign, but instead they make love. It’s her first time.
33. (E8) EXT. BUILDING – DAY
On her way to Dorkman’s, Liberty realizes she’s in love with Idris.
34. (E6) 7INT. IDRIS’S STUDIO – DAY
Idris freaks that Liberty has left for Dorkman’s agency.
35. (E10) INT. DORKMAN’S AGENCY – DAY
Liberty realizes she’s being exploited and is hauled away by security.
36. (E8) INT. POLICE STATION – DAY
Liberty is interrogated by Flak and Cornfield.
37. (E9) INT. POLICE STATION – DAY
Idris sees Liberty in jail. He’s stunned when she says she wants to stay with him.
38. (E8) INT. IDRIS’S STUDIO – DAY
Idris wrestles with what he should do. He decides to end his involvement in the campaign and topples his statue-in-progress.
39. (E7) INT. OFFICE SUITE – NIGHT
The Director orders ICE to hold Liberty.
40. (E9) INT. DORKMAN’S LIVING ROOM – NIGHT
Dorkman realizes Liberty is the actual Statue of Liberty.
41. (E9) INT. HOLDING CELL – NIGHT
ICE comes for Liberty.
42. (E9) INT. POLICE STATION – NIGHT
As Liberty is taken to a mental institution, she tells Idris she loves him.
43. (E8) INT. CAMPAIGN OFFICE – NIGHT
Thinking she’s a terrorist, the Senator wants Liberty deported immediately.
44. (E7) INT. OFFICE SUITE – NIGHT
The Director demands that Homeland Security bring in Liberty for questioning.
45. (E7) INT. POLICE STATION – NIGHT
Flak and Cornfield see evidence that perhaps the Statue of Liberty walked away from her pedestal.
46. (E7) INT. IDRIS’S STUDIO – NIGHT
Flak and Cornfield break into the studio and Flak grabs Liberty’s crown.
47. (E8) INT. PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTION – NIGHT
Idris and Dorkman sneak into the mental hospital disguised as shrinks.
48. (E7) INT. POLICE CAR – NIGHT
Flak and Cornfield drive to the institution to talk with Liberty.
· (E9) INT. PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTION – NIGHT
Idris and Dorkman free Liberty from her cell. She finally learns the truth about Idris and is leery of Dorkman.
The Senator arrives with ICE. The Director arrives with Homeland Security.
49. (E10) INT. PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTION ROOF – NIGHT
As they flee, Idris, Liberty, and Dorkman confront the Senator and ICE. She convinces him she’s the Statue of Liberty. The trio race off in the campaign’s “Liberty is security” blimp.
50. (E9) INT. PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTION – NIGHT
Flak and Cornfield arrive and the Homeless Man tells them the Statue of Liberty walks among them.
51. (E10) INT. BLIMP – NIGHT
Dorkman vows to stop the campaign and Liberty forgives him and Idris. A Homeland Security helicopter forces them to land on the Empire State Building and flee into the building. Liberty starts to age.
52. (E10) EXT. EMPIRE STATE BUILDING – NIGHT
Idris, Liberty, and Dorkman exit the building and are surrounded by Homeland Security. They’re rescued at the last moment by Flak and Cornfield who drive them away.
53. (E10) INT. POLICE CAR – NIGHT
Flak realizes Liberty’s the Statue of Liberty. Pursued by Homeland Security, they race to Liberty Island.
54. (E10) EXT. DOCKS – NIGHT
Liberty continues to age, but convinces the Mayor of who she is.
55. (E10) EXT. LIBERTY ISLAND – NIGHT
Liberty rejuvenates once on the island. The Senator and then Homeland Security confront her and Idris. He thanks her for reviving his idealism; she thanks him for teaching her what it’s like to be a woman. In a blazing white light, she returns to her pedestal as keeper of the flame.
All is well.
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Harvey’s Character Story Beats
I learned that characters have beats as well as stories.
Idris Rahim
Idris rediscovers his values, which he had misplaced to make a living, when he meets Liberty and helps her on her quest. He goes from having his values, which are rooted in his origins as an immigrant, emerge from dormant to vividly real and important. In other words, he rediscovers who he is.
√ Idris is a sculptor working for an anti-immigration campaign that’s using the Statue of Liberty as its centerpiece.
√ Idris meets Liberty, the Statue of Liberty in human form, and starts to question his values.
√ Idris rediscovers his convictions and helps Liberty to stop the campaign and return to her pedestal.
Character beats:
Idris, 6, immigrates to the U.S. and is awed by the Statue of Liberty.
Idris, 26, is a successful sculptor who’s been commissioned by an anti-immigration campaign to create a six-foot replica of the Statue of Liberty.
Idris is grateful for the work, but questions using the Statue of Liberty.
Idris meets Liberty and is smitten by her.
Idris wins Liberty’s trust.
Idris learns Liberty is the actual Statue of Liberty.
Idris conceals his involvement in the campaign from Liberty, but helps her to meet Dorkman, the ad exec behind the campaign.
Idris sleeps with Liberty, intensifying their relationship.
Idris is appalled that Dorkman is using Liberty as the face of the campaign.
Idris begins to rediscover his values.
Idris must free Liberty from a psychiatric institution.
Idris finally reveals his participation in the campaign to Liberty and asks for her forgiveness.
Idris must get Liberty back to her island before she’s apprehended by ICE and Homeland Security.
Liberty
Liberty is the Statue of Liberty who leaves her pedestal to stop her exploitation in an anti-immigration campaign and triggers a frantic search to recover her. She’s determined to fulfill her mission, but didn’t expect to be so enthralled with being human, being a woman, and, finally, being in love.
√ Liberty meets Idris while trying to stop an anti-immigration campaign.
√ Liberty falls in love.
√ Liberty stops the campaign and realizing how important she is to the country, returns triumphantly to her pedestal.
Character beats:
The Statue of Liberty comes to life, assumes human proportions, and storms Manhattan determined to stop her exploitation by an anti-immigration campaign.
Liberty meets Idris; she’s partial to sculptors.
Liberty revels in being human.
Liberty revels in being a woman.
Liberty falls in love with Idris.
Liberty becomes the face of the campaign.
Liberty is institutionalized for being crazy (she insists she’s the Statue of Liberty).
Liberty flees from the institution, ICE, and Homeland Security.
Liberty realizes how important thre Statue of Liberty is to the nation.
Liberty returns triumphantly to her pedestal.
Dorkman
Dorkman is the manic advertising executive who uses the Statue of Liberty as the symbol of an anti-immigration campaign by a cynical Senator, prompting the statue to confront him as human-sized Liberty.
√ Dorkman plows ahead with the campaign.
√ Dorkman realizes Liberty is the Statue of Liberty and rediscovers his values.
√ Dorkman ends the campaign and helps Liberty return to her pedestal.
Character beats:
Dorkman films the anti-immigration campaign using the Statue of Liberty.
Cynical but not shallow, Dorkman is about making money.
Dorkman decides to use Liberty as the face of his campaign.
Dorkman realizes that Liberty is the actual Statue of Liberty.
Dorkman gets back in touch with his core values and ends the campaign.
He helps Liberty return to her pedestal.
Flak
Flak represents New York City in the story as she wrestles with squeaky-straight Cornfield to find an impossible explanation for an impossible theft—that of the Statue of Liberty.
√ Flak wrestles with solving the theft of the Statue of Liberty.
√ Flak realizes Liberty is the missing Statue of Liberty.
√ Flak helps Liberty return to her pedestal.
Cornfield
Cornfield is a straight, cornfed Midwesterner who must work with a funky NYC detective in, for him, the alien world of Manhattan to solve an impossible theft.
√ Cornfield is earnestly determined to recover the Statue of Liberty.
√ Cornfield is befuddled by both the theft and NYC.
√ Despite himself, Cornfield helps Liberty return to her pedestal.
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Harvey’s Character Profiles
What I learned was how to further flesh out my characters.
When the Statue of Liberty comes to life as a normal woman to stop her exploitation by an anti-immigration campaign, a refugee sculptor struggles to help her prevail as she confronts deportation, a mental ward, Homeland Security, as well as being human. Most challenging, they fall in love.
Idris Rahim
Role:
Idris is the protagonist who helps Liberty accomplish her mission and return to her pedestal.
Core Character Traits:
Sincere
A gentleman
Creative
Has strong convictions, when he’s in touch with them.
His need to make a living prompted him to lose sight of his values.
Character Subtext Logline:
Idris rediscovers his values, which he had misplaced to make a living, when he meets Liberty and helps her on her quest.
Arc: Idris goes from having his values, which are rooted in his origins as an immigrant, go from dormant to vividly real and important. In other words, he rediscovers who he is.
Flaw: Because of his need to make a living as an artist, Idris has misplaced his ideals and convictions.
Need: Idris needs to recall that his father taught him to always do the right thing.
Liberty
Role:
Liberty is the Statue of Liberty who leaves her pedestal to stop her exploitation in an anti-immigration campaign and triggers a frantic search to recover her.
Core Character Traits:
An incorrigible idealist
Passionate
Naïve
Clueless
Open to new experiences
Character Subtext Logline:
Liberty is determined to fulfill her mission, but she didn’t expect to be so enthralled with being human, being a woman, and, finally, being in love.
Arc: Liberty goes from being a statue to being an activist. In the process, she goes from being inanimate, to being human, to being a woman, and finally, to being a lover, all in several days.
Flaw: Liberty is clueless about being alive, let alone human, other than what she’s observed over the years from her pedestal. She’s more than a fish out of water; fish have lives before they leave the water. Liberty’s never spoken, laughed, slept, eaten, or even swallowed.
Need: Initially, Liberty needs to stop an anti-immigration campaign from using her likeness, but she also discovers a need to be human, then to be a woman, and finally, to be in love.
Dorkman
Role:
Dorkman is the manic advertising executive who uses the Statue of Liberty as the symbol of an anti-immigration campaign by a cynical Senator, prompting the statue to confront him as Liberty.
Core Character Traits:
Successful
High energy
Witty
Self-centered
Cynical
Arc: Dorkman goes from being disillusioned to having his internal values awakened.
Flaw: Dorkman’s not an evil man, but he has lost sight of his values in pursuit of the dollar.
Need: Dorkman thinks he needs to make more money, but comes to realize that he needs to be a whole and centered human being.
Character Subtext Logline:
A successful but cynical advertising man who’s lost touch with his values, Dorkman made the Statue of Liberty as the centerpiece for an anti-immigration campaign, but will atone for this by the end of the story.
Flak
Role:
Flak is an effective, black, female, NYC detective who is assigned to work with Homeland Security to recover the Statue of Liberty.
Core Character Traits:
Street smart
Street savvy
Open to sometimes outlandish ideas
Capable of thinking outside the box
A New Yorker through and through
Arc: Flak goes from distrusting super-straight Cornfield, the FBI agent she’s assigned to work with, to liking and respecting him.
Flaw: She’s open to outlandish notions, which isn’t that much of a flaw in this story.
Character Subtext Logline:
Flak represents New York City in the story as she wrestles with squeaky-straight Cornfield to find an impossible explanation for an impossible theft—that of the Statue of Liberty.
Cornfield
Role:
Cornfield is a super-straight, cornfed, midwestern FBI agent of dubious competency who’s assigned to work with Flak in recovering the Statue of Liberty.
Arc: Although perceived by others as being incompetent, including Flak, Cornfield proves to be capable and sincere. He comes to like and respect Flak.
Core Character Traits:
Sincere
Earnest
Dedicated
Wicked straight, but a decent human being
Limited imagination
Flaw: Cornfield finds thinking outside the box to be very challenging.
Need: Cornfield needs to serve his country as a competent FBI agent.
Character Subtext Logline:
Cornfield is a straight, cornfed midwesterner who must work with a funky NYC detective in, for him, the alien world of Manhattan to solve an impossible theft.
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Logline: When the Statue of Liberty comes to life as a normal woman to stop her exploitation by an anti-immigration campaign, a refugee sculptor struggles to help her prevail as she confronts deportation, a mental ward, Homeland Security, as well as being human. Most challenging, they fall in love.
In this assignment, I learned how to make a beat sheet. I’m wrestling with which beats require improvement.
1. EXT. NEW YORK HARBOR – DAY
As he and his Father arrive in America as immigrants, Idris, 6, is stunned by the grandeur of the Statue of Liberty
2. INT. IDRIS’S STUDIO – DAY
Idris, now 26 and a sculptor, is troubled that he’s creating a Statue of Liberty replica for an anti-immigration campaign.
3. EXT. LIBERTY ISLAND – DAY
Idris sees the Senator responsible for the anti-immigration campaign and Dorkman, the ad exec executing the campaign. The Statue of Liberty looks angry.
4. EXT. LIBERTY ISAND – NIGHT
Amid a raging thunderstorm, the Statue of Liberty comes to life and disappears from her pedestals.
5. EXT. BATTERY PARK – NIGHT
A Homeless Man watches in disbelief as Liberty, a normal-sized woman dressed just like the Statue of Liberty, with her torch and crown, wades out of the harbor and strides into Manhattan.
6. EXT. CITY STREET – NIGHT
Liberty encounters two hookers and speaks for the first time.
7. EXT. SHOREL:INE – DAY
Reporters from around the world report on the mysterious disappearance of the Statue of Liberty. Large, grim men comb Liberty Island.
8. INT. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN – DAY
The Mayor of NYC meets the Director from Homeland Security who’s responsible for returning the Statue of Liberty.
9. EXT. BUILDING ROOFTOP – DAY
Large, grim men haul Idris away for questioning.
10. INT. CITY HALL – DAY
Cornfield and Flak meet each other and the mayor, and start partnering in the investigation.
11. INT. HOLDING FACILITY – DAY
Idris is questioned by Homeland Security and Dorkman comes for him.
12. EXT. 911 MEMORIAL – DAY
Liberty gazes sadly at it.
13. EXT. LIBERTY ISLAND – DAY
Flak and Cornfield examine the island, learn there are no clues, and see the Homeless Man in the distance ranting that the Statue of Liberty is alive.
14. INT. DORKMAN’S AD AGENCY – DAY
Liberty, insisting she’s the Statue of Liberty, tries to see Dorkman, who’s meeting with the Senator. Idris rescues Liberty from security guards and leads her away.
15. INT./EXT. IDRIS AND LIBERTY – DAY
Idris is attracted to Liberty and wants her to model for his Statue of Liberty replica. She’s angry that she was mistreated at Dorkman’s agency.
16. INT. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN – DAY
The Director orders Homeland Security to be more aggressive in its search.
17. INT. FBI OFFICE – DAY
Flak and Cornfield decide to visit Dorkman
18. INT. IDRIS’S STUDIO – DAY
Idris and Liberty warm-up, but he’s appalled to learn she wants to stop the campaign he’s working on. He agrees to introduce her to Dorkman, but first, she wants to see her brother.
19. EXT. MANHATTAN STREETS – DAY
Flak and Cornfield see that Homeland Security is questioning men of Middle East descent.
20. INT. DORKMAN’S AD AGENCY – DAY
Flak and Cornfield question Dorkman, but make no progress.
21. INT. CAMPAIGN OFFICE – DAY
Pleased with the media attention he’s getting, the Senator argues for zero immigration.
22. EXT. UNION PARK – DAY
Liberty exults in her humanity as she and Idris visit her “brother,” the statue of Lafayette that sculptor Bartholdi did before he made her. Idris remains skeptical that she’s the Statue of Liberty.
23. EXT. ALLEY – DAY
Angry that Idris doesn’t believe her, she convinces him she’s the Statue of Liberty by morphing her arm into green metal.
24. EXT. STREET – DAY
As Idris collects his wits, he and Liberty are confronted by Large, Grim Men, who grow suspicious of them.
25. INT. IDRIS’S STUDIO – NIGHT
Idris and Liberty warm up to each other.
In the bathroom, Liberty sees herself as a woman. For the first time.
Liberty reveals she has only several days before she must return to her pedestal. If she doesn’t, she can never return. Alarmed, Idris arranges to have Liberty meet Dorkman, but conceals his involvement in the campaign. Liberty’s thrilled and kisses him. It’s her first kiss. Ever.
On a cot, Liberty falls asleep. For the first time.
26. INT. IDRIS’S STUDIO – DAY
Idris is anxious as Liberty leaves to meet Dorkman.
27. INT. DORKMAN’S AGENCY – DAY
Liberty confronts Dorkman, but he makes her the face of the ad campaign and instructs her to return tomorrow. Liberty cluelessly thinks she’ll be on TV to make her case.
28. INT. THE DIRECTOR’S OFFICE – DAY
The Mayor is critical of Homeland Security’s intention to conduct a building-to-building search of lower Manhattan, but demands that he return the statue soon.
29. INT. DORKMAN’S OFFICE – DAY
Idris is appalled that Dorkman’s using Liberty in the campaign, and unsuccessfully tries to persuade him that she’s the actual Statue of Liberty.
30. INT./EXT.SHOPPING – DAY
Liberty realizes she’s attracted to Idris, and Simon, Idris’s neighbor, takes her shopping so she can dress more attractively for Idris.
31. INT. FBI OFFICE – DAY
Flak wonders if the Homeless Man might be right about Liberty coming down from her pedestal.
32. INT. IDRIS’S STUDIO – NIGHT
Flak and Cornfield confront Liberty and then Idris. Idris wants to tell Liberty the truth about his involvement in the campaign, but instead they make love. It’s her first time.
33. EXT. BUILDING – DAY
On her way to Dorkman’s, Liberty realizes she’s in love with Idris.
34. INT. IDRIS’S STUDIO – DAY
Idris freaks that Liberty has left for Dorkman’s agency.
35. INT. DORKMAN’S AGENCY – DAY
Liberty realizes she’s being exploited and is hauled away by security.
36. INT. POLICE STATION – DAY
Liberty is interrogated by Flak and Cornfield.
37. INT. POLICE STATION – DAY
Idris sees Liberty in jail. He’s stunned when she says she wants to stay with him.
38. INT. IDRIS’S STUDIO – DAY
Idris wrestles with what he should do.
39. INT. OFFICE SUITE – NIGHT
The Director orders ICE to hold Liberty.
40. INT. DORKMAN’S LIVING ROOM – NIGHT
Dorkman realizes Liberty is the actual Statue of Liberty.
41. INT. HOLDING CELL – NIGHT
ICE comes for Liberty.
42. INT. POLICE STATION – NIGHT
As Liberty is taken to a mental institution, she tells Idris she loves him.
43. INT. CAMPAIGN OFFICE – NIGHT
Thinking she’s a terrorist, the Senator wants Liberty deported immediately.
44. INT. OFFICE SUITE – NIGHT
The Director demands that Homeland Security bring in Liberty for questioning.
45. INT. POLICE STATION – NIGHT
Flak and Cornfield see evidence that perhaps the Statue of Liberty walked away from her pedestal.
46. INT. IDRIS’S STUDIO – NIGHT
Flak and Cornfield break into the studio and Flak grabs Liberty’s crown.
47. INT. PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTION – NIGHT
Idris and Dorkman sneak into the mental hospital disguised as shrinks.
48. INT. POLICE CAR – NIGHT
Flak and Cornfield drive to the institution to talk with Liberty.
49. INT. PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTION – NIGHT
Idris and Dorkman free Liberty from her cell. She finally learns the truth about Idris and is leery of Dorkman.
The Senator arrives with ICE. The Director arrives with Homeland Security.
50. INT. PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTION ROOF – NIGHT
As they flee, Idris, Liberty, and Dorkman confront the Senator and ICE. She convinces him she’s the Statue of Liberty. The trio race off in the campaign’s “Liberty is security” blimp.
51. INT. PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTION – NIGHT
Flak and Cornfield arrive and the Homeless Man tells them the Statue of Liberty walks among them.
52. INT. BLIMP – NIGHT
Dorkman vows to stop the campaign and Liberty forgives him and Idris. A Homeland Security helicopter forces them to land on the Empire State Building and flee into the building. Liberty starts to age.
53. EXT. EMPIRE STATE BUILDING – NIGHT
Idris, Liberty, and Dorkman exit the building and are surrounded by Homeland Security. They’re rescued at the last moment by Flak and Cornfield who drive them away.
54. INT. POLICE CAR – NIGHT
Flak realizes Liberty’s the Statue of Liberty. Pursued by Homeland Security, they race to Liberty Island.
55. EXT. DOCKS – NIGHT
Liberty continues to age, but convinces the Mayor of who she is.
56. EXT. LIBERTY ISLAND – NIGHT
Liberty rejuvenates once on the island. The Senator and then Homeland Security confront her and Idris. He thanks her for reviving his idealism; she thanks him for teaching her what it’s like to be a woman. In a blazing white light, she returns to her pedestal as keeper of the flame.
All is well.
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I learned that rewriting is different from wordsmithing, which I already knew, but it’s powerfully useful to be reminded of it.
Title: Loving Liberty
Genre: Comedy
Logline:
When the Statue of Liberty comes to life as a normal woman to stop her exploitation by an anti-immigration campaign, a refugee sculptor struggles to help her prevail as she confronts deportation, a mental ward, Homeland Security, as well as being human. Most challenging, they fall in love.
One pager:
When Idris immigrated to the US as a child and passed the magnificent Statue of Liberty, he knew then he’d become a sculptor. Now several decades later and a professional sculptor, Idris has misplaced his ideals and fails to see the irony in working for a cynical senator’s anti-immigration campaign that exploits the Statue of Liberty. The irony, however, is not lost on her; it’s the last straw.
On a stormy night, the Statue of Liberty miraculously creaks and groans to life, assumes human size, and strides into Manhattan, armed only with her convictions, to end her exploitation. Liberty has only several days to stop the campaign and restore balance before she must return to her pedestal.
Idris meets Liberty and is smitten by her likeness to the statue, but no one else believes that this principled woman is the missing icon. Thanks to her idealism, Idris realizes he must help her stop the campaign, but neither expected Liberty to revel in her newly found humanity and then in her newly found womanhood.
And neither expected that they would fall in love.
But Idris must somehow save Liberty from being locked up as an illegal alien (she has no papers), institutionalized for being crazy (she insists she’s the statue), and busted by Homeland Security, which believes she’s a terrorist who stole the Statue of Liberty.
Idris rediscovers his ideals and Liberty learns what’s it’s like to fall in love. Though both are conflicted, they manage to win over the senator, outwit her pursuers with the help of stalwart New Yorkers, and return her to her pedestal as keeper of the flame.
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Hi, Everyone.
I’m Harvey Yazijian. I’m a professional writer who’s written about 15 scripts, not including the first two I wouldn’t show anyone at gunpoint. Like so many other writers, I prefer to write than to market myself, but the time has come to take action. I’ve selected one script that I want to push and I’m hoping this class will help me make it as good as I can.
I’m looking forward to the journey.
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Hi, Cheryl.
I’ll volunteer to read/critique your script as our last assignment if you’ll do the same for mine. My script is a comedy called Loving Liberty.
When the Statue of Liberty comes to life as a normal woman to stop her exploitation by an anti-immigration campaign, a refugee sculptor struggles to help her prevail as she confronts deportation, a mental ward, Homeland Security, as well as being human. Most challenging, they fall in love.
Harvey Yazijian
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Hi, Anna.
I read your beat sheet but I don’t know how useful I can be. Beat sheets are odd creations that present only a narrow part of a screenplay and its story. Without descriptions, dialogue, characterizations, etc., it’s hard to get a sense of a story and its characters. For example, I didn’t get a sense of what Sarah wanted and needed, or her relationship with her son. Nor did I get a sense of her arc. But I stress this is not criticism. Beat sheets don’t give us that kind of information and you certainly seemed to follow Hal’s instructions in the creation of your beat sheet. Similarly, I’m reluctant to ask you to read my beat sheet for “Loving Liberty.” I don’t think you could get a sense of my script just from its beat sheet. Any thoughts?
Harvey
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Thank you, Bernice. Your point about who’s the protagonist is well taken and one I’ve wrestled with in the past. I’ve come to realize that the protagonist has to be Idris. It’s his life’s applecart that’s upset when Liberty arrives. He’ll then realize just how much his life is out of balance and he must help Liberty to restore that balance for himself, for her, and for the nation. I originally titled the story “Liberty” but changed it to “Loving Liberty” to help give a sense that she’s not the protagonist.