[Helena Derett]

What I learned: I’ve done better with the AI when I feed it smaller information. If I feed it too much it regurgitates the same info back to me. Not sure I’m doing this right. LOL. But I’m enjoying the learning process. One thing I have enjoyed a lot is that I can use it to find the best sentence structure to explain what’s in my head.

ASSIGNMENT 1:

A. Role in the show:

Wednesday is a supernatural high schooler who gets sent to a mysterious new school where she investigates a troubling secret.

B. Unique Purpose / Expertise:

Purpose: Investigate the mysterious events surrounding a prophecy, Rowan’s death/seeming resurrection, and the monster in the woods.

Expertise: She is better than everyone at everything. Sounds general but she always bests people in conversation, actions, and fighting. It’s what makes her cool.

C. Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface?

Every character around Wednesday seems to have a secret. Wednesday hides her visions for a while but not from everyone. She also hides the main pieces of her investigation.

D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing?

Wednesday doesn’t have much restraint of any kind. She breaks all sorts of rules. In her case she doesn’t have much of a conscience because she is supposed to be “unemotional” but she is pretty clear on what’s right and wrong.

E. Unpredictable: What will they do next?

Wednesday throws a bag of piranhas into the pool in revenge. She blows up the fountain.

F. Empathetic: Why do we care?

Being a misunderstood loner. Despite appearing unemotional her first action is to help and avenge her brother. She has been bullied cruelly in the past.

ASSIGNMENT 2:

1. Tell us the journey of your show.

Sarah, a struggling single mom, is thrust into a hidden world of warring alien factions on Earth, and the government agency pursuing them, all vying for her long-lost autistic brother, when he reappears ten years after his presumed death, compelling her to join a covert alliance and unlock her brother’s mysterious untapped powers to ensure her family’s survival.

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

Sarah

Adam/Ome

SARAH LEVY:

A. Role in the show: The central character, a single mom determined to protect her autistic brother, Adam, and uncover the truth about his missing years and abilities.

B. Unique Purpose:

Purpose: discover the truth behind her brother’s missing years in order to protect her family.

Expertise: She is an export MMA fighter. Her determination and love for her family make her a relentless investigator, despite her lack of education and resources.

C. Intrigue: The secret beneath the surface is her lingering fear of her brother’s mysterious abilities and the guilt she feels as she is torn between him and her son.

D. Moral Issue: She grapples with the moral dilemma of keeping her son safe and helping her brother, even if it means delving into a dangerous world of secrets.

E. Unpredictable: Her impulsive nature adds unpredictability to her actions as she navigates the treacherous world of warring alien factions and corporate interests.

F. Empathetic: We care about her because of her noble and caring nature, as well as her deep love for her family.

ADAM LEVY:

A. Role in the show: The enigmatic, non-verbal brother with extraordinary abilities, serving as the host for the Ome.

B. Unique Purpose: host of the Ome.

Expertise: Adam’s unique abilities and connection with the Ome make him a powerful and mysterious figure.

C. Intrigue: The secret beneath the surface is his connection with the alien entity, Ome, and the extent of his abilities.

D. Moral Issue: As a non-verbal individual, Adam raises moral questions about his autonomy and well-being, as others seek to control or use his powers.

E. Unpredictable: Adam’s actions are largely unpredictable due to his non-verbal and non-reactive nature, as well as the influence of Ome.

F. Empathetic: We care about Adam because he is a vulnerable individual, his bond with his sister, Sarah, and nephew.

OME:

A. Role in the show: The alien entity residing within Adam, granting him special abilities.

B. Unique Purpose: Expertise: Ome’s primary instinct is to protect itself, and it uses Adam to achieve this goal. It also begins to learn about humanity.

C. Intrigue: The secret beneath the surface is Ome’s origin, nature, and evolving understanding of human emotions and behavior.

D. Moral Issue: Ome’s moral dilemma centers around its instinct to protect itself, which might lead to conflicts with human values and interests.

E. Unpredictable: Ome’s actions are driven by instinct, making it unpredictable and potentially dangerous, especially as it learns about humanity.

F. Empathetic: Ome becomes more empathetic as it develops a connection with Sarah and her son, prompting viewers to sympathize with its evolving character.

[Helena Derett]

Wednesday

ASSIGNMENT 1:

A. Main Characters Circle: Wednesday, Tyler, Enid, Xavier.

B. Connected Circle: Principal Larissa, Bianca, psychologist, sheriff, Addams family members, Thing, Professor Thornhill, Eugene.

C. Environment Circle: deputies, other classmates, teachers, townspeople.

ASSIGNMENT 2:

A. Main Characters Circle:

Sarah Levy: A struggling single mom who pays the bills by waitressing during the day and fighting in an underground fight club at night. Caring, street-though, and impulsive, her entire world is her son.

Brian Xerxes: 30s, a fitness nut, arrogant, obnoxious, man with no inhibitions, who is terrified of aging. CEO of a mysterious Think Tank with top-secret contacts with the government to hunt and study aliens hidden on Earth.

Theo: Leader of a gang of alien/human hybrids called The Remnant who want to use Adam as a conduit to the Ome to save his people. Brilliant chemist, violent, loyal, protector of his people. Hunted by Xerxes.

Adam Levy, late 20s, autistic, completely non-verbal and non-reactive, until he reappears 10 years after his supposed death as host to the Ome.

B. Connected Circle:

Ome: The alien entity that lives in Adam.

Tom Levy: Sarah’s son. Nerdy, quiet, prone to tantrums and behavioral problems.

Rebecca: Hybrid who becomes Sarah and Adam’s ally against Sarah’s wishes.

Quetz: An immortal interdimensional. Ancient. Not good.

Mendez: A cop investigating Adam’s case.

C. Environment Circle:

Sarah’s coworkers, Sarah’s boss, Sarah’s neighbors, police, other people Sarah meets as she investigates, other members of the Remnant, and people from the Think Thank.

[Helena Derett]

My binge Worthy show is Wednesday.

1. Big Picture Hooks

Ask this: What is the big hook of this show?

– Wednesday is an outcast even among outcasts. When she gets sent to a mysterious school, all Wednesday wants is to run away, but she quickly discovers there’s something amiss and a prophesy that she will destroy the school.

– Wednesday’s visions.

– There’s a serial killer around the school.

– Someone wants Wednesday dead.

– A monster roams the area (this is the killer?)

– Secret past regarding Wednesday’s father.

– Teachers and classmates with secrets.

– The franchise is obviously a hook as well.

2. Amazing and Intriguing Character

Ask this: What makes these main characters intriguing and interesting?

– Wednesday is the ultimate goth girl with an incredibly wise world perspective. She is extremely smart and perceptive which makes her voice unique, because of her goth ways her actions are unique- like taking revenge with piranhas. She has a clear goal- escape, but it changes through the first episode deepening the journey. She appears emotionless and uncaring, yet it’s quite the opposite- her first action is to protect her brother. Wednesday also has visions.

– Wednesday’s roommate is the polar opposite- bright, cheerful, gentle (except when she pulls out her claws). We can see how they’re going to bond and complement each other.

– Tyler is a “normie” who quickly bonds with Wednesday. Again there is a deep contrast between him and Wednesday.

– Ms. Thronhill introduces herself with shoes full of mud, just after a killing in the forest. Is she the killer? Or could she have seen something if she was out and about?

– The Franchise characters (Morticia, Gomez, the hand) they’re obviously a hook.

3. Empathy / Distress

Ask this: What situations cause us to feel both empathy and distress for these characters?

– Wednesday acts as if she doesn’t care, but she cares deeply- her first action is to protect her brother.

– Wednesday being sent to a school against her wishes.

– Wednesday being in danger at school.

– Wednesday tragic past is the reason she doesn’t cry.

– The killer roaming the woods.

4. Layers / Open Loops

Ask this: What questions are created by this first episode that can only be answered by watching the entire season?

– Who is the killer?

– What happened with Wednesday’s father in the past and how will it affect Wednesday now?

– The roommate’s inability to transform, how will that play out?

– Who is the monster?

– What will Wednesday discover about the school?

– Wednesday’s visions and their meaning. (seer?)

– The prophecy of destroying the school.

– Wednesday making friends (more than she ever has) how will that change her?

5. Inviting Obsession

Ask this: How does this pilot create the need to see every single episode?

– For me, in one word is the layers of mystery and intrigue. I do have to say I didn’t get “obsessed” as I have with other shows. But the combination of Wednesday’s uniqueness and the mysteries is a hook.

– I wanted to compare this to Home Before Dark (which, for me, was a binge-worthy show.) because that one created way more obsession in me than Wednesday. I bring only this up because I see a pattern between the two shows. In Home Before Dark, we have a unique character (9-year-old girl who desperately wants to be an investigative reporter and acts as such.) When she moves to a small town where her dad grew up, she quickly stumbles upon a murder, a decades-old unsolved disappearance connected to her father, and a slew of characters who don’t want her. Obviously, there’s tons of peril because she is a little girl doing an adult’s job and the investigation she is conducting is about a kidnapping. Will she be next?

– I think Home Before Dark hooked me more because the mystery of the unsolved kidnapping was more unique than a serial killer in the woods around a school of supernatural children. This tells me that Binge worthy is perhaps 90% the mystery (open loops) The characters were also endearing and unique. While the conflict, mystery, and intrigue produced distress and a need to know what would happen next, the setting and characters also provided a level of comfort and a desire to spend time in this environment with them. I can see another pattern here: Stranger things. Again tremendous mystery, open loops, etc., and yet the characters make us feel different emotions. And maybe comfortable isn’t the word but I think that’s what I discovered doing this assignment. There is an interesting combination of emotions that the characters inspire and the distress of the plot that makes a show binge-worthy. I know Hall said that it is possible to love a show or for a show to be binge-worthy despite the characters, but maybe characters that inspire deep dislike or even hate are also a hook. So, for me, for a show to be binge-worthy, the characters must produce a set of strong emotions whether you love them, feel comfortable with them, or deeply dislike them. The plot produces distress and a desperate need to know more. I had this insight when I realized this pattern.

[Helena Derett]

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.