[Holly Heston]

The Woman in the Window

What I learned doing this assignment is: One of the big mysteries, the cause of the agoraphobia, isn’t related to the murder across the street but plays a central role on Anna’s state of mind.

Unwitting but Resourceful Hero:

Anna Fox, child psychologist confined to her apartment due to agoraphobia. She spends time watching her neighbors, not realizing that the new family across the street is dangerous. She doesn’t doubt her senses even though she has issues with drinking and medications.

Dangerous Villain:

Ethan Russell: psychopathic
teenager across the street. Pretends to be vulnerable to gain Anna’s
trust, while planning to murder her.<div>

High stakes: 1) Physical – Anna’s
life; 2) Mental – Will
she recover from the undisclosed trauma that caused her agoraphobia?

Life and death situations:
Woman is murdered across the street, Ethan comes to kill Anna and her
renter, David. Will the cat die?

This movie is thrilling
because it combines physical danger
with mental instability. The gaslighting neighbors and dismissive police make
Anna question herself and plan suicide. At the point when she is shown to
be correct in her assumptions, it is almost too late.

What is the BIG Mystery, Intrigue, and Suspense of this story?

Big Mystery: 1) Who was the murdered
woman and who murdered her? 2) What caused Anna’s agoraphobia? </div><div>

Big Intrigue: Ethan gains Anna’s trust with the intent of murdering her.

Big Suspense: Threat to life
and deteriorating mental state.

4. Anything else you’d like to say about what made this movie a great thriller?

This is said not to be a remake of Rear Window, but comparisons to Rear Window kept coming to mind. Eventually, however, the plot pulled me in enough to forget Rear Window (except for worrying about the cat!).

</div>

[Holly Heston]

Holly Heston

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.

[Holly Heston]

Holly’s hero and villain

What I learned: Continuing to think helps clarify the relationships between characters. I’m still working on that.

Concept:

Hero Morally Right: Preventing
deaths of innocent members of cycling team

Villain Morally Wrong: Taking
revenge against team director for old doping scandal by killing off
staff/team

Hero: Jake Miles, bike store owner, freelance bike mechanic

A. Unique Skill Set: former
professional cyclist in top condition, understands inner workings of race,
expert bike mechanic

B. Motivation: Save lives of
innocent

C. Secret or Wound: Was also
involved in doping and bears a grudge against the same team director

Villain: Dayton Vance: CEO of biking tech company

A. Unbeatable: Former cyclist,
has money and operatives within race. Knows the world

B. Plan/Goal: Discredit team by
causing deaths ostensibly due to safety violations. If the sponsor drops
the team, his company can step in as sponsor.

C. What they lose if Hero
survives: Discrediting team director, elevating own company

Impossible Mission

A. Puts Hero in Action: He sees
a pattern in the deaths, no one believes him, he must identify
perpetrator, stop more death and expose Vance.

B. Demands They Go Beyond Their
Best: Must anticipate what will happen, infiltrate team. Although he is in
good shape, he is much older than the other racers and has taint of doping
against him.

C. Destroy the Villain: Exposes
Vance and his plan, as well as the old misdeeds of the team director

• This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by  Holly Heston.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by  Holly Heston.

[Holly Heston]

What I learned – To keep brain storming rather than throw out an entire concept. Let it evolve.

Concept: After several members of a cycling team die, a former professional cyclist must prevent more deaths before the end of a week-long race.

Hero: Bike mechanic who is a former professional cyclist.

Mission: Prevent the successive deaths of the team before the end of the week-long race.

Antagonist: Disgruntled former cyclist who is now the president of a company that is a rival of the team sponsor.

Demand: Hero is the only one who recognizes that the deaths are not accidents and must identify the antagonist and helpers and prevent further deaths.

Escalation: Location of deaths continually expands from contained areas, to within the race, to the spectators.

[Holly Heston]

What I learned –

• This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by  Holly Heston.

[Holly Heston]

1. Holly Heston

2. 1 1/2

3. It’s been long time since I’ve done any writing and I want to get my feet wet again. I’ve never tried to write an action script so I’m looking forward to the challenge.

4. I’ve been collecting those little colored clips on bread bags since I was 11. I have 1 1/2 large jars of them. They appealed when I was a child because they were colorful. Over the years, in case you’re interested, they’ve become less vibrant and tend toward white. (But I’m not going to stop.)

[Holly Heston]

Holly Heston

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 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 3 years, 10 months ago by  Holly Heston.