[JOHN RAE]

John’s 4 Act Transformational Structure

• Concept
o A misfortunate heir’s mom returns, reincarnated as a foul-mouthed, chain-smoking 8-year-old girl hell bent on fixing him up and making him worthy of the fortune she left him.
• Main Conflict
o Balancing the skepticism of his mother’s return with the undeniable impact the child has on his life, pushing him towards maturity, while fighting his feelings for the girl’s bio-mom–a suspected con artist.
• Old Ways
o Hides behind a facade of reckless behavior. His life is aimless, filled with superficial and exploitive people.
• New Ways
o Alex exhibits trust and a sense of responsibility–becoming proactive, collaborative and emotionally intelligent.

Act 1: Opening and Turning Point (Old Ways)
Opening:
Opening Image: Alex’s mansion after a wild party; Alex is found unconscious in the pool by Benji, who saves him.
Set-Up: Introduction of Fiona and Charlie’s living conditions. Fiona receives a process server’s visit; Charlie, acting like an adult, shocks the server.
Theme Stated: Alex denies suicidal intent; Benji mentions a messenger is coming. Alex’s financial troubles and lack of purpose are highlighted.
Inciting Incident:
Fiona and Charlie visit Alex, revealing that Charlie is the reincarnation of Alex’s mother.
Turning Point:
Alex decides to hear out Fiona and Charlie’s claims, initiating a journey to uncover the truth about his mother’s reincarnation and the lost fortune.
Act 2: New Plan and Midpoint Turning Point (Transition to New Ways)
New Plan:
Alex’s relationship with Fiona deepens as they devise a plan to retrieve his lost fortune from a corrupt CEO. The team uses Charlie’s past-life memories to develop a convincing con.
Plan in Action:
Fiona, Benji, and Charlie begin to work on swindling the CEO. Charlie’s past-life memories guide their actions.
Midpoint Turning Point:
Alex discovers Fiona’s extensive research on him and feels betrayed, believing the entire situation is a scam. This causes a rift and pushes him back into his old habits.
Act 3: Rethink and New Plan (Reevaluation and Major Shift)
Rethink Everything:
Alex, feeling betrayed, returns to his reckless behavior, pushing Benji away. Fiona and Charlie struggle with their plans as Charlie’s memories fade.
New Plan:
Realizing he needs to fight for his family and future, Alex decides to fully commit to the plan, trusting in Fiona, Benji, and Charlie.
Turning Point: Huge Failure / Major Shift:
Alex’s commitment leads to a major confrontation with the CEO, but they encounter unexpected obstacles. Charlie’s memories suddenly flood back, revealing she was murdered by the CEO, causing a chaotic breakdown.
Act 4: Climax and Resolution (New Ways)
Climax/Ultimate Expression of the Conflict:
The team executes their con on the CEO, leveraging Charlie’s memories and Alex’s tech skills to manipulate and outsmart him. The CEO is lured into transferring his funds, believing in a fake investment opportunity.
Resolution:
The CEO realizes too late that he’s been duped. Law enforcement, tipped off by the team, arrives to arrest him. The company’s assets are frozen, and a significant portion is returned to Alex.
Final Image:
Alex, Fiona, Charlie, and Benji celebrate their victory. The family is now united and financially secure. They enjoy a peaceful, loving life together, having overcome their past struggles.

[JOHN RAE]

What I learned is that it is important to plan out the subtext.

Concept: A misfortunate playboy’s mother returns, reincarnated in the body of a foul-mouthed, chain-smoking, 8-year-old girl hell bent on fixing him up and making him worthy of the fortune she left him.

Layering: As the reincarnated mother tries to guide Alex and resolve their relationship issues, there is a deeper layer where the playboy believes he is just humoring some child. The audience, however, sees the truth of the child’s words and actions as they past lessons she had tried to teach her son when she was alive. This layer of wisdom beneath the childish antics offers guidance, though it is comically misinterpreted.

Superior Position: The child’s bio-mom is a life-long grifter who may or may not be orchestrating the biggest con of her life. For much of the story, the audience is in on her conning ways, but it’s unclear if the protagonist is her mark, or an unwitting accomplice.

[JOHN RAE]

John’s Transformational Journey

Vision: Aiming to excel in writing with a unique voice, my goal is to gain representation soon, see my films in production, and achieve financial independence, leading to an Oscar win, recognized for my impactful storytelling, and respected in the industry as a go-to writer for compelling narratives, blending creativity with a life surrounded by a supportive community.

What I learned is that I need to be intentional when crafting a character for my story.

Character Arc:

• Arc Beginning: Alex is a disillusioned, untrusting, suicidal heir who indulges in hedonistic pleasures to mask his feelings of inadequacy and failure.
• Arc Ending: Alex is grounded, confident, takes ownership, and values authentic relationships over material wealth.

Internal/External Journey.

• Internal Journey: Alex overcomes his self-loathing and distrust. Skeptical of others, he resists changes, but gradually confronts his own demons–fear of being unworthy and unloved.
• External Journey: Alex throws caution to the wind and engages in a bizarre claim that 8 yr old Charlie was his mom in a past life, but he discovers deceit which he ultimately embraces to formulate a plan to steal back a fortune that was swindled from him.

Old Ways/New Ways:

• Old Ways: Hides behind a facade of reckless behavior. His life is aimless, filled with superficial and exploitive people.
• New Ways: Alex exhibits trust and a sense of responsibility–becoming proactive, collaborative and emotionally intelligent.

[JOHN RAE]

John’s Title, Concept and Character Structure!

Vision: Aiming to excel in writing with a unique voice, my goal is to gain representation soon, see my films in production, and achieve financial independence, leading to an Oscar win, recognized for my impactful storytelling, and respected in the industry as a go-to writer for compelling narratives, blending creativity with a life surrounded by a supportive community.

What I learned is that it’s important to have a clear vision of the type of movie/character structure I’m going to write. I had been unclear on this one since inception–rom-com, buddy, ensemble, etc.

Title: Trust Fall

Concept: A misfortunate heir’s mom returns, reincarnated as a foul-mouthed, chain-smoking 8-year-old girl hell bent on fixing him up and making him worthy of the fortune she left him.

Character Structure: Buddy Movie

[JOHN RAE]

I like the idea of just hacking away at a large number of options to make a decision. I think I do this already, but never as a go-to tool.

[JOHN RAE]

<div>Hey, everyone!</div>

My name is John Rae.

I have lost count of how many scripts I have written, features and television.

I hope I can sharpen my AI skills for the writing and marketing processes.

A weird thing about me is that I hear motion when there is no sound produced. Video games on mute sound pretty robust.

[JOHN RAE]

John Rae

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.

[JOHN RAE]

1. John Rae

2. I’ve written many scripts, and 3.2 novels. I’ve got several projects I’m juggling and getting ready to pitch.

3. I’m looking for the kick in the pants I need for setting my marketing efforts in motion.

4. I recently discovered my inner adrenaline junkie. I’ve jumped out of a plane and from cliffs and am pysching myself up for a shark dive in the summer.