Jonathan Clark
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I’ll do the class privately. But “I will keep the strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential.”
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ASSIGNMENT 4.
Doing this assignment I learned to follow a structure more suited to today’s horror films.
SECRET SANTA – By Jon Clark
ACT 1 – SETUP FOR HORROR
Atmosphere of Evil established:
Savannah begins her high school day. As she exits her car she discovers a red envelope next to her on the seat. It wasn’t there a second before. There’s no one around. How did it even get here? She opens it. Reads. “You have a Secret Santa. But instead of giving, this one’s taking, one piece at a time. Then it will take all. You have five days.”
Connect with the characters:
We find our main characters gathering to go into school. They spot Savannah, Riley can see that something is wrong with her. Savannah tells of the letter. Samantha admits that she has one too. It was in her bookbag, and since she never does homework she didn’t discover it until today. Savannah ignores the note, rules the roost in this school, and wants revenge for whoever decided to play this prank on her. Instead of going to class, she goes after the “nerd” she thinks gave it to her. But as she follows him. She realizes he isn’t who she thought he was, her reality is twisted as the
We catch only glimpses of him/it. Shock scare.
Denial of Horror:
Later, in between bells, Riley discovers that she too has the same red Secret Santa letter. Riley is a bit freaked out. Samantha denies there’s anything to this, but as Riley leaves them…
Safety taken away:
It comes for Riley. There is no way for her to fight it. She thinks it’s going to kill her, and it wants to but all it seems to do is cut her, and only once. Then it’s gone and everything is back to normal only no one seems to recall or remember her being attacked.
Monster: The nature of the beast:
Riley begins an investigation of who gave her this letter, And why? Discovers to her surprise that there are a number of kids who not only don’t like her (she thought it was all just jealousy) but these kids actively seem to despise her and her friends.
ACT 2 – THE POINT OF NO RETURN
Isolated/trapped/abducted:
Another day. Another attack for each of the girls. There’s something more to this than just a curse. There’s something much more evil behind who, or what this Secret Santa thing is. It leaves them hints.
Riley goes to the police. They don’t believe her. Think it’s all a prank.
One of us killed:
Samantha is killed. It happens in broad daylight, at the police station, and in front of both girls. They are completely helpless to do anything to stop it. And worse, the police don’t notice it. It’s time to figure out who created this curse, and set it upon us.
MIDPOINT – THE MONSTER IS WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT
Full pursuit by the killer:
The girls attempt to make amends meanwhile trying to uncover who is behind this as the clock ticks down on them. They have a long list of enemies, with very little time.
Terrorized:
It comes again for Riley. She escapes. But it kills and takes Savannah.
ACT 3 – FULL OUT HORROR
Fight to the death:
Riley prepares to fight it. To gather weapons, a bible, a cross, holy water, anything. she sets traps.
Hysteria:
But they all fail her. Riley is freaking out. Tomorrow is her last day. If she can’t stop it, she will die. Riley goes to Natalie. Someone she barely even knew. Natalie confirms that it was her who placed the curse. She was jealous of Riley, angry at her former friends. But even Natalie thinks that this has gone too far. Natalie vows to help.
The thrilling escape from death:
Together, Riley and Natalie break the curse.
Death returns to take one more:
But the demon wants more. You can’t break this curse. Natalie is taken.
Resolution:
Riley has survived. She’s lost her friends. She’s going to be a decent person from now on. And she knows what’s living just outside her reality, waiting to be let back in, is this cruel demonic presence…
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Assignment 3.
Jon Clark’s Characters for Horror
What I learned on this assignment is the different types of characters and groups that they can fall in and how those can be used to flesh out the plot and carry the message.
TITLE: SECRET SANTA
GROUP: Social Group (clique of friends)
DYING PATTERN: B. The characters experience the terror and survive together, but one or two die.
CHARACTERS:
LEADER/MORAL ONE:
Riley. Newest to this group, she’s the low man on the totem pole in this group. She has done bad, as we learn through the course of the story but she catches on to what’s going on and why, and tries to convince the others. She wants to make amends and will but is it already too late?
OUT OF CONTROL/OBNOXIOUS:
Savannah: The queen bee. The leader of this group of mean girl bullies. She’s the hot one, but also the one that drinks too much and has a vicious mean streak to her. The school has come to refer to these girls as the “SS” Because they were founded by Savannah and Samantha, and you don’t mess with them for fear of the retribution they rain down. .
COMPLAINER:
Samantha. Second in command. Very beautiful, very difficult to please. Goes through life dissing every event, object and interaction.
REBEL/RULE BREAKER:
Caleb. Also, Riley’s ex boyfriend.
INTROVERT/LONER:
Zach. The shy, dark, geeky boy that the girls have tormented the most. He’s the one they think did it.
THE CARRIER:
Natalie. The ostracized former friend. The one who found and set the curse upon them. She was replaced by Riley.
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Assignment 2.
Jon Clark’s Terrifying Monster: The Secret Santa (Demon).
I liked this assignment because it’s forcing me to focus and define the villain in a way that’s bringing up ideas for some great scares.
Their Terror:
The terror begins normally enough as you go through your day. Then you notice that something seems off. What is normally one way, is different. Like the arrangement of your closet. Like how all your wardrobe seems to be in the shape of a tall thin man. How wire coat hangers have fallen to the sleeve of your jacket and now appear to be claws. And when you reach back to step out of your closet, your shirt sleeve catches on the door and closes it on you and now you’re stuck inside your own closet. And you’re not alone. Because you hear its low voice speak your name… your full name.
-How does the monster terrorize?
It’s the very personification of a curse. With it’s mission being to hurt you once each day for four days, then to murder you on the fifth day, right after revealing your tormentor.
-How does the monster pursue?
Your normal everyday world is suddenly altered with it’s arrival. It takes form, attacks–sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes leading you into the pain yourself.
-How does the monster isolate?
It manipulates and warps your world. Even if your friends/family/authority figures are there, they may not help you, may even be used against you, and later they will have no memory of the event.
-What is the terrible thing they do?
Day 1. It gives you a bruise.
Day 2. It’s a cut.
Day 3. It takes blood.
Day 4. It takes a bite.
Day 5. It kills you. (See answer below)
-How does the monster cause death?
It kills any way it gleefully wishes, but is ALWAYS a dig at a character flaw that you have.
-What makes this inescapable?
There is nowhere you can run from a creature that will find you wherever you go and one that can change anything in your world. The only choice, the only chance you have is to find who created the curse and get them to stop it.
Their Mystery:
Secret Santa is a deadly curse based upon warping the idea of having a Secret Santa that gives you a present each day. But there’s a specific daemonic presence behind this curse, one with its own personality. It will do its job, and with delight, but it desires even more.
Their Fear Provoking Appearance:
Although it can disguise itself hiding behind the trappings of Christmas, we have hints that there’s something behind it, a nasty, dark man-like form. Which the girls later discover is a demon, conjured to fulfill this curse. All revealed through the story.
Their Rules:
It’s only allowed out once a day. It has an agenda that it needs to take from you and once it has collected that day’s mission, it leaves (and reluctantly). What if the curse is broken before it finishes the mission? It may break free (which is what it secretly desires).
Their Mythology:
The mythology of this creature is that it’s a demon, conjured to do harm. In the sequels, we will learn more about who it is and all the horror it’s unleashed in the past.
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Jon Clark
Assignment 1.
What I learned: It was a much better movie than I remembered! The scares and nightmare scare sequences were well laid out and conceived right from the very beginning. And for the time I’d say the movie is very fresh. The climax was somewhat disappointing visually and thematically but I understand why it was done that way. There’s also a nice sense of uncovering the mystery over who the villain is that Nancy works out along the way.
Movie Title: NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (Original 1984)
Concept: A disfigured murderer preys on teenagers in their dreams which kills them in reality.
Terrorize The Characters: Multiple nightmare scenarios that confuse reality, forcing characters to do anything they can to survive and then once free from the dream, they struggle to stay awake.
Isolation: We’re all alone in our dreams. In the waking world for the teens, there’s the compounded isolation that “others” don’t believe them, the police, their parents, even each other at first.
Death: Viscerally slashed apart under a blanket, then floating to the ceiling as the attack continues. A bed sheet that comes alive to strangle you. Getting sucked into a bed that turns into a geyser of blood (suggesting-not showing). There are also many near misses and disturbing sequences: A body dragged through the school’s hallway. Getting sucked down into a bathtub.
Monster/Villain: Freddy Kreuger. A former child murderer who’s weapon of choice is a glove with knives welded onto it. In life he was burned alive and now attacks in dreams, twisting and controlling the victim’s dream any way he likes, to induce the most terror.
High Tension: Everyone must sleep. You can’t stop it. It’s going to happen. And the added suspense of: once you do, you know that, “One two, Freddy’s coming for you”.
Departure From Reality: In the dreams anything can happen.
Moral Statement: Vigilantism is wrong, and stains your bloodline.
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Movie Title:
SECRET SANTA
Tagline:
You have a Secret Santa. But instead of giving, this one’s taking-a small piece at a time. Then it will take all. You have five days.
Concept:
Three “mean girl” teenage besties learn that they have a Secret Santa, but instead of it giving, each day their reality is warped into a living nightmare as a cruel and unstoppable supernatural presence attacks them. It masquerades behind the regalia of the festive season, but they discover that it’s a curse designed to torment them, and if they don’t find a way to break it within their five allotted days, they will not survive.
Terrorize The Characters:
From the very opening scene, one by one each character is attacked by a presence that literally warps their reality, twisting it into a waking nightmare. Each day it attacks. Getting closer to taking them. (Death by a thousand cuts.)
Isolation:
No one believes the girls (their parents, the police). Their peers think they deserve it. There is nowhere they can hide from a presence that can warp reality. The only way to stop it is to uncover why this curse was placed upon them, and by whom.
Death:
One by one the girls are picked off. Worse, is when the attacks occur in front of the two other girls, and in school, right in front of students and teachers who don’t seem to notice or care and do absolutely nothing to help and sometimes aid in the attack… Not only that, they were each given their Secret Santa notification on different days, and one was given a letter, but didn’t discover it until days later – meaning the end can happen at any time.
Monster/Villain:
Secret Santa. A thin, dark, man-shaped demonic presence that wickedly masquerades behind the trappings of the festive season. It cannot be stopped. It’s a curse. It enjoys their torment. Ultimately it will take them home with it never to be seen again. The second villain/antagonist is the person who placed the curse on them. A spurned former friend to the girls whose life was destroyed when the girls cast her out of their group.
High Tension:
Each day, it’s going to come for you. You won’t know when, or how, or even if you’ll escape this time: Walking to school. Looking at your phone. Taking a shower. Cutting your nails. Eating lunch. Sitting in a class trying to focus. Finding an outfit in your closet. Nowhere is safe and anything can become a terrifying scenario there’s no escape from.
Departure From Reality:
Constantly. There’s no waking from reality.
Moral Statement:
Cruelty to others can come back to you in horrible-horrible ways.
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Jon Clark
I’ve written well over a dozen scripts, mostly horror, thriller or mystery. Won a few contests, semi-finals, and not even placed in others–Ha!
I’m here to take my work to the next level, to push myself and learn as much as I can.
Currently, I’m a published comic book writer and artist (here are some of my titles: BLACK FRIDAY, PLAYTHINGS, POP-UP) with a few coming out this month. Please do Google and/or follow me on Instagram under “Jon Clark Comics” to see more, and I’d appreciate it!
Super psyched for this class!
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Jon Clark. I agree to the terms of this release form.
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Good point.
I’m thinking that originally the girls attempt a half-hearted series of apologies to anyone that they may have offended or hurt. Then later, they (or our main character) discovers who the person is, and why. She could make a much more serious apology, and I’m thinking that the offended girl truly accepts the apology, (and feels guilty for what she’s done-because it’s all gone too far now). She attempts to remove the curse. But it’s too late. The demon won’t let her. Now the two girls work together to try and stop it. Maybe the offended girl is forced to sacrifice herself to put an end to it–just when the girls have reconnected.