Lois Wickstrom
Forum Replies Created
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What I learned doing this assignment:
I don’t really want to write a conventional action scene.
Concept: Dare is a thief who gets arrested, then is given a choice – he can go to jail or join an organization called Secret Sharers.
Conventions
Hero: Dare, a young thief who got
caught.
Demand For Action: avoid going to jail
Mission: figure out what the
secret sharers are up to
Antagonist: Anitra – she is
smarter than Dare, knows more than Dare, has Dare in her debt
Escalating Action: Dare is learning
more, but enjoying this new life, even though he knows Anitra must be
stopped.3.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by Lois Wickstrom.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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Name? Lois Wickstrom
2. How many scripts you’ve written? at least twelve
3. What you hope to get out of the class? how to write more effective / exciting action scenes
4. Something unique, special, strange or unusual about you? I have a dog who can talk almost anyone into petting her or giving her a munchy.
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Your name. Lois Wickstrom
2. “I agree to the terms of this release form.”
3. Please leave the entire text below to confirm what you agree to.
OR
NOT AGREE, in which case, you hit “Reply to this topic” and type in the words “I’ll do the class privately.”
If you agree to the terms of the release form, then you can post your assignments into the group and your cohort can give feedback on them.
Also, if you don’t agree to this group confidentiality agreement, you’ll still need to sign an agreement that says you will keep the strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential.
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.
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1. Name? Lois Wickstrom
2. How many scripts you’ve written? 12
3. What you hope to get out of the class? find out if AI is for me.
4. Something unique, special, strange or unusual about you? I’m an exercise junky
5. What ProSeries, Writing Incredible Movies, or Binge Worthy TV class you were in. ProSeries 9, Binge Worthy TV 2021
We look forward to working with you all!
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genre: animated children’s cartoon — 22 pages
title: Skunk-Boy
me: Lois Wickstrom
contact: reluctantspy@gmail.com
ready to exchange.
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Lois Finished Wordsmithing!
Reading backwards let me find two things:
I noticed that I had forgotten to have the customer take her purchases when she left the store.
A piece of dialogue that was in my head every time I read it forward, actually was not on the page. Reading backwards let me see the gap. So now it’s on the page.
If you are ready to swap, please email me at reluctantspy@gmail.com
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Lois has amazing description
I already had some of these:
He looks at Kamali Parker in a friendly but manipulative way.
Meff looks thoughtful. That’s an unusual look for him.
She pets him ostentatiously.
Meff is in rhapsodies. Polly was good at petting. Kamali is superb!
I going through my script again, I found a place where action was combined with dialogue, and a missing piece of dialogue that was still in my head and not on the page. But I didn’t find any places to add more description. Such places may exist, but I can’t spot them by myself.
I wish somebody in this class was ready to swap.
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Lois Has Great Introductions!
The introductions were solid. But, going through the dialogue again, I found several places where the ideas could be phrased more clearly. So, going through the script, looking for introductions and finding other places to fix worked out well.
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Lois’ Description 1
My screenplay has been running short. I found enough places to add more description of what I want to see on screen that it added nearly a page to my screenplay. Yay!
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Lois Has Great Dialogue
What I learned… the dialogue I had was good. However, re-reading it, after a time break, let me see holes where I needed to fill in missing information and even got an idea for one new line of dialogue that clarifies the scene, plus adds some humor. I am writing a comedy. Anybody here ready to swap? reluctantspy@gmail.com
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I’ve taken the advanced dialogue class. I already had plenty of these:
INT. - HEN HOUSE - DAY POLLY You know how a skunk growls and bares its fangs? (beat) Then if the attacker persists, it turns its back like it’s ready to give up (beat)POLLY (cont’d) and then when everything looks lost, the skunk raises its tail and sprays - - right in the eyes! (beat) That’s why I love skunks. MOM You know the rule. None of the meteorite rock must ever leave our farm. Meff hears Polly’s words and hangs his head in shame. He has not acted like a skunk. -
I was able to add 2 more pages with this — I will go over this script again, looking for more places to add personality to the dialogue. This actually adds lines, which I need. I have no idea why my 30 minute-feeling idea is now only 19 pages. I don’t know what I’ve forgotten to put on the page.
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Lois’ Dialogue 1+2
“What I learned doing this assignment is..I can extend arguments. This technique added a page to my short script. That’s a good thing, since it still needs more pages.
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problem continues. Nobody else is at this point. I can’t know if my script has problems if I don’t get feedback.
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I’m the only one in this class who is up to this point. I don’t know how to tell if my script has problems — I need to swap manuscripts with another student. I can’t go further until some other students catch up. There are only 9 of us in this class and only 4 of us are regularly doing the assignments.
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Lois Has Finished Act 4 + 5
This script isn’t as long as I thought it would be. I’ve written all the parts I had in the outline. I’ve gone over it looking for things that were in my head that weren’t in the outline. It’s still too short. This quick writing from outline doesn’t seem to work for me. I’ve written from outline before and never had this problem before. Writing a 100 page script isn’t hard.
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Lois finishes Act 3
What I learned — these acts are way shorter than I thought they’d be. I know I’m going for 30 pages, but I’m half-done and I have 9 pages. The other two acts are longer. Maybe the rewrites will add more.
int. – Hen House – Day
Meff hears Polly’s words and hangs his head in shame. He has not acted like a skunk.
The horned owl swoops up up into the sky, heading back to the lab.
Polly heads back to the nests.
POLLY
(glancing at Mom)
What should I do with these stinky rotten eggs?
mom
Leave them there. The skunks love them.
Meff shakes his head. He does not love rotten eggs.
Polly picks Meff up, sits on a bale of hay, puts him in her lap, and starts petting him.
POLLY
Sweet Skunky. You’re a spotted skunky. I don’t think we’ve had a spotty skunky before.
Meff squeaks. He squirms. He tries to get away.
MEFF / SKUNK
Hands off! Mom! She’s touching me!
POLLY
You love petting. Don’t you, you little poofer? Of course you do.
Meff thrashes. He bares his fangs. Polly knows just where to dig her fingers in to avoid being bitten.
MEFF / SKUNK
Let go! I’ll spray you!
Polly continues petting, massaging. Meff starts to relax, smile, even.
POLLY
That’s a good skunky. Nice, cuddly skunky. Snuggly skunky.
Meff relaxes.
MEFF / SKUNK
Mmmmm. Aahhhh.
UNCLE MILTON (a natural born skunk) comes up to Meff, sniffs him.
UNCLE MILTON
(kindly)
I’ll fix you, boy.
Meff looks at him curiously. Polly continues petting.
Uncle Milton gets a rotten egg from a nest and pushes it along the hay-strewn floor with his teeth towards Meff.
polly
No! Get that nasty thing away from me.
Mom
Let him have it.
polly
You ruin all my fun.
Meff is conflicted. Does he want the egg? Does he want the petting? He looks back and forth.
UNCLE MILTON
Just one bite…
Polly digs her hands into Meff’s fur. Meff sighs with pleasure.
Uncle Milton smashes the egg.
Polly jumps.
Meff dives for it and begins licking.
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Lois Finished Act 2
int. Xerxes Laboratory – day
HOWLAND MANN (
He’ s aristocratic, wiry, 50ish, with a full head of graying hair and bushy eyebrows. There’ s something of the horned owl about him: greedy, conniving, and hungry.
He wears a white labcoat that flaps around him like giant bird wings. The lab bench before him has a giant steaming vat, a rack of test tubes. One tube is labeled OWL.
HOWLAND MANN
Leave it here, Miss Parker!
He points to a spot on the nearby counter.
Kamali complies. Howland puts the rock into a mortar and slams it with a pestle as he speaks.
HOWLAND MANN
You’re just time to witness my triumph! He stirs the vat. Fog billows. Mann’ s lab coat flares out like gigantic wings.
KAMALI PARKER
(making groupie eyes)
You’ re my Mr. Wizard! She smiles encouragingly, adoringly at Mann. He sprinkles the red powder into the vat.
HOWLAND MANN
I’ ve got it this time! I’ m sure of it! I’ m going to fly like a bird. . . . !
KAMALI PARKER
(admiringly)
I’ m sure you can do anything you set your mind to – – but you can’ t be serious!
Mann dips his ladle into the dark purple liquid beneath the fog. He scribbles in his notebook. Then, sets a timer.
HOWLAND MANN
Now leave! You stink like a skunk.
Kamali turns, her muddy high heels clacking against the lineoleum floor as she heads to the exit.
EXT – school baseball field – day
Skunk Hollow Elementary Baseball Team of 5th and 6th grade students, mostly boys, stands behind protective fence. Catcher squats in front of fence, tapping his mitt. MEFF POLECAT is wearing a black and white spotted beanie. Meff has Tom Sawyer good looks, but he’s BAD like Huck Finn, a loaner looking for a cause.
RAMOS, his accident-prone but ever-forgiving friend, wears red Skunk Hollow beanie.
catcher
Stinker. Stinker. Stinker.
Meff stands on his hands and hand-walks toward home plate. Team behind fence laughs, giggles, points, jokes.
team mate
That’s some beauty walk.
Several Team Mates
Skunk-Boy! Skunk-Boy!
RAMOS
(laughing)
We’ll show you stinker.
COACH strides toward Meff picks him up by one foot and carries him off the field. Meff struggles without effect.
coach
Bescumber, Meff! That’s not a winner’s spirit!
Meff
I’m primed.
Coach sets Meff on his feet. Grabs him by the ear.
coach
To the principal’s office. Now!
Meff
It’s my birthday. I’ll be late to my party.
coach
Grow some team spirit.
Ext – Edge of skunk Farm – day
Stream on the left. Bushes on the right. Meff walks along the road carrying a trashbag in one hand and a pick-up stick in the other. The trashbag is bulging and heavy. Meff is picking up a pizza box with his stick. He comes to the Skunk Farm sign, and smiles up at it. He’s home.
A striped skunk, with a question mark on her forehead, sticks her nose out from between bushes. Meff smiles at the skunk, and squats down to pet her.
Meff
Hi, Aunt Abigail!
The skunk chitters, then turns her tail toward Meff, and sprays. He stares at her in shock. He drops the pick-up stick.
Fur grows on his hands. His arms. He starts to shrink. The trash bag falls from his hand.
He becomes a spotted skunk, half the size of Aunt Abigail.
Meff and Aunt Abigail chitter to each other. Meff angry. Aunt Abigail excited.
Aunt Abigail / Skunk
Congratulations, Meff! Today you have become a skunk.
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Lois finished act 3
ext – skunk farm near home buildings – day
Left to right, hen house, Polecat family home, Everything For Your Skunk shop. Meff / Skunk scowls at Aunt Abigail.
MEFF / Skunk
I’m late to my birthday party. Nobody’s going to give me presents if I come in smelling like this!
AUNT ABIGAIL / SKUNK
It’s your party. You can stink if you want to.
She dances and sings
AUNT ABIGAIL / SKUNK
Stink if you want to. Stink if you want to.
Meff joins in.
MEFF / SKUNK
Stink if I want to. Stink if I want to.
AUNT ABIGAIL / SKUNK
Skunk parties are way more fun that a birthday party. Come on! We’re having one in the cave.
Meff stops to smell something interesting.
Aunt Abigail / Skunk motions Meff to follow her as she scampers up the hill.
A horned owl swoops down from a tree toward Meff.
AUNT ABIGAIL / SKUNK
Run!
Meff glances at Aunt Abigail. She’s too far away, and she’s out in the open. He dashes under a potting bench.
The owl swoops lower beak towards him.
He dashes under a picnic table.
His sister POLLY POLECAT opens the hen house door. (Polly is a young I-Love-Lucy type, enthusiastic and trouble-making.) He runs for the open doorway. Mom is visible milking a goat. Polly holds a basket of eggs.
Polly is wearing a bracelet made of the same kind of stone that Kamali Parker stole. One red chunk is shaped like a heart. Other beads are alphabet beads like on baby ID bracelets. These say, “I LOVE SKUNKS.”
Mom
Oh, Polly, that’s a sweet bracelet, but…
POLLY
You know how a skunk growls and bares its fangs?
(beat)
Then if the attacker persists, it turns its back like it’s ready to give up
(beat)
and then when everything looks lost, the skunk raises its tail and sprays – – right in the eyes!
(beat)
That’ s why I love skunks.
mom
You know the rule. None of the asteroid rock must ever leave our farm.
Meff dashes inside. Polly slams the hen house door shut.
Meff hears Polly’s words and hangs his head in shame. He has not acted like a skunk.
The horned owl swoops up up into the sky, heading back to the lab.
Polly heads back to the nests.
POLLY
(glancing at Mom)
What should I do with these stinky rotten eggs?
mom
Leave them there. The skunks love them.
Meff shakes his head. He does not love rotten eggs.
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Lois’s High Speed Writing
What I learned. I had the pieces for this scene from the previous lesson.
EXT. MAIN STREET ENTERING SKUNK HOLLOW – MORNING
KAMALI PARKER (Pakistani woman in her 30’s) drives her minivan into Skunk Hollow.
Sign: Entering Skunk Hollow, Skunk Capital of the USA. A drawing of a smiling skunk waves its tail. Trees with gold and red leaves line the roadsides. It’s Fall.
Cars on the road have “We (heart) Skunks” and “Skunks Make Great Pets” bumper strips.
Kamali’s cell phone rings. She answers hands-free. She drives as she talks.
Howland Mann
When you get to the Skunk Farm grab a piece of meteorite rock.
A Burma Shave style set of signs: We (heart) skunks. Yes we do. They come in every color. Except for Green and Blue.
KAMALI PARKER
Sure. I’ll stop at their shop.
A pet grooming shop. The Pet Poofery. Photos in the window show freshly groomed cats, dogs and skunks. A few windows down, a furniture shop has a We (heart) skunks sign.
HOWLAND MANN
It’s just a black and red rock. They’re lying all over the ground near the hen house. They don’t sell them.
An intersection where a street banner reads: Home of the Skunk Beauty Pageant. A “Skunks Make Scents” circus wagon crosses the street, playing circus music. Paintings on the wagon show dancing skunks and performing skunks.
KAMALI PARKER
I’ll ask, just to be sure.
A Billboard advertising Xerxes Pharmaceuticals, featuring a photo of Howland Mann, Owner and Inventor, brushing a long-haired skunk. “Beautify Your Skunk With Aglaea.”
HOWLAND MANN
We’re neighborly around here. Would you care of somebody took a rock from your yard?
Below the billboard is a school yard, and a sign pointing to Skunk Farm.
Kamali turns towards Skunk Farm. A river is on her left and a row of bushes on her right. She comes to a large Skunk Farm. Everything for Your Skunk sign. She parks her car and walks up the path. One building is labelled Skunk Stuff Here. Next to that are a farmhouse and further to the left a hen house.
Kamali starts to walk up to the store. Her high heels sink into the muddy path. She changes her mind. Starts to walk up to the farmhouse. Gets to the door, raises her hand to knock. But the house is silent. She heads toward the hen house. Skunks come up the path to greet her. She squats down to pet one. She sees a red and black rock beside the path. The skunk steps between her and the rock, blocking her.
KAMALI PARKER (baby-talk voice)
Sweet skunkie! Would you like a tummy rub?
The skunk rolls over and Kamali rubs its tummy with one hand. The skunk smiles. Kamali reaches for the rock with her other hand. A second skunk tries to block her.
KAMALI PARKER (BABY-TALK VOICE)
Are you jealous, my pretty poofer? I’ll pet you, too, as soon as I put this rock in my pocket.
The skunk sprays Kamali. She grabs the rock and runs back toward her minivan. tears streaming. Her heels stick inthe mud. She takes them off and carries them. Skunks chase after her.
int. Aglaea labs – day
HOWLAND MANN (pale skinned man of about 50) wears a white labcoat that flaps around him like giant bird wings. He has rows of test tubes in a rack next to vials and flasks and tubes of colored liquids, and mysterious black boxes. One tube is labeled OWL.
HOWLAND MANN
Leave it here!
He points to a spot on the nearby counter.
Kamali complies. Howland puts the rock into a mortar and slams it with a pestle as he speaks.
HOWLAND MANN (Cont)
Now leave! I can’t stand that stink!
Howland adds a few crumbs of the rock to the vial marked OWL. Kamali turns and leaves, her muddy high heels clacking against the lineoleum floor.
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Binge Worthy Mod 3 Lesson 12 homework
Lois’ Outline With Intrigue
What I learned – This is combining Lesson 9 with Lessons 10 and 11. We should have been building on Lesson 9 from the get-go. Not doing new lessons and combining them later.
Teaser
Ext – Skunk Hollow Main Street Kamali Parker drives down Main Street of Skunk Hollow showing all the skunky-stores and signs
Ext – Kamali Parker gets out of her car, rushes onto the Skunk Farm, talks sweetly to skunks who seem curious about her, grabs a red-and-black rock, drives off.
Int – Mann Pharmaceuticals – Kamali Parker hands the rock to Howland Mann, who grins evilly and pounds the rock with pestle and mortar. A vial nearby is marked “owl.”
Start: Kamali drives through Skunk Hollow
Mystery: What is going on with this town and all the Skunky Establishments?
Challenging Situation: It’s a new and totally strange town
Mystery: Why did Kamali come here?
Conflict: She’s supposed to steal a rock
Empathy / Distress: Why is she sneaking onto the Skunk Farm? Why does her boss want her to steal a rock? From here? Is she an honest person? How big a deal is stealing this rock?
Action: She steals the rock
payoff: – hey it’s just a rock. An ordinary boring-looking rock. What’s the big deal?
Finish: She delivers the rock to her boss.
Setup: Boss drops bits of the rock into a vial labelled “owl.”
Act 1
Ext – school baseball field – Meff Polecat walks on his hands up to the batter’s position. Team mates laugh and joke. Coach grabs Meff, insults him for not showing team spirit. Tells him he must pick up garbage after school. Meff says its his birthday and he’ll be late to his party.
Ext – skunk farm – Meff walks along streambed picking up garbage. He comes to a sign reading Skunk Farm. He smiles up at it. He’s home. A skunk comes out to greet him. It’s Aunt Abigail. She sprays him.
Ext – in the bushes at the edge of Skunk Farm – Meff grows fur. He shrinks. He drops his garbage bag and garbage picker. He is now a spotted skunk. Note: Aunt Abigail is a striped skunk. He talks but it sounds like squeaks.
Start: Meff goofing off – walking on his hands to the batter’s mound
Mystery: Why is Meff goofing off?
Challenging Situation: Coach blocks him
Mystery: Why does Coach get so angry at a minor prank?
Conflict: Coach puts him on garbage duty, so he’ll be late to his own birthday party
Empathy/ Distress: He’s going to be late to his own birthday party.
Action: He’s almost done, almost home, when he gets sprayed by a skunk / his aunt
Empathy / Distress: Now he’s stinky.
Finish: He becomes a skunk. His aunt congratulates him. “Today you have become a skunk.”
Setup: What is going on here?
Act 2
Ext – in the bushes at the edge of Skunk Farm – Meff complains that he’s missing his birthday party. Aunt Abigail invites Meff to a skunk party in the cave. He can meet his cousins. Meff and Abigail scamper up the hill toward the cave. Meff stops to sniff something interesting. Abigail smiles. Then she sees an owl swooping toward them. “Run!” She runs up the hill. Meff runs to the hen house. Owl pursues Meff. He dashes under potting benches and a picnic table. Makes it to safety.
Int – hen house – Polly Polecat is gathering eggs. Mom Polecat is milking a goat. Polly finds rotten eggs. Mom says to leave them there. Polly thinks that’s crazy.
Start: Meff is unhappy about being a skunk and missing his birthday party
payoff: This is really happening – he’s a skunk now. His world has drastically changed.
Challenging Situation: His aunt offers him a skunk-party to replace his birthday party
Mystery: What is a Skunk Party? Do they have better presents than Birthday parties?
Conflict: Owl swoops down on him
Payoff: So that’s the owl the boss was making! Is it the boss, himself?
Action: Meff runs to the hen house.
Empathy / Distress: Meff is a skunk. An owl wants to eat him. Is he safe anywhere?
Finish: He sees his mom tell his sister Polly to leave rotten eggs in the nests.
Setup: Why would anybody want rotten eggs in a henhouse?
Act 3
Int – hen house – Polly notices Meff / skunk. She picks him up, puts him in her lap and pets him.
Meff tries to tell her to keep her hands off him, but all she hears are squeaks. The more she pets, the more he loves it. But – his sister is petting him But – it feels wonderful.
Start: Meff’s sister Polly picks him up and starts petting him. She loves skunks.
Empathy / Distress: What boy wants his sister to pet him?
Challenging Situation: Meff tries to tell her “hands off” but all she hears is squeaks.
Payoff: Meff does NOT want to be petted.
Conflict: Meff finds himself loving being petted and embarrassed at the same time.
Empathy / Distress: Meff is emotionally confused. He shouldn’t like this, but he does.
Action: The more she pets him, the more he loves it.
Mystery: Just as he finds himself enjoying the petting, he smells something interesting – the rotten eggs.
Finish: He gives in to enjoyment.
Payoff: Polly knows just where to dig her hands in. He relaxes into the petting.
Act 4
Int – hen house by the nests – Uncle Milton / skunk grabs a rotten egg and brings it to Meff. Polly tries to shoo him away. Again, Meff is of two minds. Rotten egg – Yuck. But Uncle Milton insists and he loves Uncle Milton. Besides it doesn’t smell that bad. The more he sniffs, the better it smells. He eats it. He becomes a boy again.
Int – hen house – both Polly and Meff ask Mom what’s going on here. Mom hugs them both and tells them all will be explained at dinner. But now, Meff needs to shower with skunk-away soap. He stinks.
Start: Uncle Milton / skunk enters the hen house and takes a rotten egg.
Mystery: Who is this skunk? Why is he here? There’s an owl outside. What was worth risking his life?
Challenging Situation: Milton brings the egg to Meff
Mystery: Meff gave up on those eggs. Why is Milton bringing him one?
Conflict: Meff is grossed out about eating a rotten egg, but it smells good.
Empathy / Distress: Should he / Will he eat it? What will happen if he does?
Action: Polly tries to keep him from getting it, but he succeeds
Mystery: Why does Polly care if he eats the rotten egg?
Finish: He eats the rotten egg and becomes a boy again. He stinks. And he has yucky-tasting rotten egg on his lips.
Payoff: So, that was the big deal!
Act 5
Int – night – Polecat dining room – dinner time. Family is celebrating far more than Meff’s 11th birthday. “Today you have become a skunk.” As dad is explaining that some of the family are were-skunks, Aunt Abigail / skunk comes in, eats a rotten egg, and morphs into a woman about Dad’s age, wearing an old flower-print dress. She explains that she has chosen to live her life as a skunk while Dad has chosen to live his life as a human. Meff is still freaking out about that owl. He wants a place to stay safe while he thinks about it. Anywhere he goes on the skunk farm he might get sprayed. And eaten by that owl.
Int – night – skunk farm souvenir and supply shop – lots of silly t-shirts and mugs – a hunter is buying a vial of skunk spray to disguise his scent when he goes hunting. Hunter tests spray bottle and accidentally sprays Meff. He’s a skunk again. Kamali Parker comes into the shop to buy a pet skunk. Polly comes to the register in a bad mood. She sees Meff as a skunk hiding behind the counter. She sells him to Kamali, who just loves her Meffikins.
Start: Dad explains that some of the family are were-skunks. Everybody congratulates Meff.
Payoff: So this is what’s been happening. Now, what’s going to happen to Meff?
Challenging Situation: Meff learns that from now on – if he ever gets sprayed by a skunk, he will become a skunk.
Open Loop: We know he’s going to be sprayed again, and every time it happens, he’ll be in danger.
Conflict:He decides to work in the skunk-supply shop, so he won’t get sprayed.
Setup: Meff is trying to stay safe. We know that can’t work.
Action: A customer accidentally sprays him with skunk-spray-for-hunters. He’s a skunk again.
Payoff: Of course it didn’t work. But the shop is a pretty safe place for a skunk, isn’t it?
Finish: Polly sells him to Kamali, who came in to buy a pet. She says she’s going to enter him in the Skunk Beauty Pageant.
Setup: Now what will happen?
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Lois’ Scene Requirements
What I learned – This is the same stuff as earlier lessons but it loses many of the key parts.
Teaser
Start: Kamali drives through Skunk Hollow
Challenging Situation: It’s a new and totally strange town
Conflict: She’s supposed to steal a rock
Action: She steals the rock
Finish: She delivers the rock to her boss.
Act 1
Start: Meff goofing off – walking on his hands to the batter’s mound
Challenging Situation: Coach blocks him
Conflict: Coach puts him on garbage duty, so he’ll be late to his own birthday party
Action: He’s almost done, almost home, when he gets sprayed by a skunk / his aunt
Finish: He becomes a skunk. His aunt congratulates him. “Today you have become a skunk.”
Act 2
Start: Meff is unhappy about being a skunk and missing his birthday party
Challenging Situation: His aunt offers him a skunk-party to replace his birthday party
Conflict: Owl swoops down on him
Action: He runs to the hen house.
Finish: He sees his mom order his sister Polly to leave rotten eggs in the nests.
Act 3
Start: Meff’s sister Polly picks him up and starts petting him. She loves skunks.
Challenging Situation: Meff tries to tell her “hands off” but all she hears is squeaks.
Conflict: Meff finds himself loving being petted and embarrassed at the same time.
Action: The more she pets him, the more he loves it.
Finish: He gives in to enjoyment.
Act 4
Start: Uncle Milton / skunk enters the hen house and takes a rotten egg.
Challenging Situation: Milton brings the egg to Meff
Conflict: Meff is grossed out about eating a rotten egg, but it smells good.
Action: Polly tries to keep him from getting it, but he succeeds
Finish: He eats the rotten egg and becomes a boy again. He stinks.
Act 5
Start: Dad explains that some of the family are were-skunks. Everybody congratulates Meff.
Challenging Situation: Meff learns that from now on – if he ever gets sprayed by a skunk, he will become a skunk.
Conflict:He decides to work in the skunk-supply shop, so he won’t get sprayed.
Action: A customer accidentally sprays him with skunk-spray-for-hunters. He’s a skunk again.
Finish: Polly sells him to Kamali, who came in to buy a pet.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by Lois Wickstrom.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by
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Lois’ Beat Sheet
What I learned – I really need a beta reader. I can never see my own plot holes.
Teaser
Ext – Skunk Hollow Main Street Kamali Parker drives down Main Street of Skunk Hollow showing all the skunky-stores and signs
Ext – Kamali Parker gets out of her car, rushes onto the Skunk Farm, talks sweetly to skunks who seem curious about her, grabs a red-and-black rock, drives off.
Int – Mann Pharmaceuticals – Kamali Parker hands the rock to Howland Mann, who grins evilly and pounds the rock with pestle and mortar. A vial nearby is marked “owl.”
Act 1
Ext – school baseball field – Meff Polecat walks on his hands up to the batter’s position. Team mates laugh and joke. Coach grabs Meff, insults him for not showing team spirit. Tells him he must pick up garbage after school. Meff says its his birthday and he’ll be late to his party.
Ext – skunk farm – Meff walks along streambed picking up garbage. He comes to a sign reading Skunk Farm. He smiles up at it. He’s home. A skunk comes out to greet him. It’s Aunt Abigail. She sprays him.
Ext – in the bushes at the edge of Skunk Farm – Meff grows fur. He shrinks. He drops his garbage bag and garbage picker. He is now a spotted skunk. Note: Aunt Abigail is a striped skunk. He talks but it sounds like squeaks.
Act 2
Ext – in the bushes at the edge of Skunk Farm – Meff complains that he’s missing his birthday party. Aunt Abigail invites Meff to a skunk party in the cave. He can meet his cousins. Meff and Abigail scamper up the hill toward the cave. Meff stops to sniff something interesting. Abigail smiles. Then she sees an owl swooping toward them. “Run!” She runs up the hill. Meff runs to the hen house. Owl pursues Meff. He dashes under potting benches and a picnic table. Makes it to safety.
Int – hen house – Polly Polecat is gathering eggs. Mom Polecat is milking a goat. Polly finds rotten eggs. Mom says to leave them there. Polly thinks that’s crazy.
Act 3
Int – hen house – Polly notices Meff / skunk. She picks him up, puts him in her lap and pets him.
Meff tries to tell her to keep her hands off him, but all she hears are squeaks. The more she pets, the more he loves it. But – his sister is petting him But – it feels wonderful.
Act 4
Int – hen house by the nests – Uncle Milton / skunk grabs a rotten egg and brings it to Meff. Polly tries to shoo him away. Again, Meff is of two minds. Rotten egg – Yuck. But Uncle Milton insists and he loves Uncle Milton. Besides it doesn’t smell that bad. The more he sniffs, the better it smells. He eats it. He becomes a boy again.
Int – hen house – both Polly and Meff ask Mom what’s going on here. Mom hugs them both and tells them all will be explained at dinner. But now, Meff needs to shower with skunk-away soap. He stinks.
Act 5
Int – night – Polecat dining room – dinner time. Family is celebrating far more than Meff’s 11th birthday. “Today you have become a skunk.” As dad is explaining that some of the family are were-skunks, Aunt Abigail / skunk comes in, eats a rotten egg, and morphs into a woman about Dad’s age, wearing an old flower-print dress. She explains that she has chosen to live her life as a skunk while Dad has chosen to live his life as a human. Meff is still freaking out about that owl. He wants a place to stay safe while he thinks about it. Anywhere he goes on the skunk farm he might get sprayed. And eaten by that owl.
Int – night – skunk farm souvenir and supply shop – lots of silly t-shirts and mugs – a hunter is buying a vial of skunk spray to disguise his scent when he goes hunting. Hunter tests spray bottle and accidentally sprays Meff. He’s a skunk again. Kamali Parker comes into the shop to buy a pet skunk. Polly comes to the register in a bad mood. She sees Meff as a skunk hiding behind the counter. She sells him to Kamali, who just loves her Meffikins.
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Lois Setting Up The Future
what I learned …nothing new – Hal already went over this in numerous previous lessons.
What are the key questions I’m going to include in the pilot?
What’s fun about being a skunk?
What’s dangerous about being a skunk?
What’s it like to be a pet? Even a loved pet?
How dangerous is Polly?
What is a Skunk Beauty Pageant?
Will Howland Mann Kill Meff? Owl vs Skunk?
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Lois Adding Empathy/Distress!
what I learned …nothing new – Hal already went over this in numerous previous lessons. I just added descriptions of the categories existing action already accomplishes. To get new ideas here, I’d need a co-author. I’ve been living in Skunk-Boy world for years and I’m idea-ed out, here.
1. Present the first draft of your pilot Acts.
Teaser:
Before every episode – a tour through town showing all the skunk establishments.
Open Loop: why is this town obsessed with skunks?
Essence: Kamali Parker sneaks past Skunk Farm skunks (talking sweetly to them) and steals a piece of red and black meteorite. She delivers it to Villain Howland Mann.
Intriguing World: Why does this town have skunks everywhere?
Hidden agenda: why is Kamali stealing a rock from the farm?
Strange behavior: What is the villain up to?
Mystery: Why is Kamali taking a rock?
Mystery: Why is Kamali talking to skunks?
Open Loop: Why is the villain becoming an owl?
Forced decision: Kamali, an honest person, steals a rock from the Skunk Farm. She doesn’t think stealing a rock is a big deal. Later she learns it is.
Turning Point: Villain scrapes from meteorite into into a test tube marked OWL. He swirls the tube, injects himself. He starts to shrink and grow feathers.
Act 1:
Essence: Coach punishes Meff for lack of team spirit – orders him to pick up garbage after school, and be late to his 11th birthday party.
Intriguing World: On billboard visible from baseball field: ad for Skunk Beauty Pageant entries.
Mystery: Why doesn’t coach like Meff?
Intrigue: Why does walking on his hands matter to Meff?
Strange Behavior: Aunt Abigail is one of Meff’s favorite skunks. Why would she spray him?
Open Loop: How popular are Skunk Beauty Pageants?
Mystery: Why doesn’t coach like Meff?
Open Loop: Why does getting sprayed by a skunk turn Meff into a skunk?
Open Loop: What are the consequences of becoming a skunk?
Turning Point: Meff is finally nearing home and he gets sprayed by a skunk. He becomes a skunk.
Worst possible time. Meff is going to miss his own birthday party.
Act 2:
Essence: Skunk who sprayed Meff invites him to a skunk party in the cave
Intriguing world: What’s a skunk party?
Secret: Why do these skunks know so much about Meff?
Secret identity: who is Aunt Abigail?
Mystery: What is a skunk party?
Mystery: why do these skunks know so much about Meff?
Mystery: who is Aunt Abigail?
Open Loop: who is a were-skunk and why?
Turning Point/Midpoint: En route to the cave, an owl swoops down. Meff runs toward the hen house. Other skunk runs to cave.
Forced Decision: First he missed his own b-day party. Now he’s missing the skunk party.
Extreme Consequences – he’d be killed if he didn’t run for cover.
Act 3:
Essence: Meff finds his sister Polly collecting eggs and his mom milking a goat. Polly pets Meff and talks sweetly to him.
Intriguing World: Meff is now a skunk on his own skunk farm
Intrigue: What is Skunk Mind?
Open Loop: How does life change for Meff now that he is a were-skunk?
Open Loop: What is skunk mind?
Mystery: What will Polly do with her new secret knowledge?
Turning Point: Meff is both embarrassed to be petted, and he loves it.
Force Decision: The petting feels wonderful, but this is his sister, talking baby-talk to him and petting him – totally embarrassing. Something he’d never do. Except he is in Skunk Mind.
Act 4:
Essence: Another skunk enters the hen house and gives Meff a rotten egg. Polly holds her nose. Meff gobbles it up.
Intriguing World: And why does Mom keep rotten eggs in the henhouse?
Strange Behavior: Why would a skunk want a rotten egg?
Mystery: Why does the skunk want Meff to eat a rotten egg?
Open Loop: Why does Mom keep rotten eggs in the hen house?
Turning Point: Meff becomes human again.
Forced Decision: Meff would never eat a rotten egg, but his uncle skunk tells him to, and he is in Skunk Mind.
Act 5:
Essence: Meff learns that some members of his family are were-skunks. The family celebrates “Today you have become a skunk.”
Intriguing World: Meff’s family includes were-skunks. Meff is one of them.
Secret Identity: Aunt Abigail is Meff’s aunt who chose to live her life as a skunk.
Hidden layer: The skunk farm has a gift shop where they sell skunk spray for hunters.
Open Loop: Who is a were-skunk? How dangerous is it to be a were-skunk?
Mystery: Why did Aunt Abigail choose to live her life as a skunk?
Mystery: Why would a hunter buy skunk-spray?
Open Loop: What will life be like for Meff as a pet skunk?
Open Loop: Can Meff escape being a pet skunk and become human again?
Lock In: Meff is afraid of becoming a skunk again. He decides to work indoors at the family store. A hunter comes in to buy skunk-spray and sprays him. He’s a skunk again. Kamali Parker comes into the store and starts petting him.
Undeserved misfortune: Meff was trying to stay safe. He got sprayed anyway, and then sold as a pet.
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Binge Worthy Module 3, lesson 7 homework
Lois Open Loops and Mysteries
what I learned …nothing new – Hal already went over this in numerous previous lessons.
1. Present the first draft of your pilot Acts.
Teaser:
Before every episode – a tour through town showing all the skunk establishments.
Open Loop: why is this town obsessed with skunks?
Essence: Kamali Parker sneaks past Skunk Farm skunks (talking sweetly to them) and steals a piece of red and black meteorite. She delivers it to Villain Howland Mann.
Intriguing World: Why does this town have skunks everywhere?
Hidden agenda: why is Kamali stealing a rock from the farm?
Strange behavior: What is the villain up to?
Mystery: Why is Kamali taking a rock?
Mystery: Why is Kamali talking to skunks?
Open Loop: Why is the villain becoming an owl?
Turning Point: Villain scrapes from meteorite into into a test tube marked OWL. He swirls the tube, injects himself. He starts to shrink and grow feathers.
Act 1:
Essence: Coach punishes Meff for lack of team spirit – orders him to pick up garbage after school, and be late to his 11th birthday party.
Intriguing World: On billboard visible from baseball field: ad for Skunk Beauty Pageant entries.
Mystery: Why doesn’t coach like Meff?
Intrigue: Why does walking on his hands matter to Meff?
Strange Behavior: Aunt Abigail is one of Meff’s favorite skunks. Why would she spray him?
Open Loop: How popular are Skunk Beauty Pageants?
Mystery: Why doesn’t coach like Meff?
Open Loop: Why does getting sprayed by a skunk turn Meff into a skunk?
Open Loop: What are the consequences of becoming a skunk?
Turning Point: Meff is finally nearing home and he gets sprayed by a skunk. He becomes a skunk.
Act 2:
Essence: Skunk who sprayed Meff invites him to a skunk party in the cave
Intriguing world: What’s a skunk party?
Secret: Why do these skunks know so much about Meff?
Secret identity: who is Aunt Abigail?
Mystery: What is a skunk party?
Mystery: why do these skunks know so much about Meff?
Mystery: who is Aunt Abigail?
Open Loop: who is a were-skunk and why?
Turning Point/Midpoint: En route to the cave, an owl swoops down. Meff runs toward the hen house. Other skunk runs to cave.
Act 3:
Essence: Meff finds his sister Polly collecting eggs and his mom milking a goat. Polly pets Meff and talks sweetly to him.
Intriguing World: Meff is now a skunk on his own skunk farm
Intrigue: What is Skunk Mind?
Open Loop: How does life change for Meff now that he is a were-skunk?
Open Loop: What is skunk mind?
Mystery: What will Polly do with her new secret knowledge?
Turning Point: Meff is both embarrassed to be petted, and he loves it.
Act 4:
Essence: Another skunk enters the hen house and gives Meff a rotten egg. Polly holds her nose. Meff gobbles it up.
Intriguing World: And why does Mom keep rotten eggs in the henhouse?
Strange Behavior: Why would a skunk want a rotten egg?
Mystery: Why does the skunk want Meff to eat a rotten egg?
Open Loop: Why does Mom keep rotten eggs in the hen house?
Turning Point: Meff becomes human again.
Act 5:
Essence: Meff learns that some members of his family are were-skunks. The family celebrates “Today you have become a skunk.”
Intriguing World: Meff’s family includes were-skunks. Meff is one of them.
Secret Identity: Aunt Abigail is Meff’s aunt who chose to live her life as a skunk.
Hidden layer: The skunk farm has a gift shop where they sell skunk spray for hunters.
Open Loop: Who is a were-skunk? How dangerous is it to be a were-skunk?
Mystery: Why did Aunt Abigail choose to live her life as a skunk?
Mystery: Why would a hunter buy skunk-spray?
Open Loop: What will life be like for Meff as a pet skunk?
Open Loop: Can Meff escape being a pet skunk and become human again?
Lock In: Meff is afraid of becoming a skunk again. He decides to work indoors at the family store. A hunter comes in to buy skunk-spray and sprays him. He’s a skunk again. Kamali Parker comes into the store and starts petting him.
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Lois Stacks Intrigue
what I learned …the opening scene (teaser) does not need to be connected to the rest of the story.
1. Present the first draft of your pilot Acts.
Teaser:
Before every episode – a tour through town showing all the skunk establishments.
Essence: Kamali Parker sneaks past Skunk Farm skunks (talking sweetly to them) and steals a piece of red and black meteorite. She delivers it to Villain Howland Mann.
Intriguing World: Why does this town have skunks everywhere?
Hidden agenda: why is Kamali stealing a rock from the farm?
Strange behavior: What is the villain up to?
Turning Point: Villain scrapes from meteorite into into a test tube marked OWL. He swirls the tube, injects himself. He starts to shrink and grow feathers.
Act 1:
Essence: Coach punishes Meff for lack of team spirit – orders him to pick up garbage after school, and be late to his 11th birthday party.
Intriguing World: On billboard visible from baseball field: ad for Skunk Beauty Pageant entries.
Mystery: Why doesn’t coach like Meff?
Intrigue: Why does walking on his hands matter to Meff?
Strange Behavior: Aunt Abigail is one of Meff’s favorite skunks. Why would she spray him?
Turning Point: Meff is finally nearing home and he gets sprayed by a skunk. He becomes a skunk.
Act 2:
Essence: Skunk who sprayed Meff invites him to a skunk party in the cave
Intriguing world: What’s a skunk party?
Secret: Why do these skunks know so much about Meff?
Secret identity: who is Aunt Abigail?
Turning Point/Midpoint: En route to the cave, an owl swoops down. Meff runs toward the hen house. Other skunk runs to cave.
Act 3:
Essence: Meff finds his sister Polly collecting eggs and his mom milking a goat. Polly pets Meff and talks sweetly to him.
Intriguing World: Meff is now a skunk on his own skunk farm
Intrigue: What is Skunk Mind?
Turning Point: Meff is both embarrassed to be petted, and he loves it.
Act 4:
Essence: Another skunk enters the hen house and gives Meff a rotten egg. Polly holds her nose. Meff gobbles it up.
Intriguing World: And why does Mom keep rotten eggs in the henhouse?
Strange Behavior: Why would a skunk want a rotten egg?
Turning Point: Meff becomes human again.
Act 5:
Essence: Meff learns that some members of his family are were-skunks. The family celebrates “Today you have become a skunk.”
Intriguing World: Meff’s family includes were-skunks. Meff is one of them.
Secret Identity: Aunt Abigail is Meff’s aunt who chose to live her life as a skunk.
Hidden layer: The skunk farm has a gift shop where they sell skunk spray for hunters.
Lock In: Meff is afraid of becoming a skunk again. He decides to work indoors at the family store. A hunter comes in to buy skunk-spray and sprays him. He’s a skunk again. Kamali Parker comes into the store and starts petting him.
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What I learned… my brain doesn’t work like this. Also, I thought the manipulation in Ozark was so obvious that it turned me off to the series. Why would money-launderers pretend to be financial advisers? If they deal in millions, why would they scam that couple out of $5000? And if Marty is watching a private eye video of his wife cheating, why hide that fact from the viewers? When we found out what it was, I felt cheated. A guy who watches porn when he is trying to make a sale is far kinkier than a guy who watches his wife cheat in the same circumstance. The first is an object of curiosity — why would he do that? The second is an object of pity. Why did he suspect her? Everything seems okay at home. Unlike what Hal said, I saw no hatred between Marty and his wife. After one episode, I never want to watch Ozark again. Breaking Bad didn’t cheat. It showed the craziness and then showed what led up to the craziness. It didn’t misrepresent anything. I have created an unusual world and I am revealing it a bit at a time. The method in this lesson doesn’t fit with my mindset.
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Lois’ Character Story Lines
What I learned doing this assignment is…I have no idea how this is going to help me come up with new plot ideas for these characters.
Meff
Beginning: He’s late to his 11th birthday party because Coach punished him
Turning Point: He gets sprayed by a skunk and becomes a skunk
Midpoint: He tries to go to a Skunk Party
Turning Point 2: An owl tries to kill him. He sprays the owl.
Major Conflict: He runs to the hen house where his sister, who loves skunks, pets him.
Dilemma: As a skunk, he loves being petted. As a boy, he hates it. Also, he’s terrified of that owl. He has no choice – he is a were-skunk. He will become a skunk whenever he gets sprayed. He decides to avoid being sprayed and work indoors.
Ending: He gets sprayed with the skunk-spray for hunters. He’s a skunk and a customer (employee of villain) wants to buy him.
Howland
Beginning: He gets some of the asteroid on the Skunk Farm and uses it to make a drug that will turn him into an owl.
Turning Point: He becomes an owl and swoops down on Meff.
Midpoint: Meff sprays him
Turning Point 2: He flies off crazily, stunned by the spray
Major Conflict: The asteroid is on the skunk farm. That’s private property. He needs it to be an owl. As an owl he wants to eat skunks. He doesn’t want to be sprayed.
Ending: His employee may buy a skunk from the Skunk Farm for a pet.
Kamali
Beginning: She steals a piece of asteroid from the Skunk Farm and gives it to Howland
Turning Point: She sees Howland become an owl, using the asteroid to make the drug.
Midpoint: She sees Howland attack a skunk (as an owl.) She loves skunks.
Turning Point 2: She goes to the Skunk Farm shop to buy a pet skunk.
Major Conflict: Her job involves doing what Howland wants. But Howland wants to eat skunks.
Ending: She enters the shop just as Meff becomes a skunk. She wants to buy him.
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Lois’ Pilot Structure
what I learned … the opening scene (teaser) does not need to be connected to the rest of the story.
1. Present the first draft of your pilot Acts.
Teaser:
Essence: Kamali Parker sneaks past Skunk Farm skunks (talking sweetly to them) and steals a piece of red and black meteorite. She delivers it to Villain Howland Mann.
Turning Point: Villain scrapes from meteorite into into a test tube marked OWL. He swirls the tube, injects himself. He starts to shrink and grow feathers.
Act 1:
Essence: Coach punishes Meff for lack of team spirit – orders him to pick up garbage after school, and be late to his 11th birthday party.
Turning Point: Meff is finally nearing home and he gets sprayed by a skunk. He becomes a skunk.
Act 2:
Essence: Skunk who sprayed Meff invites him to a skunk party in the cave
Turning Point/Midpoint: En route to the cave, an owl swoops down. Meff runs toward the hen house. Other skunk runs to cave.
Act 3:
Essence: Meff finds his sister Polly collecting eggs and his mom milking a goat. Polly pets Meff and talks sweetly to him.
Turning Point: Meff is both embarrassed to be petted, and he loves it.
Act 4:
Essence: Another skunk enters the hen house and gives Meff a rotten egg. Polly holds her nose. Meff gobbles it up.
Turning Point: Meff becomes human again.
Act 5:
Essence: Meff learns that some members of his family are were-skunks. The family celebrates “Today you have become a skunk.”
Lock In: Meff is afraid of becoming a skunk again. He decides to work indoors at the family store. A hunter comes in to buy skunk-spray and sprays him. He’s a skunk again. Kamali Parker comes into the store and starts petting him.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by Lois Wickstrom.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by
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Lois’ Amazing Inciting Incident
what I learned – I already did this in previous lessons.
Intriguing Concept: A boy becomes a were-skunk – he has no choice. If he gets sprayed by a skunk, he will become a skunk. He lives on a skunk farm in a small town where everybody loves skunks. He is a child. He cannot leave his family to get away from skunks, and no matter what he does – no matter where he goes – he might get sprayed. If not by a skunk, then by a can of skunk spray, such as those sold to hunters and pranksters.
Act 1: Meff shows off by walking on his hands when he goes to bat. Coach gets angry with him for not showing team spirit and sentences him to pick up garbage after school. Meff is going to be late to his own 11th birthday party.
Midpoint: When Meff finished picking up garbage and is approaching home, when he gets sprayed by a skunk. He becomes a skunk! The skunk invites him to a skunk party. Before he can get there, an owl attacks and the boy barely escapes. He runs to the hen house where his sister is gathering eggs and his mom is milking a goat. His sister loves skunks and starts petting him. He is of two minds – he’s grossed out and he loves it.
Lock In: Another skunk gives Meff a rotten egg, that smells delicious. Meff eats it and becomes a boy again. The enormity of what has happened to him freaks him out. That night, he learns the family secret. Some of them are were-skunks. “Today you have become a skunk.” The skunk who sprayed him was his Aunt Abigail who has chosen to spend her life as a skunk. Meff thinks he can stay safe if he never gets sprayed again. He decides to work in the shop, rather than outdoors with the skunks. But a customer sprays him with skunk-spray, sold to hunters. And then, his sister sells him to a woman who came looking for a pet skunk.
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Lois’ Big Picture Components
What I learned… I think I have enough pieces to make this work.
SERIES INFO:
World: Small town where everybody loves skunks and participates in the Skunk Beauty Pageant
Main mystery: Why did Meff turn into a skunk?
Impossible Goal: Hide Meff’s were-skunk identity.
Main Conflict: protect the skunks from the owl / protect the skunk farm from Howland Mann
Second Mystery: Why does Howland Mann want the asteroid on the Skunk Farm?
Season 1 Arc: Meff is terrified about becoming a skunk – to – Meff loves being a skunk.
Season 1 Protagonist Internal Journey: Meff finds that being a skunk can be fun as well as dangerous
2. Tell us the basic Pilot Info: On his way to his 11th birthday party, Meff gets sprayed by a skunk and turns into a skunk. An owl swoops down to eat him. He narrowly escapes into the hen house. Then his sister starts petting him and wishes she could be a skunk.
PILOT INFO:
Pilot Conflict: Meff dislikes become a skunk. An owl tries to eat him. His little sister pets him and talks baby-talk to him.
Characters Introduced: Meff Polecat, Howland Mann (in owl form), Polly Polecat, Meff’s mother, Aunt Abigail (in skunk form)
Inciting Incident of Season 1: Meff becomes a skunk
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This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by Lois Wickstrom.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by
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Skunk-Boy (a family cartoon)
It’s My Party, and I’ll Stink If I Want To
11-year-old Meff, unexpectedly becomes a skunk when he gets sprayed by a skunk. Now he is the town’s best hope to defeat the wealthy mad-scientist who makes evil inventions. But his sister sells him as a pet. His new owner enters him in the Skunk Beauty Pageant. And the mad-scientist wants to kill him.
4 page pdf file. Want to swap? reluctantspy@gmail.com
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This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by Lois Wickstrom.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by
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Yuck — I did this again — I put the mod 1 assignment in Mod2
Lois’ Edited TV Pitch Bible
what I learned. I need to see a completed pitch bible. I don’t know what a poster page looks like I don’t have any idea what a good balance of text and white space looks like. I don’t know what fonts are industry standard. I don’t know how this lesson is different from Mod2 lesson 9. And I don’t know how to show fonts in this forum anyway. This is the point at which we need feedback — not at the end of Mod 1. That form made no sense to me.
What SkunkBoy (a family cartoon) is About:
Meff, a risk-taking 11-year-old boy, who unexpectedly becomes a skunk when he gets sprayed by a skunk, must defeat a powerful mad-scientist who is attempting to steal the asteroid from his family’s farm. When he gets sold as a pet skunk, he has to learn to be both a skunk and a man while navigating the world of skunk-pet-owners.
SkunkBoy character descriptions
Matthew “Meff” Polecat
A sneaky show-off 11-year-old boy becomes a skunk when he gets sprayed by a skunk. He can become a boy again if he eats a rotten egg. But as a skunk, he’s the town’s best hope to defeat the mad scientist who has opened a pharmaceutical factory, right next to the skunk cave. Meff must hide his secret in order to do undercover work while competing in the Skunk Beauty Contest, as a skunk. When discovered, he must fight for his life, and the town of Skunk Hollow, against the mad scientist, in the form of an owl.
Kamali Parker
A skilled chemist with a serious accident in her past, who moved to Skunk Hollow to work for the new pharmaceutical factory. She buys a pet skunk from the local skunk farm, not knowing that he’s really Meff, the owner’s son. When she learns that her new boss is a mad-scientist who plans to harm the skunks, she must choose between protecting her pets and keeping her job. Or can she destroy his plans from the inside?
Howland Mann
He is a mad-scientist whose dream is to become a skunk-eating owl, for recreation. In order to do this, he needs the asteroid that is only found on the Skunk Farm, and the owners won’t sell. He hates skunks, but manufactures skunk beauty products, to get into their good-graces. He’s not just Kamali Parker’s boss, he knows her secret.
Polly Polecat
One of Meff’s triplet younger sisters. She’s the one with the white forelock. When Meff gets to be a skunk, and she doesn’t, she’s jealous. The next time she sees him as a skunk, she sells him to a customer (Kamali Parker) as a pet. She’s a capitalist, much like Howland Mann. Disregarding her family’s safety, she makes jewelry from the asteroid to sell at the Skunk Beauty Pageant. Howland Mann buys it all.
5 seasons of SkunkBoy
Season 1: Matthew “Meff” Polecat is late to his 11th birthday party. On the way home from school, he gets sprayed by a skunk and turns into a skunk. Even though he thinks, “It’s my party, and I’ll stink if I want to,” first he has to become human again, or nobody will give him presents. The second time he turns into a skunk, his sister Polly sells him as a pet. His new owner, who works for the series villain, enters him in the Skunk Beauty Pageant. Can he win the contest without revealing his secret identity. Can he protect his family farm from the evil mad-scientist who is stealing the asteroid? And will his super-spray be enough to defeat the mad-scientist who is now a skunk-eating owl?
First Season Episodes:
episode one:
He’s a Skunk: On his way to his 11th birthday party, Meff gets sprayed by a skunk and turns into a skunk.
Meff must learn to be a skunk.
An owl swoops down and nearly catches him.
Meff runs to hide in the hen house where his sister, Polly, who loves skunks, starts petting him.
His sister tells him she knows just the person who will buy him for a pet.
episode two:
He’s a Boy: Meff eats a rotten egg and becomes human again.
Meff’s Aunt Abigail (who was the skunk who sprayed him) assumes human form and attends the family dinner welcoming Meff to his skunkhood.
Polly’s family has kept their were-skunk heritage a secret. But now that Meff has become a skunk, he could betray that secret by his typical show-off behavior.
Meanwhile, Howland Mann knocks on the door, and tries to buy the Skunk Farm. Dad refuses. Howland says he is a rock collector, and asks if can buy the gigantic asteroid that’s near the hen house. Dad refuses. Howland tells them their farm isn’t a safe place for skunks with that owl around. Dad says he’ll shoot the owl. Howland says he can’t shoot it because the owl is an endangered species.
Dad tells Meff “If you can’t be a gentleman, be a skunk.” He gives Meff a bottle of skunk-spray to carry with him just-in-case. Aunt Abigail tells him it’s always good to be a skunk. Meff sprays himself.
episode three:
He’s a Party Animal: Meff, in skunk form, runs to the cave where skunks live, again barely avoiding the owl. His cousins have prepared a skunk party for him.
In this episode, Meff discovers that Howland Mann is more than just a man who wants to buy the skunk farm. He owns the new pharmaceutical company next door to the skunk cave.
His skunk-aunt Abigail gives him his first lesson in being a skunk by taking him to spy on the new chemical company.
Meff sees an employee, Kamali Parker, experimenting with a piece of the asteroid from his farm. One vial is labeled: Owl.
Kamali sees the two skunks, and attempts to trap them both – for pets.
episode four:
He’s Been Sold: Meff is running the family skunk supply shop. Hunters come into the shop to purchase skunk spray to disguise their scent in the woods. He tests the can, accidentally spraying Meff, who runs behind the counter.The customer doesn’t see him change. The customer rings the bell. Polly comes into the store angry – calling for Meff – Meff is supposed to be running the store – this is no time to play.
Polly finds Meff, in skunk form. She’s sure he did it on purpose, goofing off. She rings up the hunter.
Kamali Parker comes into the shop to buy a pet.
Polly sells Meff to Kamali.
Dad goes to Kamali’s apartment to get him back. She won’t swap him or sell him back.
episode five:
Howland claims there’s a rabies epidemic on the Skunk Farm. He rounds up all the skunks for quarantine and testing. While they are in captivity, he tries to gas them to death, but Polly sneaks in and frees them (including Meff and Abigail). Polly boosts them into the alley. Just as they are about to escape Howland spots them. Kamali comes by with a van, and even though she has doubts, Polly helps all the skunks into the van. Kamali spots Meff and is thrilled to have him back.
episode six:
Who’s the Prettiest? : Kamali enters Meff in the annual Skunk Beauty Pageant
Meff gets beauty treatments and learns skunk tricks, like walking on his hands.
Meanwhile Howland Mann captures Aunt Abigail while she’s snooping in his lab. He decides to try out his new hair-grow product on her. It works. Howland captures her and enters her in the Skunk Beauty Pageant.
Meff and Abigail meet again at Howland’s booth in the beauty pageant huckster room and plot their escape.
Polly is feeling sorry for selling her brother and tries to sneak him a rotten egg. Kamali stops her. She doesn’t want to ruin her skunkie’s breath during the contest.
episode seven:
In Skunk Mind: Meff’s family goes looking for him at the Skunk Beauty Pageant.
Polly opens Meff’s cage. He runs to the nearest booth which has skunk habitats. Because he is in Skunk Mind, he can’t resist playing in one.
Kamali gets him back from the habitat. He hisses. She looks at the pricetag on the habitat and shakes her head.
Mom tries to free Abigail, on the pretext of petting her lovely long tresses. Howland stops her.
It’s time for the competition. Howland and Kamali carry their skunks in cages to the Green Room.
episode eight:
His Rear End: Meff competes in the Skunk Beauty Pageant.
Meff opens his cage. Then other cages. Freed skunks cause chaos in the Green Room. Polly tries again to bring a rotten egg to Meff, but one of the other skunks gets it first. The recipient’s furious owner causes more chaos.
Polly sells her asteroid jewelry. Howland Mann buys all of it and makes a spray that freezes people. He tests it on Meff’s dad in the men’s room.
Meff’s mom breaks into the Men’s room, hauls Dad out and recognizes the smell of the asteroid.
Meanwhile, Meff is on stage competing. Howland Mann emcees, praising Meff as Meff shows his rear end.
episode nine:
Not a Rotten Egg: Meff wins the Skunk Beauty Pageant
Meff’s prize is the habitat he loved. Polly tries again to sneak him a rotten egg.
While Meff is going crazy on stage, trying to get that egg, Kamali chases him. Meff leads her off stage, just in time to save her from Howland Mann’s spray that freezes the audience. Dad is just starting to thaw.
Kamali loads Meff into her car. He takes over the steering wheel, in her lap, and drives her to his Skunk Farm.
episode ten:
Biting the Tire: At the Skunk Farm, Howland’s trucks are parked near the asteroid landing spot. His crew are loading pieces of asteroid onto their trucks.
Meff leaps out of Kamali’s car and bites the tires of the trucks, causing them to go flat. His cousin skunks join him. Then all the skunks spray, scaring away the workers.
Howland arrives, sees that the skunks have foiled him again. He’s angry. He takes the drug Kamali made that turns him into a skunk-eating owl.
Howland (as an owl) swoops threateningly around the skunks. Most of them run to the cave.
Abigail escapes from Howland and eats a rotten egg. When she morphs her hair is luxuriously long. Meff is the only remaining skunk. Howland swoops.
episode eleven:
Spray Away: Howland / owl attacks Meff / skunk
Howland attacks. Meff bleeds. Meff turns his rear end toward the owl and manages to spray him in the eyes. The owl is blinded and flops to the ground. Polly picks Meff up and carries him to the cave. She gives him a rotten egg. He becomes human again, and limps out to find Kamali looking desperately for her skunk.
Polly calls an ambulance for her brother and Animal Control for Howland, who is ill as well as blinded.
Animal control comes to take Howland / owl away. They promise to do their best because he is an endangered species.
Season 2: Kamali sells Howland Mann’s company to Big Pharma. Big Pharma comes across Howland’s notes about asteroid and tries to use their government contacts to take it from Meff’s family.
Meanwhile, Howland Mann recovers. He catches and eats a mouse and returns to human form. Then he joins forces with Meff’s family to get his business back from Big Pharma. Meff’s family sees advantage in this untrustworthy partnership. Howland fires Kamali. Kamali gets a job with the FDA.
In the legal battle to regain ownership of Howland’s company – Howland betrays the Skunk Farm, in a grab for the rights to the asteroid. But Kamali, in her job with the FDA, temporarily stops him.
Kamali’s boss disagrees and sends the issue of ownership of the asteroid to the courts.
Season 3: Howland, through his political connections, is now head of the FDA. He claims there is a pandemic and he needs the asteroid to save everybody.
Meff’s family organizes a Conspiracy Theory group that denies the pandemic exists. Hospitals corroborate that there is no influx of patients. Howland claims that asteroids belong to the goverment, since they have rare minerals that no person should be able to make a profit from just because one fell on their land.
Kamali agrees that nobody should make a profit from an asteroid. But since there is no disease, nobody needs to do anything right now.
Meff has returned from his latest spying adventure. He ate a rotten egg. He isn’t changing to human again. Is he sick? Was the hen that laid the egg sick? Is he stuck? Nobody has ever changed back and forth in a lifetime as much as Meff has in the past two years.
Season 4: Meff is sick. His family doesn’t trust Howland, but Howland is the only scientist who would have any idea what’s going on, because Howland knows their secret. Only Howland can possibly diagnose and treat him. Howland determines that more asteroid won’t fix him. His change mechanism is worn out – like a diabetic’s pancreas. Only there’s no were-skunk insulin equivalent. Yes, he could try to make one in the lab, but it won’t be instant. He could maybe give Meff one more change, but it would be Meff’s last. Meff must choose. Meff chooses to live his life as a skunk.
Season 5: Meff has made his choice. He is now a skunk permanently. Polly desperately wants to be a skunk. Kamali is now running Howland’s old company. Howland is running the FDA. Polly gets a job in Kamali’s lab to learn how to turn herself into a skunk. Howland wants to keep the science for himself. He’s desperate to stop Polly.
Polly, the entrepreneurial were-skunk is putting the whole family in danger.
She questions how important is it to keep their skunk-side a secret?
Howland (head of FDA) gets the skunk farm quarantined, claiming something dangerous is going on.
Is now the chance for Howland to take the asteroid he’s been wanting since the beginning?
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Lois’ Plot and Character Layers
What I learned doing this assignment is…my plot doesn’t really lend itself to layers. Neither did LOST. The key example was Sixth Sense, which was a movie – not a series. The plot was much more simple than what you are explaining here.
ASSIGNMENT 1: Lost
Watch the next episode of your Example Show and notice how layers show up in this show — both in this episode and throughout the episodes you’ve already seen.
Tell us the layers you have discovered in the Example Show.
Claire is pregnant. A psychic put her on the plane that crashed so she couldn’t give her son up for adoption. We thought she was going to LA to meet the adopting family, but she was intended to crash on the island, and keep her child.
Sawyer carries a letter he claims was written to him, accusing him of evil deeds, but he wrote it to the man who hurt his family, the man he has tried unsuccessfully to emulate.
Deadline: 1 day
ASSIGNMENT 2: Your Show
Discover the layers that could exist for your show.
1. Brainstorm a list of possible PLOT layers.
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
Major scheme revealed: Mann runs a chemistry lab. He can make custom medicines for townsfolk. Meff’s family wants a supply of a drug that could keep were-skunks from morphing.
Mystery revealed: Mann really wants the asteroid, which is only on the skunk farm, and which is a key ingredient in both the anti-morphing drug, and in his nefarious drugs.
Thought the story was one thing, but it is another:
Major shift in Meaning
Hidden history
Hidden plan
Major betrayal
2. Brainstorm a list of possible CHARACTER layers.
CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.
Secret identity: Meff, his aunt, and his dad are were-skunks
Character intrigue: We thought Aunt Abigail was just a mean skunk who sprayed Meff to irritate him. She was actually trying to make him morph into a skunk.
Hidden relationships and conspiracies
Hidden Character history:
3. Organize them each into a possible sequence of reveals.
Plot Surface:
Layer 1: Parker enters Meff in the Skunk Beauty Contest
Layer 2: Parker believes in her skunk so much that she helps him destroy the contest
Layer 3: Mann appears to be funding the skunk beauty contest
Layer 4: He is using the contest to get everybody in town away from the Skunk Farm so he can steal truckloads of asteroid
Etc.
Character Surface:
Layer 1: Mann appears to be a greedy businessman
Layer 2: He is a were-owl, if he gets his asteroid-based drug.
Layer 3: Polly is selling home-made jewelry made from asteroid
Layer 4: Mann buys it to get asteroid.
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It looks like i put the answer to Mod 1 lesson 10 in this section too.
Lois Episode Titles:
Episode titles:
season one:
He’s a Skunk
He’s a Boy
He’s a Party-Animal
He’s Been Sold
Who’s the Prettiest?
In Skunk Mind
His Rear End
Not a Rotten Egg
Biting the Tire
Spray Away
season two:
Selling Out:
Mouse Catcher:
Stealing the Asteroid:
The Friend of my Asteroid
Spray-a-Lot
Captured, Caged and Controlled
Last One Out
Never Leave the Farm
Asteroid as Bait
Where’s My Skunk
season three:
Stop That…
Not Here
Blockade
He’s Sick
Conspiracy Theory
Taking His Medicine
Who’s a Good Skunk?
Asteroid Hangs Tight
Sneaky Skunk
Morph Away
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Lois Presents Non-Stop Intrigue
I learned that this would be a much more effective process if I had a partner or even a team working with me. I need somebody to bounce ideas with.
I also learned that I didn’t have enough material in season 2, so I combined 2 and 3 and made a new season 5
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Lois’ Intrigue Patterns
What I learned … If a sentence feels clunky, play with it. What is it really trying to say.
Polly is jealous and clearly plotting some way to stop Meff from being a skunk.
A. Establish something shocking and point to the terrible things it could mean.
It’s not fair that Meff gets to be a skunk and she doesn’t. The first chance she gets, she sells him as a pet.
B. Strong statement; question about something underhanded beneath the surface.
It’s Meff’s job to mind the store. But he’s not there. And a skunk is wandering about. Does she know it’s Meff when she sells him for a pet?
C. Question that points to hidden agendas, hidden identity, conspiracy, etc..
If Meff can be a skunk, she can break rules, too. Polly decides to take some of the asteroid that Dad says must never leave their family farm and make it into jewelry to sell at the Skunk Beauty Pageant.
D. Character 1 is convinced/worried/wondering that Character 2 has done _
____________.
Polly is worried that Meff will give away the family secret – that some of them can become skunks. If he never gets a rotten egg, he’ll stay a skunk and the secret will be safe.
E. But maybe it is all wrong.
Maybe Meff turning into a skunk is a good thing. Now that he knows what it’s like to be a skunk, he’ll see that they are family – not just pets.
F. A Pattern that Leads to Future Consequences
Meff is a show-off. Polly needs to stop him from becoming a skunk, so he doesn’t betray the family secret.
G. If he does becomes a skunk when somebody’s watching, that means ___nobody will trust her family again – especially not her.
H. State the mystery.
Why do some members of Polly’s family get to be skunks when they are sprayed by skunks?
I. Should be/could be _a skunk sometimes for fun, but it is even worse. He could turn into a skunk if somebody who knows his secret decides to spray him with skunk spray. This gives people power over him.
J. Intense language.
Polly’s family has kept their were-skunk heritage a secret. But now that Meff has become a skunk, he could betray that secret in his typical show-off behavior. Polly must stop him.
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Lois’ TV Pitch Bible Investigation
What I learned… this lesson has nothing to do with my series idea. I’ve spent hours trying to figure out any other way to tell this story. Nothing is popping into my mind. Maybe if I had a team working with me, somebody might come up with something. But the example didn’t click for me. The questions didn’t click. I got nothing.
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Lois’ Show Summary
What I learned doing this — I sure had to leave a lot out, and this is nowhere near what I want it to be.
Matthew Polecat is on the way to his birthday party after school when he gets sprayed by a skunk. This isn’t unusual, because Matthew lives on a skunk farm. But the skunk who sprayed him is the one he calls Aunt Abigail. And this time, something unusual happens. Black fur grows first on his hands, then up his arms, then all over, and he begins to shrink. He becomes a skunk. “Follow me!” calls Aunt Abigail as she leads him toward the cave on the hillside where the skunks like to play.
But a great horned owl swoops for him. He hides under a potting bench, then scoots for the hen house, and barely makes it to safety inside. His sister Polly loves skunks. She begins petting him. Normally, he’d hate that, but he is in skunk-mind. He loves it! While he’s being petted, he notices another skunk, Uncle Milton, raiding the nests. Uncle Milton brings him a rotten egg. Polly tries to shoo Uncle Milton away, but that rotten egg is irresistible. He rips himself away from Polly, scarfs down the egg, and is soon a boy again. Polly is jealous.
That night at dinner, Aunt Abigail joins them. She eats a rotten egg and assumes human form. “Today you have become a skunk,” she congratulates him.
There’s a knock on the door. It’s an owlish looking man who wants to buy the skunk farm. He’s opening a new pharmaceutical company in town. Dad refuses. The man then says, “This isn’t a safe place to raise skunks. You’ve got an owl flying around.” “I’ll shoot it,” says Dad. “You can’t. It’s an endangered species,” says the man. Then he adds, “If you won’t sell me the farm, I’d be happy to buy the meteorite rock that fell on your land.” Again, Dad refuses. “That rock is my family heritage. It never leaves our land.”
The next time Matthew becomes a skunk, he and Aunt Abigail explore the new lab for the pharmaceutical company which is built on the back side of the cave, just beyond the skunk farm property. There they find proof that the owlish man and the owl are one and the same. The Great Horned Owl is the most lethal threat to skunks. The man and his assistant almost capture Matthew and Abigail, but they return and tell their story.
Dad, fearing for Matthew’s life, orders him to stay on the property, and sets him in charge of the skunk supply store. There a customer who is buying skunk spray to go hunting accidentally sprays Matthew. He does not see Matthew change into a skunk. But when he wants to pay, Matthew is nowhere around. He rings the bell and Polly rings him up.
Owl-man’s assistant comes in wanting to buy a pet skunk.
Polly is angry with Matthew and sells him, to the woman who works for his arch enemy. His new owner enters him in the annual Skunk Beauty Pageant. Aunt Abigail tries to rescue him, but she gets caught, and entered, too. Matthew and Abigail are creating chaos at the beauty pageant while Polly sells jewelry made with the meteorite rock. The owlish man buys all of it, and uses it to make a spray that freezes people for half an hour. While Matthew is receiving first prize, the owlish man is spraying the audience (which is everybody in town.) Matthew e leads his owner on a chase out the door. He takes over the steering wheel and drives her to the skunk farm. There the owlish man’s crew is loading the meteorite onto a company truck. Meff leaps out of the car and starts chewing on the tires to make them flat. Other skunks join him. The owl returns and attacks. This is a fight to the death. The owl severely wounds Matthew. As Matthew bleeds, he sprays the owl in the eyes, blinding him. Polly carries the wounded Matthew to the caves and feeds him a rotten egg. He returns as a boy, to find that animal control has come to rescue the owl and his owner is looking desperately for her brave little skunk.
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Lois’ Episode Descriptions
what I learned – I do have enough stuff for season one.
season one:
episode one:
Hook/Intrigue: On his way to his 11th birthday party, Meff gets sprayed by a skunk and turns into a skunk.
Main Character journey: Meff must learn to be a skunk.
Major Challenge/Conflict: An owl swoops down and nearly catches him.
Action/Reaction: Meff runs to hide in the hen house where his sister, Polly, who loves skunks starts petting him.
Cliffhanger: His sister tells him she knows just the person who will buy him for a pet.
episode two:
Hook/Intrigue: Meff eats a rotten egg and becomes human again.
Main Character journey: Meff must deal with his dual life.
Major Challenge/Conflict: Meff’s Aunt Abigail assumes human form and attends the family dinner welcoming Meff to his skunkhood.
Action/Reaction: Polly is jealous and clearly plotting some way to stop Meff from being a skunk. Meanwhile, Mann comes over and tries to buy the Skunk Farm. Dad refuses. Mann tells them this isn’t a safe place for skunks with that owl around. Dad says he’ll shoot the owl. Mann says he can’t because the owl is an endangered species.
Cliffhanger: Dad tells Meff “If you can’t be a gentleman, be a skunk.” He gives Meff a bottle of skunk-spray to carry with him just-in-case. Meff sprays himself. Kamali shows up, looking to buy a pet skunk.
episode three:
Hook/Intrigue: Meff, still a skunk, runs to the cave where skunks live, again barely avoiding the owl. His cousins have prepared a skunk party for him.
Main Character journey: discovering the enemy.
Major Challenge/Conflict: His skunk-aunt Abigail gives him his first lesson in being a skunk by taking him to spy on the new chemical company in town.
Action/Reaction: He sees an employee, Kamali Parker, has stolen some of the asteroid mephiderite from his farm. She is doing experiments with it. One vial is labeled: Owl
Cliffhanger: Kamali attempts to trap both Meff and Abigail. She wants them for pets.
episode four:
Hook/Intrigue: Meff is running the family skunk supply shop. A customer who wants to smell like a skunk when he goes hunting, sprays Meff accidentally. Meff becomes a skunk. The customer doesn’t see this change. The customer wants to buy stuff. He rings the bell. Polly comes into the store angry – calling for Meff.
Main Character journey: Meff gets sold as a pet
Major Challenge/Conflict: Polly finds Meff in skunk form just as Kamali Parker comes in to buy a pet.
Action/Reaction: Polly sells Meff to Kamali.
Cliffhanger: Dad goes to Kamali’s appt to get him back. She won’t swap him or sell him back.
episode five:
Hook/Intrigue: Kamali enters Meff in the annual Skunk Beauty Pageant
Main Character journey: Meff gets beauty treatments and learns skunk tricks, like walking on his hands.
Major Challenge/Conflict: Meanwhile Mann (the enemy) captures Aunt Abigail snooping in his lab. He decides to try out his new hair-grow product on her and enter her in the contest.
Action/Reaction: Meff and Abigail meet again at Mann’s booth in the beauty pageant huckster room and plot their escape.
Cliffhanger: Polly is feeling sorry for selling her brother and tries to sneak him a rotten egg. Kamali stops her.
episode six:
Hook/Intrigue: Meff’s family goes looking for him at the Skunk Beauty Pageant.
Main Character journey: Polly opens Meff’s cage. He runs to the nearest booth which has skunk habitat toys. Because he is in Skunk Mind, he is attracted and can’t resist playing in one.
Major Challenge/Conflict: Kamali gets him back from the room at the top of the toy. She looks at the pricetag on the toy and shakes her head.
Action/Reaction: Mom tries to free Abigail. Mann stops her.
Cliffhanger: It’s time for the competition. Mann and Kamali carry their skunks in cages to the Green Room.
episode seven:
Hook/Intrigue: Meff competes in the Skunk Beauty Pageant.
Main Character journey: Meff and the other skunks cause chaos in the Green Room. Polly tries to bring another egg, but the other skunks get it first.
Major Challenge/Conflict: Polly sells her mephiderite jewelry. Mann buys all of it and makes a spray that freezes people. He tests it on Meff’s dad in the men’s room.
Action/Reaction: Meff’s mom breaks into the Men’s room, hauls Dad out and recognizes the smell of mephiderite.
Cliffhanger: Meanwhile, Meff is on stage competing. Mann Mcs praising Meff.
episode eight:
Hook/Intrigue: Meff wins the Skunk Beauty Pageant
Main Character journey: Meff’s prize is the habitat toy he loved. Polly tries again to sneak him an egg.
Major Challenge/Conflict: While Meff is going crazy on stage, trying to get that egg, Kamali chases him, and he leads her off stage.
Action/Reaction: Mann sprays the audience, freezing everybody
Cliffhanger: Kamali loads Meff into her car. He takes over the steering wheel, in her lap, driving her to his Skunk Farm.
episode nine:
Hook/Intrigue: At the Skunk Farm, Mann’s trucks are parked near the asteroid landing spot. His crew are loading mephiderite onto their trucks.
Main Character journey: Meff defends his family Skunk Farm as a skunk
Major Challenge/Conflict: Meff bites the tires of the trucks, giving them flat tires. His cousin skunks join him. They all spray, scaring away the workers.
Action/Reaction: Mann becomes angry. He takes his drug that turns him into an owl.
Cliffhanger: Mann swoops threateningly around the skunks. Most of them run to the cave.
episode ten:
Hook/Intrigue: Mann / owl attacks Meff / skunk
Main Character journey: Meff discovers his super-power spray
Major Challenge/Conflict: Meff fights for his life and his family skunk farm against a lethal enemy.
Action/Reaction: Meff is severely injured, but manages to spray the owl in the eyes before he drags himself to the cave. Polly brings him a rotten egg. He becomes human again, and limps out to find Kamali looking desperately for her skunk.
Cliffhanger: Animal control comes to take Mann / owl away. They will do their best because he is an endangered species.
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Lois’ episode list rough draft
what I learned — it looks like I may have enough pieces to make the first season work.
Mod 2 lesson 4 skunk-boy homework
1 Meff becomes a skunk and nearly gets eaten by an owl – he misses his birthday party
2 Meff parties with his skunk cousins in the cave and finds his missing hat – he eats a rotten egg and becomes human again. Meanwhile Mann tries to buy the skunk farm. Dad turns him down.
3 Meff’s aunt Abigail assumes human form and welcomes him to the world of skunks. Meff’s sister Polly is jealous. His other sisters feel sorry for him. Dad wants firm rules about when Meff may morph.
4 Meff sneaks into Mann’s laboratory and discovers Mann’s plot to get the family mephiderite. Meanwhile Polly starts a jewelry business making jewelry with the mephiderite to sell at the Skunk Beauty Pageant. Kamali Parker is working in Mann’s laboratory.
5 Meff is working in the family skunk supplies store. He demonstrates the skunk spray to a customer who wants to smell like a skunk so he can hunt. He sprays himself. He morphs. Nobody sees this. But Kamali Parker comes in to by a skunk pet. She falls in love with Meff. Polly takes over the register and Parker buys him.
6 Dad tries to buy Meff back. Kamali won’t sell and Dad won’t say why he is so attached to this skunk. Kamali decides to enter Meff in the Skunk Beauty Pageant.
7. Aunt Abigail tries to rescue Meff, and Mann catches her. He decides to enter her in the Beauty Pageant. He tests his hair-grow spray on her. It works. He uses it on himself (he was balding- now he’s not.)
8 Mann takes over MCing the Beauty Pageant. He’s awarding hair-grow spray as one of the prizes. Polly brings a rotten egg for Meff, but Kamali won’t let him have it. Meff tries to free Abigail from her cage, but as a skunk, he can’t do it. Polly tries and Mann keeps her away. We see lots of talented skunks compete. Meff wins. Mann buys all of Polly’s jewelry, and uses it to make a spray that freezes the whole town (which is watching the pageant)
9) Meff has distracted Kamali. Neither of them get sprayed. Meff tries to steer Kamali’s car. She figures he’s up to something and lets him. They go to the Skunk Farm. There, they find Mann’s trucks loading up with mephiderite. Meff gives the trucks flat tires. His cousins help. Even Kamali can see that Mann is up to no good. As the town recovers from the freeze spray, they go to the skunk farm for the annual celebration. They see the theft-in-progress.
10 Meff does battle with the owl and wins – nearly kills him with his super power spray. Meff is injured, but Polly brings him to the cave, and finally gives him a rotten egg. He becomes human, and joins the town for the celebration. For the first time in human form, he meets Kamali. She likes him as a boy, but wonders where her Meffikins is. Owl is taken to animal control center because he is an endangered species – they want to save him. Owl is Howland Mann.
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Lois’ Five Seasons
What I learned… The more I work on this, the more I think this is a simple two-hour movie and not a series.
5 seasons
Season 1: Mann’s company tries to take over Meff’s skunk farm. Mann is a were-owl. Meff is a were-skunk. After winning the Skunk Beauty Pageant, Meff gets Kamali to take him to the skunk farm, just in time to stop Mann from stealing his mephiderite – the rock that enables his family to be were-skunks.
A. A boy turns into a skunk and gets into trouble
B. The boy gets entered into a Skunk Beauty Pageant and wins
C. The boy must defeat the Pageant sponsor who set the whole thing up to steal the mephiderite from the boy’s skunk farm.
D. Why does the Pageant Sponsor want the mephiderite? / Meff gets bought as a pet, while a skunk. Can he escape from his owner without revealing that he is a were-skunk? Does Meff’s father know what he is doing?
E. Meff defeats Pageant sponsor in a skunk vs owl fight. Owl gets taken to animal control. Will he survive?
Season 2: Mann wound up a sick-owl at the end of season 1. Kamali sells his company to Big Pharma that comes across his notes about mephiderite and tries to get it from Meff’s family.
Season 3: Mann finds a mouse to eat and is restored to human form. He teams up with Meff’s family to get his company back from Big Pharma.
A. Big Pharma buys Mann’s small pharma company, reads his notes, and now, they want the mephiderite. They are more powerful than Mann.
B. Mann recovers, eats a mouse and returns to human form. Then he joins forces with Meff’s family to get his business back from Big Pharma.
C. Defeating Big Pharma
D. What will convince Big Pharma that mephiderite isn’t worth having? / How will Mann betray Meff’s family this time? What is Kamali (Mann’s former employee) up to?
E. What damage will Kamali do now that she works for FDA?
Season 4: Mann is now head of the FDA. He claims there is a pandemic and he needs the mephiderite to save everybody from the sickness.
A. Can Mann convince the American people that there is a pandemic and he needs the mephiderite on Meff’s skunk farm to defeat it?
B. Now that Mann has more power, he will use it to take the mephiderite.
C. Can Meff’s family protect their mephiderite?
D. Will the country believe there is a pandemic? / Whose side is Kamali on?
E. Meff is having trouble changing to human again? He ate the rotten egg. What’s wrong?
Season 5: Meff is sick. His family doesn’t trust Mann, but he’s the only one who can diagnose and treat him. It’s not an allergy to mephiderite. It’s that he has switched back and forth too often. Now he must choose – he has one more switch before it kills him.
A. Meff is now a skunk-super-hero. Can he save his own life?
B. Only Mann has the expertise to cure Meff, if there is a cure.
C. Will Meff trust Mann with his life?
D. What is wrong with Meff? / Can he believe Mann’s version of his disease? / Is Kamali behind this? Did she drug him to stay a skunk because she wants him for a pet?
E. Meff only has one more change. It’s the frequent changes that are killing him. Should he live his life as a skunk or as a human?
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Lois’ Character Descriptions
What I learned – I don’t have a clear focus on my characters’ core conflicts.
2. Select a main character and answer the following questions:
Who is the character? Role in the show? Meff – boy who becomes a skunk
Noteworthy traits: sneaky, show-off
Intriguing history: he becomes a skunk when he is sprayed by a skunk. He becomes human again when he eats a rotten egg.
Intrigue? Mystery? Until now, Meff didn’t know that his father and aunt are were-skunks.
How do they support or drive the conflict with others? He disobeys his father and does risky things.
Irony — Opposites or paradoxes that exist with the character – will do risky things to save family, but will abandon family to save the town.
Opposing agendas/etc. that naturally causes conflict with other characters – boys just want to have fun – Dad wants to keep the family secret a secret
Unpredictable? He never knows when he’ll be sprayed by a skunk. BUT, he also carries a spraycan of skunk smell so he can become a skunk when he wants to. However he can’t carry a rotten egg. Skunks don’t have pockets.
Intriguing relationship with one or more characters – growing friendship with woman who buys him for a pet.
3. Organize the answers and choose which you are going to use in your description of that character. A sneaky disobedient boy who can become a skunk is the best hope to defeat the mad scientist who is taking over the town. He must hide his secret and do undercover work while competing in a Skunk Beauty Contest
4. Sequence the info and write a START, MIDDLE, and END. Write a ROUGH DRAFT of the character description.
Beginning: Meff gets sprayed and turns into skunk
Middle: he must win a skunk beauty pageant while protecting the mephiderite on his family skunk farm.
End: Meff fights a potentially mortal battle with Mann – skunk vs owl
5. Continue steps 2 – 4 for each main character.
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1. Pull out your BW Framework as source material.
2. Select a main character and answer the following questions:
Who is the character? Role in the show? Kamali Parker – works for villain, buys Meff for a pet
Noteworthy traits Loves skunks has 6 of them for pets.
Intriguing history:
Intrigue? Mystery? Why did she move to Skunk Hollow?
How do they support or drive the conflict with others? She won’t give Meff back to his family.
Irony — Opposites or paradoxes that exist with the character Works for Mann, the more she learns about him the more she decides to betray him. But she needs her job.
Opposing agendas/etc. that naturally causes conflict with other characters Loves skunks and wants to keep her job even though her boss harms skunks. Wants to keep Meff as a pet even though his family wants him back.
Unpredictable? Will she return Meff to his family? Will she turn on Mann? Will she help Meff escape from the beauty pageant?
Intriguing relationship with one or more characters She owns Meff. She works for Mann.
3. Organize the answers and choose which you are going to use in your description of that character. A skunk-lover, whose boss is working to destroy the skunk farm, buys a pet skunk from the local skunk farm, not knowing that he’s really the owner’s son.
4. Sequence the info and write a START, MIDDLE, and END. Write a ROUGH DRAFT of the character description.
Start: A skunk lover takes a job at an anti-skunk company
Middle: and accidentally buys the skunk farm owner’s were-skunk son as a pet
End: to enter him in the skunk beauty pageant.
5. Continue steps 2 – 4 for each main character.
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1. Pull out your BW Framework as source material.
2. Select a main character and answer the following questions:
Who is the character? Role in the show? Howland Mann – mad scientist, villain, kidnaps Aunt Abigail and plans to take over the town.
Noteworthy traits Smart, Powerful, talented chemist, makes skunk beauty products, hates skunks
Intriguing history:
Intrigue? Mystery? Why does he want the mephiderite on Meff’s family skunk farm?
How do they support or drive the conflict with others? He kidnaps Aunt Abigail to enter in the Skunk Beauty Contest. He wants the mephiderite on Meff’s family skunk farm, which the family needs so they can be were-skunks.
Irony — Opposites or paradoxes that exist with the character: He hates skunks, but he makes skunk beauty products.
Opposing agendas/etc. that naturally causes conflict with other characters – he wants to own the mephiderite on Meff’s family farm.
Unpredictable? Always a new scheme when the last one fails
Intriguing relationship with one or more characters: he is Kamali Parker’s boss.
3. Organize the answers and choose which you are going to use in your description of that character.
Mann is a power-mad greedy capitalist who likes to change into an owl. In order to do this, he needs a rock that is only found on the Skunk Farm, and the owners won’t sell.
4. Sequence the info and write a START, MIDDLE, and END. Write a ROUGH DRAFT of the character description.
Start: Mann makes beauty products for skunks and custom medicines.
Middle: He sponsors the Skunk Beauty Pageant
End: He freezes the whole town so he can steal mephiderite from the skunk farm.
5. Continue steps 2 – 4 for each main character.
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Lois’ Intriguing Concept and World
What I learned doing this assignment is…I think I have the parts to fill out this form. But it might all fit into a 2 hour movie.
1. Present your Concept.
A. Engaging and highly proactive hero… On the way to his birthday party, Meff learns he is a were-skunk – he turns into a skunk whenever he is sprayed by a skunk and becomes human again when he eats a rotten egg.
B. …up against a major conflict… He gets sold as a skunk to be entered in the skunk beauty contest
C. …goes on unique transformational journey… goes from fearing to enjoying his dual nature.
D. …Into an intriguing world. The world of Skunk Beauty Pageants.
2. Tell us the World of this show. Highly competitive skunk-lovers groom and train their skunks and give them beauty treatments – all in preparation for the annual competition. The whole town of Skunk Hollow comes out for this event.
Unique Sub-World: The world of were-skunks – “if you can’t be a gentleman, be a skunk.” Meff, his Aunt Abigail and his father are were-skunks. Dad promised not to shift when he married Mom. But, given the current circumstances Meff and Abigail can’t do it all.
Previously unexplored: The world of were-skunks and the world of Skunk Beauty Pageants – skullduggery is involved.
The unknown: What will Howland Mann make next in his line of Skunk Beauty Products and why does he want the mephiderite on Meff’s family skunk farm.
The unseen: Meff’s family keeps their secret identity secret (much like Superman)
Unheard of Dangers: Howland Mann is a were-owl IFF he gets his mephiderite-based drug. That’s not the only nefarious drug that he wants mephiderite for.
Reason to explore it: Skunk Beauty Pageants have all the fun and mystery of a carnival plus small town rivalries. Were-skunks are an unknown extra who have never entered one of these contests before in skunk form. But Meff has to because he’s stuck as a skunk who belongs to a woman who bought him to enter.
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Lois is ready for feedback reluctantspy@gmail.com Mine is family / children’s
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delete this – it was an accidental duplicate
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This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by Lois Wickstrom. Reason: duplicate
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This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by
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Lois Creating Irony
What I learned doing this assignment is…my show is not set up for irony. I tried 20 times and I don’t like any of them.
ASSIGNMENT 1: Example Show
Watch the next episode of your Example Show and notice where irony shows up in this show — both in this episode and throughout the episodes you’ve already seen.
Tell us the irony you have already discovered in the Example Show.
Sawyer has taken the name of the man who ruined his childhood
Kate appears to be a kind and helpful person, but she killed her father
Charlie thought he was a big deal when he was playing second fiddle to his brother. Now he’s actually doing important things but thinks he’s a nobody
Claire was put on flight 815 so she would have to raise her baby, and not give him up for adoption. But everybody on that flight died.
Deadline: 24 hours
ASSIGNMENT 2: Your Show
Look back through your previous assignments and find at least 20 different situations or character components that you could go opposite to create irony.
With each, brainstorm ideas for ways it could go opposite.
1) Ramos doesn’t see Meff morph – what if he does and pretends otherwise?
2) Meff refuses to go to the cave and goes to his own birthday party as a stinky skunk
3) Meff doesn’t like being petted
4) Polly is afraid of Meff when he morphs, instead of thinking he’s an adorable skunk
5) Meff decides to live his life as a skunk, like Aunt Abigail
6) Meff decides to take the anti-morphing drug so he can’t be a wereskunk
7) Meff decides to sell mephiderite on the sly and get rich
8) Ramos tells everybody that Meff is a wereskunk
9) Meff wants to win the Skunk Beauty Pageant
10) Meff uses dirty tricks to win the Skunk Beauty Pageant – instead of destroy it.
11) Meff’s family wants him back, but he likes living with Kamali (who bought him for a pet)
12) Meff’s family believes a-sale-is-a-sale and doesn’t try to get Meff back.
13) Meff is a weak skunk and needs protecting all the time (instead of having super-power spray)
14) Meff’s family is happy to sell their skunk farm to Mann, who now has all the mephiderite.
15) Instead of trying to rescue Meff, Polly helps him win the contest, much to his chagrin.
16) Instead of skunk-mind, which makes Meff love being a skunk, he gets bully mind
17) Meff tries to get his whole family to take the anti-morphing drug.
18) Meff’s mom sneaks the anti-morphing drug into his food
19) Polly sneaks the anti-morphing drug into Meff’s food.
20) The family thinks they morph because of the mephiderite, but it’s actually genetic.
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Lois’ Plot and Character Layers
What I learned doing this assignment is…my plot doesn’t really lend itself to layers. Neither did LOST. The key example was Sixth Sense, which was a movie – not a series. The plot was much more simple than what you are explaining here.
ASSIGNMENT 1: Lost
Watch the next episode of your Example Show and notice how layers show up in this show — both in this episode and throughout the episodes you’ve already seen.
Tell us the layers you have discovered in the Example Show.
Claire is pregnant. A psychic put her on the plane that crashed so she couldn’t give her son up for adoption. We thought she was going to LA to meet the adopting family, but she was intended to crash on the island, and keep her child.
Sawyer carries a letter he claims was written to him, accusing him of evil deeds, but he wrote it to the man who hurt his family, the man he has tried unsuccessfully to emulate.
Deadline: 1 day
ASSIGNMENT 2: Your Show
Discover the layers that could exist for your show.
1. Brainstorm a list of possible PLOT layers.
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
Major scheme revealed: Mann runs a chemistry lab. He can make custom medicines for townsfolk. Meff’s family wants a supply of a drug that could keep were-skunks from morphing.
Mystery revealed: Mann really wants the mephiderite, which is only on the skunk farm, and which is a key ingredient in both the anti-morphing drug, and in his nefarious drugs.
Thought the story was one thing, but it is another:
Major shift in Meaning
Hidden history
Hidden plan
Major betrayal
2. Brainstorm a list of possible CHARACTER layers.
CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.
Secret identity: Meff, his aunt, and his dad are were-skunks
Character intrigue: We thought Aunt Abigail was just a mean skunk who sprayed Meff to irritate him. She was actually trying to make him morph into a skunk.
Hidden relationships and conspiracies
Hidden Character history:
3. Organize them each into a possible sequence of reveals.
Plot Surface:
Layer 1: Parker enters Meff in the Skunk Beauty Contest
Layer 2: Parker believes in her skunk so much that she helps him destroy the contest
Layer 3: Mann appears to be funding the skunk beauty contest
Layer 4: He is using the contest to get everybody in town away from the Skunk Farm so he can steal truckloads of mephiderite
Etc.
Character Surface:
Layer 1: Mann appears to be a greedy businessman
Layer 2: He is a were-owl, if he gets his mephiderite-based drug.
Layer 3: Polly is selling home-made jewelry made from mephiderite
Layer 4: Mann buys it to get mephiderite.
Etc.
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Lois’s Big Picture Open Loops
What I learned doing this assignment is…I need to figure out ways that solutions lead to problems.”
1. Think about your Example Show. Make a list of the Big Picture open loops that were established early in the season.
Will Kate hook up with Jack, Sayid and / or Sawyer?
Will the Korean couple break up? Will the husband find out that his wife speaks English? Will that matter?
What are Shannon and her brother up to?
Will the pregnant lady have a healthy baby?
Will Charlie truly overcome his addiction?
Will Locke’s miraculous recovery last?
2. Watch the next episode and see how those open loops are being used to create the need to see future episodes.
We see Kate look fondly at Jack. We see her kiss Sawyer (trying to get medicine for Shannon). We see her look fondly at Sayid.
We see the Korean husband possibly catch his wife speaking English.
We see Shannon have an asthma attack, and the Korean wife heals her.
Deadline: 24 hours
ASSIGNMENT 2:
1. Use this list to brainstorm big picture open loops for your first season that you will use to keep the audience captivated.
GOALS:
New goals? Find out why Mann wants the mephiderite
Goals related to the big picture?
Crushed goals? Meff was going to enter the Skunk Beauty Contest – now he is an entry.
Competition / conflict around goals? Polly breaks the family rule and sells jewelry made of mephiderite
CONSEQUENCES: Mann buys the jewelry.
Are they going to be caught? Polly gets caught. Meff causes trouble at Skunk Beauty Contest and does not get caught – but is suspected by Mann
Problems created from past actions? Ramos never sees Meff morph into a skunk, but he’s often there when it happens. Meff isn’t sure his secret is safe.
Good plans gone wrong? Skunks escape from the animal control center, only to be caught by Mann’s employee, who is in the alley. Why is she there?
SOLVING PROBLEMS:
What is the major problem for this character? Owl wants to eat skunks. Mann wants to steal mephiderite. Polecat family wants to keep their morphing secret.
What are they trying to solve? Safety for Polecat family
Major change imposed on character? He becomes a skunk whenever he gets sprayed
Previous solutions cause new problems? Ramos gets sprayed with the hair-grow spray and is mistaken for a monster walking around town.
RELATIONSHIPS:
Relationships in peril?
New relationships forming?
Conflict inside relationships?
Relationships changing?
DANGER / SURVIVAL / RISKS: owls eat skunks. Mann has spray that freezes people for half an hour.
Can they survive X? Accused of having rabies – taken to animal control – sentenced to death.
Putting themselves in danger / making dangerous decisions?
Who else is pulled into their danger?
Internal dangers (drug addiction, need for medicine, inner demons)?
2. Tell us your top 5-8 Big Picture Open Loops that could be in your pilot.
Can Meff escape from the skunk beauty contest?
Can Meff cause chaos at the SBC?
Can Meff rescue Aunt Abigail from Mann?
Can Meff escape from Mann’s employee who bought him as a skunk?
Can Polecat family keep town from declaring eminent domain on their farm and giving it to Mann?
Can skunks escape from animal control?
Meff becomes a skunk at school. What are the consequences? Meff carries a can of skunk spray so he can morph whenever it’s useful.
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Lois’s Show Mysteries
What I learned doing this assignment is… mysteries have three components.
ASSIGNMENT 1:
Watch the next episode of your Example Show and focus on the mysteries that have been created in that show. Also, notice the difference between the big picture mysteries that are a big part of the plot across the entire season versus the smaller mysteries.
Tell us about the mysteries from this show.
Lost:
why did the plane crash?
Where did the polar bear come from?
Where is the monster?
What crime did Kate commit?
Why did Charlie become a drug addict? And why isn’t he with his band?
Where did Locke get those knives? How did he become wheelchair bound? Why is he so laid-back?
Why did Sayid join the Republican Guard? What happened to Nadia? Why did he become a torturer? Why was he going to Los Angeles?
How does Russeau have electricity? What was her research project?
Every character seems to have something odd in his/her background.
ASSIGNMENT 2:
Create two mysteries for your show — one that shows up strong in the Pilot and the other that is revealed over time.
1. Create your Shocking Event Mystery and tell us the WWWWW and H, along with the part withheld.
A. Shocking Event: Meff becomes a skunk (and discovers a big family secret)
B. Secret: What is the story of the meteorite on the Skunk Farm property?
C. Investigation: What is Howland Mann up to? Why does he want the meteorite? Why does he want to be an owl?
WWWWW and How:
Part Withheld: How the Polecat family became were-skunks, other powers of the meteorite.
2. Create the Over Time Mystery and tell us the WWWWW and H, along with the part withheld.
A. Cover up: 1) the Polecat family hides from the town that they are were-skunks
B. Secret: The meteorite gave them their were-skunk abilities (and it can give Mann the ability to become an owl, and it can be used in other nefarious weapons / drugs)
C. Reveals: Mann becomes an owl. Mann makes a spray that freezes people for half an hour. Mann takes over the skunk beauty pageant, not knowing that Meff is one of the contestants.
WWWWW and How:
Part Withheld: What can a skunk do to save the town from the freezing spray?
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Lois’ Show Empathy/Distress
What I learned doing this assignment is… much of what I’ve already written fits this model.
from Lost:
A. Undeserved misfortune. A cave collapses on Jack
B. External Character conflicts. Will drug-addict Charlie who is in the pain of withdrawal risk his life to rescue Jack? Then, the cave collapses again, trapping them both
C. Plot intruding on life. Kate is about to set a flare to triangulate the French broadcast. Sawyer tells her about the cave-in. She has to trust someone else to set the flare and turn on the signal.
D. Moral dilemmas. Should Locke force Charlie to go through withdrawal?
E. Forced decisions they’d never make. Kate would never quit on a commitment, but she does when Jack is in danger. Finding the French location might help them get rescued. Choosing Jack over potential rescue is huge.
from Skunk-Boy
A. Undeserved misfortune. Meff misses his birthday party because he becomes a skunk
B. External Character conflicts. An owl tries to eat him.
C. Plot intruding on life. His sister Polly discovers his secret identity
D. Moral dilemmas. He lies to his best friend Ramon about where he went and why – he was at the cave visiting his skunk-cousins instead of at his birthday party
E. Forced decisions they’d never make. He gets bought as a skunk and entered into a beauty contest – something he’d never do on his own.
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Lois’ Show Relationship Map
I learned that relationships are important to plot
TV Relationship Map: Meff Polecat
Meff Polecat Dad Polecat Howland Mann Kamali Parker
Surface Son / father Possibly useful chemist Loves skunks
Common Ground Both are were-skunks Both value chemistry and mephiderite Buys skunk stuff from Polecats
Conflict Dad brings out Meff’s sneaky rebellious side Mann wants all the mephiderite for himself She buys Meff when he is a skunk and won’t let him go
History Dad didn’t tell Meff he was a were-skunk Has sneaky access to Polecat farm through the cave Just moved to Skunk Hollow – doesn’t know her way around
Subtext Love Competitor and enemy Love means obedience
Relationship Arc Goes from rebelling to co-conspirator Goes from customer to rival to enemy Goes from owner to rescuer without ever figuring out that her skunk is a human boy
TV Relationship Map: Dad Polecat
Dad Polecat Meff Polecat Howland Mann Kamali Parker
Surface Father / son Useful chemist She bought his son as a skunk
Common Ground Love and mephiderite Customer Loves skunks
Conflict His son is in a rebellious stage Plans to obtain all the mephiderite Wants to keep Meff as her skunk
History Family Political power plays New in town
Subtext Love Competitor and enemy possession is 9/10ths of the law
Relationship Arc Discipline to co-conspiratiors Customer to enemies Customer to family friend
TV Relationship Map: Howland Mann
Howland Mann Meff Polecat Dad Polecat Kamali Parker
Surface Mad scientist to spy on Possibly useful customer employee
Common Ground Both are were-creatures (Mann is owl) Both want to keep Meff from morphing Both want Mann’s chemistry biz to succeed
Conflict Knows Meff is spying on him Wants all of Dad’s mephiderite Wants to protect skunks from harm
History Threat to his life when he is skunk Threat to his family skunkiness Threat to her employment
Subtext Works to stop him Works to stop him Works to sweet-talk him
Relationship Arc Power struggle to life vs death battle Threat to business becomes threat to family New job becomes undercover spying against boss
TV Relationship Map: Kamali Parker
Kamali Parker Meff Polecat Dad Polecat Howland Mann
Surface Buys him as a pet Tries to steal her new pet Values her as a chemist
Common Ground They love skunks They love skunks They love chemistry
Conflict He keeps trying to escape He is stealing her pet He is mean to skunks
History She has 6 pet skunks plus Meff He runs the skunk farm where she buys supplies and skunks She move to Skunk Hollow to work for him
Subtext She loves Meff as a skunk She thinks he’s a thief She’s trying to change him
Relationship Arc Ownership to family friend Thief to friend Admirable chemist to dangerous boss
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Lois’ Character Emotions
What I learned doing this assignment is…thinking about triggers helps me think about the plot.
MEFF
A. Situational: Hope / Fear : Protect his family / Be stuck as a skunk / killed
B. Motivation: Want / Need : Avoid change / safety
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask: fear of being caught / acting cool
D. Weaknesses: risk taker, rule breaker
E. Triggers: threat to safety of anyone he loves
F. Coping Mechanism: becomes a skunk and hides or runs away
HOWLAND MANN
A. Situational: Hope / Fear : power, wealth, admiration / being denied what he wants
B. Motivation: Want / Need : power, wealth, admiration / to be part of community
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask: greed / has-it-all
D. Weaknesses: greed, anger, feels inferior
E. Triggers: being denied anything, being discovered
F. Coping Mechanism: attempts to physically or financially harm anyone who blocks him
KAMALI PARKER
A. Situational: Hope / Fear : to find a true home / being rejected
B. Motivation: Want / Need: wants to live her true life / needs community
C. Mask: Base Negative Emotion / Public Mask : protective nest building / sweet and kind
D. Weaknesses: animals that don’t like her, people who don’t fall for her sweetness act
E. Triggers: missing or upset pets, anyone who would harm an animal
F. Coping Mechanism: She goes into Mama-Bear mode. No more sweetness.
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Lois’ Intriguing Character Layers
What I learned doing this assignment is…I have more to learn about my characters.
ASSIGNMENT 1:
1. Think about your Example Show. Make a list of the places you’ve already seen Character Intrigue in the previous episodes.
Locke walks now, but he was in a wheelchair before the crash.
Locke has a knife collection, and he wanted to go on a walkabout.
Locke is able to kill and haul a 250 lb boar by himself, with only a knife
Locke knows how to whittle a dog whistle.
Jack is a do-gooder doctor, who refuses to participate in a group memorial.
Sayed was in the Republican Army in Iraq.
Kate killed her father.
Charlie is a drug addict who can catch fish with a spear.
Rose KNOWS her husband and the folks in the tail end of the plane are still alive.
ASSIGNMENT 2
1. For your Inner Circle characters, fill in any of the Intrigue items that apply.
Character Name: Meff
Role: new were-skunk
Hidden agendas: He wants to know what’s going on in the cave where the bullies hang out
Competition: bullies, the skunk-eating owl, his sisters
Conspiracies: He wants to sneak into the new pharma labs to see what is going on
Secrets: His favorite hat is missing
Deception: Lies to non-family members about where and how he disappears (when he’s a skunk)
Wound: His family kept their skunk-heritage a secret from him and his sisters.
Secret Identity: He’s a were-skunk
Character Name: Ramon
Role: Meff’s best friend
Hidden agendas: He wants to be adventurous and thinks hanging around Meff will get him there.
Competition: He is entering a skunk in the skunk beauty pageant
Conspiracies:
Secrets: He got sprayed with villain’s Hair-Grow Spray and terrorized the town as a monster.
Deception: He is deceived. He NEVER sees Meff morph.
Wound:
Secret Identity:
Character Name: Howland Mann
Role: villain
Hidden agendas: he wants the meteorite rock that is only on Meff’s family skunk farm.
competition: Meff’s dad, who would kill an owl that threatens his skunks, even if that owl is an endangered species.
Conspiracies: He has the mayor in his pocket. Also the Animal Control man. He gets that Animal Control man to lie and claim that Meff’s family skunks have rabies, as an excuse to kill them. He has made a spray that makes people motionless.
Secrets: He has made a drug that lets him become an owl. As an owl, he kills and eats skunks.
Deception: He pretends to love skunks.
Wound: He resents his impoverished upbringing
Secret Identity: he is an owl (when he takes his drug)
Character Name: Kamali Parker
Role: Works for the villain, buys Meff when he’s a skunk
Hidden agendas:
Competition: She is entering Meff in the skunk beauty contest
Conspiracies:
Secrets:
Deception: She lies to Villain about her skunks
Wound:
Secret Identity:
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Lois’ Engaging Main Characters
What I learned doing this assignment is the importance of characters facing moral dilemma, and making audience worry about them.
Lost – Kate
A. Role in the show: Female lead
B. Unique Purpose / Expertise: She is an escaped criminal starting a new life where nobody knows her past.
C. Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? She killed her father
D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing? She is hiding her past
E. Unpredictable: What will they do next? Is she a killer? Or was this a one-time, possibly justified event?
F. Empathetic: Why do we care? She seems helpful and daring, and concerned about the welfare of the crash survivors.
Skunk-Boy – Meff Polecat
A. Role in the show: Boy with the newly discovered ability to turn into a skunk
B. Unique Purpose / Expertise: He knows a lot about skunks – but not as much as he will need to know NOW
C. Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? He likes to sneak into places he doesn’t belong. That will be easier for him now that he can be a skunk.
D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing? He’s sneaking around, spying and stealing – for reasons that make sense to him.
E. Unpredictable: What will they do next? Will he sneak into the enemy’s lab to discover what the enemy is up to?
F. Empathetic: Why do we care? What the enemy is doing could kill the whole Polecat family. Meff sneaking into his lab could get Meff killed or captured.
5. Post your assignment in the forums at https://www.screenwritingclasses.com/forums/
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Lois’ Three Circles of Characters
part one:LOST
A. Main Characters Circle: Jack, Kate,
B. Connected Circle: Charlie, Ruth lots of other passengers
C. Environment Circle: monster, dog, anything already on the island
Give us a quick list for each circle.
Deadline: 24 hours
What I learned doing this assignment is: The work I’ve done setting up this universe has characters in all three circles.
ASSIGNMENT 2:
1. Create the three circles of characters for your show.
Skunk Boy
A. Main Characters Circle: Meff, Howland Mann (villain), Kamali Parker (who buys Meff when he is a skunk), Rufus (Meff’s best friend who never sees him change into a skunk)
B. Connected Circle: Meff’s parents, aunt, classmates, Meff’s triplet sisters
C. Environment Circle: Meff’s skunk cousins, Skunk Farm customers, skunk beauty pageant competitors and judges, workers is Mann’s laboratory, mayor, city council
2. Give us a one sentence description of each of the Main Characters.
Meff is a wereskunk who turns into a skunk when he is sprayed by a skunk and turns back into a boy when he eats a rotten egg.
Howland Mann is a mad scientist who wants the meteorite that fell on Meff’s farm – at any cost except money.
Kamali Parker is new to Skunk Hollow, new to Mann’s lab, and loves skunks.
Rufus loyal friend to Meff, who is oblivious to Meff’s changes in form.
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from Lost:
Big hooks: airplane crash. survivors try to get rescued.
Main Characters (empathy / distress): Jack is a leader / doctor who takes responsibility and saves lives. Kate wants to help him. Charlie is a tagalong who wants to be famous for his band.
Situation: They are alone on an island, crashed, some injured, no rescue in sight. A monster threatens them. The monster takes the pilot. The monster might take Charlie but Jack risks his life to save him.
Open Loops: where is the black box?
where is the black woman’s husband?
Where is the tail end of the plane? Are there any survivors?
Is Charlie a drug addict?
Inviting Obsession: we want the survivors to survive and be rescued.
for my series:
the hero is a boy who discovers that he is a wereskunk. He turns into a skunk when he is sprayed by a skunk and becomes a boy again when he eats a rotten egg.
He is up against several conflicts: 1) the mayor wants to take his family skunk farm by eminent domain for a new pharmaceutical company. 2) there’s an owl that likes to eat skunks.
transformational journey. Boy goes from freaking out about his new body to enjoying his super powers and secret identity.
Boy discovers that his dad is also a wereskunk, as is his Aunt Abigail. All this has been going on around him and he never noticed. This trait is due to a meteorite that crashed on the family farm. The meteorite rock is also useful for pharmaceuticals.
What makes it incredibly interesting? Boy turns into skunk at inopportune times, and also into boy at inopportune times.
What haven’t we seen? I don’t think anybody has done this before. The closest is My Favorite Martian.
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Lois Wickstrom
I’ve finished at least a dozen scripts — I’ve lost track.
I hope to learn the components of keeping an audience coming back for more.
Something strange or unusual about me? I make all my own bread, and have done so for over 50 years.
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Lois Wickstrom
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.
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I’m ready to do another exchange. reluctantspy@gmail.com