[Dianna Ippolito]

Stacking Suspense:
What I learned from Watching Basic Instinct all these years later is that it is still a little confusing. I got a bit confused by the red herrings, and some of the motivations. The stacking of suspense is a good exercise to watch for, because it does keep you wanting your questions as a viewer to be answered. What I also learned that the first 30 minutes is just investigation work, but the intrigue and suspense makes it seem like a lot of action is happening when it really isn’t. I found that very interesting. I also like the information dump that happens at the police station when they are considering Catherine as a suspect. The cop reads stuff about her like it’s on a rap sheet, and tells you all about where she went to school, her grades, her interests, her degrees etc, so it’s a really fast way of giving the audience insight into her character. The way Michael Douglas goes back to smoking, drinking and begins to mirror Catherine is interesting too. I wasn’t clear if Michael was part of Catherine’s plan to kill people close to him, because she wanted it for her book or not. Even now after I have seen it 5 times, I still am not sure. But overall, I really think you have to keep the first act fairly simple so it doesn’t get unwieldy, so that was the biggest thing I learned doing this.

I have not yet had time to watch Silence of the Lambs but I will over the next few days.

[Dianna Ippolito]

What I have learned. I’ve learned that a strong story concept revolves around multiple layers of mystery and intrigue, intertwined with character’s motivations and the world they inhabit.

Big Mystery: The main mystery surrounding Graham is the truth behind his sister’s murder, which he has witnessed and repressed. The memory gradually resurfaces revealing his hidden guilt and the role he inadvertently played in her death.
Suspense: The suspense surrounding Graham revolves around whether he can successfully piece together his fragmented memories, and outsmart the pursing mafia and FBI agents.His ability to stay ahead of danger becomes increasingly precarious.

Intrigue: Graham’s intrigue lies in his hidden past as an art thief. His skillset and his involvement in art theft play a crucial role in his memory loss and the dangers he faces.

For the Claire character (Therapist): The mystery centers on her motivation to help Graham. As their partnership develops, the audience will wonder why she’s willing to put herself in danger, and what person stakes in the situation she has. Her suspense lies in her growing involvement in Graham’s journey. As they evade danger together and her true role in the unfolding events creates tension. Her intrigue comes from her perspective as a therapist. Her determination to help Graham recover his memory and stay involved in the dangerous situation he is is hints at a hidden facet of her character.

The main mystery for the ANTAGONISTS – the Russian mafia is their motivation for pursuing Graham. The main suspense is the escalating danger to Graham and his survival. The main intrigue for the mafia lies in their hidden agenda and the covert power struggle between them.

[Dianna Ippolito]

What I have learned: That you really need to have all these elements worked out before you attempt to start outlining or writing a thriller script. It’s easy to go into left field if the story points are not clear to you at the beginning.

The Man in the Mist

Logline: A skilled art thief, suffering from amnesia, must confront secrets hidden within his forgotten past, while evading the relentless pursuit of the Russian mafia.

Unwitting but resourceful hero: Graham, the protagonist, initially is suffering from dissociative fugue, but as the story progresses, he demonstrates resourcefulness and resilience in his quest for survival and self-discovery.

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Dangerous Villain: The dangerous Russian mafia, led by the enigmatic and ruthless boss, serves as the primary antagonistic force pursuing Graham throughout the story.

High Stakes: The story is driven by the high stakes, as Graham’s life is in constant danger from both the mafia and corrupt FBI agents, and he must unravel the mystery of a rare music box to stay alive.

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Life and Death Situations: Graham teams up with Claire, a therapist at the hospital he is in, and they find themselves repeatedly facing life and death situations as they navigate the dangerous world of art theft, mafia intrigue, and corrupt FBI agents.

The story is thrilling because? The story is thrilling because of it’s fast-paced action, the constant danger faced by the protagonist, the mystery surrounding the rare music box, and the emotional depth of Graham’s journey of self-discovery and redemption.

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The Big M.I.S. of the Story: The main mystery that keeps us wondering throughout the story is the true significance of the rare music box. What makes it so valuable that both the Russian mafia and corrupt FBI agents are willing to kill to possess it? The answer to this is the key to understanding Graham’s past and his sister Morgan’s involvement in the heist gone wrong. (we will learn he witnesses his sister’s murder, causing his dissociative fugue)

Big Intrigue: The covert and underhanded plot that lives under the surface for most of the movie involves the FBI’s true motives behind recruiting Graham and his sister Morgan for the rare music box heist. The FBI’s involvement with the Russian mafia and the hidden agenda of certain agents add layers of intrigue to the overall story.

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Big Suspense: The main danger to Graham that continues to escalate is the relentless pursuit of the Russian mafia and corrupt FBI agents. As Graham’s memory slowly returns, he starts to remember incriminating information that puts his life in even greater jeopardy. Additionally the identity of the FBI mole and the true intentions of certain characters remain in question, heightening the suspense.

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• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by  Dianna Ippolito.

[Dianna Ippolito]

Did my assignment post about the movie Coma from 1978?

[Dianna Ippolito]

What I learned from this assignment is a better understanding of the typical conventions used in thrillers, that you have to keep the plot simple, and in order to keep the audience guessing, you need to have a good plot twist.

Coma (1978) Thriller

Unwitting but Resourceful Hero: The protagonist is Dr. Susan Wheeler a young and ambitious medical resident. She becomes the unwitting hero when she starts uncovering suspicious events at her hospital and becomes determined to find out the truth behind the mysterious coma patients.

Dangerous Villain: The dangerous villain is Dr. George Harris. He is involved in a sinister plot at the hospital, and his true intentions gradually become apparent as the story unfolds.

High Stakes: The stakes are high as Dr. Wheeler discovers a disturbing pattern of patients unexpectedly falling into comas during routine surgeries at the hospital. Her investigations put her own life in danger as she gets closer to unraveling the conspiracy.

Life and Death Situations: The movie revolves around life and death situations as patients’ lives are at risk during surgeries, and Dr. Wheeler’s life is also threatened as she delves deeper into the mystery.

Thrilling Aspect: “Coma” is thrilling because it creates an intense atmosphere of suspense and mystery. The sense of danger, the unknown, and the hidden conspiracy add to the overall excitement and thrill.

Big Mystery: The big mystery in “Coma” revolves around the unusually high number of patients falling into comas during routine surgeries at the hospital. Dr. Wheeler becomes suspicious of this trend and starts investigating the cause behind it, which leads her to uncover a disturbing conspiracy.

Big Intrigue: The big intrigue centers on the hidden motives and actions of certain doctors and administrators at the hospital. As Dr. Wheeler delves deeper into the investigation, she realizes that there is a sinister plot at play, and she becomes determined to expose the truth.

Big Suspense: The big suspense in “Coma” arises from the constant sense of danger and uncertainty surrounding Dr. Wheeler’s discoveries. As she gets closer to the truth, the threat to her life increases, and the audience is left in suspense, wondering if she will uncover the conspiracy in time and if she will survive the ordeal.

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• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by  Dianna Ippolito.

[Dianna Ippolito]

1. Dianna Ippolito

2. “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.

[Dianna Ippolito]

Hi All,
My name is Dianna. I have written about 20 scripts maybe more. I am a comedy and drama writer, but would LOVE to become adept at writing good thrillers. I always get caught up in trying to do red herrings when I write thrillers and my scripts get unwieldy. Something unique about me, or maybe not so unique – I like to listen to the Air Crash Investigation tv show and fall asleep to terrible accidents. Don’t ask me why. 🙂

Thanks
Dianna