[Natalia Filson]

Natalia Filson’s 4 Act Transformational Structure

What I learned doing this assignment is that even though I had no clear idea of what the plot or even the story of my script will be, this exercise pushed me to come up with what eventually could be structured into a coherent story.

Create a first draft of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.

1. Give us the following:

• Concept: Timid Cassie has a series of out-of-body experiences where her desired “self” acts as she wishes she would act in the real world, however eventually she gets disillusioned with the “dark” side of herself.

• Main Conflict: Velda keeps pushing Cassie to act as Cassie wishes was natural to her. It turns out that going against one’s nature is not a good way for self-improvement. Instead, Cassie learns how to “stand in her own truth”

• Old Ways: Shyness and self-doubt. Kindness and focus on others to the point of self-neglect.

• New Ways: Quiet introversion but full self-acceptance. Realizing her own boundaries and new ability to stand up for herself.

2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.

Act 1:

• Opening: Show Cassie interacting with others – her shyness, insecurities and also her kindness and compassion towards others.

• Inciting Incident: Cassie becomes a victim of a prank – her picture is used in “what she thinks she looks like/what she really looks like” meme.

• Turning Point: Cassie is hurt to the point where she considers ending her life, but has an out-of-body experience instead.

Act 2:

• New plan: Cassie realizes she can operate in the real world as Velda, where she is omnipotent.

• Plan in action: Velda/Cassie decide to “save the planet” and enjoy all the attention.

• Midpoint Turning Point: The novelty of the new-found attention starts to wear out and Cassie realizes that being Velda is not as pleasant as to be herself. Velda, if left unchecked, could be quite harmful and destructive.

Act 3:

• Rethink everything: Cassie grows tired of living double life

• New plan: to accept the notion that some of Velda’s traits are already present in Cassie, and some are simply not her.

• Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift. Velda does something that would be totally out of character for Cassie.

Act 4:

• Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict: at the critical event Cassie does not allow Velda to “come out”, and attends the even as herself, performing way below audience’s expectation, but not completely failing.

• Resolution: Cassie realizes that she is capable to act and not allow others to “get under her skin”

[Natalia Filson]

Natalia Filson’s Character Interviews

What I learned doing this assignment… WOW, what a trip!!! This exercise is priceless. I went in with a dread of another yet homework assignment. Instead, I got forty minutes of unstoppable writing, on one breath of inspiration! I had no idea my characters had so much to say. I am so glad of discovering this tool. This is amazing.

QUESTIONS FOR YOUR PROTAGONIST

1. Tell me about yourself. My name is Cassie, which is short for Cassandra. My father was into literature and Greek mythology. I hardly remember my father. My parents divorced when I was seven. He was never in my life, and my grandmother made sure I grew up to think he was a horrible man for abandoning the family. All I remember is him teaching me to ride the bike without training wheels and reading me stories.

2. Why do you think you were called to this journey? Why you? This journey is mine and only mine. As much as it seems I can make a difference in this world, the road always leads back to ourselves.

3. You are up against Velda. What is it about her that makes this journey even more difficult for you? Velda is embodiment of perfection. She is me as I fantasize about if I wasn’t so afraid to become her. Why is it hard? Because I think she is a fantasy and it’s impossible to be her.

4. In order to survive or accomplish this, you are going to have to step way outside of your box. What changes do you expect to make and which of them will be the most difficult? Facing the real world has always been the most difficult. I feel like people don’t understand me. I feel like I don’t belong. I desperately want to fit in, but how much of myself do I have to give up to be able to fit in? It is so much easier to go with the flow, pretend, and then resort to my fantasy world. Going outside the box would mean I would have to accept who I am, and not try to adapt. If I accept myself, I will fit in pretty much anywhere, right? Changes? I have to learn how to tell people no, how to live by my personal standards, and not be afraid of rejection anymore. Rejection is painful, but living live in fear of being alone is even more painful. Do I have to learn how to be okay alone before I can be accepted by others? – We’ll see…

5. What habits or ways of thinking do you think will be the most difficult to let go of? Depending on opinion of others. I see myself through the lens of anyone who is in front of me. I need to see myself through my own lens.

6. What fears, insecurities and wounds have held you back? Fear of rejection, abandonment and humiliation.

7. What skills, background or expertise makes you well-suited to face this conflict or antagonist? Being so attuned to other people’s feelings and emotions made me almost a “mind-reader”. I can see and feel what other people are going through, or going to do, even before they know themselves. But I can’t profess that, because nobody believes. Is it curse of my name?

8. What are you hiding from the other characters? What don’t you want them to know? My fear of being rejected. I am afraid to show how much their opinion matters. I build a shell, and that’s what everyone sees.

9. What do you think of Velda? She is perfect. She has no fears. Opinions of others don’t matter to her. She is cool, calm and collected. She can tell people to go to hell. Nobody can bring her down. She can stand in her truth.

10. Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story. As much as I want to be like Velda, there’s something about her that doesn’t sit well with my heart. Her independence of the opinion of others is great. But sometimes she comes across as a psychopath, who has no regard for others.

11. What does it do for your life is you succeed here? I will be free. I can remain Cassie, with her looks, and feelings, and character traits. I can embrace the traits Velda has, and reject what does not resonate.

QUESTIONS FOR YOUR ANTAGONIST

1. Tell me about yourself. My name is Velda. I was, I am, and I will be. I don’t know where I came from or where I will go. I always am. I am part of Cassie’s psyche that she has not yet discovered or allowed to be.

2. Having to do with this journey, what are your strengths and weaknesses? There are no weaknesses about me. Only strengths. I am perfect.

3. Why are you committed to making the Protagonist fail? Or for a relationship movie, why are you committed to making them change? Since I am Cassie, all I want is to make her realize that she is too, perfect as she is. If she doesn’t, she fails. She will make herself fail. She will do it to herself.

4. What do you get out of winning this fight / succeeding in your plan / taking down your competition? Nothing. I am doing it for fun. Seeing people struggling with themselves is the highest form of entertainment.

5. What drives you toward your mission / agenda, even in the face of danger, ruin, or death? What started as fun seems to get me involved. I like risk. I like to see how far I can push myself and others.

6. What secrets must you keep to succeed? What other secrets do you keep out of fear / insecurity? There are no secrets. Telling the truth is the highest form of freedom. I want Cassie could see it. There’s no fear but what’s in her head.

7. Compared to other people like you, what makes you special? Nothing. All people are like me and no one is like me. I am special and I am not. I just am.

8. What do you think of Cassie? She is a beautiful soul trapped in the bounds of her own mind.

9. Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story. It’s simple as day. We are free to do as we want. Anyone’s opinion is just an opinion. I only want to help Cassie because I am her. I don’t give a rat’s ass about anyone else.

[Natalia Filson]

Natalia Filson’s Character Profile Part 2

What I learned doing this assignment is as soon as I start thinking about the characters in depth, they take the life of their own. They seem to evoke certain traits and characteristics that might contradict my original ideas.

What makes this the right character for this role?

CASSIE

• WHAT DRAWS US TO THIS CHARACTER? A sensitive, introverted, empathetic girl who seems not find her place in fast-paced world of go-getters.

• TRAITS: Sensitive, creative, empathetic, kind.

• SUBTEXT: Hides her kindness and sensitivity behind the mask of false toughness and pretending to be strong.

• FLAW: Hard time making decisions

• VALUES: Kindness, empathy, creativity.

• IRONY: As soft as she is, when facing the adversity, she ends up being the one standing up to the evil forces.

• WHAT MAKES THIS THE RIGHT CHARACTER FOR THIS ROLE? She stands by her principles, and has capacity for sacrifice

Velda

• What draws us to this character? Strength, courage, determination.

• Trait: Ability to make decisions quickly and stand by them

• Subtext: As strong as she appears, she has her own doubts

• Flaw: she has no empathy

• Values: Power, determination

• Irony: She longs for her more feminine side

• What makes him the right character for this role? She is the opposite of Cassie and serves as a counterbalance.

[Natalia Filson]

Natalia Filson – Character Profiles Part 1

What I learned doing this assignment is the importance of crystalizing the main character traits. When I was thinking about character description and traits, I started to have an idea how those characters would behave in certain situations.

Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Supernatural?

Protagonist: Cassie

Role in the story: Victim/Dreamer

• Age range and Description: Female, 19, overweight, clumsy, timid.

• Internal Journey: from self-denial to self-acceptance

• External Journey: from timid and self-doubting to someone who can stand her ground.

• Motivation: wanting to “fit in”, needing to accept her imperfection

• Wound: childhood abandonment trauma

• Mission/Agenda: to gain recognition by “saving the world”

• Secret: she wants to be Velda

• What makes them special: ability to always see good in others

Antagonist – Velda (Cassie’s alternate personality)

Role in the story: Change Agent

• Age range and Description: Female, 19, fit, strong, assertive

• Internal Journey: from saving the world to saving oneself

• External Journey: from warrior to fairy

• Motivation: need to prove her worthiness

• Wound: emotional neglect

• Mission/Agenda: to gain recognition by “saving the world

• Secret: she is Cassie

• What makes them special: Supernatural abilities

4. What other characters might be necessary?

• Supporting characters: Cassie’s family members, coworkers, people who need Velda’s protection

• Minor roles: school bullies

• Background characters:

[Natalia Filson]

Natalia Filson’s Transformational Journey

What I learned doing this assignment is that no matter how many great ideas I have in my head about characters, only concrete work actually makes them come alive.

My Hero is a 19 year old Cassie/and her alter ego Velda (supernatural story about out of body experience) who is dreaming about saving the world, but learns to first “save” herself.

Internal Journey: from insecure, attention-seeking, codependent girl to confident, loving and strong young woman.

External Journey: From college drop-out grocery store clerk to grocery store clerk with confidence

Old Ways : shy, timid, dependent on opinions of others, living in her head

and New Ways: assertive, courageous, able to take steps towards improvement in real life

• This reply was modified 3 years, 2 months ago by  Natalia Filson.

[Natalia Filson]

I, Natalia Filson, 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.

[Natalia Filson]

Hello everyone. My name is Natalia and I am glad to be in this class. I have written a couple of dozens short scripts, and made a little over a dozen of them into short films. I have a very short attention span and have trouble writing long. I hope this class will help me concentrate and develop self-discipline to write a feature length script, and also develop the skill of working consistently. I can’t think of anything unique about myself, I am a pretty ordinary person.