[Pauline Cronin]

Pauline Cronin’s First Three Decisions

What I learned doing this assignment was a real breakthrough for me…. that my profound truth and the desired change in my audience could dictate who my TRANSFORMATIONAL CHARACTER should be and who will be the CHANGE AGENT. Until now, my protagonist has been my transformational character, a naïve young woman who makes it in the last male bastion against impossible odds (it’s the 80’s). But now I see huge potential for the TRANSFORMATIONAL CHARACTERS to be the men and the company-she-works-for who will go through the change and the young woman as the CHANGE AGENT.

“What would happen if Pollyanna went to work on Wall Street?”

Could a character like this who is smart, hardworking, naïve, truthful, and principled AND also a woman, bring about change in a dog-eat-dog world? Could she challenge their deep-seated beliefs that women don’t belong just by doing her job well and getting results? How hard will they fight to hang onto those beliefs? Will she have to do more than this to prevail? Will chauvinist bosses and peer jealousy be a factor? There is so much room for conflict and humour. It’s possible that this true story could be written as a comedy.

I’m going to run with this for now.

Logline 1: The hiring of a naïve and principled young woman brings about change in the dog-eat-dog world of investment banking.

Logline 2: What would happen if Pollyanna went to work on Wall Street?

1. Profound truth:

A. You can be a good person and still succeed in business. OR

B. Women can succeed without becoming one of the boys. OR

C. Women can handle the high-stakes world of investment banking. OR

D. Women do make good partners. (line from the script) OR
E. Leading by example is a good way to bring about change.

F. Hiring a woman is good business. [I think this might be the one.]

2. Audience Change: Audience is inspired to believe one person can make a difference, and that maybe even they can challenge the old ways of thinking.

3. Entertainment Vehicle: Embellished As-It-Happened Conflict will take place primarily against the heady, high-stakes world of the inside trading floor at a major investment dealer in the years leading up to and following the Market Crash of ’87.

Another possibility is time travel. A young woman from 2023 travels back to the trading floor and she is aghast at what she witnesses. She begins to understand that every woman who has gone before has paved the way for her today.

[Pauline Cronin]

What I learned from this assignment is….the gradient changes (the steps) provide a guideline for taking our lead character on his/her transformative journey and provide an opportunity for constant conflict, which in essence will deliver drama throughout the movie. Groundhog Day reminds me that sometimes the most profound movies are comedies, and that if you want to reach the broadest possible audience, writing a profound comedy may be the way to go.

What is the CHANGE this movie is about?
What is the Transformational Journey of this movie?

Phil
Connors will go from being a grumpy, narcissistic, self-absorbed celebrity
weatherman to being a man who is empathetic, lives in the now, noticed
things around him, and acts on it. For the audience: This will make you
reflect about what is important in life.
Lead characters:

Who is the Change Agent
(the one causing the change) and what makes this the right character to
cause the change?
Rita,
his producer is the change agent. She is the right character because she
is in the same industry, she is exceptionally attractive and climbing the
ladder of success, but still has managed to be a grounded, exceptionally
nice person. She also has high standards and cannot be easily flattered
or hoodwinked by his insincerity or come-ons.
Who is the Transformable
Character (the one who makes the change) and what makes them the right
character to deliver this profound journey?
Phil
Connors is the transformable character. He is the person in the story who
most needs a wake-up call, who most needs to change his ways.
What is the Oppression?
Groundhog
Day. The never-ending loop re-living the same day.

How are we lured into the profound
journey? What causes us to connect with this story?
Reliving
the same day is something we can imagine. What would we do? How will he
treat the people he meets again and again. How will he cope with his
situation? How would we?
Looking at the character(s) who are
changed the most, what is the profound journey? From “old ways” to “new
way of being.” Identify their old way: Identify their new way at the
conclusion:
OLD
WAYS: Lack of empathy. Cynical. Believes his own press. Believes he is
above the average person. Self-absorbed. Selfish. NEW WAY: Caring.
Compassionate. Genuine. Empathetic. Relaxed. Fun. Living in the moment.
Enjoys the small things.
What is the gradient the change? What
steps did the Transformational Character go through as they were changing?

At first,
he is angry and belligerent and condescending. He ramps up behaving badly
because there is no consequence. Then he is mildly resigned and aware that
he is caught in a loop. Because he always looks out for #1, he begins to
take advantage of his situation, trying to get away with abhorrent
behaviour to get sex and money because for him there is no consequence. He
even proposes knowing he can get away with it. Then he tried to achieve
ill-gotten gains by taking advantage of knowing what was going to happen (robbing
the truck) or what people liked/disliked/had lived through, etc.
Eventually, he realizes he’s in a living hell and keeps trying to kill
himself.
How is the “old way” challenged? What
beliefs are challenged that cause a main character to shift their
perspective…and make the change?
He
thinks he can do or say anything without consequence, that he can seduce a
woman, pretend to be in love with her to get what he wants, even propose –
without impunity. But when Rita repeatedly slaps his face and turns him
down because of his obvious come-ons and insincerity, he is profoundly
affected. He is forced to introspect, he becomes vulnerable, and starts to
explore a better way of being.
What are the most profound moments of the
movie?
When
he calls another woman ‘Rita’ while romancing her.
When he almost forced Rita to have sex with him because he knows tomorrow,
she won’t remember.
When he tells Rita how he feels about her while she is asleep.
When he wakes up to the 6 am alarm and bounces out of bed instead of
smashing the clock.

When he gives the old man all his money.

When he tries to save the life of the old man.

When he couldn’t bring the old man back to life.

What are the most profound lines of the
movie?
“I
don’t even like myself.”

“

How does the ending payoff the setups of
this movie?

He looks down on small towns and ends up moving to one.

He thinks the lives of small-town people are inconsequential and not worth knowing, and he ends up knowing the details of the townsfolk and caring about them.

He is basically a cynical unhappy person, and he ends up completely open, caring, interested, and humble at the end.

Everything he despised in the various scenes in the movie end up being what he wants.

What is the Profound Truth of this movie?

A person who genuinely cares for his fellow man will live a deeper, more meaningful live.

[Pauline Cronin]

Hi everyone! I’m Pauline Cronin.

I’ve written three scripts (all unfinished). There is one story (an entertaining biopic from the 80’s) that I’m dying to write. All the elements are there but the glue or central thread that makes the story worth writing has eluded me until now.

I was inspired by attending the Barbie analysis and feel like I’ve finally found the road I want to go down with my script. I want my story to be PROFOUND. I think this class can help me identify the elements that will get me there.

My nickname is ‘Jason Bourne’ because I have three passports and currently reside on a ‘grande peniche’ (big barge) – living and moving along the rivers and canals of France for 6 months a year.

[Pauline Cronin]

I, PAULINE CRONIN, agree to the terms of this 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.

[Pauline Cronin]

Pauline Cronin

I agree to the terms of this release form.