Ron Johnson
Forum Replies Created
-
<div>Ron Johnson: Life threatening sequence.
What I’ve learned is that for a thriller to be thrilling, it must have danger in nearly every scene, or the threat of danger, or it descends into less thrilling and becomes more of a drama. Especially after watching the latest installment by Liam Neeson which promised lots of danger but dragged half the time.
My danger:
Hightower is searching for the lost tomb and Linga Stone and Glory is attempting to find it first. He will do anything to stop her.
Glory’s uncle is kidnapped
She is nearly abducted by Hightower’s men and has to escape
Hightower has assigned men to intercept her.
Poachers will kill to protect their findings
The jungle is full of venomous snakes, wild animals and poisonous insects.
Physical dangers in water, slipping off mountainsides, or crossing rickety bridge.
She is kidnapped by Hightower’s men.
Supernatural powers; The spirit of Jayavarman II haunts the mountaintop
The power of the Lingam Stone could be
lethal</div><div></div>
-
Kim J. same for me. I only marginally liked SOTL because it seemed a little over the top in showcasing serial killers. I thought B Bill was a little too stereotypical and underwritten as a character. Therefore I missed a lot of nuance. But now I appreciate how the writer built-in a great underdog protagonist pit against a ruthless, brilliant villain in a story that keeps you guessing from scene to scene, under suspense, upping the stakes, or in Hannibal’s case “steaks.” LOL. Again, you did a great job dissecting it and I learned something from your post. 🙂
-
Ron Johnson Mystery Sequence
What I learned is: that secrets and cover-ups are the key to creating mysteries. These mysteries drive the desire-line of the protagonist and key characters as they try to solve them.
1 – What is the big secret that the Villain is covering up?
Hightower is attempting to take over Asia by rebuilding the Khmer Rouge and becoming a God-King via the Linga Stone.
2 – How many ways can they cover that secret? Those become the mysteries.
By paying off political and military officials.
By paying poachers a premium for artifacts so that temples and archeological sites are overrun with poachers deflecting the fact Hightower is searching for the Linga Stone.
A Hindu priest goes missing from a temple. Remains of the priest are found in the nearby jungle pointing to animal attack. But this was staged by Hightower’s men in order to kidnap the priest (for the ritual) without suspicion.
3 – The first mystery must engage the Hero into solving it.
Glory gets a phone call from the Consulate in Cambodia that her mother died, but when she arrives finds out the man who called her is an imposter. Is her mother alive or dead?
4 – Sequence the mysteries so that each one leads us to the next one.
How did Glory’s mother die? Then, is she alive or dead? When Glory heads to Cambodia per the consulate’s instructions to retrieve her mother’s body, finds out the consulate agent was an imposter.
We meet Quinn, American, treasure hunter who is being pursued by dangerous people. Who are they? Why are they pursuing him?
Why does Quinn risk his life to steal artifacts?
Glory is arrested by police after speaking with the consulate imposter – Why? Military officials speak with her about her connection to the imposter and want to know her business in Cambodia.
She’s told that the imposter works for a very powerful Billionaire named Hightower who has vast mining/shipping operations, but ill designs for Cambodia. What’s his connection to her mom’s disappearance?
Glory’s told by the Antiquities Director (at police station) that her mom had called him from Battambang a week ago about the problem of poachers raiding archeological sites. Is she in Battambang?
She meets Quinn, a treasure hunter posing as a hunting-guide, says he can help her find her mom for a reduced fee since she’s in distress. Why is he doing this? Can he be trusted?
He confesses that he had once worked for Hightower who’s paying poachers a premium for artifacts and wants to stop him because he’s got some grandiose plan to take over Cambodia. Is this for real? How is he planning to do that?
Cambodian General Sok arrives at Hightower’s mining operation where it’s revealed to be a secret military base in process of building up with trucks and tanks.
Glory and Quinn search Battambang and find her mother’s assistant San who is worried about her safety. He says she is alive and had to flee because the bad men came after her: Hightower. She had him hide her archeological work away so they would not get them. Why are they searching for them?
San retrieves the research papers and tells her the reports were primarily on the lost tomb of Jayavarman II and believes Hightower is searching for it to get the Linga Stone.
San warns of the power of the Linga Stone. Does it really possess supernatural powers?
Did she want Glory to find them?
Does her research really show where Jayavarman II’s lost tomb is? Is the Linga stone there?
What does her findings mean? Why is some of it cryptic? Can it be interpreted?
What is the fallen angel? Is it the key to finding the tomb? Does it refer to a plane crash alluding to Amelia Erhardt? Where exactly is it?
Will Hightower find the lost tomb and apprehend the Linga Stone?
Will the ancient ritual transform him into a god-king?
How can Hightower’s army be stopped if he becomes a god-king?
5 – Include ONE Red Herring mystery if you can.
The Poachers are a Red Herring since it’s really Hightower behind stealing artifacts, paying them.
General Sok appears to be helping Hightower but is a fake ally, secretly spying on him.
-
I just wanted to comment that posting what we’ve learned is helpful because we can see how others have interpreted the material and get another P.O.V. I especially enjoyed – and want to thank – Kim J’s post that were very insightful regarding SOTL, which can be applied to any thriller. Great job!
-
Ron Johnson: The villain has a great plan!
What I learned: The hero’s actions are a response to the villain’s desire/plan.
We’ve been told a thousand times by so many writing gurus that the Hero must act out of their own will and desire or the plot will feel contrived. However, the KEY is to understand the Hero does so as a response to the villain’s plan. If no villain’s action, the Hero doesn’t act, because they are by nature good (or at least not evil) and go about their life. It is the Villain’s malfeasance that awakens the Hero’s desire by their plight. They are inexorably connected. Therefore, the villain’s goal is the engine that drives the story.
No villain’s goal, no hero’s action, no story.
The most helpful part of the course for me is where we are asked to answer questions about specific elements in our story. The question “how does the Villain accomplish their goal in a devious way” and “how do they cover it up?” gets you to focus on specific details that may otherwise take weeks, or months to discover through trial and error, as they flesh out those elements that create conflict in a natural way.
My story:
1 – Hightower’s End Goal: To restore the Khmer Empire, become a god-king and take over Asia.
2 – He accomplishes this by kidnapping leading archeologists in order to find the ancient stone Lingam and performing the ritual by a Hindu Priest, while building a small army and converting top level officials to his cause that will take over the nation of Cambodia.
3 – He covers it up by using poachers to steal artifacts all over Cambodia and hides his army in a mining operation in the jungle.
Secretly recruits ex-Khmer Rouge lieutenants and generals.
Gains allies and installs puppet leaders in government by paying them off.
Kills any defectors who may expose his plan.
4 – Sequence:
Hightower kidnaps leading archeologists on Jayavarman II.
Tries to kidnap Glory’s mom (the top researcher) but fails and so raids Glory’s home looking for her mom’s archeological reports.
Failing at both, he goes after Glory.
He pays off political and military officials in Cambodia’s government to stifle moves that would stop him.
Takes out anyone who might expose his plan, puts a bounty on Quinn who used to work for him but defected.
Assigns a special unit to go after Glory and Quinn, recruits spies and local bounty hunters to report their whereabouts or bring them in.
He pays off archeologists in the field to not report his raiding temples in search of the stone.
Trains soldiers under the command of ex-Khmer Rouge lieutenants and generals. Acquires tanks and army vehicles, planes and drones.
Finds the Lingam stone and performs the ritual to become a god-king.
Stages a coop within the Cambodian government.
Takes over the Cambodian government.
-
Ron Johnson – What I learned from analyzing MIS in these films.
Mostly that good writing connects every character, desire, action within a context or world we are invited to enter. These desires create the M.I.S. of the story. They are all linked in a way that fleshes out each of them (even if it’s a little far fetched that so many people in one setting would be so maniacal).
Basic Instinct is the world of erotic sex and murder in the setting of a detective story. Therefore, the characters reflect aspects of that world which illustrate the dangers swirling around it. Ex: Nick has struggled with addiction and is suddenly tempted to drink, smoke and do coke, being seduced by the suspect, is pulled into a darker world that puts the case and his career in jeopardy. Gus is the voice of reason, who is in control of his vices. The Chief and DA stick to their political motivations wanting to let the whole thing die off, in effect looking out for themselves/careers.
Catherine is given over to her vices as she uses people for herself/career. She is manipulative and this trait is what drives the relationship between her, Nick and the police department. In this we see character driving plot in context of a specific world. Their desires play upon each other in a kind of dance that give M.I.S. Catherine especially offers mystery as you cannot tell whether she’s telling the truth about anything.
With Nick giving in to vices of drinking and having sex with the suspect, Beth the psychologist compromised by obsession with Nick, the police department looking out for itself, begs the question, how can justice be served here?
SOTL is a psychological thriller that edges horror. The world is that of the darkest members of society – the psycho-killer and the authorities who are forced to deal with them. In this context the best hero character is the opposite of the villain, instead of a brilliant, ruthless, powerful killer with no limits on his behavior, she’s a wet behind the ears trainee with a code of conduct, young woman, skilled but not proven yet. These two minds will go up against each other in a game of cat and mouse, each wanting something from the other – desire driving plot in a twisty maze of exposition.
Her desire for justice and to forge a career compels her to do that which most people wouldn’t think of, enter the domain of a serial killer.
HL’s devious, manipulatve nature lends itself to mystery as we aren’t sure anything he tells us is true. His cryptic messaging from his own distorted desires offer a web of lies and half-truths that must be vetted. His evil distorted nature creates the suspense and much intrigue as we anticipate his cannibalistic tendencies to come out and we fear it will be Clarise.
-
Ron J’s Big M.I.S.
What I learned: That the characters on all sides of the story are connected by the conflict and their goals. Therefore, it’s vital to clearly define the conflict and goals of your characters so that the story proceeds naturally with momentum.
Logline: An archeologist gets caught up in a hunt for the lost tomb of Jayavarman II to recover an ancient relic before an eccentric billionaire can find it and use its power to rebuild the Khmer Empire and rule all of Asia.
Unwitting but Resourceful Hero: Glory is an archeologist and expert rock climber. Quinn is a skilled MMA fighter.
Dangerous Villain: Billionaire Hightower has infinite resources including a small army.
High stakes: The fate of Cambodia and all of Asia could fall under the rule of tyrants led by Hightower. Glory’s mother may be in serious jeopardy.
Life and death situations: Glory and Quinn must battle Hightower’s henchmen in order to recover the stone.
This story is thrilling because? The fate of a nation and Asia is at stake as Glory and Quinn’s search puts them in ever increasing jeopardy battling Hightower’s men.
Big Mystery: Who is after her mother’s archeological findings and why has she gone missing? Why does Hightower raid temples and seek the Lingam Stone? Why is he building an army?
Big Intrigue: Hightower is trying to find Jayavarman II’s tomb and Lingam stone of power in order to rebuild the Khmer Empire and rule all of Asia.
Big Suspense: Glory and Quinn must fight Hightower’s henchmen who are seeking the same article and will stop at nothing to accomplish their goal.
-
Ron Johnson
Unwitting but Resourceful Hero: Nick Cassidy.
Villain: Billionaire David Englander.
High stakes: Nick’s life or he will go back to prison.
Life and death situations: Nick could fall or be killed by police or dirty cops under England’s orders.
This movie is thrilling because? The audience doesn’t know the identity of the traitor until the end.
Big Mystery: Why is Nick on the ledge, what’s he really up to?
Big Intrigue: We wonder if Nick is innocent or guilty, and if so, who framed him?
Big Suspense: Will Nick survive the ledge and will he clear his name of the crime?
-
Ron Johnson
I agree to the terms of this release form
1. That everyone’s work here is copyrighted and they are the sole
owner of that work. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this
group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that
idea.2. That this program is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun and I will not share,
disclose, present, or deliver the information, design, and writing of this
program to anyone for any reason without written permission from Hal Croasmun.3. That I will keep the other writers’ ideas and writing confidential
(including Hal’s materials) 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.4. 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.5. 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.