[Sophia Lee]

Sophia’s Character Journey Track (#8, 2/10/25)

What I learned during this assignment – continuing to build the story, layer by layer.

MAIN CHARACTERS: Eliza, Aracne, Xavril

All: Arcane, Eliza, Jonathan, Xavril, Lexan, Frank, George, Barry

A. What is their Character Profile?
1. Role: Eliza (the mistress who kills Arcane)
2. Traits: gorgeous/sexy. Fearless. Self-righteous.
3. Fears: getting old and being poor
4. Wants/Needs : everything to be on top
5. Likability / Rooting factors: she’s not likable.
6. How they react under stress: stresses out
7. Relationship with other characters: control freak
B. What is their Character Journey for this story?
1. Character Intro: she has an affair with a her friend’s husband and kills her friend
2. Denial: she was hurrying up the process, but in doing so gets her lover killed
3. Their reaction at first horror: watching her lover die
4. Relation to group after first horror: everyone hates her
5. How they fight back: to survive they have to work together
6. End Point: they never work together
7. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? She deserves what she get

A. What is their Character Profile?
8. Role: Xavril
9. Traits: mysterious, creepy, artistic, weird
10. Fears: no fears – she is in a state of acceptance
11. Wants/Needs : carry out ceremonies and performance art
12. Likability / Rooting factors: her weirdness – we ask is it real or not?
13. How they react under stress: art always comes first
14. Relationship with other characters: if it’s part of her journey, she gets along with anyone
B. What is their Character Journey for this story?
8. Character Intro: as a performance artist she leads the ceremony, and orders Jonathan’s death by stabbing him and having everyone else follow
9. Denial: she doesn’t see anything wrong with her actions
10. Their reaction at first horror: it’s all part of her process
11. Relation to group after first horror: how to put it into a performance art piece
12. How they fight back: she doesn’t – she’s all about going with the flow and securing what’s hers
13. End Point: she’s the sole survivor
14. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? She’s part of a bigger picture than anyone will realize and is fine with it

A. What is their Character Profile?
15. Role: Arcane – wife of Jonathan, is thought to be killed, and is the killer
16. Traits: witty, intelligent, caring
17. Fears: losing her beauty and place in her circle
18. Wants/Needs: to be in control
19. Likability / Rooting factors: kills off those who messed with her
20. How they react under stress: we don’t see her alive again until the end
21. Relationship with other characters: everyone loves her
B. What is their Character Journey for this story?
15. Character Intro: knows about her husband’s affair – Eliza sets her on fire leaving her for dead
16. Denial: we believe she is dead
17. Their reaction at first horror: helps another guest calm down
18. Relation to group after first horror: plots revenge = takes 3 years
19. How they fight back: gets everyone together
20. End Point: kills nearly everyone
21. What insight do their deaths or survival bring to the others/audience? She kills bad people, even though she is one of them.

[Sophia Lee]

Sophia’s Monster Reveal Track (#7, 2/10/25)

What I learned during this assignment – it’s continuing to build the story, layer by layer.

ARCANE

Was unable to watch The Thing, but did watch the new horror film Companion (which was good) while being aware of these guidelines.

A. who is my monster? Arcane. A beautiful wealthy philanthropist who is set on fire by her husband’s mistress, as they are all part of the same elite circle wherein they blackmail each other to have something on the other to build their collective empires.

Her limitations and weaknesses? She’s human. Her wit, imagination, deception and revenge can take her only so far.

Her plan is to make it seem like the mistress is the one killing everyone so she loses everything.

We don’t find out until the very end that it is really Arcane, who survived the burns and with surgery has been able to recreate her identity. But, the TWIST – a third person kills Arcane as she has to make sure everyone is killed off in order to be let into another more elite group.

[updated outline with the above]

[Sophia Lee]

Sophia’s Horror Situation Track (#5, 1/29/25)
What I learned doing this assignment is… of all the situations I used Chat to come up with, that actually inspired my own ideas as I got into going down my outline.
ARCANE
building horror situations into plot
BRAINSTORM 20 – 50 potential horror situations for ARCANE.
Using ChatGBT, I asked for 40 horror situations to fit my story (will elevate these, but wow, what an awesome time saver!)
Psychological Tension / Suspenseful Moments:
1. The Phone Call: The protagonist, now disfigured, calls one of the former friends but never speaks. The silence is deafening, with the call ending abruptly, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing.
2. Mirror Reflection: A character looks into an antique mirror, seeing a reflection of someone standing behind them. When they turn around, the room is empty.
3. The Secret Room: One of the guests stumbles into a hidden room filled with photographs of the philanthropist before the accident. Each photograph has an eerie red “X” drawn across it.
4. Whispers in the Walls: As the group gathers in a large, darkened room, faint whispers can be heard from behind the walls. When someone investigates, they find nothing.
5. The Strangling Clock: An ornate grandfather clock in the mansion chimes, but with each strike, one of the guests appears to have their throat tightened as if by an invisible force.
6. Ventriloquist’s Doll: A creepy doll left in one of the rooms appears to have a different expression every time someone enters. It seems to mimic the emotions of whoever is in the room.
7. The Gloved Hand: A mysterious hand (perhaps burned) is seen reaching out from a closet or under a table, brushing a character’s shoulder, only to disappear when they turn around.
8. The Victim’s Plea: One of the guests is caught on video pleading for their life from years ago, recorded before they were abandoned, with no memory of it.
9. Vanishing Rooms: Rooms in the mansion shift or disappear. A door that was there moments ago now leads to an entirely different part of the house.
10. Broken Candles: Candles in the mansion flicker strangely, casting long, distorted shadows that make it appear like something is crawling just outside the light.
11. The Locked Cabinet: A beautiful but odd wooden cabinet in the mansion refuses to open. It rattles and makes a high-pitched screeching sound when anyone tries to unlock it.
12. Blackmail Letters: As characters find letters revealing their secrets, the handwriting subtly changes, seeming more desperate and angry with each new note.
13. Twisted Reflections: One character sees their reflection, but it acts out of sync, smiling when they are scared or moving in ways they are not.
14. The Ticking of Time: The sound of a ticking clock gets louder and louder throughout the film, mirroring the increasing tension. It becomes unsettling, as if time itself is working against them.
15. Dinner Guest Gone Missing: One of the guests disappears right before dinner, but when they return, they act strangely and out of character, possibly as a doppelganger.
16. The Haunting Portrait: A painting of the philanthropist before her injury keeps changing, showing her becoming more disfigured with each passing moment.
17. Locked Eyes: During a quiet moment, one of the guests looks across the room and sees another person staring back at them. As the tension builds, the person starts smiling, but the eyes are vacant.
18. The Candlestick: A character picks up a heavy candlestick to defend themselves, but it turns out to be a mechanical trap meant to ensnare them.
19. Creepy Lullaby: A child’s lullaby plays softly from another room. When the character investigates, the source is untraceable.
20. Burned Reminders: A character touches a burned photograph, only for the image of the philanthropist to sear itself onto their fingers, leaving behind burned scars.
21. The Eerie Letter: A character receives a letter in their handwriting, detailing events that haven’t happened yet.
Shocking Moments / Violent Revelations:
22. The First Death: One of the friends, upon discovering an old piece of artwork, is unexpectedly killed. They are impaled on an antique sculpture, and no one sees the attacker.
23. Mirror Maze: In a hallway lined with mirrors, a character is trapped by their own reflection, struggling to escape as the mirrors seem to come alive, contorting their image.
24. The Smoke and Flame: A group enters a room that seems safe, but suddenly thick smoke fills the air, and a series of deadly flame bursts rise from the floor, burning a character alive.
25. Screaming Portrait: A character who mocks the philanthropist’s disfigurement is later confronted by a painting of her, which suddenly opens its mouth in a silent scream.
26. Inescapable Hallway: A character running for their life turns a corner, only to find the same hallway repeating itself endlessly.
27. The Poisonous Drink: At a lavish dinner, a character pours themselves a drink, but when they take a sip, they cough violently as their throat begins to burn, realizing too late they’ve been poisoned.
28. The Hall of Mirrors: One character tries to escape but ends up in a hall of mirrors where each reflection is distorted and slowly pulls them into the glass, trapping them.
29. Wicked Reflection: A guest looks at their reflection and sees themselves holding a weapon they didn’t pick up. It starts moving toward the real person, preparing to attack.
30. The Hanging Man: A guest stumbles into a room to find a grotesque mannequin hanging by a rope. They look closer and realize it’s a real person, their face frozen in a death rictus.
31. A Corpse in the Pool: A character dives into the mansion’s pool only to find a corpse bobbing just below the surface, with its face horribly burned.
32. Blinded by the Light: The philanthropist, now hiding her disfigurement under heavy makeup, suddenly turns on a powerful light, blinding her enemies as she strikes.
33. Mysterious Message: A strange message appears on the wall, written in blood—“I remember what you did”—which drives one character to hysteria.
34. The Mirror Shatter: A character, startled, breaks a mirror. As they try to clean it up, they find the pieces rearranged into a disturbing shape.
35. Dissected Letters: Blackmail letters are pieced together from cut-out magazine letters. A character attempts to piece them together, only to reveal an ominous prophecy.
36. The Reversed Reflection: A character is walking down a hallway and notices the reflection in the mirror walking behind them. But when they look at the reflection, it’s not their own.
37. The Glass Coffin: The philanthropist’s final act of revenge: she traps one of her enemies inside a transparent glass coffin, slowly filling it with smoke or gas until the person suffocates.
38. The Final Revelation: A character learns too late that the philanthropist has been dead for years, and it’s her vengeful spirit that’s been orchestrating the deaths from the start.
39. The Burned Photos: Someone stumbles upon a stack of burned photographs, but the images inside are still visible as ghostly, charred outlines—pictures of the group with cryptic symbols drawn on them.
40. The Unseen Presence: In the final confrontation, the philanthropist disappears into the shadows, but the sound of her breathing can be heard echoing from all directions, as if she’s everywhere and nowhere at once.

ACT 1 — SET UP FOR HORROR
• Atmosphere of Evil established
A ceremony takes place in a large white room.
— the only light in a large room is by candles that flicker
– A woman artist uses her hands to paint blood on the white wall. She writes out cryptic messages and obscure symbols. She is covered in blood.
– People surround her wearing long black cloaks and animal masks. Their hands drip in blood.
— In the center of a room, animal heads are in a pile. Suddenly the pile moves – under it a man arises covered in blood then after him a woman. Also covered in blood. It is clear they had sex.
— the artist uses a blade and cuts each of their hands, and uses their blood to write more on the wall
— A camera is hidden in an animal head recording everything

• Connect with the characters
Of the ten or so people there, it is clear one person does not want to be there. They are all dressed in white and wear masks. A woman comforts her that all will be well. It’s not.
— Before the ceremony is officially over, one of the cloaked, masked guests runs out to a bathroom. The lights are dim in the entire place. The bathroom is locked. Taking off her mask (against the rules) she runs to another room in the giant sized mansion – she finds a bathroom.
— She is followed by cameras which are all over the mansion. Someone mysteriously watches her as she breaks down and cries.
— someone comes up to the woman crying in the bathroom [a misdirect]
— the lady of the house – in a mask – comforts the guest. Reminds her to always wear her mask when in the house or around the grounds
• The characters are warned not to do it.
A woman calls out her husband’s infidelity while everyone is masked. The ceremony is interrupted and everyone is embarrassed. The ceremony, however, continues, and the husband is sacrificed to save the embarrassment of public infidelity.
As the lady of the house takes the woman back to the ceremony, they all stand waiting in silence. The woman takes her place. They finish the ritual. But the artist – also wearing an animal mask, takes her blade and kills the woman. No one says or does anything. Cameras take pictures of everything and everyone.
• Denial of Horror
As the guests leave the room still in cloaks and masks talk amongst themselves like nothing had happened.
– cameras follow them everywhere. The house is fully automated with opening and closing doors, etc. yet candles still burn everywhere.
– guests leave in black driverless cars. Even in the car the guests do not remove their masks.
Soon only 2 people are left in the house. Suddenly a small cannister of gasoline is taken out of a cloak and thrown onto the lady of the house (in her mask). She is set on fire, then pushed into a small room that automatically locks.
• Safety taken away
Someone witnesses what happens by watching the camera monitors.
The camera shows the room where the woman was burned erased from the footage as the entire mansion goes up in flames
The severed animal heads appear to be alive as they burn
• Monster: The nature of the beast.
As the mansion burns in the dark of the night, an unseen, mysterious figure crawls out of the ground a good distance away.

ACT 2 — THE POINT OF NO RETURN
• Isolated / Trapped / Abducted [NEED TO INTRODUCE CHARACTERS]
the same group of people are summoned with a cryptic invitation that they are obligated to go
– bring in the artist [is she the killer?] – have her doing an art performance. She’s big deal in the art world. Have her being watched by the same person who watched the mansion
– it’s discovered the lady of the house was killed, which is a bigger deal than the woman in the bathroom who was killed and nothing said about it
– reveal blackmail letters [by whom?]
– we see the mask the artist was wearing. We see her without it. She has a piece of digital art work on her wall that has an image of a socialist whom she uses ai to distort the face to reveal what she would look like burned. Someone mysteriously buys the piece of art for ten million.
– the artist goes to an isolated mansion with an iron gate. She has the code to get in.
– later several other guests arrive, in driverless cars
– a fire breaks out on the way to the mansion, destroying the road. Only 6 guests in cloaks and masks have arrived when the road is taken out. Ten were expected. Four are reported missing.
– the artist informs every one that it is an informal meeting, and because of the fire tragedy it’s okay to not wear masks
• One of us killed
The enormous secluded house, lit with only candles, is booby-trapped. Because of the fire, they are also trapped.
– cameras are on them. They all know they are being blackmailed
– one guest inquires about the death of Arcane (the lady of the house). The artist sends the guest on an errand. The guest come across an old grandfather clock that is stuck on the wrong time. When he tries to fix it, he realizes the clock opens to a secret room. He goes in. there is brutally killed. No one hears him.
MIDPOINT: The monster is worse than we thought!
• Full pursuit by the killer
Hours later – the second kill. On the hunt for the first murdered person. A woman suggests that Arcane was murdered and they were all brought there for punishment. The artist says nothing is done without the mask, therefore everyone is safe
– they are all watched by the same mysterious person who releases a poison into a room the woman goes into. She is pushed into a bathtub and set on fire. As she begins to die, she sees the figure of her killer. Her screams reveal a killer is on the loose.
• Terrorized
The third one is brutally killed in a ritual room, lead there by the artist [IS IT INTENTIONAL OR COINCIDENCE? IS THE ARTIST A MISDIRECT?]
The other two decide to escape down the tunnels. The only way out. Only the tunnels are set on fire.
The artist sees every opportunity as a way to make art. She collects the dead person’s blood for her paint.
ACT 3 — FULL OUT HORROR
• Fight to the death
The friend has a chance to save the life of the mistress, but doesn’t. She is just like the rest of them. [not sure who is who yet, but the artist needs to be one of these two]
• Hysteria
Dead bodies [in addition to the newly arrived guests] are throughout the house from all the horrible rituals that have taken place.
Found by the artist [not appalled] and the remaining two people still alive
– they find the blackmail room. The artist quickly destroys what she finds about herself. They find the monitors that have been watching them.
– one falls into a trap door on the floor that was opened and concealed by a rug. She is caught on a hook that pierces her through her throat. They are unable to save her
• The thrilling escape from death
The artist and the other are locked in the room and cannot get out, except to climb over the dead person hanging on the hook. The artist uses her phone to take pictures. The other shames her for doing so. They get over the dead body, and find themselves going in different directions to get out. The artist has her container with blood, and blackmail evidence [how should that be? A thumb drive? A laptop? Digital or paper? Video?]
• Death returns to take one or more.
Arcane meets the one who went in the opposite direction. Arcane is severally disfigured. The person tries to kill Arcane. friend meets the killer – her friend whom she thought was dead. But the mistress is still alive. She didn’t die. [the story comes out of why Arcane was set on fire]
• Resolution
The mistress kills the wife once and for all. The ARTIST, wanting to avenge her friend, kills the mistress.
The artist holds all the power of all the blackmail evidence on everyone. She burns it all. Except for one piece that remains.
Using AI, the artist does a live art performance where she appears to be burnt alive. On large screens everyone sees her distorted and horribly burned, much like how Arcane looked. But at the end, she emerges, looking just like the beautiful Arcane. [so audience questions, was the artist really Arcane or was smoke & mirrors used? Or ….]

[Sophia Lee]

Sophia’s Horror Plot (#4, 1/27/25)

What I learned doing this assignment is… knowing who the characters are, and the circumstances, I decided to just go with it without really thinking about it. The blackmail evidence popped up as I was just going. Imagery of kills came up that I tried not to think about as I know that will come later. But I’m thinking this will be a rather contained story, which is always good.

ARCANE
Create your plot.

1. Knowing your concept, fill in one or two sentences for each of the plot points.
ACT 1 — SET UP FOR HORROR
• Atmosphere of Evil established
A ceremony takes place in a large mansion. We can’t tell if it’s Halloween or not. SUPER Creepy.

• Connect with the characters
Of the ten or so people there, it is clear one person does not want to be there. They are all dressed in white and wear masks. A woman comforts her that all will be well. It’s not.

• The characters are warned not to do it.
A woman calls out her husband’s infidelity while everyone is masked. The ceremony is interrupted and everyone is embarrassed. The ceremony, however, continues, and the husband is sacrificed to save the embarrassment of public infidelity.

• Denial of Horror
The wife, still in disguise, doesn’t realize what she has done. The woman whom she comforted earlier helps the wife escape.

• Safety taken away
When the wife is by herself, mourning the loss of her husband, his mistress sets the wife on fire, destroying her and her home.

• Monster: The nature of the beast.
Four others who participated in the ceremony are also set on fire and are mysteriously killed. The mansion where the ceremony took place burns to the ground.

ACT 2 — THE POINT OF NO RETURN
• Isolated / Trapped / Abducted
The remaining group of people (6 or 7?) go their separate ways. Five years later they are summoned for a ritual. No one understands for what or why, but they are obligated to go.

• One of us killed
The enormous secluded house is booby-trapped. They are also trapped. Snow storm? The others believe the first kill was an accident. But the first victim witnessed the killer and died in terror.

MIDPOINT: The monster is worse than we thought!

• Full pursuit by the killer
Hours later – the second kill. Burnt to death in a bathtub. Gets the attention of others. They now know a killer is on the loose.

• Terrorized
The third one is brutally killed in a ritual room. The other two (the mistress and the woman who was the wife’s friend) decide to escape down the tunnels. The only way out. Only the tunnels are set on fire.

ACT 3 — FULL OUT HORROR
• Fight to the death
The friend has a chance to save the life of the mistress, but doesn’t. She is just like the rest of them.

• Hysteria
Dead bodies are throughout the house from all the horrible rituals that have taken place.

• The thrilling escape from death
The friend finds all the blackmail evidence in a secret room as she tries to escape. But then she is locked in the room and cannot get out.

• Death returns to take one or more.
The friend meets the killer – her friend whom she thought was dead. But the mistress is still alive. She didn’t die.

• Resolution
The mistress kills the wife once and for all. The friend, wanting to avenge her friend, kills the mistress.

She holds all the power of all the blackmail evidence and finds stuff on the wife, mistress, etc.

She burns it all.
Except one piece that remains.

[Sophia Lee]

Sophia’s characters for horror

What I learned during this assignment — write down the first thoughts that come to mind knowing it can all be changed later, and let things build.

1. Concept – an elite group of philanthropists meet at an abandoned mansion under mysterious circumstances and one by one are killed off (just realized this sounds a lot like Clue)

2. since the mansion was used to blackmail other elites (think Epstein’s island/P. Diddy), every room is booby-trapped. As each person is uniquely killed off, they face their killer (which the audience won’t see until the very end). There is only one survivor.

3. Names for my characters have not been set yet – but an idea for each:
Eliza – out of control – the mistress who purposely sets her lover’s wife on fire thinking she killed her so she can take her place
Jonathan – the complainer – the uptight, wealthy husband whom Eliza controls with sex, so doesn’t know Eliza “killed” his wife. He complains about everything. He is the first to die.
Michelle – leader – she runs the group – raising funds for various charities. She was besties with Arcane, she also runs the blackmail ring which Arcane was in on as well
Barry – owned by Michelle. does whatever he is told. but likes to believe he is in charge
Frank – strong moral compass – doesn’t believe anyone is actually blackmailed, even though he is being blackmailed himself. Believes by going to the mansion, he can set everything straight
George – always loved Arcane, and wants to know why she disappeared from the scene. blames Jonathan for her missing. He lusts after Eliza, even though she detests him.
Alexandra – transitioned from Alexander. Her secret that only Eliza knew about. Did horrible things to be in a position of power. Wants to keep her secrets secret.

[Sophia Lee]

Howdy All!
I’ve been a student of Hal’s and Cheryl’s since 2015. Where does the time go? In the last 2 years I have written 15 scripts with a producer. Two of which have been produced (and fingers crossed will be released this year — it’s amazing how the whole postproduction is such an endeavor in and of itself). I have worked with two other producers on paid jobs that never made it to the screen for various reasons. I’ve realized it’s a lifelong commitment. For me anyway.
Always be writing. Always be learning. 🙂
Looking forward to our journey together!
SOPHIA LOUISA LEE

[Sophia Lee]

Subject line: Heretic – Horror Conventions
Lesson 1 – Horror (1/21/25)

What I learned from this assignment – truth can be scary as hell. Breaking it down though and seeing the elements one at a time makes it seem less scary to write.

Title / Concept: Heretic – two Mormon girl missionaries are coerced to go into a man’s home hoping to convert him, when he promises to show them what the real religion is.
Terrorize The Characters: Yes.
Isolation: yes.
Death: yes.
Monster/Villain: The villain is the monster who poses to be the good guy.
High Tension: yes.
Departure from Reality: yes.
Moral Statement: Blind faith and fanaticism can lead to death – or dangerous consequences

3. Anything else you’d like to say about what made this movie a great horror film?
Having just finished co-writing a memoir about a woman who left the Mormon church, I was fascinated to see the truths this film captured about the religion. The unpredictability of where the psychopath was leading the two young women was fascinating. Everything was questioned, which had the girls doubting themselves, and instead of standing together were divided, which added to the tension of the movie. With all the jump scares, the symbolism used, and the use of weather and timing all added to the “horror” as well as finding yourself asking what truth is, made it all the more terrifying.

4. With your concept, fill in each of these Conventions for your story.

Concept: A severely burnt woman transforms into a vengeful, monstrous figure following betrayal and tragedy, executing revenge upon her elite circle
Terrorize The Characters: yes – unknowing to the audience who the killer is, an elite circle of 7 die off one by one in horrific ways
Isolation: a secluded, mysterious mansion once used for secret meetings by this elite group of “friends”
Death: all of them except for 1
Monster/Villain: the burnt woman who exacts her revenge – but we don’t know that until the end
High Tension: yes – lots of misdirects too
Departure from Reality: once in the mansion, no one has a sense of time
Moral Statement: like Heretic, it would be the dehumanizing effects of unchecked power – or it could also be the consequences of betrayal (hell hath no fury like a woman scorned – only the audience won’t know until the end that it is a woman committing the atrocious murders). Also, the cycle of destruction – the woman was wronged before she was burned, and continues to do wrong in the name of vengeance. But things were wrong even before she was killed as in the secluded mansion, a lot of things were done for blackmail, etc. to gain power.

[Sophia Lee]

Sophia’s Terrifying Monster

“What I learned doing this assignment is…?” and put it at the top of your work. These are elements I had never considered before, even though they have come naturally in the story process. Consciously being aware of them helps add more layers to the story.

Arcane

1. Tell us what or who your monster is. A once beautiful elite philanthropist who transforms into a hideous beast after she survives being set on fire.
2. Give us a few sentences for each of the following for your monster:
• Their Terror: She seeks revenge on those who did her wrong using unpredictable ways to entrap them and kill them off
• Their Mystery: her victims don’t know why they are being killed off, and have no idea who is doing it – they are lead to believe it is something else doing it without suspecting the real killer
• Their Fear Provoking Appearance: unpredictable movements in the shadows – the killer is not seen until the very end
• Their Rules: the victims see the killer just before they die to know justice has been served
• Their Mythology: Arcane lived by the motto that everyone dies – but how is the mystery. Before she was set on fire, she was a bitch from hell, making everyone’s lives miserable who did not see things her way. Yet, it was her life’s circumstances that made her that way, and after she was so badly burned and deformed she realized everyone in her circle was like that. They were all evil, and by surviving her horrific ordeal, she made it a point to help keep the mystery as she helps each one on their painful journey to death.

[Sophia Lee]

AGREE, in which case, you Reply to this topic and include three things at the top of the page:
1. Sophia Louisa Lee
2. I agree to the terms of this release form.
3. Please leave the entire text below to confirm what you agree to.
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.

[Sophia Lee]

Subject line: Heretic – Horror Conventions (place in first line)
Lesson 1 – Horror (1/21/25)
What I learned from this assignment – truth can be scary as hell. Breaking it down though and seeing the elements one at a time makes it seem less scary to write.

Title / Concept: Heretic – two Mormon girl missionaries are coerced to go into a man’s home hoping to convert him, when he promises to show them what the real religion is.
Terrorize The Characters: Yes.
Isolation: yes.
Death: yes.
Monster/Villain: The villain is the monster who poses to be the good guy.
High Tension: yes.
Departure from Reality: yes.
Moral Statement: Blind faith and fanaticism can lead to death – or dangerous consequences

3. Anything else you’d like to say about what made this movie a great horror film?
Having just finished co-writing a memoir about a woman who left the Mormon church, I was fascinated to see the truths this film captured about the religion. The unpredictability of where the psychopath was leading the two young women was fascinating. Everything was questioned, which had the girls doubting themselves, and instead of standing together were divided, which added to the tension of the movie. With all the jump scares, the symbolism used, and the use of weather and timing all added to the “horror” as well as finding yourself asking what truth is, made it all the more terrifying.

4. With your concept, fill in each of these Conventions for your story.

Concept: A severely burnt woman transforms into a vengeful, monstrous figure following betrayal and tragedy, executing revenge upon her elite circle
Terrorize The Characters: yes – unknowing to the audience who the killer is, an elite circle of 7 die off one by one in horrific ways
Isolation: a secluded, mysterious mansion once used for secret meetings by this elite group of “friends”
Death: all of them except for 1
Monster/Villain: the burnt woman who exacts her revenge – but we don’t know that until the end
High Tension: yes – lots of misdirects too
Departure from Reality: once in the mansion, no one has a sense of time
Moral Statement: like Heretic, it would be the dehumanizing effects of unchecked power – or it could also be the consequences of betrayal (hell hath no fury like a woman scorned – only the audience won’t know until the end that it is a woman committing the atrocious murders). Also, the cycle of destruction – the woman was wronged before she was burned, and continues to do wrong in the name of vengeance. But things were wrong even before she was killed as in the secluded mansion, a lot of things were done for blackmail, etc. to gain power.

[Sophia Lee]

Greetings everyone! Not sure if there is a separate section for 2025 or not, but going for it regardless.
I’m Sophia Louisa Lee, a screenwriter/actress/producer living in Los Angeles. I started with Hal and Cheryl’s courses in 2015, and have been hired by producers to co-write scripts, which has been an exciting process.

2. How many scripts you’ve written? 15 with a producer, 10 of my own

3. What you hope to get out of the class? accountability

4. Something unique, special, strange or unusual about you? I work in a law firm (day job). Have a special needs adult daughter who is awesome. During the blip the world had, I wrote, directed, produced and editing 3 short films that won awards in film festivals. I have a podcast. And co-wrote a woman’s memoir that is currently with the publisher that I plan on writing a series for. Just gotta keep going.

Looking forward to working with you all!

[Sophia Lee]

I agree to the terms of this release form. – Sophia Louisa Lee