Suzannebaird9@gmail.com Lowe
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Suzanne Baird – Beat Sheet Draft 2
Lesson 8 – Add Theme and Antognists journey
What have I learned from the assignment? The theme is key, and it needs to be consistent throughout the script. The Antagonist needs a fleshed-out journey as much as the protagonist.
2. Use the High-Speed Writing Rules as you do today’s assignment.
Rule 1: Understand writing in drafts.
Rule 2: Choose speed over quality for EARLY drafts.
Rule 3: Allow yourself to start (and continue) without all the answers.
Rule 4: Use empowering self talk. Cheer yourself on.
Rule 5: Give yourself freedom to write without criticism.
Rule 6: Keep moving. Don’t allow yourself to ever stall out.
Rule 7: if it doesn’t come to you, give it to your creative mind to process.
3. Do Pass 1: Interweave the theme throughout the beat sheet.
The theme shows up in three stages:
OPENING: As Daria cleans one of the suites, she finds a Cartier Watch. Next, we see her delivering it to her supervisor and the guest that has checked out.
MIDDLE: Daria chooses not to use the secret against Monroe, knowing it will only decrease confidence in the greater cause.
END. Daria confronts Monroe demonstrating how to be empowered and how it helps the greater good.
4. Do Pass 2: Build in the Antagonist Journey. Monroe
Monroe treats his staff as servants but his donors as best friends.
Monroe meets Daria, and as she attempts to connect as a constituent, he dismisses her as insignificant.
Monroe meets a young woman, and they disappear into a luxury condo
Monroe is with his family taking pictures for his campaign with his adoring wife and obedient children. Monroe and his wife seem happy and devoted
The woman with Monroe is a single mother.
Monroe attends a fundraiser for a family value crowd and receives dark money.
Monroe ignores all requests to address campaign finance reform.
Daria and Monroe confront the issue of dark money and campaign finance in public with an audience. Monroe appears victorious
Monroe is busted for laundering money from the campaign, and its revealed he has a second family.
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Lesson 7- Beat Sheet and High-Speed Writing
WHAT DID I GET OUT OF THIS ASSIGNMENT? I understand there is another way to approach script writing. I also see that this can create a much clearer approach to refinement without the painful criticism, judgment, and self-doubt that stops me in my tracks.
Act 1
INT. HOTEL KITCHEN – EARLY MORNING
Opening: We travel through the bowels of a luxury hotel, passing workers and departments that keep the hotel running. As we come through a hotel room, we see a maid changing the sheets in a suite.
EXT. DARI’S FRONT DOOR – MIDNIGHT
Cops at her door tell her husband has been shot in a drive-by. Her mother comforts her.
Daria’s husband is shot
EXT. SCHOOL FIELD – DAY TIME
Her son dies unexpectedly
INT. MONROES HOTEL SUITE – EVENING
She meets Senator or Congressman Monroe
<b style=”background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Act 2
PLACE HOLDER
Stephane sees something strong and charismatic in Daria. She sees the buried leader within.
Daria Meets Stephanie
INT. DARI’S LIVINGROOM – EVENING
Daris starts to study
Act 3
INT. COFFEESHOP – MORNING
Stephanie introduces Daria to a lobbyist and follow activist.
Daria decides to run against Monroe
Act 4
INT. DARIA’S KITCHEN – AFTERNOON
Daria receives a phone call from a young man telling her that Monroe is hiding something. That if she goes to an address, she will discover his secret.
Daria discovers Monroe’s secret.
She realizes that dark money has flowed into her campaign
EXT. STEPS OF THE STATE CAPITOL – MORNING
Minutes before Daria steps on stage, she is told by her campaign manager that there has big a massive inflow of Dark Money into her campaign.
She must choose between winning and revealing the truth about the money and Monroe.
EXT.CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS – LATE NIGHT
The last scene is election night, with the final results coming in. We hear the cheers as the number goes up for Daria, the screen goes black before the final result.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by Suzannebaird9@gmail.com Lowe.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by Suzannebaird9@gmail.com Lowe.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by
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Suzane Baird – Lesson 6 Transformational Events
What have I learned from this assignment? Some of the transformational events are in the acts, and some are not. I tend to be long on thought, and it paints me into a corner. I’m constantly questioning if I’m doing this in a way that will work as a strong story.
2. Start with the Character Arc and the list of Old Ways and New Ways.
Old ways:
Passive
Surviving
lost
Fearful
New Ways:
Empowered
Educated
Brave
Knows her purpose
3. Make a list of 6 – 8 changes or steps that need to happen for that character to go from who they are in the beginning (Old Ways) to who they are in the ending (New Ways).
A stray bullet kills Daria’s husband.
Daria’s son dies because she can’t afford to keep him in the hospital
While cleaning his room, Daria meets Senator Monroe.
Daria see’s no reason to live and drives for days. A protest blocks her. She drives to a bridge and considers ending her life. Remembers the faces in the march.
She comes home and discovers dozens of campaign mailers filled with lies and half-truths. She turns on her computer and TV and it’s more of the same. She sees the game of it all. She realizes she has let go of her power. Daria becomes angry. Her cause is born.
Daria meets Stephanie. Stephanie becomes her teacher.
Daria decides to run against Monroe.
The movie ends on election night, right before the result is given. Fades out to cheering crowds.
4. Sequence the steps from easiest to most difficult. This will imply the journey the character takes.
She starts to heal from grief.
She realizes that her life needs new meaning.
She regains her strength through work, exercise, reading
She starts to ask questions and speak to the powerful/ Monroe
Protests
People see something in her, and she steps into public speaking
She discovers Monroe’s secret
She runs for office and challenges Monroe
5. Brainstorm dramatic events or tests that could cause those changes for the character.
The death of her husband
The death of her son
When she meets Monroe, she says she voted for him, and he blows her off.
The protesters surround Daria. We see their signs and faces that are fighting to be heard.
When Stephanie sees who she is, not who she was, but a fighter.
6. Add these transformational events to your four-act structure.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by Suzannebaird9@gmail.com Lowe.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by
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Suzanne Baird – Lesson 5: 4-Act Transformational Structure
What did I learn for this exercise? I think the Stephanie character could turn against Daria, while in the fight. Daria might feel more alone but has learned enough to challenge Monroe. I need to do more research on the system and flow of Dark Money.
1. Give us the following:
Concept – After the death of her husband and later young son, Daria discovers a common thread between the events. Both could have been avoided through laws and government. At the root is Dark Money in the system. Daria battles Senator Monore to reveal the depth of destruction the system perpetuates.
Main Conflict – Sentaor Monore and his colleagues benefit and see no reason to change the system. Daria gains media attention and becomes the face of campaign reform and the defeat of Citizens United.
Old Ways – Powerless, self-doubt
works in a Luxury Hotel
Dedicated single mother
New Ways – empowered, a fighter for others against Monroe
A student of Citizens United v. FEC
Determined to fix campaign finance and restore honest voting
2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.
Act 1:
Opening – Daria is introduced as she works in the hotel, and we see her daily routine—Sans husband but with her young son.
Inciting Incident – Her son suddenly dies because due to a nuance of health care policy and lack of insurance.
Turning Point – When a connection is made between unlimited spending, lobbyist, and healthcare policies, Daria sets her sites on the poster child of CU in her state.
Act 2:
New plan- gather allies and information for the fight
Plan in action – Stephanie from the hotel, creates a powerful network for Daria
Midpoint Turning Point – They confront Monroe, and he threatens them both. That’s when they discover his secret. Daria realizes the game has changed for her.
Act 3:
Rethink everything – Daria is conflicted in using the new information
New plan she goes to Monroe with what she has learned and promises not to tell his family if he starts working for Campaign fin. reform
Turning Point: Huge failure / Major shift – Monroe can’t turn from those who put him in power. So he loses his family or his career. Daria discovers nothing is as it seems.
Act 4:
Climax/Ultimate expression of the conflict – Daria runs for Monroes seat on the promise to clean up his office. She gets money thrown at her campaign that she isn’t aware of and has to decide how to handle it
Resolution – She exposes the process, how it works and whos responsible so that the public understands why it’s all-important. We end with not knowing if she succeeds.
3. Once you have created the 4-Act Structure for your Protagonist, go back over it to see if there is any big-picture points you need to add to represent your Antagonist.
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Suzanne Baird – Character Interviews
What did I learn? It took me some time to answer all these questions. I realize that in the past, my characters felt superficial because, well, they were, and I’m eager to discover something more interesting about them. I want to dig into their behaviors more, and maybe that will help reveal them more fully. I’m not sure how to change the profile. Might need some help with that. I feel it is pretty close to the original profile.
QUESTIONS FOR YOUR PROTAGONIST – Daria
Tell me about yourself. I grew up not far from here. I met my husband in Highschool. We were in love! And I got pregnant. When we had Tre, we were just getting by. Mike had a job delivering for a furniture company. A good company, so we got health insurance. My plan was to finish school, and I did. I went to Junior College, and my mom would help out with Tre. He was so beautiful. The prettiest baby you’d ever want to see.
Why do you think you were called to this journey? Why you? One night when mom was watching Tre, and I was at school, a bunch of cops came to our door. A stray bullet shot Michael. It was insane. He was returning the truck to the yard and walking back to his car to come home. He was coming home. The cops said a car sped past him trying to shoot some guy that was on the sidewalk, and Michael got in the middle. The cops said they just sprayed the sidewalk with bullets. There were marks all over the wall. Michael didn’t have a chance.
Tre was 3 when his dad died. I almost had my degree when I had to find a job. It as about four years ago, Tre was playing with his friends, football. They were all going to the NFL. He got hit by a big kid. Knocked out. We took him to the emergency room. He seemed fine. The doctor saw him, checked his eyes, told me not to let him go to sleep, and he’d be fine. We didn’t have insurance yet, so the best thing was to bring him home. I stayed with him all night. In the morning, he was sick, and we went back to the emergency room. We waited and waited. He passed out in the emergency room. By the time he was in the hospital, something had happened to his brain. A blood clot had burst. He never woke up after that.
The Universe, god, something was telling me to do something with my life! I was angry, and I was sad, and the 2 most important people were now gone. I was frustrated. After I got done with the “why me’s” and got no answer there, I decided to figure out if it happened to me, then it’s happened to others with healthcare, gun laws all the things we vote for. That was when I met Stephanie at the hotel.
You are up against <the Antagonist>. What is it about them that makes this journey even more difficult for you? Senator Monroe is supposed to speak for us. But it only takes a small about of digging to discover; he’s not voting for our good; he’s voting for his. He’s been there for 3, or 4 terms, and now he owes people and Citizens United just allows more and more money to be shoveled his way so he’s reelected regardless of him doing what he should—corporations as people; that’s Bullshit!
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? The hardest will be telling my story in public. Speaking in public. I am insecure, I guess. I’m not a social media person, but I know how people get tracked and intimidated. That will be hard.
But this is my new vocation. I am not going to be the victim here. This is the one thing I can do that will let their deaths not be in vain. I’m tired of just thinking of my pain. It’s time to help others, so I’ll take my weird personality and anger and not rest til we figure this out!
What habits or ways of thinking do you think will be the most difficult to let go of? It goes against my grain to be loud or public. I’m a pleaser. That shit’s gotta go!
What fears, insecurities and wounds have held you back? The deaths of Tre and Michale fuel me. I never thought I was very smart. After I talked with Stephanie at the hotel and we got to know each other, I can hold my own. I read a lot, and I remember most of it. Now I just need to apply it. I might look stupid, but no one else is making a difference. Why not me?
What skills, background, or expertise makes you well-suited to face this conflict or antagonist? Nothing really. I know how to work til I drop, and I can learn and I care about this.
What are you hiding from the other characters? What don’t you want them to know? I’m always a bit embarrassed about being poor, not going to college. General insecurities. It’s like a vein you can press on. It’s where I feel vulnerable.
What do you think of <the Antagonist>? I was hoping he’d work for us. Be a good guy, but it’s clear he’s a sell-out. I’m glad I figured it out before it was too late.
Tell me your side of this whole conflict/story. My side? Why aren’t we doing more as a society? Why isn’t doing the right this the first choice? I’m trying to shed light on a government with a slanted view of the value of elections. I thought after the Trump stuff, we’d all wake up, but it’s weird that it’s still going on. Our rights are being taken. It’s like abortion 61% of Americans say it should be legal, but the courts say otherwise. Why is that? It starts on a local level. The public is being misled and lied to through these 501C3s.
What does it do for your life if you succeed here? On some level, it’s penance. How could I let my son die? How is it that my husband was taken away? Laws are made to protect the fabric of society. I’m not sure what success looks like. Maybe it’s getting campaign finance reform in all 50 states?
Ask any other questions about their character profile that will help you. Tell me what you do when you need strength. When I’m stressed, I eat Gummie Bears, then I feel guilty, and I run. 7, sometimes 10 miles, even after working all day. That movement works for me.
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Suzanne Baird – Character profile PART 2
What I learned doing this assignment is… I need to spend more time thinking about who they are. I found the exercise helpful for sure but I might benefit from conversation or other feedback.
Daria
What draws us to this character? Daria is a quiet underdog. We see ourselves in her as a hardworking, dedicated woman trying to protect her child. When she fails at this, she transforms her anger and grief into an even greater cause, fighting the power structure committed to silencing her vote and, therefore, her voice.
Traits: focused, disciplined, strong, intelligent, quiet,
Subtext: Daria apologizes when she doesn’t understand something. She eats Haribo gummies when she feels stressed. She knows she’s not easy to like at first.
Flaw: stubborn, unedited, quiet, a little odd personality-wise.
Values: Justice, honesty, accountability, you get a second chance but not a third.
Irony: Daria assumed people would do the “right thing.” When she meets her villain, Senator Monroe, she tries to fight fair but soon realizes she has to resort to other means. Unknown to her, she becomes the recipient of Dark Money that she used for her first local campaign, and she is now faced with the problem: Do I hide it?
What makes this the right character for this role? She is odd enough to be sympathetic. She is a worker that has to be focused to survive. She comes from the idea that we live in a meritocracy and discovers as we discover that we don’t.
Senator Monroe
What draws us to this character? He is the politician we want to believe in. Charming, attractive, and likable, his wrap is that he gets things done for his constituents, but really he’s just a fundraising machine that will outspend any opponent and cross any line to keep his world spinning.
Traits: educated, manipulative, selfish, wealthy
Subtext: He knows only charm with manipulation for his own gain.
Flaw: narcissist, insecure, easy liar
Values: Money, power, status,
Irony: As he fights for all of his values, he says he’s fighting for “you.” He fills whatever void you are missing. In Daria’s case, a husband, a father, a boy. And plays to that emotional weakness. All for his personal gain. But he thinks he is being kind and good. Sympathetic even.
What makes this the right character for this role? He is the direct opposite of Daria. Politics is his path to power. It’s where he doesn’t have to deal with the real world because he has built such insulation—the opposite of Daria’s existence.
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“What I learned doing this assignment is…? This exercise helped separate the main characters and look at how their worlds will be built and visually different. Also, it clarifies the motivation of the main characters and what they need along the way to help tell the story.
2. Pick the type of role your Protagonist will play and give us a few sentences on how they will fulfill that role.
Fighter – Daria is fueled by anger and grief as she takes on politicians and PACs.
3. Pick the type of role your Antagonist will play and give us a few sentences on how they will fulfill that role.
Villain – Senator of her state. Male incumbent for decades. ( MM from Kentucky type)
4. What other characters might be necessary?
Supporting characters: son, journalist, best friend, mother
Minor roles: co-worker, lawyer, secret supporter, lobbyist, constitutes
Background characters: Mixed types of extras to demonstrate the character’s change.
5. Genre.
Thriller – Political thriller
6. Lead character profiles.
Hero – Daria
Role in the story: mother, widow. Works at a large Hotel. Not sure about her job yet. Discovers that her child didn’t receive the care needed because of a local bill that should have passed, but dark money caused its defeat. It looked fishy, so she went deeper and started her journey.
Age range and Description: Early 30s. Attractive, physically strong from hard work, and knows what endurance is. Focused and disciplined almost militarily.
Internal Journey: From sitting on the sidelines and letting life happen to her to standing up for herself and others in the face of a Goliath.
External Journey: From working in the bowels of an expensive hotel, head down, she rises to protests as an activist and leader. Head up, voice raised.
Motivation: To be heard, counted, and to take the vote back to the people.
Wound: The loss of her husband by a random bullet when she was pregnant, and the loss of her son through the delinquent health care he needed are linked to politics and local government.
Mission/Agenda: To defeat Citizens United on a local level and stop the flow of money that doesn’t represent the voters.
Secret: She can’t forgive herself for failing her son.
What makes them special? She won’t give up. She is a voracious reader and remembers most of what she reads.
Villain – The senator
Role in the story: A career political, now senator, whose only skill is fundraising and saying the “right” thing to the “right” people with charm
Age range and Description: late 60s, attractive, focused, lawyer, ex-blue blood. Married and headed towards divorce.
Internal Journey: He’s confident and self-assured but soon is battling to hold on to the image he has carefully built.
External Journey: He starts in the cushioned life of a 3 -4 term senator knowing all the lobbyists and big funders. However, by the end of his journey, he is politically and personally defeated.
Motivation: To hold on to a senate seat and lifestyle that was bought and paid for by Dark Money
Wound: Looking for his father’s approval.
Mission/Agenda: Uphold Citizens United and the business of government and endless money for elections uninterrupted.
Secret: he has a pregnant mistress that is not yet 18. Time bomb!
What makes them special? His charm and legacy are his superpowers. He is also closely connected to the most powerful in money and politics.
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Suzanne Baird
I’ve written three scripts and started about two more.
I hope to become more disciplined about scriptwriting and learn some valuable information from Screenwriting U. I love writing and directing the work I write.
Something unique… not much for personal disclosure, I actually have difficulting writing about myself. Its easier for me to write in fiction and I’ll be threaded through that in some way.
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Suzanne Baird Transformational Journey
Lesson 1
What have I learned from this assignment? I learned that my Hero has a deeper inner life that I can draw stronger emotions from. It has helped me be more specific in how she starts and how she will change through her journey.
Who is the hero, and what is their character arc?
Daria is a single mother, widowed, raising a sick child. When her son dies, she realizes that certain laws in her state could have saved her son. As she discovers the dark money that has infiltrated her local government elections, she vows to enter local politics and change the laws for Citizens United.
Internal journey:
From victim, quiet, obedient, and a rule follower to empowered, educated, activist, and leader.
External journey:
After a “head down ” existence, she realizes that she is the agent of change needed for this fight. Daria engages her bi-partisan fellow workers and neighbors to call out a system of money politics that no longer represents the voters and breaks Citizens United.
What are the old ways?
1. Self-doubt
2. Fearful
3. Powerless
4. Victim mentality
New Ways
1. Confident
2. Empowered
3. Fearless
4. She is an Agent of change
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Suzanne Baird
I’ve written 3 scripts
I hope to learn a more effective way to write and finish scripts.
My mom died in November and I really miss her.
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