Theone Masoner
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Theone – First Three Decisions
1. What is your profound truth?
It’s never to late to follow your heart?
2. What is the change your movie will cause with an audience?
We can feel peace in the most painful experiences.
3. What is your Entertainment Vehicle that you will tell this story through?
Special Event
What I learned:
I like separating the character arc from what I want the audience to learn. There’s a freedom but also a framework that helps focus the story on different levels.
Also, the Profound Truth I chose in this first pass can actually apply to multiple characters which added another interesting layer.
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Theone here. I’m from the States but living in Canada now. Worked 7 years on the same show as a director. Now looking to make the transition to scripted content. Wrote/directed an award winning short a few years back.
I’ve written about 4 scripts but only completed one. I’m excellent at completing projects for other people but struggle to finish my own.
I recently completed a first draft of a new script, looking to apply the principles from the class to do the next draft so the timing of this class couldn’t be more perfect!
I’m obsessed with death – from the spiritual, physical, emotional, otherworldly and real world aspects of this process. I am an expert skier moving in 2 weeks to a mountain town 4 mins from the base of world class skiing. I have been known to be a ham as a performer but prefer to be behind the camera. I wear the same five or so outfits because I hate shopping. I find god in nature, in the shimmering of light and the gentle sound of rushing water.
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What I learned doing this assignment is:
What a joy and interesting process it can be to slowly dissect a story and break it into smaller, manageable pieces.
How even minor characters can have a moment that impacts the transformation of the main character or mirror their transformation and move the story forward.
What is the CHANGE this movie is about? What is the Transformational Journey of this movie?
From living a selfish, narcissistic, cynical life to a selfless, authentic person where a true appreciation for the beauty of life and love is possible.
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</div>Lead characters:
Who is the Change Agent (the one causing the change) and what makes this the right character to cause the change?
Rita. She is the anthesis of everything Phil is not. She’s hopeful, optimistic and sees beauty in the world and the people in it.
Who is the Transformable Character (the one who makes the change) and what makes them the right character to deliver this profound journey?
Phil, the weather man, starts out bitter, cynical, thinks he’s better than anyone else. Snotty, demanding, rude, sarcastic, believes he’s a celebrity who deserves special treatment and nobody can do anything right. He appears to have no redeeming characteristics. He has a long way to go to become someone capable of love and happiness.
What is the Oppression?
Groundhog Day – it’s the same day over and over again which Phil can’t escape
How are we lured into the profound journey? What causes us to connect with this story?
When Phil wakes up and it’s Groundhog day again and again, we’re intrigued to see how Phil reacts to being trapped in this reality. We also wonder how we would react and what we would do and how we would grow with this ‘free time.’
Relatability
Phil is confused and frustrated. He sees the same people, saying the same things over and over again. He doesn’t know what’s going on and neither do we.
We can see what he needs to do to be free before he can.
Rita tries to understand him but his behavior is so bizarre she doesn’t know what to do.
When Phil decides he has a free pass to do whatever he wants, we also sense freedom in that. What would that be like to live a life with no consequences?
What would it be like to die over and over again and know you would always wake up?
Phil explores what he would do with his life – both bad and good because he doesn’t know how to live in this world. We wonder what we would do with our own life if anything were possible.
Intrigue
Day 2, the alarm clock goes off with the same song playing, the same radio talk. The radio says it’s groundhog day. How is it the same day? He doesn’t know how to react.
As each day progresses. We want to see how he reacts to being stuck in the same day over and over again.
What will he do with the information he’s learning about each person in the town?
Will he ever be free of Groundhog day or will he be stuck here forever? Is there anything he can do to be free?
What would you do if nothing you did mattered? Or does it matter?
Will he be able to get Rita to fall in love with him?
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</div>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:
Phil is arrogant, selfish, thinks he’s special and everyone else is less than him. He believes he’s better than the job he has and is resentful of having to cover the story of Groundhog Day and staying in this Podunk town. He can’t wait to leave.
NEW WAYS:
Phil has a profound love for the town and the people in it. He is at peace with himself and his life and from this he finds love and never wants to leave the town.
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</div>What is the gradient the change? What steps did the Transformational Character go through as they were changing?
Selfish, Egotistical, Cynical
Confused by his reality. What’s going on?
Angry, frustrated because he can’t leave.
Questioning the world, with no consequences and if nothing matters, he can do whatever he wants.
Desperate to stop having this same day over and over again, commits suicide many time.
He starts learning things about people to con them which doesn’t make him happy.
He starts learning new things to impress Rita.
He begins to help people in the town.
He surrenders himself entirely to the idea he’ll be stuck in this one day forever and embraces it. He humbles himself. Through his humility and selflessness, he learns how to authentically love and his life can begin.
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</div>How is the “old way” challenged? What beliefs are challenged that cause a main character to shift their perspective…and make the change?
Phil’s old way of life is challenged when he gets stuck in it by living the same day over and over again. A day that he hates.
His Identity is challenged because his old way of being egotistical and selfish are keeping him trapped here. His tricks – conning people, living with no consequences also don’t work. He tries various methods to free himself but doesn’t know how to get himself out of this situation.
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</div>What are the most profound moments of the movie?
At the end of Day 2, just before he goes to bed, he breaks a pencil and sets it on the bedside table. When he wakes on Day 3, the pencil is in one piece. He truly is trapped here.
Phil driving with the drunk guys, gets thrown in jail. Wakes up the next day back in the B&B, he’s excited. Life has no consequences, he can do whatever he wants. He kisses the woman who runs the B&B, knocks out Phil Ryerson and skips over the puddle. In a café he’s eating a whole table of junk food. He’s smoking. Robs a bank truck, proposes to a girl.
Phil, “Rita if you only had one day to live, what would you do with it?” He starts to probe her. Ask her questions about herself. He becomes a con artist, using information he’s learning to trick Rita into thinking he’s her perfect guy. He’s pushing himself on her, says he loves her. “Love me, you don’t even know me. I can’t believe I fell for this.” She’s suspects him. “You’ll never love anyone except yourself.” She slaps him. He’s only doing things to get what he wants. He’s forcing it with her. Nothing sincere. He’s acting maniacal. She’s turned off. Many scenes of him being slapped at various points of the date.
He wakes up defeated, sad. He’s playing jeopardy and getting all the answers right and drinking straight from a bottle. Delivering his news cast, bitter, dejected. He’s being mean. “You want a prediction, it’s going to be cold, it’s going to be gray and it’s going to last you for the rest of your life.
Knocking radio off, breaking the radio. Over and over again. He can’t escape his reality.
Phil snaps. Steals the Groundhog. There’s a car chase with the cops and the production van. He turns the truck around drives off a cliff into a quarry. The car explodes. He commits suicide over and over again. Always wakes up.
Phil and Rita spend a sweet day/night together. Midnight happens and she’s still there. 3 am happens and, she’s lying in bed with him. She falls asleep. He tucks her in. “I think you’re the kindest, sweetest, prettiest person I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” He gently kisses her on the cheek. “The first time I saw you something happened to me.” It’s the most genuine he’s ever been. “I don’t deserve someone like you but if I ever could, I swear I’d love you for the rest of my life.”
6 am comes and she’s gone and it’s Feb 2<sup>nd</sup> all over again.
After spending the night with Rita, he’s happy, he starts to do things for others. Gives money the beggar, brings Rita and Larry coffee. He’s generous, helping the crew. Reading. Learning to play piano. Improving himself. He’s bringing joy to people as he’s improving. Helps the beggar out, takes him to the hospital he passes away. Nurse, “sometimes people just die.” Later scene, feeding him soup. Beggar passes away again, giving him mouth to mouth. Phil is doing profound news cast. Saves a boy falling from a tree. Changes a tire for a group of old ladies. Saves a man in a restaurant.
Phil is playing piano at a party for the town. He’s got on sunglasses, playing it cool. Rita is mesmerized. He’s enjoying his life. They’re dancing. All these people are thanking Phil for helping them. Rita, “What did you do today?” Phil, “Same old, same old.” He’s becoming humble. She wins him in the bachelor auction. Ice sculpture, “I know your face so well, I could have done it with my eyes closed.”
The clock flips over 6 am. The announcers start. Rita reaches over and shuts off the radio. He’s giddy. Looks out the window. The town is covered in snow. It’s a new day.
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</div>What are the most profound lines of the movie?
“Watch out for that 1<sup>st</sup> step, it’s a doozey.” Delivered by Ned Ryerson when Phil steps in the giant hole/puddle. Any journey begins with the first step.
“Does Phil feel lucky?” Just before the groundhog pokes his head out.
“What is there is no tomorrow? There wasn’t one today.” Phil on phone after 2<sup>nd</sup> day.
Phil in bowling alley taking to a couple guys, asks why this day over and over again. Man at Bar says, “Some people would say this glass is half empty. Some would say the glass is half full. I think you’re the glass is half empty kind of a guy.”
Driving the drunk guy, Phil, “What would it mean if there was no tomorrow?” “No tomorrow? It would mean there are no consequences, no hangovers, we could do whatever we wanted.” Phil runs over a mail box, a cop sees him and comes after him. Phil starts to outrun the cop, drives backward and then onto the railroad tracks. Train comes. He veers off just in time. “I’m not going to live by their rules anymore.” Phil, “You make choices and then you live with them.” Phil crashes car, cops surround him. Phil gets thrown in jail.
In café, “I don’t worry about anything anymore. I don’t even have to floss.”
He’s maniacal, feeling trapped. Phil, “There’s no way out.”
Phil, “I’m a god, I’m not the God. But I’m a god.” He recounts to Rita all the ways he dies and he wakes up every day. “I’m an immortal.” Rita challenges him, he’s not a god. Phil introduces her to everyone in the diner and knows things about each person. He tells her everything about her, all her secrets and lovely things about her. “I wake up here every day on Feb 2<sup>nd</sup> and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Phil to Rita, “The worst part is tomorrow you’ll have forgotten all about this and you’ll treat me like a jerk again.”
“I’ve killed myself so many times, I don’t even exist anymore.”
Rita, “Maybe it’s not a curse. Maybe it depends on how you look at it.”
Phil, “No matter what happens and for the rest of my life, I’m happy now. Because I love you.” Rita, I think I’m happy too. They have a genuine kiss. It starts to snow.
“Do you know what today is? Today is tomorrow. It happened. You’re here.”
“If there anything I can do for you today?”
“It’s so beautiful! Let’s live here.” They run off down the snowy street.
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</div>How does the ending payoff the setups of this movie?
Phil has learned that selflessness and thinking of others as well as accepting the world as it is can lead to a life filled with friendship, caring and love. That beauty is all around, you just need to look for it. He becomes the glass is half full kind of guy.
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</div>What is the Profound Truth of this movie?
Live each day with generosity, kindness and see the beauty in all things.
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Theone Masoner
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