Vivien Le
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Vivien Le
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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.-
This reply was modified 9 months, 2 weeks ago by Vivien Le.
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This reply was modified 9 months, 2 weeks ago by
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Vivien’s Build Meaning with Dialogue
What I learned from this experience is how to create meaningful moments.
1. Meaning 1: “Life is neither black nor white. Likewise, the truth is neither good nor bad.”
Alicia is a highly principled person. She spurns any form of lie or deception, denouncing it as a relationship killer. But though her emotional journey with her family following her brother’s death, she learns that telling the truth is not always a virtue.
1.1 Experience 1
Mother is in Sydney visiting Alicia and Grandma (Mother’s mother). Alicia receives a call from Father in Sydney telling her that her brother Anthony just died from a sudden illness. He tells Alicia to bring Mother back to Los Angeles without telling her the news.
Line (Father): “What benefit is there to tell your mother the news now? Let her enjoy her family’s love. She needs it.”
Like Alicia, Mother lives in a different country than her family, and only gets to see them once every 5 to 7 years. Father wants to hide the truth temporarily to let Mother enjoy her family’s love, which she’ll need when she hears the truth.
1.2 Experience 2
Alicia arrives in Los Angeles with Mother. Father announces that they won’t tell Mother the truth because he fears that she’d lose her will to live. Alicia fervently objects to his decision, denouncing it as unethical and unfair to Mother.
Line (Father): “Sometimes it’s more important to be kind than to be true.”
When the truth can destroy someone’s life, it’s no longer a virtue. It’s one’s duty to hide it, not to disclose it.
1.3 Experience 3
Mother is determined to go to Vietnam to bring her son home. Alicia and Father know that they can no longer hide the truth from Mother. Father wants to find a way to keep Anthony’s memory alive for Mother so that she won’t fall into despair when she’s faced with the fact that her favourite child has left them forever.
Line (Father): “It’s easy to tell the truth, it’s harder to help people cope with an unkind truth.”
2. Meaning 2: “Embrace your suffering.”
Father believes that he needs to stay strong for the family when a misfortune falls upon the family. When Anthony dies, Father tells himself that death, like life, is life’s mystery, and he should simply accept it. Alicia encourages Father to be in touch with his feelings.
2.1 Experience 1
Alicia watches Father going through his day with equanimity. He doesn’t display any sign of distress. He even tells jokes to Mother. Alicia tells Father not to suppress his emotion.
Line (Alicia): “Embrace your suffering, Dad. Don’t resist it, don’t flee from it. Your aversion to it only makes it hurt more.”
Father buries negative feelings. He doesn’t want to show his weakness to his family.
2.2 Experience 2
Alicia reads a letter from the hospital. It’s from the organ coordination department. The letter says that the recipient of Anthony’s heart, Mark, has a second chance in life. Father nods, he says nothing. Alicia suggests that Father write an Anthony/Mark poem. Father is a poet by nature.
Line (Alicia): “Dad, would you like to dedicate a poem to Anthony and Mark? They would love it. You can give it to Mark when we see him.”
Tears fill Father’s eyes. He looks almost relieved to let his heart cries out.
2.3 Experience 3
Alicia and Father run inside the Buddhist Temple. They see Mother walking down from the Ash Temple where Anthony’s ashes are kept. They know that Mother knew the truth. They walk towards Mother. Father holds her and Alicia tight in his arms. Tears fall freely on his face.
Line (Father): We’ll go through this together as a family.
3. Meaning 3: “Always depend on the human hearts.”
Alicia is logical and strong minded. She can come across as inflexible or controlling. Mother is emotional and strong minded. She can come across as impulsive. Their diametrically opposite personalities often cause unhealthy quarrels between the mother and daughter. Father gives Alicia insights into make peace with Mother.
3.1 Experience 1
Mother makes Anthony’s favourite Vietnamese snacks and asks Alicia to send them for him. Alicia tells Mother that Anthony can buy these snacks inexpensively anywhere in Vietnam. She suggests that Mother keeps the snack for the family. Mother reproaches Alicia for not understanding a Mother’s love. Father assures Mother that he’ll send the food to Anthony. Later, Father gives Alicia some insights to deal with conflict.
Line (Father): “The way to change other’s mind is with affection and not with confrontation.”
Alicia learns that reason does not work with Mother. To talk to Mother, she needs to understand the language of a mother’s love.
3.2 Experience 2
Mother is determined to go to Vietnam to bring Anthony home. Alicia pleads with a travel agent to talk Mother out of going Vietnam. Alicia takes Mother to the travel agency and things go as planned, but Mother is very unhappy. Father suggests that they begin thinking of how to tell Mother the truth.
Line (Father): “We think that holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.”
Alicia’s control over Mother creates unhappiness in the family. She must learn to let go.
3.3 Experience 3
Anthony has a secret girlfriend, Cindy, who’s free-spirited and lives a bohemian life. She has green and orange hair and wears a dozen of earrings on her ear. Cindy is pregnant with Anthony’s child. Alicia is certain that Mother would not approve of Cindy had Anthony introduced her to Mother. But Alicia believes in Cindy’s goodness and in Mother’s love for Anthony’s offspring.
She takes the risk to introduce Cindy to Mother. The unborn grandchild keeps Anthony’s spirit alive to Mother. She embraces Cindy wholeheartedly. She gives her hope and helps her move forward.
Line (Father): “The more you are motivated by love, the more fearless your action can be.”
Alicia knows at last how to think with her heart, and not with her mind.
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Vivien’s Height of Emotion
What I learned doing this assignment is to create profound quotations for my film.
1. Emotion 1
When Father tells Alicia that he wants Mother to know about Anthony’s death, Alicia fervently objects to Father’s decision, arguing that it’s unethical and unfair to Mother. Father says that Anthony is Mother’s world, and the news risks to rob her of her will to live.
New line (Father): “Sometimes it’s more important to be kind then to be true.”
2. Emotion 2
When Alicia asks Father when he plans to tell Mother the truth, he says that time will tell him when Mother is ready. Alicia disagrees.
New Line (Alicia): “Why wait? The truth doesn’t change with time.”
3. Emotion 3
When Mother is consumed with Anthony’s affairs to the exclusion of everyone else in her life, Alicia questions Mother’s love for her family.
New Line (Alicia): “You’ve locked your love away with Anthony. Maybe you can’t love anybody else.”
4. Emotion 4
Alicia falls into despair when her web of lies about Anthony backfires spectacularly. Father gives Alicia strength to keep on going.
New Line (Father): “No matter how painful our experience is, if we lose hope, that’s our real disaster.”
5. Emotion 5
Alicia gets into regular quarrels with Mother about Anthony. Alicia uses logic in her arguments while Mother defy all logic. Father gives Alicia advise on how to deal effectively with people.
New Line (Father): “Human beings are like a boat and their heart is like water. When water goes with the boat, the boat floats, when water goes against it, the boat sinks. Always depends on the human hearts.”
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Vivien’s Delivers Irony!
What I learned doing this assignment is that irony creates intrigue to the story, for instance, things are not what they appear, or characters are not what they seem.
1. Irony 1: REASONS: Doing the wrong thing for the right reason.
Insight: You must support your family in time of crisis.
Opposite experiences: Alicia is honest to a fault. She values integrity above all. When Father wants to keep Mother in the dark about her son Anthony’s death, Alicia must weave a web of lies to make her believe that Anthony is still living.
2. Irony 2: WIN/LOSS: A win that is really a loss.
Insight: Mother is afraid that Anthony is in love with a woman in Vietnam.
Opposite experiences: Alicia pays an actor to pretend to be Anthony’s work colleague from Vietnam to tell Mother how wonderful life is for Anthony in Vietnam. He’s so convincing that Mother suspects that Anthony lives in Vietnam with a woman. Not wanting to lose her son, she is hellbent to go to Vietnam to bring him home.
3. Irony 3: MOTIVATION: Getting your “want” but losing your “need.”
Insight: Love must be earned.
Opposite experiences: Alicia reproaches Mother for thinking obsessively about Anthony. She feels emotionally neglected by Mother and craves her love. Mother admonishes Alicia for being jealous of her brother. She points out that Anthony loves his family and looks after them.
4. Irony 4: CREDIT: Do something amazing but the credit goes to another.
Insight: Love is giving without expectation.
Opposite experiences: Alicia must find a way to keep Anthony’s spirit alive before she reveals the truth to Mother. She works exceptionally hard to win the trust of Anthony’s girlfriend Cindy and convinces her to let her (Alicia’s) family be part of her and Anthony’s son’s life. The unborn grandson alleviates Mother’s suffering and gives her hope for the future. She is thankful to Cindy for keeping Anthony’s spirit alive.
5. Irony 5: WIN/LOSS: A win that is really a loss.
Insight: the family is over-protective of one another.
Opposite experiences: Alicia and Father think that they are successful in making Mother believe that Anthony is still living. But before long, they find out that Mother knew about Anthony not long after his passing. She decided to stay silent because she did not want the family to suffer for her.
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Vivien’s Delivers Insights Through Conflict
What I learned doing this assignment is that conflict can force a character to face themselves (their wound, truth, need, want, hope, etc…) or reveal themselves to others. Conflict can also create a deeper level of understanding, hence, empathy among the characters.
1. Conflict 1: An argument provokes the person to tell the truth.
Insight: Father reveals that when Mother lost Anthony’s older brother when he was one year old, she nearly had a nervous breakdown. He fears that the news of Anthony’s death will destroy her.
Conflict: Alicia is a principled person who value integrity. She loathes deception. When Father tells her about his decision to keep Mother in the dark about Anthony’s passing, she denounces it as unethical and unfair to Mother. She insists that Mother has the right to know about her son’s death.
2. Conflict 2: Conflict uncovers a secret.
Insight: Anthony has a secret girlfriend Cindy, who is pregnant with his child.
Conflict: Alicia meets with Anthony’s former roommate Marco to discuss Anthony’s life. Marco tells Alicia about Anthony’s girlfriend Cindy, who he kept secret from his family, and suggest that she tells her about Anthony’s death. Alicia declines. She asks Marco to keep his promise to not reveal the news to anyone because it may get leaked to Mother. But when Marco tells her that Cindy is six months pregnant with Anthony’s child, Alicia is caught in a dilemma about the right thing to do.
3. Conflict 3: Conflict brings out the true nature.
Father has a heart attack and is hospitalised overnight. He plans to lie to Mother that he is spending a night at his friend’s. Alicia insists that Father tells Mother the truth.
Insight: Despite her cold demeanour, Alicia loves her parents deeply.
Conflict: Alicia does not want Father to act like a superhero and shoulder all the family’s misfortunes. She believes that his overly protective attitude toward Mother is not only detrimental to his health but also undermines Mother’s ability to deal with life problems. She plans to take Mother to visit Father in the hospital.
4. Conflict 4: Conflict uncovers an emotional issue.
Alicia quarrels with Mother about her obsession with Anthony.
Insight: Alicia craves her mother’s love.
Conflict: Alicia becomes irate when Mother constantly ask about Anthony’s wellbeing. She wants to talk to him, to see him, to send money to him, etc… Alicia tells Mother that she only saw Mother twice in 12 years and all Mother talks about is Anthony. She tells Mother that she came to Australia to spend time with her, but if Mother has no time for her then she’ll go back to Los Angeles.
5. Conflict 5: Conflict uncovers an emotional issue.
Insight: Alicia feels profoundly guilty for not coming to Australia to see Anthony since he moved to Australia with the family 12 years ago.
Conflict: When Alicia comes to Australia to attend Anthony’s funeral, she’s shocked to hear that Father has had him cremated. She reproaches Father for not giving Mother an opportunity to say goodbye to her son. Father asks Alicia if she regrets for not seeing Anthony all these years.
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Vivien’s Turn Insights Into Action
What I learned doing this assignment was that a character’s actions are followed by consequences to them or reactions from their target. If the result is not what the character seeks, then it gives them insight to adjust their actions. This trial and error continue until the character achieve their goals.
1. Insight:
Mother wants to know that Anthony lives well in Vietnam.
Action:
Alicia pays an actor to pretend to be Anthony’s work colleague in Vietnam to visit Mother and tells her good news about Anthony.
2. Insight:
Mother needs to be distracted from Anthony.
Action:
Alicia creates a cupcake business for Mother. She helps Mother make the cakes and sell them at Vietnamese shops around Sydney. They are so busy that Mother doesn’t have time to think of anything else.
3. Insight:
Mother wants to look after Anthony.
Action:
Alicia tells Mother to make Anthony’s favourite snack. She boxes them and make believes that she will send them to Anthony.
4. Insight:
Mother believes spirit.
Action:
Alicia takes Anthony’s ashes home to let Mother find comfort in his spirit.
5. Insight:
Mother needs to feel Anthony’s presence in her life.
Action:
Alicia introduces Mother to Anthony’s girlfriend Cindy, who’s pregnant with his child.
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Vivien’s Seabiscuit Analysis
What I learned doing this assignment was to understand how to create key emotional moments in the movie that give insight to the characters and help them going through their Transformation Journey
PROFOUND MOMENTS
1. Red’s father hands him a bag of his belongings then the parents emotionally bid goodbye to their 16-years-old boy.
We know that the parents won’t be back, and the teenager is left to fend for himself. Red is now a homeless boy. His predicament raises empathy in us and make us root for his success.
2. Red’s trainer tells him that his expenses is much larger than his income, and that he’d need to win races to pay his expenses.
Red faces the fact that he has no control on his life. Winning a race does not depend on the jockey alone, but on a great horse as well.
3. The owner of an injured white horse is about to put it down because his legs are damage, and he can no longer race. Tom offers to buy the horse from the owner.
Tom gives the injured horse a second chance to live. We see Tom’s attitude in life and are curious to see how he’d work with Red and Seabiscuit, two physically and emotionally injured souls.
4. Charles sits alone in the house, holding the body of his dead son. He cried uncontrollable, but we barely hear his cry. It’s as if it’s muffled. There’s no other sound. It’s eerily quiet.
We can feel the depth of Charles’ despair. The silence seems to tell us that he’s suffering in private. He doesn’t share his pain with other people. He’s a broken man. Later on we see how Charles’ partnership with Red, Tom, and Seabiscuit bring joy and hope back into his life.
5. Tom meets Charles for the first time. He’s fixing for the injured white horse’s legs. Charles asks if the horse can race. Tom says that each horse is good for something. He tells Charles that “you don’t throw your whole life away if you bang up a little.”
Tom is foreshadowing Red’s and Seabiscuit’s misfortunes later in the film. We may also interpret this as a subtext that Charles need to forgive himself for the death of his son.
Tom reiterates the theme of the film: giving oneself and others a second chance.
6. Tom tells Charles that for the horse to win a race, “it ain’t just the speed, it’s the heart.”
Tom gives Charles insight how a racehorse operates: it’s not a running machine. It has feelings and can feel the pride of winning. This scene foreshadows what Red teaches George on how to win the race with Seabiscuit against the War Admiral: “It’s not in its feet, it’s in here (the heart).”
7. Tom sees three men struggle to subdue the agitated Seabiscuit. Then he sees Red fight with four boys.
Tom sees a good match between Red and Seabiscuit. The two share similar temperament.
8. The first time Seabiscuit runs in the racecourse, he can’t run on a straight line. Tom says in frustration “I can’t help feeling that they got him so screwed up running in circle he forgot what he’s born to do. He just needs to learn how to be a horse again.”
Tom reiterates the movie’s theme: give Seabiscuit a second chance.
9. Red has dinner with Charles and his wife Marcella for the first time at their house. The Howards are affectionate with him. Then we see Black & White scenes showing how society takes care of the vulnerable population. A voice over says “For the first time in a long time someone cares. For a first time in a long time, you are no longer alone.
Red’s situation is changing from being a homeless boy abandoned by his family to becoming a promising jockey who’s adopted by a new family.
10. Red gallops with Seabiscuit across a vast, beautiful field. He looks liberated and exhilarated.
We see that a beautiful friendship is being formed between Red and Seabiscuit.
11. After Seabiscuit won 6 races in a row, he loses because Red got into a fight with another jockey while they were racing. Tom tells Red to focus on his goal at all time.
Tom acts as the change agent. He’s coaching Red to focus on his goal and not let outside factors interfere.
12. When the press asks Charles what makes Seabiscuit a great racehorse, Charles says that “he (Seabiscuit) doesn’t know that he’s little. He thinks he’s the biggest horse out there.” “If he doesn’t know he’s a little guy, he can do great big thing.”
Red’s and Seabiscuit’s faith in themselves are restored. Charles’s comments are also an indirect reference to Red’s greatness.
13. “The future is the finish line. Seabiscuit will get us there.”
Charles was a forward-looking man. He often had vision about the future. But after his son died, he fell into depression and lost vision for his life. His involvement with Seabiscuit brings hope and visionback into his life.
14. Red takes a victory walk with Seabiscuit as the press and audience cheer on.
Red relishes the taste of victory. He’s on the way to greatness.
15. The press lines up to get autograph from Seabiscuit. They ask Charles what made Seabiscuit turn around after his last defeat. Charles says “just give him a chance. Sometimes all somebody needs is a second chance.”
Charles reiterates the movie theme: give others a second chance.
16. Charles thinks that Seabiscuit is a great horse, but Tom tells him that it’s not a great horse yet. Then he shows Charles an old newspaper article about the greatest horse in the US history.
Tom challenges Charles to commit to making Seabiscuit a great horse, showing that he is a great trainer. This leads to Charles wanting Seabiscuit to challenge the War Admiral, a great racehorse.
17. As Red prepares Seabiscuit for the race against War Admiral, he agrees to help his former trainer break his horse. Red and the horse get into a horrific accident that leaves Red with shattered leg’s ligaments.
Red’s accident can shatter his dream and Seabiscuit’s future. This scene is a judgement call for Red. What happens in a later scene shows Red’s unshakable belief in Seabiscuit.
18. Charles wants to cancel the race against War Admiral, but Red insists that it go ahead. He recommends that jockey George replace him to ride Seabiscuit.
Red believes in Seabiscuit and wants it to succeed even if he’s not the jockey. It’s an important race and he’s making a big sacrifice.
19. Red coaches George how to ride Seabiscuit to victory: “let him look War Admiral in the eyes.” “It’s not in its feet, its in here (the heart).”
Red gives George the advise that Tom gave him when he was an inexperienced jockey. We see that Red has developed a good relationship with Tom.
20. Seabiscuit ruptures his leg’s ligaments. He can no longer race. Red still has his leg in a cast. He uses Tom’s method of fixing the white horse’s legs on Seabiscuit and nurtures him back to good health.
Red is determined to give Seabiscuit another chance. He believes in the animal, who is now his best friend. We seen Red’s and Seabiscuit’s relationship grow stronger with time.
21. Seabiscuit’s legs are healed. George is walking him out for training when the horse sees Red limping in his cast. He hisses and walks towards Red. Seeing this makes Red determined to ride again.
Red is devoted to Seabiscuit. He knows that it needs him, and he needs it. They are each other’s hope. They need each other to succeed.
22. The doctor advises Red against riding. His ankle’s ligaments are still fragile and could tear again under pressure. Charles refuses to let Red ride, saying that he could be crippled for life, but Red responds “I was crippled. He (Seabiscuit) saved me. You (Charles) saved me.” Red’s friend George tells Charles “It’s better to break a man’s leg than his heart.”
Red finds hope in Seabiscuit. He’ll make sacrifice for it.
23. Red rides Seabiscuit in the Santa Anita race, the biggest race in the US. Red endures the pain and focuses on the goal, which bring them victory. Red and Seabiscuit make history. Red says that “everyone thinks we found the broken horse and fix him. But we didn’t. He fixed us, every one of us. And I think in a way we fix each other.”
It’s an inspiration to see four unlike partners: a homeless hockey, a defeated horse trainer, a disheartened millionaire, and a broken horse finding hope in each other and becomes heroes to an entire nation.
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Vivien’s Living Metaphors
What I learned doing the “Should Work, But Doesn’t” assignment was to understand the process of building the protagonist’s arc by letting the change agent challenge her assumptions or by creating circumstances that make her question her own assumptions.
As for the “Living Metaphors” exercise, I learned how to use subtext to refrain from writing on the nose. This exercise also helped me create gradient change in the transformable character by letting her overcome her own weaknesses using the self-discovery process.
SHOULD WORK, BUT DOESN’T
1. Should work, but doesn’t
When Mother insists to video call Anthony, Alicia pays an actor to portray Anthony’s work colleague in Vietnam to visit Mother. He’s coached to tell Mother that the internship program is excellent and that he and Anthony love their life in Vietnam.
Mother fears that Anthony may love his life in Vietnam too much that he may decide to live there long term. This thought makes her more determined to bring Anthony home.
Old Way:
We’ll come up with a new story as needed. We can’t predict what Mother wants so we can’t make a long-term plan. Alicia doesn’t look beneath the surface to understand why Mother keeps on rejecting her solutions.
Challenge:
Mother is extremely protective of her only son, who’s also the baby in the house. She does not want him to live away from the family. Nothing the family says matters. She’s made up her mind.
2. Should work, but doesn’t
We’ll say that Anthony does his internship in an area in the Far South of Vietnam instead of in Saigon, where the family has relatives. Mother would not be able to chase the story. With this in mind, Alicia doctors some pictures of Anthony living in a village in the far South Vietnam.
Mother recognises that the village in the picture is her birth village. She contacts her relatives in Saigon to chase after the relatives who may still live in that village.
Old Way:
Mother is technologically averse. She doesn’t use the Internet and won’t be able to trace the story (medical internship in the village for overseas students).
Challenge:
Mother can trace the story using her contacts in Vietnam.
3. Should work, but doesn’t
Alicia and Amanda want to keep Mother’s mind off Anthony. They convince her to make Vietnamese desserts and sell them at Vietnamese grocery. Mother is delighted. She becomes extremely busy and rarely talks about Anthony.
But after a week, Mother wants to take a break from selling deserts. She says she’s made enough money to buy a ticket to Vietnam to visit Anthony.
4. Should work, but doesn’t
We must keep Anthony’s spirit alive for Mother. The best way is to introduce her to Anthony’s organ recipients. She’ll feel Anthony’s presence through them.
Anthony’s organs recipients have not done well with the transplants. One has died from the adverse reaction from the transplant. The other has not seen her health improved and is waiting for a new donor.
Old Way:
Look for solution from external factors.
Challenge:
One has no control over external factors.
5. Should work, but doesn’t
We’ll have a secret memorial ceremony for Anthony at the Buddhist Temple to put his ashes to rest. We’ll have Mother’s best friend take her out all day that day.
Mother shows up at the temple without warning. She almost runs into the ceremony. Chaos ensues. Father hides under a table. The Abbott, who leads the ceremony, feels offended for having to lie to Mother against his will. Mother gets annoyed because Alicia pushes her to go home and does not give her enough time to properly pray for her family.
Old Way:
We must control the situation.
Challenge:
You can’t control other people’s action. Mother is strong minded. She does what she wants. Nobody can tell her what to do. Mother is deeply religious. She needs to go to the temple to pray for Grandma’s wellbeing. She cut short her day out with her best friend.
LIVNG METAPHORS
1. Living Metaphor
Alicia and Father are cleaning up the back yard. There was a strong wind the night before. A couple of plants collapsed. They are older plants with a stiff body. One young plant remains intact. Father says that it sustains the wind because its body is flexible and bends with the wind instead of resisting it.
Old Way:
Stubborn. Inflexible. Close minded.
Challenge:
It’s more effective to work in harmony with others than to fight with them.
2. Living Metaphor
Father and Alicia watch a program on television about planet earth. Father says that there were people who once believed that the earth was flat. It took centuries for the world to accept that the earth is a sphere.
Old Way:
We must let go of outdated traditions.
Challenge:
People hang on to their traditions because they are familiar with them and they find comfort in them.
3. Living Metaphor
Defining Right and Wrong.
Alicia talks to her cousin who’s a young veterinarian. The cousin feels distressed because her clinic asked her to put a dog to sleep. She’s a devout Buddhist and is against killing. Alicia asks her if she has another option that would allow the dog to live without pain or suffering. The cousin calms down when she can see that she’ll be helping the animal and not harming it.
Old Way:
There is a right way to do things.
Challenge:
The concept of right and wrong is subjective. What is right for someone can be wrong for someone else. But when one asks if one’s action helps or harms the person involved, one is likely to see the clear answer.
4. Living Metaphor
Go with the flow.
Alicia and Father chat with the Abbot at the temple. He said that he almost die at sea last summer. It was a scorching day. On the way home, he took a dip in the ocean. As he swam out, a swift current pulled him farther from the shore. In panic, he tried frantically to swim back, in vain. Exhausted, he let himself float then when the current died down he swam back to shore.
Old Way:
If you want to win people over, you must fight for your opinion.
Challenge:
People resist when someone forces their opinion on them. It’s more effective to let go of one’s opinion and go with the flow of discussion. A good solution will come out of it.
5. Living Metaphor
Good timing is crucial to success.
After dinner, the family have mangoes for dessert. Mother chooses one with a rich yellow skin. Alicia chooses one with a pale-yellow skin. Mother’s mango tastes sweet. Alicia’s tastes sour. Mother says that Alicia picks the fruit a bit too early. It needs time to ripe.
Old Way:
The truth doesn’t change with time, why bother waiting?
Challenge:
Had we not given ourselves time we would not have met Cindy, the mother of Anthony’s unborn child. The baby will help Mother heal.
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Vivien’s Counterexamples
What I learned doing this assignment is to understand the role the Change Agent plays in guiding the protagonist through her Transformation Journey.
QUESTION CHALLENGES
1. Old Way
One must always tell the truth. We must tell Mother about Anthony’s passing.
Challenge
“Supposed you know that Mother will take her own life if she knows that she’s lost her son, would you still tell her?”
This question will force Alicia to put herself in Mother’s shoes instead of focusing on her (Alicia’s) own beliefs.
2. Old Way
One knows what’s best for one’s parents. Father should let Mother know that he’s in the hospital. Mother wants to care for her husband.
Challenge
“You’ve lived away from Mother since you were 16, but maybe you have a different perspective as a child. Your mother and I have been married for 40 years; sometimes when you are too close to someone you lose perspective. How do you think your mother will react when she thinks that I may die from the heartache.”
This question makes Alicia question if knows Mother well.
3. Old Way
Walk away is the best way to avoid conflict. I’ll (Alicia) go home, and Father can deal with Mother about Anthony as he sees fit.
Challenge
“Avoiding conflict does not make the problem go away. In the end we’ll still need to reveal the truth to Mother. That’s what you want, right? What do you think if the two of us brainstorm some ways to help Mother cope before we tell her about Anthony?”
Father makes concession to Alicia. He acknowledges her need, showing that he understands her position. Alicia is likely to make concession to Father and agree with his proposal.
4. Old Way
One must be in control. We give Mother the story she wants to hear. We’ll come up with new stories as needed.
Challenge
“Mother has great anxiety about Anthony’s wellbeing. She’s fixated in bringing him home and there’s nothing we can do to talk her out of it, except to tell her the truth.”
This realisation makes Alicia see that her quick fix scheme to deceive Mother will not last long and that she’ll need to work with Father to come up with a long-term solution.
5. Old Way
One should let go of outdated traditions. We need to stop hiding bad news from Mother.
Challenge
“I can appreciate that your generation sees your parents’ beliefs as old fashioned, but the older we get, the more difficult it is to change. Your Mother’s temperament won’t change, are you willing to work around it?”
This statement shows Alicia that it’s fine to have a different point of view, but if she wants to help Mother then she needs to accept her the way she is.
COUNTER EXAMPLES
1. CHARACTER – Alicia’s sister Amanda
Amanda is Alicia’s older sister. She lives with her parents in Australia. Amanda is a nurse at an aged care facility. She’s compassionate and patient with her elderly patients. Amanda looks after her parents at home with the same gentle attitude. Mother loves her and listens to her because Amanda understands her.
2. CHARACTER – Anthony’s secret girlfriend Cindy
Cindy is free-spirited and open minded. She does not understand the Vietnamese culture but accepts its tradition (of protecting the elderly from adverse situation) because she loved Anthony and is eager to help his family through the crisis.
3. DIALOGUE
Alicia believes that she must have strong opinions if she were to win her family over. Father and Amanda remind her time over again that the best way to win people over is to make them part of the solution.
4. EXPERIENCE
Alicia insists that Mother knows about Father’s heart attack and hospitalisation. She wants the family to include Mother in important family’s decisions. But when Alicia takes Mother to see Father in the hospital, Mother becomes frantic. She’s convinced that Father’s health will worsen and that she may lose him. She unwittingly creates chaos within her family and indirectly causes Father’s health to worsen.
5. EXPERIENCE
Alicia believes that she could discuss with Mother logically, but she learns that Mother is guided by emotion, not logic. When Mother plans to go to Vietnam to look for Anthony, Alicia tells her that she does not have Anthony’s address. But Mother is not deterred. She says that Father will provide the information to her, then she goes to the travel agency to get her ticket to Vietnam. Mother has faith that Father would give her the support she needs as always. Nothing is impossible to her.
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Vivien’s Old Ways Challenge Chart
What I learned doing this assignment is to take a critical look at the Old Ways my Transformable Character looks at the world. From this analysis I refined the conflicts in my movie to make them organic and believable, and to create empathy for the protagonist.
Old Ways for “My Brother’s Ashes” dramedy
· One should let go of outdated traditions.
· One must always tell the truth.
· One must be in control.
· One must use logic to solve problems.
· To make good decisions, one must have strong opinions.
· To love is to be true.
· One can’t accept what one doesn’t understand.
· One knows what’s best for one’s parents.
· One must fight to get what one wants.
· Walk away is the best way to avoid conflict.
· One must be swift when solving problems.
· If science can’t prove it, then it’s superstition.
Old way
Alicia tells Mother she must go home to Sydney now (for Anthony’s funeral, which is a secret to Mother). She can’t change the plan to suit Mother.
Challenge
Mother: Grandma is 100 years old. I don’t want to miss her birthday. I might never see her again.
Old way
Alicia: If we love Mother, we must tell her that Anthony has died. To love is to be true.
Challenge
Father: Mother is likely to have a total meltdown if she hears the news. It’s our duty to protect her. It’s our family’s tradition.
Old way
Alicia reproaches Father for being unjust to Mother by keeping her in the dark about Anthony.
Challenge
Father: Sometimes it’s more important to be kind than to be true.
Old way
Alicia doesn’t understand Father’s decision, hence doesn’t think she can help him.
Challenge
Father: You don’t need to understand the situation. Just accept it.
Old way
Alicia wants to go back to California to give Father the freedom to deal with Anthony’s matter as he sees fit.
Challenge
Father: The best way to help the family is to stand by them during crisis time.
Old way
Alicia: Let’s address the problem now, i.e tell Mother the truth because the truth does not change with time.
Challenge
Father: we’ll tell Mother when the right time comes. There’s a time for everything.
Old way
Alicia: Mother sees Anthony in her dreams because she thinks about him all the time. Our brain replays our thoughts during the day when we sleep.
Challenge
Anthony’s dream leads Mother to the Ash Temple where the family secretly let his ashes to rest.
Old way
Father gets hospitalised for a heart attack. Alicia refuses to lie to Mother this time. The family must treat Mother with respect and include her in family’s matters.
Challenge
Father has lived with Mother for 40 years. He knows her temperament. He knows that Mother will become frantic and will create more problems if she sees him in the hospital. He’s right. Mother becomes hysterical when Alicia brings her to the hospital.
Old way
Alicia: Let’s make up a temporary story that Anthony has moved to Vietnam to find his roots. We’ll come up with new stories as we go along.
Challenge
Father: a temporary story is not a solution unless we have a long-term plan to help Mother cope.
Old way
Alicia: Mother will be happy when she sees that Anthony is enjoying his life in Vietnam. We’ll doctor some pictures of Anthony living in Vietnam.
Challenge
Mother doesn’t want Anthony to live in Vietnam. She’s afraid that he’ll marry a local woman and settle there. She doesn’t want to lose her son.
Old way
Alicia: We’ll ask our travel agent to tell Mother that there’s Avian Flu in South Vietnam where Anthony lives, and the region is under lockdown. So, Mother can’t go to there now.
Challenge
Mother panics. She wants Father to bring Anthony home, immediately.
Old way
Alicia: I give up. Nothing works. Let’s tell Mother the truth.
Challenge
Father: We will tell Mother the truth after we find a way to keep Anthony’s spirit alive for her.
Old way
Alicia: Anthony’s secret girlfriend Cindy is six months pregnant with their son. But she looks like a hippie and may cause more stress to Mother. Maybe we shouldn’t introduce Cindy to her.
Challenge
Father: Mother won’t abandon her grandchild. She may think that he’s Anthony’s reincarnation. Let’s take a chance with Cindy. She must be a fine woman for Anthony to fall in love with.
Old way
Alicia: Father needs not suffer in silence. He should mourn Anthony with Mother. That’s what parents do when they lose a child.
Challenge
Father: love is making personal sacrifices. I am the head of the household, and I must stay strong for the family.
I haven’t listed everything. But the discussion above should give a good idea about the story.
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Vivien’s 12 Angry Men Analysis – Day 9, Assignment 1
What I learned about doing this assignment is the importance of introducing the characters’ normal world. Their habits, beliefs, social values, rules, etc… inform their actions and decisions. When the audience understand this dynamic, they are more likely to develop empathy for the characters and engage in their journey.
Another lesson I learned from this assignment is how to create believable and interesting conflicts among characters by using their beliefs, values, etc…
ANALYSIS
Of the 12 jury members, three show strongest resistance to acquitting the boy because they have ulterior motives. They are jury #3, #10 and #7.
I’ll discuss the main motives of these jury members and how they use other “old ways” to justify their decision.
1. JURY #3, a head of messenger service
#3 is extremely opinionated, fiercely competitive, and ruthless. He’s intolerant of people who have different views and forces his views on others.
#3 backstory: he was violent toward his 22-year-old but blamed their tumultuous relationship on the son. His son once hit him when they fought and later cut ties with him. #3 projects himself as the father of the boy in the court case and is hellbent on punishing him.
OLD WAYS: Assumption of guilt
“These lawyers can talk and talk and talk even in a case as obvious as this one.”
“This man is a dangerous killer, you could see it. He knifes his father, four inches into the chest. … It’s an open and shut thing.”
“Every one of you knows this kid is guilty! He’s got to burn! We’re letting him slip through our fingers here!”
“The boy lied, and you know it.”
“Goddamn, rotten kid. I know what they are like. I know what they can do. I know how they can kill you every day …. I can feel the knife going in.”
OTHER “OLD WAYS”:
Prejudice: “Sometimes I think we ought to take these tough kids and just slap ‘em down before they start trouble.”
Not looking beneath the surface: “The phrase was “I’m going to kill you,” and the kid screamed it out at the top of his lungs…. Anybody says a thing like the way he said it, they mean it.”
Just want this over: “Yeah, let’s get this over with. We probably all got things to do.”
Assuming the witness was accurate: “I’m talking about facts… He (the man who lives in the apartment above) said it sounded like a fight. Then he heard the kid shout out, “I’m gonna kill you.” A second later he heard a body fall… They (the police) found the father with a knife in his chest.”
CHALLENGE:
As #8 says to #3 “You want to see this boy die because you personally want it, not because of the facts… You’re a sadist.”
#3 is blind with anger against his own son. He’s made up his mind to punish the boy to convince himself that his violence against his own son was justified. When the other jury members understand his motive, #3 loses all credibility.
#3 bases his guilty verdict on two arguments: 1) the boy tells his father ‘I’m going to kill you,” hence he must have meant it; 2) the woman across the street saw him plunge the knife into his father’s chest.
#8 debunks both arguments:
1) people say ‘I’m going to kill you” when they’re angry, as one jury did in the room. It’s not a real threat, only a way to express anger.
2) The woman could not have clearly identified the assassin 60 feet away in a split seconds in the dark without wearing her eyeglasses.
2. Jury #10: a Muslim garage owner, probably a migrant himself.
#10 is an angry and bitter man. He’s a bigot and a xenophobe. He has utmost contempt for people who live in slums like the boy at the trial. For him, these ‘illegal immigrants’ are the scums of society: they are idiotic, drinkers, liars, criminals and drug addicts. They kill senselessly; they take advantage of society and do no good to society.
OLD WAYS: Prejudice
“It’s pretty tough to figure. I mean, the kid just kills his father. Bang! Just like that.”
“It’s the element. I’m tellin’ you they let those kids run wild up there. Well, maybe it serves ’em right.”
“Look, I’ve lived among them (kids living in the slums) all my life. I mean, you can’t believe a word they say. They are born liars.”
“Look, you know how these people lie! It’s born in them!… They don’t know what the truth is! And lemme tell you, they don’t need any real big reason to kill someone either! No sir!”
“The kids that crawl out of these places are nothing but trash.”
“Oh they’re very big drinkers, all of’em, and bang, someone’s lying in the gutter. Oh, nobody’s blaming them for it. That’s how they are! By nature! You know what I mean? Violent!”
“They’re against us. They hate us. They want to destroy us. They come over here and they benefit from everything that we’ve built.”
“This boy, we got him. I say we get him before his gets us!”
“He’s a common ignorant slob. He don’t even speak good English.”
OTHER “OLD WAYS”:
Assuming the Defence Attorney did his job: “When these guys (the defence attorney) don’t ask questions, that’s because they know the answers already and they figure they’ll be hurt.”
Assuming the witness was accurate: “What about that woman across the street?… She looks out the window and right across the street she sees the kid stick the knife into his father.”
Not caring: “I don’t give a damn about the law. Why should I? They don’t.”
CHALLENGE
#10 lets his own beliefs guides him rather than thinking critically about the evidence. His bigotry causes a backslash. The group finds him repulsive when he tries to impose on them his vitriolic view on immigrants and people who live in slums. He forgets that one jury member is a migrant (#11) and another member lives in a slum (#5). He loses respect and credibility from everyone and they turn their back on him.
3. JURY #7: a salesman.
#7 is a bully. He’s loud, quick to show his temper and quick to form opinions. He doesn’t care about the boy or the case. He doesn’t want to waste time sitting on a jury. He has a pair of ticket to a baseball game later on and is distracted by the game. He talks about it constantly and pays little attention to the group discussion. #7 wants #8 to join the other 11 jury members to vote ‘guilty’ so they can all go home.
OLD WAYS: Just want this over
“Come on, let’s vote then we’ll go home!”
“This better be fast. I get tickets to a ball game tonight.”
“Come on already! Look at the time!”
“Well, what’s there to talk about? Eleven men in here agree. Nobody had to think about it twice, except you.”
“So what’d you vote not guilty for?”
“The boy is guilty, pal. Like the nose on your face. So let’s go home before we get sore throats.”
“So now where are we? I’m telling you, we can yakety-yak until next Tuesday here. Where’s it getting us?”
OTHER “OLD WAYS”:
Not looking beneath the surface:
“How about that business with the knife. I mean, expect normal people to believe that kind of bullshit?”
“I mean this kid is five for oh. Look at his record. He was in children’s court when he was ten for throwing a rock at his teacher. At fifteen he was in reform school. He stole a car. He’s been arrested for mugging. He was picked up twice for knife fighting. He’s real swift with a knife, they said. This is a very fine boy.”
Assumption of guilt:
“Listen, there are facts staring you right in your face. Every one of them says this kid killed his old man.”
“What, just because I voted fast? I think the guy’s guilty. You couldn’t change my mind if you talked for a hundred years.”
Assuming the Defence Attorney did his job: “For cryin’ out loud his own lawyer knew he didn’t stand a chance right from the beginning. His own lawyer. You could see it. He deserves the chair.”
Not caring: “Let’s take it into the judge and let the kid take his chances with twelve other guys.”
CHALLENGE
#7 doesn’t have a strong viewpoint. His arguments are vague and unconvincing. He simply regurgitates those of the prosecutor or jumps on the band wagon with the majority. Everyone can see that #7 cares more about his ballgame than about an 18-year-old boy’s life. His attitude is disturbing, and the group doesn’t take him seriously.
4. OTHER JURY MEMBERS
Apart from jury #8, who has doubts about the boy’s guilt, other jury members were initially swayed by an eloquent prosecutor. The fact that the boy had a weak defence attorney did not give them a different viewpoint to contemplate. But when #8 makes them look beneath the surface, they slowly form their own opinions and start to have reasonable doubt that the boy killed his father.
Old Way:
Assuming the case is completely logical
“What do you think of the prosecutor? I think he’s very sharp the way he handled all his points one by one, in logical sequence. Take a good brain for that. I was very impressed.” (#12)
Challenge:
#12 cannot have a balanced view by just listening to one side of the argument.
Old Way:
Not looking beneath the surface: “Pretty obvious. I was convinced on the very first day.” (#6)
Challenge
#6 is likely to take the prosecutor’s arguments for face value.
Old Way:
Assumption of guilt: “It’s up to us to convince this gentleman here, that we’re right and he’s wrong.” (#12)
Challenge:
#12 does not seek a different point of view. He assumes that the majority is right, which later proves to not be the case.
Old Way:
Prejudice: “He’s born in a slum and slums are breeding ground for criminals. Children from slum background are potential menaces for society.” (#4)
Challenge
#4 states opinion, not facts, and he talks generality, which doesn’t give validity to his argument.
Old Way:
Assuming the witness was accurate: “She says that the lights went out immediately after the killing but that she got a good look at the boy in the act of stabbing his father. As far as I can see, this is unshakeable testimony.” (#4)
Challenge:
The woman could have mistaken the boy for someone else. She was 60 feet away from the murder scene. She looks through the window across the street as the el train passes by and saw someone stabbed the father in one split second then the light went out. She’s short sighted and did not wear eyeglasses.
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Vivien’s Designing A Profound Ending
What I learned doing this assignment is to design a memorable ending that’s unexpected yet satisfying. It is important that the ending features the payoffs from earlier setups in the movie.
1. PROFOUND TRUTH?
“Compassion is the deepest form of love.” In the ending when Alicia hears that Mother is at the temple alone, we think that she’ll try to stop Mother from seeing Anthony’s ashes. But Alicia brings Jesse, Anthony’s heart recipient, and Cindy, who carries Anthony’s baby, to the temple to meet Mother. She knows that they will keep Anthony’s spirit alive for Mother, something that Father and she are unable to do.
2. THE CHANGE?
In the beginning, Father, the Change Agent, was overly protective of Mother. He’s adamant that she’s kept in the dark about their son’s death. But when he sees that Mother becomes increasingly frantic about Anthony’s wellbeing, he agrees with Alicia to tell Mother the truth. Then he connects Alicia to Jesse and Cindy.
As for Alicia, the Transformable Character, in the beginning she insists on telling Mother the truth because she believes that it’s Mother’s right. But when she sees Mother’s vulnerability when she’s confronted with Father’s mortality, Alicia begins to appreciate Father’s viewpoint that “sometimes it’s more important to love than to be true.” In the end, Alicia cares more about Mother’s emotional wellbeing than her right.
3. PAYOFFS?
Answers to: Will Alicia reveal the truth to Mother? How will Mother deal with the truth? What if Mother breaks down, how will Father react? Will Alicia introduce free-spirited Cindy to Mother? Will Alicia fit in her family?
4. SURPRISING?
We think that Alicia will stop Mother from seeing Anthony’s ashes at the temple. But instead, she introduces Jesse and Cindy to Mother. We expect Mother to collapse when she knows the truth about Anthony’s death, but she’s stronger than we are led to believe. Mother knew the truth but decided not to tell her family because she wanted to protect them. In the end, everyone in the family makes personal sacrifice to protect one another. In the beginning Anthony’s death causes a big divide within the family, but in the end it’s a glue to bring everyone together.
5. PARTING IMAGE/LINE
The family and Cindy go to the temple for an official ceremony for Anthony. Everyone is busy preparing for the ceremony in the Memorial Hall. They chat animatedly. Giggles. Laughter. Hugs. On the altar we see Anthony’s ashes, a framed picture of him smiling, fruit and flowers, and the homemade food of his favourite dishes. Outside flowers bloom, and birds sing.
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Vivien’s Connecting with Audience
What I learned doing this assignment is that I need to design multi-dimensional characters to engage the audiences emotionally with them from ACT1. It’s important for the audience to care about the characters to follow their journey.
I choose two characters to study: the Transformational Character, Alicia, and the antagonist, Alicia’s mother, referred to as Mother.
1. ALICIA
1.1 Relatability
· Alicia is a hard-working young woman like most young people in modern time.
· She lives alone and is self-reliant, a common traits of single people in our time.
1.2 Intrigue
· Alicia must bring Mother home, but she must not tell Mother about the untimely death her son.
· We want to know how Alicia negotiates this sensitive matter; what story will she tell to convince Mother to go home before Grandma’s birthday.
1.3 Empathy
· Alicia suffers in silence. She’s not allowed to tell anyone about her brother’s passing. She must hide her own grief.
· She feels guilty for deceiving Mother but can’t find another solution.
· She takes Mother away from Grandma, knowing that this may be the last time Mother sees Grandma. Alicia is in full conflict. We can feel her painful dilemma.
· Alicia has not seen Anthony for 12 years and will never see him again. She’s beset with regret.
1.4 Likability
· Alicia is a good person. She’s intelligent, hardworking, principled, and honest.
· She loves Mother and cares for her happiness.
· She loves Grandma.
2. MOTHER
2.1 Relatability
A mother’s love is universal, everyone can relate to it.
2.2 Intrigue
Mother comes to California to celebrate Grandma’s 100<sup>th</sup> birthday. She is told to go home before then. We wonder if she suspects anything. We want to know how she reacts when she hears the tragic news when she gets home.
2.3 Empathy
Everyone can imagine the pain of a mother who loses a child. Mother’s ignorance about Anthony’s death makes this all the more heart wrenching.
2.4 Likability
Mother has a joyful personality and a generous heart. She is totally devoted to her family. She loves deeply and is fiercely protective of her children.
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Vivien’s Transformational Structure.
What I learned doing this exercise is that a movie is made up of segments, which are mini movies. In a transformation structure, the main character in each segment – change agent of transformational character – develop their arch through experiencing the three gradients. Each segment ends with the main character facing a turning point and is required to raise their game to succeed. The turning point is a hook to engage the audience in the hero’s transformational journey.
I see that the mini-movie structure is akin to Paul Gulino’s sequence approach, albeit the mini movie model puts more emphasis on the transformational journey and change agent.
1. Transformational Logline
“A headstrong woman begrudgingly agrees to help her family conceal the sudden death of her brother from the elderly mother, but her stubborn way creates havoc in the family until she learns to seethat life has many shades of grey.”
2. Main characters
Change agent: Father.
Transformational Character: Alicia
Antagonist: Mother
3. Emotional Gradient:
Desired Change for Change Agent, Father.
Forced Change for Transformational Character, Alicia.
Forced Change for Antagonist, Mother.
4. Mini Movie Structure
4.1 Mini-Movie 1 – Status Quo and Call to Adventure
We start in a media office where Alicia is an esteemed journalist. She is fiercely independent, rational, scientific, and lets her ethical beliefs guide her action.
Alicia leaves work to pick up her mother in LAX. Mother comes to California from Australia to celebrate the 100<sup>th </sup>birthday of Grandma.
Mother is a total opposite to Alicia. Family is Mother’s life. She makes decisions based on feelings, hence, she’s often perceived as irrational from her family. Mother is deeply religious, and she believes in reincarnation, spirit, and ghost.
Mother and Alicia don’t see eyes to eyes despite their deep love for each other.
Alicia and Mother are at Grandma’s. Father calls to inform Alicia that her brother Anthony died from a sudden brain aneurysm. He asks Alicia if they should donate Anthony’s organs as the hospital requested. Alicia says it’s the logical decision to make.
Father tells Alicia to bring Mother home urgently, but she must keep the news secret for fear Mother would collapse on the way home.
Change Agent: Father
Transformational Character: Alicia
Old Ways: Rigid. Focused on facts. True to a fault.
The Vision: Father wants to protect Mother.
Challenge: come up with a convincing story about Anthony.
Weakness: does not know how to deal with emotional situation. Alicia approaches a situation with her mind, not her heart.
4.2 Mini Movie 2 – Locked Into Conflict.
Alicia lies to Mother that she must go back to Sydney urgently to report to Centrelink, the Australian Social Security body, otherwise they’d stop her pension.
Mother wants Alicia to find an alternative solution. She does not want to leave before Grandma’s birthday because she fears she won’t see her ageing mother again.
Alicia tells Mother she must go home. Mother feels dejected. She reproaches Alicia for not trying hard enough. The two get caught in frivolous arguments, which cause stress to both and to the frail Grandma as well.
Alicia flies to Sydney with Mother for Anthony’s funeral. She makes up another lie to justify her trip to Australia.
Old Ways: Lack of tact. Short temper.
Challenge: This may be the last time Mother sees Grandma. She wants to celebrate Grandma’s birthday and spend time with her.
Weakness: Alicia has lived away from Mother for 12 years and does not have strong relationship with Mother. She thinks she needs to solve the problem by herself, and fail to ask others – Mother’s sister, Grandma, or Father – for help.
4.3 Mini-Movie 3 – Hero Tries to Solve Problem – But Fails.
Alicia arrives in Sydney with Mother. Father informs her that he’s had Anthony cremated. He has decided not to tell Mother about Anthony’s death because he fears it would cause a total meltdown in her.
His decision shocks Alicia to the core. As an esteemed journalist, Alicia follows a strict code of conduct which calls for the observation of the truth, fairness, and ethics in all dealings.
Alicia rebukes Father’s decision. She reaches out to people Mother respects – the family Buddhist temple’s Abbott, Mother’s GP, Mother’s best friend – and asks if they would help deliver the news to Mother. They all decline.
Father tells Alicia that sometimes it’s better to be kind than to be true. He asks her to be patient with Mother, and to stand by the family through the crisis.
Alicia begrudgingly agrees but informs Father that when she goes back to California in a few days, she will stay away from it all.
The next day, the family secretly go to Lam Son temple, without Mother, to lay Anthony’s ashes to rest. In the middle of the ceremony, they see Mother wander nearby. Alicia’s quick thinking distracts Mother and convinces her to go home.
Later at home, Mother wants Anthony to come over for dinner. In the spur of the moment Alicia says that Anthony has moved to Vietnam. He was accepted in a medical internship program and would there for six months.
Mother is incensed that Father did not discourage Anthony to move to Vietnam. She thinks that doing his internship from a ‘poor’ country like Vietnam may jeopardize his medical career in Australia.
Change Agent: Father.
Transformation character: Alicia.
Vision: “It’s better to be kind to Mother than to be true.”
Old Ways: Rigid. Judgemental. Refusing to lie to Mother. Denouncing Father’s decision as unethical.
New Ways: making up the story that Anthony moved to Vietnam for his internship.
Challenge: Father wants to hide Anthony’s death from Mother. It’s a family tradition that seeks to shield vulnerable family members from adverse situations.
Weakness: Alicia is out of touch with her family’s tradition, which she perceives as outdated and unethical.
4.4 Mini-Movie 4 – Hero forms a New Plan
Mother is surprised when Alicia discourages her from going to Vietnam, stating that it’d be difficult to meet him because he moves around constantly for his work.
Mother fears that the lifestyle maybe too strenuous for her son. To appease Mother, Alicia doctors Anthony’s pictures to show him enjoying in life in postcard-like areas in Vietnam.
Anthony’s pictures give Mother solace. She recognizes one area as her village of birth and asks for Anthony’s address so she can connect him with relatives who are still living there.
Alicia sees that the family has no way out with this lie. She pleads with Father to tell mother the truth. Alicia reminds Father that she must go back to work next week and will no longer be able to help him.
Father suggests that they think of ways to help Mother cope before Alicia leaves Sydney. She argues that the truth doesn’t change with time, and that it’d be better to deal with it sooner than later.
In the meantime, Mother finds out that the village where Anthony lives is very remote and that none of her relatives still live there. She feels nervous to ‘abandon’ Anthony in the ‘middle of nowhere.’
Guilt weights on Alicia. Desperate to atone, Alicia arranges for Mother to be with Anthony’s spirit, hoping that it will appease her anxiety.
Against her own belief and Father’s blessing, Alicia brings Anthony’s urn of ashes home, lying to Mother that it’s her birthday gift for Grandma. Mother falls instantly in love with it.
That night, Anthony’s spirit leads Mother to the basement, where his belongings are kept. She sees his broken eyeglasses and shudders with what she perceives as a bad omen.
Mother is certain that misfortune is awaiting Anthony, and that he needs the family’s protection. She insists that Father brings Anthony home. Father feels overwhelmed with anxiety. His asthma exacerbates.
Alicia extends her stay another week to give Father support. His health declines as Mother becomes more erratic. Alicia feels increasingly agitated. She questions why Father chooses to suffer in silence.
Change Agent: Father
Vision: think long term. Finds ways to help Mother cope before revealing the news to her.
Old Ways: Obsessed with the truth. Inflexible. Impatient.
New Ways: gives Father benefits of the doubt.
Challenge: Mother pressures Father to bring Anthony home.
Weakness: As a logical problem solver, Alicia fails to see the emotional side of a problem.
MIDPOINT: Alicia ignores Father’s suggestion for a long-term solution and makes unilateral decision in dealing with Mother’s anxiety, which backfires spectacularly. Now she is facing with both parents’ declining mental health and her own.
4.5 Mini-Movie 5 – Hero Retreats and the Antagonism Prevails
Alicia has coffee with Mother in Vietnamese town. Mother overhears a woman at the next table lament that her son married a Vietnamese woman he met in Saigon and decided to settle there.
At dinner, Mother wants to talk to Anthony to find out the truth for his moving to Vietnam. Alicia discourages her, stating that telecom is very poor in the village.
Mother suspects that Alicia is covering up for Anthony. Perhaps he’s with a woman in Vietnam. Alicia protests Mother’s irrationality. Sparks fly. Father intervenes to make peace. He advises Alicia to have compassion for Mother and be gentle with her.
Alicia feels exasperated with Mother’s regular outbursts. Her fake photo project doesn’t work, her lies are turning her family up side down. She pleads with Father to let her tell Mother the truth. He begrudgingly relents, realising that Alicia is not coping well.
The next day, Father experiences a mild heart attack on the street and is hospitalised. The doctor wants to keep him overnight to monitor him. Father calls Mother and lies that he’ll spend the night with a friend.
Father tells Alicia to keep his hospitalisation secret. Alicia rebels. She refuses to continue to disrespect Mother by keeping her in the dark about important matters in her family. She suggests that Father learn to trust Mother.
The next day Alicia takes Mother to visit Father. Mother gets hysterical. She chastises Father for neglecting his health and gets angry at him for lying to her. She’s on edge that his condition might worsen.
Father tries to appease Mother in vain. He gets distraught. His condition takes a dip. The doctor wants to keep Father another night in the hospital. Mother gets frantic. Alicia panics. She no longer knows the right thing to do.
Alicia begins to understand why Father doesn’t want to tell Mother bad news, but she sees no solution. She feels trapped and falls into depression.
Change Agent: Father.
Old Ways: Respect is vital in relationship. To respect is to be true to the person you love.
New Ways: Love is key in relationship. You must protect the person you love.
Challenge: Father loses his position as head of family when Alicia unmindfully takes over. Mother’s anxiety grows as she loses Father’s support.
Weakness: Alicia improvises as she goes along but makes decisions without regards to her family’s deeply rooted way of life.
4.6 Mini-Movie 6 – Hero’s Bigger, Better Plan!
Mother asks Alicia for details of the medical clinic where Anthony interns. Alicia makes up the information. She’s certain that Mother can’t trace it because she doesn’t know how to use the Internet.
Mother wants to book a ticket to Vietnam to visit Anthony. Alicia and Father discuss a plan to ask a travel agent Father knows to discourage Mother from going to Vietnam.
The agent tells Mother that there’s a breakout of avian flu in the region Anthony lives, and that the Vietnamese government has imposed a lockdown in the region.
Mother is terrified. She demands that Father requests Anthony’s medical school to bring him home immediately.
That night Anthony’s spirit visits Mother. In her dreams she sees Anthony at the temple, heading towards the Ash Memorial Hall. Mother talks about her dream to the family.
Alicia believes that it’s inevitable to tell Mother the truth soon. Father agrees. He believes that Anthony gives the family the signal that Mother need to know. Father suggests that they come up with some ideas to keep Anthony’s memory alive.
Alicia proposes that they contact Anthony’s organ recipients and his best friend.
Old Ways: make up lies for a quick fix.
New Ways: tell the truth with compassion.
Challenges: time is the essence. Alicia risks losing her job if she stays in Sydney longer.
Weakness: Alicia has no control over how helpful her new contacts are.
4.7 Mini-Movie 7 – Crisis & Climax
Alicia extends her stay in Australia again. Her manager advises her that she’ll need to pass on Alicia’s high-profile project to her colleague. With a heavy heart, Alicia agrees.
Alicia contacts Anthony’s lungs recipient. She had died shortly after the transplant. He body rejected the new lungs. Alicia gets in touch with Anthony’s liver recipient. He’s experienced organ rejection symptom on and off and is in the hospital now.
Alicia approaches Jesse, Anthony’s heart and last organ recipient. Jesse said that he’d surrendered when he received Anthony’s heart. He’s grateful that Anthony allows him to live to see the birth of his first child. Alicia promises that her family will give him support.
Anthony’s roommate tells Alicia about Anthony’s girlfriend, Cindy, who Alicia never heard of her. When Alicia meets Cindy, she understands why Anthony hides her from Mother.
Cindy is a free-spirited young woman, with bright red hair and a pierced nose. She’s six months pregnant with Anthony’s child. Alicia tells her that Anthony has died. She promises that her family will embrace Cindy and her son as their own.
Alicia tells Father about her encounter with Cindy. They are both ambivalent on how to introduce Mother to Cindy but agree that the grandson may be Mother’s saviour.
At home, Mother looks sorrowful but is much less combative. She goes out every day and does not come home until before dinner to cook for the family.
One day Mother reproaches Anthony for going to Vietnam without consulting her then disappearing without a word. She vows to never mention his name again until he comes back and apologizes. She tells Alicia to go back to her job in California.
Father finds Mother’s attitude unusual; Anthony could never do wrong with her. Then he realizes that Mother might be angry and giving him the silent treatment. He thinks that he and Alicia must act fast before Mother reverts to her volatile temper.
Alicia and Father are discussing plans to introduce Jesse and Cindy to Mother when Mother’s best friend calls. She tells them that Mother is at Lam Son Temple. Alicia and Father rush there to prevent Mother from going to the Ash Memorial Temple.
Alicia calls Jesse and Cindy, pleading with them to meet her at the temple. When everybody arrives, they see Mother walking out of the Ash temple. She looks lethargic, her eyes puffy red. She knows! They are too late.
Father holds Mother in his arms, apologizing for lying to her. They break down in tears. This is the first time Alicia sees Father show his grief.
Alicia introduces Jesse to Mother. He gives Mother a stethoscope to listen to his heart. Mother cries tears of gratitude. Father also listens to Jesse’s heart. He feels at peace. Their son’s spirit will be with them for a long time to come.
Alicia introduces Cindy to Mother. She tells Mother about her and Anthony’s unborn son. Cindy lets Mother listen to the baby’s heartbeat with the stethoscope. The women cry in each other’s arms.
Old Ways: Stubborn. Think with mind, not heart. Can’t deal with uncertainty.
New Ways: Seeks compassionate solutions that resonate with Mother.
Challenge: Anthony’s lungs recipient died.
Weakness: Alicia doesn’t know if the resolution will be long lived.
1.1 Mini-Movie 8 – New Status Quo
After the family come home from the temple, Alicia asks Mother how long she’d known the truth. Mother confided that she knew about it a week ago. She’s been visiting Anthony at the temple every day and the Abbott prayed with her each time she was there.
Mother says she didn’t want Father or Alicia to know that she knew because she did not want to cause them grief to see her suffer. Alicia is confused at the same time in awe with her parents’ sacrifice to protect their family. They are both much stronger than she is.
Everyone feels relieved for being able to mourn Anthony properly.
The following day the family gathers for a farewell lunch for Alicia. She’s leaving for California tomorrow. Cindy and Jesse are special guests at the lunch. Mother loves them like her own children.
The parents talk about the good memories of their son. Cindy shares her romance with Anthony. Jesse says that Anthony is his newborn’s godfather.
After the guests leave, Alicia promises to see her parents regularly.
Mother confesses that she would have lost her will to live had she been rushed into accepting Anthony’s death. Father confides that he had suicidal thoughts but stayed strong for the family. Now he finds a will to live again.
The family goes to the temple. Alicia organises a ceremony for Anthony with his ashes and framed picture on the altar. Cindy is invited along. The Abbott chants a heart-warming song. Everyone looks peaceful. Outside flowers bloom.
New Ways: The family unites in crisis and comes out of it wiser, more compassionate, and with a stronger bond.
Profound Truth: Compassion is the deepest form of love.
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Vivien’s Three Gradients
What I learned doing this exercise is the understanding that the hero’s emotional gradient is her arc, and is key to engage the audience in her journey. The emotional gradient dictates the hero’s action, and when the action results in undesirable consequences, it forces her to change her old ways to see and do things and adapt to the new ways to get the results she seeks.
Transformation journey logline for my dramedy “My Brother’s Ashes”
A headstrong woman begrudgingly helps her family conceal the sudden death of her beloved brother from the elderly mother, but her stubborn way creates havoc in the family until she learns to accept their way of life.
The Emotional Gradient used is Forced Change.
A1. Emotion Gradient: Denial
B1. Action Gradient:
Alicia tries to convince Father that it is unethical and unfair to Mother to keep her in the dark about her son’s death.
C1.1 Challenge:
Alicia’s sister Amanda warns her that the truth risks causing a total meltdown in Mother. As per their family tradition, they have the duty to protect Mother from the sinister news.
C1.2 Weakness
Alicia is out of touch with her family’s tradition, which she perceives as outdated.
A2. Emotional Gradient: Anger
B2. Action Gradient:
Alicia refuses to take part in Father’s plan. She informs Father that she will go back to the US, where she lives, and let him and Amanda deal with the saga that create.
C2.1 Challenge
Father stands by his conviction. He assures her that he understands Mother’s state of mind. He asks that Alicia let go of her notion of right and stands by the family in dealing with the crisis.
C2.2 Weakness
Alicia sees life as black and white.
A3. Emotional Gradient: Bargaining
B3. Action Gradient:
As per Father’s request, Alicia agrees to stay onboard for another week with the understanding that he tells Mother the truth within that time frame. She comes up with a bogus story that Anthony got accepted into an internship program in rural Vietnam, where Mother does not have any contact and thus can’t trace the story. Father is ambivalent that Alicia’s quick fix will be long-lasting. He suggests that they also think of a long-term coping plan for Mother, but Alicia refuses to drag on the fake story for too long.
Her plan fails spectacularly. Mother insists that Father bring Anthony home.
C3.1 – Challenge:
Mother strongly objects to Anthony working in Vietnam. She fears that an internship in an emerging economy will jeopardize Anthony’s professional opportunities in Australia.
C3.2 – Weakness
Alicia is too impatient.
A4. Emotional Gradient: Depression
B4. Action Gradient:
After Alicia gets into exasperating fights with Mother, she informs Father that she’ll tell Mother the truth with or without his consent. Father breaks down with a heart attack, which forces him to go to the hospital. Alicia is inconsolable. She feels guilty for causing Father’s ill health and for deceiving Mother. She feels stuck. She falls into depression.
C4.1: Challenge
Mother suspects that Alicia conspires with Anthony to help him hide a secret lover. She heard rumours of scheming Vietnamese gold diggers who lure naive, eligible men like Anthony into marriage and convince them to leave their family to set up their love nest in Vietnam.
C4.2: Weakness
Alicia does not have a trusting relationship with her mother.
A5. Emotional Gradient: Acceptance
B5. Action Gradient
Alicia pleads with Father and Amanda to help her find a solution. Together the family decides that they need to help Mother feel Anthony’s presence in her life. With Amanda’s help, Alicia contacts Anthony’s organ recipients and ask for their help. Through Anthony’s former roommate, Alicia learns that her brother’s secret girlfriend Louise is pregnant with his child. Under Father’s guidance, Alicia arranges for these individuals to meet Mother in the mot compassionate setting.
Mother faces the tragic reality with grace. She confesses that she would have lost the will to live had she not given the opportunity to see Anthony’s presence in her life under a different light. She thanks Alicia for introducing her to the mother of her grandchild and to the individuals who help keep Anthony’s spirit alive.
Alicia feels a deep, loving bond with her mother, father, and sister. Her family has taught her about love in two weeks than she has learned in 15 years living away from them.
C5.1 – Challenge
Alicia finally accepts to let go of her controlling way, but she still falls into the habit of using an unemotional, systematic way of solving problems, which nearly makes Anthony’s girlfriend walk away from the family.
C5.2 – Weakness
Alicia needs to learn to build trusting relationship to entice people to collaborate with her.
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<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>DAY 4B – ANALYSIS of “DEAD POETS SOCIETY.”
What I learn doing this assignment is that when the oppression is great, the ability to make changes depends on the conviction of the character.
Vivien’s analysis of “Dead Poets Society.”
1. What is the change this movie is about? What is the transformative journey?
The change is about Carpe Diem (seize the day), find one’s own voice, and live life to the fullest.
The transformation journey is to reject conformity and embrace free thinking.
2. Lead characters
a. Who’s the change agent and what makes this the right character to cause the change?
The change agent is the new teacher Mr Keating. He’s a compassionate poet, a non-conformist, and a teacher. He cares for his students and sets the vision for them to “suck the marrow out of life. “
b. Who is the transformable character and what makes them the right character to deliver this profound journey?
The boys are the transformable character. They are young and open to adventures, but they are living under the strict control of their parents and school. Mr Keating gives them an escape and inspiration.
c. The Oppression
The oppression is the school administration that imposes conformity by demanding compliance and obedience from the students. It’s represented by Mr Nolan
There’s also an additional level of oppression for individual students. For instance, for Neil, his father Mr. Perry is his major oppression. For Todd, his oppression is the high expectations that his family and school put on him.
3. How are we lured into the profound? What causes us to connect with this story?
It is human nature to root for those who are under oppression to break away from their shackles. At the beginning of the movie, we see the authoritative Mr Nolan and other teachers plan to turn the students into learning robots.
Then Mr Keating comes into the boys’ lives like a breath of fresh air. He demolishes the rigid learning structure and teach the boys to be free thinkers, and to find their own voice by following the Dead Poets Society’s philosophy of life. We are eager to know what the DPS is and to follow the boys’ journey of discovery.
4. Looking at the characters, who changed the most? What is the profound journey?
From “old way” to “new way of being.” Identify their new way at the conclusion.
Todd is the character who changed the most. In the end he overcomes his introversion and insecurity to stand up for Mr Keating.
Todd has a quiet personality and is good at hiding his feelings. We see a glimpse of change when he’s asked to denounce Mr Keating and struggles to concur.
Another event is when he hears about Neil’s death. At first, he acts as if nothing happens then he breaks away from his group and flies through the snowy field, howling in pain. He no longer hides his feeling. He’s no longer self-conscious.
Old way: shy, low self-confidence, lacking free will, self-conscious, suppression of feelings, conformist, follower
New way: creative, expresses his feeling, stands up for his beliefs, leading the way.
5. What is the gradient of change? What step did the transformational character go through as they were changing?
Todd declines to join his classmates for a Dead Poets Society meeting in the cave unless he doesn’t have to speak.
He carefully tears out the pages of the poetry teaching book as Mr Keating suggested.
At the suggestion of Mr Keating, Todd timidly climbs on the table after his classmates.
He writes poetry for Mr Keating class, but he feels deeply embarrassed when Neil wants to read it.
Coached by Mr Keating, Todd yawps in front of the class. His inhibition slowly melts away. Then he recites a beautiful poem he’s been thinking about.
Todd opens up to Neil about feeling emotionally neglected by his parents. He shows Neil the gift his parents give him for his birthday – the same gift that he does not care for. When Neil tosses over the roof, Todd feels empowered.
He comes regularly to the DPS meetings with his classmates and enjoys it.
Todd roots for Neil when Neil plans to take part in a Shakespeare play in spite of the strong objection from his father.
When Cameron incites the group to turn against Mr Keating, Todd defends him with impassion.
When Todd is forced to sign an affidavit to hold Mr Keating responsible for Neil’s death, he resists and tries to defend him, albeit unsuccessfully.
In his poetry class with Mr Nolan, when Mr Keating passes by, Todd stands up on his desk, protesting Mr Keating’s firing despite fierce protest from the headmaster. He calls out loud “Captain, My Captain,” as a tribute to Mr Keating. Half the class join Todd and stand on their desk.
6. How is the old way challenged? What beliefs are challenged that cause a main character to shift their perspective and make the change?
In the old way, Todd doesn’t have his own identity. He lives in the shadow of his brother. He believes that the way to excel is to follow traditions set out by his predecessors.
Under Mr Keating’s coaching, Todd begins to question the path his parents paint for him. He sees Neil defy his father to act in a play. He sees Knox win over the girl he loves by pursuing her relentlessly despite her rejection. These circumstances make him believe that he too can achieve what he puts his mind into.
We see Todd’s transformation when the school make Mr Keating is a scapegoat for Neil’s death and fires him. Despite his fear, Todd stands up for Mr Keating and he defies Mr Nolan’s authority. He takes initiative and shows that he leadership skills.
7. What are the most profound moments of the movie?
In Mr Keating’s first class, he tells the boys the tale of their predecessors who died without living their dream. He urges the boys to throw away convention and find their individuality.
Mr Keating tells the boys about the Dead Poets Society and its opening meeting mantra that urge members to suck the marrow of life and not die with a broken dream.
The boys meet in clandestine in a cave in the wood to officiate their Dead Poets Society membership.
Neil meets with Mr Keating to talk about his father’s demand that he withdraws from the play. He’s in despair. Mr Keating gives him a glimpse of hope.
Todd yawps in front of his classmates in Mr Keating’s class. Then, in the middle of high emotion, he blurts out a beautiful poem.
Neil looks blissfully happy when he performs on stage.
When Mr Perry tells Neil about his determination to make him a doctor, Neil fights back but quicky resigns to his fate.
Neil stands in front of his bedroom window, shirtless, wearing the headpiece made of branches and flowers that he wears in the play. He looks like Christ, who’s bearing unimaginable pain.
Todd runs on the snow and howls in pain after hearing about the death of his friend Neil.
In an empty classroom, Mr Keating comes to Neil’s desk, lifts its top, and takes out the poetry book “Five Century of Verses” that the Dead Poets Society and the students used in their meeting. He reads the opening statement that tells member to live fully so they won’t regret when they die. Mr Keating son. Neil died without having an opportunity to live.
Mr Nolan and Todd’s parents pressure him to sign an affidavit to declare that Mr Keating is directly responsible for Neil’s death. Todd tries to defend Mr Keating but gives in quickly because he’s too afraid of contradicting the authority.
When Mr Keating passes by the classroom for the last time to pick up his belongings, Todd defies Mr Nolan by standing on his desk and calling out to Mr Keating as “Captain, My Captain.” Half the class follow suit.
8. What are the most profound lines of the movie?
“Carpe Diem. Seize the day.”
“We are food for worms.”
“Make your life extraordinary.”
“The human life is filled with passion.”
“Dead Poets were dedicated to suck the marrow of life.”
“We just didn’t read poetry, we let it drips from our tongue like honey.”
“We must constantly look at things in a different way.”
“You must find your own voice.”
“We all have a great need for acceptance, but you must trust that your belief are unique.”
“Two roads diverge in the wood, and I, I took the one less travelled by.”
“Sucking the marrow out of life doesn’t mean choking on the bone. There’s a time for daring, there’s a time for caution. The wise man understands which one to go for.”
Neil: “He (Mr Perry) is planning the rest of my life for me. He never asks me what I want.”
Mr Keating to Neil: “You are playing the role of a dutiful son. You have to show him who you are, where your heart is.”
Neil: “I’m trapped.”
Neil to his father: “That’s 10 more years, Father. That’s a lifetime.”
“I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, I wanted to live deep and seek out all the marrow of life! To put to rest all that was not life. And not when I came to die, discover that I had not lived…”
“You can’t save Keating, but you can save yourself.”
Mr Keating to the boys when he leaves the classroom for good: “Thank you boys, thank you.”
9. How does the ending pay off the set up of this movie?
In the beginning Mr Keating tells the boys to stand up on the desk to see things with a new perspective.
In the end, the boys stand on their desk by themselves to pay tribute to Mr Keating. Metaphorically they’ve found a new perspective in life. They are free-thinkers and no longer subscribe to the herd mentality doctrine.
10. What is the profound truth of the movie?
Seize the day and live your life authentically.
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Vivien’s Lead Characters
What I learned doing this assignment is that it is very difficult for a character to change because of her habitual way of life, which is practiced by other people around her. Hence, for a character to go on a successful transformation journey she’d need a change agent with relevant personal experience and a clear vision to nurture her through the changes.
1. TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY LOGLINE
A headstrong woman struggles to carry out her family’s plan to conceal the sudden death of her beloved brother from the elderly mother until she understands how to deeply love her family.
2. WHO IS THE CHANGE AGENT?
How does this character fit the role and what’s his vision?
The Father is the change agent. When his son Anthony dies, he wants to hide the death from his wife because he knows that Anthony is her world, and that the news may cause a total meltdown in her. In the Vietnamese tradition, which the family comes from, it is common for the family to shield tragic news from the elderly or vulnerable person in the family to protect their wellbeing.
The father understands that his daughter Alicia is a principled person and that she is likely to fight against his decision, which, based on her Western-influenced value is perceived as unethical. But he also knows that Alicia loves her mother deeply and will not want to cause her pain. He believes that he can call on Alicia’s love and filial duty to carry out his plan.
In the past, he and his wife lost a toddler son, who’s Anthony’s elder brother. His wife became suicidal after the loss. The father does not want her to relive the same experience. He is buying time while waiting for the right strategy to deal with the problem.
3. WHO MIGHT BE THE TRANSFORMABLE CHARACTER?
HOW DOES THAT CHARACTER FIT THE ROLE?
The transformable character is Alicia, who’s in her late twenties. Alicia leaves her close-knit family in Australia to move to the US after high school. It would have been 15 years since she left Australia when her brother died. Alicia has lost touch with the Vietnamese cultural practice of her family and cannot comprehend her father’s decision to lie to Mother that her son has moved overseas for work.
But under the family’s pressure, Alicia begrudgingly weaves a web of lies to distract Mother. Her journey with her family is full of conflict, but also full of love and complicity. As she spends more time with her mother, she begins to understand her father’s decision and his self-sacrifice to protect the mother of his children.
She lets go of her prejudice about right and wrong and lets her heart guide her to do what that which might help her family live through the crisis.
4. WHO OR WHAT IS THE OPPRESSION?
HOW THE OPPRESSION WORK IN THE STORY?
How the Oppression work in the story?
The mother is the Oppression. She constantly worries about her son Anthony – he’s her baby and her favourite child. She wants to talk with him, see him, and visit him. She throws a tantrum when she cannot go see him.
5. WHO IS THE BETRAYAL CHARACTER?
HOW DOES THE CHARACTER FIT THE ROLE?
The betrayal character is the mother’s best friend Di Thu (aunty Thu). She agrees to play along with the family’s game, but when she sees Mother become too distressed, she questions whether the strategy is not only futile but also destructive to Mother’s mental health.
When Mother is about to find out the truth – where Anthony’s ashes are kept – she does not stop her or alert the family. She feigns ignorance and lets Mother head towards Anthony’s resting place.
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Vivien’s Analysis of Groundhog Day.
What I learned doing this assignment is understanding the elements of a profound script.
1. What is the CHANGE this journey is about?
Phil changes from being a miserable human being (cynical, narcissist, insecure, arrogant, and irreverent towards others) to becoming a person who loves people and life.
What is the TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY?
Going from living a life of quiet desperation in his tiny, lonely world to being the world to others. From being a victim of circumstances to taking responsibility for his own life. From focusing on what he can get to focusing on what he can give.
2. LEAD CHARACTERS
Change agent: Rita – kind-hearted, fun-loving, positive, and talented.
Transformational character: Phil
Oppression: The time loop
3. How are we lured into the profound?
What causes us to connect with this story?
CONNECTION with AUDIENCE
We go on this journey because we can relate to who Phil is.
RELATABILITY
– Phil is stuck in a dead-end job. Many people experience with situation.
– Phil lives a lonely and bored life. We can empathize with him.
– Phil wants to get another job, and we want him to.
– Phil dreams of escaping his mundane life, and we want him to.
– Phil wants to be with the woman he loves. Everyone wants love.
4. Which characters change the most?
OLD WAYS VERSUS NEW WAY
Old ways: Phil does not care about other people. He lives in his own world. He doesn’t want to be around others because he thinks that they are beneath him. He treats people appallingly. He acts like a victim for living the same experience every day. He feels stuck. He feels alone. His life is empty.
New Way at the end: Phil’s love for Rita makes him strive to become a better person. He opens his heart, learns to care, and learns to love. He opens his world and let others in. He’s no longer alone and values other people’s companionship.
5. What is the gradient of change?
What steps did the transformational character go through as they were changing?
– Phil is a hater of everything: his job, his life, his crew, Punxsutawney, the people who work live there and work there. He’s a miserable narcissist.
– He realizes that he has a problem – living in a time loop, doing the same thing over and over again a thousand times.
– He thinks that he can’t change his predicament no matter what he does: lack of initiative.
– Phil asks Rita to help find solutions to his problems: he does not take responsibility for his own happiness.
– He tries to change the external environment by adopting different persona – living on the edge, being a womanizer, being a thief, wooing Rita. It doesn’t work.
– He tries to kill himself, but he can’t and his problems keep on following him.
– He begins to get interested in knowing other people (the lady in the restaurant, his one-night stand, and Rita) but he does so to win their affection, not because he truly cares for them. His strategy flops, especially with Rita, who vows to never love a narcissist like him.
– He truly falls for Rita and is determined to learn about her habit and interests. He relives his experience with Rita until he gets it right. He learns French poetry, her happy childhood memory, her favorite drink. Rita is touched with Phil’s attentiveness.
– He begins to pay attention to his environment and people around him and make an effort to get to know them
– He begins to see the beauty of the Punxsutawney and its people, and decides to stay an extra day after the Groundhog Day event.
– He’s happy to see the hotel and restaurant manager. He’s upbeat around people.
– He takes up new hobby: playing the piano and ice carving.
– He helps strangers solving their problems and no longer thinks about his: catch a child falling from a tree, saving a man who chokes on his food, changes the flat tire for three old ladies, takes the old beggar to the hospital when the man gets very sick.
– He finds pleasure in his work of reporting the Groundhog day.
– He shows Rita his love by doing something special for her: carving her face in a block of ice. The act touches her which makes her wants to spend more time with him.
– He brings joy to Punxsutawney with his piano performance and becomes a beloved member of the community, which he loves and appreciates.
– He wins Rita’s love and admiration. He loves her selflessly.
6. How is the old way challenged?
Phil thought that he’s stuck in a dead-end job which makes his life miserable and there’s nothing he can do about it. He dislikes people and believes that he’s better off being by himself that being in their company.
He learns that he is responsible for his happiness and can create his own happiness. He just needs to change his attitude and appreciate the people and opportunities around him. He realizes that it’s the people who enrich his life.
7. What are the most profound moments of the movie?
– Phil believes that he’s God and proves to Rita that he knows about the lives of people he meets in the hotel’s restaurant without really know them. Rita starts to believe in him. In this scene Phil secretly or unconsciously wants to connect with people.
– Rita spends a day with Phil and enjoys his companionship very much. She’s afraid that he’d disappear like Cinderella.
– When Rita sleeps next to Phil, he realizes that he’s deeply in love with her and promises to love her for the rest of his live.
– Phil brings coffee to Rita and Larry on set of the coverage of the Groundhog Day and suggests ways to improve the setting.
– He goes to a café and reads French poetry instead of holing up in his hotel room and complaint about the horrible weather.
– He takes the old man (beggar) to the hospital when the man falls seriously ill, and gets distraught when he learns that the man has died. He rewinds the clock so he could take the man for a hot meal.
– He tries to resuscitate the old man when he collapses on the street, but he lets go when he knows it’s out of his control. This may be a metaphor for his dead-end job.
– On his last coverage of the Groundhog Day, he puts his heart into it, speaks with emotion and voices his appreciation to the people of Punxsutawney. His speech touches Rita and Larry.
– Phil carves Rita’s face on the ice block and tells her that he can carve her image without looking at her because he remembers it by heart.
– Rita teaches Phil how to live in the moment. He asked her what she would do if she has only one day to live and she’s faced with a massive nature disaster. She says she finds a place to keep her camera equipment safe.
– He plays piano beautifully at a community dance party. His piano teacher is proud of him and Rita is very impressed with him.
– Guests at the party thanks Phil for helping them. They adore him and treat him like a celebrity. But Phil modesty thank them without beating his own drum.
– At the party Phil is the most wanted bachelor with bids from many women, but it’s Rita who makes him feel loved by bidding him with all the money she has.
– Phil helps his former High School classmate Ned by buying many insurance policies from him.
– Phil wakes up with Rita in his arms. He realizes that he is living the reality and not a fantasy.
– The clock goes past 6AM. It’s truly the next day after Groundhog Day. Phil is unstuck. He’s with the woman he loves and looks forward to building a happy life with her.
8. Profound lines
– “What if there’s no tomorrow?”
“No tomorrow, that’s means no consequences, there will be no hangovers we can do whatever we wanted.”
– “Some guys look at that glass and they’ll say that glass is half-empty, the other guy will say that it’s half full. I think you’re the half empty kind of guy.”
– “What would you do if you are stuck in one place and everyday was exactly the same, nothing you did matter?”
– “You made choices, and you live with it.”
– “I know you are egocentric. That is your defining character.”
– “If you only have one day to live, what would you do?”
– “I can never love anyone like you because you never love anyone but yourself.”
– “I want you to believe in me.”
– “You gotta want it, Rita.”
– “Maybe it’s not a curse. It depends on how you look at it.”
– “The first time I saw you, something happens to me. I never told you but I knew I wanted to hold you as hard as I could.”
– “I didn’t deserve someone like you, but if I ever could, I swear I’d love you for the rest of my life.”
– “Then put your little hand in mine ‘cause there ain’t no hill of mountain we can’t climb.”
– “We know that winter is another step in the cycle of life.”
– “What do you do today?”
“Same old, same old.” (but this time it’s a happy same old.)– “I know your face so well, I could have done it with my eyes closed.”
– “No matter what happens tomorrow or for the rest of my life, I’m happy now because I love you.”
– “Let’s live here.”
9. How does the ending pay off the set up of this movie?
In the beginning, Phil is a narcissist weather forecaster who lives a miserable life. His heart is full of bitterness, indifference, and hatred. He’s a loner who lives an empty life.
In the end, Phil takes charge of his life and turns it around. His heart is full of love for Rita and for people around him. He creates his own happiness.
10. The profound truth
Love is the elixir of life. It’s by loving people that you find happiness in your life.
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Vivien’s Transformative Journey.
What I learned doing this assignment is to understand the psychological transformation of the character/s during their journey, i. e their internal journey.
LOGLINE
(dramedy, “Ordinary People” meets “The Farewell.”
A headstrong woman struggles to carry out her family’s plan to conceal the sudden death of her beloved brother from the elderly mother until she understands how to deeply love her family.
– Lead character with an issue: a headstrong woman
– Journey: conceal the sudden death of her beloved brother from her elderly mother.
– Transformation: until she understands how to deeply love her family.:
OLD WAYS
The protagonist is a young, independent woman, Alicia, who’s been living away from her family for more than a decade. Headstrong and intelligent, Alicia believes that she can always find the right solution to a problem. She has a cordial but distant relationship with her family.
– Headstrong, independent, always right, does not have a strong relationship with her family.
NEW WAYS
Alicia lets go of her preconceived idea of right and wrong and follows her family’s plan to help the mother through the crisis. In the process she rediscovers the family love that has long eluded her.
– Compassionate, considerate, values her family’s ways of life, develops strong bonds with her family, rediscovers the family love that she always craves.
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What I learned doing this assignment is to think about the subtext of my movie or its true meaning.
Vivien’s First Three Decisions
1. Profound Truth: love is about self-sacrifice.
2. Audience Change: inspired us to re-evaluate our relationships with our loved ones and consider how we may better love them.
3. Entertainment Vehicle: the embellished as-it-happened conflict.
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Hi Cheryl,
I didn’t know where to find the 10 questions to analyse Groundhog Day so I used the list that Hal provided from the opening audio.
I encountered problems when I tried to access the lessons shown on the course outline page. I could not go pass the first step. When I clicked on the next step, I received an error message saying that I’d need to go back and complete the previous step, which I did complete.
Would you please follow up with technical support on this matter? I did report this error to them.
Thank you kindly,
Vivien
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I just got access to day 1 materials and am revising my answers. Will post them later.
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I, Vivien Le, agree to the term of this release form.
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.
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Message deleted.
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I, Vivien Le, I agree to the terms of this release form.
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Hi Cheryl and everyone,
My name is Vivien Le. I am a Californian based in Sydney, Australia.
I’ve written one feature romcom, which I am in the process of rewriting, a proof of concept for the romcom, two short documentary scripts which I directed and produced. I’ve also written a 40-pages treatment for a feature dramedy. I am in the process of writing the script for this dramedy and look forward to incorporating the elements of writing a profound script into my story.
I love stories that touch people’s heart and soul like Casablanca. I seek to find humanity and humour even in the most sombre situation and guide the light into darkness.
A couple unique life experiences have a strong influence in my life:
1. Many years ago, on a boat ride to Indonesia, my boat hit the corals and began to sink. A few of us jumped into the water and swam to shore to seek rescue. Fortunately everyone were brought to shore safely.
2. I grew up in three cultures and have lived/work in four continents in seven countries. This experience resulted in my love for cultures and in their influence on my writing.
I look forward to go on a learning journey with you all.
Best,
Vivien
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Excellent analysis, Bob. I like the way you present your ideas in a concise and convincing way. I missed a few important profound moments that you mentioned on your analysis (#1, #2, #6, #10 and #11). It’s great that you tied Emily Dickinson’s poetry to Red’s belief that he can become a great hocky. Well done.
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Hi Bob, your new ways are full of wisdom and humanity. They point out the protagonist’s weaknesses without being critical. Not knowing how the protagonist respond to each comment that challenge his belief, I’d imagine that these comments seep into his subconscious and make him realise that he needs to change if he want people to respect him.
BTW, I admire your learning process. You must have spent a great amount of time reading other participants’ posts and giving them feedbacks. That’s the best way to learn.
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Hi Marilynne, I very much enjoy reading your analysis. It’s thorough and clear. It’s nice to see who says what and who challenges the old beliefs.
I like the way you classified the jury’s comments in the old ways category of thinking and highlighted their points in bold.
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Hi Marilynne,
Traditional Vietnamese families (or traditional Asian families in general) function as a unit. They are close-knit and make important decision together. This practice often causes conflict between the traditional older generation and the younger generation who grow in Western countries and more in tune with Western way of life.
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This speech is so inspiring. Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you Joan.
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Thank you Bob. I am glad that my analysis gave you some new insights.
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Hi Joan,
I really like the simplicity of your answers. You’ve touched upon all the major points of contention in the movie. Well done.
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I find your premise very attractive. I can see a strong character development in Sally, who transforms from a young adult who let others plan her life for her to taking her life by the horns. A love story during the war add emotional depth to the Sally’s character. Well done, Liz.
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In your story you clearly articulate the component of the three gradients and how the story organically progresses. Well done, Marilynne.
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Excellent analysis, Joan. I was undecided about the transformative character until I read your analysis. Now I can see it clearly that Todd is the boy who’s experienced the most transformation.
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Your story reminds me of the mini series “Maid” which is about domestic violence. It address similar issues experienced by victims of domestic violence without the sci-fi elements of deprogramming.
It’s an intriguing concept with a complex plot. Do you intend to make this a feature film or a TV series?
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I like your story very much. I’ve read real life stories of people like Professor Caroline who are dissatisfied with their lives until they find their live purpose where they could make a difference in people’s lives. She’s similar to Phil in the Groundhog Day, isn’t she?
The change agent, Mary Ellen, is an interesting character. A Buddhist nun in Africa is unusual and original. As her her view of happiness is likely to be diametrically opposite to Caroline’s, I can see that her influence on Caroline’s journey is not only inspirational but also requires much compassion, love and patience – the basics of Buddhist teaching.
Like you, I am not familiar with the concept of Obstruction or Betrayal Character. I think of them in term of antagonist or midpoint reversal.
I concur with your take on the Obstruction in your story as society’s and family’s expectations that Caroline believes she must live up to.
I look forward to hearing more about the development of your story.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Vivien Le.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by
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It’s an inspirational story, Hope. The idea of rescuing livestock from the slaughterhouse is heart-warming. and it can resonate with a young audience.
I can see that the protagonist’s journey is full of challenges not only because she must change her value and beliefs (become a young millionaires) but also because she most not let her stepmother influence her.
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I had a similar experience as you did. The concept of a Betrayal character is foreign to me until now. I used to think of this character or circumstance as an obstacle to the protagonist’s journey. But he betrayal character brings a totally different dimension to the profound journey.
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You have an excellent premise for a transformative character – a free man who takes himself prisoner of his own mind until he meets real prisoners who uses their newfound freedom to live a full life.
I’d have liked to know what brought the Jose and Tony to prison in the first place, to understand more how they could help Edward transform his life.
Look forward to following your story.
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Great premise, Ashley. The story of women oppression and self-liberation resonates even in the 21st century. In the 15th century, the protagonist journey must be filled with heartache and inspiration. I look forward to hearing more about the story.
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Thank you, Joan. I’m glad you found my notes of useful.
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It’s in store, Marilynne 🙂.
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How fascinating.
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Hi Claudia,
What kind of dancing do you do? Dancing is a great exercise, with much more fun.
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Hi Hope,
It’s so cool to have a farm with llama and goats. I love these animals, especially llamas. It would be wonderful to have a home-knitted llama sweater.