LHL 5003 - Story Telling Journal by Zayden Camenuli

STORY

TELLING JOURNAL

LHL 5003 - CRITICAL MEDIA LITERACY EDUCATION BY ZAYDEN CAMENZULI

WHAT IS A STORY PAGE 04

02 03 04 05

WHAT IS A LOGLINE PAGE 16

COURSE TASKS PAGE 20

LESSON ACTIVITY WRITING A LOGLINE PAGE 36

LESSON ACTIVITY INTO PRACTICE PAGE 54 3

4 WHAT IS A STORY

WHAT IS A STORY CHAPTER

TOPICS

ONE

INCLUDED

The 3 Elements of a Story Developing a Powerful Story 3-Act Structure & Hero’s Journey Logline examples How to write a Logline 5

Story WHAT IS A

A story will have a character with a dream or a mission, yet finding various obstacles until reaching the very end. Most good stories have a theme, and in order to have an engaging narrative, one must have a good character, good goal and a good obsticle - This is known as the Three Elements.

THE 3 ELEMENTS OF A STORY

T h eC

h e G oal T

cte ra

Th eO

JU ST C

le c a st

AN’ T WAIT

NG I EK B TO

Most of what makes a story great is the brilliant use of these three things. When one of them is weak, your story gets weak.

A POWERFUL STORY 01. SETTING Where and when is the story set? Setting represents both the physical location but also the time (i.e. past, present, future) and the social and cultural conditions in which the characters exist.

PRIDE ROCK Pride Rock is an ancient and massive rock formation located in the vast Pride Lands, made famous by The Lion King franchise. It is the home to Simba, the protagonist of the original film and his pride. Pride Rock is the home of the King of the Pride Lands and his lioness, and functions as his throne and palace. The pride makes their den in a cavern in one part of the formation. It is shown to be so tall, that one can see the entire Pride Lands from its peak, and vice versa. The formation can be seen from any part of the Pride Lands. Because of this, the area serves as a gathering place for many events as well as a key part of the Circle of Life, as when a new prince or princess is born, they are presented to the entire kingdom from the peak of Pride Rock.

02. CHARACTER

Character: A person or animal or really anything personified. There can be one main character or

many, and often there are secondary characters, but not always.

SIMBA

SCAR Scar is the main

Simba is the protagonist. He is the

antagonist. As the

son of Mufasa and

brother of Mufasa and second-born

Sarabi, who was

prince of the Pride

destined to rule the Pride

Lands, Scar was

Lands, as king. When Mufasa was murdered by his treacherous brother, Scar, Simba was exiled from the Pride Lands after his uncle blamed him for his father's death. He finds refuge in a jungle oasis with Timon and Pumbaa, but when the Pride Lands fall to disarray during his absence, Simba is forced to confront his troubled past and take his

next in line to assume the throne as king. However, his chances were lost at the birth of his nephew, Simba. This embittered Scar with jealousy and a sense of entitlement, prompting him to develop a regicidal plot to take over the kingdom, with the aid of his hyena henchmen.

place in the "Circle of Life".

NALA

MUFASA

Nala is the

Mufasa is a major

deuteragonist. She

character. He was

is the lifelong best

the king of the Pride

friend of Simba,

Lands and the father

prince of the Pride

of Simba. In the midst

Lands. When the kingdom

of his reign, Mufasa

is taken over by Scar and his hyena henchmen, Nala rebels against their reign by assisting Simba

was killed by his envious brother, Scar, in an effort to steal the throne.

in reclaiming the throne.

TIMON & PUMBAA When Simba fled the Pride Lands, he nearly died from exposure in the desert. However, Timon and Pumbaa rescued him and revived him in their jungle home. Both Timon and Pumbaa are very important in Simba’s life as once they rescued him, both characters become Simba’s adobtive fathers.

03. PLOT

The plot consists of the events that happen in the story. In a plot you typically find an introduction, rising action, a climax, the falling action, and a resolution as explained below, this may be also known as the 3-ACT STRUCTURE (beginning, middle & end) based on THE HERO’S JOURNEY. 1. Exposition/Introduction: In the exposition stage of the plot of a story, the setting and characters (especially the main character, known as the protagonist) are introduced, as well as the main problem, conflict or goal of the story. 2. Rising Action: The rising action stage involves an inciting incident. The inciting incident pushes the plot into motion, events begin to build, the protagonist takes action, and the storyline becomes more complex. During this phase, there is often a sense of tension. 3. Climax: The climax is the turning point in the plot of a story. It involves a “climax” (hence the name) – the central struggle. The protagonist faces the main challenge which will eventually lead to the outcome or goal of the story. Typically, this is the most emotional part of the storyline and it often involves the most action. 4. Falling Action: During this stage, the action winds down, loose ends get tied up, events are resolved and we learn the results of the protagonists’ actions. 5. Denoument/Conclusion: In the denoument stage, the goal is resolved and the conflict ends

(could be positive, negative or neutral). This is

EXPOSITION 10

BEGINNINING

the end of the story.

A POWERFUL STORY

TI AC G IN IS

ING T IO

L FA L

CLIMAX

N RESOLUTION MIDDLE

END

01 ORDINAR

THE HERO’S JOURNEY 12. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR / RESOLUTION

11. RESURRECTION / NEW LIFE

ORDINARY

STAGES HERO’S J

10. THE ROAD BACK

SPECIALW 09. THE REWARD 08. ORDEAL 12

1. RY WORLD

02. CALL FOR ADVENTURE

03. REFUSAL OF THE CALL

WORLD

OF THE JOURNEY

04. ASSISTANCE / MEETING THE MENTOR

05. DEPARTURE / CROSSING THE THRESHOLD

LWORLD 06. TRIALS, ALLIES & ENEMIES 07. APPROACH TO THE INMOST CAVE / CRISIS 13

A POWERFUL STORY 04. CONFLICT Every story must have a conflict, i.e. a challenge or problem around which the plot is based. Without conflict, the story will have no purpose or trajectory.

FIRST CONFLICT Scar executes his plan, and uses Simba as unknowing bait to lure Mufasa into a wildebeest stampede. Scar personally kills Mufasa and convinces Simba that Simba caused his death. Scar tells him, “Run away and never return.” Simba believes him and exiles himself. This closes the door on Simba’s life ever being the same and brings him inextricably into the main conflict, which is whether he will claim his right to kingship or spend the rest of his days hiding from the shame.

05. THEME Idea, belief, moral, lesson or insight. It’s the central argument that the author is trying to make the reader understand. The theme is the “why” of the story.

THEME OF STORY The main idea in The Lion King is to simply move on from your past. The moral of the story, as Raffiki rightly said is, “It’s in the past!, now you can either run from ot or learn from it”

06. TONE

07. STYLE

The overall emotional “tone” or meaning of the

This is how things are said. Word choices,

story. Is it happy, funny, sad, depressed? Tone

sentence structure, dialogue, metaphor, simile,

can be portrayed in multiple ways, through word

hyperbole. Style contributes significantly to tone.

and grammar choices, choice of theme, imagery and description, symbolism, and the sounds of the words in combination (i.e. rhyme, rhythm, musicality).

A logline is a few sentences summary or

OGLIN EXAMPLES

description of a movie (this is usually around 30

words). Loglines extract the important elements of your screen play including a short description of the main character, setup, central conflict, antagonist - into a clear concise teaser. The goal is to write a logline so appealing that it hooks the listener/viewer into reading the entire script or watching the movie. For this reason, a logline never gives away the ending.

4 Primary Parts of a Logline 01. Protagonist 02. Inciting Incident 03. Goal 04. Conflict It is not necessary to write your logline as the exact same order. However, in any way you decide to structure your logline, these four components should be clearly defined.

Mark Primary parts of logline as follows: Protagonist Inciting Incident Goal Conflict

WHAT IS A LOGLINE

A vengeful fairy is driven to curse an infant After his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef

princess, only to discover that the child may be

and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out

the one person who can restore peace to their

on a journey to bring him home.

troubled land

Lion prince Simba and his father are targeted by A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a

his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne

male warrior in order to save her father

himself.

01 02

STEP

HOW TO WRITE A GREAT

LIST ALL YOU MAIN CHARACTER'S BIOGRAPHY AND PHYSICAL INFORMATION. List out all your main character's biographical and physical information, then select the strongest adjective and proper noun combination that represents who they are. Some examples of strong combinations for your protagonist description may include: 'Cheerful School Teacher', 'Elitist funeral director' or 'depressed cop'

DESCRIBE THE INCITING INCIDENT The inciting incident is the jolt from the blue that sets your story in motion. This is also sometimes referred to as the 'call for adventure' or 'catalyst' Now that you know who your protagonist is, what is the thing that blows your character's life apart? Is it a death? A promotion at work? A visit from an old friend? Summarize the inciting incident in a few words like 'when her mom dies' or 'after graduating from college'

03 04

STEP

LOGLINE IN FOUR STEPS HIGHLIGHT YOUR PROTAGONIST’S GOAL The hero’s goal is the primary motivation for the rest of the action. In the logline, outline what the hero wants or needs with a few quick words. This aligns the viewer with the character’s goals and created a level of investment and empathy when obsticles stand in the character’s way. Goals may range from a character who wants:

To destroy his enemy

Wants to find her birth father

Reversing the zombie outbreak

CREATE A COMPELLING CENTRAL CONFLICT Write down a list of possible obstacles that will get in the way of your character achieving his or her goal. These antagonistic forces can be People

Ideological hurdles

Legitimate physical obstacles.

Is your character’s journey going to be difficult because there’s a storm out? Select a conflict with the highest takes (but make sure it still makes sense in your story) Describe this conflict in a few words, like ‘treacherous journey’ or ‘before the ship sinks’

20 COURSE TASKS

COURSE TASKS CHAPTER

TOPICS

TWO

INCLUDED Task 01. Find Loglines Task 02. Analyse a Movie

Task CLASS

WONDER WOMAN (2017)

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010)

When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the

Nineteen-year-old Alice returns to the magical

outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in

world from her childhood adventure, where she

training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering

reunites with her old friends and learns of her

her full powers and true destiny.

true destiny: to end the Red Queen’s reign of

terror.

FIND

Loglines

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017)

MARY POPPINS RETURNS (2018)

A selfish Prince is cursed to become a monster

A few decades after her original visit, Mary

for the rest of his life, unless he learns to fall in

Poppins, the magical nanny, returns to help the

love with a beautiful young woman he keeps

Banks siblings and Michael’s children through a

prisoner.

difficult time in their lives. 23

Logline

Storyline

In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined

Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra,

Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a

humans and dragons lived together in harmony.

warrior named Raya is determined to find the

However, when sinister monsters known as the

last dragon.

Druun threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, those same monsters have returned, and it's up to a lone warrior to track down the last dragon and stop the Druun for good.

Characters Protagonist (Main Character) - Raya

Antagonist (Opposition Character) - Namaara

Undoubtedly the most important character in a

What is true in physics is also true in storytelling.

story, the protagonist is a fancy word for the “main

While the protagonist pushes one way, the

character”. Conventionally, we meet the protagonist

antagonist pushes another. They are the oppositional

at the beginning of a story, follow them through a

force in the story, doing everything in their power

series of trials and tribulations, before leaving them

to make sure that the protagonist fails and that they

at the end of the story in a new form.

succeed. The antagonist isn’t necessarily evil either. They just believe something different than the protagonist

Deuteragonist (Secondary Character) - Sisu

Mentor Character

Not all characters can take center stage. Some thrive

While the deuteragonist is usually a peer, a mentor is

in the sides. The deuteragonist is a character that the

usually a wizened elder figure to the protagonist who

script isn’t focused on, but they still play a big part in

takes them under their wing. The mentor is etched

the story. Often they’re a friend or ally of the

into some of humanity’s oldest storytelling traditions

protagonist who offers a differing perspective on the

for good reason. In an age of oral tradition, the only

events of the story. A deuteragonist can often be a

way for knowledge to be passed on was for elders

source of comic relief or they can be what anchors

to share their experience with a younger generation.

the protagonist in reality

The mentor character can also be a deuteragonist, or even sometimes an antagonist

Characters Raya PROTAGONIST

Raya is a proud Guardian of the Dragon Gem, a title she holds alongside her beloved father Benja, the Chief of the Heart Lands. Her world is turned upside down when the Gem is broken, and her father is turned to stone. Now on a mission to save the world, she’s grown up to be a resilient warrior Raya is a headstrong young woman who is mature and wisened for someone her age. She is a very capable person and is shown to easily adapt to situations around her. Despite her maturity, she retains a sense of humor and occasionally shows a bit of playfulness when such a moment presents itself. She deeply cares for her father and has a strong emotional attachment to certain people she considers her friends. Her biggest flaw is her inability to trust others. With the exception of Sisu, many of her new allies are immediately deemed as suspicious or sinister in her eyes. Over time, she learns to overcome these issues and can see when someone is truly good. Raya is a very focused individual and is determined to see things through to the end.

Sisu

DEUTERAGONIST

Sisu is the last dragon of Kumandra. Legends say she’s a divine water being of unspeakable beauty and unstoppable magic, but what Raya finds instead is a funny self-deprecating dragon who sees herself as the perennial C-student. Now she must learn to become the dragon of legend if she is to save the world with Raya. Sisu is a kind dragon who despite being from a mighty race is shown to be in the beginning self-deprecating due to her weakened power and lack experience in magic however this changes after aliening her self with Raya. She is seen as brave, loyal and open minded. Sisu is a spunky and fun-loving dragon who loves making wisecracks and speaks in slang. While she is a bit of a goofball, she still is able to recognize when something is of serious consequence and will drop everything to help. She is shown to be somewhat naive as she does not understand the current human customs such as credit, hot sauce and thinks that most things can be solved with getting someone a gift. However, the latter is her strong suit as she retains her belief that one can be trusted through cohesion and unity. That is to say that she is much more trusting of others. 27

Namaari MAIN ANTAGONIST

She is the princess of the Fang Land, and Raya’s former nemesis. When they are young, during a feast among the five tribes, Raya befriends the daughter of Chieftess Virana of the Fang tribe, Namaari, due to their shared interest in dragons. She gives Raya a dragon pendant and she in turn shows her the location of the orb only for the Fang Tribe to make an attempt to steal it. A fight breaks out when the rest of the tribes find out, resulting in the orb’s destruction. The Druun suddenly reawaken as each of the tribes steal a piece, with Benja among the casualties.

Characters Druum SECONDARY ANTAGONIST

Druun are said to be a mindless plague that spreads like a relentless wildfire, consuming everything in their path until there is nothing left but ash and stone. They wander Kumandra and targets any living creature they encounter, turning it into a statue. However, Druun appear to be afraid of, and are repelled by both the Dragon Gem and water. They are presented by Sisu as the polar opposite of Dragons; while Dragons embody goodness, selflessness, unity through mutual trust, as well as the gift of Life, the Druun are creatures of pure evil, born from Human discord, and existing solely for the purpose of consuming and destroying everything in their path.

OTHER

Characters

HELPERS / FRIENDS

BOUN HELPING CHARACTER

He is a street-savvy entrepreneur and the owner of a boat restaurant, the Shrimporium. He is a 10-year old boy from the deserts of Kumandra’s Tail Land, where he grew up alongside his family. Boun also helped Raya, Sisu and the rest of the group to travel between lands within Kumandra to collect the remaining dragon gam pieces.

Tong HELPING CHARACTER

Tong is a supporting character in Disney’s 2021 animated feature film. Described as a formidable giant, Tong was the last surviving member of Kumandra’s Spine Land, after humanity was desolated by the Druun. Among the casualties were his family, including his infant daughter. In the aftermath, Tong became the sole guardian of Spine’s Dragon Gem piece, and joined forces with Raya to save 30

the world with the help of the last dragon, Sisu.

Noi & Trio HELPING CHARACTER

Noi is a swift and intelligent toddler from Kumandra’s Talon Land. After losing her family to the Druun, an orphaned Noi was adopted by a band of mischievous Ongis. To survive, she and her companions became con-artists, and used their cute appearances to hustle the people of Talon Dyan, Pan, and Uka are the trio of thieving Ongis (half-monkey, half-catfish creatures) that adopted Noi which worked together to raise and protect her.

tuk tuk HELPING CHARACTER

Part-pill bug, part-pug, part-high speed off-road vehicle and all adorable, Tuk Tuk has been Raya’s best friend since she could hold him in the palm of her hand. Now they are both grown, and Tuk Tuk is Raya’s faithful, gigantic steed. Together, they tear through the varied terrains of Kumandra at incredible speeds on a journey to find the last dragon and save the world.

setting

geography, Kumandra is comprised of five

theme

separate kingdoms that, together, form the

a concerted effort by the studio to transcend

Kumandra is the central location of Disney’s 2021 animated feature film, Raya and the Last Dragon. Inspired by Southeast Asian cultures and

shape of a dragon. These include the Fang, Talon, Tail, Spine, and Heart Land: 01. Heart: Led by Chief Benja, and home to Raya. 02. Fang: Led by Chief Virana, and home to Namaari. 03. Spine: Led by the Spine Chief, it is a northern region and home to Tong. 04. Talon: Led by Chief Dang Hu, it is a floating market region, and home to Noi. 05. Tail: Led by The Tail Chief, it is ocated in the eastern part of Kumandra, a desert region, and home to Boun.

In this new Disney Renaissance era there’s been what a Disney film can be. Disney Animation Studios have explored ambitious themes in this film, even if they’re not always successful,

including sisterhood, grief, toxic friendships, and even racism, reparations, and colonialism. Raya follows this trend by centering around its major theme of trust, something Kumandra, and our real-life world, can use more of. Trust is something Raya lacks, ever since a personal betrayal led to the destruction of the Dragon Gem, the return of the Druun, and the loss of her father. It’s the lack of trust that led to the infighting between Kumandra’s people in the first place. Regaining her ability to trust others, and the world around her, is a major aspect in Raya’s journey worth commending, even though the film doesn’t execute this theme as strongly or as emotionally as, say, the scene from Finding Nemo when Marlon finally learns to trust his son. But like I always say, I’d rather a film aim high than settle for something easy.

Goal In the present day, the Druun have returned

reunited with her father, Chief Benja, who was

after the warring factions accidentally broke the

turned into stone. Along the way, Raya forms a

Dragon Gem. Princess Raya of the Heart land

rag-tag team of individuals who’ve also lost loved

must journey across Kumandra to find Sisu, the

ones to the Druun, while also having to fend off

mythical “last dragon” who had apparently

against her childhood friend-turned-enemy

survived the battle with the Druun centuries ago

Princess Namaari of Fang.

but disappeared. Her goal is to reunite all five pieces of the Dragon Gem with Sisu so the world can be restored, but mostly so she can be

conflict After Chief Benja, invited people from different lands of Kumandra, Raya became friends with Namaari, daughter of chief Virana. Raya exchanged the gift of a Sisu Medallion from Namaari to revealing the sacret place where the Jam of ancient dragons lay. Namaari betrayed this trust in exposing the hidden place to all chiefs from around the Kumandra lands. This incident, led to people fighting which broke the Dragons’ jam - and each land took a part of it. Consiquently, in order to restore Kumandra back into its rightful place and destroy the Druum once and for all Raya has to travel to different lands collecting Dragon Jam’s and evading dangers that range from grandmotherly mob bosses to bugs with exploding farts — but her real battle involves learning to let go of her rage after having been betrayed

36 LESSON ACTIVITY - WRITING A LOGLINE

LESSON ACTIVITY CHAPTER

TOPICS

THREE

INCLUDED

Class Activity - Writing a Logline Lesson Plan Lesson Resources 37

CLASS ACTIVITY

WRITING A LOGLINE A logline is a brief (usually one or two sentence) summary of a television program, film, or book that states the central conflict of the story, while providing both a synopsis of the story’s plot, and an emotional “hook” to stimulate interest. Your logline will need to lay out all the components of your story in their simplest form.

SETTING

PROTAGONIST

PROBLEM

CONFLICT/ ACTION

ANTAGONIST

GOAL

A spirited farm boy joins a rebellion to save a princess from a sinister imperial enforcer – and the galaxy from a planet-destroying weapon.

Now let’s look at each of these components individually and see what we can make of them. Setting – The Galaxy

Protagonist – A Spirited Farm Boy

This sets our tone and genre pretty clearly. Your

Obviously there’s more to Luke Skywalker than

story does not exist in a vacuum; it instead draws

this, and you’ll get to that as you develop your

upon the wealth of human storytelling as

story. However, we need a three or four word

context. Galaxy-spanning stories are

description. Use strong adjectives to convey

obviously sci-fi, and those bring with them all

meaning in that limited space. As well, at this

sorts of assumptions. Make sure your setting is

point there’s no need for names unless the story

clear, and that it helps to build your story.

is about an already well-known character.

Problem – A Planet-Destroying

Goal – Save a Princess (And The

Weapon

Galaxy!)

Your problem needs stakes. What’s going to hap-

Your protagonist has to want something. Luke’s

pen if our hero fails? Success cannot be

goal in the story changes a bit once he saves the

certain – will he succeed?! Stay tuned to find

princess, but that initial objective informs the

out! The Death Star is as clear an example of

overall arc.

stakes as you can get. This problem destroys planets and threatens the entire galaxy. It needs

Conflict/Action – Joins a Rebellion

to be big enough so that your hero obviously

Conflict is the result of goals being blocked by

needs to take action.

the Problem and Antagonist. Darth Vader and the Death Star need to be dealt with for Luke

Antagonist – A Sinister Imperial

to save the princess and the galaxy. So, faced

Enforcer

with this conflict, Luke must take action: he joins

The cause of the hero’s problem is often a

the rebellion. Your hero must be the motivating

singular figure or monster. They tend to be

force (pun intended) of the story. They are the

capable, threatening, and a worthy foe – a

person whose decisions dictate the plot.

darkness to your hero’s light. They are everything the hero isn’t.

Class Activity Instructions Step 01.

Split into 2 groups and each group will need to search for 10 loglines of different

movies. Pick up your favourites and make sure that they all have the requested

components!

Step 02.

Identify each component from the selected loglines and make seperate lists for each

requested component. Example: Protagonists on one list, Settings on another list, etc.

Step 03.

Randomly, pick up one component from each list and form a logline in the following

structure: “In (a setting), (your protagonist) has a (problem), and must (take action/enter conflict) against (an antagonist) to (achieve a goal).” 39

LESSON PLAN RESOURCES

Additional lesson comments / reflections

LESSON PLAN RESOURCES

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhk4N9A0oCA 48

LESSON PLAN RESOURCES

https://wheelofnames.com/# 52

54 LESSON ACTIVITY INTO PRACTICE

DEMONSTRATING LESSON ACTIVITY CHAPTER

TOPICS

FOUR

INCLUDED

Finding 10 Logline Placing Logline components in seperate lists Writing a Logline Developing a Logline Developing Logline into a Narrative 55

PICK UP LOGLINES

Stanley Hill opens a can of brutal vengeance on

A Senatorial candidate falls for a hotel maid,

the thugs who murdered his wife and the

thinking she is a socialite, when he sees her

corrupt cops who are protecting them.

trying on a wealthy woman's dress.

Captain Jack Sparrow is pursued by old rival

A glamorous woman returns to her small town

Captain Salazar and a crew of deadly ghosts who

in rural Australia. With her sewing machine and

have escaped from the Devil's Triangle. They're

haute couture style, she transforms the women

determined to kill every pirate at sea...notably

and exacts sweet revenge on those who did her

Jack.

wrong.

After serving as a bridesmaid 27 times, a young woman wrestles with the idea of standing by her sister's side as her sibling marries the man she's secretly in love with.

PICK UP LOGLINES

A pushy boss forces her young assistant to marry

A smart but sensible new graduate lands a job as

her in order to keep her visa status in the U.S.

an assistant to Miranda Priestly, the demanding

and avoid deportation to Canada.

editor-in-chief of a high fashion magazine.

A poet falls for a beautiful courtesan whom a

A car accident puts Paige in a coma, and when

jealous duke covets.

she wakes up with severe memory loss, her husband Leo works to win her heart again.

A white midwestern girl moves to Chicago, where her new boyfriend is a black teen from the South Side with a rough, semi-criminal past.

MAKING LISTS

PROTAGONISTS

INCITING INCIDENT

Stanley Hill

Thugs murdered his wife

Hotel Maid

Senatorial candidate falls in love with her

Captain Jack Sparrow

Deadly ghosts escaped from the Devil's Triangle

Glamorous woman

Returns to her small town

A young woman

Sister's wedding

Pushy boss

Keeping her visa status in the U.S.

Smart but sensible new graduate

Lands a job as an assistant

Poet

Falls for a beautiful courtesan

Paige

Car accident

White midwestern girl

Moves to Chicago

GOAL

CONFLICT

Vengeance

Corrupt cops protecting thugs

Love

He thinks she's a socialite

Survive

Deadly ghosts determined to kill every pirate

Transforms women

People doing her wrong

Not being a bridesmaid

Her sibling marrying the man she's secretly in love with

Avoid deportation to Canada

Forces her young assistant to marry her

Work for a high fashion magazine

Demanding editor-in-chief

Love

Covets by jealous Duke

Loving her husband again

Severe memory loss

Being with her boyfriend

Boyfriend being black and with a rough semi-criminal past

RANDOMLY SELECTING

WHEEL OF

NAMES

“In (a setting), (your protagonist) has a (problem), and must (take action/enter conflict) against (an antagonist) to (achieve a goal).”

“In Greece, a young woman is wrestling the fact that her sibling is about to marry the man she’s secretely in love with, and must try to make him fall in love with her against her sister to win his love before the wedding.” 63

EXCHANGING

Sweethearts

Logline

Storyline

A young Greek lady returns to her small island as

Two years ago, Philomena, left her home town to

she is invited to her first loves’ wedding with her

study theatre in London. She was enjoying every

envious little sister.

second of her new life experience, until one day she was invited to her first loves’ wedding to her envious little sister. Now, after wrestling with the idea of her sister being a bride to her first love, Philomena returns to Hydra and has to witness their vows while still being secretly in love with her soon to be brother in-law... or does she?

Idea Generation

After rewording the randomly selected logline, it

concluded that Philomena is a Greek name which

was now time to start developing the narrative.

stands for ‘friend of strength’ and ‘love’.

The first instruction given by our lecturer was

Consiquently, a decision was made that this

that the protagonist had to be named Filumena;

narrative will be set in one of the Greek Islands.

following some research on the names’ origin, I

Researched some of the Greek Islands - According to reviews ‘Hydra’ and ‘Sifnos’ are the most romantic of all; therefore, they will be used in this romantic drama.

HYDRA Countless poets, artists and bohemians have fallen for this craggy, car-free island, whose austere landscapes have barely changed since the 1960s. The ultimate bon vivant, Henry Miller, declared it ‘aesthetically perfect’ and, because of strict preservation orders, it still is; the horse shoeshaped harbour is immaculate and very few buildings speckle the coastline. Bougainvillaea petals fall like confetti in the whitewashed lanes, kittens lounge in the courtyards of centuries-old houses, tiny restaurants and shops full of colourful trinkets huddle together in nameless alleys. Days drift by, as you dive off sun-baked rocks until the sun slinks behind the hazy outline of the Peloponnese.

SIFNOS With its ‘floating’ chapels and cloud-capped monasteries, Sifnos is where affluent but unflashy Greeks go to get married. It’s prime perch for sunset. Coastal trails lead from one alluring cove to another, where you can feast beside the sea on some of the tastiest food in Greece – from old-fashioned tavernas such as Manolis at Vathi to red-hot Cantina in Seralia, a new entry from the boundary-bending chef of Omega 3 fish bar on Platis Gialos beach.

LONDON

SCHOOL OF MUSICAL THEATRE

The London School of Musical Theatre is an academy of performing arts that has provided training since 1995. According to the randomly selected logline, the protagonist is expected to ‘return back home’ from somewhere; therefore, in order to make things interesting I thought that the young lady would leave her home town to study something outside her comfort zone perhaps - Theatre. Additionally, adding more to the story plot, Philomena may also choose London to expereince a city life and its busy streets in contrast to her ordinary life on a Greek island.

GREEK CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES

WEDDING AT TIRE

Characters Philomena PROTAGONIST

Philomena is a young petite Greek lady, who moved from Hydra away from her family and best friend (Zarek) to study theatre in London. After two years of her studies, Philomena recieves an invite to her sisters’ wedding which shows that she will be marrying Philomena’s first love - her best friend Zarek. This took Philomena back to before she travelled to London when she experienced love for the very first time, however, did not comfront Zarek she did not want to ruine their friendship.

Andonia ANTAGONIST

Andonia is Philomena’s little sister who has never stepped foot outside Hydra. When compared to Philomena, Andonia has always been the troubling child for her family, in fact their parents’ have always preferred Philomena over her, whilst also comparing their abilities and asking Andonia to be more like her older sister. This led Andonia to try and be better than her sister and date Zarek which eventually led her to convince him to marry her 70

Andonia - another Greek name.

Zarek LOVER

Zarek is a young Green gentleman who has been bestfriends with Philomena since they both can remember. After Philomena left to continue her studies, Zarek found comfort in Andonia. Things between them evolved until he proposed to her. His respect towards Andonia was real, however, butterflies kicked in as soon as he saw Philomena once again days before his wedding. Zarek - another Greek name.

jennifer DEUTERAGONIST

Jennifer is Philomenas’ gay friend from London. They met during a lecture of musical theatre and became very good friends as days passed by. Jennifer is an English very friendly, charming and comforting individual, who offered to join Philomena as her guest to the sisters’ wedding. Jennifer - An English name.

setting This narrative will be set in the 2010’s, where individuals may travel from Greece to the UK without any travelling difficulties. That said, Philomena may still feel the cultural change from her traditional roots when compared to the busy lifestyle in London.

HYDRA Hydra is a small Greek Island, which serves a small population a simple and tranditional lifestyle. The majority of scenes in this film will be taken in this small island, being the home town of Philomena, her family and best bfriend. More information about Hydra may be found in the idea generation stage. 72

SIFNOS Sifnos is another Greek island where traditionally Greek couples visit in order to get married. This location will be used in the last act of this story where the couple and their families visit for Zarek and Andonia’s wedding.

LONDON Philomena moved from Hydra to London in order to further her studies in Performing Arts. London and the School of Musical Theatre will be used to film the first few scenes of the narrative, showing the ordinary life of Philomena in Act 1.

theme The message being delivered through this story is about sisterhood and family relationships. In the story, we meet Philomena and Andonia’s parents whom they speak highly of their older daughter yet poorly of their youngest. This relationship leads Andonia to become jelous of Philomena’s successes and tries hard to hide her true identity in order to please her parents - making them feel proud of her as well. In fact, following this plan, Andonia ends up dating Zarek, whom she likes as a family friend but not as a lover and rushing into marriage only to satisfy her parents and for once they praise her success and not Philomena’s. Little did everyone know that in reality, Andonia is bi-sexual and fell in love with Jennifer (Philomena’s English friend). She was only pretending to be in love with Zarek and was also willing to sacrifice her happiness for her parents. On the other hand, another message delivered through this story was about sisterhood, by the end of the narrative Philomena realised the harm she had passed Andonia through for the past years - now after her journey she admits that as an older sister, she should have listened to Andonia and encouraged her life achievements and desires.

conflict The original conflict in this narrative is revealed

when Philomena meets Zarek once again as her soon to be brother in law. Even after 2 years apart, Philomena starts having feelings again for her bestfriend Zarek, yet tries to neglect them as her sister Andonia is about to marry him. Days before the wedding, both Zarek and Philomena spend some time together finalising last few arragements for the wedding, which allows chatting about how much they used to love spending time with eachother laughing and recalling memories they still cherish - Chemistry between them grows and become more difficult to avoid.

goal The smart goal of this story is for unity in

Philomena’s family. For Philomena to learn to accept her feelings for Zarek, and for her parents to finally accepts Andonia with all her differences when compared to her sister.

plot ACT I

ACT II

In act 1 the viewers meet the protagonist in her

Philomena and Jennifer arrive to London from

ordinary life, being a college student in London

Hydra and find Philomena’s mother waiting for

studying theatre.

them at the port (as they do not have an airport in Hydra; hence Philomena and Jennifer had to

Philomena is seen to be living with Jennifer her

fly from London to Athens and than catch a ferry

flat and class mate. Everything seems to be

from Athens to Hydra).

normal until one day Philomena recieves an invitation to a family wedding - her sister

Philomena’s mum Agatha, is super happy to see

Andonia was about to marry Philomenas

her daughter once again and offers to give a tour

bestfriend and secret first love Zarek.

round the island to Jennifer. This afternoon of quality time helps Philomena to not think about

Philomena could not quite understand how this

the wedding and how will she approach Zarek

happened, however, all she knew was that as

after 2 years of no contact.

soon as she remembered of Zarek her heart skipped a beat and felt anger and jelousy

Soon after, everyone goes home and have dinner

towards her younger sister.

all togther. Philomena tries to act normal with Andonia and Zarek however everyone realises that there is something going on between the

sister’s wedding as she knew that things will get

trio. This is where the raising of action happens.

difficult and awkward with her soon to be

- Philomena and Andonia starts to avoid talking

brother in law. However, Jennifer, persuaded her

about the wedding, whilst Philomena realises

to go as it would be highly rude not to attend.

that Andonia is not happy with her relationship.

Jennifer, also offered to attend to the wedding as

- Andonia starts to spend time with Jennifer,

Philomena’s guest for moral support.

going out for coffee’s, lunch dates and last

At first, Philomena refused to attend to her

minute wedding dress trials. Whilst Zarek is left in the hands of Philomena which leads them to recall loving memories they have together. - Tension between Andonia and Zarek begins to

grow and they start having regular arguments -

BEGINNINING

EXPOSITION

Jennifer.

leading them to find comfort in Philomena and

MID

ACT III

After all the drama, Philomenas’ family get on

The whole family walks to the church where

a ferry to go to Sifnos where the wedding is

Andonia and Zarek were meant to get married.

planned to happen. On the way there, the family

As they approach the church, Philomena pulls

gets into a huge argument!

Zarek by his arm and finally confeses her love to him whilst explaining how she had never

Andonia and Jennifer are caught by Agatha in the

comfronted him as she did not want to ruin their

Ferry’s bathroom getting a bit too comfortable

friendship. Zarek stared at Philomena for a few

with eachother - This causes chaos on the

seconds until finally he saw Andonia smiling at

Ferry and Andonia’s mother bursts out shouting

him as a way for an approval and kissed

at both of them whilst also addressing Andonia

Philomena. Seeing this, Andonia rushed towards

as the odd one out of the family, and how she

Jennifer and without a second to think she

wished that Andonia could be more like

grapped her face and kissed her.

Philomena (successful, intellegent and obidient).

CLIMAX

Zarek, whilst also understood why Andonia has

triggered her lifelong struggle of having to life

been acting in such a way. When Agatha and her

under Philomena’s shadow of trying to be the

husband saw Andonia kissing another girl they

perfect child for her parents. Everyone was

were furious and rushed to stop her - Philomena

This argument made Andonia cry and also

stopped them and explained how Andonia has all

secret love for Zarek and how even Philomena

the right to love whoever she wants regardless of

wasn’t as obidient when it comes to keeping her

their gender and how gentle and caring Jennifer

rightful place.

may be!

fighting and Andonia also revealed Philomena’s

ING

Philomena has finally revealed her love towards

L FA L

CLIMAX

AC T IO

Andonia was so happy to see Philomena standing

own opinion on the situation. With this high

up for her and hugged her tight whilst thanking

adrenaline Andonia exposes how she is not really

her and apologising for trying her luck with

in love with Zarek and that she only started

Zarek.

At this point everyone starts to give out their

dating him to be better than Philomena. The whole family goes silent as the captain of the

After everyone calmed down from this hectic

ferry shouts out that they arrived to Sifnos.

morning, they all skipped the wedding ceremony

DDLE

and went to the reception where they drank and danced all night. RESOLUTION

END

THE HERO’S JOURNEY

01 ORDINAR

Living in studying

12. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR / RESOLUTION

Agatha and her husband starts to accept both of their daughters achievements equally , while both Philomena and Andonia feel at ease with their decisions andown individuality.

11. RESURRECTION / NEW LIFE

Philomena is in a happy relationship with Zarek whilst Andonia starts dating Jennifer

ORDINARY

STAGES HERO’S J

10. THE ROAD BACK

Philomena’s family goes to the wedding recpetion and enjoy their night together.

SPECIALW 09. THE REWARD

Zarek kisses her back and is also in good terms with her sister.

08. ORDEAL

Confessing her love to Zarek and standing up for Andonia with their parents. 78

1. RY WORLD

London, g theatre

02. CALL FOR ADVENTURE

Philomena is invited to her sister’s wedding 03. REFUSAL OF THE CALL

Refuses to go as she does not want to face Zarek. 04. ASSISTANCE / MEETING THE MENTOR

WORLD

OF THE JOURNEY

Jennifer persuades her to attend and offers to go with her 05. DEPARTURE / CROSSING THE THRESHOLD

Travelling from London to Hydra

LWORLD 06. TRIALS, ALLIES & ENEMIES

Arriving at Hydra and start meeting with her family members

07. APPROACH TO THE INMOST CAVE / CRISIS

Meets Andonia and Zarek 79

STORY

TELLING JOURNAL