Exercise 2 - Story 4: Detective Duck and the Odd Day

Objective
Use the 3 Act Structure, create a visual/audio story that's suitable for animation.
Write a story that even children will enjoy.
[TIPS] Keep it simple!! Choose to use 1 location. You can have a key character who is not human.


1-Sentence Pitch/Logline

“A Duck Detective wakes up to find everyone around him acting strangely, and he proceeds off to solve this oddity of a day.”

Story

In the small town of Lilipad, where the blue river along the houses stretches as far as the eye can see, there lives a very special mallard duck.

This duck I am talking about is called Detective Duck. And as his name goes, he is a master of solving mysteries. Everyone in Lilipad knows of Detective Duck – about his fabulous exploits, his tireless enthusiasm to help those in need, and on how he always hold his handsome green feathery head up high with dignity and intelligence. It is no mystery that the townspeople adore him.

One fine morning in Lilipad, just when the sun has risen and Ol' Mister Cockadoodle had sounded his daily morning call, Detective Duck was also up from his bed. It was the hour when all little children would still be soundly asleep, but Detective Duck was ready to begin the day, just like every other day. As he would always say to himself: “The early bird catches the worm”!

After a cup of his favourite black tea and a quick read through the newspaper, it was time to make his rounds in Lilipad. What kind of mystery awaits him today? Detective Duck could not help but feel his entire body brimming with excitement.

Outside his little cottage, Detective Duck saw Madam Goose returning. In her arms was a grocery bag, and rims of lovely colourful wrapping papers were sticking out from it. Detective Duck intended to greet Madam Goose, when suddenly the lady noticed him approaching, and she darted straight to her home without saying a word.

“How awfully unusual,” said Detective Duck as he rubbed his chin. “And very suspicious too!”

This demanded further investigation, but only after he completed his routine walk around the town. And so Detective Duck continued on.

As he walked, he came across many others. There was Baker Pigeon with an enormous bag of flour, Craftsman Woodpecker pulling along numerous chairs, and Artist Parrot pushing a cart filled with all sorts of ribbons and decorations. However, all chose to avoid Detective Duck when he appeared in sight. Even the little children who he was always popular with did not come a single bit near him.

“This is an odd day, indeed!” Detective Duck exclaimed. He whipped out his trusty magnifying glass and peered through it. “It is a mystery, and I shall solve it!”

Without wasting time, Detective Duck retraced the path where many of the townspeople had headed off to. Across the atelier of Artist Parrot, passed the furniture shop of Craftsman Woodpecker, and down the road by Baker Pigeon's bakery store, Detective Duck eventually found himself back at the doorstep of his own cottage.

And there, everyone in town was waiting for his arrival. Party decorations covered every corner, and a giant cake was placed in the center for all to see.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DETECTIVE DUCK!” shouted all of Lilipad residents in a harmonious tune. The delighted duck grinned sheepishly. Our dear detective had forgotten that his own birthday was today.

3 Acts Practice

Describe the 3 Acts for the MTV of Bon Jovi - It's My Life:

ACT 1: Setup

• Scene 1: Day - In Boy's Bedroom
• Scene 2: Day - In Apartment
• Scene 3: Day - External Stairs and to the alley

ACT 2: Confrontation
Up the stakes - time - rush (conflict)

• Scene 4 - 7: External - Various Obstacles

ACT 3: Resolution
Climax: Will he reach on time?

• Scene 8+: Enters tunnel and nearing the gig/destination

End/Outcome - reaches the gig and enjoys with friends

1 Sentence Summary practice

An exercise in class, week 5. Create a 1-Sentence Pitch for the following 5 videos:

Bon Jovi - It's My Life
"A young man risks his life to try to get to his girlfriend in the shortest time possible - it is now, or never."

For The Birds
"A group of small blue birds perched on a wireline get annoyed by a single larger blue bird and decide to ostracise the latter by playing a prank on it, but they will soon find out that 'he who laughs last, laughs best'."

Flamingo - Fantasia
"A yoyo-obsessed flamingo is expected to join the rest of its kind in syncronised dancing, and ends up playing both the yoyo and dancing together, much to the dismay of the rest."

Snowman
"A lonely snowman in a glass dome desires to be in the company of the babe outside, and attempts various feats just to escape its 'snowy prison'."

Jurassic Fart
"A T-Rex, a Velociraptor, and a Pig tries to compare their own fart, but the last fart turns out to be more lethal than anyone can imagine."

Exercise 2 - Story 3: "Goli King"

1-Sentence Pitch/Logline
“Answering to the pleas of his nephew, Kai confronted the former's bullies, and through them he learnt about the fascinating world of Goli: game of Marbles – and decided to 'end up with all the marbles' himself (to win it all!).”


Three Act Structure


Set-up:
Kai's nephew Ming was being bullied in school by a group of three, led by self-proclaimed leader Chen.
(Introduce characters; establish their personalities)


Confrontation:
Chen promised to stop the bullying if Kai beat them in a game of marbles, known as "Goli". This was the only way in order for Chen (a mere child) to stand a chance in a fight against an adult, Kai.


Resolution:
The three Goli matches with the bullies were all won by Kai... or did he?


Story

Kai pressed his knuckles down firmly onto the grainy sand, and he could hear nothing except for his own hard, nervous breathing. He could feel a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek slowly - as if time had slowed down for him. He stared at the five remaining marbles ahead at the centre of the ring, and then glanced at his own significantly larger, alabaster-made marble. Its distinctive tiger-striped pattern engraved within the transparent shell almost seemed like it was silently glowing back at Kai in response.

“Uncle Kai, you can win this!”

The voice of Kai's 10 years old nephew Ming echoed in his head. It was not entirely encouraging nor inspiring to Kai, but like what the words meant, he had just got to do it – for his nephew, as well as for his own adult pride at stake.

“Oi, old man! Are you prepared for defeat?”

The childish mock came from the boy named Chen; Kai's last, but no doubt strongest marble (Goli) players of the three he had to beat. Chen may be only a year older than his nephew, but he was also nearly twice the size bigger than Ming. And perhaps due to his larger stature, he tried to constantly bully his way around with the smaller Ming.

“I will not let a brat like you mess with my nephew any more,” thought Kai as he grind his teeth in determination. “And beat you in this very game you are so confident of!”

Standing at the corner was Lei Fang, the appointed referee of this match. She acknowledged the readiness of both players. “Commencing fifth and final round. All players, ready for shoot.”

Kai prepared his right thumb in position; ready to lunge his trusty 'Sabre-Tooth' marble forward just about anytime...

“Three... Two... One...”

The moment that will end it all – this is it!

“GO!”

The two players snapped their dominant thumb with as much force that each could muster, and blasted their respective marbles into the depths of the ring. Chen's marble, a rare Devil's Eye model which the lad nicknamed the 'Devil Hound', sped through the sea of sands like a raging bullet, but the Sabre-Tooth of Kai's was not losing either; in fact, it was roaring the loudest Kai has ever witnessed.

“Demolish the enemy, 'HELL CRUSH'!!”

“Charge to victory, 'HEAVENLY ROAR'!!”

Their fiery battle cries deafened the surrounding noise, only to be quickly broken down by the clash of the two marbles as they desperately rammed into one another at the eye of the ring. The impact exploded into a cloud of dust and smoke that enveloped the entire field.


At this point, it was uncertain who was the final victor... who will be one step closer to be crowned: the Goli King.

Exercise 2 - Story 2: "My 'Wonderful' Place"

1-Sentence Pitch

“A friend pestered the protagonist to help him decide on a date-spot, and so the annoyed latter decided to introduce a 'wonderful' place of his...”

Story

“I can't think of anything good!”

Jack's voice crackled through the phone's speaker. “Nothing interesting, nothing unique... none, nil, zilch, whatever!”

“And so you rang me up...” I sighed in disbelief as I took a peek at my clock, “...at 2am in the morning, just to help you with your dating problems?!”

“You got to help me think of something,” replied the now pleading Jack. “I promised my girlfriend that I would bring her to some place cool tomorrow... but I am out of ideas of where to go!”

It is during these times when I can't decide whether he was being unreasonable or just utterly desperate. What kind of sound advice did he think he could get from a guy like me who has been single for his entire life thus far?

“Umm, just go to the movies.” I suggested while fighting against my own drowsiness. “Then wrap it up with a romantic dinner.”

A brief silence followed, before Jack groaned in response. “That's lame, bro! Plus I did just that yesterday anyway.”

“Okay, then how about the beach?”

“B-O-R-I-N-G!” Jack spelt each letter of the word in a slow manner to spite my suggestion.

This one-sided exchange of a phone conversation continued on for a few more minutes, where my numerous suggestions to fix the plight of this particular friend of mine, were all shot down by the same man himself.

My patience was wearing thin. There is a certain amount a person can tolerate after having so many of his ideas rejected, and that very limit was now at the verge of breaking. My fingers were more ready than ever to press that disconnect button.

Then all of a sudden, an 'eureka' moment struck me! That was it – the perfect venue for someone as annoying and naïve as Jack. I cleared my throat as I began describing this wonderful place in great lengths.

“So you are saying,” exclaims Jack, while he tries very hard to suppress his growing excitement. “There are sports cars, brawling matches, dance floors, and even a shooting range – all packed into a single venue?!”

“Yep, and there's even a machine robot that dispenses plush toys.” I added with enthusiasm.

“Dude, tha... that's AMAZING! Tell me the location of this place quick!!”

“Sure. Here's the directions to my secret wonderful place...”

If only Jack could see the new grin that had surfaced on my face.

“Have fun tomorrow!”

----------

The next day, a clueless couple was standing in front of a certain shopping strip, staring blankly at the glass panel of a children-filled store.

“So is this the really wonderful place you intended to take me to?” 

The girl queried, while looking not a slight bit impressed.

“...Jack-dear, it is just an arcade centre.”

Exercise 2 - Story 1: "Stationery Boy"

1-Sentence Pitch

“A start of a new friendship, between two unsuspecting people from the same classroom.”

Story

“Can I borrow a stapler?”

I stretched out my hand out as I asked my friend, very much expecting her to dig out a stapler from her pencil case.

Without even lifting her eyes off the paper she was drawing with, the wispy-haired girl promptly replied, “You know I don't have one. Go ask him instead.”

'Him'.

My mind immediately registered the word. For some reason, I knew for certain who my friend meant. It was definitely him; the one we nicknamed the 'Stationery Boy'.

“Eh, but I am not sur.....”

My voice trailed off when I noticed the lack of attention my friend was giving me. At this point of time, she cared less about anything except for her task on hand. That was how focused she can get, and being her friend for five years, I knew that side of her very well.

I can't say the same for my friend though. She should have known that I am especially shy when it comes to interacting with the opposite gender. I know it may sounds a little absurd that me - a fifteen years old girl, is still so shy and timid, but that is the way I am. And I can't help it.

I crossed my eyebrows and silently pumped my fists a little in the air. “Come on Samantha, you can do this! He is a fellow classmate after all, so how difficult can it be?”

I forced my body to budge, and it cringed in retaliation before finally moving – in what seemed like an almost robotic-like and awkward manner. My destination was merely a few desks away, but the distance felt like it would take forever.

Eventually I was there, standing within an arm's reach from my target. The Stationery Boy was seated in his chair, and he turned his direction towards me. This was the first time I have ever looked at him straight in the eyes, ever since he was transferred to my class 2 weeks ago. Various stationeries, ranging from the common 2B pencils to stuff that I have never laid my sights on before, covered almost the entirety of his personal desk. They don't call him by his nickname for nothing, I guessed.

Suddenly it dawned upon me. I do not know his real name!

“Erm... ah... I... err...”

I flustered with nervousness and confusion. I could hear myself stuttering, but all I could do was stood there and continue fumbling on my lines. “I messed up!” I thought to myself and was prepared to retreat back to my desk, when suddenly a male voice gently stopped me in my tracks.

“Do you want me to stapler that for you?”

“Ho... how did you know?”

A wave of curiosity swallowed my state of panic, and the Stationery Boy then pointed at the stack of papers in my hands. “I kind of guessed it,” he weakly smiled as he continued. “Since no one really talks to me besides borrowing stationeries, haha...”

He said no more, and silently stapled my documents together.

“Thank you” was all I could say in response.

I have gotten what I seek, and it was the cue for me to leave. However, there was something I felt I should do, something that was urging my heart to act. This will be the very moment where I shall discard my old ways!

Hence I took a deep breath and...

“I am Samantha, and can you tell me your name?!”

The Stationery Boy was caught by surprise, but a warm smile gradually emerged on his face.

Researching the terms...

These terms are frequently seen and used when producing a script. Below are some general research I have gathered regarding the terms.

One Sentence Pitch
This is the key sentence that tells the audience what is the essence of your story. There are other variations, including One Paragraph, or Two Paragraph pitches. Its purpose is to grab the attention of the reader.

A one sentence pitch do not have to be extremely short, nor should it be hundreds of words long. The use of semi-colons and subordinating conjunctions can help to break up the parts in your single sentence. Take note that the end of the story is not to be divulge within the sentence.

Log Line
A 1-sentence summary or short synopsis of a television program, film or script. Like the One Sentence Pitch, it is used to grab the viewers' interest.

Synopsis
It is a brief summary or condensed statement of a finished script or prose.

Character Bio
The description and background of a character from the story. It shows how well the author/writer knows about the character.

Storyline
This may refer to the plot or subplot of a story. It describes the story in all details.

Climax
Also known as the turning point of a narrative work. It is the highest point of tension or drama, when the action starts and a solution or resolution is then provided.

Scene Breakdown
This shows the general structure of the story. There is a traditional Three Act Structure (Paradigm), which breaks into: "SET-UP", "CONFRONTATION", and "RESOLUTION". It presents a clear structure or frame for the readers to understand, especially for complicated series of scenes.

Beats
It is a term used to describe the timing and movement of a film or play. They can be used as pacing elements for measuring or create the pace that moves the progress of the story forward.

Plots / Sub-plots
The important events that happen in the story. The Plot is the main storyline, while Sub-plot is the secondary storyline that is separate from the main plot but still happening within the same story. The main plot and sub-plot can also be interweaved together.

Turning Points
Points in a story where a crucial character is forced to make an important decision. The chosen decision will lead to the outcome.

Script
The script is a combination of everything above. The script will include dialogue lines of characters and everything else in finer details.

Hook
Also sometimes referred to as a "Teaser". It is a short compilation of scenes (for films) or quotes (for books) that is meant to capture the interest of the audience so they will become interested to know more.

Motive
The reasons for the characters to do what they intend to do in the story.

Conflict
An obstacle; be it an antagonist, or problem that the character (most likely the protagonist) encounters in the storyline.

Dramatic Sequence
Also known as a "Chain Reaction". One action leads to another, which all follow in a sequence. A cause-and-effect.

Resolution
A closure to the story. The plot is likely to be solved in this part, and the climax of the story is brought to an end.

Outcome
The result or consequence that comes at the end of a resolution.

[Class Writing] 2 Persons I know

Qns1: Think of 2 persons you know, and write down their characters


Upon reading this question, the first two persons flashed across my mind were my two closest cousins. For a single child like me, this particular pair of sisters are akin to that of my own siblings.

They are sisters, born from the same parents and only 2 years apart in age, but with rather drastically different personalities. I shall list down a couple of points (in my opinion) about their characters below.

Name: Melissa (the eldest of the sisters)
Appearance: Tall and slender
Personality:

• Outgoing!
• Adventurous; she dares to experiment new things and challenges
• Unafraid to voice out (but a little tactless too)
• Playful; there is a childish side of her that she often display

Name: Marilyn (the younger one)

Appearance: Average height for a Sg lady, a little "fleshy" but in no way fat

Personality:

• Gentle and usually demure
• More reserved; she tends to bottle up her real feelings
• Sentimentalist about things, and sensitive about others (people)
• A little clumsy (or ditzy, in a way)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qns2: Characters placed in a specific situation

Melissa and Marilyn approached what appeared to be a vacant table in a hawker centre. Delighted, Melissa was the first to rush over and occupy the seat before any other passerby grabs it. Marilyn soon followed, in slower strides. Upon sitting down, they then realised that a pack of tissue paper was already on one of the seats. Again, Melissa was the first to notice this and quickly voiced out her thoughts.

"Wah, someone already chop this table leh!" Melissa said in annoyance.

"Aiyah. We go find another one lor..." added Marilyn in a passive manner.

In Singapore, it is a common knowledge that if an unused pack of tissue paper is on a table or chair in a hawker centre outlet, it means that this particular table has already been taken by someone. It is simply an act that indicates "reservation".

Melissa grunted a little before leaving the table, but in a discontented way.
"Singaporeans, always doing this kind of pattern. So inconsiderate!"

Marilyn followed her elder sister closely behind. She chuckled a little when she noticed that the pack of tissue paper was now on the floor. Knowing her sister, she must have playfully shoved the pack off the seat earlier on.

The two sisters then continued on their way to look for another table.

Additional notes from Lesson 1

CHARACTER SKELETON:

Name
Give a name to your character. This is its identity.

Look/Appearance
The look will display what the character will look like. Facial expressions and body behaviors vary upon emotions shown through that character.

Behavior; understand and know him/her/it
A list of pet-peeves (likes or dislikes), values and beliefs. Strengths and weaknesses. What kind of personality does the character possess?

Relationship
How your character interact with other characters in the same story. This also applies to situations, like how your character will react when being put in a pool of water. Will he/she panic, because they are afraid of water?

Objective
Identify your character's motive(s). What does he/she/it desire to achieve through the course of the story. This goes hand in hand with behavior, as how your character goes about achieving their goals is directly related to their personality.

What a Story is, to me?

A narrative, either true or fictitious, in prose or verse,designed to interest, amuse, or instruct the hearer or reader; tale.

Directly quoted from Dictionary.com

A story to me, is a set of writings or pictures that are meant to tell a tale of any genre. Anyone can create a story, and the simplest form may be something about one self's life experiences; a biography. There is no right nor wrong in composing a mere story, and it can range from pure fictional to concrete factual, or a mix of the two.

However, to create a good story, that will require a certain degree of skill in the art of storytelling and language proficiency. Something that I shall not touch on... today. =P