I finished my test! I went with The Silver Spoon first because I found out I can do the test for each of the books. (Go figure! When all else fails...READ THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY!) Didnt know if yall want to see it or not but in case you do, The questions and my answers are below. Short questions, pretty much short answers. The Authors Screen Test: 11 essential questions Hollywood producers always ask first. Who is your main character? In one or two sentences, sum up their dominant traits.What is it about them that will hook audience’s attention?Which famous actors come to mind when you imagine your main character? Who would you cast to play this person? Protagonist: Lizzy Wallace. Shes extremely caring but no pushover. Push her and she will push back. The audience would be hooked by her conviction and dedication to family. Lizzy reminds me of Sally Fields, Sandra Bullock, Diane Keaton and Amy Adams all rolled into one. She could be played by Anna Kendrick. What is at stake in your story? What happens if your character achieves their goals and what are the consequences if they don’t? Lizzys family as shes known it is at stake. To protect her grandmother and the dying wishes of her mother, Lizzy must put family ties aside. If she succumbs to family pressure it puts her grandmothers well-being at risk. What is the original concept at the heart of your story? The storyline is one that will have happened to many members in the audience or theyll personally know someone its happened to. Following the death of a mainstay in the family it becomes obvious other family members see it as an opportunity and not a final good-bye. An internal storm begins to brew leaving the matriarch, who suffers from Alzheimers disease, defenseless and at the mercy of the opportunistic until Lizzy intervenes. What plot events kick off the action and start the character on their journey? What does your character want to achieve in the course of the story and why? Why do you care about whether or not your character achieves this goal? Lizzys mother has been given two weeks to live and her dying wish is to die at home. Lizzy must summon the strength to be as strong as possible so to grant her mothers wish. Lizzy also needs her Aunt Tanya to be the sister her mother believed she could be, show support, love and comfort. In a final conversation before slipping into a coma Lizzys mother confides in her things are not all they appear and not to trust the people she thinks she can trust the most. With her sister in a deep irreversible slumber, Tanya begins verbalizing the invisible tags shes placing on her sisters possessions. As the last breath is drawn, Tanya is already putting into motion her plan to ensure Lizzy concedes. She steals guardianship of her mother, Lizzys grandmother, who she believes is worth monetary value. It is important to the protagonist to achieve her goal in order to protect the one person she loves most in the world whos still alive and not be bulled by the parasites in the family structure. What are the obstacles that your main character encounters as they try to achieve their goal? Do you have a primary antagonist? If so - how do they oppose your hero? Lizzy must be willing to give up what little family she has left in order to ensure the well-being of the one most important to her, her grandmother. The decisions she makes are ones she knows can never be repaired. She must also come to terms with the never-ending pain left by the death of her mother and find a way to make peace with it. Tanya, the primary antagonist, is Lizzys polar opposite. Tanya is self-serving and heartless. How does your main character resolve their major conflicts? What questions are answered at the end of your story? Lizzy realizes the one material possession keeping Tanya in her life is tarnished with the pain and suffering by all the events leading up to that moment. She willingly forfeits it to Tanya in order to find the piece of herself shed lost along the way. All open questions are answered in the end. The audience knows how grandmother lives out her days, how Lizzy finds a new serenity and even how the actions against Lizzy and her grandmother effect Tanya. The final twist comes when what was Lizzy gave up finds its way back again, untarnished. What are the scenes with the most visual potential in your book? Describe them below. In one scene, Tanya is gathering items from her sisters house when someone retreives Lizzy from her mothers bedside where shes lying in a coma. Tanya states the items are what her sister said she could have when she died. Lizzy reminds her aunt her sister isnt dead yet and growls at her to replace the items shes gathered. In another scene Tanya delivers the court documents to remove Lizzys grandmother from her care. Shes brought law enforcement to ensure Lizzy doesnt have a leg to stand on. Tanyas plan is to drop grandmother back at her own home even though grandmother cant live alone. Everyone has to hold Lizzy back as she pleads with Tanya not to and tries to get her to see grandmother cant care for herself. What moments in your book will be unforgettable on screen? Describe them here. You cant put makeup on a waterfall. Lizzy is preparing for her mothers funeral and remembers the words her mother told her. Shes trying to put her makeup on but the tears wont stop flowing. Tanya has pushed and manipulated Lizzy at every turn. She has just revealed to Lizzy she could care less about the safety of her mother, Lizzys grandmother. Lizzy has maintained great restraint until that moment when she understands Tanya would report Lizzy for kidnapping if she took her grandmother with her. Lizzy punches Tanya in the face and tells her, If you so much as hurt her feelings, Ill finish what Ive started. What does your story offer the audience that they cannot get from real life? Describe. So many people can relate to this storyline it may not be the escape they seek, but the satisfaction the protagonist goes through the pain and is better for it in the end. Describe your major supporting characters. What makes them complex as opposed to simply one-dimensional? Spencer and Lizzy are co-workers and friends. He forces her to deal with the pain of losing her mother in order to begin to heal. He is there for her when she hands over what Tanya has fought so hard to acquire. He doesnt understand it but supports her. It is Spencer who finds that possession Lizzy lets go of and returns it to her in the final scene of the book, bringing Lizzy back to center. If your story were turned into a film, TV, or internet show, what kinds of people would buy tickets for it? Describe that audience. What age, gender, or cultural group would respond best and why? Females and males over 21 years old of any cultural group. As I stated in question 3, there will be many in the audience who have experienced what is in my book, The Silver Spoon, or know someone who has.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 04:43:50 +0000
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