April 13, 2009: Week 7
Considering all the elements that needed to be incorporated, Week 6 might have been the toughest to tackle thus far, so kudos to Shane Laporte for doing an outstanding job. His pages were fun, action-packed and skillfully brought us to our script’s midpoint and (hopefully) set us up for an easier Week 7. Shane was a finalist back in Week 1 so I am very happy he stuck with it because his story contribution is fantastic.

Before I get to what needs to be accomplished for the next week, I wanted to thank everyone for their creative suggestions on Cowrite and let you know about the exciting changes we are now implementing based on some of those ideas. Starting in Week 7 entries may now be up to 15 pages in length. Because of this change we are also making the script writing portion of the contest 10 weeks (so only 4 remaining.) Week 11 will be a twist on the contest and will allow aspiring writers to play a unique and integral role in the script’s development. (*Week 11 winners will still be in the running for the rewrite.) We will provide more details on this aspect of the contest after the parameters are fully defined, but I believe everyone will be excited about this new component of the contest. Again, thanks to everyone for your ideas. You truly are helping mold this contest.

So, where are we going to take the Cowrite script from here? We left off with Ava, Harry, Jonas, Freddie and Nora speeding away from Helen McMann’s house with the “data prism” component of the obsidian. What will Harry and Ava decide to do at this point? Who can they trust and how can they protect these three teenagers? Whatever they decide, what complications will arise and how will things get worse? Perhaps Jonas or Jonas and his friends get separated again from Walters and Ava. Or maybe it’s Jonas and Walters that get separated from everyone and must figure this thing out. I think there’s a nice opportunity in this next entry to have a great mentor/mentee scene between Walters and Jonas or maybe an affecting Jonas and Nora scene or perhaps both. The important thing to accomplish by the end of your next entry is to complicate things for Jonas and continue raising the stakes. Maybe Cable or Helen goes after his mom or Nora. The stakes are already high, but what other elements can be added?

Also, what’s the next move for Cable and Helen? What are these big ideas Helen has and what is this really all about? What do they truly want? Maybe Cable and Helen need the data prism to proceed with their plans or maybe they don’t. It seems almost a certainty that either way Helen, Cable or whoever is in charge will proactively hunt down the five of them, either for the prism or just to prevent them from contacting the proper authorities. What are the stakes for Helen and Cable and what is the immediacy for them to accomplish their goals? It would probably still be wise to implement a ticking clock at this point. Obviously they have to act quickly to avoid being apprehended, but maybe give Helen/Cable another reason to accomplish their original goals expeditiously and establish the real consequences to them not achieving those goals. Maybe Raul still plays a role in all this or maybe a fed-up Cable or Helen kills him quickly.

I think the answers for your next entry will come easier if you have an idea of what you want to happen at the end of Act 2 and at the end of the movie. The themes of “trust” and “betrayal” seem to have been firmly (and quite nicely) established so perhaps that can help you envision the endgame.

As always, feel free to heed these suggestions or ignore them completely. The best submission will win out regardless.

Good Luck!



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