Section 1

• What is the screenplay title?
• In 1-3 words, how would you define the hero? (ie. Loving father… 17-year-old boy… captain of a ship… socially awkward man...)
• What is the hero's first name?
• What is the Hero's Skill, Strength, or Weakness that will contribute toward achieving The Goal? (ie. he's an agent with a special set of skills… he's a conman… he's a strong leader… he's socially awkward with girls...)
• What type of action can be shown in the setup to validate the Hero's Skill, Strength, or Weakness? (ie. he saves a pop-star from an attempted assassination… He cons his classmates into believing he's the professor… he reinforces safety protocols to protect his crew... he runs away from a girl who tries to speak to him...)
• Motivation: What is the hero's current driving motivation in life? This is usually tied to the hero's inner-most desires, who/what the hero cherishes most, who the hero wants to be, or what the hero is aiming to accomplish on a personal level. (ie. to spend time with his daughter... to be like his father... to protect his crew... to avoid human contact...)
• Motivation Disturbed: What event takes place that directly disturbs, contradicts, or aids in the hero's Motivation? (ie. his daughter announces she's leaving on a Euro trip… his mother divorces his father for a rich man… his ship comes under attack from Pirates... he orders an anatomically correct blow-up doll named Bianca...)
• The Response: What is the initial reaction to the Motivation Disturbed? What is the first thing the hero does about the Motivation Disturbed? (ie. he refuses to let his daughter go on a Euro Trip… he runs away from home… he outsmarts and fends off the Pirates...)
• What is the logical reasoning that compels The Response? (ie. he's afraid for his daughter's safety… he refuses to accept his father's failure as a husband… he's afraid for the safety of his crew)
• What type of opposition, dilemma, decision, realization, or mistake will the hero be forced to confront due to the Motivation Disturbed and/or The Response? (ie. he is guilt-tripped and pressured by his daughter and ex-wife… he can't afford to live on his own… he lets his guard down...)
• What is the Big Decision to be made (whether by the hero's or the hero's opposition) that will catapult the hero into a whole new world with major implications? (ie. he signs the permission slip to let his daughter go to Europe… he forges checks so he can repair his family... he commands his crew to hide in the engine room... )
• What type of dilemma, problem, or risk is created as a consequence of The Big Decision? (ie. he learns his daughter has been kidnapped… he engages in highly illegal activity… the pirates force their way onboard the ship...)
• The Goal: The Goal must be an achievement or attainment of: 1) an event in space/time; 2) an object in space/time; or 3) a character in space/time. Either of the latter components gain strength and specificity when accompanied by: 1) a specific location; 2) a specific time. (ie. to find his kidnapped daughter within 72 hours... to find the groom and get him to the wedding by 10am on Sunday... to remove the pirates from the ship...
• Pursuing the Goal, Step #1: What is the first active step the hero takes in preparing for The Hero's Goal? (ie. he goes to the location where his daughter was last seen to find clues… he poses as a Pan-Am pilot… he escorts the pirates through the ship so they can take what they want...)
• Pursuing the Goal, Step #2: What is the next logical step that the hero must take towards achieving The Goal? (ie. he finds out a human trafficking ring is responsible for his daughter's kidnapping... he masters the art of check forgery... he covertly communicates with his crew to turn off the lights and generators...)
• Pursuing the Goal, Step #3: What major progress or setback does the hero encounter due to step#1 and step #2 that leads to a major advancement in pursuit of The Goal? (ie. he finds where the human traffickers are based… he travels the globe cashing forged checks and making millions... he and his crew devise a plan to take down the pirates...)
• Midpoint: What event unfolds that forces the hero into overdrive towards The Goal? This can be information uncovered, threshold reached, or added pressure from the villain that forces the hero to now take aggressive and extreme action? (ie. he saves a girl who knows where his daughter's kidnappers are located... he makes face-to-face contact with the FBI agent who is dedicated to bringing him to justice... his crew ambushes the head pirate, Skinny, and the pirates agree to leave on a rescue boat...)
• Aggressive Action #1: Now that the midpoint threshold has been crossed, what bold step is taken by the hero or antagonist to achieve The Goal? (ie. he apprehends his daughter's kidnapper and tortures him for answers… he changes his identity to evade the authorities… he gets forced into the rescue boat with the pirates...)
• Aggressive Action #2: What is the next major step that puts the hero or antagonist super close to the goal? (ie. he enters a mansion where his daughter is being auctioned by human traffickers… he decides to get married and join a new family of his own… the Navy is summoned and on the way to save the day...)
• Big Failure: How does the hero fail to accomplish The Goal or satisfy The Motivation? This event puts the hero in a position that makes attaining The Goal and/or Motivation seem impossible? (ie. he gets knocked unconscious, tied up, and ordered for execution… he loses his wife, new family, and is back on the run, alone again… he tries to swim away from the boat but gets caught by the pirate...)
• Response to the Big Failure: what change occurs in the hero as a result of the Big Failure that gets the hero back on course towards The Goal and/or Motivation? (ie. he breaks free, kills his adversaries, and steels their weapons… he surrenders to the FBI and gets taken into custody... the Navy gets summoned and is on its way to save the day...)
• The Epiphany: What is the plan realized, information obtained, or transformation that occurs as a result of the Response to the Big Failure? (ie. he realizes his daughter is boarding a boat... he finds out his father died and escapes custody... the Navy delivers Captain Philips a message to brace himself as pirates torcher him
• Climax: How does the hero's Goal and/or Motivation resolve in a face-to-face conflict? (ie. he boards the boat, kills everyone and saves his daughter… he sees mother has moved on with her new husband and child… a team of snipers kill all the pirates and save Captain Philips...)
• The Return: After the Climax, where does the hero go, what does the hero learn, or what circumstances is the hero met with? (ie. he returns to home and introduces his daughter to the pop-star… he gets offered a job working with the FBI check forgery department... he returns to the ship safely...)
• Completion of the Arc: How does the hero reconsile with his motivation? (ie. he establishes the meaningful relationship he's always wanted with his daughter… he finds his new family with the law enforcement officers at the FBI... he is reunited with his crew...)
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