Lecture 12: The Big Pit

1. Lecture 12:The Big Pit Professor Christopher Bradley One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)Screenplay by Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman Based on the novel by Ken Kesey

2. Previous Lesson We looked at the first two of three bad things. For example, Billy Bibbit being emotionally broken by Nurse One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)Screenplay by Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman Based on the novel by Ken Kesey Ratched and then dragged away to some unnamed torture-to-come.

3. In this Lesson One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)Screenplay by Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman Based on the novel by Ken Kesey • The third “bad thing”.

4. The Big Pit Singin’ in the Rain (1952) Screenplay by Adolph Green and Betty Comden Suggested by the song Singin’ in the Rain by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown Lesson 12: Part I

5. Remember! • Every scene should increase the pressures on your characters, asking more and more of them in terms of risk and difficulty of choice. Singin’ in the Rain (1952) Screenplay by Adolph Green and Betty Comden Suggested by the song Singin’ in the Rain by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown

6. The Third Bad Thing • After two major failures, just when your protagonist imagines that things can’t possibly get worse, they DO. • This is the moment when Professor Marvel’s hot-air balloon takes off without Dorothy. • This is the moment in It’s a Wonderful Life when George Bailey is in the alternate reality, screaming across the bar to his wife Mary, who has no idea who he is.

7. Example 1:One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)Screenplay by Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman Based on the novel by Ken Kesey

8. Example 1:One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest • First, McMurphy watches as Billy Bibbit is crushed emotionally by Nurse Ratched and forced to turn against his fellows. • Second, he watches as Billy is led away to some unnamed torment at the hands of Dr. Spivey. • Now, it’s not about what he wants (his own freedom) it’s about what he needs

9. Example 1:One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest • Now, because of the events of The Big Pit, McMurphy will realize that it’s no longer about what he wants (his own freedom) it’s about what he needs (to take responsibility for the men he has led into rebellion). • Let’s take a look at The Big Pit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

10. Example 2:Singin’ in the Rain Singin’ in the Rain (1952) Screenplay by Adolph Green and Betty Comden Suggested by the song Singin’ in the Rain by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown

11. Example 2:Singin’ in the Rain • First, attempting to record sound is a series of disasters. • Second, the screening itself is an even bigger disaster that could end everyone’s careers, from the studio head on down. • Don and Cosmo come up with a plan, but here, we see that Don’s solution has led him into an even more dire problem.

12. Example 2:Singin’ in the Rain • More than what Don wants (his transition from being a silent film star to being a star of the talkies) is what he needs– true love. • Let’s take a look at this clip from Singin’ in the Rain. Singin’ in the Rain (1952) Screenplay by Adolph Green and Betty Comden Suggested by the song Singin’ in the Rain by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown

13. Assignments One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)Screenplay by Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman Based on the novel by Ken Kesey Lesson 12: Part II

14. E-Board Post • Post the next 15 pages of your Second Act, including (most likely) three major setbacks with increasingly dire consequences for your protagonist and his goal. • As always, remember to continue developing your subplots and to be re-writing your earlier pages! 14

15. End of Lecture 12 Next Lecture: The Epiphany Jaws (1975) Screenplay by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb Based on the novel by Peter Benchley