Step Outline Example: Field of Dreams
FIELD OF DREAMS
a step outline
sequence outline
ACT ONE
- A SERIES OF SHOTS under Ray’s narration about his father.
- EXT. CORNFIELD. Ray hears a mysterious voice: "If you build it, he will come." Wife and daughter on porch don’t hear it.
- INT. KITCHEN. Wife kids him about the voice.
- INT. BEDROOM. During a thunderstorm, Ray hears the voice in bed.
- INT. HOUSE. Ray sensitive about voice, turns off TV showing Harvey movie, the invisible rabbit. Goes on errand.
- INT. FEED STORE. Ray asks another farmer about hearing voices? Symptom of working too hard?
- EXT. CORNFIELD. Hears voice again. Has vision of ballpark in the cornfield.
- INT. HOUSE, NIGHT. Ray tells wife he thinks he knows what the voice means - build a ballpark so Shoeless Joe Jackson can play again.
- INT. BEDROOM. Ray scared of turning into his father, who was old before his time. Voice as last chance to do something spontaneous. Wife backs him.
- A SERIES OF SHOTS. He builds the ballpark, as neighbors watch in disbelief. "He’s gonna lose his farm."
- EXT. BALLPARK. The field is built. An illogical act.
- INT. BEDROOM. Staring at park at night, waiting for something to happen.
- INT. HOUSE. Staring at park thru window, snowing, waiting for something to happen.
- INT. HOUSE. Going over books. Hard to keep the field and save the farm, lost income. Daughter sees a man outside in the ballpark.
- EXT. BALLPARK. Ray meets Shoeless Joe. Plays ball with him. Family comes out and meets him.
- INT. HOUSE. Brother trying to get Ray to sell farm before he loses everything. Daughter fetches Ray.
- EXT BALLPARK. 8 blacklisted players come onto field to play ball.
- EXT BALLPARK, LATER. Wife, brother and his wife, Ray’s mother-in-law, come out where Ray and daughter are watching baseball practice. Only Ray and family can see the players. END OF ACT ONE.
MODULE 4:
SCREENWRIGHT: the craft of screenwriting
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