Step Outline Example: Field of Dreams


FIELD OF DREAMS
a step outline
sequence outline

ACT ONE

  1. A SERIES OF SHOTS under Ray’s narration about his father.
  2. EXT. CORNFIELD. Ray hears a mysterious voice: "If you build it, he will come." Wife and daughter on porch don’t hear it.
  3. INT. KITCHEN. Wife kids him about the voice.
  4. INT. BEDROOM. During a thunderstorm, Ray hears the voice in bed.
  5. INT. HOUSE. Ray sensitive about voice, turns off TV showing Harvey movie, the invisible rabbit. Goes on errand.
  6. INT. FEED STORE. Ray asks another farmer about hearing voices? Symptom of working too hard?
  7. EXT. CORNFIELD. Hears voice again. Has vision of ballpark in the cornfield.
  8. INT. HOUSE, NIGHT. Ray tells wife he thinks he knows what the voice means - build a ballpark so Shoeless Joe Jackson can play again.
  9. 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.
  10. A SERIES OF SHOTS. He builds the ballpark, as neighbors watch in disbelief. "He’s gonna lose his farm."
  11. EXT. BALLPARK. The field is built. An illogical act.
  12. INT. BEDROOM. Staring at park at night, waiting for something to happen.
  13. INT. HOUSE. Staring at park thru window, snowing, waiting for something to happen.
  14. INT. HOUSE. Going over books. Hard to keep the field and save the farm, lost income. Daughter sees a man outside in the ballpark.
  15. EXT. BALLPARK. Ray meets Shoeless Joe. Plays ball with him. Family comes out and meets him.
  16. INT. HOUSE. Brother trying to get Ray to sell farm before he loses everything. Daughter fetches Ray.
  17. EXT BALLPARK. 8 blacklisted players come onto field to play ball.
  18. 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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