THE BLAKE SNYDER BEAT SHEET
GOLDEN HARVEST
When her med school application is rejected, a dutiful college graduate takes a summer job with a widely-published, jerk of a physician, but when she discovers his secret, dark research project, she must decide whether it’s worth sacrificing her integrity to earn the recommendation letter she desperately wants.
Named Characters:
Missy Callahan – a book-smart, pre-med dweeb with Coke bottle glasses and pigtails
Prof. Pierce – Missy’s college advisor
Franky – Missy’s tattooed bisexual friend; a fellow pre-med student; trickster?
Stella – Missy’s grandmother who raised her
Joe – Missy’s grandfather who raised her (combine with Grandmother?)
Lance – Missy’s self-centered jerk of a boyfriend
V. (Victor) Simon Smaug, MD – a narcissistic, crabby, pompous doctor that Missy works for
Nurse Emily Smaug – Dr. Smaug’s flying-monkey, sexy, younger wife
Father Murphy – creepy hospital chaplain
Zeth Stone, MD – a handsome MD who did not get a residency; a ghostwriter of memoirs for doctors; Missy’s magical object of desire
Daryl – paranoid ghostwriter
Nate or Dan Wand (pronounced Juan) – a self-centered, histrionic, aggressively sexual ghost writer who comes onto Missy inappropriately
Kelly – ghostwriting firm’s sociopathic messaging manager
E.G. Ore – Dr. Smaug’s hunchbacked laboratory manager
Agnes – a mysterious old lady who exchanges the piss bags and has keys to all the doors
Academic Menopause Research Society (AMRS) – the organization who gives Dr. Smaug a lifetime achievement award
Opening Image (1):
Establishing shot of the CAMPUS of Junior University, showing STUDENTS at the end of the school year carrying their belongings out to their cars. A Junior U outdoor digital LED display board sign spells out “Congratulations, graduates!”
A compilation of amateur home movie clips plays on the screen of a well-worn LAPTOP computer sitting on a dresser while MISSY CALLAHAN packs up her stuff and the opening credits roll. The clips show that her parents raised her to become an M.D. Missy is a clumsy dweeb and has a Mr. Magoo look about her. She wears Coke-bottle glasses and has pigtails. Our ugly duckling innocent will arc to become a beautiful woman.
Set-Up (1-10):
Missy just about to move the last moving box from the top of her of her decade-old compact car into its back seat, when a female friend, FRANKY, (20) approaches and gives her a big hug. Bisexual Franky has short hair, is dressed in light blue nurses’ scrubs, is using a plaid shirt as a jacket, and is tattooed and pierced.
Missy knocks on the door frame and enters her advisor’s office. Her advisor, PROF. PIERCE, an older college professor in a rumpled suit, is sitting at his desk, his head down, grading papers.
Walking down the hallway, Missy ducks into a room with a sign indicating it is the Pre-Med Lounge over the door.
Missy scans the contents of the vending machines to see if something looks edible. She is reminded about the ubiquitous nature of pharmaceutical company marketing.
Theme Stated (5): Never surrender; never give up. Not all doctors are admirable.
Catalyst (12):
Missy is still wiping the marinara sauce off her chin as she walks toward her eye-level post office box. She drops the napkin into a trash can and fumbles with her key, dropping it a couple of times. She is rejected by her “safe” medical school and is reminded that she must start repaying her student loan.
Debate (12-25):
Missy is teary as she enters the kitchen and approaches her GRANDMOTHER. Her Grandmother is wearing a cancer head scarf. They hug. Missy sobs and her Grandmother knows the cause.
Missy walks into the den. Her GRANDFATHER is sitting in a reclining chair, watching a streaming a soccer game. He gets Missy to state the theme: Never give up! Never surrender!
Missy knocks on the door frame of her Advisor’s office. Prof. Pierce is sitting at his desk. He raises his head and motions for her to come in. He gives her some advice about how to improve her application and explains how she could make some money as a medical scribe.
Missy visits her BOYFRIEND to commiserate. He is not empathetic.
Looking for comfort food again, Missy enters the Pre-Med Lounge to find Franky there. Missy slumps down in a chair at Franky’s table. Franky offers her a placed to stay if she accepts the job her advisor is helping her find.
DR. V. SIMON SMAUG, late 60’s, heavyset, with a mop of dyed-blond hair, is dressed in light blue scrubs with a scrubs cap. He walks out of one of his patient’s hospital rooms into a hallway that is bustling with MEDICAL WORKERS. He angrily fires his CURRENT SCRIBE for contradicting him.
Dr. Smaug berates an INTERN for pronouncing his name incorrectly
Dr. Smaug storms into his office and sits behind his desk. He is followed closely by his nip-and-tucked head nurse and wife, NURSE EMILY SMAUG (50s). Her breasts bulge out of her top, like a bowling ball on an ironing board.
Sitting in the Pre-Med Student’s Lounge, Missy searches for information on Dr. Smaug’s background and resume on her Laptop.
Missy walks into the Physicians’ Lounge and sees Dr. Smaug looking at himself in a mirror hanging on the wall, stroking his goatee. His face is stern, like he is posing for a photograph. He is dressed in light blue surgeon’s scrubs with a scrubs cap.
Missy visits her grandparents’ home. While eating dinner with them, Missy muses about her options.
Missy is in bed, about to turn off her reading light. She picks up the framed picture on her nightstand and looks at it. It’s a picture of Toddler Missy standing between her deceased, auburn-haired PARENTS, holding their hands.
Missy stops by her Advisor’s office. Prof. Pierce is sitting behind his desk, as usual. Missy knocks and he waves her in.
Maybe a friend f Prof. Pierce who knows about Missy’s loss, calls him in secret to let him know Missy just needs some time working in a medical setting and a letter of recommendation. The Letter.
Missy and Franky are sitting together at a table when Missy’s Boyfriend enters the room. Franky is facing toward the door, sees him, and moves to another table. Missy turns to her Boyfriend.
Missy and Franky are sitting together at a table. Each is working on a pint container of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. Missy’s is Chocolate Therapy(R) and Franky’s is Banana Split(R).
Break into Two (25):
A nervous Missy reports to the hospital HR department to become an employee. She reads and signs paperwork and is handed an EMPLOYEES’ MANUAL.
Missy carries the last box of her belongings into her bedroom in her Franky’s apartment. Franky walks in.
Missy approaches Nurse Smaug who is sitting at a nursing station. Missy smiles.
MEDICAL SCRIBE TRAINING MONTAGE
Scenes that show that Dr. Smaug is tricking pregnant young women to spend time in his clinic.
Missy follows Dr. Smaug into the hospital room of Laura (23), one of his pregnant patients, who is lying in a hospital bed and is hooked up to a blood pressure monitoring system. Missy is pushing the COW ahead of her.
Missy follows Dr. Smaug into the room of another patient Ann. This patient is also a pregnant Millennial.
Creepy hospital chaplain is introduced.
Dr. Smaug likes Missy’s work and offers her a job coordinating work on some professional paper manuscripts. He introduces her to how his articles are written initially by someone else.
Missy steps in Dr. Smaug’s trap and visits the ghostwriting firm and is introduced to the staff, many of which have personality disorders. One of the guys is a potential love interest. He works on memoirs and maybe warns Missy.
Will and Missy approach the closed door office of the first team member to be introduced, DARYL, 40s, who has another brother named Daryl. “No, it’s Darren.” Will tries the doorknob unsuccessfully and then knocks on the door.
Next, Missy is introduced to Nate, who is self-centered and must be the center of attention. Nate is obsessed with his physical appearance and inappropriately sexually flirtatious. He is very suggestible and exhibits a tendency towards being theatrical and high-drama. Think Nathan Lane.
Missy is surprised when she attends a brown bag (lunch) seminar and is exposed to propaganda techniques used in ghostwriting: name calling, glittering generalities, transfer, card stacking, testimonials, band wagon, plain folks. The speaker is KELLY, the firm’s Messaging Manager, who is a sociopath. Think Kellyanne Conway.
B Story (30):
Missy commiserates with potential love interest, ZETH STONE, MD, and finds out that he works for the ghostwriting firm writing memoirs for doctors because he failed to obtain a residency match.
Fun and Games (30-55):
Missy attends a staff meeting on a paper she is editing and others propose she use: repetition, reactance, and declination. Maybe these are overall company strategies.
Missy works at hospital as scribe a couple of days per week.
Missy meets with her ghostwriting firm manager and points out how the firm’s approach is not scientific or ethical.
Midpoint (55):
Missy is invited to work at Dr. Smaug’s clinic for postmenopausal women, called Quality of Life Clinic, which is a false victory.
Bad Guys Close In (55-75):
Missy first works on the side of the clinic serving postmenopausal women. She hears how much the older women like hormone therapy.
Missy meets Dr. Smaug’s laboratory director, E.G. Ore, who has a hunchback and limps.
Missy connects the dots. She understands how Dr. Smaug’s ghostwritten articles are corrupting medicine (and making his clinic patients into true believers).
Missy learns that the lab is situated between the two clinics and extracts estrogen and progestin from the young women’s urine.
Missy notices (from the containers?) that the hormones harvested from the Millennials are given to the Boomers (who pay a lot for them).
Missy is invited (or accidentally wanders) into Dr. Smaug’s other clinic that has an entrance on the next street.
The pregnant woman at term produces more estrogen in one day, than a nonpregnant woman produces in 3 years!
A woman will produce more estrogen during one pregnancy than throughout her entire life when not pregnant.
Old woman that collects urine containers knows all the secrets.
Missy watches as Dr. Smaug finds out how a short older patient is doing. The patient is over 70 with helmet-styled bright white hair who really believes in taking hormones. (See antagonist’s wife in Caddy Shack.) Patient says “People get shorter as they get older so enjoy the view while you can.”
Duplicate: Missy notices (from the containers?) that the hormones harvested from the Millennials are given to the Boomers (who pay a lot for them).
The Boomer women talk to one another in the waiting room about how much they appreciated the clinic as their own doctors discourage long term hormone use.
Duplicate: Missy is invited (or accidentally wanders) into Dr. Smaug’s other clinic that has an entrance on the next street.
Missy learns that the other clinic serves Millennial women with “high risk” pregnancies who have been prescribed bed rest. The women’s urine is collected daily. (Maybe their pregnancies are not really high risk.) OR Missy discovers that pregnant Millennial volunteers are being paid to give urine.
Missy investigates the lab between the two clinics.
Missy convinces a pregnant Franky to be a paid volunteer at Dr. Smaug’s pregnancy clinic. Missy’s research indicates that a DNA test can identify whose urine it is.
Missy discloses to her love interest what she has learned about hormone harvest and sale and they decide to expose Dr. Smaug.
All Is Lost (75):
Dr. Smaug begins to suspect Missy. Maybe tells her she will be laid off soon.
Dark Night of the Soul (75-85):
Missy continues scribe work at the hospital (or clinic) on top of editing work.
Missy gets into trouble by correcting Dr. Smaug (just like the scribe she replaced).
Missy lets her hair down which makes Nurse Smaug jealous.
Missy’s DNA experiment shows that the urine comes from Millennials.
Missy walks home in the rain.
Break into Three (85):
Missy
Finale (85-110):
Missy hears that Dr. Smaug’s career is going to be celebrated at a special luncheon lecture.
Missy’s love interest is tasked by his boss with preparing a video biography of Dr. Smaug to be shown at the special luncheon.
Missy uses her phone to video what is really going on in his clinics and narrates the clips.
Missy conquers her clumsiness.
Missy reapplies to med school (or decides she wants to be an investigative journalist).
Final Image (110): Missy walks into a college of journalism.