*** I love movies. I love to watch movies and take the script apart beat by beat. In addition, I love to write for movies, and I like doing this exercise while I watch a movie in order to hone my writing craft in this business.

First Image –

A city rests on a hill in front of a pyramid-like structure.  The sirens alarm, calling out to chosen vessels, children, who leave their normalcy and enter the structure.

Inside the structure, these children are hooked up to machines. The power of their minds produces a beam that shoots out towards the Dark Tower that sits as the balance of multiple dimensions.

Theme –

Worlds are not torn apart when the bridge of father and son remains strong. Jake Chambers, a telepath of sorts, has visions that relate to the impending doom of Earth and it’s multitude of other dimensions. His family is dysfunctional: his father has passed away so he must work on a less than endearing relationship with a step-dad, his mom unsuccessfully trying to bridge the relationship.  On Roland’s dimension, Walter, the feared Man in Black, who wants the Dark Tower destroyed, takes away the life of Roland’s father, making Roland the last of the Gunslingers, defenders of the Dark Tower.

Set Up –

Walter is hell-bent to destroy the Dark Tower, but he must manipulate the mind of children to do that. Some how and some way, he is able to harness the power of the mind of a child to create beams that can destroy the Dark Tower. Thus, he has sent out his minions to locate children with powerful minds.  A group of his minions locates Jake Chambers, who has been having visions of Walter and Roland.  Jake’s parents do not believe him and think he’s suffering from mental issues. Posing as facilitators of a boarding school, the minions convince Jake’s mother and stepfather to send Jake away. Chambers sees hints of physical characteristics of the minions on these supposed school facilitators and runs away. He reaches out to his mother one last time and tells her that he cannot return until he is able to prove to her that he is not crazy.

Catalyst –

Chambers finds a house in New York City that he has seen in his visions. He soon learns that the house contains a portal machine. He uses the number from his visions to activate the portal. Hesitant at first, Jake leaps into the portal.

Debate –

Chambers arrives in the dimensional world of Roland. He travels a great distance before Roland confronts him. He tells Roland who he is, but Roland does not believe him and really doesn’t want to have anything to do with him.  At length, Roland finally agrees to take Jake to another Visionary who can make sense of the visions Jake has been having.

Plot Point One –

At the town where the Visionary resides, some more minions of Walter kidnap Jake. Just before a minion is able to escape with Jake, Roland fires a miraculously shot that saves Jake's life. 

Fun and Games –

Roland agrees to go to Jake’s dimension in order to find Walter and kill him as revenge for the death of his father. Chambers is thrilled to take Roland to his world and guarantees that Roland will like it, and Chambers introduces Roland to his world. 

B-Story –

A father and son relationship develops between Roland and Jake as Roland teaches Jake the oath of a Gunslinger and teaches him how to shoot. This pairing helps both Jake and Roland remember their fathers and persuades them to live their lives the way their fathers would want them to.

Midpoint –

Trying to nurse a wound Roland received, Jake takes Roland to his home only to find his parents dead. He wants to use his visions to see how his mother was killed, but Roland stops him so that he isn’t tracked by Walter.

Bad Guys Come –

Walter sends his specter self to thwart and confuse Roland while he sends out minions to capture Jake.

All is Lost –

Walter hooks Jake up to the machine that will force Jake to create a beam that will annihilate the Dark Tower. Jake tries to fight it and buy Roland some time to come and rescue him.

Lowest Moment –

Seeing Roland as a distraction, Walter confronts Roland for the last time. Just when it seems that Walter has destroyed Roland, Jake helps Roland remember the oath of the Gunslinger that he learned from his father. With this renewed energy, Roland kills Walter and breaks Jake from out of the machine.

Plot Point Two –

Roland tells Jake that he has to go back to his dimension. Jake seems to be understanding of this even though he doesn’t want Roland to leave.

Finale –

Enjoying some perks of New York City, namely their food, Roland asks if Jake wants to go with him. Jake is thrilled to go.

Final Image –

Roland and Jake go into an abandoned building in New York City with a portal and leave Earth.