I'VE CREATED A MONSTER! (The Workings of Acts 2A & 2B)

(Related article: Reconsidering the 3-Act Label)

This one falls under the "sh*t so plain to see its amazing no one else has mentioned it" category.

The second act has always seemed quite a mystery to developing writers. The purpose of the first act is clear. It is the “Setup.” It orientates the audience to the elements of the story world and creates the events that launch the story into motion. The third act seems equally simple. It is the “Resolution.” It contains the events that resolve the main conflict and bring the story to an end. (These are the broad terms coined by old guard “script gurus.” There's quite a bit more to the structure of the first and third acts than this implies, but for the purposes of this article, we will keep things simple.)

The second act is not so clear. It has been labeled the “Rising Action.” What the heck does this actually mean? Whatever the plot is supposed to physically do in this hour-long stretch of time in order to connect the beginning to the end is unclear. Okay, the action rises. That doesn't provide much help to the writers who need to physically put events on the page. This lack of instruction is yet another reason why the second act is the weakest in most spec scripts, the place where the story starts to wander, tension sags, and the reader loses interest.

In my previous article, I demonstrated that the second act is not really one long act, but rather two acts of equal length: Act 2A & Act 2B, separated by the Mid-2^nd Act Turning Point. It did not take me long after that article to discover that Acts 2A & 2B both work to carry out very simple and fundamental dramatic functions, seen the same over in every successful film. Functions as simple and straightforward as the Setup and Resolution:

In Act 2A, the protagonist unwittingly creates a monster.

In Act 2B, the protagonist must fight the monster he or she has created.

Now bear with me as this may sound strange at first. To start, let's look at a simple version of the legend of Dr. Frankenstein. In the first half of Frankenstein's story, the Doctor wishes to create life from the dead. Frankenstein does this without any malevolent intentions. In his mind, he is doing good by advancing the capabilities of science and the realms of human achievement. He succeeds, only to later find that his creature is an abomination. He has unintentionally released a monster upon the world. In the second half of the story, Frankenstein must try to reverse his mistakes by destroying the monster.

The pattern seen in the Frankenstein legend repeats itself in the second acts of every successful feature film. In Act 2A, the protagonist takes a series of actions that he or she honestly believes will ameliorate the story's situation and overcome the conflict. However, the protagonist does not know that these actions always inadvertently end up MAKING THE SITUATION MUCH WORSE. The protagonist's well-meaning actions have only wound up digging him or her into a deep hole and/or inciting the force of antagonism's wrath to a dangerous level. The protagonist has unwittingly (though not always unwillingly) created a monstrous situation for him or herself. However, it is not until the Mid-2^nd Act Turning Point that the protagonist becomes fully aware of this.

Of the many examples:

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Act 2A: Indiana Jones eludes Nazis to uncover the location of the Ark of the Covenant.

Turning Point: Indy finds the Ark, but the Nazis appear and take it from him.

Monstrous Outcome: Indy has inadvertently put the Ark right into the Nazi's hands.

Die Hard

Act 2A: John McClane does all he can to get the attention of the police.

Turning Point: McClane succeeds by throwing a body onto a policeman's car.

Monstrous Outcome: McClane soon learns the police are incompetent and will only make the situation worse.

Braveheart

Act 2A: William Wallace leads a small-scale rebellion against the English in Scotland.

Turning Point: Face-to-face with English forces on the battlefield, rather than negotiate as the Scottish Lords wish, Wallace leads the Scots to rout the enemy.

Monstrous Outcome: Wallace has provoked a full-scale war with the mighty English army.

The Godfather

Act 2A: Michael Corleone, the civilian of his crime family, agrees to assassinate Virgil Sollozzo.

Turning Point: Michael kills both Sollozzo and his policeman bodyguard.

Monstrous Outcome: Michael is now a wanted killer, fair game for either the police to arrest or rival mafias to kill.

Jerry Macquire

Act 2A: Jerry attempts to bounce back as a high-power sports agent after experiencing a crisis of conscience.

Midpoint: Jerry's inability to perform as he used to ends up losing him his last all-star client the day before a big deal.

Monstrous Outcome: Jerry is left with nothing except a single B-level client.

Citizen Kane

Act 2A: Kane has an extramarital affair while while making his run for political office.

Midpoint: Kane's opponent exposes the affair.

Monstrous Outcome: Kane's personal life and political future are both ruined.

The Wizard of Oz

Act 2A: Dorothy and her friends travel to meet the Wizard in the hope that he can send her home.

Midpoint: The Wizard refuses to help until she brings him the broom of the Wicked Witch.

Monstrous Outcome: Dorothy must go into dangerous territory to meet the witch face to face.

The purpose of the Mid-2^nd Act Turning Point is to end Act 2A and launch Act 2B by providing the key transitional event between the actions that have created the monstrous situation and the moment where the protagonist realizes this situation must be fought against. Keep in mind that this “monster” does not always have to be something dangerous or life-threatening. Sometimes it is simply a situation where the protagonist's struggle against the main conflict becomes far more complicated. 

Depending on the type of story, the Mid-2^nd Act Turning Point twists the plot in a new direction in one of three ways.

a. The Mid-2^nd TP is a dramatically-significant physical action that either creates the monstrous situation, or provides the tipping point which sets a monstrous situation into motion.

Batman Begins

Act 2A: Bruce Wayne transforms himself into a symbol that will combat crime and corruption.

Midpoint: Bruce takes his first actions as Batman, capturing crime boss Carmine Falconi.

Monstrous Outcome: Bruce has put a target on his back. Not only do criminals now want him dead, but the police want him arrested.

Star Wars

Act 2A: Luke and Obi-Wan get off Tatooine on a journey to Alderaan so they may deliver secret information to the Revel commanders.

Midpoint: They are surprised when their actions lead them right to the Death Star. Their ship is captured.

Monstrous Outcome: Luke and Obi-Wan are now in the belly of the beast, surrounded by enemies.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Act 2A: Peter tries to get over his break-up, even though he is staying at the same resort as his ex.

Midpoint: Peter and a new love interest Rachel kiss for the first time.

Monstrous Outcome: Peter is now torn between an opportunity with a new love and his desire to reunite with his ex-girlfriend.

b. The Mid-2^nd TP is a moment of revelation where the protagonist realizes his or her cumulative actions throughout Act 2A have created a monstrous situation.

Back to the Future

Act 2A: Lost in the year 1955, Marty accidentally alters the past.

Midpoint: Marty sees his family photo start to disappear. He realizes his actions have created a life-threatening time paradox.

Monstrous Outcome: Marty must reverse his mistakes or be wiped out of existence.

Alien (my favorite example, because it is the most literal)

Act 2A: Ripley's crew brings an alien parasite aboard the ship, choosing to study it rather than destroy it.

Midpoint: A newborn alien monster bursts from a crew member's chest.

Monstrous Outcome: The crew's mistakes have wound up releasing a murderous monster aboard their ship.

A Beautiful Mind

Act 2A: The brilliant John Nash engages in a dangerous and bizarre top-secret mission for the US government.

Midpoint: Nash is diagnosed with schizophrenia. The mission is revealed to be pure fantasy.

Monstrous Outcome: Nash is stuck in a living nightmare where he cannot tell what is real and what is not.

c. In some stories, the protagonist is already aware of his or her dire situation by the end of Act 2A. In these stories, the Mid-2^nd TP is an event that provides potential salvation.

Rocky

Act 2A: Rocky agrees to fight Apollo Creed, but soon realizes there will be no outcome except his total humiliation.

Midpoint: Rocky accepts Mick as his trainer. Rocky now has a fighting chance.

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

Act 2A: Frodo continues his dangerous mission without Gandalf, pursued by more evil than a mere Hobbit could possibly handle.

Midpoint: A band of stalwart heroes gather to assist and protect Frodo.

Cast Away

Act 2A: Chuck Noland, trying to survive on a desert island, slowly devolves into a wretched madman.

Midpoint: Chuck discovers something washed up on shore that will allow him to escape the island.

The Mid-2^nd TP, or a moment that immediately follow the "monster moment," often becomes the “hero moment” of the story. After finding that their previous actions have buried them in a deep, dark hole, the Mid-2^nd TP forces the protagonist to change from behaving relatively passive or reactive towards the story's conflict (doing all he or she can to avoid direct encounters with the source of the conflict) to becoming an active participant in that conflict (the protagonist becomes willing to face the source of conflict head-on.) In Act 2A, Indiana Jones tries to avoid the Nazis and find the Ark in secret. In Die Hard, John McClane prefers to run away from the terrorists and contact the police so they can handle the situation. In Star Wars, the heroes do all they can to avoid direct contact with Imperial forces. The Mid-2^nd TP then puts the heroes into a situation which forces them to give up on such passive efforts. They must become willing to rise up and do what it takes to battle the conflict head-on.

Once the Mid-2^nd TP has occurred, the necessary course of action for Act 2B becomes clear. The protagonist must now take direct effort to fight and eventually subdue the monstrous situation so he or she might be able to continue onward to the Main Story Goal. These new, more aggressive actions inevitably lead the protagonist to the battle that ends the 2^nd Act, and the End of 2^nd Act Turning Point.

Reconsidering the (completely misnamed) 3-Act Label

(Related article: "I'VE CREATED A MONSTER!")

 
It has become considered pretty much axiomatic that cinematic stories are structured in three acts. It is treated as extreme ignorance to think otherwise. Of course, there is plenty of evidence to support this. The dramatic rule of threes has been around since the time of Aristotle.

A story told in three acts seems elementary. Since childhood we are taught stories have a beginning, middle, and end. Or, as the “script gurus” unhelpfully put it, “setup, rising action, and resolution.” Even I have staunchly insisted that cinematic stories always have three acts, no more, no less. Yet still, whenever I looked at a visual representation of the three-act model, it always seemed like something was, well – a little jacked up.

Why are things so unbalanced? What is with this oblong stretched-out middle? What sense does it make that there must be one short act, then one very long act, and then another short act? It is no wonder why second acts put developing screenwriters into a cold sweat. Their story has a beginning. The story has an ending. But how the hell are they going to fill this vast wasteland in between? How are they going to keep the story going, keeps things developing and escalating, and at the same time keep the audience's attention for nearly an hour's length of time? There is good reason why most spec screenplays stumble, sag, or run out of energy during their second acts. It is like trying to drive across 100 miles of desert with only 50 miles worth of gas.

Second act sagginess apparently comes from the lack of a major dramatic turning point for over an hour of screen time. According to the sequence method, a properly-structured story requires a turning point every ten to fifteen minutes to provide development, escalation, and maintain story momentum. However, the 3-Act model relies on certain MAJOR turning points occurring at specific dramatic moments. These moments create such significant situation-altering events that they effectively break the story into separate blocks. The 3-Act model has had so much success because these major dramatic turning points reignite audience interest with a forceful shove at right about the times when their attentions start to wane.

Most books on screencraft teach that proper narrative structure contains only three major dramatic turning points, one located at the end of each act:

Unfortunately, there is a problem when it comes to the second act. Major dramatic turning points provide only so much “push,” or dramatic momentum. After less than thirty minutes, the momentum wears off and the audience's attentions once again start to wane. This is fine and dandy for the short first and third acts, since the audience does not have to wait long before its next shot in the arm. But then we have that long unwieldy second act. And not surprisingly, smack dab in the middle of the second act is where most beginner scripts start... to slow... down....

But wait a second. If this is a constant problems, why are the films we see in theaters so successful with their second acts? How do they manage to maintain attention and excitement from beginning to end with no lag through their middles? What do they do right that most spec script get wrong?

The reality is that most “script gurus” overlook an absolutely fundamental piece of their beloved 3-Act structure. Analyze any handful of well-written, well-structured feature films and you will quickly discover an overlooked FOURTH major dramatic turning point occurring smack-dab in the middle of the second act.

Alien – the monster alien explodes from Kane's chest, turning the story from a mystery to a fight for survival.

Good Will Hunting – Will finally opens up to his therapist, permanently changing the story's central character relationship and how Will approaches the story conflict.

Rocky – Rocky allows Mick to become his manager, changing the relationship between the hero and his mentor and giving Rocky his first legitimate chance of success.

Iron Man – Tony Stark makes his first successful appearance as Iron Man, forever turning the protagonist from selfish playboy to global hero.

Schindler's List – Oskar Schindler commits his first truly unselfish act by using his watch to save an old couple, beginning his transformation from profiteer to hero.

Die Hard – John McClane finally gets the attention of the police, permanently changing (and greatly complicating) the landscape of the story conflict.

Star Wars – The heroes are pulled onto the Death Star, trapping them in the belly of the beast and forcing them to face the force of antagonism head-on.

The Shining – The characters have their first meaningful physical contact with the evil that resides in the hotel, changing the conflict from abstract to tangible.

Now, many books mention something about a “Midpoint scene.” But like much of the material in these books, the information on what this midpoint does and how it should be used tends to be vague and unhelpful. The “midpoint” is actually quite a simple concept. This events provides a major dramatic turning point which creates a “hinge point” in the narrative -- essentially splitting the story in two: the story situation as it existed before the mid-second act turning point, and the drastically altered situation existing after the turning point, as pointed out by the examples above. The mid-second act turning point not only creates a major moment of development and escalation, but provides a powerful boost to reignites audience interest and launch the narrative forcefully into the second half of the second act.

The Midpoint event sounds just like and end-of-act turning point, doesn't it? That's because it is one!  Here is where all the confusion over 3-Act structure originates. THE 3-ACT STRUCTURE IS COMPLETELY MISNAMED. The traditional 3-Act structure tells stories in four parts, not three. Rather than one short act, one very long act, and then another short act, successful feature-length narratives are comprised of FOUR ACTS OF EQUAL LENGTH.

Successful cinematic structure become elegantly simple as soon as one realizes that cinematic stories are composed of four equal units of action:

Alien

Act 1 – Heroes investigate a distress signal. (TP: A creature attaches itself to Kane and is brought onboard the ship.

Act 2A – Heroes try to figure out this creature attached to Kane. (TP: Monster bursts from Kane's and is now loose on the ship)

Act 2B – Heroes try to capture or kill the monster. (TP: Heroes realize monster is unkillable and must destroy the ship.)

Act 3 – Destroying the ship and escaping the monster for good.

Rocky

Act 1 – Hero struggles with life as a worthless bum. (TP: Rocky is offered a fight with the world champion.)

Act 2A – Hero hopelessly tries to prepare for the fight on his own. (TP: Rocky reconciles with his mentor and agrees to let him become his manager.)

Act 2B – Hero develops from bum to contender with the help of his mentor. (TP: Rocky realizes he still has no chance, but sets a new goal for himself to “go the distance” with the champion.)

Act 3 – Rocky succeeds at his new goal, proving his self-worth.

Star Wars

Act 1 – Hero finds a message that will help defeat the evil empire, but is unwilling to get directly involved. (TP: Hero's home is destroyed by members of the evil empire, giving him no choice but to leave home to join the Rebel cause.)

Act 2A – Leaving Tatooine with the secret message. (TP: Hero becomes trapped aboard the Death Star, the heart of the evil empire.)

Act 2B – Escape from the Death Star. (TP: Hero succeeds, allowing him to deliver the message.)

Act 3 – Hero joins the battle to defeat the empire using the message's information.

Here now is a new visual model for the 3-Act structure:

Isn't this simpler? Isn't this easier to manage? Doesn't this make more sense? With the simple recognition of an additional end-of-act turning point, the classic 3-Act model goes from wonky and difficult, to balanced, simple, and easy for any beginner to manage. Second acts need no longer strike fear in the hearts of developing writers. Or any act for that matter.

(Note that to avoid confusion, I have not relabeled the acts as Acts 1, 2, 3, & 4. To remain in line with established terminology, “3^rd Act” shall always refer to a story's final act. The two halves of the former second act are now labelled "Act 2A" and "Act 2B." We minimize misunderstandings if everyone keeps speaking the same language.)

scribble on.