November 13, 2013

Second Half of Act 1 - (p. 11 - p. 23-27)

The real plot of the movie begins in this chunk.

I bet this is when Tom Hanks finds out he has to go get Matt Damon in Saving Private Ryan.

I bet this is when the other guy is hooked up with a new partner and she’s an Asian girl who wasn’t allowed to fight... in Pacific Rim.

I bet it’s when every character hits a problem that forces a physical, mental and emotional change.

This change is the start of the plot of the movie - the crime, the disaster, the investigation, the build up of troops, the quest, etc.

It begins a whole new Act - Act II (goes from p 30 or so to p 75 or so)

Complications/Problems/Big Changes/Scary Moments

The first half of the second act is about the hero making some kind of progress.

Usually, getting into a new world, a new concept, a new situation, finding things out, making some kind of friends, gathering information, items of use/power.

There may also be some kind of testing or obstacle course or a maze of some sort.

This is usually a very exciting part of any movie - because we’re learning so much as an audience.

At the half point, there is a Moment of No Return, a Confrontation, a Mini-Ending, a Dramatic Intensity higher than any before in the movie.

At this point, there is usually some kind of pre-confrontation between hero and villain

In Planet of the Apes, this is when Taylor speaks and changes the whole idea of humans in the ape world.

In the second half of the second act, everything goes downhill.

The villains gain momentum, the energy is much darker, the hero is in much more trouble, and it gets progressively worse until p.80 or so.

At page 80 or so, we enter Act III

Usually, at the end of Act II, there is a moment called The Low, or the Darkness, or The Touch of Death - it happens ALL the time in average movies.

The partner dies, the couple separates, the dog is killed, the daughter is kidnapped, the revelations come out that threaten whatever is important, etc.

The hero is driven into a terrible low and it looks like “all hope is lost”.

HOWEVER - there is next a moment where the hero digs deep, finds strength and often, some symbol to help him/her decide to deal with the low, with the problem AND with the inner problem he/she had at the start.

This part is KEY to all movies (pretty much) and it’s the crazy, American, moralizing that makes some people dislike pop movies.

The point is a character point = Hero, you need to embrace change. You need to be the person who ISN’T like he/she was at the start.

This whole inner layer of the character changing (character arc) is really what the movie is about.

It’s a journey from Point A to Point Z - from before to after - from broken to fixed

Act III

Resolution/Roller Coaster Ride/Big Chase/Big Fight/Big Moment of Confrontation/Big Realization/Finding the Thing the Hero Needed

Usually only about 20-30 minutes.

Has to wrap up the hero’s character problem - the hero needs to get what he/she needed to be whole, to be a real person.

Often takes place in front of witnesses or a crowd (very American)