Nearly every screenwriting class teaches the classic “three-act structure”. In a two-hour film, Act
I takes up the first half-hour, Act II takes place over the next
hour, and Act III runs through the final half-hour.
However, most rookie writers run into problems
with their scripts halfway through Act II. How do they fill that
entire hour between the end of Act I and the start of Act III?
With less than one week to go before The Super Big Game With That Trademarked Name,
we'll look at how to break down a script into four equal quarters and
how the story's dramatic tension should move like a thrilling football game.
Kickoff
The opening kickoff gets the game
started with a bang. The kicker sends the ball sailing through the
air and into the hands of the return specialist. The
returner charges down the field and gets around, over and through the
defenders, or he catches the ball in the end zone and
settles for a touchback.
The opening lines and images of a
script should have the same energy and anticipation of the opening
kickoff. The main character can either charge forward into the action
or “take a knee” and assess the situation, allowing the audience
to catch up to the frenzy of the surrounding activity.
First Quarter
Each team starts out by testing its game plan. Teams that rely on a hard-charging rushing attack
will pound the ball up the middle to wear out the defense. A passing team will air the ball out and stretch the field. Defenses
will attempt to stuff the running game at the line of
scrimmage or pressure the quarterback with a heavy pass rush and
tight coverage on the opposing receivers.
The first act of the script establishes
the characters, their motivations and their tactics for reaching
their goals. The protagonist will show his desires and methods of
achieving those ends. The antagonist will show what he will do to
keep the main character from realizing his goals and why he sees the
protagonist's actions as a threat.
Second Quarter
While teams use the first quarter to
“feel out” their opponents, they use the second quarter to ramp
up their efforts. Both sides have implemented their game plans and
start probing each other for small weaknesses. The tension builds and
the stakes rise as they approach halftime, with each side attempting
to take the lead going into the break.
By the start of Act II, the script should convey a feel for both the main character and the antagonist.
The reader understands what each one wants and how each one intends to go about
getting what they want. The tension between the two sides ramps up
until the protagonist achieves either a close victory or an apparent
setback.
Halftime
During the halftime break, the players catch their breath, while the coaches reassess their game plans. Coaches
adjust their schemes, point out lapses in execution and motivate the
players to maintain their emotional intensity. If their team has the
lead, the coaches remind the players that the game is only half-over.
If their team is behind, they show the players that they still have
time to pull out the win.
The halfway point of the script should
show how the protagonist deals with his apparent victory or seeming
defeat. If he triumphed, does he gloat? Does he rest on his laurels?
Does he get lazy or greedy? If he underwent a setback, does he mope?
Does he cry or blame others? What halftime adjustments does he make?
Third Quarter
The third quarter starts with another
kickoff, with the team that received the opening kickoff now kicking
to their opponents. The first few plays of the third quarter can set
the tone for the rest of the game as teams implement their halftime
adjustments. At the end of the quarter, both teams mentally prepare for the
final minutes that will determine the ultimate victor.
The second half of the script should
also start off with a memorable moment to keep the readers engaged.
This “second-half kickoff” moment lets them know that, as the clock ticks down, the game isn't anywhere near over yet.
Both the protagonist and antagonist implement their halftime
adjustments and prepare for the next round of battle.
Fourth Quarter
With only one more quarter to go, both
teams know that their time is running out. The team in the lead wants
to preserve their advantage, while the trailing team becomes more
desperate to put points on the board. The leading team may take a
conservative turn, playing “not to lose” rather than playing to
win. The trailing team may abandon their earlier game plan and take
more chances in an effort to catch up.
Scripts that implement a “ticking
clock” or a deadline for the protagonist to achieve his goal must crank up the tension in the final act. The main character sees that
time is not on his side, which forces him to face more critical
decisions and take more desperate actions. The antagonist, faced with
the same ticking clock, will also ramp up his efforts to stop or
delay the main character from realizing his desires.
Two-Minute Warning
After fifty-eight minutes of football,
the game often comes down to the final two minutes. The two-minute
warning serves to tell the players that their time is nearly up. Many
of the most memorable plays in the history of the game have occurred
in these final seconds, as the struggle for victory reaches its
climax.
The last few pages of the script should show the audience how the protagonist performs under pressure.
Everything rides on his actions in these last moments. Does he make
the right move and win? Does he make a silly mistake and lose? Does
the antagonist throw one last obstacle at him to keep him from the
goal line?
Final Whistle
When the game clock hits 0:00, the
referee blows the final whistle. The players and coaches, who
regarded each other as mortal enemies for sixty minutes, embrace and
shake hands after a hard-fought contest. Win or lose, they can
reflect on how they gave it their all on the field.
The final image of the script allows
the audience to catch their breath and reflect on the protagonist's
accomplishments. They should see how the character changed over the
course of the story and consider how he reached this point from where
he started. They can also assess his level of
effort and dedication in striving against the obstacles placed in his path and how he overcame these
barriers.
Conclusion
When a writer breaks a script into four
quarters, the structure of Act II becomes much less daunting to
write. A strong second-half kickoff and a hotly-contested third
quarter help the story maintain its dramatic tension until the final
act. Regardless of if the script is a comedy like North Dallas Forty, a family drama like The Blind Side or a violent romp
like Any Given Sunday, the four-quarter approach can keep you
from fumbling through the writing process.
If you want to score a touchdown with
your next story idea, get in touch with us at StoryIntoScreenplayBlog [at]
gmail [dot] com.
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All Images Courtesy of Clker.
P.S. If I were a betting man, I'd take
Denver and the 2.5 points – but only IF I were a betting man!
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