ACT 2-The Journey Within

CR 2003

Darrell J. Banks

At the end of Act I a major event has happened to your protagonist. On the edge he or she is motivated into action. This story, the heart of any movie, is Act 2. The second Act of your screenplay places your main character in turmoil and distress. It is the motivation for any actor, producer or major studio to purchase your screenplay. Act 2 consists of 60 to 80 pages. This article will cover the first five pages of Act 2 and how you must approach this crucial part to sustain character growth and story movement.

If you have read the screenwriting books suggested in this series, you are aware of the various theories to ensure a great Act 2. Whether you choose plot points, negative/positive scenes, graphs or index cards the words you write must be indicative of a marketable screenplay. Previously we used " Dickie Roberts" as a model. But you could use the three hour plus epic "Lord of the Rings." Every story is indicative of the characters you have chosen.

In a drama your character has been setback by the opening of Act 2. In the classic movie " Casablanca" Sam has made due, he has chosen no sides, and risks his neck for no one. At the opening of Act 2 he is blind sided by a past love. In " The Run Down" the Rock must make a choice one more run to a desolate place to achieve his goal of financial freedom.

Now if you have chosen plot points you should have lined up the dramatic structure on how and when your main character will achieve his goals. I've used index cards to ensure that the dramatic moments are expressed that create the tension needed to sustain the movie. Now on to what you should write.

Page 21. Your character has reached a crisis point, she wants something but there is a hindrance, ( the protagonist) that prevents her from getting what she wants. By page 21 the audience knows what your character faces, they sit in anticipation waiting for you the writer to show how the character will react to defeat and setback. Using the " Casablanca" example, Sam is in trouble, you can tell from the look on his face that he' s been hit below the belt. The screenwriter reinforces this through the late night, the bottle of alcohol and a flashback. On page 21 you must inflict a wound on your character, Act I has lead to this. Act 2 fulfills this promise.

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