ACT ONE-Introduction
ACT TWO-The Journey
ACT THREE-Resolution
Last time we investigated the first Act, but with introductions concluded, the inciting incident having occurred, we are ready to embark upon Act Two., which will usually fall about 10% to 20% of the way into the movie. Act Two will occupy anywhere from 50% to 75% of the movie. This, for many people, IS the movie. This is the action, the heart, the struggle, the meat of the story.
If you remember, in Act One there is a necessary event, a plot point called the Inciting Incident. This is that pivotal point, that crucial event, that will forever change the main character (or characters in a group movie). Once the inciting incident happens, they can never be the same, and they usually have a big choice to make, to either withdraw back into the status quo as a defeatist, or to (bravely) take on the new challenge.
Of course, THEY WILL take on the new challenge, or we don't really have a movie. Once they decide to tackle the obstacle (sometimes they don't even have a choice), begins Act Two-The Journey. Act Two is called by many names, The Journey, The Hero's Quest, The Struggle, The Conflict(s), The Obstacle, etc.
Because of the inciting incident, the decision that the main character(s) makes, thrusts them into conflict. Conflict with another person, the government, nature, or even themselves. The main character(s) is known as the PROTAGONIST (the hero) and the opposing force or forces, is/are known as the ANTAGONIST.
Think about some famous movies and analyze their protagonist(s)/antagonist(s):
ANTAGONIST
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Generally speaking there are 6 types of conflict:
1. Man vs. Man
2. Man vs. Himself
3. Man vs. The Government (Society)
4. Man vs. Nature (Weather, Illness, Earthquakes)
5. Man vs. Supernatural (Aliens, Angels, etc)
6. Man vs. Technology (Robots, Skynet, etc)
Most "good" movies have more than one type of conflict. Usually, the main character is inwardly conflicted (Type 2) while fighting the bad guy (Type 1) and often in a struggle with some higher authority (Type 3).
But, it's not just conflict...it's EVER-INCREASING CONFLICT. At the beginning, the obstacles/battles that the protagonist faces are easier, smaller, and are defeated quickly. But as the story progresses, it gets harder, more difficult, often with setbacks. If you don't force your protagonist to struggle, and then to struggle harder, your audience will become bored, and you will lose them.
Think about Ghostbusters. When the rag-tag entrepreneurs first begin catching "ghosts," it is easy, they find 'em, zap 'em, trap 'em, and store 'em. But, things get harder when they are suddenly arrested and jailed for EPA violations (a harder battle). But, at the end, when the super-bad-demigod Gozer appears, they will face their biggest foe.
And then, somewhere near the end of Act Two, there inevitably comes an important Plot Point. It is that moment when the hero is at his lowest, when the situation appears hopeless, when it seems that the journey is over--there is no way to win. This important reversal of fortune, this important plot point is called ALL IS LOST. Every action and thriller film has it, and even most romance and drama flicks. The hero APPEARS defeated, no way out, dead in the water, stuck, defeated (in Ghostbusters, it is the moment when the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is about to eat them, with apparently, no way to stop him/it).
In Star Wars, All Is Lost is when the Death Star is about to blow the Rebel Base Planet away and Darth Vader is on the verge of blasting Luke out of the sky. In Hunger Games, it is when Katniss and Peeta are the two final combatants, and one of them surely must die, but then they decide to commit suicide.
The "all is lost" plot point is usually the ending of Act Two. This Act begins with a decision (the hero embarks on the journey) and it closes with the destruction of the hero's plans. It begins with youthful enterprise and enthusiasm, and it whimpers away with shame, loss, and (apparent) defeat.
Next time, get ready for Act Three, where it all comes together...
