DZ-10: Midpoint Reversals and The Ride
Explicit content warning
07/08/14 • 79 min
How can the middle of your film pivot so much that it pulls the rug out of your audience?
Stu and Chas embark on the first of a series of explorations into the dreaded Second Act. Their first stop is midpoint reversals or shifts, a plot point bang in the middle of ACT II that changes the protagonist's goal, raises the stakes and potentially leaves your audience leaning forward and asking "How the hell is this going to end?".
To get to the bottom of what makes a good midpoint shift (and whether your story needs one or not), Stu and Chas ride through DEATH AT A FUNERAL, PRISONERS, SHORT TERM 12, ALIEN, ALIENS and UP. We also drift across FULL METAL JACKET, PHILOMENA, HOW I LIVE NOW, ELYSIUM, DIE HARD and STAR WARS. Of course. Stu couldn't resist. It's not even funny anymore, is it?
LINKS
- The Story Department by Karel Segers: That Mid Point Thing
- Scriptshadow: GSU!!!
- Broken Projector Podcast: Amazing movies you have to wait a year to see
- Draft Zero: DZ-07: How much Bull is left in the Hustle?
- Youtube: Midpoint from HOW I LIVE NOW
- Youtube: DEATH AT A FUNERAL trailer
- PHILOMENA by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
- Draft Zero: DZ-01: Do Screenplay Gurus win you Oscars?
- PRISONERS by Aaron Gusikowski
- Youtube: UP Official Trailer #3
- ALIEN by Walter Hill and David Giler
- TV Tropes: Genre Blindness
- ALIENS by James Cameron
- Mike Jones: Star Wars is NOT Science Fiction. Mad Max is NOT a Road Movie.
- UP by Bob Peterson and Pete Doctor
- SHORT TERM 12 by Destin Daniel Crettin
- Youtube: Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio featuring L.V. (with appearance by Michelle Pfeiffer)
- Youtube: Star Wars - That's no moon...
- Amazon (non-affiliated link): Bruce Block's The Visual Story: Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV and Digital Media
- Restoration: http://www.restorationseries.com/
- Kickstarter: RESTORATION - An online sci-fi mini-series by Stuart Willis
- TRUE GRIT page excerpt:
Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or RSS.
Please send feedback to ask at draft-zero.com. Please considering rating us on iTunes!
How can the middle of your film pivot so much that it pulls the rug out of your audience?
Stu and Chas embark on the first of a series of explorations into the dreaded Second Act. Their first stop is midpoint reversals or shifts, a plot point bang in the middle of ACT II that changes the protagonist's goal, raises the stakes and potentially leaves your audience leaning forward and asking "How the hell is this going to end?".
To get to the bottom of what makes a good midpoint shift (and whether your story needs one or not), Stu and Chas ride through DEATH AT A FUNERAL, PRISONERS, SHORT TERM 12, ALIEN, ALIENS and UP. We also drift across FULL METAL JACKET, PHILOMENA, HOW I LIVE NOW, ELYSIUM, DIE HARD and STAR WARS. Of course. Stu couldn't resist. It's not even funny anymore, is it?
LINKS
- The Story Department by Karel Segers: That Mid Point Thing
- Scriptshadow: GSU!!!
- Broken Projector Podcast: Amazing movies you have to wait a year to see
- Draft Zero: DZ-07: How much Bull is left in the Hustle?
- Youtube: Midpoint from HOW I LIVE NOW
- Youtube: DEATH AT A FUNERAL trailer
- PHILOMENA by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
- Draft Zero: DZ-01: Do Screenplay Gurus win you Oscars?
- PRISONERS by Aaron Gusikowski
- Youtube: UP Official Trailer #3
- ALIEN by Walter Hill and David Giler
- TV Tropes: Genre Blindness
- ALIENS by James Cameron
- Mike Jones: Star Wars is NOT Science Fiction. Mad Max is NOT a Road Movie.
- UP by Bob Peterson and Pete Doctor
- SHORT TERM 12 by Destin Daniel Crettin
- Youtube: Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio featuring L.V. (with appearance by Michelle Pfeiffer)
- Youtube: Star Wars - That's no moon...
- Amazon (non-affiliated link): Bruce Block's The Visual Story: Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV and Digital Media
- Restoration: http://www.restorationseries.com/
- Kickstarter: RESTORATION - An online sci-fi mini-series by Stuart Willis
- TRUE GRIT page excerpt:
Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or RSS.
Please send feedback to ask at draft-zero.com. Please considering rating us on iTunes!
Previous Episode
DZ-09: Characterising Introductions
Can the introduction of a character be so good that the character doesn't need describing?
Stu and Chas argue about different techniques for introducing characters and whether character descriptions are even necessary. This is important for writers, as we only have words to compensate for the whole range of cinematic expression. And so Chas and Stu explore techniques like introducing characters through action, having other people discuss the character first, ensuring the introduction represents the character's goal/flaw/theme, and many more.
The scripts Stu and Chas tackle are... [takes a deep breath]... PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, BLADE, THE DARK KNIGHT, the BREAKING BAD pilot, GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, BLADE RUNNER, CHILDREN OF MEN, THE WRESTLER, THE SIXTH SENSE, MISS CONGENIALITY, LOCK STOCK & TWO SMOKING BARRELS, AMELIE, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, FIGHT CLUB, ROCKY, JAWS, CABIN IN THE WOODS, and [mutters under breath] STAR WARS.
Is that it? Probably missed some. Bugger. Oh well. Have a listen and let us know.
LINKS
- PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
- Youtube: Captain Jack Sparrow's intro
- Wordplayer: The Storyteller Cut by Terry Rossio
- BLADE by David S. Goyer
- Youtube: Blade Opening Scene
- THE DARK KNIGHT by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan (story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer)
- Youtube: The Dark Knight Bank Robbery Scene
- BREAKING BAD Pilot by Vince Gilligan
- THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Steve Zaillian
- THE WRESTLER by Rob Siegel
- THE SIXTH SENSE by M. Knight Shyamalan
- Youtube: Miss Congeniality Opening
- BLADE RUNNER by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples
- CHILDREN OF MEN by Alfonso Cuarón & Timothy Sexton
- Youtube: Children of Men Opening
- JAWS by Carl Gottlieb and Peter Benchley
- AMELIE by Jean-Pierre Jeanet (transcribed and translated - not original screenplay)
- Youtube: Introduction of Amelie's parents (in French, no subtitles)
- FIGHT CLUB by Jim Uhls
- LOCK STOCK & TWO SMOKING BARRELS by Guy Ritchie
- CABIN IN THE WOODS
Next Episode
DZ-11: Adventure for the MacGuffin!
Is the MacGuffin truly interchangable, and how does it impact on your character writing?
Stu and Chas are joined by a special guest - Scriptmag contributor Brad Johnson - to discuss how the choice of the MacGuffin can impact on the quality of an action/adventure film. To test this thesis, our heroes compare the auspicious originals of two iconic franchise with their, um, less-than-auspicious 4th instalments (in other words we compare RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK with KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL and THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL with ON STRANGER TIDES) as well as look at two recent & original entries into the genre, namely NATIONAL TREASURE and PRINCE OF PERSIA.
Our heroes uncover how key the relationship between the protagonist and the MacGuffin is and how this can impact on writing in any genre, not just action/adventure. Suprisingly, Brad brings up STAR WARS before Stu does...
LINKS
- You can find Brad Johnson on Twitter or at www.ReadWatchWrite.com
- Scriptmag: Specs & The City: MacGuffins and ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ by Brad Johnson pecs & The City: MacGuffins and ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ - See more at: http://www.scriptmag.com/features/specs-the-city-macguffins-and-raiders-of-the-lost-ark#sthash.zlc7sxQo.dpuf
- The Blackboard forum: What is a MacGuffin? citing TVTropes.org and Alfred Hitchcock
- Youtube: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK - The Greek Chorus/Exposition Scene
- Youtube: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK - Showing protagonist's desire for the MacGuffin
- The Complete Making of Indiana Jones by Rinzler and Bouzereau
- Youtube: How Indy 4 should have ended
- Youtube: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL - Visualising and explaining the MacGuffin
- Youtube: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES - Where the protagonist says that they do not want the MacGuffin in the middle of the film
- Youtube: NATIONAL TREASURE - Where the MacGuffin itself actually tells the protagonist to take action
- Youtube: PRINCE OF PERSIA - The only point where the MacGuffin actually affects the plot
Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or RSS.
Please send feedback to ask at draft-zero.com. Please considering rating us on iTunes!
Remastered July, 2020
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