Preventing The Second Act Slump

or many writers, Act Two of the screenplay can be one of the most challenging. For others, the initial spurt of inspiration quickly carries them through Act One, and then, like a horse that senses he’s getting near home after a long journey, the pace quickens again and they kick into overdrive to write those big climactic scenes. But for many of us, Act Two can seem like crossing the Gobi Desert on foot. It can become tedious. We can lose our bearings. Sadly, many never emerge from this wasteland.

When I outline a new script I break it into four acts. With this structure Act Two and Act Three comprise what is traditionally “Act Two.” Don’t worry, in the end you’ll still end up with a “three act structure” because there will still be pivotal plot changes at around pages 28 (Act One Break) and 90 (Act Two Break). What you won’t have is an unmanageable 60 pages of barren dunes to cross. When studying at the Maine Photographic Workshops, Syd Field, author of Screenplay, stressed the importance of what he termed the “midpoint.” The midpoint could be thought of as an extra plot-point: A plot-point being a significant scene that sends the story off into a new direction. In a perfect world, the mid-point will link the content of the first half (the first 60 pages) with the content of the second half (the last 60 pages).

Properly utilized, the mid-point gives Act Two a punch that can reenergize the story and give it the momentum necessary to carry the story through to the next big kicker -- the Act Two break. For those who like detailed plotting, consider taking the compartmentalizing concept another step. While studying at USC, I spent a semester with the late Frank Daniel, who was a strong proponent of an eight-sequence structure. Act One, sequences 1-2, Act Two, 3-6, and Act Three 7-8. In this paradigm each sequence typically run from 10-15 minutes or pages. I’m not a strong advocate of “paint by number” theories, but it was interesting to see Mr. Daniel clearly identify the eight-sequences in movies as varied as Chinatown and Roman Holiday.

Another common problem with Act Two is simply poor execution. Typically this is caused by a lack of conflict. Act One is fresh and new; often the mystery associated with the setup of a new story is enough to keep our interest. We don’t have that benefit in Act Two. One technique that helps to keep the tension up is what I think of as “Two Steps Forward, One Step Back.” The hero has some success, but then gets knocked back, so he needs to overcome a problem before he can move forward again. Shane Black, action adventure legend, liked to plot his scripts in terms of, “The Good News Is, The Bad News Is.” This positive-to-negative/negative-to-positive dynamic should be used intra-scene (alternating beats within an individual scene), as well as intra-sequence (alternating scenes within a group of scenes, a sequence, or an act).

When outlining Act Two, keep in mind that this is where we develop subplots as well as digging deeper into our main character. When outlining a subplot, that subplot should adhere to the same three-act structure as your main storyline. Act Two will become stale if subplots can’t hold their own dramatic tension. A more advanced technique for keeping Act Two compelling is to layer multiple B-storylines, inter-cutting between them. For example, you might have a B, C, and D storyline. Story B could have a plot point at page 65, story C at 75, and C at 85. A variety of methods can be employed here, including the use of red herrings, cliffhangers, or dramatic irony. If you do plan to go with this more sophisticated approach, I strongly recommend plotting each story on index cards. Properly executed, Act Two will be spiced up nicely with the presence of several additional plot points.

On a final note, never underestimate the usefulness of a strong element of mystery. A reader keeps turning the page because he is compelled to find the answer to some question. Craft your scene to inject and preserve as much mystery as you can--particularly those scenes in the first half of your script. As an aid to coming up with mystery elements, think of the standard journalism questions (who, what, where, why, & how). Craft scenes that pose unanswered questions. The very best scenes leave us wondering… What will happen next? Who made the crop circles? Where is the buried treasure? Why did they… You get the picture. Too many questions and you’ll end up frustrating your reader, too few and you’ll bore them. It’s up to you to craft the right balance. Good luck!