Stage 3 – Progress
- the main character will be making moves towards his/her goal and his/her character change
- remember! There are two goals – one is the EXTERNAL GOAL, which is the quest – in Taken – get the daughter back
- But then, there is the INTERNAL GOAL – which is to be a better father
- The two goals need to work together
- External goal – quest of the plot
- Internal goal – character arc
- The progess here is BOTH – he/she is getting some kind of forward motion – gaining information, clues, moving to new places where things are happening, finding objects that help, or people that help
- We are building towards the midpoint of the movie – 50% of the way in, and there will be a Point of No Return
- This will be a moment where something bad happens to the hero, or something good, but it will mean that there is no going back to the old life
- This moment is a decision or an action that means the hero will have to go on to the end, and either CHANGE or FAIL (which would be a crappy movie)
Stage 4 – Complication & Higher Stakes
- this is the point in the movie where the bad stuff start to happen to the lead character – the “bad guys” start closing in, and the progress that the hero was making appears to be in doubt
- in Scott Pilgrim, the old girlfriend about whom he was hung up, returns to town
- in Happy Gilmour, I bet there is some problem at the golf course that threatens his plan – maybe some guy has some info that will mean he gets kicked out of the tournament
- the original plan the hero has is much complicated and there has to be some new response –
- also, there will be more danger, more loss, and more tension for the audience
- at about6 75% we have the Major Setback
- this point is also called The Low or the place where the worst moment occurs – this is where in Taken, the hero finds the dead friend of his daughter –
- there is usually some kind of death here, symbolic or real, or some kind of terrible loss – the couple splits, the hero’s girl is captured, the daughter is kidnapped, whatever happens it is the thing that most threatens the hero –
- some movies have a different timing, but that bit will be there
- this is here because the hero has to be brought to the lowest point in order to later find their power and rise above
- remember – the movie is about TESTING the hero – without that dark moment, there is no test!
- Right after that DARK MOMENT – what has to happen? – the audience feels sad, good feelings – we empathize with the character, which makes movies better –
Stage V – Final Push
- the hero is in the dark place, but then something happens – a person from the past, or some object of importance appears and gives a message that somehow reminds the hero about his/her strength and allows him/her to dig deep and find it
- the final push is often in the form of a battle or confrontation between the hero and the villain – could be a fight, could be a sport event, could be a public event of some sort where feelings are burst in the open –
- often begins with a “getting ready” sequence with weapons, armor, guns, etc
- there is often a guardian of some sort, or a series of tests, problems, obstacles that delay the final confrontation – the hero must break through layers of these to get to that moment
- this is often called Storming The Castle – eg – getting through gates, sneaking into tunnels, climbing something, lots of these scenes – or, it could be a chase or hurrying scene
- or it could be a TIMER – ie have to get to X before Y happens!
- We sometimes see in a movie, that the bad guy very much like the hero – and the bad guy will point this out, and often makes sense – the bad guy might even be the more rational – hey, why can’t we all just get along? Or hey, why don’t we join forces?
- NOTE! What is the hero REALLY doing in this confrontation?
- On the OUTSIDE he/she is solving the quest, beating the bad guy, fixing the problem
- BUT ON THE INSIDE – he/she is dealing with the inner problem and coming to terms with it – ie learning the message of the movie
- In Scott Pilgrim, he realizes LOVE – he finds out what the L word really means
- Common Things to See Here – a return from an earlier character who motivates or helps or might even save the hero – Star Wars – Han Solo AND ObiWan
- Hero has a setback, then reignites his/her power and defeats – often a false ending here (think Friday the 13th)
- Often the hero will see the error of his/her ways and announce it in some way
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