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November 24 - December 9, 2021
So the flow of the story goes like this: Act One - A character has an initial goal, takes action, fails or gets new information, reaches a Turning Point and alters his goal. Act Two - The character devises a new course of action to achieve his altered goal, fails or gets new information, reaches a Turning Point and alters his goal. Act Such and Such - Rinse. Repeat
So the Six Acts function at a level beneath the context provided by the three Dramatic Phases. Conveniently enough, each of the Dramatic Phases is comprised of two acts. Dramatic Phase One: Set Up Act One: Dealing with an Imperfect Situation Act Two: Learning the Rules of an Unfamiliar Situation Dramatic Phase Two: Confrontation Act Three: Stumbling into the Central Conflict Act Four: Implementing a Doomed Plan Dramatic Phase Three: Resolution Act Five: Trying a Long Shot Act Six: Living in an Improved Situation
Act One Summary
Often, when the character steps into the Unfamiliar Situation, his ignorance of its inner workings comes to the forefront of the narrative. He simply doesn’t understand the rules governing the world he has entered. In some cases, this causes him to come across as a clueless, bumbling oaf to the new world’s inhabitants.
If the character has a Mentor, they will either be introduced in this act or, if they were introduced in Act One, will now become a focal point of the narrative. This is because the character now needs guidance more than ever and will eagerly soak up the Mentor’s lessons. Going back to Star Wars, Obi-Wan goes from simply telling Luke about the Force in the first act, to demonstrating it to him in the second.
By witnessing the character deal with his Unfamiliar Situation, we learn who he is and what he is capable of accomplishing. We also get a prelude to the plot events that will occur to lead the character to this realization himself. Because of this, there is often a great deal of foreshadowing in Act Two, as we begin to get a sense of the moral lessons the character must learn, as well as the physical obstacles he will face in doing so.
A particularly useful form of foreshadowing is the employment of Setups, Callbacks, and Payoffs. This technique involves providing a seemingly innocuous piece of information to the audience (the Setup) that is later shown to have greater significance (the Payoff). While often used for humor and dialogue, Setups and Payoffs can be used to give stronger meaning to any event that comes later in the story.
Because the Hooking Premise is realized during Act Two, a film’s logline or a novel’s blurb often revolve around the events of this act. When the average person describes what the story is about, they will generally focus on the events initiated in Act Two, because it is here where we learn what the physical events of the story are built upon. In fact, you can often summarize the story using only this act.
The purpose of the Transitional Goal is to bring the character into the external, Preexisting Conflicts of the story. While, he may have had conflicts of his own in Act One, the character was either willfully or unintentionally ignorant of the conflicts raging around him in the world at large. The Transitional Goal he pursues in Act Two brings him out of the periphery and into the story proper. Just as this goal transitions him from inaction to action, it also transitions him from a mere spectator on the sidelines to a true player in the game.
Though the opposition the character faces in this act may be incidental, the force of it is much stronger than he experienced pursuing his Initial Goal in Act One. The Incidental Opposition clearly establishes the stakes of the new world to the character. This serves as a wake-up call for him and is often the precipitating event that leads him to the Turning Point Catalyst of the second act.
As implied by the idiom, the Reality Check is an intrusion of reality upon the delusions the character brought into his new situation. Here, the character and the audience finally realize he is waaaay out of his depth, and the situation he’s stepped into is far more severe than he initially concluded. The stakes inherent to achieving his Transitional Goal become clear to him for the first time, and whatever misconceptions he had regarding the Unfamiliar Situation are laid to rest as the new world reveals its inherent dangers.
The Reality Check leads the character to realize the Unfamiliar Situation he is dealing with is far more complicated than he initially thought. As a result of this realization, the character must next make a resolution to persevere
At the end of the second act, approximately a third of the way into the story, the character makes the decision, or has the decision made for him, to fully commit himself to his New Role and take part in the events unfolding around him. This decision by the character to willingly participate in the external conflicts of his world is The Commitment.
These examples illustrate how the character’s Commitment is closely tied to his New Role. In fact, the Commitment the character makes at this Turning Point revolves around his decision to become the epitome of whatever his New Role is. He essentially makes a decision that, if he must be a “such-and-such”, he is going to be the best, damn “such-and-such” he can be.
So, the central pillars of Act Two are: The Unfamiliar Situation, the Transitional Goal, Incidental Opposition, the Reality Check and the Commitment. We can, therefore, summarize Act Two as… The character Learns the Rules of an Unfamiliar Situation and faces Incidental Opposition in pursuit of a Transitional Goal. But when he receives a Reality Check, he makes a Commitment to his New Role.
The Hooking Premise - The unique premise at the heart of a story, often involving an intriguing “what if” scenario that piques the audience’s interest. What if once a year, 24 subjugated children from around the country were brought together to compete in a death match for the entertainment of a self-indulgent plutarchy?
In the first two acts, this conflict is introduced and established, but in Act Three it takes center stage as the character’s pursuit of his new goal puts him at direct odds with the antagonist.
Notice the action of this act is not Entering into the Central Conflict or Merrily Jumping into the Central Conflict, but Stumbling into it. The stumbling aspect is important. The character doesn’t actively seek out the Central Conflict at this point, rather he stumbles toward it like a curious toddler, waddling toward the edge of an unsupervised swimming pool. He is simply a trouble magnet, pulled into the mix by the ineluctable draw of fate. While he may have some inkling as to the danger of the situation, and quickly comes to realize just how diametrically opposed his goal is to that of the
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It is in Act Three of Star Wars where Luke first learns of the Death Star and realizes the Rebel Alliance is the only hope of stopping it. Based on this information, he firmly aligns himself with the side of the rebellion by sneaking into the detention area to rescue the princess.
At its heart, the Central Conflict revolves around a Conflict of Ideals. An ideal in this sense is a conception of perfection being strived for. Each side of the Central Conflict is pursuing their ideal of a perfect world (or galaxy or whatever), and much like their mutually exclusive goals, these two ideals stand in stark contrast to one another.
It is important to understand the Conflict of Ideals pertains to the Central Conflict first and the character second. When the story begins, the Conflict of Ideals already exists, but the character only has a weak attraction to one of the ideals. In Avatar, Jake begins the film with loosely the same ideals as the company for which he works. He just wants to make a little money and maybe machine gun some blue aliens in the process. It is only by learning the ways of the Na’vi that he comes to understand the attractiveness of their ideological system.
A Mirror Antagonist is similar to the character in many regards, often sharing his profession or position, but differs from the character by his pursuit of the opposite ideal. The Mirror Antagonist is who the character is in danger of becoming if he sets aside the Superior Ideal and embraces the Inferior (or vice versa). The character and the Mirror Antagonist are two sides of the same coin.
The original Star Wars trilogy revolves heavily around the Mirror Antagonist premise. Luke is in ever-increasing danger of becoming like his Force-wielding father. If he gives into hate, if he lets his feelings control his action, he will lose the thin sliver of morality differentiating him from Vader.
The reason this goal is so deceptive is because it feels like it could be the Ultimate Goal. This is because the False Goal has an inherent and logical endpoint which, if reached, would signify success for the character and bring the story to a logical, albeit simplistic, conclusion.
By Stumbling into the Central Conflict in this act, the character, often unintentionally, makes the antagonist aware of his existence. The forces of antagonism discover who he is and what he’s after. Because the antagonist now recognizes the character as a threat to his plans, he makes a concentrated effort to eliminate him from the picture. This Intentional Opposition is the realization of the Central Conflict which pits the character and antagonist against each other.
Near the end of the third act, there is a drastic turn of events that exponentially complicates things for the character. Something happens to destabilize the already turbulent situation and amplify the Central Conflict. If the Reality Check in Act Two was a firecracker, The Turn is a stick of dynamite. It is a major revelation, plot twist or complication that raises the stakes for the character and his allies. This event is often surprising, coming as a shock to both the character and the audience.
As the name implies, this is a crucial moment in the story for the character. Here, he is presented with a pivotal, life-changing choice. He must look within himself to determine his true nature, and make the decision to fight for the things he believes in. He weighs all the information he has acquired and decides not only which side of the conflict he is on, but how far he is willing to go to ensure the right side prevails.
If the character went from being reactive to proactive at the end of Act Two, then at this Turning Point he goes from being proactive, to going on an all-out
Having come this far, he knows what the consequences will be if he fights, but he feels he must act in accordance with the true nature he has discovered lying dormant within himself. He is forced to make a decision about the type of person he will be moving forward. Everything that happens from this point on hinges on his decision and, once he makes it, he will no longer be able to go back to the way things were. If he makes the right decision at this Turning Point, the story will end happily. If he makes the wrong decision, the story will end in tragedy.
The character Stumbles into the Central Conflict and faces Intentional Opposition in pursuit of a False Goal. But when there is a grave Turn of events, he has a Moment of Truth.
And Act Four is all about playing off the audience’s expectations of the upward momentum provided by the Moment of Truth. At this point, everything is set up for the character’s grand success. After witnessing him realize the error of his ways and make a resolution to change at the Moment of Truth, we are rooting for his success. He has a reasonable plan in place and a team of people around him he trusts to help accomplish it. The audience can feel the character has success within his grasp.
It is only through being kicked down to where he no longer has anything left to lose (except his life) that Jake realizes he must be willing to risk it all (i.e. his life). Now we are behind him more than ever.
Act Four goes to the antagonist. In stories with tragic endings, Act Four serves as the prelude to the character’s downfall. As such, there is often a certain amount of hubris to his actions in this act. People close to the character try to warn him against the error of his ways, but his overconfidence in his belief system in this act ultimately leads him to his demise.
Though the character learned the basic idea behind the Ultimate Goal at The Moment of Truth, he isn’t thinking big enough in the goal he pursues into Act Four. At this point, he almost has it figured out, but his goal still is too small. He is pursuing The Penultimate Goal.
Because the overall action of Act Four is Implementing a Doomed Plan, the character’s pursuit of the Penultimate Goal will either fail outright or have disastrous consequences he failed to foresee. One of the reasons the Penultimate Goal so often fails is because it doesn’t involve the character confronting the main antagonist head-on. His Doomed Plan attempts to circumvent the antagonist in a path of least resistance.
By intentionally seeking out the antagonist in this act, he also becomes the primary cause of the opposition he faces. All the bad things that befall him are a result of his intentional attack on the antagonist. This is the Self-Inflicted Opposition.
The Self-Inflicted Opposition is exacerbated by the fact the plan the character implements in this act is doomed from the onset. While the character may think he has what it takes to defeat the forces of antagonism at this point, he is gravely mistaken. This is often because he overestimates his abilities or underestimates the physical or tactical superiority of the forces of antagonism. It is generally in this act that the antagonist gives the character a demonstration of his full power.
Much like the Moment of Truth, the Lowpoint is a time of deep self-examination for the character. He looks back over everything that has transpired, and all the actions he has taken over the course of the story and feels, justifiably, that he has lost.
The Lowpoint, as the name implies, is the lowest point the character will reach in the story. Though he will still face hardships in Act Five,
With nothing left to lose, he realizes he must defeat the forces of antagonism, whatever the cost. This realization is the Turning Point of Act Four: The Newfound Resolve.
In stories with life or death stakes, someone or several people close to him may die, or he may come to the edge of death himself. This death or near death at the Lowpoint reinvigorates the sense of purpose he discovered at the Moment of Truth. At the Newfound Resolve, he rededicates himself to his cause with a much clearer understanding of its significance.
Although the character made the decision to fight at the Moment of Truth in Act Three, at this Turning Point he must take it one step further. If the Moment of Truth turned him into a willing warrior for his cause, the Newfound Resolve turns him into a willing martyr.
After facing the catastrophic failure of his Domed Plan at the Lowpoint, and finally getting his shit together at the Newfound Resolve, the character realizes the only course of action left at his disposal carries a very low likelihood of success. His only option is to Try a Longshot. The Longshot is an improbable endeavor intended to destroy the antagonist once and for all. At this point in the story, the forces of antagonism have all but won, but the character is reinvigorated by his Newfound Resolve and is ready to give it one last try. He knows this is the last chance he’ll ever have to
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Everyone loves an underdog, and at this point in the story the character is as outmatched, outgunned and outmaneuvered by the antagonist as he could possibly be. The only thing he has on his side is determination (and a general sense of morality), but he’s still going to need a little luck for his Longshot to succeed. Lucky for him the story gods are smiling down on him from the story heavens. If the character were in a position of superiority coming into this act, it would lessen the impact of his ultimate victory over the antagonist. We won’t feel surprise or relief in his success if he’s
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In order for the character to overcome an antagonist with such a drastic level of power, he too must be willing to do so something drastic. He must be willing to let go of his personal convictions and place his faith in the hands of the “higher power” of his righteousness. This is why the Longshot is often so far-fetched. It’s a wing and prayer, relying on divine influence to succeed.
The expectation of the ability of good to triumph over evil is so ingrained in our collective consciousness that for a story to end in a righteous character’s failure often comes as a shock to the audience. This is an important thing to understand if one wishes to tell a tragic story. The tragedy in these cases revolves around a powerful moral conflict between the character and the world he lives in, which he fails to properly identify. If you recall from our earlier discussion of the Conflict of Ideals, this is not necessarily a matter of good vs. evil, but of what is “right” to the character
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Coming into Act Five, the character finally “gets it”. Having faced death and rebirth at the Lowpoint and Newfound Resolve, he now understands The Ultimate Goal he should have been pursuing all along. Granted, he probably didn’t have all the information needed to reach this conclusion until now, but the fact remains had he pursued this goal from the beginning, he could have nipped the entire problem in the bud before it ever evolved into the fight he now faces.
the goal involves the defeat of antagonist, it also encompasses the emotional or psychological realization of the character’s arc. It is only by shedding some flawed aspect of himself the character has been holding onto that he is able to overcome the forces of antagonism.
Opposition to the Ultimate Goal - Ultimate Opposition Having learned the Ultimate Goal of the story, the character must demonstrate his commitment to achieving it by facing the strongest opposition he has yet to encounter. The forces of antagonism will now throw everything they have at him in attempt to destroy him once and for all. This is the Ultimate Opposition.
The opposition to the character’s goal in this act is the stuff of legend. It is David v. Goliath, Potter v. Voldemort, Kramer v. Kramer, Coke v. Pepsi. The character must face down his opposite on the field of battle with only one of them allowed to walk away. After watching our character attempt to reason or negotiate with the forces of antagonism through the previous four acts, the audience is ready to watch him transform into a stone-cold badass. He must become more than just the character he has been. He must finally become a hero.
