MM: Act Two can be a real challenge for writers, as their story can often start to drag at this point. What do you recommend to help writers re-energize as they head into Act Two?
DD: It’s helpful to remember that Act Two is really your Murphy’s Law act. It’s also about character development. One good way to approach writing this act is to dream up all that can possibly go wrong for your heroine, then brainstorm some inventive ways for her to deal with and overcome these obstacles, ideally ways that will ultimately enable her to somehow grow as a human being.
Also, the first half of Act Two is usually the point at which the movie turns in something of a new direction and really starts to kick into high gear. You’ve come to what is often the main reason you wanted to write a particular story in the first place and the main thing the audience has paid to see. A few examples of first portions of Act Two:
Tootsie: It’s where Dustin Hoffman first puts on the dress.
Toy Story: It’s where the Woody and Buzz first find themselves lost out in the big, bad world alone.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin: It’s where Andy first leaves his comfort zone, ventures into the dating world and begins to interact with women.
Argo: It’s where Tony Mendez heads to Hollywood to put his phony movie/escape plan into action.
Iron Man: It’s where Tony Stark becomes Iron Man, first flies in the prototype suit, then returns home and announces he wants out of the weapons trade and sets about building an even more elaborate version.
Little Miss Sunshine: It’s where the whole family piles into the van and hits the road together for the beauty pageant.
You get the idea. It’s where you, as the writer, get to have some fun and play a little with what you’ve set up in Act One, before the going gets even tougher and then you have to wrap things up in Act Three.
MM: How should a writer approach villains, challenges and obstacles within a story?
DD: First, drama is conflict. You need some sort of conflict somewhere in order to have a functioning story in the first place. But equally important, I think the other real purpose of these challenges to the hero or heroine is that they force them to their own highest potential. These difficulties may seem to be making the hero’s life miserable, and in many cases they are, but it is in the process of striving to overcome them that the hero is forced to change, to grow and ultimately to become a more fully self-realized human being. All of which means that if you’re creating villains and obstacles for your story, you’ll want to think about what qualities these challenges might bring out in your hero that have thus far laid dormant or been undeveloped; to think about how he might need to grow and what might effectively put the most pressure on him in this regard.
MM: Moviemakers have the opportunity to be change-makers in regard to Hollywood’s gender, racial and pay inequality. What advice can you give to those of us who want to help create an equal playing field for all and make a positive difference in our world?
DD: I suppose artists have always had something of a responsibility, or at least an inclination, to somehow enhance the lives of others. I think the most we can ask of them, or of ourselves, is to do their best original work, to be brave enough to continue to put that work out there, even when the odds seem highly stacked against it. I think there’s something rather noble in that effort, whether or not it ultimately meets with great commercial success.
MM: What is your ultimate goal in working with your students and clients through your online screenwriting courses and workshops?
DD: Well, obviously everybody wants to sell a script. That’s a great goal to have, but I believe the creative process itself is equally, if not more, important. The creative path in life can sometimes feel like the path of most resistance, and it takes real courage to pursue. But as the Zen proverb tells us, “The obstacles are the path.” It is in the process of striving to overcome the challenges in life that we and, not at all incidentally, our fictional heroes, grow. My goal is to provide screenwriters with some useful tools with which to share their own unique voices and visions so that, as Tolstoy advised, they can “add their light to the sum of light.”
I strike a balance between offering students and clients constructive critiques and guidance, and at the same time allowing them to do creative work without what a friend calls “too many other voices in your head.” I believe my role is not to be their collaborator. Instead, I share with them the knowledge and expertise I’ve gained and distilled over many years of working in the film business, and thereby help enable them to create their own best work in their own voice. MM
Ann Baldwin is a professional screenwriter (The Power of Dreams, Scent of a Trail, The Writer’s Block) and author of Creative Energy: Shift into Flow. She writes articles, book reviews and interviews in the arena of screenwriting and filmmaking. Her work has been published on Indiewire, Script Magazine and The Writer’s Store. She offers writing services at annbaldwin.net.
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