The Blue Collar Screenwriter and The Elements of Screenplay by Gosnell Robert

Author:Gosnell, Robert [Gosnell, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Robert Gosnell Screenwriting Services
Published: 2013-10-29T16:00:00+00:00

Answering these questions will create a bare bones structure for the second act, with all of the necessary elements provided.

Act Three – Crisis, Climax and Resolve

By now, we should have built up, via a series of problems and complications through which our protagonist navigates, to the high point of our story.

Let's review the first two acts of "A Few Good Men." In Act One, Danny Kaffee was handed this case. He and everyone else expected him to plea bargain and put it behind him. Then, he interviews Col. Jessup, LtCol. Markinson and Lt. Kendrick, and uncovers disturbing information linking them to the crime his clients are accused of.

In Act Two, Danny's clients refuse to accept a plea bargain, and insist on having their day in court. Danny decides to quit the case, but soon changes his mind. He uncovers evidence that leads him to believe he can win. All of his evidence evaporates at the end of Act Two. It appears that all is lost.

The Crisis

Now, to our crisis in Act Three, where Danny must rise to the task, with all of the odds against him, and the stakes at their highest. That is exactly the kind of situation we want, for our protagonist.

Demi Moore's Joanne Galloway convinces Danny that his only chance is to put Col. Jessup on the stand and prove he ordered the "Code Red" disciplinary action carried out by Danny's clients. He must force Jessup to confess.

However, if he fails, not only does Danny send his clients to prison, but he faces the possibility of a Court Martial for smearing the reputation of a highly decorated officer, namely Jessup. His entire career, along with his clients' lives, is now at stake.

This is clearly the crisis point of the act. Danny operates in near desperation, throwing together some pretty weak evidence with an angle designed to play on Jessup's ego to trick him into a confession. Will it work?

The climax will tell us.

The Climax

Now, I'm going to give you another of those hard-and-fast, etched-in-stone rules.

Never, but never take the climax of your story out of the hands of your Central Protagonist! Your hero must confront the Central Force of Antagonism in your third act climax. Don't allow fate, God, coincidence or another character to solve your hero's problem. If you do, the audience will feel profoundly cheated, as well they should.

It is the job of your central protagonist to fulfill the task established by the Active Theme of your movie.

So, here comes the climax for "A Few Good Men." Danny Kaffee has Col. Jessup on the stand. He throws several of his best tricks at the Colonel, but Jessup holds firm. Danny is down to his last tactic, that of actually accusing Jessup of complicity in the crime.

The courtroom waits with bated breath. Everything says "don't do it," but of course, Danny does. He riles Jessup into his famous "You can't handle the truth!" speech, enrages the man and gets his confession. Against all odds, he has won the case.

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