Third Acts are your race to the finish line. Everything has been setup and the final payoff(s) are coming in. Remember, your Third Act is buried in your First Act. You’ve raised a question about your Protagonist, placed an obstacle (the first of many) in his or her way, you’ve setup something that has to be resolved and usually has to be in such a way it is the final act by the Protagonist to signify their transformation.

Typically Third Acts are not more than 15 minutes long. (There are always exceptions to the rule). The event that sends the Second Act hurdling into the Third Act should be the emergence of the Protagonist overcoming his lowest point. The Final Action is taken by the Protagonist. Now it’s a race to the finish. The suspense, tension and drama are at the highest point here.

You often will expose the theme o f the story with this final act or redemption, resolution. How and why the Protagonist has acted tells us something about the character.
Your Third Act must do the following:

1) Resolve the central action line;
2) reveal the final image of the Protagonist: has he changed, into what? What is this new identity;
3) all that which is setup must be paid off.

Finally, the pace and tempo must be at its highest point here. The 3-Act structure is a building process of emotion and tension. Even with dramas and comedies, there is something going on. The Protagonist is heading towards this Third Act deliverance where the final decision is made and the action is resolved thereby allowing the theme of the story to be revealed.

Good luck and keep writing

Chris Wehner
www.4screenwriters.com

ScreenwritersUtopia is proud to announce with the coming year a new feature, “SU’s ScreenTalk” radio program broadcast via BlogTalkRadio with a potential audience of millions! Er, yeah right.

Devin (M.) Watson and myself (Chris) will be the show’s hosts, we will cover all sorts of topics related to screenwriting, movies, and Hollywood.

For those of you who do not know, Devin Martin Watson is a professional screenwriter with his first film TENEBROUS a.k.a “The Cursed” (the scum sucking producers changed the name) due to be released by Spring 2009.

As for myself, I am Chris Wehner and I am an author and professional screenwriter. Currently my screenplay, EL CAMINO, is in pre-production. Also my book, Screenwriting on the Internet: Researching, Writing & Selling Your Script on the Web was a Top Seller at The Writer’s Store.

Anyway, we will feature How To Tips, Marketing Advice, Share our Knowledge, and hold interviews with other professional screenwriters.

Our first show: 9pm MST (8pm LA time), January 14, 2009 will feature an Academy Award Nominee and much more!.

You can access the show via this link or by listening below >

READY TO BE A PAID WRITER?

Writing Your First Screenplay
This is an online class for beginner writers with no screenwriting experience, or no more than 1 screenplay completed.

Screenwriting 101
This is a class for writers wanting to brush up on the fundamentals. For four weeks you will interact and study under the guidance of your instructor to jumpstart your writing and hit the ground running.

Intensive Seminar Program > You Lost it in the Second Act
This is an 8-week program from start to finish and includes script evaluation (second act emphasis), rewriting, live instruction and training, and online readings. You will receive analysis, phone/chat (your choice) conference with instructor, and then have 4-6 weeks to perform rewrites all the while remaining in constant communication with instructor as you work on your script.

Out of the Computer | Into the Industry

A seminar dedicated to setting the screenwriter’s career on a successful track

New York City
Part of Take A Meeting Weekend
Friday November 7, 2008, 9am-4pm
Microsoft Center (midtown)
New York City

Meetings easily go off the rails: Poorly conceived or rehearsed pitches; An incomplete understanding of the business; Unprepared answers, badly organized body of work, or a lack of understanding of how your unique script fits into the larger industry are just a few of the culprits.

Whether preparing for Final Draft’s exciting Take A Meeting weekend or simply the demands of the entertainment industry, join us for our Business of Screenwriting seminar and gain a new understanding for strategically pitching, positioning and promoting yourself and your screenplay effectively.

Sign up through Screenwriter’s Utopia using coupon code SEMINARUTOPIA and receive a 10% Discount on the $125 admission price!

The day-long seminar, which will lead directly into Take A Meeting, will include lectures and discussions on the following tops:

* Pitch Practice Session - hone your pitch before you Take A Meeting
* Meeting basics & techniques: How to take charge of your meeting from start to end
* First Impressions: Understanding perceptions and prejudice, and milking your for all its worth
* Understanding the entertainment universe: How to navigate the industry’s tough realities and harsh truths to make the most of what you’re offering
* Defining the writer: What sort of screenwriting career is right for you?
* Screenplay marketing: Establishing the brand, promoting the product

Seminar attendees will receive:

* Access to day-long seminar, including extensive pitch practice session
* 1-year of Script Magazine (a $24.95 value)
* 1-year project posting on The Spec Market (a $49.99 value)
* 3-Month Free Trial for Filmtracker.com (a $149.97 value)

Sign up through this email, and receive a 10% Discount on the $125 admission price:

* General Admission $125
* Screenwriter’s Utopia Admission $112.50

To SIGN UP at the reduced fee, go to: http://scriptshark.com/seminar_NY.cfm and enter coupon code SEMINARUTOPIA at shopping cart.
For more information visit www.scriptshark.com, www.finaldraft.com, email scriptshark@blssi.com, or call (310) 482-3434.

ISP is designed to offer maximum exposure for your screenplay. It’s not writer’s block, but second act issues that effect your ability to finish your screenplay!

The instructor will provide proven strategies for second act success. There are several things that can be picked up on early in the writing process that will spell disaster as you try to punch through the second act and still maintain narrative trajectory.

This is an 8-week program from start to finish and includes script evaluation (second act emphasis), rewriting, live instruction and training, and online readings. You will receive analysis, phone/chat (your choice) conference with instructor, and then have 4-6 weeks to perform rewrites all the while remaining in constant communication with instructor as you work on your script.

You Got Close To Page 60 But… In general, there are many reasons why you “Lost it in the Second Act.” This class focuses on the major issues that arise. Here are just a few that will be covered:

Failure to outline your Dramatic Arc (This I cover in detail and show you where your script is going wrong and pinpoint early warning signs.)

No exit strategy for your Second Act (I will provide you with specific and proven strategies for properly setting up and getting through your second act.)

Overt awareness of screenplay structure (Seems like a simple thing but there are ways to manage your narrative and also increase tension and conflict without sacrificing tempo and beat.)

You took your eye off the ball (Doing more re-writing than writing? I’ll help you avoid this with some helpful tips.)

Your desire to complete the story wanes (You lost the passion, why? We’ll look at the dynamics of effective story selection and development.)

More information…